Birthday Bash

Calvin had a great party a couple weeks ago. We were blessed to have some many people who have been such a huge part of Calvin's life in our home. Things were a bit tight but we made do.

We went with a Sesame Street Theme because that's Calvin's love right now. The cupcakes turned out really cute and Calvin was so excited when he woke up to find Elmo, Cookie Monster and Grover on the counter.

I didn't do a lick of decorating, just plain ran out of time. For me that was huge, I love to have everything perfect, but lately decided that it's better for me to just concede and go to bed, rather than have a grumpy momma with cute decorations. I'm working on it.

Meet Grover, Elmo & Cookie Monster

They were very simple, cuz I'm not very talented in the area of cake decorating. Although I've always wanted to give it a try. My mom made our cakes growing up and I'd love to do the same for Calvin.

Sesame Street Over took our counter! I made 40 cupcakes and all but 4 were consumed the day of the party. We had a lot of people at our house.

The Play Zone

Calvin had a blast playing with his pals and cousins. The balloons were a big hit. I have been so thankful for this huge play room right off the kitchen. It was nice for the kids to have a place to play.

Present Time

Even though we specifically said no presents. Everyone blessed Calvin by helping to replace all his DVDs that were stolen. It's amazing he had no duplicates!

It's a neat picture to see most of the people who've meant so much to Calvin all in one room. We are blessed.


I still can't believe two years went by so quickly! I'm certainly enjoying all the snuggle time and hugs I can get right now, before we know it we'll be sending him off to college.

Yet Another Reason I Love ETSY!

Calvin's hat came!!! It's too stinkin' cute! I love shopping on Etsy, but trust me once you start you'll be hooked.

Choices, Choices

Well I hope to order my Kitchen Aid this week, thanks to many of you! Now it's time for to choose a color. This is the hard part! Here's what I'm choosing between.

I love this green. It's calming and sweet. It reminds me of a good friend your always glad to see.
Here a nice sleek chrome. It looks ultra modern and would be fun to have around my kitchen. It seems sophisticated and I'd feel blessed to use it every time. (not sure how well it would clean, how to keep it nice and shiny because let's face it I'm a messy cook, anyone have one like this?)

Lastly Empire Red. Need I say more. It's sassy and a pop of color and I LOVE red, but is my kitchen ready for this princess? It would make me happy just looking at it.

I'm so torn I love all of them. They all have a different feel to them. What would you choose?

blog question

anybody know how to get the cutest blog on the block template off my blog. I tried to edit my html and it's still on here.

I'm not sure what to do next.

Thanks

25 cents

Whelp today is the last day of our garage sale and we've done quite well. It's amazing how much stuff we had accumulated in the year and a half we've been stateside. Thankfully now others get a chance to use it. I definitely couldn't have done it without my mother-in-law. She was here this week when Marvin was still working. She watched Calvin all day long, did the same puzzle about a millions times, listened to his Sesame music about a million times on top of all the garage sale stuff. She's really awesome.

I decided garage sales are just an interesting place. You'll meet all sorts of people each with their own stories. It was fun to see a mix of people. It was fun to hear some of their stories and I am glad they now have a piece of our lives. We've been so blessed by complete strangers and by some we know. They have been so giving I tear up just thinking about it. One guy asked where we were moving, once he found out he then handed me $20.00. He went to his car and came back with a $100 bill. What a blessing, and he had no idea that we had just lost several things in a home invasion. God certainly is good. I do want to be able to do that someday, bless the socks off of people.

It's weird selling everything, I'm not sad it's just odd. It's interesting how objects sometimes take on some emotional value in our lives. I was glad to see Calvin's trains go to a grandma with lots of grand kids. Stuff like that have been funny to me because it's just stuff. Overall I'm quite relieved it's out of our house. The preparation was slightly overwhelming, but now that we've gotten rid of a lot it's on to packing up stuff we're keeping and trying to cram things into 12-15 suitcases, yikes. It gives me an feeling of excited anticipation to see the road ahead.

