all about us.

ben's christmas quilt

i patterned this quilt after the Denyse Schmidt "Hop, Skip, and a Jump" quilt.  The free download for the pattern isn't available anymore, so i had to figure it out in my own way.  i love the wonky lines, and it's pretty striking in person.  i love it.  i may end up making one for myself some time!

 it measures 42"x52"

  
the back is all flannel.  after i bought this monkey print in cotton, i found out they had flannel as well.  i paired it with the same grey flannel i used for my quilt. very cozy :)

 
  and the boy loves it! 

  
Today we are off to see "A Christmas Carol", then we are back home to put the tree up and start decorating for christmas :) 

i hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving :)

change

 the leaves are gone, and the look and feel of winter is settling in.  a few reminders of Fall are left, but not for long. 

around here, we are soo excited for christmas season to be here.  i usually am a stickler for waiting until thanksgiving is over, but this year, we've turned on the christmas music station, the kids have been wearing their christmas pj's all week, christmas drawings are abundant, and christmas quilts are being used.  with time flying like it has been, i don't mind drawing the season out a bit more.  

i made ashlyn's christmas quilt last week.  it was a quick project... i used the same simple design as i did for the "picnic" quilt i made this summer.  The fabric line is "Be Merry" by Riley Blake.  When i saw it, i knew i had to get it for her! I let her choose which designs and color-way she wanted.  Are any of us surprised she chose the pink?? :)  This fabric line came in quilting cotton and in flannel, so i bought the cotton for the front, and the flannel for the back.  cozy!  i used wool batting, so this is a great quilt to snuggle up with in the garage where they have their rec room.  we have a space heater in there, but it can still get a bit chilly.

the fabric in the top left corner is the text of "the night before christmas" 

the whole quilt measures about 54x54.  

(so engrossed in the tv show :) )

 
Ben's quilt is up for this week!  i'm hoping to get it done before Thursday.  i want my sewing stuff OUT by friday when we decorate for Christmas!! :)

Thankful..

for rainy days that keep our beautiful part of the world green! (and the sound it makes... :)  )

for a fireplace to keep me warm... and provide a cozy atmosphere.

for the occasional starbucks treat... i rarely go anymore, but this time of year always seems to draw me in there! a Peppermint Mocha in a red cup?? yes, please!

 
 

for new running shoes that won't hurt my feet! 

for the ability to sew things for my kiddos.  ashlyn has been giddy with anticipation for her winter/christmas quilt, and can only talk about snuggling up in it. i can't wait to give it to her after school!

 
  

the never-ending pile of dishes... they keep me grounded in the fact that the homemakers life is not all about sewing and drinking coffee. lol.

what are you thankful for today???

days..

i'm quite the boring blogger these days, eh?  i guess when the kids were little, i had them to blog about.  now, our days are filled with school, chores, homework, dinner, and bed.  not very exciting!!   As for me, i've been trying to balance housework with sewing.  i feel the deadline looming over me.  i can't believe we'll have our tree up by next friday.  that's just insane! even the kids have commented on how fast this year went.  way too fast.

my days look somewhat like this:

coffee and computer:

to-do lists:

chores:

  

cutting/ironing/sewing...

and little bits of christmas popping up all over.  i don't know how many christmas tree's Benjamin has drawn in the last week or so!!

ashlyn has quite a list going.  i don't even know what half of these are! most likely from infomercials, lol.  and then the other half are expensive tech stuff.  let's just say she's getting #9 (and some games).

