the trail

last week i packed the double jogger in the 

van while paisley played in the dirt:

we ran 4.5 miles along the beach:

          

it was heaven. 

except for the running part.

i detest running.

at our halfway point, the kids got out to play in the sand:

the boy discovered many things and never wanted to leave:

ocean

iphone music

kids

exercise

sand

playing 

homeless people

cheez-its

thoughts

nothing better.

this is the story of a boy...

...who wears his sister's pants,

and even knows how to pose in them.

* the boy accidently put on paisley's pants after going potty. 

both their jeans were lying next to each other,

and he never even realized.

sad thing is; they fit him!

headboard

i found this ga-hetto headboard on craigslist for 10 bones!

it was probably handmade, but it's very sturdy and the ugly furry fabric made nice padding for what i was planning:

i recovered it with an adorable michael miller dot.

it only took like twenty minutes.

the boy watched me and asked about 324,984,750 questions as i stapled.

he's excited for a revamped bed!

i'll post more pictures when i get all his bedding together.

long story, short: ER version

8:15 am saturday

paisley wakes up in pain.

she is grunting and her belly is hard as a rock.

so much pain.

9:15 am- good neighbor nurse convinces me to take her to ER.

little do i know that sheryl calls the ER while i'm on my way to give me some VIP 

treatment since she is a balla nurse there.

9:30 am- admitted to ER

with xray, urine, & blood work to follow.

waiting for results:

results: pneumonia

i freak out a little bit, but regain my composure

1:00 pm- admitted to pediatric unit for an overnight stay.

after  pokes, prods, needles, popsicles, antibiotics, and lots of sleep, my baby comes back.

8:00 pm- wide awake and singing! it doesn't take her long to react to her antibiotic treatment.

quick recovery for this little miss. thank goodness! coloring and stickers help

distract her from the IV in her arm.

11:00 am sunday

after 24 hours in the hospital we are ready to go home!

i'm so grateful to have my baby home with me. experiences like these remind us how fragile life is and what a miracle modern medicine can be in our lives. the prayers and thoughts from family and friends were much appreciated as well! i am so humbled and renewed as paisley's momma. she is my baby girl and watching her in that much pain was hard, but getting to snuggle her in the hospital bed

made things a little better:)

shout out to sheryl: not only did she walk and talk me through this whole experience via texting, she watching kavi for me for 2 days, cooked me dinner, and even secretly cleaned my house. i'm so blessed to have a neighbor and best friend like her. i know it wasn't coincidence that i moved in right next to her. even though she DID throw me in the pool the other day, i really do love her.

wanna see some gorgeousness?

check out my beautiful friend gena:

www.genasusan.com

she has started her own photography business!

i want this dress for my next pregnancy!

The Hop, Skip and a Jump Maternity Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

quilting progress

my sewing has been put on the back burner 

due to some recent headaches and dizziness (ugh)

but i am slowly getting this quilt done:

of course the picture is awful, but isn't this the craziest quilt ever?

i'm loving the colors and fabrics!

can you spot the marimekko fabric?

the red flowers with black centers.

kelly brought a small cut back for me from sweden.

she spoils me... what can i say?!

and these pictures are the mess of my creation.

i'm such a disaster!

this is my first time paper-piecing and i'm kind of liking the technique...

veterans day

look what

my eldest brother

brandon found 

on the internet:

this is our president 

walking among grave sites at arlington today

do you see my brother?

Mark T Carter

bottom left

crazy right?

do you know how big arlington is?

my grandpa is also buried in section 60.

my love to all the veterans and current service members of this wonderful country we live in.

i am so proud.

a snack story

once upon a time there were three hungry three year olds begging 

for snacks...

they were told  to "get out of the kitchen" a million times

by the mean old lady that was watching them.

'

';';

but once they finally got their snacks, 

they turned into three happy three years olds...

... who scarfed down their fruits and veggies

like there was no tomorrow.

THE END

ps. there was one scavenger who cleaned up the leftovers...

*note: the boy has made two best friends here: eva and isaac.

i love to watch them play together and use there cute three year old imaginations.

out

this is what learning a level 4 

(the hardest level) 

language does to you:

the mister used to watch movies in bed with me.
now he falls asleep while studying his brains out.
my poor boy.
he works so hard.

consider this a book review

i have had a really. hard. week.

note to self:

do not attempt to potty train your first born son

during the same week

that you are switching anti-depressants.

i have never cried so much about the stupidest things ever.

examples:

boy peed his pants.

a car won't let me in the other lane

forgot my ID at the grocery store

boy peed his pants again

we have no money

i'm dizzy

husband looked at me wrong

my kitchen knife won't cut the squash

my headache

boy won't nap for me

etc...

etc...

etc...

i hate depression, and it's taken me years to realize that i truly suffer from it.

but watcha gonna do?

get on some good meds, that's what.

i did however finish this book this week,

 and it lifted me out of emotional craziness for an hour each night.

the red tent

if you are a woman, you need to read it.

in short, it describes how women in biblical times spent their menstruating days in a red tent.

(maybe this is why God made women's cycles emerge together 

after being around each other for a while?)

these woman truly celebrated their periods as a sign of fertility and womanhood.

they spent three days in the tent relaxing, gossiping, and eating.

it was a break from their laboring lives.

as i started my period today after this week from hormone hell, i almost cried again, but then i thought about how grateful i am for these crazy hormones that heighten and drop my emotions like a roller coaster.

i am a woman. i bleed for a purpose. and that is to give life.

now if only i could take three days off to eat, play, and chat with my sisters.

only instead of a red tent, can we go to a spa?

who's with me?

you know you're turning into your mother when...

...your hand soap is almost empty,

 so you add a little water 

to get the rest out to use up every drop!

as i unconsciously did this the other day, 

i stopped myself and gasped out loud. 

when did i turn into my mother?

what things do you do that your momma does?

in the middle of fall

my neighbor, and new bestie sheryl knocked on my door and declared that we were going to the beach.

2 more friends, 9 kids, and a mcdonalds stop later, we were there.

i love living here.

Aunty Ollie $100 Gift Card GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Aunty Ollie $100 Gift Card GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

halloweenie- OZ style

halloween 2009

wizard of oz

the scarecrow                the tin man

dorothy           the cowardly lion

the boy, trick-or-treating with his friends

all costumes were handmade this year, although not all by me.

dorothy: i happened to have the material laying around so i sewed the dress, added rick rac to a onesie, and bough the shoes at target-$12.

lion: this fabulous costume is in it's fourth year and was made by my quilting mentor, my SIL's mom.

scarecrow: shirt-$5, pants-$5, rope-$2, hat- made with felt i already had, straw ties-$6

tin man: funnel-$1, gray sweats-already had, spray paint- $3, hand made axe, face paint- $2, clock heart-made of felt