The water has reached my lower lip...

Anyone watched that fabulous movie "The Great Race" lately? (Jack Lemon, Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood....SO hilarious and truly a classic--its like an old-time melodrama with the HERO-Tony Curtis as "The Great Leslie"....and of course the VILLIAN--Jack Lemon as "Professor Fate")
anyway...
I love the part where they are trapped on an iceberg...floating around in the ocean, slowly sinking...and THE GREAT LESLIE is measuring how low in the water they are. He tells Professor Fate they have sunk lower...but he had better keep that information to himself and NOT worry the others. Professor Fate, very sarcastically, replies...."oh, of COURSE I'll keep it to myself....until the water reaches my lower lip, and THEN I'm going to mention it to SOMEBODY!".....

well...the water has reached my lower lip and I just thought I'd mention it....

WAYYYYY too much going on here...end of school...costumes for a Shakespearean production of Midsummer Nights Dream (put on by Taylors school class...it should be beyond fabulous!) sewing sewing....Carter's 1st birthday party bash...church activities....sewing sewing....

I'll have fun things to post and PICTURES....but right now I need to reach for my scuba gear....

I forgot my wings and tutu...

I love to listen to music while I sew...I love to watch movies too, but I tend to get much more done if only music is on and NOT movies...;)

Reagan is extremely opinionated when it comes to music...when she hears what I have playing (on I-tunes on the computer) she'll immediately march over and select SOMETHING else---it has to be something she can dance to. We've now listened to Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas is you"...ahem....maybe 65,000 times (a conservative estimate)....

Ever notice how kids can watch Christmas shows and listen to Christmas music ALL year round and it never gets old?? A lovely ability...

sooo...she runs in today, switches the music...starts to dance...then stops cold and announces, "I forgot my wings and tutu....SILLY me!"



I think I forgot my wings and tutu today too....silly me, that has been the problem the whole day...


I had the opportunity to do the MOST fun thing over the weekend! International Quilt Market was held in Portland...and oh my goodness, WHAT a treat! Total fun...total eye candy...famous fabric designers...boutique designers that I've always wanted to meet in real life...it was fabulous! Sandi Henderson was there debuting her newest line of fabric...and her booth was incredibly charming. It was so fun to meet her finally...it is kinda funny to think they live in Idaho where I used to live and possibly I ran into her before and didn't know it!


Fellow ebay boutique designer Chelsea (Pink Fig Patterns) was debuting her line of patterns too...her booth was SO cute...and she is so cute! It was a definite splash of "boutique-ness" added to the quilt world. I got to meet some of my favorite boutique people...and they were just as sweet and lovely as I thought they would be...proves you CAN judge people by what they design....he he...


Sorry no pictures, I hurried in and hurried out of the show, but if you ever get a chance to go...you SHOULD...wonderful!

Special Ebay Listing...

Two POSTS in one day??? Eeek!

Well I forgot to add...I have a special ebay listing up right now...and I just wanted to make note of it...



This sweet young family lost their husband and father very unexpectedly...and several boutique sellers on ebay have banded together to raise as much money as possible to donate to a fund for the children.

ALL proceeds from the auction will go directly to the family...so if you need a cute little halter outfit for your little one for summer AND want to support a very worthy cause...feel free to bid here :)

perfect would be boring...

....Happy belated Mother's Day to all you lovely hardworking mother's out there! There is no task on earth that requires more self-sacrifice...OR that brings more joy and happiness. Every day I give thanks that I have been given the opportunity to be a mother...and for the three special little souls that were sent to us. Don't you think your children were sent to YOU for a reason? I firmly believe that there is something they need that only WE can give them...anytime I feel inadequate in the face of the awesome responsibility it is to be a parent, I have to think of that... Maybe it can comfort you as well...just think what you provide your child with that no-one else could...and give yourself a big pat on the back:)

anyway....

We spent Mother's Day weekend on the Oregon Coast. My hubby (Howard) worked at Lincoln City hospital for two days, as they were in desperate need of a weekend pharmacist, and we all tagged along to shop, play...and just hang out. I had BIG PLANS for some fabulous shots of the kids on the beach, I really need to take some updated pics of all three together! I brought along the perfect "beach portrait" outfits...white linen and khaki...everything for the PERFECT photos.

now...just as a sidenote, whenever we go to the beach, the weather is a challenge for me. Whenever its warm here and I pack shorts and swimsuits for the beach...its 40 degrees there and hurricane-force winds are in effect. Then if its chilly here and I pack boots and coats for everyone...its 85 degrees and we are the only people on the beach DYING of heat....he he....

So this time I solved the problem...and packed for EITHER situation...just see the weather try and trick me this time!!!

well....it was freezing and pouring rain most of the first day. You know, we LOVE the Oregon coast...its gorgeous, and rugged...and so fun...but sometimes its hard to keep that in mind when sheets of cold mist are drenching you and the wind is blowing you over sideways....;)

Here is Taylor and Reagan...like the outfits? Not quite the "picturesque" look I had in mind...;)



well...so much for the perfect beach pictures! But, you know...I've just had to realize, you can never PLAN for anything Perfect...can you? I just need to relax and enjoy the time with my family and not worry about things I can't control! And once the sun came out for a minute, we did have a lovely time...watched the silly sea-lions....played in the sand...tried (unsuccessfully) to fly a kite...

