Prayers for The Wims

Please pray for my friends Brad and Jenny Wims. Here is a link to their blog. http://thewims.blogspot.com
This is one of the bravest and most faithful men I've ever met, and his personality so awesome!!!
Jenny is one of the sweetest, smiliest, most motivated women I know. I wish to be half the wife and mother she is to her family.

A friend of mine posted this and I thought it would be fun to do. You should try it two and post a link for me in the comments section. I got 43%...pretty good, I think.

RULES: There are 100 statements and you bold the ones you have done. Grab it and play for yourself!!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept in an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (solar)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten cavier.
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chicken pox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Pass the ketchup...

...because I need it for all the words I've been eating!!!

Here are a few statements that have come out of my mouth in the past...you know that "other" life....the one BEFORE kids:


"You shouldn't spank your kids...just talk to them and help them understand."

"I'll never dress like those 'other' Moms...no kakis for me, thank you."

"I'll always buy matching sandals and handbags."

"I'll never nurse my babies...that's gross"

"I'll only nurse my babies for 6 months...after that, it's just gross."


"I'll only nurse my babies for a year, TOPS....after that, it's gross."


"Why can't that Mother shut up her bratty kid...I shouldn't have to listen to that while I shop for groceries."


"What? You make your kids 'hold up the wall' for discipline...I'll never resort to that....you just haven't tried reasoning enough with him/her."


"I'll never become a Mall Walker."


"Wow, that kids such a brat...he/she must not be getting enough attention at home."


"You had those kids...don't complain about raising them!"


"Parents SHOULD go out WITHOUT their kids sometimes...just find a sitter." (ok I still feel this way...just can't bring myself to use a sitter)


"Six months is more than enough time to lose that baby weight...just work out!"


"A year is more than enough time to lose that baby weight...just work out!"


"Having kids won't change ME...I'll always be 'ME'."

I love you.

She said it. "I love you". Just as plain as day. My baby said "I love you".
Ok, so maybe it was more like "IIWuuuUoooo". But, I'll take it.
I may cancel her birthday party on Saturday...if I cancel the party, she won't have a birthday, if she doesn't have a birthday, than she is NOT "officially" one year old. Right?
sniff, sniff, sniff.

Today, no worry

I'm choosing not to buy into the "worry" hype. I'm not freaking out about the economy. I'm not making plans for losing my house when my husband no longer has a job because of the govt cutting his program (this isn't happening, but I know some of my friends who are already freaking out when they have no indication that such cutting is happening). I am not stock piling groceries. I am not rushing out to buy a gun. I am not filled with a sense of doom for our country just because a man that I did not vote for won the presidency. BUT, many of you are.

I understand passion. I'm a passionate person. When I believe in something I role with it. BUT, this alternative type of behavior can't be good for you people.

Although, in the end, I supported the, (insert a loud GASP from the state of Alabama, and TX for that matter), winning candidate, my feelings of peace are not stemmed from that fact. My contentment with the way things will be does not come because of "him".

My faith is in God. My hope is in his son. My future is destined for greatness because I will one day be united with them both. My rewards do not lay on this earth...therefore if everything I have, including my life, liberty, and family, were lost, I would STILL be ok, joyous even....because my happiness and peace does not lay in man or the things he/she can provide.

So, today, I have no worries. Today, I am thankful for the things/people I have. And tomorrow...I will hold a newborn baby in my arms and as I smell the crown of her hair, I will praise God that I have the ability to do so, and I will be thankful for the heavenly crown i will one day wear. Today, I have no worries.

Oprah for President

S-O and I have been discussing politics over the past few weeks.

Yesterday I asked her to tell me the name of the new President...

She said, "Oprah."

I said, "No, it's Barack Obama."

She said, "Oh, sorry...Rock Yo Mamma."

Safe place.

If you were an 11 month old baby....where would you put your extra special toys, pens you aren't supposed to have, pieces of paper you've ripped from a magazine, random goldfish you've found on the floor, or other interesting yet precious items that you want to save for later but hope your parents don't find and take them away?
.
.
.
.
.

Down your Mother's blouse of course!

These are just a few items I've had to try and keep Baby Rae from shoving down my shirt! The funniest most recent item included a green marker that I was letting her hold. I was distracted and became unaware that she had removed the cap when she struggled to slip it down my white shirt. Good thing it was a washable.

Snowman Game FREE Tutorial

Pin the Bow on the Snowbaby version:

This is my first try at creating a FREE TUTORIAL! Let me start by saying there are lots of blogs out there that offer free tutorials on everything from cloth baby shoes to super cool patchwork notebook covers. The purpose of sharing info like this is to inspire others to create!

I made this super fun snowman game for my baby's 1st birthday party. This particular version is called Pin the Bow on the Snowbaby. You can modify the pattern for a boy by adding a classic top hat, scarf, and corn cob pipe, and by changing it to a Pin the Nose on the Snowman Game. You can make it as fancy or basic as you wish. I found most of my supplies at Walmart.

