Fun Pillows for a Friend

Well after fighting with this pillows for a while (trying some new things that didn't work), I finally got them finished....

This is what all four of them look like whole. Simple, sweet and yet totally cool!!

This is birdie number one...so much fun!! I love using my machine for fun stuff like this!!

Birdie number two....don't you just want to take him home!!

Birdie number three....She is just pretty as a peacock!!

Birdie number four, sitting so contently...

So, I finally finished these for my friend. I do hope that she likes them...I know that I had fun doing them!!

I know that I do!!!

Memorial day

Well it is a great weekend. We have a four day weekend because the kids had off on Friday as well. My mom is here and we are going to have a relaxing couple of days.

But really Memorial day is about remembering. So, that is what I am going to talk about today.

I am a military brat. I moved around a lot when I was a kid, lived on base and off. I had a dad that was a career coastie (that is United States Coast Gaurd Officer). I am very proud of him. I am very proud of being an American.

We are to remember that our freedom did come come free. It still isn't free. There were men and women in the past that fought to make up free, there are men and women that are still fighting to keep us free.

Now you may not agree with everything that is going on with America right now. I know that I don't, but I will ALWAYS support our troops. Because they don't say 'no' when they are told to go. They don't complain that it is a 'stupid' war. They just go. No matter what. They do what they are told to do. They go into places that no one else would want to go. They do things that are uncomfortable for them. They carry a gun so that we can fight about whether carry a gun should be allowed. They live in tents, while we go camping. They eat prepackaged food, we eat at well prepared food. They put themselves in the line of fire, while we watch movies. I am proud of those men and women who do this every single day.

I am proud to be an American.

I enjoy the freedom to say what I want (and use it often). I enjoy the freedom to disagree. I enjoy the freedom to go to my church without fear.

My comfy life is on the backs and because of the blood of those to fought the good fight and gave the ultimate gift. I love our country. I love our service man and women.

This is a weekend of fun, but it is also a weekend to remember.

Please Remember!!

Winner Winner - Chicken Dinner

Well the winner for the anything in my shop has been choosen. It was a lot of fun to do the sewmamasew giveaway. I was even lucky enough to win.

So the winner of this May's giveaway day is Amber she writes:


Hello from Sunny New Mexico.

So Congrats to Amber and thanks to all who came and took a look at my little blog.


And now for the chicken dinner. Oh you thought that I was just being funny...nope. I am giving you my recipe for pepper jack chicken. It is a fav at this house.

First you take chicken strips or breasts (whatever you want) and marinate them in Itailian dressing for a couple of hours to all day (whatever you want)

Take them out of the dressing and put them into a casserole dish. Making sure of not take to much of the dressing with them.

Take slices of pepper jack cheese and put on top of your chicken. I usually smother them pretty good. Place the pan in the oven for 45-60 minutes on 350 until the cheese is starting to pretty golden brown color and it is bubbling good.

Serve...easy as that and so so so flavorful....hope you enjoy!!!

GIVEAWAY

So it that fun time in blog land again!! It is sewmamasew's may giveaway day!

So I am giving away one thing from my etsy shop....anything...that is right, one thing of your choice. You can see a sample of what I do on the right side of the blog. You can click here for more selections. You don't need to tell me in your comment what you want, just when you win you will need to tell me. I will be placing more stuff on here the next couple of days ( I was hoping to have them done, but sickness kept me away (Sad). So you will have more of a choices by the time the giveaway is done. Happy day and may I choice your number!! :)

Leave a comment about anything you want - Your childhood friend, you kids, your favorite color, you favorite things to make, your summer traditions....you get it, anything!

I will leave the giveaway open until the 25th of May, 8:00 pm PST! I will use a random number system. I will have my three older kids pick numbers. I will put them in a hat and let the little one pull out a number, and that will be my winner.

OH and for a little treat for EVERYONE, I am doing a 15% my shop for those who visit because of sew mama sew. The coupon code is sewfun11 and again you can get to my shop here.

Thank you all for showing up and GOOD LUCK!!!

Hopeless to hope

Well it seems that the world is either fully believing that today is the day of rapture or totally making fun of it......

I just wanted to put my 2 cents in (or sense).

Those people who do believe have hope...it will be lost after today, but for now they have hope! Hope of thier savior coming to get them. Hope to stop living in this rollercoaster life. Hope for what they have been waiting for, an eternity with Christ. They will be disappointed later today or tomorrow when they realize that they are still on this earth. But they do have hope.

I have hope. I have hope that one day my Lord will come and get me....I will live forever with him in heaven singing his praises for eternity. I have hope that He will be coming back soon. I do have hope. I don't know when that will happen. I really don't want to know when that is going to happen. It will happen all of a sudden and I will be gone.....boom!

The world is hopeless. It lives for now. The pleasures of now, the power for now, the money for now. It doesn't really think about tomorrow or the 'after-life.' It puts no stock in that, because thinking of it would be a remembrance of the hopelessness that they have. Keep running, keep making money, keep getting stuff. If their minds are occupied with this, then they don't have time to think of their soul or what happens when they die.

What are we doing? What is our purpose? Do we have hope or living a hopeless existance?

Now I will confess that a part of me is making fun of the people who believe that today is the day that the Lord returns, but really it could be. Not even Jesus knows when he will be coming only the father. I have hope. I have hope in my future, here on this earth and after. I am not scared of death or the rapture. I am secure in my 'afterlife.'

Do you have hope??

Ramblings of a tired mom

Well, I feel pulled in seven different directions and I only have four kids...funny how that works. I sat at Jojo's soccer practice yesterday eating my dinner because I had to throw the kids at my husband and get to the next event. I guess that is the typical life of Americans. Go to this, then that, then the other thing. Oh but on the way get this done and stop at this store.

