Bloggers Quilt Festival!

I'm so excited to be participating again in Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival! Last year I was so inspired by all the quilts.  I can't wait to look through them this time around (and maybe actually see ALL of them).

In spring I saw a few "scruffily" quilts and instantly fell in love.  I modified it a bit (only did two layers instead of 3), but love how it turned out!! It's made with Moda pre-cuts (the Wrapped in Paisley line) so I was able to assemble the top in about an hour.  I did free motion quilting on each of the center squares and then through the seams on the large squares.

This quilt was a gift for a friend so I embroidered (free hand so it's not perfect) this phrase in the lower right hand corner: "Blessed is the home that welcomes a friend." I wanted it to be cozy and warm so I backed it with chocolate flannel.

I can't wait to do another scruffily quilt!! I didn't think I would like the raw edges as much but I just love it! It's my new favorite and SUPER easy!!

After the quilt arrived at her house, this is the post that she wrote about it (with a full picture of it).

Now go visit the festival and be inspired!

Friday Funnies

The girls were a total crack up this week (and I remembered to email the "funnies" to myself)!

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Driving home from school, the girls noticed a man struggling to get his sweatshirt over his head. 

Skylar: Mommy, that man is stuck!

Reagan: He wouldn't be stuck if he took his helmet off before putting his sweatshirt on.

Me: Uh baby....that's not a helmet.  He's bald.  

Reagan: But it's so shiny!

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Skylar was playing with her baby doll.  Overheard from the other room:

Skylar: Oh Kayta, you're such a challenge sometimes.  But I still love you and your little watermelonhead.  (In her defense, our watermelons from the garden this year were about the size of her baby's head). 

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Later on that day while she was playing with Kayta, she came running into the room.

Skylar: Look mommy! See the necklace I made for Kayta out of beads!?

Me: Yes, she looks so fancy! What's the occasion?

Skylar: We were in the rainbow parade! People were walking wearing rainbow colors and carrying rainbow flags and wearing lots of rainbow beads.  It was SO fun!! I wish it was real!

ummmm, at what point do I fill her in that rainbow parades really DO exist?? :)

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I put a little chapstick on Bailey because it's been so dry and windy.  Ten seconds after putting it on her, she says, "Mommy, can I have more lips please?"

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Bailey has been asking to watch "Ginger Bears" for a while and we finally figured out that she means Berenstain Bears!

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Skylar and Bailey were playing one night and Skylar tells Bailey, "Look what I brought you from my trip! I know you wanted it but it wasn't on sale yet so I bought it for you.  All the way from China!"

It is true that most toys they own say "Made in China." :) I think it's even funnier that she knows we don't buy things until they go on sale. :)

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We went to the pumpkin patch last week and my mom bought Cinnamon Bears for all of us to share.  After she left Skylar noticed that she had left them on our counter.  She said, "Oh no! Yaya left her cinnamon bears!!" Then the phone rang.  Skylar said, "I bet that's yaya calling.  She's going to say 'don't you eat my cinnamon bears!" :D

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Have a blessed weekend!

Friday Funnies-The Skylar version

I only have two this week but they are both from Skylar and super funny!!

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Our backyard neighbors were having their trees trimmed one morning.  The girls were fascinated by the chainsaws and the guys climbing into the trees to cut the branches.  One guy had to stand on our fence to reach a limb and he happened to squat down in order to reach the branch after it fell.  Skylar was watching out the window and then looked away quickly with her hand over her mouth.  She gasped and then said, "Oh my word!! I can see that guys bum bum!!" Apparently the tree trimmer was also a plumber. :)

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Skylar and Bailey were playing "ring around the rosy" and they sang a second verse that I hadn't heard before: "Horses in the meadow, horses in the meadow, buttercups, buttercups, we all jump up!" I asked her where she heard it and she said, "My cousin Sam.  She knows lots of stuff. She's a teenager." I said, "Oh really, so you think teenagers are smart huh?" She replied, "Yep! Daddy says when I'm a teenager I will know everything." 

Have a blessed weekend!

Tutu cute

I need to be cleaning but it's cloudy again today and I'm lacking the motivation.  So, instead, I thought I would share some of Bailey's two year pictures we *finally* took.  Technically she's 2 and a half, but still two, so it counts, right? :) Skylar was at Yaya's house and Reagan was at school so it was just her and I at the park.  Perfect weather, sweet girl, and my camera.  I couldn't have asked for more.

