My first quilting project

I worked on this table runner all weekend and I am thrilled with it.

Very girlie and Valentine's Day but the red struck me at the quilt shop for some reason. Yes, quilt shop - the Quilter's Cove.
Very nice ladies and they offer classes.

I even did an applique heart! And a heart inside the big heart. Even the hubby was impressed!

A wonderful first day of school surprise!

Look at what we have this morning - 2 beautiful butterflies!

First Day

My little ones are off to their preschools!
Both did great this morning, its quiet around here.

Little one is going too...

We decided that Lil J might like to go to "school" too, just like Big J. My sister found a great little preschool down the road from us and we had a little visit on Friday. Lil J loved it and we signed up for 2 days a week for Little One.

I really thought I would be so excited about this,
2 days of kid free errands, the gym, JOANNS, Publix & Target, walking Sadie, field trips, silent auction meetings, lunches, cleaning the house and other things that are easier to do when the boys are occupied.

But it was kind of sad to watch him run out the door onto the playground and not look back for mommy - my little one is not so little anymore.

He is excited and keeps asking if he is going to school today. 2 more days my little man.

Getting ready for 4 day 4's!

Here is my big boy on meet your teacher day. He is officially the big boy now going to his 4 day class.
He is so excited to be back at school!

Painting his bear bag. The class theme is bears and bees. Their class mascot is Honey (a boy bear dressed as a bee) and Honey 2 ( a girl bear dressed as a bee). They get to take turns bringing Honey home and taking care of it and keeping a journal (with mommy's help) about all of the things they do with Honey. They even had snacks of teddy grahams and honey combs. So cute!

Big J sitting in front of his cubby. Can't wait for Monday morning! This will be such a fun year for him.

Our House

I found this super cute house diorama project here at http://mmmcrafts.blogspot.com/

I loved it and it inspired me to do my own diorama of our house. I have NEVER done this before so this is definitely a first time project, but I love it. I used the photo below as a guide (which was from March 2004 - a year after we moved in - but before Hurricane Charley - August 2004).

Our roof is now different and the landscaping has changed a bit so some of the details are different than the picture but you get the point...

Now to find a shadow box that will fit a 12 x 12 paper. I will try IKEA first.

Watch this is where they will get me, no such size will exist and I will have to custom frame this project.

I am so proud!! I wish I had the talent to put a tricycle and bike with training wheels in the driveway - that would be so cute. Maybe I will give it a whirl. If I accomplish it I will post pics.

Our sweet house

both of my boys were born and raised here (well born in a hospital but you know what I mean). Yes, I think I must attempt the trike and bike for the driveway! Off I go...

It's a Butterfly!

Remember our little caterpillar, well he is no longer a caterpillar! He became a beautiful butterfly on Thursday.

I glanced in our backyard at the screen cage and noticed his wings flapping. The boys and I got a good look at him and we let him fly away. The flew through our year for a bit and disappeared. Maybe he will be back one day.

3rd time's the charm!

After three attempts at the twirly skirt tutorial, I finally finished it!

I am shocked that I made this.

It is small, for my 2 year old niece but so sweet. I added a little yo-yo at the bottom covered with a button to make it even cuter.

Maybe I will get some pics of the skirt on the little model soon! Yeah!!!!!

A Bit Crazy

After the boys graduated from swim school yesterday, I came home fed them and headed right back out. I needed to sign up Big J for fall soccer at the Y, and on the way the boys were asking to go to Target for MORE Monster Trucks.

Figuring I could use this to my advantage, I said I would "think about it" (this is my new favorite line). I told them that if they were extremely good at the Y and on a trip at Joann's then I would take them to the Target.

So it was working, they were great at the Y and off we went to the Joanns. We had the talk in the car, "there is no running, no running away from mommy, no yelling, fighting, punching, screaming - and there is only ONE warning - got it?" They said in unison "Got It".

So we had an understanding, I would quickly go in, grab my things, and leave - then off to Target - YEAH RIGHT!

Oh, what a day it turned out to be...

Little J started running around and all of a sudden I heard a loud thud, then the cry. My baby was laying face down on the floor. I lifted up his head to find him covered in blood. He was bleeding from his nose and mouth. I searched for tissues - something to stop the bleeding - of course I had nothing.

A sweet lady came to our rescue with tissues. After a minute we had Lil J stand up and the blood just dripped from him. It would not stop. So we decided to call 911 - the sweet lady called for me and out they came to help us. Then the Joann employees started helping with wipes, ice, paper towls and of course the incident report form!

I kept Lil J lying down and eventually it stopped before the paramedics got there. They said he seemed fine but suggested a trip to the Dr.

Off to the Dr, he checked out fine, thanks goodness!

I guess I should just start getting used to this now. They are rough and tumble boys, but this was my first major bleeding incident with Lil J, I am sure there are many more to come in our future - but this is my baby.

All is well today, lots of kisses on his nose from mommy, hopefully it makes it all better!

Little Fishies

My little guys graduated from their summer swim lessons this week.
They have been going to Miss Kennie's Swim School all summer and Miss Kennie took this awesome underwater shots of the boys.

Big J at age 4

Little J at age 2 & 1/2

Are you ready for some football????

We are getting ready for college football around here, 2 more weeks I think!

My hubby is definitely ready for some Notre Dame Football - UPS delivered some ND shirts for the boys today and a decal for hub's truck.

So I decided to get in the spirit too! Some cute collegiate headbands -

UCF is my personal favorite,

but they are all cute!

Check them out!

A crafty little evening

Got the boys to bed early tonight - no naps and a fun day at the petting farm, add in a cousin's birthday party and you have some tired boys!

So I also a power nap around 7:30 while putting Big J to bed - so here I am at 11:30 with nothing better to do but crafty little projects. Everyone else is sound asleep, including the dog and cat.

Cute as buttons hair-ties - sending some to little Miss E.W.

:D~

My sweet little fabric covered magnetic corkboard. With my covered thumb tacks already attached. My magnet will work here also - how exciting!

Getting better at the zig-zag stitch!

Can't wait to work on some more projects!

A Moo Moo here, and a Moo Moo there...

The hubby gave me the whole day off yesterday...

AND I got to see Sugar Ray at a free downtown concert last night!
So because I barely saw my boys yesterday, I told them I would take them for a surprise today.

We headed out to Kissimme to Green Meadows Petting Farm.

Not sure they knew what to expect but we quickly joined the tour group with the baby chicks and ducks. The boys tried to hold the sweet little babies but there were very wiggly and Lil J was holding one a little tooooooo tight - so mommy did the job and they got to pet.

The main attraction was not the animals but the rusty old tractors scatted throughout the 40 acre property. Red ones, Yellow ones, Orange ones...maybe the go tractor tippin' at night!

Big J decided he would take a try at catching some of the ducks.

Another tractor...

Then we found the old firetruck!

I thought these little bird houses were so cute.

Lil J wanted in this cute little barn

Farmer Boys

A hot Florida summer day on a farm with my boys.

Very fun - a hayride, a train ride, tractors, animals.