Give Thanks December, Week 4

December 22:
     Thankful to be done with our Christmas shopping.

December 23:
     Thankful for a wonderful day down in Balboa Park, while we checked out the train museum, and had some delicious Mexican food.

December 24:
      Today is a day I am thankful for family and all my amazing friends. Its just been a wonderful day with so much to be thankful for.

My mother and my youngest, Jared

December 25:
     How am I not going to be thankful for my husband, and my two wonderful boys. Yes we all have those off days, and we question a lot; but I am thankful for all of the bad and all of the wonderful moments too. I am thankful that I can learn and grow as an individual to become a better wife and mother.

December 26:
     Thankful that we were able to see Great Grandma Dolores today. The kids love seeing her, and I am sure she loves seeing the boys. Its always hard to see her as she is kind of in the middle of Cali, and a lot of family is either northern or southern. However, today we all got together and saw her. It was a ton of fun to hangout and let everyone play and chit chat. Wonderful and such an amazing experience to be thankful for.

Vava (Great Grandma Dolores) showing my youngest his gift. 

December 27:
     Thankful for one last full day in southern Cali. I hate saying goodbye, but its nice to see family and friends when I can. I am thankful to my in-laws who housed me for the month, and fed us all! We love you all so much, its hard to leave.

December 28:
     Nothing beats your own bed, and your own pillow. Thankful to be home, safe and sound, the boys are a little off but playing pretty well, and the husband is being a champ for us all (as I am not feeling 100%).

Give Thanks,
Sarah

Give Thanks December, Week 1

December 1:
     Thankful for a warm but cool day here in southern California, so we could be outside and helping grandma Pitcher plant the Poinsettias in the front.

December 2:
     I always enjoy a wonderful dinner out here in there with family or friends. I am really thankful when my mother takes the boys and I out for sushi! Sushi is the one food I can not afford on our tight budget, and I often only have it when I come down here to visit. Thanks mom for some yummy sushi at my favorite sushi restaurant.

December 3:
     The one thing I love and am soooo grateful and thankful for when I come to southern California, is that my father-in-law and sometimes mother-in-law make lunches and dinners for myself and the kids. I rarely have to make anything other then breakfast. Its just a nice break from the grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning up after.

December 4:
     Excited and thankful for another etsy order! I am so lucky to have such amazing friends who are willing to take chances on me.

December 5:
     Thankful for the real christmas tree my father-in-law purchased for everyone to enjoy. The boys are loving the "Chwistmas twreee". I am enjoying the wonderful smell too.

December 6:
     Had to wait for its arrival to the shop, but after a long week, I am thankful to have my new sewing machine set up and ready to sew!

December 7:
      I love, having a nephew, and I am so thankful that I get to hangout with him a lot this vacation.

Give Thanks,
Sarah

Give Thanks November, Week 5

Nov. 29:
     Thankful for some immediate family time. Its always nice to just hangout with my mother, sister, and brother. Its a great chance to catch up and relax.

Nov. 30:
     Thankful that Thanksgiving is over and Christmas decorations and music has arrived!!! The most wonderful time of the year...

Give Thanks,
Sarah

Give Thanks October, Week 3

October 15:
     Today I had to make a run to my favorite craft store to buy fabric for a client, that craft store is the ONLY place I know that sells a childhood candy I just love. Thankful that today, after a long day and week, I was able to grab myself a bag of those candies. YUM!

October 16:
     Thankful that I finally finished these Christmas blocks, and I now can send them out to swap! YAY!

October 17:
     Today I got to try a new sewing project. I have made car seat strap covers before, so those are nothing new, but the Tula/Ergo strap covers/suck pads are. I am thankful that a friend let me try them out, and make her some (she gave me all the material), and hopefully she loves them!

Tula/Ergo suck pads

Carseat strap covers

October 18:
     I am so thankful for such an open and loving/caring group of wonderful woman (and men) who are willing to come out and share in our baby wearing/cloth diapering love! Its a great thing. I am finally feeling more at home here in Norther California.

October 19:
     Potty training has not been easy in this house, but I am thankful that my son is getting back in to it. Crossing my fingers that he wants to potty train, and be a big boy!

October 20:
     So thankful I finished the boys Halloween costumes. Totally was worried I would be up sewing them the night before Halloween!

