Introducing William.

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This momma is....

Pregnant!

(with a boy)

and...

 (remember this face?)

OVERJOYED!!!!!

Nicholas has found a family!

Two very exciting pieces of news for you today!  I just found out about Nicholas today from a friend, and we don't know any details yet.  But being able to go downstairs to announce to my family that the boy we had been praying for is FINALLY going to have a family of his very own was like a miracle!  We all cheered and I couldn't help but sob like a baby.  THANK GOD.

Now, the pregnancy.  I actually have known about that for quite some time.  ;)  In fact, the day we picked up the keys for the new house was the morning I took the pregnancy test.  Good timing, eh?  So I am now 19 weeks along, and just about halfway through, if you can believe it.  We weren't expecting a new one, thinking 40 was the end of the road for me.  I used to become wistful, missing my newborns, wondering if my last was really meant to be my last, and just finally came to accept it.  And then -- SURPRISE!!!!

Everything is going really well, even though my OB told me that I was now considered a "VAMA" (VERY Advanced Maternal Age), which means CRAZY old, I guess!  I am trusting my body to know what to do, since this is the 4th one and I seem to handle pregnancy well in general.  I need to remember to cherish this period of time, since this will SURELY be the last baby coming along.  Remember the gentle kicks, remember the heartbeats we hear at the OB visits, remember the belly hugs from his siblings and daddy, remember everything...

   

Changes ahead.

We are moving!

I grew up practically a gypsy, our family only staying in one house no longer than about 5 years at a time.  When I got married, we lived in a teeny apartment with my cat, for about 4 months.  Then we moved to a little old blue house in our hometown across the street from his parents.  After 8 months, we moved to a sturdy brick house right next door to his parents, who had bought the house after their elderly neighbor died.  After a couple of years, a dog and a baby, we were ready to strike out on a new life adventure, and headed to the Appalachians.  We found the cutest log cabin with a bright red tin roof and a huge porch at the end of a little mountain road, and although we were quite broke, we were happy.

After a year and a half, we had leave our little cabin, due to our expanding family, and the hour-long drive to the office.  We were ready for more space and were excited to move, but it was the only place where I actually cried when it hit me that we were leaving.  Goodbye, little log cabin with the red tin roof. (sob)  We moved into a 2 bedroom brick ranch that was nestled in a little farming community with a panoramic view of rolling pasture land.  Our daughter was born soon after we moved in, and our youngest son a few years later.  This is the only home they have ever known.  My daughter is in 2nd grade now, and it just seems so unreal to me that time has flown by so quickly.  We have been here nine years.  So many memories!

But the time has come again.  The new place is on a mountain road, and it has wonderful outside space.  There are woods for roaming, a million plants and flowers that someone lovingly put around the yard, and paths to a sheltered picnic area with a fire pit. Not to mention more bedrooms, a second bathroom (thank GOD), a dining room (no shuffling chairs around the kitchen, trying to fit everyone), a pantry (yes!), linen closet (yes!), a craft/computer room (YES!), and a place for my kiln right outside the kitchen door.  Or maybe the basement.  I haven't quite figured out that part yet, but I am thrilled to just know that there will be more space for my pottery.

There will be some growing pains, I am sure.  I worry about my oldest (with autism and DS) adjusting to a new environment, leaving the world behind that he has always known.  We are lucky, though.  He actually takes after us in loving travel, and exploring new places.  I *think* he will be just fine.  The bigger worry is the transition to middle school.  UGH, I don't even want to think about that.

Change can be hard.  It can even make us sad about the things we are leaving behind.  But change can lead us out of the rut we never knew we were in until it actually happens and the world opens up for us.

Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become. -- author unknown

 

I am excited.

 

I mustache you...

Is this the funniest Valentine or what?  I just adore how it turned out.  Many thanks go out to Craft Monkey, who featured a tutorial on her blog, using Picnik.  Picnik is apparently going to cease to exist in April, joining with Google+, BUT until then the premium features are free.  Darn, just when I discovered something cool.

Happy Valentine's Day!

We are sewing!

It started with a Hearthsong catalog just before her 8th birthday last November.  She had circled something from just about every page, but put stars and hearts next to the things she REALLY wanted.  Right next to a bright pink and purple child-sized sewing machine were three stars and four hearts.