 
 
this week,  i'm going to be buying some good running shoes.  a friend of mine has convinced me of how doable running is, even if you start out by not being able to run worth beans (that's me!).  i've printed out a schedule to follow, and i think i'll sign up for a 5k race to do in the spring to push myself to keep training.  i really need something to whip me in to shape, and to keep me fit.  hopefully i will enjoy this!  running has always intrigued me, but i never knew how to go about it.  and i've come to realize that my shoes are horrible for running...which explains why my feet have always hurt whenever i tried to run.  So, i'm hopeful :)

munki munki christmas quilt

 
my first quilt of the season is finished...it's all flannel!  i think i have a love/hate with the flannel... it's super soft and warm, but of course, it pills, and it shrunk quite a bit when i washed it.  i had a feeling it would shrink more than quilting cotton, so i somewhat accounted for it when i was making it, but i still didn't realize how much.  i do love it though, and it's still plenty big!  Munki Munki is a pj line with the designs drawn by heather ross... i love her stuff.  modern quilters somewhat covet heather ross stuff, so the pj's are also sought after.  people by XL, and cut them up for fabric.  i saw an etsy seller selling the parts, so i snapped up the wintry flannel leg pieces. 

here is a photo of the quilt before i quilted it.  you can see the designs a little easier this way! (click to see large)  i really love the bright colors against the smokey grey.

all quilted up..i really love how wool batting makes it so thick and warm.  a definite must for the colder months!

the back... i really wish i would have made it more interesting.  i was tired. lol

but i really love the print.  i got these panels off of a XL robe.

it's goes perfectly with a hot cup of coffee :)

 
  
so.... only 2 weeks until thanksgiving. 15 days until christmas season.  my goal was to get 5 quilts made before then, but i'm thinking i'll do the kids' quilts and be done.  i may do one more after that, but my hands are stiff, and my mind is tired.  i'm finding that when i have so many to do at once, instead of feeling creative and excited about it, i get into the mindset of "just get it done".  not so good.  i really am tired of having my living room taken over, so i'm pretty sure i'll do the kids' and put everything away... there is always next year! :)   

yep.

this blog post is so true.   it really is funny what kind of impression we get from different blogs.  i find myself thinking "why can't i be more like THEM and do that, this or the other?"  and then, at one point or another, something like this will be written by that person, and i sigh with relief.  OH. ok.  they do have a normal life filled with laundry and dishes and messes and spills and frustrations.  i really like how this writer pointed out that Martha stewart/magazines/stuff on TV is all just that.  staged. done by LOTS of people with a business budget.  anyway, i thought maybe i'd share, and some of you would like it as much as i.

http://www.acommonplacelife.com/a-commonplace-life/2009/10/19/the-trouble-with-martha.html

a happy halloween

  to be honest, i really couldn't care less about the holiday...in fact, this is only the second year our kids have ever gone trick or treating!!  They get excited about it, so of course we let them have their fun.  the last two years, they have found their own costumes from what we already have, since dress up clothes are perfect for that.  i don't know how long we'll be able to do that, though :)

 we carved our pumpkins yesterday (i know...we are so last minute)...well, i should say that Adam carved them pumpkins while we all watched! lol. 

i know i'll probably cringe later, but i'm not going to edit these photos.  i don't have the time!

 

ashlyn and i spent time girl time shopping yesterday.  it was so much needed!  it reminded me that i need to get out with her more often.  i think she craves it a bit.  i've definitely been given a lot more hugs and kisses and "if i could chose any mommy in the world, it would be you." since we got home.  :) 


if he came to my door, i'd dump my bowl into his bag. lol.  he was the most grateful little ToTer.  with all his heart he would say , "Thank You!! (wave, smile) Have a Happy Halloween!!!" 

ashlyn's pumpkin: 
 







so, of course, we don't have designated bags for trick or treating, so this morning, ashlyn took it upon herself to go make one, and then ben followed suit.  they loved it, i loved it.  it made me glad we hadn't bought anything!  

all dressed up... Snow White and her Knight :)

(this was after we came home....so ashlyn's hair was a little frazzled, lol)

watching them trick or treat was adorable.  i really loved watching ben, b/c his excitement was sooo apparent.  he ran everywhere, was super happy and polite...he's a kick.  Last year, i did this alone with them b/c adam had flown down to SD for a wedding.  So, watching the kids with him was way more fun!

their loot.  not a ton, but seriously plenty.

 
hope you had a fun night! :) 

on to November!

this is what i have in store for this month...

 sewing....lots of sewing!  so fun to think what these piles will turn in to! 

not sure...