Sunday was MUCH better weather-wise...we actually had a picnic on the shores of Devil's Lake, just a little inland from the coast. If you ever travel to Lincoln City...turn right and you can't help but run into Devil's Lake...its beautiful and has a fabulous little park with a great playground, perfect for a picnic lunch!

and I did not get my perfect shots...all in cute clothes, with hair done...but these pictures are just as precious---messy,tired, hungry kids, but still trying to cooperate for mom;)

I have NO idea personally...since nothing in my life is PERFECT...he he...but I do think perfection would be boring. It is the wrong turns and unexpected bumps in the road that make us who we are and teach us patience and (hopefully) develop our character. Can you imagine perfect kids? They wouldn't need a mommy if they were perfect...and I'm so glad they still need me:)

the grass is always greener...

The view from my kitchen window is a bit obscured lately...(and no, it's not just because of the water spots, there is a good reason for those water spots!)...

I am in charge of decorations and table centerpieces for a motivational women's luncheon we are having at my church in a week..the overall theme is a picnic...with different little "Ant" words used (persist"ant", dilig"ant", get the idea?)sooooo...I had the brilliant (ahem) idea of little tin containers of real grass, then we could stick a few daisies in there, tie a bow around it...maybe a little plant marker sign and VOILA! Now there are TEN containers of wheat grass growing in my window (truly amazing how fast they grow, I only planted these 6 days ago)...and there is also two plastic cups with fabulous growing things my 4-year old planted at Preschool (they planted a pumpkin seed and the school's name is "Punkin Seed"...very clever;))oh, and the water spots are because I have to keep misting the various plants with water...

Anyway, I shall post a pic of the centerpieces when they are done...we shall see how brilliant of an idea this actually was!

We truly live in one of the most picturesque places on earth...when it is not raining that is:) The Willamette valley in Oregon is a gardener's paradise--and I guess the rain certainly helps with that, so one shouldn't complain too much!

When we moved into our house the backyard was just dirt and rocks...and now a year later we are definitely starting to see some progress--weeping cherry trees and the "rhody" is blooming!!! ahhhhh....

I love the Northwest for all the gorgeous Japanese Maple trees too...so delicate and such colors...

We all went out in the backyard to enjoy the sunshine this morning...little Carter, our 11-month old...LOVES the backyard....loves the dirt, loves the rocks...cries when you try to bring him in, simply LOVES it. We have a car that all of our children have played with and loved..its so old, but still going strong. We put Carter in the car to see how he'd like it...

as you can see, he quickly learned th basics of driving: HONK the horn and yell for people to get out of your way...

Funniest thing Reagan (our 4-year old) said to me this morning...I was getting her dressed for the day and doing up the buttons on her shirt, and she said

"Mom, my dream-boy had a funny idea"...(dream-boy is her name for Henry, a small friend of hers from preschool--who obviously is quite dreamy by Reagan's standards)

I absentmindedly say "Oh, what?"

Reagan, " Well, he says we should take off all our clothes and then maybe we could kiss"....

UMMMMMMMM......WHATTTT???????? This statement quickly brought me back to reality and I say, "Sweetie, I hope you told dream-boy that was the worst idea he ever had! What did you say to him? Did you tell him NO WAY?"

she looks at me all confused and said, " No, I didn't say that mom...I just told him I had really hard buttons to undo so that wouldn't work"....

HEE heeeeee, I had to go in the laundry room and laugh for awhile and then come back.... we of course had a long talk about our bodies and privacy, etc...etc...but for all of you out there needing a good way out of a sticky situation, just try saying "I have really hard buttons to undo".....;)

OH and just a note...my fabulous Ausie friend Cree interviewed me for her blog...if you want to check it out here

and so it begins...

I truly never thought I would BLOG (love how that noun has become a verb;)) I always say how guilty I feel about all the time I take sewing and designing...and taking more time to write on a blog would just send me into a shame spiral about devoting precious minutes of time to THAT--when I could be spending it with my children and family!
However, I've decided to just give up sleep for awhile in order to accomplish everything I want to do...so no worries--its all taken care of....he he...

AND...I always thought "HOW embarrassing to have a blog and NO-one reads or responds to it"...I'd feel like a wall-flower...the only girl who didn't get asked to dance...

But I'm over that too...even if this only amuses my family and friends and myself...that is something!

I've been busy busy sewing and coming up with some things so I can get some outfits in the mail and then finish some planned portrait outfits to take with us to the beach this weekend and hopefully get some fantastic pictures of not only the outfits, but also all my children! (that sounded like a soap opera "all my children"...whoops). I'll post pics when I get a sec:)