"Really??"  I was kind of shocked.  She never approached me about learning to sew, and it was one of the things I didn't really think about teaching her yet, weirdly enough.  Then we had a conference with her teacher, and the wheels started turning.  One of the things we were concerned about was her handwriting.  It's pretty atrocious.  She does not hold her pencil correctly, and her hand fatigues quickly.  We have tried the special pencil holders that are supposed to guide her fingers into place, but she hates them.  Her teacher suggested doing fine motor activities to help strengthen her fingers, and sewing was one of them.  She had heard that sewing with a needle and thread was good practice for holding a pencil correctly.

A-HAAAA!!!!

But, no, we didn't buy the little sewing machine.  Instead, I bought her a beginning sewing book, a brand new pair of grown up scissors, just for her, and filled a pretty little flowered box with needles, craft thread, flower headed pins, measuring tape, a pincushion...everything you need to begin sewing.  She was pretty excited to get started, especially after looking through her new book, which I would HIGHLY recommend to anyone who would like to teach a child how to sew.  It's called Sewing School:  Hand-Sewing Projects Kids Will Love to Make.

From CraftyPod

To read a great review and to see pics of what is inside, check out CraftyPod's post on this book.  I love this book because you see things that REAL kids made!  And you can tell that they made them because there is usually a pic of the child with their work.  The stitches are all wonky, there is original artwork, things are not cut straight...and that is what makes this book great to me.  My girl saw the pictures and said, "I CAN DO THIS!"

I bought another beginner book soon after with some really cute, really easy projects.  Unfortunately, she was not as thrilled about it as I thought she would be, and we have yet to start a project from it.  I finally figured out what it was.  She was intimidated by the projects because they look perfect.  They were made by a skilled adult with perfect, even stitches, perfect alignment, straight cuts, etc.  Sigh.  I am hoping to move her beyond the perfectionist expectation and get her to try something from the other book, but for now, we are sticking with Sewing School projects.

The first project was a needle book.  You have to have somewhere to stick those things, right?

 

That little button gave her a huge amount of pride.  She told everyone she knew that she can now sew on buttons!  (By the way, the pics are from my Droid phone, using the "Man With Camera" app.  I envy the Instagramers out there with their cool pics, so I'm trying out some new apps)

The next project she wanted to try was to make a "stuffie".

 You draw a picture of a creature or animal, outline it with dark marker, so when you place a piece of muslin on top of your drawing, you can see through the fabric to trace it.  We used Crayola Fabric Markers to permanently trace and color the image so it won't wash out or bleed.  We have also used crayons and ironed the fabric with a sheet of paper on top to set the colors.

Of course, as soon as he saw what we were doing, Little Man wanted in on the fun of learning how to sew, so he jumped right in and started creating with us.

His first stuffie:  a cat!

And here's our partial cast of characters! (Some are missing in action -- they are definitely a favorite toy these days!)  Little Man made the caterpillar, I made the mouse, and Eleanor made the others.  I think there is some great talent there!

I've got to include the latest:  Kirby and Prince Fluff from Kirby's Epic Yarn.

Have you seen that game??  Total eye candy for crafters, you can't die, you just unravel your enemies, the kids adore it, and the music in many levels is actually nice and soothing. 




And yes, I made Prince Fluff.  :)

SCORE! Vintage hardware art for little boys.

I went to a HUGE consignment sale a few months ago and picked up some amazing bargains, but my favorite one: 

 

These "Hardware Store Alphabet Cards" are HUGE 8x10 individual cards that you can use for wall art.  They remind me of the old children's book illustrations from the Dick and Jane era, or even those vintage textbooks that you can find once in a while.  They sell for around $25 new, but I got a boxed set for FIVE BUCKS.  I am dying to use these somehow.   String them up, banner-like?  Frame each one and sell them on etsy? 

I need suggestions!

Ornaments!

Last month I was hard at work getting my preschool fundraiser orders filled.  I absolutely ADORE doing preschool events.  The kids are always so sweet and excited to get their hand or footprint made in clay.  I bring two at a time in the room so one can watch while the other gets it done.

Glazing the bisque ornaments before the final firing:

The finished product. Not one flaw or breakage...whew!

And off they go...