December 2015

We have had a crazy start of winter.

The first snowfall was pretty lame.  Nola Mae was excited with the dusting of snow, so much, that she wanted to harvest all the snow so she could eat it.

Then it disappeared.

We hiked at Iola Winter Sports Club.

The boys wanted to walk to school, so I dropped them off at the high school when I dropped Robbie off for band.

I started the school year caring for Bailey while her parents work.  Occasionally, my friend Jack comes.  In December, temporarily, I started caring for a 23 month old.  My house was full when the three of them were here to play with me and Nola Mae.  It was a wonderful day and I had so much fun!

The next day, I spent on the couch.  They whipped me good!

A little flexible!

Gifts for Christmas:

Henry made zombie guys for his siblings.

Robbie made a fleece soccer blanket for Charlie.

Cookies for Christmas.    

My Frozen inspired cape.  I made one for Nola Mae and Bailey.

Nola Mae tells me it is supposed to drag on the floor.  I may attempt to make some adjustments.

   

Our annual family profile.

December 2014

Jack took our annual family photos:

Aunt Carol brought us the trees behind us in the spring of 2000 (our first spring).  This batch of trees never got cut for a Christmas tree because they were too big when we started having a tree.

We had good snow and great skiing early in the month.  After our first night of skiing Henry wrote a note to his teacher.

We had good sledding in our field.   Henry would get a running start and get some serious air before hitting the snow!

Nola Mae ran up and down the hill many times.

The best hats!

 

Early in the month I had two more kinds of soaps that were ready for the holiday: 

  

The first photo is Lavender, Vanilla & Patchouli.  The second photo is Lavender & Lemon Grass with ground lemon powder.

Charlie dyed a pair of bamboo socks for his teacher.  We did a test pair last month because I wanted him to have a feel for the syringe and working with the dye.  He was easily frustrated with his own socks and it seemed like he hated the whole process.  So I figured we would have to find a different gift for his teacher.  About a week before the last day of school he asked, “When are we going to dye my teacher’s socks?”  I just assumed he hated it and would never want to do it again.  Charlie promised me he would have extra patience for this project.  And he did while he got help from Nola Mae.

Mrs. Johnson’s socks:

The color in this photo is so off from the actual color.  He used a purple and a teal color called Kingfisher Blue.

Charlie and Nola Mae messing around with a backpack:

We cut our Christmas tree from our property:

I remember planting this tree very well, even what clothes I was wearing, and the pair of gloves I had on. It was one of the first days I accomplished something significant after feeling like crap for months with morning sickness (my pregnancy with Robbie).  I planted a total of 15 trees, only three trees made it this long.  I tried to imagine when we would be cutting this tree down for our Christmas tree.  I didn’t imagine we would have four children around this tree, 11 1/2 years later.

One of my sisters got engaged this month:

Here is some kind of Elemental Warrior equation Robbie made with  some calligraphy pens that I had.

Dyeing and sewing projects (I have a post all for my December dyeing projects, click here to see them):

My friend, Michelle, gave me some curtains she had in her daughter’s room.  I dyed them, because they were white!

Nola Mae and three of her cousins got pretty snow dyed skirts.

My first Maxi skirt for one of my sisters:

Two bags made of dyed fabrics:

Front of bag:

Back of bag:

Robbie and I went Christmas shopping and he had the idea that I dye the kids matching shirts.

 

It was my idea to do a “V” for our last name.  Jack helped me with the colors.

Jack has been busy in his workshop:

A book shelf for Robbie.

A tool box for Henry.

A bench for Nola Mae.

We set up the ping-pong table for Christmas break, this could become a tradition I could get use to.

More of my favorite photos from this month:

  

December 2013 – Month 12

I forgot to add this one photo from our Thanksgiving meal at my mom’s.  I have no idea what Henry is so excited about, it was very difficult for Jack to get all the boys looking at the same time.  We are missing the two oldest grandsons in this photo.