Now all I need to do is pick one and have it printed for the wall.  Wish me luck.

A little Sunshine

It's been cloudy and rainy here lately, so Skylar decided to make her own sunshine and tape it to the sliding glass door.  I thought I'd share just in case you needed a little sunshine too!

(and in case you couldn't tell what it was, she wrote the word 'sun' on it). :)

I heart apple orchards!

This weeks theme at I heart Faces is "In the Orchard." 

We haven't been to an apple orchard this year so this is a picture from our last visit.  Skylar loved eating apples right from the tree.  Just looking at the photos from our trip made me realize how much she has grown!
Go to I Heart Faces and check out all the other "Orchard" pictures!

Friday Funnies

This week has been a rough one.  I'm even more thankful for the joy and laughs my girls bring. I hope you enjoy our Friday Funnies this week!

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I took Reagan on a "date" the other day and while we were sitting and enjoying our slushies, we started talking about heaven.  She asked two questions that I thought were cute.  

Reagan: "Mommy, can we call people once they go to heaven?"

Me: "No baby, we don't get to hear them again until we get to heaven ourselves."

Reagan: "That's too bad. I would call Papa Great (awwwww...) and then ask him to put Abby on the phone." 

Ha! Abby was my mom and dad's dog that was put to sleep two years ago.  

Later....

Reagan: "Mommy, do you think there will be Starbucks in heaven?"

Me: "ABSOLUTELY!"

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While driving the other day, Skylar noticed the bowling alley out the window but didn't remember what it was called.  She said, "Hey mommy! That's the place where we play with our balls!"

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Reagan and Skylar were playing last night and Reagan said, "Skylar, you're being kind of bossy." She could see that it had hurt Skylar's feelings so she tried to recover by saying, "...but in an adorable sister kind of way..." :D

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We were at Starbucks on Wednesday and Bailey noticed the Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake. She said, "There's PINK cake!" Skylar said, "I know why they have pink cake today mommy! It's for breast cancer awareness!" (That one's for you Christine!)

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We had just returned from getting Reagan at school and Bailey had fallen asleep (yes, in the two minute car ride home...of course).  So, I got her out of her carseat and said, "Skylar, can you please pick up Baileys shoe and take it inside?" She gave me a VERY grumpy look and bent down to pick it up.  I said, "And with a joyful heart please..." She answered with a gruff, "I do have a joyful heart. I just have a grumpy face."

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I tried to wear my hair curly this week.  As we were getting ready to go get Reagan from school Skylar says, "Mommy, your hair is crazy! Do you want me to get your hat for you before we get Reagan?" I thought it was funny until my husband came home and said, "Hey Crazy Hair!" :D I'm guessing the curls are a little out of control with the new haircut....

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I can't wait to read your "funnies" from this week.  If you don't blog them, you can always leave them in the comments. Have a blessed weekend!

Lookalikes

I was in desperate need of a hair cut.  Now that it's short, I am finding that I can't go six months without a trim.  So, my wonderful mom offered to buy me a haircut last week (you KNOW it's bad when your mom offers to pay!!).  I decided to go with the "Friday Funnies" logo look.  What do you think? Was I successful? :)

I run.

Last week I went for a run around the neighborhood.  I went my normal route which is just over 2 miles.  When I hit the corner of my street I started walking as a cool down.  One of my neighbors stopped me and said "wow, I didn't know you were a runner." I was quick to answer, "Oh, I'm not." Her next statement has stayed with me: "Well, if you have babies you're a mother, and if you run, you're a runner."

I guess I am.
I'm a runner.
But how did I get here? Well, let me share with you a bit about the journey.

I would call us a healthy family.  We eat organic food as much as possible (especially when it really matters with the "top" fruit and veggies), we don't eat a lot of processed foods or sugary snacks, we take vitamins, we don't drink soda, and we stay active.  But being "active" did not interpret into consistent "exercise" for me.  Sure, I chase the kids around the yard, I run up and down the stairs a bazillion times a day, and take the girls on walks pretty frequently (especially during the school year).  So you can imagine my shock when my doctor told me, "Your weight is perfect but that doesn't mean you are in shape." Um, ouch.

