My Weekend

This weekend me and my husband will be making a trip to Gatlinburg with our church group. Couples only, with the exception of a new baby that is only 3 weeks old. I should probably decide now not to hold her so I don't get "baby girl fever".

I have a long list of things to get accomplished today before we leave and I am sitting at the computer, so I must make this a quick one! I started packing for Bryson on Wednesday. I will be leaving him with my parents for the first time. I am more worried about my parents than I am worried about Bryson. I hope all goes well with that. I cleaned out the van last night and decided that I should probably consider the two other couples that are riding with us and shampoo the carpet in the van also. I worked hard on it for an hour and a half. I came in and told Stephen it didn't look like it had used much of the shampoo cleaner. He assured me by telling me that when you use the attachment it won't use much. So I didn't think much else about it. Until the middle of the night. That is when I wake up from a dead sleep and think of something that I need to do, add to my list, a quilt that I have had trouble with...and so on. I problem solve in my sleep. Not good I know, but that is how I do things. So I wake up and think, "I had that stupid machine on rinse and it didn't even use the cleaner!" AAGHHHH! How annoying. I haven't gone out there yet to check but it probably smells like a wet dog now. And I don't even have a dog. Just boys. So I guess I should say it is gonna smell like wet boys.

I want to get some cleaning done. I hate coming home to a mess, which is how it always seems to be, but I hate it. I have been asked to bring oatmeal raisin cookies that I brought the last time. We didn't go last year, so that would have been two years ago. I don't know how Lynn remembered that, but she did! So I will make a double batch and probably eat half before I leave. Then onto my haircut appointment where my hairdresser wants to do something a little different. Why not? It will grow back. Which means I will probably be scalped by this afternoon since my hair isn't real long anyway.

We saw last night on the news that Gatlinburg has 4 inches of snow so please pray for our safety. We have a really big curvy mountain to get up and the church is also taking the church bus. Makes me very nervous to travel and this just adds to the anxiety of it all. What if we can't get up that hill? What if we do and can't get back out? At least I will be with lots of friends and will have a good time, regardless. We have always had a blast when we go on this trip. Staying up late, playing games, and lots of laughing! But back to worrying about the kids. How will they do if we don't come home on time?

Okay, I have got to get some things done before the little munchkin wakes up. So happy weekend to everyone and stay safe! I will post about our trip when we get back. And if you are lucky, pictures to go with it. But I am notorious for forgetting my camera...so we will see!

Sara

One Down...Two To Go!

Here is a picture of what I have been working on lately. I have been keeping our old jeans for awhile to do this. The boys are always wearing out the knees of their jeans and I hate to throw things away! The rest of them are perfectly good! The boys are always complaining about their blankets on their beds. It seems like the last few years for Christmas someone will get them a blanket. But they never really seemed to fit the bed very good. They would be a throw size or they would be just a little too short to tuck into the bottom. Last year's were Alabama and they slid off the bed every night. So about a month ago I decided I would start using up all those scraps of denim. I watched for flannel to go on sale and bought 14 yards for $3.99 a yard! That was 50% off! I had hit the jackpot! Except they only had three fabrics to choose from that didn't look like a girl or have baby sheep on them. So I found this one that is in the picture. I liked it okay, but I sure didn't want to have to cut a bunch of plaid. I like to use my rotary cutter and mat and I can cut fabric in no time. With plaid you have to fussy cut. I had to cut a template and them cut each block one...at...a...time. All 180 of them. For each quilt. But it went together somewhat quickly. Quicker than a regular quilt because i don't have to quilt it! I just sew blocks and then the rows. Then I have to go back and cut each seam to make it ravel. It is called a lazy denim quilt. I didn't do it for the lazy part but the quick part. They are hopefully going to get these for Christmas. And then if I have time I will use the scraps from the flannel and make a small one for Bryson. We will see.

The picture below is the quilt that I made for Blaine's kindergarten teacher that I posted about back in September, I think. It turned out descent. I don't think I have ever made a quilt and been completely happy with the way it turns out. I guess I am too particular and I can spot every little mistake that I make. But I promised a picture of it in that post....so here it is!