We have one more week here in this house. It's going to be a busy one. Its been quite a journey this last year and a half. Sometimes we never thought we would get to this point, but God is faithful and had us here just the right amount of time. (Slava Boga, Praise God)

Stuff

This weekend we came back home after being away and found out our house had been broken into. Our computer, DVDs (mostly Calvin's), Marvin's shoes, my jewelry box from when I was a little girl were stolen. As we went through our house with the police officer it was an odd feeling knowing someone had gone through all of your stuff. Taken a glimpse at who you are and didn't care a lick. My heart just breaks for those who feel the need to steal. I can't imagine what life must be like for them. I hope they come to know the true hope in the world, that it's not about the stuff.

Marvin reminded me of a great quote from a book we read this summer. I don't know the quote exactly but here is what it's about "You can take anything you want (talking about working overseas), but take in in your hands and not your heart. If it gets to your heart, that's when trouble sets in.

There are some things my heart is sad about. documents we didn't back up, jewelry that carried a lot of meaning, but ultimately it's just stuff. It can be replaced. It was a good reminder now as we pack up a few suitcases and head back over to the other side of the world.

Just a side note the police think it was some punk kids because they also stole our 24 packs of coke. Seriously? They also took our remotes but left the TV. Punks.

Thankfully all of our documents are accounted for and our passports were still right where we left them. We were certainly protected. So if you don't have insurance get it, it really stinks without it. Trust us!

You all are awesome

Thank you so much for all your orders and generosity I've felt so blessed to see my Kitchen Aid Project become a reality. I finally finished adding things to my Etsy Shop this evening. I only have 3 more things to add, but forgot to get photos of those things. So check it out and see if there is something you'd like. I really want to start emptying the shop. On to new things in the shop.

I have a few preschool boys aprons available in my shop. Here's one of my favorites. I actually have two of these, it's the "Super Chef".


All of my preschool girl aprons are sold, but if you want one I'd be happy to sew one for you. I have a few school age aprons left also, so make sure you check it out. I'd be happy to custom create an apron for you but I won't finish it until later this month. I have several custom orders right now begging for some attention this week.

There are some new Slippers out too. I have smalls 0-3 months and Mediums 3-9 months in the shop but if you see something you like and want it larger I can do that too, it will just have to be a couple of weeks.

I have one new nursing apron up for grabs too.



Last of all in the shop are id tags that can also be used for diaper bag tags and backpack tags.

Thank you guys so much. I'm starting to consider colors for my kitchen aid, it's so much fun.

I hope you guys have blessed Sunday! Enjoy the Sabbath.

From Head 2 Toe

Happy Birthdays

Wow this has been a fun couple days of celebrating. Marvin's b-day was up first and Calvin was thrilled to see Daddy, even though he was so tired he was quite the trooper and enjoyed a few games of hide with dad before we had dinner. His game of the week has been hiding in his "house" a blanket drapped over a plastic toy. It seriously has been hours of entertainment. It was so fun to see how Calvin immediately wanted his daddy to play hide with him.

Calvin's special day started out awesome. He got to sleep in his favorite jammies "Bob". We invariably hear the Bob the Builder song the rest of the next day. It's just too stinkin cute. I couldn't wait to give him his present and he loved opening his gifts (most were from the dollar bins at target!). We had a fun birthday dinner of blueberry pancakes & sausage. One of Calvin's favorite meals.

Today was also my 10 year High School reunion. It was nice to see everyone, several people with kids, hear what everyone has been up to. It's fun to see that everyone really is still the same, we just grew up a bit and have jobs now. I'm not one of those people who hated high school it was fun and without high school I wouldn't be the person I am today, but glad it's all just memories and we don't have to relive that awkward stage of life. Sorry Sherry my pictures wouldn't load, maybe later.

