We’re alive!

Hey guys! I AM alive. I promise. Here’s the evidence:

More proof of existence: Man my camera sucks….We did notice after these pictures that one of the girls had evidently rubbed sour cream over the lens. :)

All 6 of us were sick or felt crummy at SOME point during the holidays.  The week before Christmas the girls were horribly sick (and Hayden). It wore me down, and I’m just now snapping back to whatever my normal is. Sweet hubby is taking me to Orlando to see my Bama  boys play in the Capital One Bowl tomorrow… When I get back I’ll catch up… We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and get busy rehabbing some furniture! The rest has done us good.

Happy New Year, and I’ll see you guys next week.

Love and hugs.

SICK SICK SICK

Hey guys. Sorry for the disappearing act.... Every member of my family has been sick over the last week and a half. I had a sinus infection followed by a bad episode... The boys had a mini stomach bug at different times. One baby girl had and ear infection and the other had the worse bladder infection you can imagine. It didn't respond to antibiotics for FIVE days. It was a nightmare. I will do the drawing for the giveaway sometime tomorrow. I'll even throw in another free skirt pattern.... Sometimes blogging has to take a backseat, and this is one of those times. I do hope all of you are well and having a FABULOUS HOLIDAY SEASON. I hope to be back before Christmas...
Love you all....

The village comes to life and my favorite new decoration

I knew as soon as I finished my china cabinet that it would house my Christmas village this year. I couldn’t wait to load it up with all my favorite little buildings, snow, and tiny people. I mixed in some of my Santa plates, old ironstone, and even some red Fiesta dishes. I love the look of it all mixed together.

I love the church and the gazebo with Santa inside.

Christmas villages are SO much fun! I told my girls that the people were magic like our elf and how they come to life when we’re asleep. They love peeking in.

Here is a close up of my Santa plates mixed in with an old ironstone platter and  a fun Santa plate.

I decided to leave the doors open, so it’s easier to see all the pieces. It also makes the village feel open and real.

I added this lime green reindeer planter this year, and we LOVE him. He’s filled with traditional greenery. I thought about using whimsical things, but he looks so much better filled with traditional greenery.

He really adds a pop to the center of my table. Everything was perfect until yesterday when my girls knocked over and broke on of those gorgeous hurricanes. ARGHHHH! Now poor green Rudolph only has one hurricane, and it looks terrible…. Ahhh what to do? I’m going to look for something else today while I’m out at TJ Maxx.

Here’s a view of the greenery from the top. I mixed in some extra greenery to give it more fullness.

I’ve been loving visiting all your homes and looking at all your beautiful decorations. As soon as I get this house all spotless again I’m going to make a home tour for you guys.

Don’t forget about the giveaway! There are still 2 days left to enter! Scroll down to read how to enter. Please tell all your friends about it. I really want to get a mommy sewing circle going.

We’re having a great time this CHRISTmas season. I’m hosting a Christmas party this weekend for my entire family. We’re gonna eat yummy food and play some fun games. Celebrating the birth of Jesus while spending time with family and friends is what Christmas is all about. I can’t wait to be surrounded by all my family (minus my sister and her daughter’s family sniff sniff) all celebrating His birth! What a great night it will be……

Merry Christmas to some of the best presents I’ve EVER received: YOU GUYS!

Love and hugs,

My little family

I told my boys that ALL I wanted for Christmas was a family picture. With them cooperating. And not fussing or pouting or refusing to smile… You know. Stuff like that. I had scheduled a session before the big bad health episode last week, but I was determined to go…. I put on an entire tube of concealer and totally faked feeling good. I got real dizzy a few times, but the photographer was so sweet and understanding. I haven’t seen the entire disk yet, but these are some of the ones she sent me…

Ok. This = MIRACLE. All 6 of us. Smiling. AND kinda looking in the same direction.

How cool is this? It’s a wall in downtown Fairhope that the photographer had been dying to shoot… Look at Anne Pearce copying the way her daddy had his foot propped on the wall. :)

My men. They mean the world to me. The entire world.

