new additions!

We are excited to announce a new addition joining our home!!

Two actually!

Oh, wait. What kind of new additions are you thinking about?

 If it involved the cast of Glee, then I think I like you!

If you were thinking a baby... well, don't get your hopes up. Mine definitely aren't. 

Nope, just some free time to sew my own monogrammed pillow shams!! 

And chase around a sassy flapper.

Sigh. In the words of Hartley, "you are so bootiful." 

let the festivities begin!

While everyone else was facebooking it up about decorating, I was forcing myself to get the house clean first! Boy, was that motivation! Since moving into the house, I've really enjoyed decorating for Christmas. I love the lights! I love my Willow Tree nativity! I love the ornament tradition (and I get teary eyed when I think about what to get Hartley.. and hopefully future babies).

Without further ado! My recent crafting.. Erika, take notes. :)

Over the summer I worked on a silhouette of Hartley. And when the time came to use it, I was so ready! I cut out the shape on wrapping paper (yes, the one that's been framed in our dining room) and put some neutral/textured fabric behind it. I LOVE the result!

A few weeks ago I saw a Christmas card holder on pinterest. While Marshall was clearing out the woods in our backyard, he helped find the perfect twigs and some sand to construct the centerpiece. Please send cards this way! Until then, teeny tiny ornaments are adorning it.

Monster baby loves the ornaments!

And trying to get behind the tree to play hide-and-seek.

I picked a few ornaments from Marshall's stash that I thought Hartley would enjoy.

Choo-choo train.

A bike. And there's also a "Bajor/Big dog" (Major).

Hartley's first ornament. It makes me cry.

Ok, crafty stuff. The above will become pretty ruffly trees.

Today I made a gathered ballroom skirt for the tree. Out of an old fitted sheet! I love free.

Some balls for you. Some balls for me.

I got this wreath at Goodwill for $1. Unfortunately I didn't realize when I cut off the burlap strings it started falling apart. So I tied some ribbon in a few spots to hold it together. Hot glued some balls. (how many times can you say balls at Christmas and get away with it?). And added more ribbon to hang it.

And then one ball fell off and shattered. So I glued another ball on. I've got lots of balls.

The most recent and frustrating craft was a stocking. I don't like it. I'll get back to the drawing boards on that one..

And in other news, Hartley turned 22 months old over the weekend. I haven't gotten around to posting anything but not much has changed since 21 months except she talks.so.much. I love it, but I also love it when she's asleep and there's silence.

And...

We got handmedowns this week.. So of course, we dressed up as a bunny. And this morning, we pulled out big girl panties!!! Stay tuned to see how that goes. Hah.

crafting

My niece Emma is turning THREE next month. I feel like she and her twin brother Jayden were just born!

I wanted to make them name shirts, so they can coordinate. Because I'm lame and really like for kids (and grownups...) to coordinate.

I just have no idea what to do for a boy. I have tons of girly fabric but nothing exciting for a boy.

And I'm patiently waiting for a new sewing machine that can embroider! I will have way too much fun with that, so I'm limiting my sewing for now. And this is harder than giving up chocolate for Lent (if I ever did that).

silly rabbit, Easter is for Jesus

Happy Easter from Us!

We had a wonderfully busy and appetizing weekend with our families! My Momma and Jim came for a quick visit. See how Momma is so tan. And Hartley is so.. white.

Hartley is always a little shy at first with folks she doesn't see often. But it didn't take long for her to warm up. She was definitely her silly self by Sunday morning. For those wondering about the appetizing weekend- we dined on grilled pizza (yes, the homemade variety), ribs, and grilled chicken wings. And not to mention- sweet potato fries.

A few weeks ago I planned on actually buying an Easter dress for myself. I haven't specifically bought a dress for Easter since.. well since my parents bought my clothes. And I got Hartley's dress on clearance either last year or before she was even born. That's how I roll shop.

But then I realized- I can sew my own dress. So I did. I went the "cut a tank top in half and add fabric" route. I added a sash around the middle and topped it off with a cardigan.

Hartley went Egg Hunting many times this year, too. She doesn't exactly understand she's hunting for egss as much as she enjoys picking them up and putting them in a bag/basket. She does understand some eggs have prizes and especially liked a bracelet that she found.

She visited real bunnies with her cousins on Wednesday. Caleb was holding one of the bunnies by the ears at one point. It was pretty hilarious.

Anna Kate is such a sweetheart!

And Hartley kept calling the bunny a "baybee!!"

We can't get over how grown up she's looking! I keep correcting myself when I call her my baby. She's a toddler. :(

I made her pillowcase dress with the leftover fabric from another dress I made myself. Unfortunately her dress was washed accidentally with something red and I haven't been able to get the red out. :(

We've had a super busy Easter week. And I'm very ready to relax. At least for a few days!

tomboy to girly girl

I'm not gonna lie. Hartley isn't always dressed up. She usually runs (almost running..) around with mismatched clothes or no clothes, and definitely no hair bow. So, if you drop by on a whim.. this is what you'll most likely see.

Apparently we have a no shirt, no shoes, no popsicle policy around here.

But today I had the urge to sew. HobLob had patterns on sale for 99cents. Yes, please. I bought clearance fabric a few weeks ago and decided it would be perfect for a pillowcase dress.

And I have to say. It is perfect!

We spent a good 30 minutes walking up and down the driveway while we waited for Daddy to arrive home.

 

We did come inside for a few minutes to start dinner. Somebody wasn't happy about that. She found a purse, came up and was waving byebye.

So outside we went. Again.

Now. I'm thinking. Am I ambitious enough to start an etsy and sell my creations? Shoes, dresses, hairbows?? There are so many other people out there that do.. what's one more?? Whatcha think?

baby shoes!

Shoes. Baby shoes. They're irresistible. They're also unnecessary, especially for a certain 1 year old with no interest in walking. Hartley alternates between 2 pair of shoes right now, pink ones with dots and brown ones with little flowers. She really needed more options.

Shoes cost money though. And I don't like spending money on things I can learn how to make using cheap or pre-owned materials.

So I made my own. I love the internet [see Erika, we pay for internet now and I can blog all the time..]. There are a ridiculous number of blogs with sewing tutorials. Like. Ridiculous. It took me a few tries to figure out how to attach everything, but I finally did it! I made my own child some shoes. Makes me feel like a real Proverbs 31 woman.

We had to scratch the ribbon. Little did I realize how much Hartley has chunked up.. her feet barely fit into these. I'll have to make some larger ones.

The girl loves shoes. Especially the taking off part. And then chewing on them. Maybe these will be a little harder to pull off since they're so tight.

She also enjoys sticking out her tongue these days. We read a book about babies and one of them is "silly." Whenever she sees "silly baby" she pulls her tongue out with her fingers.

Don't you love these?! It makes me want to jump off birth control and have another one.

Now that I've got a better idea of how to sew them, I can make more! Wouldn't they be sweet shower gifts? I know my preggo hormones would make me cry when I opened these.

I even made them Daddy-friendly.. i.e. I didn't sew right and ended up with TWO left shoes...

So this is how I spend my Sunday afternoons. We put the kiddo down for a nap- I sew, Marshall plays with his wood. Or some kind of carpentry stuff.