"mama!  i can wear a trash bag as clothes!!"

(hahahahahahaaa... oh my... :)  )

 

every night... i sit here...like this.  watching dvr, netflix... but right now, it's a tv movie b/c adam is not feeling well.  he went to bed early.  hopefully he's not getting the flu! :(

 
  g'nite :)
 

warmth

 with things getting chilly around here, it makes a bit more sense to be making quilts :)   This "fall" quilt was made with the stack of wonderland fabrics that i bought.  it's pretty whimsical, and not very fall, except for the colors.  but the colors went perfectly with the pillows that i made, so i couldn't resist making it.  This quilt is my biggest ever.  after washing, it measures 60x80.  almost twin size!  so, it can easily snuggle more than one person under there :)

 

more slippers have arrived in the mail, and my kids are ecstatic, especially since they picked them out a few weeks ago...i finally got around to ordering them.  it's amazing what excites them! :)

 

you'll be happy to know that adam and i cleaned the garage last night. ahhhhh.... :)

  tomorrow is parent/teacher conferences.  I'm so interested to see how they are doing!  Ben's teacher has obviously caught on that ben's reading skills are awesome.  she was sending SUPER easy, preshool type books home for him to read at first, but his last book was 3rd grade level with some pretty crazy words.  It was a book on hurricanes, so a lot of the words were technical terms or foreign city names (there was one that even i couldn't figure out how to pronounce! haha).  He was awesome with it though.  didn't get frustrated with all the new words.  he'd just ask, and then second time that he saw it, he would remember it.   

anyway, so once halloween is over, i'm lugging the sewing machine back out to make christmas quilts. yes, plural. at least 3 of them, and up to 5, depending on how motivated i am.  that's a LOT of sewing.  but i'll definitely do one for each kid, one for living room, and possibly up to 3.  what can i say? we're gonna have guests! everyone needs a quilt to use, don't they?

:)

the fall of...Fall.

 granted, most of the trees around town are still full of leaves.  some have already changed, and some (even on my own neighbors trees) are only part way changed!  our trees must be vulnerable somehow.  but i know that even last year, our trees were fully leaved until november.  oh well!

i took these photos last tuesday, b/c the color was so stunning.  i don't remember the orange hue last year.

 
   this rain-fall happened on wednesday night.   we were sitting inside, and rain started to pound on the windows...LOUD.  we aren't used to that!  usually, the rain is almost silent.  so we were "wow-ing", and then we looked on our street! total flood.  Our house is at the bottom of a hill, so all the water flows down, and is supposed to go down the two drains--one that is in front of our house, and the other in front of the people across the street.  Well, those drains got blocked by the leaves pretty quickly.  there was quite a few inches of water. it was insane.  adam had to go out there, and worked for quite awhile to unclog the drains.

adam said that at one point, the water was higher than his boots! 
  So, anyway, after that storm, our tree looked like this.  i took this on friday. quite a difference from Tuesday! :(

so on saturday, adam enlisted more help.  We bribed them with the promise to get new fish when they finished. :)

the boys did most of the work :) 

there is more than one way to use a snow shovel!!  it's great for scooping leaves :) 


 

mornings have been chilly.... 39 yesterday, and i heard it was about the same this morning.

 
  
yay for new Acorn slippers :)  Wool upper, soft fleece inside...these things are toasty, and very comfy!

i've taken measures this year to treat myself to quality clothing that will not only last, but they actually WORK to keep you warm.  Smartwool socks, good slippers, a good fleece jacket from North Face, and one from eddie bauer to go under my rain jacket... little things like that make life so much better. lol.  oh, and fleece sheets.  $40 at costco (king), and worth every penny and more!  way better than flannel, they actually fit my mattress, and they are just downright soft and cozy.  LOVE them.   

a couple of photos for fun...

lol

adam caught me watching Scooby doo with the kids.  i really was interested to see the outcome! haha (please excuse the horrendous mess in there. ugh.)