The brothers and the sisters

The boys DID get to go home earlier while we finished up… This is a REAL happy picture…

These boys are amazing young men. I’m so proud of them. There are no words…. Have I mentioned they are my heart?

Would you ever believe this precious angel face is a total bad ass? Yes, I cussed on my blog, but she IS…. Bad and perfect. :)

My sweet little Essie Kate Babycakes…. She is definitely the sweetest of all my kids… and tiny. This thing is 3 and a half and still weighs 27 lbs.

Sometimes I stop and remind myself what a miracle moments like these are…. These girls could have been in an orphanage or worse but for the GRACE of God Himself. They are so special to us and everyone who knows them. I can’t tell you what a blessing they are to me. God used them to save ME.

Serious happiness

All 4 of my darlins

This little woman is so gorgeous she takes my breath away…. Isn’t she amazing?

And this one?? Ahhhhh. I could live in those dimples.

My man. My love. My rock.

Thanks for humoring me and my mommy pride. I am just so filled with love and gratitude for the honor of being wife to Andrew and Mama to my kids… God couldn’t have given me a better life. We all have rough patches in our lives like I did last week. The key is praising Him through every storm. Every fainting spell. Every time your kids drive you nuts. Every time we’re overwhelmed. We are blessed beyond measure. This Christmas is SO special to me…. My girls are GETTING it… They are old enough to really feel the love of Jesus and to start realizing that when God gave us His Son, He saved us all. What could be a better present than that?

Merry Christmas.

Don’t forget about this week’s giveaway… Scroll down and enter away!

Needle and Thread Thursday Featuring a super twirly girly skirt, amazing bows, and embroidery! A giveaway is included of course!

I like using unexpected fabric combinations and unusual fabrics. I also love classics, but I love the fun and funky. I’ve made several Christmas sets for my girls this season, but I think this one is my favorite:

I used Pink Fig’s Girly Skirt pattern. It’s my favorite go to skirt pattern. I’ve made it TONS of times for my girls, and it never disappoints. Don’t be scared of the gathering. It’s really simple and gives this skirt some serious TWIRL!

When I saw this fabric by Riley Blake back in August it was fabric love at first sight! I love that it’s not so traditional and that it’s very retro looking. I love the blue, orange, red, and green funky trees. I can’t really tell you where to get this fabric, as most Christmas fabrics are hard to find. I’m sure you could find some on Etsy if you really wanted it.

I originally thought I would use this print from the same line for the drop waist AND the hem.

When I was getting all my fabrics ready for cutting I spied this tangerine ta dot by Michael Miller in my stash, and I KNEW I had to add some of it.

Now I know orange isn’t a TYPICAL Christmas color, but that’s what makes it so fun! Isn’t it all precious together?

Since the fabric was retro and funky I wanted a fun shirt as well. I’m always looking for solid tees during the year to embellish and monogram. I had these blue ones from The Children’s Place in my shirt stash, and they worked perfectly. I used the Peace Love Christmas applique from Embroidery Boutique. I have a monogramming machine that I use often, but it’s not difficult to do something like this without one….I’m going to feature a tutorial on embellishing soon. It’s so easy and adds so much!

I put little leggings on under the skirt, and the girls are ready to roll! I paired this outfit with our orange polka dot shoes from my buddy Melissa over at Bella Nova Squeaky Shoes. I’m embarrassed to tell you how many pairs we have. I will say that for the cost of 2 pairs of Puddle Jumper shoes each I got my girls TONS! We wear them every single day, and they hold up wonderfully. Melissa didn’t ask me to go on and on about her shoes. I just love them that much!

I love this little smirk…..and the smirker :)

Please pardon Essie’s “I’m too busy watching Dora’s Christmas special to pose for you look”. I always get matching bows for my outfits. I have used my buddy Stacy at Little Clippies ever since I was waiting for Anne Pearce to come home. I can’t even begin to estimate how many we have…. Do you see this double layer 3 color bow?? UNDER $4! Stacy makes the best quality bows with the most amazing colors and styles for CHEAP! I don’t know how she does it. I only buy my bows from her…. I get so much more for my money….