I have also decided to try to make them pajama pants. I want to learn some simple sewing and what better way to learn than something no one has to wear in public! So of course, I went last weekend to the big fabric sale and once again they had nothing real appropriate for my boys. What I ended I up coming home with is baby blue with hockey gear on it. It seems like they play every sport but hockey, but it was 50% off and who wants to pay full price in case I ruin it? They did have an Alabama print but of course it wasn't on sale and it was $8.00 a yard. I would definitely jinx myself if I had bought it. I needed 4 yards and I could not justify buying that when I could have bought them cheaper already made. So I will practice on my sale fabric, watch for the Alabama fabric to go on sale, and then if the first pair turns out I will buy the Alabama fabric and make those. I may even wait until spring and get it really cheap and then wait until next fall to make those! That is a good idea! I am glad I just thought of that!

Have a great first of the week!

Sara

Check it Out

Hey ya'll! One of my favorite blogs is giving away a necklace if you leave a comment on her blog. If you are interested, go down to "my favorite blogs" and go to Soule Mama's blog. Leave a comment on her blog and she will put your name in a drawing to win a Lisa Leonard's Designs necklace!

Have a great weekend!

Sara

I Almost Didn't Go

I woke up this morning and it was raining. I told myself I had nowhere to go and I would hopefully get a few things done around the house. As I watched the morning news, they showed a clip about the upcoming Veteran's Day parade this weekend.

My kids were singing at the Veteran's Day program at school at 9am! I almost forgot.

But it was raining. I would have to park and walk with the baby in the rain. But they had asked me last week if I would be there. I told them I could come since I am off on Fridays.

I almost didn't go. But I am glad I did. I got there about ten minutes early. I woke Bryson up and changed his clothes then put him in the car. So, lucky him, he got to eat a breakfast of champions while we waited for the program to start. Good ole Cheerios and Raisins. And apple-grape juice. It would also serve to help keep him quiet and still during the program. He dove right in head first and I was starting to get worried when the program had not started yet and breakfast was almost gone!

But soon the drum roll started by a little boy that used to live down the street from us so that was pretty neat. He is an awesome little drummer. Bryson immediately stood up in my lap and watched the whole program like it was Blue's Clue's. They had a speaker from the Arsenal in fatigues. He did an awesome job for all ages. He explained what freedom is, what a veteran is, and taught all the kids to "hooah". At the end they had different kids dressed in uniforms from the different branches of service. Then as all the kids sang the songs from each branch (for the life of me I can't remember what they are called. All I can think is "Theme Song" and I know that is wrong, but until my brain fluff is over that is what I will refer to it as) they asked for all the Veterans to stand up when they heard their "Theme Song" from their branch of service. Some young girls passed them little American flags as they stood. It was neat to watch.

But what really got to me was these older men that had served our country and used to carry guns and most had probably taken a life or two were fighting back tears as they heard the kids sing their songs. And all I could really think was, "Do we really understand what it means to be free?" I have never lived somewhere where I was not free. It kind of made me think of the times when I was little and I was hungry. Keep in mind I had probably finished a meal two hours earlier. I can remember telling my mom I was starving! I don't know what starving is and probably a lot of you don't either. I had never missed meals. My mom always had dinner on the table with a protein, carb, vegetable and a bread. Our country is dying from diabetes and obesity. We more than likely don't know what starving is. We have been hungry, ready for our next meal, but do we know what starving is? Do we view freedom the same way? I know it is something that I have taken for granted. It is easy when we don't know any different.

I'm afraid our kids don't understand freedom like they should either. Our poor kids have to go to school. And they have to go in a warm car in the winter time with coats on and their favorite pair of jeans. Some of them even have to ride a bus with a bus driver that cares. Some kids even have to go to church! In their nice clothes! I can remember when I was little I was putting my coat on to go to church and I looked at my dad and said, "Do we have to go to church?" And he looked at me with his serious face and told me no. "We get to go to church." Then he explained that kids in other countries don't get to go to church. They don't get to have nice things. They don't get to go to school and learn. They don't get to play ball. I didn't understand what he meant then because I too young. As I have gotten older and see the news and they show people in other countries, I understand a little better. Some adults feel the same way. They have to go to work or they have to pay the house payment.

Maybe it stirs up memories that they don't want to remember. I'm sure they have lost friends in war. Maybe some have taken other lives and aren't proud of that. But I am sure they are proud to live in a free country. A country that we can go to school or church. A country that we can go to the grocery store and get what we need when we need it. A country that we get to go to work so we can pay our house payment.