TMI alert!
I was in the doctors office because I was consistently having intense shooting pain every time I ovulated.  It was debilitating and obviously painful. I was relieved to hear that it wasn't anything serious, but what my doctor did tell me surprised me.  Apparently I'm prone to ovarian cysts.  While they are not uncommon, the fact that I have them so frequently, they are so large and rupture, is uncommon (thus the pain).

Her solution?
Either take birth control or run.  That's it.  Either take a medication that I have not had good experience with (if there was a side effect, I had it on birth control),  or run twice a week for 15 minutes.  It seemed like a no-brainer for me.  So I started running.  The whole idea is to hit the anaerobic state of breathing and then keep it there for at least five minutes.  Your body releases a whole mess of Seratonin and adrenaline when that happens and both helps prevent cysts from forming.

I wish I could say it was easy and I just put my shoes on twice a week and went for a leisurely jog.  But it wasn't easy.  The first day I felt like my body was ready to give out after about 30 seconds of running. I learned how to pace myself (and kept repeating "it's just 15 minutes").  Then the weirdest thing happened....I started to like it.  I didn't have weight to lose, but my clothes started fitting better.  I had more energy.  I was in a better mood.  The most amazing part? The first month I started running, I didn't develop any cysts.  I thought it might have been a fluke, but then the second month rolled around and I didn't develop any cysts.  It was working!!  Another way I know it was working? When I got sick with Labyrinthitis I didn't run for almost 6 weeks and my cysts returned.  It was a painful reminder of how consistent I have to be.

Running has to be part of my routine, as much as brushing my teeth and doing laundry.  If something is important, we just make time for it.  (This can translate to reading our Bible, etc. etc. etc.).

Our families have been plagued with medical challenges in the last few years.  The unfortunate part is that most of the medical challenges are ones that are avoidable.  High blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes....all complications of obesity and a lack of diet and exercise.  We've learned that it's a choice.  You can choose to exercise or not.  You can choose to eat the right foods.

We choose to eat right (most of the time...we're not perfect).
We choose to exercise.

We choose to help our bodies perform to the best of their ability.

We choose to model healthy living for our kids.
We choose to try and be around for them as long as possible.

I'm not saying we are going to be marathon runners *there's actually evidence that TOO much running is bad also*.  But 15 minutes  a few times a week? I can do that.  I will do that.  I choose to.

Friday Funnies

Oy. I wasn't very good at writing down the funnies this week.  Hopefully you all did a much better job.

Here are the few I managed to eek out:

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A couple of my favorite "Bailey phrases" lately:

It's right by-hind (behind) us!

We're out of Pullyups!

I want to play Yittle Bill on the 'puter!

(I'm realizing now that she adds "y" to a lot of words!!)

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One day Bailey and Skylar were playing and I asked what they were doing.  Skylar answered: "We are being secret agent, finding the bad guys.  Now stop talking to us or you'll blow our cover!" 

Thank you Phineas and Ferb and Backyardigans for that one!

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Skylar and Reagan were playing with their walkie talkies one day. Reagan was upstairs and Skylar was downstairs.  They weren't working very well apparently because I heard Skylar say "Can you hear me NOW?!" After hearing no response from Reagan, she threw her walkie talkie on the couch and said, "Piece of junk!" 

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Baby Sis

Bailey has been busy the last few weeks too.

You may remember that she has been finding new things to do with her pull ups:

Trying to be like her big sister

She didn't get to actually dance at ballet class, but she was certainly dressed the part.  

Down to the shoes.

She's been teaching  Nana Great how to do the "Wheels on the Bus"

 Raiding the pantry....

And quite possibly eating her cupcake off the ground at her cousin's birthday party

It sure is a good thing she's so cute!! :)

Middle Sis

All three of our girls are SO different.  Reagan has always been girly, but not into baby dolls.  She loves animals, reading quietly, not getting dirty, and wearing dresses.  Skylar loves her baby dolls, but also loves to get dirty and wrestle with daddy.  She's pretty athletic and has some pretty amazing hand/eye coordination.  As much as I try to "figure her out" I think she's just one of those kids that likes everything.

Lately she's been playing baseball outside with daddy.

