Oh yeah... I have a blog!!

So, this blog has been neglected for almost a YEAR!!! yikes!!

Our lives have been busy to say the least. In the past year we'v

e sold one house and moved, put the girls into a private christian school, BH has changed jobs and changed back (really long story, but praising God for the experience), J turned 5, C turned 7, and M is about to turn 11 (is that possible??). Also, Super J Wonderboy gave us all a sc

are by falling from a barn loft. The doc thought he might've ruptured his spleen, but it was just slightly enlarged! Another praise for God!! This summer Princess C asked me to cook a cricket for her, when I told her no way she just ate it raw! :P BLAHH! Who knows, maybe she's preparing herself for mission work someday! M is leaving little

girlhood quickly. She's at that age where you can look at her and see a teen more than a lit

tle girl. It's sad but exciting at the same time. It hit BH and I the other night, she is actually a full fledged pre-teen!! Scarry!

On the crafty front, I've been working on the kids quilts. I've got two almost done, and the third top is in the works. I also finished an oversized lap quilt, some quilted pillows, a purse for a friend, and other gifts (that I failed to photograph).

I've been letting M sew whatever she can think up. She usually only asks for help if she's stuck. She's been making little purses lately. I also taught the kids to hand embroider.

I was surprised how well Super J did! I'm currently wanting to make some dolls and animals for baby gifts. I've gotten 1 done but need to decide what to do on the others.

Hopefully my next entry won't be so far in coming!

God Bless and have a great day :)

Rachel

Softie madness

So this past week has been crazy for us. We joined our church. (Yay!) showed our house several times, and have gotten Two offers. So, I guess we'll be moving in a month or so. Exciting but also scary. The children have been handling it well. (There's been confusion as to who's who in with the children, so M is oldest, C is middle, and J is youngest. That should make it easier on you all to figure it out! LOL ) J has had some "monster" issues and been a bit clingy and huggy (I count the hug as a perk) since all this moving talk has started. But, other than that it's been easy.
I do have a Super J Wonder Boy adventure for you (I really should start drawing these adventures for you). So J is 4, and at this tender age has learned to scale our slick metal porch supports and pull himself up and over the overhang. That's right folks J is a sticky handed climbing monkey who can get on the roof! The ROOF! (I didn't attempt that till 11! Yes mother I did do it while you were at work. LOL) I asked him what he was doing up there and he said he was seeing the world. Too cute, but tooo tooo scary since there are electric wires up there. He also told me one day on the way home that he needed me to go get his cape and bring him back to a cellphone tower so he could jump off of it and fly. Needless to say we had a talk about how it was okay for little monkeys to PRETEND to fly buy they could not actually try it! He reluctantly said he wouldn't try it. Let's hope he sticks to it!
On the crafty front, I have been making softies like a mad woman. First I made a bear out of wool felt for C. I used the book "Toys to Sew" by Claire Garland (not sure how to add a link yet, so you'll have to look it up for yourselves) It turned out cute. C wanted a girl, so I added a felt flower to her ear and made her a dress instead of a vest. C loved it so much she took it to kindergarten for B show and tell.

The next softie I attempted started out as a boredom buster for the children. I had them draw something and I would Attempt to make what they drew. M drew this rabbit. I couldn't get a real clear pic, but it's purple with white spots.
So, I showed her my felted sweater stash and she picked a creamy angora cable knit sweater (she has good taste. It's one of my best. LOL) This is how it turned out. I just free handed the body and used only one layer of felt for the front paws. I sculpted and embroidered it's little face. I was pleased with how well my first attempt at it turned out.
Finally J told me he didn't know how to draw an elephant, but that's what he wanted. I used the elephant pattern from the book I used on C's bear. I altered the length of the trunk and took it's legs off and added button jointed legs that I free handed. For this one I used a dark grey cable knit felted sweater, and some cute blue bubble fabric for the ears. I wasn't sure how he would turn out, but it worked really well. I think I need to add some thing to his eyes, they just don't look right to me. tell me what you all think.

So, that's what we've been doing this week. Hope to add to the blog at least once a week, so check back soon!
Lots of Love,
Rachel

My first day...YaY!

Okay, I've been putting this off for awhile. But, today is the day! This will be a blog for family and friends (and of course visitors). It's my way of showing everyone who I am, what I believe in, what we are doing day to day, and also Gods influence in our lives.

My name is Rachel. I'm a stay at home mom and wife. I strive to grow closer to God everyday! My hobbies include, but are not limited to, sewing, baking, and all sorts of craftyness. I've been married for ten and a half yrs to a wonderful man named Billy. We have 3 beautiful monkeys! Stinky monkey just turned ten. For her birthday this past monday, she recieved her first sewing machine! Becoming a double diget person in our home is a Big deal, so we decided she needed a big deal birthday gift! She is smart and creative and a little strong willed (not sure where that came from ;) ) Then comes Squeaky monkey. She is six, and a total girly girl. She loves doll babies of all shapes and sizes, and has a nursery of seven babies. She also has a flock of lambs (stuffed at this point in time). Last, but hopefully not The last, is Squirmy. He is four and a manly boy with a super hero alter ego (cape included). He has some wild adventures as you'll soon find out!

So, I'd like to TRY to post at least one crafty thing each time I post. Today's will be what I taught squeaky to do. Hand embroidery. I wasn't sure if she could do it since she is only six. But hey pioneer girls made whole quilts by seven, so I figured I'd try it with her. She did great! I simply cut a six inch fabric square and drew on it with chalk two simple hearts. I showed her how to make a simple running stitch and let her loose. This is how it turned out. She wants to frame it and give it to her kindergarten teacher. (What's better than a handmade Christmas gift?!)


Didn't Squeaky do a great job on her first try!?!