A couple of us got sick in early December.  Charlie came home sick from school one day and the next day he wasn’t 100%, so he stayed home, slept in, made four snowmen in our yard and shoveled the steps for me.

When Nola Mae was sick she walked into the boys’ room, laid down and fell asleep for a couple of hours.  When Robbie and Henry came home from school they saw her like this and knew this was a very unusual sleeping spot for Nola Mae.

She was back to her old self again the next day, coloring on her legs with markers and getting into everything.

 I went back to my mom’s for our cousin’s cancer benefit.  All of my siblings were there.  Kayla and Becca worked on Christmas candies.

  

My oldest nephew, Devin, came along and Nola Mae warmed up to him very quickly.  He has always been wonderful with little kids, since most of his childhood, Emily had an in-home daycare.

 Nola Mae missed Henry.  My mom has an answering machine message saved on her machine from Henry.  Nola Mae listened to it often.

I am in search of the recipe for this Chocolate Peanut Butter cookie.  Anyone know this recipe?

Santa came to Henry’s school for the parent outreach activity.  He told Santa he wanted a robot.

We traveled to my Mom’s for Christmas.  We also celebrated my triplet sisters’ birthday.  All three are intelligent, kind, loving, hardworking and beautiful inside and outside!

   

I decorated this rainbow cake for them.

I built a fort for the little ones to play in.

We introduced my nephew to skiing.  He was a natural!

Robbie loves Grandma Hanna’s raspberry jello. Granny made it for our Christmas dinner and Robbie got to clean the bowl.

For the last few years my siblings haven’t exchanged Christmas gifts.  This year I suggested we do an ornament exchange.  They could be homemade or bought and we needed 7 ornaments (one for each sibling, mom and self).  All my siblings participated and made their ornaments for the exchange.  I think they all had fun and I hope that we can do it again next year.

A long and late drive home.

Our Christmas Day family photo.  (Notice the size of the tree behind Jack.)

     

I was looking for photos of Java and found this family photo, taken in early January 2004.  We are standing where our wooden fence is now.  Same tree behind Jack.

Nola Mae has her own cape.

All of our kids got a wooden vehicle for their 2nd Christmas from Papa.

  

 Jack’s homemade Quarto game.

          

I was in the kitchen cleaning and noticed it was quiet.  I grabbed the camera and found all these kids playing nicely and quietly.

 

 

 

 Santa found this brand new snowboard for Henry at St. Vinnie’s.

The older boys got a bigger snowboard to share from Santa.

The boys were outside playing and I was upstairs at the computer and heard this conversation:

Charlie:  Do you think Santa really watches us?
Robbie:  Yes!
Charlie: He knew our snow board broke.  He knew we loved it.  And then he gave us a new one.
Robbie:  I know.
Charlie: Yeah, he is totally real!

Our family went skiing the day after Christmas.

My dog, Java, who was almost 12 years old started looking pretty old this past year.  She died on January 30th.   I posted a “This Moment” post with a photo of our first two dogs who are both gone now.

This is Robbie when he was a baby.

It will be a long time until I have another dog that I will love as much as I loved those two dogs.

On a happier note, the rest of my December…

A cold morning at breakfast.

My sewing projects this month:

Upcylcled elephants for a friend that is having a baby this winter, made from table cloths from her wedding.  I am planning on making her a ring sling from one of those table cloths.

I made these two child size Mei Tai for a friend.

  

I made these two sweater owls for my youngest nephews for Christmas, upcylced from wool sweaters.

   

I also made one for each of our kids.

One of the best gifts anyone can give me is time in my sewing room.  Jack and the kids stayed busy upstairs, eventually Nola Mae found her way down to the sewing room and sat nicely on my lap while I sewed the binding on the denim Rail Fence quilt that I made for Jack many years ago.