My Favorite Birthday Boy

Unfortunately Calvin and I were away from home this week so we had to delay celebrating Marvin's birthday a day late. We can't wait to see him tomorrow. We've got some fun things in the works for his celebration. Even Calvin's getting in the spirit with learning the Happy Birthday song.But seriously I can't say enough good things about Marvin. He's been so supportive with my sewing projects lately and has endured countless evenings with my sewing machine buzzing in the background and doesn't say a word when occasionally I get a bit wrapped up in my sewing to tidy up a few parts of our house. He's a great leader of our home and an amazing example to Calvin and myself of following where the Lord leads. I'm so blessed to be your wife. Praising God for you today and can't wait to see you tomorrow!

Happy Birthday!

A Great Craft Day

Well I am so glad it's over but my 1st craft fair went really well. I was one tired girl by the end. I crashed on the couch at 4:00 p.m., slept through Calvin's symbol playing (a.k.a. banging lids together) woke up to put Calvin to bed and ate a couple pieces of pizza then off to bed again. I was so refreshed Sunday morning. After a week of some major sleep deprivation I needed a lot to catch up.

The craft fair was so much fun. I met a lot of talented ladies, many of them also fellow "etsyians". It was fun to briefly browse through what everyone created. It's neat to see how people put things together. There were two distinct trends that I saw, those who did things by the book, followed steps and those who deviated from the path and did their own thing. Both were great, it was just an interesting observation. After doing this fair I have a greater appreciation for those who do it a lot. It's a lot of work and you really have to love what you are creating. For those of you who couldn't make it here's what my booth looked like. I had a corner booth, I was very thankful once I got things set up that I had the extra corner:

The morning was a bit slow, it was cold. Things picked up around lunch time and I actually made the most sales right before we closed. I even made one more sale as I was packing things up. I definitely made a huge dent in that Project Kitchen Aid. I'm still debating about whether to do one more fair. It was definitely worth my time, and I wouldn't have to do too much more prep work, it just comes down to do we really have time?

We are seriously moving in less than a month and the only prep that has been done is throwing things to a garage sale pile in our back room. (Which seriously is a heap of mess screaming for some organization right now.) If I were in town I'd be all over it, but it will have to wait until next week. I'm at my parents chillin' with my dad for the week and a little of next week while my mom is back at work.

I couldn't resist bringing along some yummy fabric to start on Calvin's quilt for his big boy bed. I know I'm crazy, but I really want to get it done this week and it's a very simple pattern. I have taken a couple days off from my sewing machine. Today I even took a nap. It was such a blessing.

Progress...almost done

I actually went to bed at 1:00 last night. Wow did that much sleep feel great. I only have a few more things to finish today!!! It looks like things are coming together. Everything is tagged and ready to go, now it's on to create some signs.

If your in Wichita this weekend I'd love for you to join me. My booth will be at the Lord of Life Lutheran Church Craft Fair and Fall Festival this Saturday October 3rd. The fun starts at 9 a.m. and ends around 2 p.m. There will be lots of booths full of handmade crafts, including yours truly. Bring the kids for some games, bouncy fun & good ole pumpkin painting. Marvin's excited about the food and I can't wait to see all the crafts, I hope I get set up early so I can browse a bit. It's a win win for everyone in our family. My booth will be outdoors so make sure you come so hi.

The Lord of Life Lutheran Church is located at 11215 W. 13th. Street North (Between Maize Road & 119th St.)

Here's a sneak peek at what I've been working on.

How is it October Already?

I flipped the calendar today and it made me a little sad. My little guy is turning two in just 10 days! How did this happen? He's certainly growing up too fast.

He's sure full of fun recently. I hear "where'd he go" about a million times everyday. I play too many games to count of "hide" everyday (hide and seek). I just love to hear his little squeals of anticipation when he's searching for you and his laugh is contagious when he actually finds you. Sweet memories that I just want to bottle up and never forget. Thank goodness for technology!