 :)

victoria, canada- part 3

***please note!!!  this is part three of the Victoria trip.  if you would like to read part 1 & 2 , please scroll all the way down to Part 1.  :)

morning view:

 
   Sunday morning, we went downstairs to the hotel restaurant for breakfast.  adam had steak and eggs, and i had pancakes. so good!

after breakfast, we packed up and checked out.  we went downtown to explore for the rest of the day.  it was sunny and perfect for walking around!!  we bought shirts and candy and souvenirs... :)

lunch!  this place was AWESOME.  they should put one in poulsbo :)



after lunch, it was time to hightail it back to the ferry.

we hung out on the ferry a bit, and all of a sudden, a couple of people were pointing out in the water.  i ran over (i've ALWAYS wanted to see a whale in the open water!!) and i saw a few killer whales swimming.  didn't see much of them, but saw some black and white! 

the colors.  oh those colors!!!! 

tons of birds.....i wish it translated in the photo better! 
 

back in USA waters...adam was back on his phone :)

 
we drove home...scott and chloe told us about the weekend...scott had me in stitches at times with the stories he told about the kids.  it's more funny when they pull their antics with other people ;)  

all in all, it really was just one of the best weekends of my life.  just being away with adam---no interruptions, on our own schedule, and having time to really hang out.  we came back with large stars in our eyes, joy in our hearts, and all that sentimental mumbo jumbo! haha.  but really, it was a trip that i will never forget.   

  
 

Victoria, Canada-Part 2 "the forest"

The next day, we walked over to the Gatsby mansion for breakfast.  It has a ton of history.  it started out as then a home, at some point changed over to a girls school, and then as a hotel/restaurant.  It was a bit formal and quiet before more people started coming in, but the employees were our age, and were super nice in answering questions, showing us around, and even gave us a key to a room to check out.  It was a bit creepy upstairs.  apparently it is haunted. lol

this was the first lady of the house.  The guy told us that people have seen weird stuff when they take her photo and develop it.  we didn't see anything...maybe it only works with film ;)  do you see anything weird?

  

we decided that we wanted to see more of the Island than just Victoria.  So we decided to drive up a ways to explore and see the countryside. 

very foggy in some parts!

we ended up going to a couple of winery's along the trail.  the first one we went to, sold fruit wines and ports.  We ended up with the Blackberry wine, and blueberry port.

 

this next one only had two red wines to taste, and we were the only ones, so it was kind of awkward!  lol 



on the way back down to Victoria, we stopped at a little forest reserve area.  it was sooo pretty.  really ancient seeming.  The trees were up to 500 years old.  some people like beaches and palm trees.  I like forests and rain! lol.  The light filtered through the trees, so many things were highlighted in amazing ways.  and the moss growing thick on branches was gorgeous!  so get ready for a lot of forest photos.  it was hard for me to keep stuff out.

adam had his point and shoot, obviously :)







 
   
and this pretty much sums up how i felt about this place:

and about him :) 
  

if you look in the VERY middle of the frame, you'll see a red/orange leaf.  it was falling, and i caught it! (i tried many times that day to catch a falling leaf).  i wish it was more noticeable, but oh well :)
 

  annnnd.....back to civilization.  you thought those forest photos would never end, huh? :)

we went and had an early dinner at Spinnakers... some people at the first winery recommended it to us.  i had a strip steak and local veggies.  i wish i had a photo.  The food there is all local and fresh, and the veggies were huge, delicious, and more plentiful than the steak! (well, i guess i only did get a 6 oz steak!).  so, so, good.  The place also had a sweet shop, and i got fresh made chocolate chip shortbread (sooo flaky), and adam and i shared some treat that was spun toffee on the inside (light and airy) covered in chocolate.  SO good!!!

we drove back through town.. 

we went back to the hotel for a bit, and then went out for dessert

 
adam had molten lava cake, and i had chocolate mint creme brule.  so good!

 
this was the only pic of me...it was so dark, so i had to take some lengths to make it viewable! it cracks me up.

 
and so ends day two :)  
  

