31 March 2010

Lemons are Fun!



And Tasty!

Lovin a stroll through Walmart with Cookie Monster!

29 March 2010

The Mock Smock

Two nights ago, I was thinking of ideas to sew for Elayna this summer.  One of the easiest articles of clothing EVER is the pillowcase dress.  There are many variations.

There's really no way you can botch up a pillowcase dress.  I was first introduced to it when the ladies in our congregation started contributing to a children's clothing ministry in Africa.  There's no telling how many of these things I've made, including the one from before Elayna was born.  Laying in bed, I was trying to come up with ways to vary the dress while still keeping it simple.  Did I mention how I am in love with the cutest summer dress by Baby Gap that Renee had just bought for Elayna.  

And its smocking made me realize that I could totally make an imitated version, easy.  So that's where I give you the title of this post, "The Mock Smock."  If you're really that curious and unable to figure it out, I plan to make another Mock Smock Dress before summer gets here and document the process... for my tutorial debut.  Until then, here's the summer dress I made for Elayna.  Jess, no making fun of the old lady yellow flowers.  (EV was taking a nap, so I had to snap the shot without her modeling it, sorry.)


Groovy Easter Eggs

Check out Miycreations for some awesomely (and easily) colored Easter eggs.

26 March 2010

EV & Her Booh

This is Elayna with the teddy bear ("booh") that Ryan got her when she was still itty bitty.  I went to check on her before going to bed and this is what I found.  Should I risk the flash waking her up or let the moment be forever lost?  Of course I go for it!  She was too cute with one arm draped over Booh and Pinky clutched in the other.

Maybe the Bangs Aren't So Bad After All

Well, as time passes, maybe the bangs aren't as bad as I first thought.  Thanks for all the encouraging comments.  Bangs definitely weren't what I was going for, but they'll work for the time being, at least until they grow back out.  Here's our little cutie with bangs and a hair bow.  She loves her "bow bows" and asks for one as soon as I've pulled her out of the crib.

Here's her "Wha?" expression. (Yep, she's a gaper.  She'll catch flies one day, then maybe it'll stop.)

And we're still drinking lots of OJ to try to squash this cold with gooey boogies.


She looks so big in this picture!  Ryan's noted how she's a little girl now.  Not the chubby, toothless baby he left last summer.

25 March 2010

Lemon Obsession Takes New Hold

I'm considering finding and buying one of those indoor lemon trees.  You know, the actual fruit-yielding kind?  I say indoor, but really, it just needs to be potted so I can move it around with us while in the Army. I hated leaving my red burning bush and hydrangea bush in Washington.

Five minutes of online research and I've decided I want a Meyer lemon tree.  So... if you happen to see any awesomely outrageous deals, leave me a comment please!

lemons, lemons, & yes more lemons

All I see are lemons!  Babycenter.com says at 14 weeks, the baby is now the size of a lemon and for some weird reason, that's all I can think about.  Kind of like when someone tells you to not think about a polar bear... all you think about is a polar bear.  For me, it's lemons.  They're everywhere.  Don't think I'm unaware of how strange this is.  I know it already, but my brain just won't stop being obsessed with lemons.

24 March 2010

My Worst Parenting Mistake To Date

So EV has an awful cold with this nasty, constant flow of snot running out her nose.  Last night was horrible.  She was like a newborn again, waking up at least every hour, anytime she coughed or was too stuffy to breathe.  Needless to say, we both got very little sleep.  Anyway, my point is that she woke up this morning with a snot ball of hair plastered to her face.  Ugh!  (I don't let her sleep with hair clips because she has a tendency to take them out and put them in her mouth.)  After her bath, I got this whirlwind idea to cut her hair, just the front where it wouldn't dangle past her nose enough to get caught up in any more nastiness.

Elayna, Mama's so sorry.

The girl has bangs!  And I thought I'd trimmed her hair just long enough to stay out of her nose but still look like her hair was long.  Oh no, never.  What I failed to factor in were her curls.  So now, she's got bangs.  Very short, poofy, ugly bangs.  I didn't even cut enough to be considered as bangs, just the very front.  But her hair's so thick that it definitely looks like I trimmed everything that would be included in bangs.  And then to make it better (rather worse), her curls aren't even close to symmetrical, so as her hair dried, some parts got higher and higher while others were left pretty long.  Being the irrational person I am, I get the scissors back out and trim the areas that look to be ridiculously long.  This is the end result!  WHAT WAS I THINKING?!!!  I promise to never try to cut her again.  It's a good thing we have so many hair clips.  We're going to need them.  Grow hair grow!

Oh and to top off the week thus far, I slammed EV's little finger in the door last night.  She was pushing on the door, I pulled it shut so she wouldn't fall through and WHOA did she scream.   Poor girl, for a half second I thought she was angry that I'd taken her toy away, then I realized that was a scream of pain and when I looked down her finger was stuck in the door.  Mama is so so so sorry.  It looked mangled and I was certain that I'd cracked her nail.  She wouldn't let me put any ice on it and just wanted me to hold her.  I grabbed one of her teething rings (yes, still in the freezer from I don't know how many months ago) and let her play with it.  That did the trick.  She's getting more teeth, so she really enjoyed mouthing it and then held it with the same hand that was shut in the door.  So her little fingers got the cold they needed.  After awhile, I looked her over and there wasn't even a mark on her, you can't even tell which finger it was.  That's it; Ryan needs to come home.  I'm not cut out for single parenthood.

18 March 2010

Stupid Red. Poor EV.