I made both these outfits in an afternoon…. I sewed here and there while I did other things with the girls…

I hope that all this is starting to motivate some of you to get sewing. If you can read the manual for your sewing machine you can make these patterns. I’ve started you with EASY patterns that don’t require fancy sewing skills… This skirt is straight stitching ONLY. Easy Peasy I promise….

Now for the giveaway!

My Sweet Terri from Fairytale frocks and lollipops is giving one winner The Girly Skirt pattern by pink fig! Terri has the BEST pattern selection I have EVER seen. She has ALL the best patterns…. so many you won’t believe.

Stacy at Little Clippies is giving one winner a $20 gift certificate! You can go bow crazy! You won’t believe how far $20 goes at Little Clippies….

How do you win? It’s easy.

1. Leave a comment telling me anything you want about sewing, except don’t tell me you can’t do it. :) Yes, Kathy, I’m talking to you!

2. Go visit Terri at Fairytale frocks and Lollipops. Browse her patterns and choose one you would like me to review or do a sew along for.( I’m starting those after Christmas. We’ll take a pattern step by step together and sew something!) Hop back over here, and let me know which one or ones you’d like to see.

3. Go visit Stacy at Little Clippies and see which style of bow you like the best. My favorite is the double layer… LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Leave me another comment telling me your favorite.

4. Blog or facebook about the giveaway with a link back to the post. Leave me a comment telling me which you did… Do both for 2 more entries…

I’ll choose 2 winners next Wednesday night at 7 pm using a random generator.

Good luck, and Happy Sewing!

Love and hugs,

Linked to:

The fabulous Jane at Finding Fabulous

The lovin’

I just wanted to thank you all for the sweet lovin’, thoughts, and prayers you sent my way this week. I’m slowly coming out of it and back to my normal…. I am having Needle and Thread Thursday tomorrow. I’m featuring a fabulous twirly skirt and bows…. I’m having a pattern and bow giveaway, so check back in the morning!

Love and hugs to the best virtual peeps a girl could ask for!

I like to pretend I’m normal. I like to pretend I’m Superwoman…..

Sometimes I have really good stretches of time where I’m healthy. I’m actually functioning and living my life. Then it hits. My conditions. Last Thursday I started coughing and had the same crud most of you guys had or will have. The difference? By Friday morning I was passing out and throwing up on the floor. My hubby left me alone thinking I was asleep while he got the girlies ready for preschool. In that amount of time I ended up in a face plant. It wasn’t pretty. I was quickly reminded that I’m not anywhere close to normal. I may have little glimpses of health here and there, but they don’t last. It’s hard to admit to myself. I am disabled. Yep. I am. I have the blue placket that hangs from my rearview mirror and everything. Although I try to ignore it and be as normal as possible there are times that I can’t. I have learned to be SO GRATEFUL to God for these little windows of semi-normalcy. I really am. That doesn’t stop me from having pity parties here and there though. I am human, and I long for a healthy normal body. I hate missing things with my family. I hate that I’m in bed when they’re all doing something fantastic like going to the Christmas parade. I hate that there are so many things that I want to do but can’t. I know all you guys are thinking , “Hey, she does all that furniture and all those projects. SHE can’t be disabled”, and I don’t blame you for the thought. The truth is SHE has the vision, and her hubby does most of the grunt work. He does all the sanding and prepping…. the painting with the sprayer… He brings them to me to distress and glaze. He knows how much these things mean to me and keep me sane. HE is my angel. Andrew has always done everything he can to help me feel normal. There have been times when he’s done ALL the cooking and cleaning as well as the 100 loads of laundry per week (all the while he works a full time job). He’s taken the brunt of the parenting when I can’t handle the stress…. He does everything. That man meant it when he said, “In sickness and in health”. Andrew is a true example of what a hubby should be, and my life wouldn’t be anything close to normal without him. The best part? Yeah. He thinks he’s lucky to have ME?? Seriously? This falling apart 40 year old? Yup. He thinks I rock. It amazes me everyday.

