Thank You, Starbucks.

8:00pm
Double tall skim peppermint latte

1:00am
Finished:
1 lounge set
8 magnets
1 headband
1 pillow
1 stocking (3 more to go)

I have searched the house over and cannot find the camera cord. I'm tempted to wake Kevin from his beauty sleep and ask him, but that seems unkind....



::Update:: Picture of the stocking from my camera phone. Horrible quality, and the K is actually light blue, but I hate posting without pictures.

Christmas Cookies

Today was stage one of the cookie baking which will become gifts for our neighbors. I decided to start with sugar cookies and icing, both of which were new recipes I found online. Cole was ready to help and plenty excited.

Cole dumping in he sugar. Dumping things in is by far his favorite part of the cooking process.


I added the eggs, cracking them with one hand like my dad always does. Cole loved that. Then time to roll out the batter. Look at that fro. Good thing I'm getting my hair cut wednesday.




Cut them up and bake them.



Kevin pointed out Cole had a little flour soul patch.


Some cookies turned out great.



Some did not, and I'm not sure what happened. I did salvage these little wafer-like things and used chocolate frosting to make a cookie sandwich out of them. Very delicious use of a mistake.



The finished product. I thought I had bought red food coloring (and in fact the bottle was red) but as it turned out, it was pink. I kept adding more and more and then finally checked the box, and sure enough. Pink. Not red.



Kevin's special wreath cookie.

Christmas in July

That's pretty much what we've got here, with yesterday's high at 80, and today's in the high 70's with tomorrow bringing more of the same. So what do you do when the winter weather is on vacation? You stop complaining about how you wish it was cooler (Sarah), put on your flip flops, and get outside and enjoy it.

So the kids and I have been getting out in the back yard and playing around. Adison is walking more every day, and while she's not doing it all the time, she's definately doing it more than ever, so it's nice to take her outside and have her be mobile with some help from mama. Until it's cold again, it's hockey and slides, flip flops and sand boxes.

Me & Bou

A little self portrait of us girls. These doggies, which I will confess I complain about daily, are really the sweetest things. Adison has REALLY taken to them and is constantly crawling all over them. Today I was looking for her and found her sitting in the living room, where Irbe was resting comfortably on his side, legs out and she was all curled up inside him like an Irbe-chair. It was so cute (I know. should have taken a picture -- but she was in the Bou-chair later, so I'm sure I can catch it again later). They are so gentle and patient with her, and lay mostly motionless until they've had enough, when they just get up and walk away.

Bou is 7 and Irbe is 6 this year, and these little pups are admittedly sometimes frustrating, but they are sweet and lovable and the house would be too quiet without them.

Christmas Decorations

Here are a couple of views of the christmas decorations at our house. I think there is still more in boxes in the garage, namely our advent calendar and I'm sure other fun surprises, but this is what is out now.

Felt stars, fabric trees on the mantle, stocking holders, our advent candles, and of course the christmas tree. We had fun decorating it and I got lots of great pictures -- which I accidentally deleted last week.

I'm making our stockings this week, so that's why our mantle looks fairly bare. But I pulled out the stocking holders that I forgot I had bought last year...and also forgot that Cole pulled one down on himself giving him a black eye. Hopefullyy we'll avoid that this year.

It doesn't look like much on the blog post, but here at the house it's nice and festive. Plus you can't hear my christmas music in the background. :)

Brave Girl

This video I caught this morning with my phone, so it's poor quality and a little hard to see, but it was too cute not to share.

We were up and running early this morning, and had breakfast with Kevin before he goes out of town for the weekend. So after that we hit the play area at the mall so I could drink some coffee. We had it to ourselves since it was early and it was so great.

Adison is just so much more adventurous than Cole was at that age and she is game to try almost anything. So she climbed up the little soft slide structure, and to my surprise, remembered to get herself on her tummy and down she went! She had a blast, they both did and it was a fun way to get our day started.

Christmas Craft #2

In between projects that I need to do, I'm letting myself slip in projects I want to do, like this little fabric christmas tree. I found the tutorial via a link on another crafty site. I'm totally addicted to these places...