He loves anything that needs to be put together blocks, puzzles, Mr. Potato head. He'll stack anything and everything, cans, spools of thread, markers, etc. He loves it when you take the time to play with him and if your around him when he's building you're likely to hear him say "sit" and pat the ground. He's a very persuasive little guy.

It's been neat to hear him pray for those he loves. He'll come up with a list of people every time we take time to pray. He loves spending time with his grandpas and grandmas and his aunts and uncles and cousins and talks about it for weeks.

He's doing great with a cup, and wiping up spilled milk. He loves any fruit and will devour corn. He's still not a big fan of meat, but is eating many things he used to spit out or not even touch. Our persistence is paying off. (Last night I could hardly contain my shock when he actually ate his salad and didn't just lick off the dressing.)

When he's happy he gallops everywhere. He loves to play soccer with you and "golf" using these long poles from his baby gym. He loves to read and some favorites lately include The Napping House, Goodnight Moon & Dinosaur Roar. He loves to sing and recently will just sing the theme song to Bob the Builder over and over (Bob, Bob, Bob, mumble, mumble, mumble Yes......Can). The B-I-B-L-E is also a favorite, but he just sings B, B, B, B the whole song. It's pretty cute. Every color is Blue, everything he counts is 2, and every letter is B.

Art captures his attention. He loves to cut with scissors and better yet he loves to glue (mostly his fingers). He'd happily paint everyday if I let him. When he sits down to draw he's very focused, and most pictures he draws are dinosaurs because he will point to the picture and then say "ROAR." I haven't quite seen it, but maybe I need to look at it from another angle.

He gives the best hugs these days and even add as a little "awww" in there with every hug. When I go to get him in the mornings or from nap he'll often put his finger in front of his mouth and say "SHHHH". Usually Tigger is sleeping (his favorite lovey). He loves to put his stuffed animals to bed and I about melt every time he gives them a sweet little kiss and says "night, night."

He loves Sesame street right now and we hear a lot about Elmo (Mo Mo), Big Bird (Bee Bur), Ernie (Nee Nee), the Count (nount), Grover (Gover), Cookie Monster (Gookie) & Abby (he's got that one down). I decided he would love a Sesame Street birthday and since then settled on doing these fun cupcakes. I can't wait to see how excited he will be. I'm only going to do his favorites so it's Elmo, Cookie Monster, The Count & Grover Cupcakes for his special day.

Wow I still can't believe he's turning two! Time flies when you're having fun!

Project Kitchen Aid

Here's what I'm working for! I am really dreaming of having one of these overseas, it would be oh so beautiful. If you want to help me purchase this beauty I'd be happy to custom create something for you or just check out my Etsy shop. I'm thinking of putting this picture on some business cards for my craft show next weekend, what do you think? Or should I just stick to the norm?

I'm only slightly stressed right now. Thankfully I have all my baby shoes finished, now it's on to finish last minute things and I think I'll actually get to those diaper bag tags after all. Start praying for a beautiful day next Saturday. It would really stink if it rained.

I'm ready to focus more on packing and let that overwhelm me for a while. The Word has been true blessing to me during this crazy season of our lives. I hope it helps calm your anxious heart as well.

Not your typical Wedding Present

We are going to a wedding tomorrow and I can't wait. I just can't wait to see these two become husband and wife. I love it when God draws to people together. Both these sweet people we meet while we were overseas which makes this such a special wedding.

I had a hard time finding the right fabric but was happy to find the fabric I finally choose. I just love them and thought I'd share them with you. So what do you think? I know when we got married there were things we received that although we were was grateful for made me wonder why they would give it to us. I hope they don't think this, or at least humor me and my sewing machine.

Almost finished...with children's aprons

I have two more child sized aprons left to finish today!! I can't wait to be finished with them so I can move on to my baby shoes (I've already prepared my fabrics for this project. They are ironed and backed in interfacing ready to be made into adorable little Topichkiis).