Sometime I want to scream, 'stop the spinning, I want to get off.' But really I love watching my kids grow into the little (well big) people that they are. Their minds are expanding and learning. Their getting into their own groove. What they like and don't like. They are just so precious to watch. From a helpless babe to a strong thoughtful young man (or women).

I sometime worry about the world that I brought my children into....am I the only one?? Yesterday I was sitting in the car waiting to pick my boys up from school. Happily reading my book (the only time in the day that I get the luxury). Then all of a sudden screaming and cussing and all together awefulness was coming through my open window. I stopped reading and looked in the back to my two younger kids....they were blissfully unaware of the yuckiness that was taking place outside (they were watching a movie). I sat and prayed for the women that was just so angry. Why would she use that language and what could make her so angry so fast. It is times like these that I just worry about my kids and I want to keep them home forever so that they don't have to see/hear/be part of that nastiness. But God is bigger and stronger and more powerful then me, and my kids are safer with Him. It takes LOTS of prayer for the worry and anxiety to go away. But HE is always faithful to do that.

But there are times in my mommyhood that just makes me laugh and smile. When my older boys read to the little ones. When I see them pushing each other on the swings or wanting to all sleep in the same room. I am very blessed that I have four precious little kids. They are a joy and a blessing in my life. It is this reason I want to let the mama bear come out and start slashing those that would want to harm my kids. And by harm I mean physically (of course), but also with their words or attitudes. But I have to put the growl away and the claws down (in most cases).

My ramblings are coming to a close.....for now. I have silly, wonderful, talented, healthy, crazy, passionate, creative, smart, curious, happy kids....what more could I really ask for???

Being married

Today is my anniversary. We have been married 11 years today. There are times that it seems that we have been married for-ev-er, but other times it really doesn't seem like we have been married all that long.

We meet in College the first day of our freshman year. We didn't like each other at first (well not in THAT way). We were just friends. He helped me with my homework and we watched movies together. You might have noticed that I didn't help him with his, that is because he is SO smart and I am just average!! :)

I finally decided that all men deserved to die (different story, to long to tell now....but you get the idea)......that is when God decided to show me what a real man is, that is Phil. He is sweet, funny, kind and treats me with love and respect. He holds me when I cry. He holds my hand when we are walking along. He will watch a sappy movie with me and not make fun of the way I am doomed to cry every time. He makes me laugh. He is my strong rock when times get tough. He gives me space when I just need to be alone. He is a great daddy to our crazy household of children. He is a gentle leader of our home. I could not be more proud that I am his wife.

I hope that this is still the beginning of our marriage in comparision to when it will end....

I am one very lucky women to have a man like him. I hope that all other women out there get as lucky as me.

Being a mommy

Well I might be a little behind on this post, but I am getting to it. The reason I am behind is because we had a surprise visit from my in-laws this weekend (well they let us know on Thursday they needed to come down). So, it was a crazy whirlwind weekend.

Well, to the point. I am a mom of four and there are days that I think I have the best 'job' in the world and other days that I just think I am plum crazy!! Yesterday was the ladder! My two year old had squirted toothpaste over the bathroom, peed on the carpet and tried to escape the house and that was before nine in the morning. Ladybug (my daughter) was in a rare mood yesterday too. Everything that happened was the-end-of-the-world! I couldn't count how many tantrums the two year old had or crying fits of the my daughter. But today is a new day, and I am glad to be a mommy.

I was woken up by a super sweet hug, smiles and laughter. I haven't had to clean one spill or yell even once. They boys were nice to each other as I dropped them off at school. Man, the difference a day makes.

On Mother's day. I recieved many nice gifts from my crew. I got a pretty picture by Jojo, my second son. I am really impressed with it. I got a survey of why I love my mom and a couple of poems from Brother (my oldest). I am impressed with him as well.

I thought I would share some funniness with what they wrote about there mom....

My mom has a funny habit of........laughing and sewing
My mom favorite cloths.........dresses
I like it when my mom wears.......regular cloths
My mom cooks the best.......pizza

On Brothers top ten list of reasons he loves me here are a few:
She loves daddy (so sweet)
She loves the Lord (I am glad that he can see that)
She drives me crazy (uhhh?? I thought that was the other way around)
She drives to places (all the time)
She gives me chocolate (because I believe that it can cure all ills)!!

Well, being a mothers has its ups and downs...its highs and lows. But I am glad that for the most part my life is 'high.' With four kids it could be either way....and a two year old can leave you void of energy and emotionally spent.

I am proud to be a mom to Brother, Jojo, Ladybug and Tate. (The names changed to protect them). I am proud to have the little extra mommy belly, and to sacrifice my 'designer' wardrobe for sweats and t-shirts. I am proud that my life reflects that which is most important to me. I am a proud momma, not because they get good grades, make pretty pictures or pee in the toilet (the last in important), but because they try thier best. I love the 'bear' hugs and silly laughter. I even love the talks that are a bit uncomfortable because it means they feel comfortable talking to me. I even love the times I have to correct them because it means we can get back to being on good terms. I might wear many hats as a mom, but I love every single one of them.

Giveaway

Since it is Monday and spring has decided to never come here in the Pacific Northwest, I wanted to lift my spirits (and hopefully yours) with a giveaway!!

On the giveaway table is one of my owl pillows! You can see the four that are available on the side of this blog! Please tell me which one that you want and if you win, I will send it to you!!

Take a peek at my etsy shop here!

Repost please...help me to get the word out!! :) :)

I will leave the giveaway open until fabulous friday at 10:00 am PST!! Good luck to all!!

I will use a random number generator to decide the winner!!