I almost didn't go this morning but I am oh so glad I did! Be sure and thank a Veteran for your freedom. It hasn't come easy. Thank God, too.

I started writing this right after I put Bryson down for his nap. I was waiting for him to go to sleep before I start mopping. He has stopped kicking the side of the bed and I think he is out like a light. On to a clean floor! Until his next meal anyway....

I think I will go send my Grandpa a thank you note.

Sara

My Sweet Baby

Today when I dropped my sweet baby boy off at my Mom and Dad's to go to work, he always wants to go to the window to wave. He thinks it's funny when he can see me outside. I leaned down and told him bye and was blowing him kisses when he said, "Uh lah loo!" Oh, I melted! I can't understand everything he says, but I understood that! That was the first time he has told me that. I was telling Stephen about it when I got to work and he seemed aggravated with me that it didn't have the same effect when he says it. Sorry.

Speaking of not being able to understand him, he is really jibbering now. There are some words that sound the same but have several different meanings for him. I have to ask him to repeat himself sometimes and he says it over and over. Sometimes I have to ask him to show me. And he does. It is amazing how a child can understand you but has a hard time communicating back. That has got to be frustrating for a child. Let's take the word "boo" for example. Blues Clues seems to be his favorite show right now. We have a VHS that we watch everyday and if we don't get a new one soon I will go crazy. This one was Brayden's when he was a baby. That is how many times I have seen it. But "boo" also means booger. Which he likes to tease me with from the back seat of the car. He tells me, "Ahhh...boooo!", and then acts like he is going to eat it. Boys can be so gross. And they start so early!
Which leads me to another thought. I was always one of those girls that always said, "My child will NOT act like that!" Or, "When I have kids they will NOT pick their nose in public." Being a mother I have eaten a lot of words. So all of you reading this that don't have kids yet....be careful what you say. Because your mom may be like mine and laugh and tell you that God is so paying you back. Not nice.
Back to my thought. Sorry. All of my kids have been attached to something. Which I always said I wouldn't have kids that drug silly things around like that in public. Brayden a thin blanket that I covered up with to nurse which fell to pieces in the wash one day and a pacifier. He keeps what is left of it in a ziploc bag in one of his drawers and will pull it out every now and then, smell it, (like when he was a baby) and ask if I would try to sew it back together. Blaine was attached to a blue blanket and a pacifier which turned into a different polar fleece blanket with Dora and his finger. That will be another story for another day. Bryson on the other hand, is attached to a thin blanket like Brayden and his thumb. But in the last few months he has added something to the mix.

A tissue.

Why? I don't know. He cries, "Tee tee!" And we all know that means give that boy a tissue. And he doesn't really like them new and crisp. If he has lost a worn in one, it is better to rough up one before giving it to him. Wad it...rip it a little...you know...make it snuggly. Whatever. "My kid's not gonna drag around a kleenex in public and then stick it in his ear so he can do something else with his hands! Not my kids!"

I'm eating a lot of words as a mother. My kids fight. In public. My kid sucks his thumb. Big deal. I have even had a moment or two where one or the other has had a melt down in the grocery store. They even pick their noses. And lately we have had a really bad case of barking tree spiders at my house. Does anyone know how to get rid of those by the way?

I guess this post is really not going anywhere. Sorry for that. But I wouldn't change anything in the world about my boys and I am sure you other mom's know exactly what I mean. :)
Sara

Later Today

This evening I will be going to the polls to cast my vote. The whole crew will be going, so not only should you pray for our country, but for our family. I pray the lines are short and the people that are there are nice and polite. I don't want my kids to fear going to vote for the President! Bryson does well in the stroller as long as it keeps moving. Maybe with his older brothers there to entertain, he will do okay. And maybe some goldfish crackers and pretzel sticks.

And the one and only thing I remember learning in Economics class....your vote does count and if you don't vote you have no right to complain about the President!!! You know how when you watch the news they keep telling how certain states are for this or that Presidential candidate? How do they know? Know one has asked me ahead of time. I think they just make all that up so people that are busy will think it is a waste of their time to go stand in line because the other person will win and it won't help anyway.

Each vote counts so go cast your vote. I know I said in a previous vote to remember to pray for our country. That is something we should do all the time...not just at election time.

Sara