I have discovered that I'm a little craft ADHD. I've enjoyed making each apron, but there is something that I learned, I don't enjoy making more of one of each apron. I like to move on to a different fabric and doing the same thing again and again gets a little tiresome. I'm really thrilled how they turned out though. My favorites include the "Super Chef" It's complete with a cape on the back. I just love it. I also love the one I'm finishing up today, the fabric really makes me happy. I'll have to post it when I'm finished with it.

Other BIG News!!!

Well Wednesday was crazy for another reason, we wanted to wait until today to share it with you all. No, we aren't expecting another baby, but we are expecting to leave sooner than we thought. This was not at all on our radar, we didn't think our status would change, but we got a call on Wednesday and due to the generosity of so many we will be able to go this year, like DECEMBER!

This means we have so much to do between now and November. We are hoping to spend our last month in the states with family. WOW between getting things ready for my craft show, packing and helping my mom out with my dad we're going to be a busy bunch. YIKES. But a good kind of busy! We are so amazed at how faithful Father is to us.

Oh and my dad doesn't know yet so if you see him, don't mention it.

Unpacking the last few days

Wow. I'm so thankful Calvin & I are home for a few days. The last few days have been utter chaos. Something that my poor husband does not thrive in. Our plans were constantly changing but thankfully the Lord provided for every need.

Wednesday was just a crazy day. We had an evening event at church and I was busy trying to get my aprons finished. After dinner at the church we had to run home to get cookies Calvin and I made earlier that day. Thankfully my phone was sitting right there and I noticed I had a message. My mom called to tell me that they were on the way to the hospital, there was a liver that was a match and they'd keep me posted on whether it was a go or not. (Often they will send you home if it's not a good match.)

So around 10:00 pm we found out that the liver was a good match and that surgery was scheduled for 4:30 a.m. So we rushed around packed a suitcase, ran to Dillons to get some food, washed Calvin's cloth diapers and we headed to KC around midnight. Calvin woke up around 1:30 am and stayed awake until 5:00 a.m. We were a tired bunch. Thankfully we were able to get maybe an hour of sleep before people started coming into the waiting room.

The surgery went well and my dad is doing about as good as you can do after such a major surgery. His new liver is functioning and so far shows no signs of rejection. Now it's just finding the right balance of anti rejection drugs. They basically suppress his immune system so that his body doesn't start rejecting this new organ.

Unfortunately since my dad is still in ICU Calvin can't go visit him, which makes for some shuffling and it's much easier to do with Marvin there. We came back home last night and I'll tell you it's so nice to sleep in our bed or not have to feel like a pack mule for the day. We'll head back after he is released from the hospital to help my mom with some of the care he'll need so she can return to work. Which means I have to work like a crazy woman this week.

I thought I'd share some ways God's hand has been seen in the midst of this crazy situation:
-My dad got the news when he was visiting his mom at the nursing home and shortly after he left my uncle came to visit my grandma and got to comfort her during a scary time.
-We were able to see my dad before they took him to surgery. Thankfully they were behind schedule by 30 minutes.
-My dad got to see Calvin briefly when they wheeled him down the hall to the elevators.
-God provided a place for us to rest our heads, even for 30 minutes in a smaller private waiting room.
-Calvin didn't melt down at the hospital. He really enjoyed the attention from everyone and loved having someone play with him at all times.
-My dad was very nervous before they took him into surgery, but he said once he was taken back he felt very peacefully.
-The surgery was a success! There were others at the hospital who did not have the same story.
-My brother, who recently moved to Houston, already had plane tickets to come back to Kansas for a wedding. He was able to see my dad a day after the surgery.
-We are borrowing my parent's truck for the time being which gives us some flexibility if Calvin and I need to head to Kansas City.
-For a sweet friend who met us at a park one afternoon. Thank you so much Marie, Calvin really enjoyed it and it was such a blessing to give him some time outside, not to mention catch up with you.

