Sewing with Miranda...

Miranda and I decided that we would take an old pair of her jeans and make them into a cute new skirt.

We really didn't know what we wanted it to end up like, but we decided to figure it out as we went along.

I am really pleased with how it turned out. This is soooo Miranda. She loves unfinished hems. With a pair of flip flops this is the perfect run around town skirt!

This project only took us a couple of hours, but it was time well spent with each other!

hot summer days...

Are you sick of it yet? Yes, I know... we go to the lake alot. A whole lot... but how else do you keep them happy and cool and outside?

Relaxing...
exhausting...
This was the eighth trip to the potty seat for Daddy and Brysen. (Not the last either)
I am currently working on a really bright and fun quilt. I am not sure which girl it will belong to. I will have to see it finished to figure that one out. It is really fun looking at all of the bright colors. I have the patches sewn in strips. I don't have any pictures yet, but I will soon.

projects, family and play...

I promised a picture of the finished skirt. Well, I love it. Aubrey loves it and

she is wearing it to church.Cadi came over after church and spent the day with us. I figured what better time to get a photo of all of the kids. Aren't they awesome?! When people see them, they are always amazed at how many of them there are, but it doesn't seem like that many to me. Well, most days at least.
"No pictures Mommy!"
Since we have a daughter who is in college, we truly understand how quickly they grow up. He is already getting so big. I love and cherish the time I have with this little boy so much.
These kids are so used to having their picture taken. If mom isn't pointing the camera, dad is.
We spent the day walking along the river. It was so amazingly beautiful. They are getting ready for the rodeo next week so there were horses and paintings and lots of sites to see. I will post again tomorrow to show you some of what we saw today. It was really hot. As we walked along the river we came to a slow running spot and we waded in. That water was freezing. Our feet turned red immediately. It was a blessed relief from the heat, though.

My dad called tonight. (I didn't know if he wanted his face on this site so you get his back.) What a pleasure it was to get to chat with him. I love to hear him ask about the kids. He seems so genuinely anxious to have us come out there. It makes me smile.

See ya tomorrow!!

Wonderful weekend...

I finally kept my word to Aubrey and finished her skirt. It is way cute. I will take a picture before church tommorrow and show you how it turned out. She was so proud. (me too) Then I took some of the same material, that I absolutely love, and made a cute purse for...me. At least no one has claimed it yet but me. That could be because I am hiding it until I get the chance to use it at church in the morning.

I started with completely different straps, that I refused to take a picture of because they were so ugly that I wanted to cry. I ripped those puppies off and made some new ones. Now, I love them.
The kids played in the sprinklers, again. This is our afternoon ritual since it is so hot and you can only keep the kids cooped up in the air conditioning for so long.
The kids ate lunch and took a nap. I know that a lot of mothers look forward to nap time. I am no exception. Nap time is like a little taste of heaven! I get to refresh and hopefully get some sewing or scrapbooking done. A lot of days it is just full of folding laundry.

My lovely Miranda went out to bring the garbage cans in and the oh so friendly garbage men had dumped the cans and left a lot of garbage on the ground. She didn't even fuss. She just cleaned it up and put the cans away. Thanks Miranda. You're a gem!

Chey got the job of turning our way, way ripe bananas into banana bread. Yummy! She made three loaves today. Thanks for fattening us up, Chey.
This afternoon we are just hanging out in the backyard giving Daddy a chance to take a nap in peace. I would love to go over to the park later and get some great photos of the kids. Maybe it will cool off enough.

My Aunt is having surgery this wednesday to have her foot amputated. She has the mrsa infection and has not been able to get rid of it during the entire last year. She is in extreme pain and the doctor said she could lose the whole leg if they don't do the surgery now. Keep her in your prayers.

Have a great weekend!!

Projects...

So I have never claimed to be an extraordinary crafter, sewer, etc. I will say that I get so much pleasure out of creating something. For me, the pure act of making something for someone is so satisfying. These are a few of the projects I have been working on this summer.

This is a little skirt that I made for our three year old. She gets a lot of this type of skirt since she would live in them day and night.

This is a simple bag I made for my ten year old to carry her Bible and pens to church.

I made this shirt for our baby. What an adorable thing. I love this and just whipped it up one morning when we had some extra time. I love this.