Elayna's been breaking out in hives.  It was really scary the first morning I found her covered in them.  Seriously, all over her.  Half her face, both thighs, the entire waist, huge hive clusters on her shoulders, back, arms, legs and stomach.  The girl looked like she'd rolled around with a thousand bees.  I was able to catch someone's canceled appointment that morning and took her in to see our friend, Dr. Smith.  He confirmed she was having an allergic reaction to something, that it could be anything, and to record everything she comes into contact with.  He also gave us some anti-histamine samples to alleviate and prevent breakouts.

Not even two weeks later, we discovered her allergen: red dye. That seemed to be the constant ingredient anytime she had a breakout.  Anything red: drinks, candy, food, etc.  But last Sunday, she hadn't had anything with red in it (that anyone's aware of), and she had hives by the time worship was out.  So I'm not sure anymore.  Still not giving her anything with red, just in case we were right about that one.  And David (doctor) said to go ahead and give her the anti-histamine on a daily basis, whether or not she's breaking out.  So we'll see where we are in another few weeks or so.  Hopefully, this is something that she'll just grow out of.  I sure don't want her reactions to get worse.  But if this doesn't go away, I hope we find out exactly what she's allergic to.  Keep those fingers crossed and the prayers coming!

17 March 2010

Chronological Guide to the Bible

The most recent Booksneeze book I have been offered to review is The Chronological Guide to the Bible by Thomas Nelson.  This resourceful little book has much to offer in just over 200 pages.  It takes you through the Nine Epochs of Biblical history. (This is especially convenient if you already have and use the Chronological Study Bible, which is also patterned with the Nine Epochs.)  The Guide is packed with colorfully vivid tables, charts, references, photos, and timelines to help you better understand exactly what was going on in history during the time each book was written.  There are thirteen contributors who also share with you controversies and various opinions, thus providing you with more opportunities to study and learn about different topics.  The Chronological Guide to the Bible is not exclusive to one particular translation, and this makes it easy for anyone to use.

In a very short time, I've already learned much about traditions, people, and general history that I would've otherwise not been exposed to (or at least not in so quick a period of time).  In short, this book is easy to use and has a considerable amount of information to offer for any Biblical scholar.  I recommend this book for the shelves of all.

Homemade Girl Scout Cookies!

YUM!!!

Found these recipes today.  It dawned on me that my Tagalongs and Ryan's Samoas aren't going to last long... so what's a girl to do?  Thank you Google!  I'll be making copy-cat cookies in the near future, I'm sure.  If you happen to get to them before me, leave a comment so I know how good (or great or awful) they turn out!

Did I Say Cookie?

I meant "goo."  Be it a cracker, cookie, or any other cookie-looking-resembling round object, to Elayna it's a "goo" and she will GOO you to death for whatever it is that she sees and wants.  Thus, I must share my beloved Tagalongs.  Because "I'm so happy to have my cookies that I want to share them."  Or at least that's the idea behind making Elayna share her toys and whatnot with others.  Next time, I think I'll hide my stash of goos.

16 March 2010

Farm Girl?

I THINK NOT.

What am I supposed to do with a child who doesn't like to get even a little dirty?  As soon as something's on those chubby little hands (unless it's a Girl Scout cookie), she's throwing them at me to wipe them off.  What a girl!  I hope this next one isn't that cleanly and will enjoy playing in the dirt with the mama!

This absolutely cracks me up.  We saw Great-Grandaddy Rex leveling a parking lot on our way out of Melber.  So naturally we stopped to say hi.  I pulled Elayna out of the jeep and she went straight to him.  Then he puts it in gear and drives around the lot.

They looked so cute.  I was snapping pictures left and right. Then when they had turned back around and we could see each other again...

... EV's expression was just pathetic, especially when partnered with the "pleeeease pick me up" gesture.  From across the parking lot, I couldn't help but laugh hysterically at my child who only wanted me to hold her.  Poor girl.  It was funny.  (The tractor was a little loud and I don't think she liked riding off without me.)  I absolutely love these pictures of EV with her Great-Grandaddy Rex.

Have I mentioned how much she loves to "wear" my shoes around the house?  I really should take more pictures of this because she does it all the time and is just so darn cute.

14 March 2010

Elayna's Gone to Her First Party

This picture was from earlier today while we were visiting some family.  Is she not the cutest little girl EVER?

And here she is at the birthday party, mowing down some cake and ice cream with Great-Grandaddy Rex and Great-Grandma Peggy.  Several other little kids were gathered at the little girlie table.  Happy Birthday to Natalie & Cody!

She's so independent.  As soon as we got there (after she recovered from cracking her head on the door on the way in), she was mingling and walking around on her own.  After a bit, she got cranky and we had to leave.

13 March 2010

Lori Makes Me Crafty

Lori & Eli are visiting for a few days while Matt's in Haiti.  She loves to sew and make things as much as I do.  So for the past two days, we've been sewing as much as our small children will allow us to.  She made Eli a pair of fabric Robeez and they are SO perfectly cute.  Then I made a pair for our favorite Mabry Grace.  (Don't tell her!  I want her to be surprised when she gets her very own package in the mail.)

Being in this crafty state of mind, I googled all sorts of great projects I want to try before the next baby is born and I'm afraid I won't have time.  Here are some of the tutorials I've found:


Okay, really you just need to go to Sew Mama Sew to browse through all the tutorials.  There's also The Crafty Crow which is targeted more for children crafts.  I could spend all day planning projects and can't wait until Elayna is coordinated enough to start making things too.  


04 March 2010

02 March 2010