Victoria, Canada-Part 1

  SO.  wow.  i don't even know where to start!!  Adam took me to Canada for my birthday... a couple months late, but for my birthday nevertheless!  Turned out perfectly, since it's the peak of fall, and i love fall.  So, it was great timing.  But this was the first trip we have taken for the sole purpose of getting away together, since my 20th birthday when we went to Catalina Island.  we've gone away together for weddings, retreats, etc, but to get away just us, it has been 9 years.  It was way overdue!!

we left Friday morning around 10:30.  Scott and Chloe came over the night before, so they would be here and instructed for the weekend.  We left, stopped downtown poulsbo to get adam some shoes, i bought some smartwool socks....um, the best socks EVER.  i want a million more!  i admit, that i wore them two days in a row, hehe. they kept my feet so warm.  Anyway, we stopped for snacks and headed off to Port Angeles.  Had lunch there, and went on to the ferry docks.  That's where the photos start :)

the very last time i saw adam with his phone the whole trip.  THAT was amazing. lol 

we spent most of the ferry ride (about an hour ride) outside.  it was overcast, but the air temp  for being out on the water was surprisingly very nice, and not too cold. 

 

i was actually really obsessed with the orange chairs.  the ferry is an old one.  so old, that it was cool again in it's retro-ness!  i probably took way more photos of the orange chairs than one ever could want.  on the way there AND on the way back!

 

  

pulling into the harbor...the Empress hotel is in the background.  such a stunning building!

that's the harbor in the background.  our view was awesome!

this is our view to the right. 


   we had dinner at this place... local beer on tap, and fresh local Halibut, beer battered with their pale ale.  it was sooo good.  The pale ale was also super yummy...so good that we bought some they had bottled.  unfortunately, the taste was a bit different in the bottle, but still good.


a year ago, if you would have showed me this photo of me with beer and fish n chips, i would have assumed it was staged.  i hated both!

i have heard canadians talk about Tim Hortons coffee....so adam and i walked around town to find one.  when we walked in, it reminded me of like...a dunkin donuts meets deli meets coffee shop.  The only coffee they sold retail was preground in canisters, so it made me scared to try drip coffee.  I ordered a mocha, and it literally tasted like hot chocolate.  we both thought so.  i don't think i tasted any coffee, to be honest!!  we went back another day (another location) and i had their chili, which was good.

we ended up in our hotel restaurant's bar for the evening.  they had live jazz (SOO good).  adam had some chicken wings, and my stomach wasn't feeling hot, so i got some decaf and a plate of veggies! lol.  we didn't have the camera, but i got a pic of the sign the next day (to remember the time spent there)

 

our night view from the hotel room

end of day one..... to be continued!

reason #851 for having kids

they ask to rake the leaves...and have FUN doing it! :)

ashlyn sat outside to keep him company.  she got a new diary from the scholastic book orders at school (remember those??), so she was busy writing in it :)

 
   :)

i'll have photos from our canada trip soon...there are a LOT to go through to figure out which ones to share,  since i can't post 300+ photos ;)

pumpkins!

last year, we went to this patch on Bainbridge and liked it, so we went again :)  i love the patches around here...so different than the parking lot/fake ones that i used to always go to as a kid!

sit tight....there are a LOT of photos!

this is ben:  he decided to dress up like a pumpkin.  orange shirt, and brown hat for the stem ;)

 
when we got there, the kids went straight to the hay maze.  Ben was obsessed...everytime we had a spare second, he ran back to it :)  

 

 

the search begins...

 

i loved these pumpkins...the vine attatched was so pretty!

found! 

   

whose is whose? 

pretty striped pumpkin with the winery in the distance 

ashlyn wanted to walk in the grape rows...

what's that, mama??

grapes!


back up the hill to play with ben in the hay maze..

 
the light was gorgeous.  made those pumpkins glow!

our loot!!! 

 
take a look at this!

this is last year. look where ashlyn comes up on me (and how little ben looks!):

 
   this year:  she's just about up to my shoulder!

my goodness!  i want to cry!!  she sprouted up like 6 inches!  At this rate, she'll be up to my chin next year! :(

back home again...

i never get tired of all the water that surrounds us here! 