I realize now (as I always do later) that all those projects before Thanksgiving pushed me right over the edge. I’m guilty of taking advantage of every bit of energy that I have instead of saving some up. Have I mentioned that I’m stubborn??

Please know that I’m really not sitting around feeling sorry for myself, although I do have brief moments. Today I am thankful that I was able to get out of bed today without passing out or being too dizzy to function. I am grateful that my heart seems to be beating with a normal rhythm….. I am thankful.

This blog is my outlet and always have been. I like trying to pretend that I’m superwoman and that I can  do ALL these things ALL the time. I like to pretend, because it helps me cope. It’s important to me to tell the TRUTH. Don’t believe it all….. I’m not superwoman. I’m a mama just trying to do the best I can to make my house a home for my family….. Humor me sometimes when I’m going on and on about all the things I do or want to do…. then watch. I always crash. Now is the crash. It’ll take me a week at least to reach my semi-normal. There won’t be any big projects or decorating done. I’ll be lucky if I can keep the laundry going.  If you’re healthy today say a prayer of thanks. I thank God everyday that I’m not any worse than I am. I COULD be a lot worse or have something even worse than what I have. I AM BLESSED. I would like to ask one favor. Today when you’re out doing something fabulous will you think of me?? Can we pretend like I’m doing it with you?? In my heart I will be.

Love and hugs.

Jesus, Simple, Traditional, Vintage and Needle and Thread Thursday

Those 4 words are how I wanted my home to feel and what I wanted it to reflect this year during the Christmas season. Last year I had a lot of lime green, glittery stuff, and other colors. This year I wanted it to feel more authentic and real. I love Santa and other fun decorations, as you saw on my mantle here, but I wanted my manger scenes to be the focus of my decorations in my living room and den. I bought this manger set for $20 in 1993 when I was pregnant with Logan. I can remember exactly how much it cost, because I was 23 and broke! I had just started teaching and didn’t really have the money for a lot of decorations. I had to do the best I could with what I had, but I DID splurge on this Nativity scene and my first Santa.  I didn’t have the manger then. That was a find at Wal-mart when Andrew and I first married.  It’s my favorite Christmas decoration of all, and I had so much fun putting it out this year and explaining the meaning of each piece to my girls.

I decided to place it on my antique library table in my living room. It’s the first thing you see when you enter the living room from the kitchen/dining room.

This is what my family and guests are greeted with first. I put some pieces of burlap on the table to soften it up and give it a more rustic realistic feel.

Some close ups of the figurines:

I love the sweet Mary in this set.

I love the moss and all the other details on the manger.

The little logs and burlap bag…..

The cow, sheep, and piece of pottery all work together.

I wanted to use other rustic elements on the table like these moss balls wrapped in a cut piece of upholstery webbing and accented with greenery and red balls.

This sweet angel was a gift from my mother in law a few years ago.

More moss balls and “holly”….

Another view…

I also gave my lamp a Christmas update. You can see how I made the holly wrap here.

I love the way this tabletop turned out…. It feels so calm and is a favorite spot in my house. I love being greeted by this every time I enter the room.

I have more decorations to share over the next few weeks. This is such a HAPPY Christmas for our family. We are enjoying every minute and look forward to sharing more Christmas spirit with family and friends. Little children definitely bring out the Christmas joy!

I will post Needle and Thread Thursday tonight. I wanted to be able to share this vignette at Rhoda’s Christmas vignette party.  Head over there to see more Christmas gorgeousness!

I have Christmas flannel ruffle pants to share today. They’re so warm, comfy, and CUTE. I also have 3 patterns to giveaway, so check back later tonight.

love and hugs,