October 21:
     I am so thankful that my neighbors let us watch their little dog, Porsha, while they are on vacation; Porsha makes my day just that much better. She cuddles with me, and wants me to love on her, and when I stop she licks me and pretty much makes me love on her some more. I miss having dogs, and I am so lucky to have Porsha in my house, she is a loving, caring, and sweet little dog.

Give Thanks,
Sarah

MUG RUGS!!!!

Who out there has any clue what a Mug Rug is? Anyone?

Ok so I was so clueless on what these were, and honestly thought they were a carpet rug of some sort that everyone was going crazy over. Well, I was soooo wrong!

What are mug rugs?
     They are small, rectangular quilts, or hand sewn designs, simply made for your morning (or evening) coffee/tea and or snack. I see them as large coasters.

Why would they be so popular?
     I think they are popular because people are obsessed with having personalized items, small whimsical items, and hand made products. I also think they are popular because everyone loves to work on an instantly satisfying project that you can make with in a day or two, or even a few hours.

How do I get one/make one?
     They are all over Etsy, and other shops. They also are tons of ideas and tutorials on pinterest, that are easy to find. If you are one to make your own, kind of person, then think of these little guys as a quilt block. You basically make one block, and then quilt and bind it. Done!

Ok so where do I get inspiration to make one (or buy one)?
     Look no further, here you go:

Found this Halloween themed one over here on Flickr.

and heres another Halloween one, also on Flickr.

Another holiday one, except for Christmas. I am always a sucker for vintage Christmas.

and yet another more simple Christmas themed mug rug.

and just a few that I like:

Check this out over here:

and this one is so adorable, here:

and can't leave this one out:

Ill wait while you pick your jaw up off the ground.....

.......

.......


OK, you ok now?

Great so back to what I was saying.... Now its time for us all to sew! I am so ready to make one like the little camper, ahhh, its just so cute. I also love the idea of using everyones hobby, and making a mug rug for each person I can think of. That way I can make mug rugs for days!

So, have you made any mug rugs? If so what?

Leave a comment and let me know.

Get Inspired,
Sarah

The Holidays and Hand Made Gifts

Well, December has come and gone. I had a hundred projects/gifts to make and finish before Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and luckily I finished MOST of the projects I had on my list.

Lets start with my sister-in-law. She has an, almost, two year old daughter (my wonderful niece). I wanted to make her something she could use for awhile. However, a quilt or a blanket is just so over done for the kids in the family. I then did some looking around, checked pinterest and I came across whats called the pillow dress. I thought about it and it was perfect. She can wear it as a dress, and add the pants I made when she gets a little taller. Then when she grows even more and the pants don't fit anymore but the dress fits more like a shirt, she can wear it with jeans or leggings! I hope she loved it, and when she opened the box she looked happy!

opening one of the boxes

Next was my very own sister. She and her husband are expecting their first son in a few months. I love to make baby stuff, so I racked my brain and tried to figure out what was one thing I use a lot. A carseat cover. Its like a blanket but with straps. It simply covers your carseat and keeps those unfriendly hands off your newborn! Thanks but no thanks dirty finger person. I had some really cute whale flannel fabric, and some grey mink hanging out. I checked my measurements and needed a little extra fabric to cover the small pieces missing. My mother-in-law is awesome, and also sews, so lucky for me she had some scrap mink hanging around. I grabbed some navy blue mink and it worked perfect. I love the end results, it totally looks like a racing strip on a car! Check it out and let me know what you think.

Front

Side

When the bottom is flipped open (back view).

When the bottom is flipped open (front view).

 The last big project I did, and where I got that grey mink from is the quilt I made for my mother. I wanted something warm, large, and unique. Something I haven't done yet. Something that makes you say wow. Again, i checked pinterest for ideas. I looked at modern quilts, old quilts, and hand stitched quilts. After a lot of thought and a trip or two or three, to joanns fabric, I found the perfect jelly rolls to use, and the perfect fabric to go with it. The end result was this:

Front

Back, grey mink

The quilting design I did.

All folded and ready to go!

I also made some small cinnamon ornaments that smelled amazing. I found the recipe on pinterest as well. It worked great and was so much fun to do with my son. It seemed like a lot of our family members liked them which is always a win in my book! I hope next year we can get amazing gifts, or make even better gifts for everyone. I want everyone to be happy with the gifts we give them, but I never can tell how people feel about hand made gifts. I hope you enjoy hand made gifts and I hope you find some inspiration in this post!