God is certainly Good. We are thankful how he has provided recently.

I'm 2 T-Shirt

Our ancient camera just me load pictures to our computer, unfortunately the quality isn't that great, but at least I can add pictures. Here is a preview of the "2" shirts I've been working on, the boy version of course. Girls version to come, but I need more shirts.

Oh and I was so bummed to see a very similar idea on another blog, because it was original folks, came straight from my brain to paper. Oh well I guess great minds think alike.

Where did the time go???

Oh my goodness I have less than a month before my 1st craft show and I'm not as far along as I'd hoped to be on my sewing projects. I'm excited for the things I'll have at my booth, unfortunately many of them are not yet made, yikes. I had hoped to get all my aprons done this weekend, but I've been distracted, the good kind, by my family and wiped out by allergies, boo, both have slowed production. I have a stack of about 8 aprons I'd like to finish today. I don't know if it's possible but I'll work till midnight and then we'll see how much I've accomplished. In case you're dying to know what my little 10x10 booth will have here's my list:

• 4-Snuggly Clippy Blankets (can attach to your stroller, carseat, baby carrier (baby bjorn, ergos, etc.) I love these and wish I had one when Calvin was little. I love that they work for a variety of things so you don't have to buy different muffs for various strollers, baby carriers and car seats.
• Fabric flower hair accessories, hair clips & headbands. These turned out very cute. I have about 15 made and I'm hoping to make a few more.
  
• Diaper Bag Tags/Luggage Tags (yet to start)
  
• More Baby Booties. I'm hoping to make about 15 more in a medium size, 6 more in a size small and 10 in size large.
  
• Aprons, children's, women's & nursing (need to make about 15 more)
  
• A few t-shirts. So far I've done a "2" shirt and hope to do a "3" shirt and "1" shirt. They are pretty darn cute, I can't wait for Calvin to wear his on his birthday. I love how he can wear this after his birthday too, unlike the "It's my birthday today" shirts out there.
• Hot Pads (haven't started)
  
• Maybe some Christmas Ornaments with a place for a picture, we shall see how much Christmas fabric I have leftover after my aprons are done.
• I spy fish (thankfully I already have these made)
  

Some days, like today, this is a little overwhelming, I'm only slightly behind schedule but feel a little overwhelmed. I just hope I finish my sewing machine projects before my dad has his surgery. I guess I better get working.

We are still having computer issues and can't load any photos which stinks because I can't add anymore things to my Etsy shop until it's figured out. Anyone know of a good computer guy in Wichita for a decent price? I think it's time we take our little computer in for a check up.

Well dinner's ready so I better go feed the family!

P.S. If you know of anyone with a 10x10 foot tent I'd be very grateful if I could use it on October 3rd.

I can't wait

I'm so excited I can hardly wait. Tip Junkie is doing a swap where you send someone a few things and then they send you a few things and I've already signed up. I'm still debating about the three items I'm going to swap, but I think I'm more excited to get a package. I love surprises.

Other news we finally finished the TV show Jericho. A guy that Marvin works with let us borrow them. It has consumed our evenings and I'm very thankful to have them back again. We're not big TV watchers during the week. Most nights the TV only comes on for the news, so this show has made us a little obsessed. It was a little 24ish but not as intense, and a little more cheesy, but we liked it. Thank goodness it was only 2 seasons.

Also I officially have a business tax number/legal paper thingy. How fun is that, can you tell how clueless I am about all this. It took me a few weeks to piece all the info I was reading together I was glad to finally figure out what I officially needed. Now I need to start getting busy looking for more craft shows this fall and making more products. I have one already scheduled, but would like to do a few more.

Well I better get back to my sewing machine. I need to finish a couple more Cozy Clippy Blankets (they have clips that you can use to attach to your stroller and car seat, they can even be used for nursing cover). Once I ever figure out what is wrong with our computer I'll post some pictures.

Have a Great Weekend.