And actually hitting it!

Don't you just love that little face?! (I know I do!)

She's also been taking ballet.  And loving it!

Her last class was "Princess Ballet Day" so she wore a princess gown. The girls were SO cute!

She is definitely showing us that she's one of those kids that just can't be labeled.  

She's just a superstar! :)

Big Sis

I've been remiss in blogging.  I feel like a broken record.
We've been busy.
We've been busy.
We've been busy.

There are a number of days where my heart wants to blog, but my head knows that the sink full of dishes takes precedence (especially to keep the great ant invasion of 2010 at bay!).

I could do a looooong blog post to update you, but there are so many times that my girls get lumped into one group that I thought it would be fun to highlight each one individually this week.

Reagan's had an eventful couple of weeks.

She's been losing teeth.

And winning awards at school

Making us proud....and getting her ears pierced.

She had been asking to get her ears pierced for a while but her reasoning was always "because my friends have theirs done." We didn't want to set a precedence for "when everyone else has something.." so when she came to us and asked to get her ears pierced because she felt like she was old enough to take care of them herself, we told her we would consider it.  Then we found out she was getting student of the month in the first month of school, for the second year in a row.  So we rewarded her with getting her ears pierced.  Her teacher said the nicest things about her at the awards assembly.  Her award was for academic achievement because she breezes through everything.  

Unfortunately the fact that things are too easy has been an issue lately.  Reagan started to say that school was too easy and boring.  She said she was frustrated that the other kids were not grasping the concepts and that she had to spend "so much time" on things that she already knew.  I know this is part of being in a classroom setting, so we have actually had to deal with this every year.   Last year's teacher was not as willing to challenge Reagan.  Instead she offered her more homework.  More of the same stuff she already knew.  Two hours of homework is not a challenge....it's a burden.  We are so thankful that after talking to her teacher this year that she was SO receptive to changing things up for Reagan.  

We talked about homeschool and after talking to Reagan about it, she said "I think I'd rather be bored at school." I should have saved that one for Friday Funnies, but I just had to share!! The girls are so different.  Skylar would LOVE to homeschool.  Reagan, not so much.  

Thankfully for now things are good and she is being challenged.  We're praying about next year.  I'm learning that we are going to have to just take it one year at a time, pray for the best teachers, and stay super involved.  

There could be worse things than being a smart girl! :) 

Friday Funnies

Better late than never this week right?! :)  I hope you have all had a wonderful week! Our weather has been a bit crazy! We went from extreme heat (which apparently made the news all over the US), and then to sticky, humid, stormy weather.  I loved the thunder and lightning.  The girls....not as much.  Today we are back to our "normal" for this time of year.  Perfect. 82 degrees.  Ahhh!
Enjoy our Funnies from this week!

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Bailey burped one evening and then giggled.  

Me: Bailey, what do you say?

Bailey: High five?

Me: No, try again.

Bailey: Excuse my butt?

close enough.  

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Bailey thinks it funny lately to refer to "daddy" as "Brian." She also has been walking into a room and saying "Hi honey!" to me.

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Bailey's favorite treat? Yemen- M's (Aka: M&M's).  We refer to them as the "middle eastern version." :D

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Reagan asked if she could be "Rapunzel" for Halloween.  I told her what that costume would look like and she said, "Well, first I have to grow my hair REALLY REALLY long..." :D

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Bailey was dancing to a video and then fell over.  She said to herself, "Oh Bailey, you're so funny. I crack myself up!"

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Bailey grabbed the dogs leashes one morning as we were heading out the door to take Reagan to school.  I said, "Bailey, we are not taking the dogs with us to school.  Please put the leashes away."  She walked over to the dogs (who were SO excited about the leashes) and said, "Sorry puppies.  I said yes, but mommy said no."

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And just for you Auntie Sharon:

Bailey was talking on her phone to Auntie Sharon (a fake phone), and she said, "Sharon, you live in Turkey?!!! Do you have Turkeys and Chickens?"

(hehe...Auntie Sharon lives in Kentucky)

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Skylar was giggling last night and I said, "What's so funny?" And she said, "You don't smell it?!"

oy vey!

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Bailey keeps saying "3,2,1, Blastoff" but Blastoff comes out as "Blastard!" 

Have a great weekend!!