Anyway, we were up with the chickens this morning, and so after a trip to the play area at the mall (WAY before it opened...) it ended up being an early quiet time / nap time. I whipped this little cutie up in about 15 minutes. I was going to stack them on the mantle, but now I think I'll thread up through it and maybe hang a few from the celing? Or make a few larger versions and put those on the mantle. Or maybe the fire place. In typical Sarah fashion, I'm ready to make a ton of them.

Christmas Crafts

I have a list a mile long (and thanks to all these amazing craft blogs out there, it keeps getting longer...) of christmas crafts I want to do this year.

Today we started with something very simple and fun. Cole and I picked up pine cones one sunny day in September and put them in a bag for safe keeping. So when he asked to paint today, I thought it'd be the perfect time to go ahead and get them out and paint them. I'll attach ribbon to them and hang them on our tree when it goes up, hopefully tomorrow.


For Cole, half the fun is in cleaning up afterwards.

Something new

My friend Lynn and I had our 2nd babies a few weeks apart. So for Brooke's birthday a few months ago, I made her a little lounge set, only the pants didn't work.

I tried again. It didn't work again. I think I need to switch patterns.

Determined to give this poor girl a present, I tried a skirt I'd seen instructions for online a few months ago. I'd had it bookmarked and set aside to make for Adison sometime. So I decided to make one for Brooke and used it as a guideline and kind whipped it up. It turned out really cute, and I tried it on Adison and I'm so taken with it, I'm ready to make her a batch of skirts. Thanks to Brooke and Lynn who waited almost 2 months for her entire present....

Over the River and Through the woods...

...to Grandaddy's tree farm we go. When Fletcher sold the farm last year, I immediately knew I'd miss the tradition of getting our christmas tree from them on thanksgiving day. But Fletcher always seems to have something up his sleeve, and so it really didn't come as a surprise to me that he had land in the mountains with christmas tree's growing on it.

All of us (Scott, Jenny & fam; David and the boys, Fletcher & Nancy) packed up and drove up there and picked out our trees. It truly was the most fun. What a great memory.

Ryan cutting down their three.

Adam, Leah & Cole

Our tree. Which still isn't up in the house...a rare change in our usual schedule of getting it up fast.

Adison and Nana

Kevin and Cole. I can't remember what was going on here exactly, but Cole got a little tree to put in his room and he was definately excited about it.

Spillman Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving in the mountains this year, staying at Kevin's parents mountain home and eating at his uncle Charles's family house there. It was just a great day all around. Beautiful drive -- I'm beginning to catch mountain fever.

Charles & Carolyn had a wonderful place with lots of room for all the kiddies to run around and that's exactly what they did. The weather was mild enough to allow them to do that. But the next day when we left it was snowing....honestly, I think I'd move up there tomorrow just for that.

Cole and Fletcher Allen looking through binoculars.

Adison & Grandaddy

Kids looking at the stream

Mattix Thanksgiving

We celebrated thanksgiving with Mom & Dad and Micah and Carine the saturday before thanksgiving. Mom had told me she was making her famous lasagna, and so I had been fasting the entire day in preparation.

They are making wonderful use of their pretty new home, and she had all the tables lined up and set with the blue dishes. We really enjoyed the night, eating until were stuffed; it was a nice evening together.

Guy Time

This is another picture that's been sitting on the computer for awhile waiting for me to write about it. We decided to have a garage sale, about 6:00 one evening when we saw that our neighbors across the streed were gearing up for one. So we did some quick sorting in the outside storage unit and Kevin really did all of the work.

I caught Kevin and Cole chatting outside. They do this often, after they've finished "the job" (which is basically any task Kevin has to do that requires a tool). And I have to say, sometimes I am a bit jealous. I think in the busy-ness of motherhood I don't often remember or make time to just sit and talk. We're always trying to get somewhere or get home, or get something done and I feel like these moments might be slipping through my fingers. Cole seems to be getting older every day and with his new little hair cut he certainly looks the part too.

She has Good Taste

This picture is a few weeks old, but I was distracted helping Kevin with something and I put my mocha down for a minute. When I came back to the play room, I'd discover that I hadn't put it high enough. She had a good taste of it, it looks like. And it was luke warm (at best....I guess it was a busy morning).

