Rick-n-Whit and crew

Shoe Giveaway!

These shoes remind me of Robeez (minus the hefty price tag).

Go HERE for your chance to win a pair! 

 

Wallet Giveaway!!!

Cool giveaway for an even cooler wallet!!!

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If I can do it.. 'sew' can you.... hee hee

Sooo.... I have ever considered myself "crafty". I mean... I can take pictures... but that is where it ends. OR... so I thought. ;-)

After discovering this BLOG... I was inspired. Dana made everything look so... do-able. I have always been rather intimidated by sewing. It just seemed like one of those things that looked simple enough, but in reality... was really freakin' hard.

Oh how wrong I was.

I got the bug and bought a sewing machine and have been creating like crazy the last couple months. (okay, so I have only made a few things... but with all the free time that I don't have... I think I've done pretty well.)

My first project was a pair of pants for Mars. I saw Dana's post HERE on how to make knee pad pants, and thought..."Hey.. I can do that."

So.. I got some cheapy fabric at Ben Franklin and set to work. I practiced on an old pillowcase first, and when that turned out looking like actual pants... I dove into my 'practice' fabric. (I was still too scared to buy $$ fabric for my very first attempt... so, I got some $4/yard fabric to practice with.)

I made these while we were at my parents house and I must say... I was impressed with myself. :) This was the best shot I could get of Miss Mars in them. I placed the knee pads a bit to low.. but I'm planning to make another pair, with a matching top.. ;-) I make nix the knee pads on the new pair... but we'll see.

I also made a couple thins for Ash. I "re-fashioned" some old things into new things for her. VERY easy!! And uber fun!

This was an old skirt of mine that didn't fit anymore (that's what happens when you lose 40 lbs. :-) I figued turning it into a dress for Ash would be easy. It was... for the most part. I did learn a few things. Like... I should have paid closer attention when cutting the sides. I didn't measure that well and the bck seam ended up being way off center. Oh well... live and learn! Not to shabby for my second project. (remember... I knew NOTHING about sewing when I started. I didn't even know what a bobbin was!! The hubs had to show me how to load it when my machine came... lol...How sad is that??!!)

Oh, and ignore the pics of Ash.. she's at that goofy stage and its nearly impossible to get a  decent shot of her.

And this was an old shirt of mine. I actually really loved this shirt, but again... it was too big for me now. :-( I wanted to turn it into a funky dress/tunic for Ash. I plan on havng her wear it over jeans and a long sleeve tee for the fall/winter months. But.. since it was hot today, and I didn't feel like trying to wrangle her into jeans, and a shirt, and then the dress... I just threw it on her as is.

It was inspired by this post [ http://www.dana-made-it.com/2009/08/where-ya-been-part-1.html ]. I did learn a few things from this... like... I should have just left the width alone. I trimmed off the sides and then it ended up being a wee bit too narrow. Thank heavens for skinny mini kiddos. I also wish I had done the waist a little bit lower than I did. Oh well... lessons for next time! :-)

Overall I think it turned out well.. for project #3 anyway.

 

 

 

So... that's it for now. I'm gonna make Ash a shirt [using this tutorial  http://www.dana-made-it.com/search/label/Girl%27s%20Clothing ] using the rest of the fabric from Marley's pants. Hopefully it turns out looking like it should! LOL Oh yes... the rest o the Michigan pics will be up soon. My sister has been hounding me for the pics... LOL.. So I promise they will be up soon!! LOL

more... more... michigan....

pictures.. pictures... and more pictures... it's all you really want, right? no one wants to read whatever boring stuff I have to say anyway, right? ;-)

So, pictures.... playing at the park and riding in the boat. The boat that died 3/4's of the way back to the house, the boat that we had to have towed in by some kind stranger with his pontoon... lake-living folk are so friendly... Thanks kind stanger!! you rock.

this is my new FAVE image of these two....

As I type this... Ricky is on his way home from his fishing trip at Isle Royale. It's 3am, and he isn't due back until about 5am (let the record show that I voted they get a hotel room for tonight... but the majority was not in my favor...) So, here I sit... trying to get caught up on editing.. I have a session tomorrow and another wed, and I really would like to be all caught up with my past sessions before I have two more to add to my load.. ;-)

So, I'm trying to edit... but failing misserably, as I find blogging and mindless web surfing much more fun this time of night/day. I am also thinking of the short time we have left here. We are leaving Sunday (we think anyway... that's the joy of driving... you can leave whenever you choose.. ;-) and I know I will just be a wreck when we go. I don't want to leave. I want someone to call/email Ricky with a to-die-for job offer that he simply will not be able to refuse. His new boss will tell him.."Sure, will pay to relocate you! Sure, you can have whatever salary you like!"... (okay... maybe not..) But, just a decent job offer would be nice.

The children are loving their time here as well. Cohen keeps asking when we are moving here.... I keep telling him to say a prayer to Heavenly Father that his daddy will find a job here, so we can move. And so he does... so does Ash. It's cute.