I label all my quilts and when this quilt was close to being finished I anticipated finishing it in 2005.  In case you don’t remember in 2002 we had no kids, just two dogs.  Robbie came in 2003 and in the summer of 2005 we moved to the garage, gutted our old farm-house for remodeling, lived in the garage and Charlie was born two months before the house was finished.  This quilt got worked on off and on over the years.  My mom inspired me to finish this one.  She has made some very beautiful quilts over the last few years and I felt like I needed to finish this one before starting any big projects.

November 2013 – Month 11

I missed adding this photo to my October blog post.  We had a good time walking around town trick-or-treating with friends.

We started a program with Aunt Susie’s library where we will read 1,00 books before kindergarten.   Check out this link to find a library near you or to see other websites like, “Books your child should hear before kindergarten”. 

Nola Mae likes to read too and be cute.

Nola Mae eager to get at the after school snack.

Nola Mae likes wearing boots and she doesn’t seem to care if they are on backwards.

We took a walk to meet our new neighbors.  Charlie wore his stilts down the hill.

And for most of the walk to the neighbor’s.

I took this picture on November 22nd after one of our first snowfalls.  Nola Mae discovered that snow is yummy.

She likes to wear backpacks.

Even when they are too heavy for her and she tips over.

Nola Mae has been showing signs of understanding the potty.  After helping her take off the back pack I told her we should change her diaper soon.  I came into the living room and found her waiting for a new diaper.  Once her diaper is off she wants to sit on the potty.

    

 Batman with rotten teeth has started to put away the silverware from the dishwasher on a regular basis.

Sometimes bedtime is a little challenging with Henry.  Jack usually reads one book to him and he can have a pile of books to read himself until he gets tired.  Sometimes he comes out to tell me he isn’t sleepy.   I can’t remember how bedtime went this time.  I thought it was hilarious when I found his body in the pillow case and his head on the book that he was reading.

I was laying out my wraps to take photos of them for when I am ready to sell.  Nola Mae climbed on the table for a pose.

Our family photo shoot.

Hunting with cousins in the north woods.

Napping in the north woods.

Peek-a-boo cousins.

Sewing projects this fall:

A pillow case for Charlie’s friend.

I made this bag for Cousin Jessie.

I made this bag for myself out of an old curtain.  I bought the brown and the turquoise for the inside.

 

A cloth tray made out of a curtain fabric and scraps from my bag.

A zipper bag for Robbie’s friend, Brock, who is a Duke fan.

A large cloth box for stuff, I still need to add handles.

Ring sling for friends.

 

I sold my Ellaroo Ysable woven wrap.  This was the first wrap I bought.  It wasn’t getting much use so it was time for it to find a new home.

Week 14 – April 2 – 8, 2012

Week 14 – April 2 – 8, 2012

Monday, April 2nd:  We planted peas in the garden today.

I thought I was having some little signs of labor this evening, so I went to bed early.  Only to be woken up with an upset stomach and the start of puking my guts out began.  Henry followed me a few hours later and then Charlie a few hours after Henry.  We have an awesome bathroom for “camping out” during times of sickness.  This is where the three of us slept – Charlie in front of the washer & dryer and Henry and I slept on the futon covered in many layers of towels.

Tuesday, April 3rd:  Henry was cleaning my bathroom window while I did a little bit of cleaning after our night of sickness.

 

Wednesday, April 4th:  No photos because of our sickness.   It took me a few days to recover from the flu.  I was unable to eat any real meals until Saturday.

Thursday, April 5th:  A family photo after we were feeling better and before the baby arrived.

Friday, April 6th:  The big boys are on spring break.  They colored our Easter eggs.

We planted 100 trees.  The real story is that I planted about five, Henry planted one and Jack planted the rest.

Saturday, April 7th:  Henry’s 3rd birthday.  He was talking all week about getting out his “Happy Birthday Cake” from the freezer.  I am very glad that I made it a couple of weeks ago and froze it.

The rainbow inside!

We made firewood.

The boys played on the rocks in the pasture.

Sunday, April 8th:  Nola Mae arrived on Easter morning.  I am glad she has her own birthday.