Got Crafty

Before Gideon came home, I bought some cloth diapers, to use as burp rags. I assumed they were the ones that were already stitched, but they were unfolded, unstitched, and HUGE, LOL. I had them folded in fourths, to use them, and they were a pain. Last night, Jeffie was home, and I had some free time, so I ran downstairs, and cut and stitched them into squares, so they would be actually useful for us.

Hodge Podge from Weekend

I didn't realize I haven't been on since Friday. LOL.
We had a good weekend. My brother, Bob, and my nephew, Andrew, came over on Saturday, and we all had a great evening. Bob made ruebens, and we all got to hang out for quite a while. Of course, my sister was over. She's over every Saturday. I'm make sure of that. I miss her terribly on the Saturdays we don't get to hang out.

I'm still in the process of lightening my hair again. I missed my blonde so much. Welllll, this is not the result that I wanted, but I have to wait to fix it. It's a bit of tangerine, LOL. I've been walking around, just wishing I could let everyone know that it's not what I wanted. LOL. I've lightened it twice though, so I don't want to have my hair fall out, yikes.


Here's Andrew holding Gideon. He was very good with him, and held him quite a bit. He'll be a good daddy.


These are little elephants that Bobby made out of dollar bills. One of the Sunday School classes are going to use them for prizes this month.


I missed Sunday night service. My throat was bugging me, and the boys were asleep when we would be getting ready, so I just had Jeffie go without me, and I watched it online.


After Jeff got home, we finished the Christmas tree.
Gabey put on maybe 4 ornaments, and one handful of tinsel. Jeffie did most of the work.


Gideon enjoyed the evening too, lol.


He adores the nativity that my dad got us last year.


Tummy Time


This is the blanket that my mom made for Gideon, and it's one of my favorites. I love it!

Link for Esther

Esther's family just set up a Caring Bridge page, to share updates about her treatments....

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/estherjoy

Glad I met Kristi

I was looking through my old posts, and found the first post that my blog friend, Kristi, came to visit my blog. It was my post about our fairy ring in the front yard. She said she was just blog surfing, and found my blog. Wow, what a blessing. She's been a great friend, and a great encouragement to me over the past year. I'm so glad the Lord led her to my blog. Thank you, Kristi, for being such a good friend to me. Love you in the Lord.


Thimble Thoughts
http://thimblethoughts.blogspot.com/

Just Can't Stop :):)

I just can't stop taking pictures of my beautiful boys!

New Ice Cream Topping

I discovered a really cool ice cream topping....

Cocoa Pebbles! LOL. Man, is it tastey and crispy.

Up to the Minute Gideon 12/4/07

Esther update- Nov.

Here is the last update on little Esther...

Dear Praying Friends,

With Thanksgiving literally at our doorstep, we wanted to say thank you again for all that has been done for Esther and ourselves through your prayer, love, and gifts.

The last two weeks since we came back from Ohio have been basically spent in the hospital. Esther received her second chemo treatment and then got a secondary infection that has kept her in the hospital this last week getting IV antibiotics. Praise the Lord they are planning to release her on Saturday. Next week Esther will be getting ready for her bone marrow 'harvest'. This process involves another bone marrow biopsy to see if her bone marrow is clean. If it is clean they will remove some of the stem cells from her bone marrow to start growing her replacement bone marrow for her transplant. Thank you for you continued prayer on Esther's behalf. We trust you all will have had an enjoyable Thanksgiving.

In Christ
Adam and Jennifer Travis - India

Coffee Filters

Gabey and I did a craft the other day with coffee filters and food coloring. It was fun, and Gabey really got into it. I decided to do it for the kids in Sunday School, and that was a great success. We had them dry out, and glued them to paper with ribbon, to make them look like ornaments.