I think I am in denial... I have it in my mind that when we do leave here on Sunday it will only be so we can go back and get our things. Then we will be back on the road... due east... once again. :-) I have a terrible feeling though, it won't quite work out that way... and I will be like a child on Christmas, who.. no matter how hard I wished and prayed and hoped and believed... there will be no pony under the tree. Not a real one anyway.

The resumes have been sent... make no mistake... we are doing our part... now, we just have to wait for Heavenly Father to do His. It *will* happen... of that I am sure.. it's the "when" that eludes me at the moment.... :(

say prayer for us, if you'd like... every little bit helps...

michigan.... part two...

Ahhh.... soo happy to be "home". Michigan will always be my home. :-) We are having a great time. Ricky left Wed to go up to Isle Royale with some friends to go on, what is turing into, their "annual" fishing/camping trip. I haven't heard from him since Thursday morning, 5am (when he texted me to tell me he was on his way to board the ferry to the island). He doesn't get cell service on the island, so.. I can only pray he hasn't been eated by wolves or trampled by moose, and will return to the mainland safely on Monday morning. :-)

Meanwhile, the  kids and I have been having an ab-so-fab time with my parents; going to the parks, shopping, boating, and just.... relaxing by the lake. :-)

Before Ricky set out on his grand weekend however... we took a trip to the Cider Mill. Oh how I have missed cider mills! People in Utah and California have NO idea what a cider mill is. I remember when we were first living in Utah... when we first got married. I, being a virgin to western US life, assumed *everyone* knew what a Cider Mill was. Oh, I couldn't have been more wrong. I remember asking the girls in my office at NuSkin where the nearest cider mill was in Utah Co., and they all looked at me as if I was speaking Martian. I tried to explain it, but the true meaning was lost in translation I'm afraid. (to this day I am completley dumbfounded as to how an area with orchards of all kinds on virtually every block and then some can have NO concept of a Cider Mill!! *sigh*) 

So, alas... over the last 9 years I have come to accept (well.. 'accept' may be too strong a word...) let's say I have come to "tolerate" (oh much better) that the western United States has no clue on the sheer joy and fabulousness that is a Cider Mill. So, I come back to Michigan to get my cider mill fix. :) 

And that is just what we did. We will be making a second trip before we head back to LaLa Land... only next time I'd like to go Parshallville. I haven't been in YEARS and it's sooo cool. Not that Spicers isn't cool... but hey, you can never have too much cider mill exposure.. ;-)

 

the day started with a visit to my moms office for an "ice cream social"... lucky kids... ice cream for breakfast, and cider and doughnuts for lunch....

 

We went on the boat tonight... pics from that to come tomorrow...

night night...

michigan pics.... part one

Soooooo....I figured, since we are back in Michigan for PART TWO, I really needed to get the pis up from PART ONE...LOL

So, here they are... I have more from the HERB FARM from last time too , but those will have to wait. I wanted to get these up before I posted the ones from PART TWO. We went to the CIDER MILL yesterday and had so much fun. No one in California even knows what a Cider Mill is... :(

We really really really need to move back to Michigan.... we both miss it so much. I'm just so grateful for a husband that wants it as bad as me. He's trying all he can to get us back here. I love that guy.

our first night... after a very looonng flight.... me, and very tired Miss Mars.

me, Jenn A., and E. Beach.... and... me and Sarah V....(jen A.'s sister....) @ the GOAT ..

happy birthday Marley Mae!!

i think she looks like KK in this pic... so cute..

the twins figured they would help her open her gifts... hee hee, such thoughtful little boys... 

me, and mars, hillary, chris, and the twins.. :)

 

more to come..... stay tuned....

Michigan trip... {teaser...}

Just one for now.... Michigan trip Phase ONE is over...

more photos to come....

where is Marley???

As I was putting the older kids to bed tonight.... Ricky was downstairs with Marley. I guess it got kinda quiet, and he figured she had gotten into Bo's food dish again.. (a fave pastime of hers...geww) He went into the kitchen and this is what he saw....

funny baby.... heehee

Marley Mae~ Cake Smash Session

Miss Marley Mae wil be ONE on 08-08-09... (yes... I cannot believe it's already been a year!!) ANyhow.... I decided I would do a cake smash session with her. I wanted to get the pics done early, so I could use them for her invites. (still working on those...)

Anyway... lots to share! Enjoy!!

the end....

Do you sew??? very cool blog...

Do you sew?? Well... I don't but I really want to learn. I found this cool blog MADE  , (thanks to Lisa.. ;-) and I really want to make the shirt dress for the girls.

I need a sewing machine....*duh*..haha... I'm gonna look on ebay or craigslist for one. I don't wanna spend too much on one, until I know I can actually do it, and really like it. But, I figure if my Mom can do it... "sew" can I... (I'm sorry... couldn't help myself..)

Anyhow... I may just borrow my MIL's sweing machine for the dresses, then I'll get my own. I'd love to have them for our family pics this Sept. ;)