and some more crafty mama-ness

hmmm... is this blog turning into a craft blog too?

I made this little quilt for a new friend who is having a boy in the end of November!

I was on a really tight budget for her gift so I dug through my fabric stash

and came up with just enough odds and end to put together the pattern.

I often get sucked into buying random fat quarters of fabrics I like

but never more than one or two at a time.

Fortunately, I was into buying greens and yellows for awhile!

I also ended up using the fabric that I was going to make Ellie's crib sheets out of

which never happened ;)

I'm glad it still got put to good use for another sweet babe!

Making it reminded me how much I like quilting!

I better figure out which friend is having the next baby?!?!

Funny faces!

About a month ago this seemed to be Ellie's preferred expression of choice!

I was trying to teach her how to kiss, so maybe that's where it came from.

It cracked me up! Matt on the other hand hated it :)

But, what's not to love about that cute silly face!?!

Letters to my daughter: Month 8

Dear baby girl,

Yup, your mama is late again! But only by 1 week this time :) And I'm changing it up this time. I really don't know why I've never included a photo before, but I've thought about other times and then just wanted to keep things looking consistent....but today I thought, who cares!! It's fun to change it up and I love, love, LOVE this photo of you! I love your "michelin man" arms!! I love that something as simple as making our bed turns into a opportunity to laugh, cuddle, and play!

Sweet girl, let me tell you what's new with you in this past month. Bullet point style!

-For some odd reason which I can't figure out, you officially HATE getting a bath! I don't know what happened to the baby in those photos a few posts back, but now trying to bathe you is like putting a cat in water. You try with all your might to get out of the sink or tub!

-You can climb ALL the WAY to the top of the stairs!!! (which we only let you do while fully supervised with us right behind you) You definitely seem to be fearless!

-You have no stranger anxiety at all and with a little work anyone can get you to smile at them. I just tell them you make them earn it!

-You love to be around and often right on top of or in their face of any other kids! You are mesmerized by them.

-We are now putting you in the church nursery! (it only took us 8 months!)

-You constantly are babbling and sorta humming in the carseat. I like to think your trying to sing along to the music.

-You still only have 2 teeth but have been quite drooly lately so maybe more are on the way.

-You love to be standing up against something and pretty much have been standing as long as you have been crawling. I wonder when walking will come, but I'm also not in any hurry for it :)

-You will eat everything we give you and so far don't dislike anything! Mostly all purees, chunks of banana and avacado and hard boiled egg yolk, puffs, tiny toast pieces and plain greek yogurt make up you diet right now but we're always trying new things!

-You are starting to get the idea of waving and we practice when I leave each day and also when your grandma leaves.

-You LOVE playing with your daddy and get to for a little while each afternoon before I get home, I am so thankful you get this special time together.

Well, Ellie girl, as you can see, you are clearly the love and light of our lives and we are so glad to be you parents!! I can't even believe it's been 8 months!! Wow!

I love you so so much!

love,

mama

a little fall decor

I've been wanting to decorate for the seasons and holidays

for quite awhile now but have never really done it.

Mostly because our house has always been

in some sort of construction craziness.

Now that that is coming to a end!!!!!

(with most all our big projects done!!)

I figured I would give it a shot.

Also, hosting a mom's night out

with a craftiness aspect to it doesn't hurt the motivation factor either!

I'm not really a fan of witches, ghosts, and goblins sort of decor.

Cute and funky and vintage is MUCH more my style.

I tried to pull it off just by using stuff all found around my house

and a few .33 cent pumpkins from winco!

(please ignore the nasty brick fireplace!! one last project to be done!!)

(click the photo to see it bigger)

Pumpkin Patch!

Today we went to the local Pumpkin Patch

with the mom's group from church.

I've been looking forward to this trip!

Probably more than Ellie ;)

To find her pumpkin the girl had to do a little taste testing!

She was so excited about the one she found,

I couldn't get her to look at the camera...

(cute little thing!)

(both of them!)

More taste testing!

(it was getting close to lunch time you know)

Her face in this last one just kills me! I think it's safe to say

my daughter has perfected the "stink eye"!

Funny girl!

I love being her mama!

letters to my daughter: Month 7.5

Dear miss Ellie,

Well, as you can see this letter is a wee bit late this month! Sorry girl, but also it provides me with something to share with you. What I want to tell you is at times in your life, things are going to slip through the cracks, have to be put in the back burner, or postponed until later. And that is OK! It is ok when those things happen because you are busy being in the moment, loving others, learning about yourself, and following you heart. Sometimes the "need/should/want" to do's far outweigh the GET to do's!

I am so thankful I GET to be your mom, get to spend time with you each morning before I leave for work, get to play in our bed with you on the weekend mornings, get to take care of you by feeding you, changing you, loving on you, teaching you, and praying for you. I am so thankful that I get to be your daddy's wife, that I get to love him and learn with him, that I get to take care of our home and all that comes with that responsibility, that I get to provide meals for our family. I am so thankful that I get to be me! Not only as a mother and wife, but as a daughter, sister, FRIEND. Sometimes all that comes with those get to do's means blogging about the doing of them gets put off. And that my girl is OK, because even if it's not put out there for the Internets, all of these things are written upon my heart.

Month 7 of your life has been so fun! You are a mobile machine. Since I wrote you 6 month letter, not only have you mastered crawling but also pulling your self to standing (first in your crib!), as well as climbing!!! the stairs. We have got to keep a constant watch on you little lady. You are very determined and that is the one word I would pick to describe you right now. You are also eating solids now and so far there's really nothing you won't eat. You've had rice cereal, oatmeal, prunes, pears, apples, carrots, sweet potatoes, summer squash, green beans, peas, Cheerios, hard boiled egg yolk, and the list goes on. and girly, you are a MESSY eater....but it sure makes for some cute pictures!

Darling girl, today is my birthday and I can honestly say, that on my 27th birthday YOU are the best gift I could have ever received this past year! You bring so much joy and love into my life. I am thankful for you now and always.

love,

your mama

Get messy, get clean!

In August we started giving the girl solids (the pureed kind!)

and bathing her in the kitchen sink!