This is such an easy peasy craft. You just need to fold up the coffee filter and dip the corners into the food coloring (I added a little water to the food coloring, but I don't think you have to.)
They dry really fast, and look like tye die. You can put them on cards, or whatever you want. I thought about putting a doilie over them, to look like stained glass.

Fisher Price Camera

We got Gabey a Fisher Price digital camera for his birthday. It's really cute, and very kid friendly.

Here are some pictures that he took...

Gabey's Birthday Party

(copied from my message board)
we had gabey's birthday party on saturday.it was over my mil's house. she just redid her kitchen, and it was soooo gorgeous!
i forgot my camera, but we had given gabey one of those fisher price cameras, so i got a few pics from that. it's really a cute camera, and it's drop proof, lol. gabey loves taking pics, so we just figured it would be a great gift for him.
it was supposed to be a herbie theme, but i just didn't have the energy to go all out for it, so there weren't really any decorations like i had wanted. i did make a herbie cake, but was soooo disappointed at how it turned out. the cake was tastey, so that's all that mattered, but i messed up the decorating.
first, i didn't let it cool enough, and the cake got stuck in the frosting, then i melted the frosting so it could go on, and had to fridge it to harden the frosting back up. THEN, my biggest mistake came at the very end. i decided to try to do racing stripes, and got out what i thought was cake decorating gel....
it turned out to be food coloring!!!, and i spent 20 minutes brushing and wiping, and just madly working to try to fix my mess. it came out in black looking strips, and then i brushed it, hoping that would spread the color, and it looked gross, so i tried to wipe if off with wet paper towels. YIKES!!!i'm actually glad i forgot my camera, ROTFL. i took pics with gabey's camera, and those are good enough for me. HAHA.
i had just had a rough day, my back's really been bugging me, and hurts most of the time, and i've been dealing with sinus headaches, and a tight jaw. chrissy was so awesome, and came with us. she was the biggest help all day (she always is.) gabey finally napped right about the time i had told linda mom we'd be there, so i just decided to wait til jeff got home from work and let him take us. he had a huge fit when we woke him up to go, and cried and whined for a while on the way there. i got to linda mom's and went up to her bathroom, and just had a good cry. and the rest of the night was nice. we had tacos, and just hung around.
gideon had a crying fit for a while during the party, but i got him calmed upstairs, and then chrissy was so sweet, and came up and relieved me, so i could be there for gabey's cake, and presents.
the only person from my family who could come was my sister, but jeff's family is so awesome, and they all turned up, and made it a really nice party for gabey.
he's been playing with the hot wheels track that he got, and the playdoh stuff (i LOVE the playdoh stuff he got, all kinds of shapes, and one of those cool noodle making things.)
he's eating the cookies that he got from my sister without decorations, lol. it's a decorating kit, but he wanted some of them right away, and has been munching on the plain cookies.


Herbie Cake


Singing Happy Birthday


The cake tasted good anyway


Gabey's cool hot wheels track

Smile

sings..."Smile, Smile, Smile"

http://www.danzanes.com/flash/video10.shtml

Audrey Hepburn

I always loved Audrey Hepburn, but just recently started reading her biographies, and looking into more of her videos.

I never realized what a truly classy woman she was, on the inside as well as outside. I mean, I've always thought she was a flawless beauty, and loved her in Funny Face, and My Fair Lady, but I never knew about her private life, and what a great woman she was.

I am looking forward to continuing my study of her life, and movies. I just watched a great biography on her last night, and am in 3 books, plus a book on Givenchy style.

Handcrafter's Holiday MeMe

Gifts
Do you have a favorite gift that you love to give?
I've tried making something different every year. I've given drawings, oil paintings, acryllic paintings, pottery, crocheting, prayer pillows and all different kinds of crafts.

If you’re making gifts this year, what are you making?
I printed out some of my artistic photos, and matted them, so I'm giving those as presents this year.

Do you have any good stories about handcrafted gifts you’ve given or received?
I'll never forget when I was little, my mom making me a pillow Care Bear. It was the yellow sunshine bear, and I still have it. (my mom used to call me her little sunshine.)

