Update on the 'Village'...

So far, so good.  If you'll remember from previous posts, I've been plugging away at my Village Sampler Quilt.  It's one of the big 'to do' projects on my list.  I'm down to the nitty gritty details.  Lots of hand applique and lots of 'picky' work. Sewing tiny pieces of fabric, burning my fingertips while ironing those tiny pieces of fabric, and then manipulating those pieces into where they need to be on the quilt.  As you can see here I've managed to get the store 'fronts' on, and the sign on the Inn, and now I'm hand appliqueing the one of the trees.  This particular tree is a LOT of work.  Each branch is an individual piece of fabric that is hand stitched on.  Once the branches are on, I'll need to fuse on the apples and the leaves and then sew them down.  Lots of work, but it'll be a cute tree when it's all done.  This is perfect hand sewing work for these winter nights.  My favourite farmer builds me a roaring fire and we sit and watch a movie before bed each night.  My toes stay warm by the fire and my hands stay busy stichin'. 

'Post' Post Edit:  Realizing that it looks as though everything needs a trim of threads and a good iron, but hey it IS a work in progress people!

Big Boy Bed...

 How can he be ready for a big bed already?  It's impossible!  Our little man is growing up so quickly.  He's been able to crawl out of his crib for a long time already but he rarely did.  Until a month ago.  We could not get him to stay in his crib at all!  I was worried he was going to fall and hurt himself so we decided to do the big transfer.  I was prepared for a few weeks of tough transistion from crib to bed, and possibly back to crib.  Guess what?  He hasn't looked back!  He LOVES his 'big boy bed'!  We had a spare bed in his room already so it was just a matter of getting it ready (well, really, a matter of me figuring out where I would move my clean laundry dumping grounds to).
I got out the toolbox and removed the 'somewhat' feminine brass headboard.  Isaac picked up his tools and lent a hand in the project.  Since the only single bedding available in the closet was flannel princess sheets a trip to the store for 'manly' bedding was necessary.  I have much grander plans for a cute bedroom for him, but this will have to do for now!  The crib is still there, I'm not ready to take it down yet.  He might be, but not me. (sniff) So, first night in his big bed, and every night since he's doing just fine.  Each night he says...'goo-night mom, I sleep in my BIG BOY BED!'  Now that the novelty has worn off a little he's pushing his luck a little getting up a few times right after we put him to bed, but really he's doing great all in all!  So proud of our little man.

My funny Valentines...

Valentines Day is always a reason to celebrate around here!  What could be better than another 'excuse' to shower love on the ones we love?  Our day started out pretty normal here.  Hubby dropped the girls off at school and then snuck back home to leave gifts for them on their beds.  He kept with tradition and brought each of the kids a fun helium balloon with some sort of treat attached to the bottom.  The girls' balloons had smarties on them and Isaac's had a small bag of timbits!  I love that he thinks of each child as an individual when picking out their balloon and the treat to go with it!  I was the lucky recipient of a beautiful single red rose and a box of chocolates accompanied by a meaningful card.  The kids were shown more love with special cards from their grandpa and grandma and some treats to go with it.  Dad and Mom gave me the adorable little primrose along with my favourite chocolates. The kids had their celebrations at school and we ended the day with a strawberry waffle feast for supper!  It warms my heart to see our children so thrilled with a simple balloon...sure, the balloon is fun, but the look in their eyes when they thank their Daddy for the gift is all I need on Valentines Day!

Cards...

I've been making a few cards here and there.  I've also recieved a few beautiful handmade cards lately...
This is one I recieved from Sarah...'sew' cute!

Here's one that I made for my boss.  He and his lovely wife were Hawaii bound for a much deserved vacation...

Missing magnets..

I miss having magnets.  I miss being able load up my fridge with pictures of all our friends and family.  Every year the photocards come at Christmas and I love them.  I display them proudly on clotheslines throughout the house. 

So, in lieu of having a magnetic fridge, I trim them all down and crop them as much as I can and then load up my photo stand with a huge collage of all our peeps.  I love passing this collage multiple times each day and being reminded of times with friends and laughter we've shared, and also remembering a friend to pray for during the week.  So here's this year's collage...

Ps..don't panic, if you're picture isn't front and center, you will be rotated half way through the year!

Fun with Felt...

Bet you thought I was going to post something that Isaac had destroyed with a felt pen right?  Well, I could, trust me.  This is a post about a different kind of felt...thank goodness!  I've been meaning to post this one for awhile and am just getting around to it now.  These cute creations were made especially for Isaac this Christmas.
If you know my little man at all you know one of his first words was 'onut'....aka 'donut'.  This little man loves his Tim Horton's timbits and donuts...thank you Grampa.   Auntie Kim picked up on the idea and created these adorable felt donuts.  She even went in to Timmy's and requested an empty box to finish the project off.   (Just between you and me, I heard they gave her a really funny look when she asked for an empty box)  Isaac loves his felt donuts....a little too much.

These next creations are adorable. Olivia and Emily & Julianna made these critters for Isaac back in the summer. It was the perfect project for a trio of friends to do on a summer day. Julianna made the bird, Em made the butterfly and the beautiful bag, and Olivia made the bear.

All made with love for little man.  He loves his animals and carries them around daily.  Isaac has all the women in his life wrapped around his little finger...and, if we're going to be honest, all the men too!

Good Morning Sunrise...

Yesterday was a busy day.  Errands to run, some time with friends, piano lessons, company for dinner...the list goes on.  I was up early, before the sun, and while I was thinking about how to go about my day and what needed to be done first, I walked to one of the back windows and saw the most beautiful sunrise.  It was a great way to start the day.  A great way to remember that this new day only began because God granted it.  A great way to remember that despite my busy schedule God gave me opportunity to remember His glorious creation.  The kids slowly crawled out of bed and we all enjoyed the beauty of the morning.  The day was still crazy, had its ups and downs, but was still beautiful.