Last Time....

Ok, I promise this is the last time I mention these, but my sweet Kevin let me lock myself in my sewing room saturday afternoon / evening and work away on these. The result are 6 cute options that are up and running at Babes & Mums. It was so so fun to just sit and work on them and be in my little room, looking out the window as I worked. I'm so gratefull for that little space -- as are Bou & Irbe, particularly Irbe who insisted on being in there with me. :)

Christmas Version

I got my coffee this morning (for my brother reading this, we really do make our espresso at home, almost every day, but Kevin left early this morning. What? You want me to make it myself??) Starbuck's had changed to their Christmas cups. Which of course got me to thinking how cute this Christmas fabric I had would look around the cup!

So here it is. A little change, I used a polyester batting instead of cotton. We'll see how it washes up, but so far I like the feel of it better, just a tad more study and it quildted easier. I'll let you know, whether you want to know or not beause I love these little things and I. Can. Not. Stop.

Bye Bye Brown

**Update::Here's a pic of it with my coffee, and I'm even more crazy about it now. It's probably the double shot of espresso talking, but I'm totally itching to make a ton of these. Pending a cycle through the washer to see how it holds up, I think I'm going to try to put a bunch of these on my website in time for Christmas gifts.**

About a year ago I saw this cute little coffee thing made out of cool fabrics that replaces that boring brown thing. Well! Isn't that cute, I thought. I bought them as gifts for family, friends...and I wanted one too but never ordered myself one.

Walking around Joann Fabrics a week ago, I just happened to see a little kit including a pattern for the same thing! So I bought it, threw it on my sewing table and there it sat.

So tonight, after mapping out a plan for the projects I have going sewing and otherwise, I decided to go ahead and whip it up. Of course, every simple project takes me twice as long the first time...but it was so fun to work on and it was a nice departure from things I have to do. I love how it turned out, and I'll have to spend a week testing it out and maybe it will make it into my little website.

I now have something so much prettier to put around my Starbuck's cup tomorrow.

Cold Weather Staple

I was at Wal-Mart this week, and I haven't shopped there for groceries in long time. But I would come to find my absolute favorite cereal was back on the shelves for the winter. Malt-O-Meal hot cereal is one grew up with and I absolutely love it. When I was in Chicago at Moody, hating the cafeteria food I survived on Malt-O-Meal.

It's not carried very often here. It used to be at the Winn Dixie before it shut down. Then I found it at the Wal Mart at the beach a few years ago and stocked up. Last winter I had to order it online from the Malt-O-Meal website. So you can imagine (or many you can't...) my excitement when I saw this staring down on me from the top shelf of the cereal isle. And just when you don't think it can get any better, 25% more, FREE! I had it for lunch that afternoon. Here's my recipe for the perfect bowl:

1. Heat according to instructions in the microwave.

2. Dump in brown sugar until the cereal turns from gold to light brown.

3. Stir in enough milk to make it creamy.

4. Eat with a tall glass a milk.

Adison's First Birthday

A few weeks after her birthday, and we finally had her party. It just so happened the entire family was in town, which is such a treat when that happens, so we were able to have the WHOLE clan in town: 10 adults and 9 kids, it's so much fun to have everyone together.

Kevin put the leaves he just piled up in the back yard, which was a great idea. The kids jumped and played in them. There was hockey and checking, running and screaming, all while the birthday girl napped away. But she finally made her grand entrance, ready to be the special guest. She was dressed in her party dress I bought months ago, complete with a matching bracelet one of my best friends made for her when she was born. It just happened to match the dress perfectly and fit just right.






For birthday cake we had ice cream, as it's one of the few things she'll take more than 6 bites of. :) Then it was off to presents. Her cousins made her all sorts of sweet presents, a little cross, a stick to shake (I suggested at the doggies; turns out I'd find out Cole was paying attention and did just that the next day), and a bundle of sticks tied together like a star -- and painted, with nail polish! They were so excited to share what they'd done for her and it was fun to see their hard work. She also added to her closet stash with some cute outfits and shoes! It was a great party and even more special that everyone could be there.






Look at all these girls!