The Patch and Princesses

Every year we go out to the pumpkin patch, ride ponies, feed goats, take a hay ride, and pick pumpkins.  I always love the pictures that result.  We figured out this year that going on a Friday is MUCH better than going on a Saturday or Sunday.  It was fairly empty and a whole lot less stressful.  It was close to sunset so the lighting wasn't all that great, but the girls didn't seem to mind.

Bailey hitching a ride out to the patch in a wheelbarrow

My little Hercules

I attempted to get a shot of all three girls, but they were NOT havin' it!

Another attempt

I finally gave up and just took pictures of the girls individually

We had so much fun!

Halloween rolled around and we were part of our church's "Trunk or Treat" at the Fall Festival.  Since we were so busy, I hardly had a chance to take pictures of the girls in their costumes.  But I did manage to get a few.  We don't make a big deal out of Halloween at our house.  The girls just chose costumes from our dress up chest.  I did end up having to make a headband for Reagan, but I think that's a piece of cake compared to the work some parents put in for their children's costumes.

Reagan was a flower girl, although everyone guessed she was a princess.

(and yes that is Christmas stuff behind her.  Our trunk was decorated with a Christmas theme for the Halloween Trunk or Treat.  You work with what ya got!)

Skylar was Sleeping Beauty (and would NOT stand still for a picture)

Bailey was Snow White (and discovered a love of chocolate)

Personally I'm glad to have Halloween behind us so folks will take down their ghoulish decorations and put up their "Fall" inspired ones instead.  I much prefer Harvest to Halloween.

Playing with pictures

I have always admired how others can "fix" their photos (or enhance them). The contributors over at "I heart Faces" are amazing! On their Friday "fix-its" you can actually get tutorials on how to make your own photos look better. This is their Friday download this week.

I took a whirl at it and had fun playing! This is what I came up with:

I'm obviously still a novice, but it's so fun to play! Head over to their website to see how to enhance your own photos!
Don't forget there's still time to enter my first giveaway!

My First Giveaway!

UPDATED: POST IS OFFICIALLY CLOSED TO MORE ENTRIES.  A WINNER HAS BEEN CHOSEN.  WATCH FOR DETAILS. THANKS!

As if I didn't have enough on my plate, I've decided to do a giveaway! I figured since my fabric is spread out across the dining room table, it's as good a time as ever!

I've been making baby blankets for a few years now (and even sold a few). I've learned a lot along the way, and I'm still learning the ins and outs of my machine. My blankets are perfectly imperfect, like me. Each one is unique and one of a kind. Here's one I just finished this week:





If I can find a way to be creative with the name embroidery, I try to. Otherwise, it's just a block or a rounded applique like this one:



I make them a generous size so they work for tummy time, and can be used even when baby gets bigger. And yes, I do make boy ones too (the two I just finished this week happened to be for little girls).

If you would like to win one for yourself (or give one as a gift), then simply leave a comment. I will choose a winner at random on November 5th. Then, all you need to do is let me know if the blanket is for a boy or a girl, and the name you would like embroidered. (I'll also send pics of the fabrics I have on hand so you can choose one that you like).

Good luck!

Sew Sweet Giveaway!

In case you didn't know, I have an etsy shop (Sew Sweet for Baby). Don't go looking for it though because there isn't anything in it right now :D

I've been busy sewing like crazy lately! Not on projects for myself though. There seems to have been a baby boom around here lately! So, I've been doing what I do when friends have babies...making blankets!
Here's a sneak peek at one:



Since I'm in the sewing mode, I thought I would let you know that I'm going to be doing my VERY FIRST GIVEAWAY!! My next post will have all the details, so be ready! You could win your very own personalized blanket like this one!

See you soon!!

Fresh Air!

Two weeks ago, my husband and I found ourselves with only two out of our three kiddos (Reagan was at YaYa and Poppy's house). We wanted to take full advantage of the man-to-man defense (and of course the gorgeous weather) so we packed up our youngest two and hit the trail. Literally.

We googled "easy trails" in Idyllwild (since he would be wearing the baby in a backpack for the hike). When we found it, we set off for our family hike. Along the way we learned a few things:

1. Hikers walking UP the trail have the right of way.
2. Bring snacks (there's a reason it's called "trail mix").
3. Easy is not easy (turns out we ended up on a moderate trail so that explains a lot)
4. Going down is a LOT easier than going up.
5. Buy a map.
6. A 20 pound baby feels a lot heavier at 6,000 feet up and carried on your back (I have to take my wonderful husbands words for it on this one)
7. Three year olds will walk a lot if you keep them busy "looking" for things.
8. There's a reason they are called 'hiking boots.' Sneakers just don't cut it sometimes.
9. The first weekend in October is also the Wine Festival in Idyllwild. Who knew?
10. God made our world so beautiful and often we forget to just take it all in and breathe.
(The world is also a small place. The ONE family we asked to take our picture on the trial was actually from Philly, just a few towns away from where B grew up!)

It was invigorating and peaceful all at the same time. The pictures don't do it justice, but we have agreed that it's something we need to do more frequently. So, we'll have more pics in the future. For now, enjoy! I know we did!

This is NOT my first NOT ME MONDAY (but really it is)

Ok, so I'm caving. I've been reading others for months and now it's my turn to join the ranks. It was created by MckMama as a way to admit what we most certainly did NOT do during our week. You can go to her blog if you want to read about hundreds of others that didn't do anything this week.



Most weeks I simply forget what it was that I did NOT do, but this week I have actually been writing them down. I am a list-maker, afterall. I almost wrote my first "Not Me" a few months ago after I totally did NOT misread a pregnancy test and think that we were expecting a fourth child (after my sweet husband's 'procedure'). And now I totally do NOT giggle every time I hear the ClearBlue Easy Pregnancy Test commercial that says "Three out of ten women can misread a pregnancy test." Who does that?!

But on to THIS week!

I definitely did NOT hit the "panic" button on my key fob by accident while trying to hit the automatic door button. I always know which button to push, even with my hands full.

My youngest daughter did NOT continually remove her clothing and her diaper no matter how many times I tried to convince her otherwise. Then I most certainly did NOT try to scotch tape the tabs on her diaper to keep her little fingers from lifting them. Not me. I also wouldn't ignore every sign that she is sending at 19 months that she wants to use the potty. I always let my children dictate when we start potty training.

I did NOT spend over an hour last night, freaked out because I thought I heard a mouse in our bedroom, chewing on something. I finally did NOT get up out of bed and "face my fear" only to find out that it was the string on our blinds, blowing in the breeze and 'clanking' against the metal window frame.

Since my stomach was NOT bothering me last week (and thus making me feel all around icky) I definitely did not convince my children that they wanted quesadillas or microwavable mac n cheese for dinner. I always cook organic, healthy meals, from scratch.

I also did not scrap two bags of Amish bread "starter" because I keep making the "cake" and eating most of it myself and then wondering why the scale is not moving down. Not me. I don't eat sugar. Ever.

So there it is. My first (but not my last).

Sneak a Peek

A couple weeks ago I was "inspired" for my kitchen and family room curtains.

Since then I have been on a mission to find the right "hankies" to applique onto my curtains. This is what I have thus far.



I have discovered that this process is going to take longer than I originally thought, but the search has been fun, so I don't mind!