  

monkey see, monkey do

Benjamin saw my to-do list sitting on my desk.  He decided he needed one as well.

Fall has been beautiful!!!  i went to the store today, and got so giddy as i was driving around, seeing how much color there is already.  it was a fantastically gorgeous day.

tomorrow---pumpkin patch!

sunday---going to the Seahawks game with Scott and Chloe!! 

heh.

can someone please remind me that i have more pressing sewing projects to get finished??

The kinks of yesterday's purse were bugging me...i had to make another one to smooth them out. after i modified the flap, the strap, and changed what interfacing i used, this one turned out exactly right. yay! 

inside was lined with a soft brownish/orange chambray. 

and no, i'm not opening an etsy shop.  sorry :(  i just can't commit to having my living room turn into a sewing room 24/7.  it's too small as it is! :)  maybe when i have a dedicated sewing room...
 

fall purse

 i made this purse for fall...i've had the idea/style in my head all summer, and i finally got up the courage to make it.  i couldn't find a pattern in the style i wanted, so i made this one up.  there are a few modifications that i would make if i did this one again.  but it's good enough :)

 i used a joel dewberry home dec fabric for  the exterior, and a green linen for the liner..

 

i made a divided pocket to fit my cell phone and keys on one side

and a large pocket on the other side for my sunglasses, gum, and pen

 here are some lovely bathroom mirror shots to show the scale ;)

 

golden days

i always did call him my "pumpkin head" :)

sunday afternoon nap :)

 

  and it's just the beginning!

dance

 Last night, adam took ashlyn to the father/daughter dance that was put on by the fire dept.  Ashlyn was SO excited to go.  I brought out the dress my mom had bought her to wear this Christmas b/c she didn't have much else to wear.  the dance was to be casual to semi-formal, but i knew she'd feel more special if she dressed up a bit.  So i surprised her with it after school.  She gasped, and wanted it on right away! :)  we did her hair, and i let her wear some of my dangly earrings.  her whole demeanor changed, and at one point she said, " i feel like a young woman!" :)  Adam dressed up, and when she saw him, she slid up next to him and told him how handsome he looked.  

  
  They had a blast.  Adam said that all night she kept telling him that he was the best daddy in the world, how she loved him, etc, etc.  They danced together, she danced alone, and they went exploring behind the curtained off parts (lol).  Ashlyn told me that her favorite part was the slow dancing.  Adam said that she snuggled right up to him during the slow dances :). 

 all the little girls got a rose, and they had their picture taken there (that will be mailed to us later).  After the dance, they stopped to get food, and ashlyn ordered a cup of water for her rose :)  Adam said that in the car, she was kind of drifting off, but was always careful to keep her rose safe. 

i don't know why, but the whole thing made me sentimental.   i really think that this dance will be one she always remembers.  I also know that she and adam have quite a bond...one that i can't wait to see grow as the years go by.  

as i was sitting in her room, waiting for her to finish brushing her teeth, i sat and looked around her room.  it usually drives me nuts how messy it can get, etc, but this time, i looked at all the little things around it that really told me about HER.  i saw that she had pinned up her science olympic certificate, saw her drawings, her books, the way she put all her extra pins on the butterfly in the corner of her bulletin board, the outfit she had hanging over her chair, etc.  I realized that with each year, her room changes slightly.  as she grows, it grows up.  i wanted to keep time still.  b/c i know that in ten years, she'll be in her Senior year, and i will think back to when she was a little girl, and wish these years back.  Time is such a strange thing.  you live, you work, you are constantly going and thinking about the next thing.  before you know it, so much time has gone by, and you wish that you had taken more time to just sit and enjoy the moment you were in.  My kids, my husband, my family... sometimes (like now) it all overwhelms me to tears at how much i love them.  adam and i joke about how it will be when the kids are grown up...we can go anywhere, do anything...but wow.  Right now, i'm in no hurry.  i want to soak them up while i can.