Happy Holidays, and happy crafting everyone,
Sarah

Another New Adventure

You might be thinking that our new adventure is becoming parents of two boys, but in this case your wrong! New Mexico, Cannon AFB has been a VERY different experience from living in Okinawa, Japan at Kadena AB, to say the least. The lifestyle, the housing, the "friends", the co-workers, the neighbors and even the stores/purchases are all very different. I was excited, after four years of living in Japan, to finally be moving closer to home and family. New Mexico, how bad could it be? Not horrible right, I mean California was 16-18 hours away! We could plan a trip home every year, family could come see us, etc.

Our home in NM, July 2013

Well, we arrived in New Mexico in July 2012. Not too long ago I know. As we settled in and started to get use to NM, we planned a trip home to California, for our sons first Christmas (so we could be with family). We also were announcing our second baby, on the way, while we were out there. It was a big, exciting trip! When we came back to NM, we were sad to be back, away from our family, but also because the weather was freezing cold, the dirt and dry air were torture on myself and my son! My son got extremely sick, and started coughing a lot. After many weeks of dealing with myself and my son being sick, we decided a trip back to California for our sons 1st Birthday was in order!!

My mother, myself, and my son at Knob Hill, in San Marcos, California.

My son opening gifts!

Day 3 of opening presents!

Leaving California, and clicking family photos!

For the two months between Christmas and our sons 1st birthday I worked like crazy, to get everything ready for the little guys big day! I sewed daily, made packing lists, cleaned, and found someone to watch our cats! It was on, we were heading back to California, again! Another 16-18 hours in the car, but this time I was close to almost 20 weeks pregnant! The trip wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, as I knew I was going to struggle driving and what not, but we made it back. California, family, baking, setting up for the party, Brian turning 1, a Disneyland trip, and then back to NM. It was a quick two weeks, but worth every second. Also, while back in California, our son was so healthy, and so was I. My husband however, not so much! He toughed through it though, so that we all could enjoy our time!

The dessert table! I made the cake,the cupcakes, and the banner! (That will all be in another blog post!)

The Birthday boys 1st birthday cake and a few cupcakes! Our theme was monsters!!

Getting ready for the cake! I made the bib and the crown (again another blog post!)

Digging into his cake! YUM!

Our 3 day trip to Disneyland and California Adventure!

March, April and now May! Yep its been a crazy (almost) year here. I am now 33 weeks pregnant, expecting our second son any week now! We just got an email a few weeks ago, it simply said "check your military email, as you have an assignment waiting".... wait, what? Did that email just say what I thought it said? YEP! It said we had an assignment and we could either accept them or not. My husband and I jumped out of our chairs, ran to our desktop, where he logged onto his military account and we checked the information! There it was, in all its glory...

BEALE AFB, CALIFORNIA!!!!

The actual email, with the assignment!

Oh My Gosh! It says California! No freakin way. We just got one of our Base Of Preferences (BOP)! Now I should mention after our first trip home my husband was trying everything he could to get us orders out of NM, because of how sick, drained, and well everything else we didn't like about NM. My husband tried to cross train with no luck, he applied for every overseas job opening available to his job, and he applied for BOP! We were shocked our BOP got approved! We are over the moon excited to begin our new journey in California, and plan to have family and friends visiting often!

My husbands enlistment was ending this December in 2013, and because of that part of the assignment agreement was that he had to re-enlist! So, he re-enlisted, and we are staying in this crazy, exciting military life for another five years! I can not believe it! Our next journey, our next adventure is back to California! Oh how exciting.

Now that its May, and our bundle of joy, Jared (hopefully) will be here sometime in June, that only gives us July and August after Jared man is here, to pack up and head west! We have to be in Beale not a day before September 1st, and not a day later then September 30! We are excited to take some time off too and head out to see family and show off little Jared man! I can not wait to see what Beale will hold for us!

Photo taken around 32 weeks, by my wonderful husband!

So, thats our exciting news, and I can't wait to close this chapter of our lives, and move to our next! Ill do my best to keep up with my blog, and post pictures as we travel and move, so be sure to come back and stay connected!

Everyday is an adventure,
Sarah