A few years ago, I made prayer pillows for my 4 parents who all have birthdays in July.
I made them out of old cut out jeans, and made them into shapes. I put their names on one side, and sewed a pocket on the other for them to put prayer requests inside. The idea is to write it down, give it to the Lord, and then rest peacefully, and don't worry.

Do you have any great gift compilation ideas (a grouping of gifts just perfect for certain recipients?)
In the past, I would put together coffee themes for people, or snowman themes, and one of my sisters LOVES pigs, so I got all pig stuff. (none handmade though)

Name one thing on your personal wish list.
Display shelves for my precious moments

Do you make and sell things that would make fantastic gifts?
We're always making something or other, but I don't have a store anywhere.
I have made jewelry, photography, pottery, and art. My sister makes beaded keychains, frames, and beautiful jewelry, and my mom knits and makes the coolest paper flowers. We did a craft show together recently, and our friend, Shelly joined in, contibuting cool gift baskets.


Traditions
What is your favorite family holiday tradition?
Christmas Eve, we light candles, and take turns reading verses of the Christmas story from Luke, and some other passages that help tell the story.

Have you started any new traditions with your family that you didn’t practice growing up?
We try to make a Birthday cake for Jesus, and sing Happy Birthday.
My side of the family also started focusing on handmade gifts the past few years. We can get other things also if we want, but we try to give something handmade to everyone.

What do you love most about the holiday season?
Decorating, and making holiday crafts, shopping for presents

What do you like least about the holiday season?
Since it's winter, it's just always dark and dreary, and I miss the sun a ton!

Anyone close to your heart that you’ll be missing this year?
I am so blessed to have all my family with me during the holidays.

What is your favorite holiday food?
stuffing/cranberry sauce

Do you have a great recipe to share?
It's my only recipe, LOL.

CORN CASSEROLE
1 can cream corn
1 can strained sweet corn
1 stick of melted butter
2 eggs
1 small box of Jiffy cornbread mix
1 8oz. container of sour cream

Simply mix all the ingredients in a casserole dish, and bake uncovered in a preheated oven at 350* for 1 hour.

It's the dish I bring every year, and I never get tired of it.

Everyone Loves a Baby Picture

Happy Birthday, to Gabey

Gabey turned 4 on Sunday. It was a really nice day. Jeff made sure he woke up to a balloon, and card, and we got him the Cars MAC truck to open.

For lunch, we went to Cracker Barrel, and met with Linda Mom and Joe Dad, Chrissy, and Bobby. My parents were under the weather, so weren't able to come.
We're having his birthday party next saturday at Lind Mom's house. I'm looking forward to that. Gabey asked for a Herbie theme, and cake.

Here are some pictures from the restaurant.

Tear Jerker

My mom has this on her blog, and I just cried when I saw it. It was so touching.

Here is a link, just click.

Special needs cheerleaders

Gideon's 1 Month Old

Gideon's doing really well. I'm so glad. He's eating regular formula, and his neck is nice and loose (we were afraid his torticolis would get worse, and need physical therapy). He's sleeping fairly well at night, and is getting more alert when he's awake during the day.
He is the smiley-est baby, lol, he's always grinning. (i know, i know, just gas, lol.) He's very strong too, he is holding his head up better, and even pushing himself up with is arms, and stuff.

I think he's really a cute baby too, and i love the faces that he makes.

The Fam

Link to Marriage Advice

http://thimblethoughts.blogspot.com/2007/11/prescription-for-healthy-marriage.html

This was a wonderful blip that my friend wrote about one of the lessons at the conference she was at recently.

It had some great advice that we need to keep remembering, in order to keep a healthy marriage.


I am so thankful for my hubbie. I love him more now than when we were first married. I feel like we're closer friends, lovers, and companions after 5 years than in the beginning.