SUPPLIES:
-1.25 yds background felt (Royal Blue)-cut in half to make 2 games

-1 yd white felt for body-makes 2 games with lots left over

-1 black felt square for eyes, buttons and mouth (2 squares if you're making a top hat)

-1 orange felt square for nose

-felt for the game piece (color and amount varies depending on how many game pieces you want to make...I used pink felt for the bows)

-velcro (I used sewable velcro)

-embelishments such as ribbon, tulle and sparklies (try actual buttons for the boy version)
-felt glue -or- thread used to affix Snowman to background (I chose to machine stitch all pieces to the background using a really tight zizag stitch set to zero length.)

-wooden dowel (mine is 1 yd long)

-string or ribbon

-sissors -or- rotory cutter and mat

-straight edge -or- ruler

STEP ONE: MEASURE and CUT fabric to the desired length and width using a straight edge. Mine measured aprox 26'x45' with 1/2 in. hem allowance. Make sure to include hem allowances on both long sides and bottom. Also include a few extra inches on the top side for the dowel casing. (FYI, these instructions will give you a finished background measuring aprox 25'x 38')

STEP TWO: PRESS and STITCH sides and bottom hem allowances. Create a casing for the top by folding over a few inches and PRESS and STITCH. INSERT dowel into casing and tie off ribbon or string to each end to create a hanger. Set aside

STEP THREE: Use pots/pans or plates to TRACE out the head, bodice, and base of the Snowman onto white fleece. DRAW eyes, nose, mouth, and buttons onto paper and cut out to use as templates. TRACE templates onto felt and cut out. EMBELLISH as desired.





STEP FOUR: ARRANGE and AFFIX pieces using your prefered method. I chose to machine stitch all the pieces to the background using a really tight zigzag stitch set to zero width.

STEP FIVE: DRAW game pieces onto tracing/butcher paper to use as templates. TRACE templates onto game piece felt. CUT out game pieces. AFFIX velcro to game pieces (I machine stitched strips of velcro to the back of game pieces).

STEP SIX: PLAY game and award prizes for the one who's closest to the target.

Interesting Conversation

(Disclaimer: No actual Husbands were harmed in the making of this conversation. Although this story is based on a true story, the names of the people involved have been changed for their protection:)


(wife, and stay at mother whose been on the go since 5:10am with a crying/teething baby, stands, cooking dinner at 8pm after a day filled with whining children, cleaning, shopping(not the fun kind), chauffeuring, volunteering, paying bills, working from home, listening to screaming children and dreaming of a bath)

wife: You know, Jane Doe, is going back to work. She's brave.

husband: Oh? She HAS to go back to work already?

wife: No, she WANTS to go back to work. I want to go back to work, but I think my mind wouldn't let me. I'd feel too guilty because I didn't HAVE to...I'd WANT to.

husband: That would be more stressful.

wife: For who?

husband: Well, it would stress me out thinking someone else would be caring for our children. And you too...it would be much more stressful for you to go back to work. You should see the ladies in my office. They have to get up at 5 am, fix lunches, get everybody to school/daycare, go to work all day, come home, cook dinner, baths, clean house etc....it never ends for them.

wife (seriously considering throwing the pan, hot grease included, on top of her husbands head, and biting her lip so hard she can taste copper on her tongue, but just too darn tired to even explain/debate/argue): Yeah, I guess so.

Moral of the story...about 10 minutes of extra sleep separates the Stay-At-Home-Mother from the Work-Outside-The-Home Mother...and that 10 minutes is subject to change. We should both respect each other as equals.

Drastic Times = Drastic Measures

I received a call from S-O's MDO teacher 3x's last week.

Hitting, pushing, pinching.

Ok, disobeying the teacher....I can deal with.

Not sitting still during circle time....dealable.

Having to be chased by, not one, not two, but three adults when it's time to come inside from recess...manageable.

Hitting, pushing, pinching....(long pause) (deep breath)

NOT ACCEPTABLE!!!

We WILL NOT, ABSOLUTELY IN NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM, ALLOW THIS BEHAVIOR FROM OUR CHILD!!!

The first day, we grounded her from watching Dora, explained what would happen if it happened again, and rehearsed how she is to respect her teachers and friends.

The second day, I informed her teachers upon drop off that I would appreciate a phone call if any of said behavior occurs.

38 minutes later....I got the call.

I was back up to the school in 11minutes with the intent to follow through with said spanking. (long pause, deep breath)

I thought about it. Conceptually. She hits...I hit. Something didn't fit.

I didn't spank. Instead, I talked to her about her friends feelings and tried to help her understand.

The 3rd day. Ah...that 3rd day. I got the call around 11:30.

Uncontrollable on the playground. Pushing. Pinching. Timeout. Trip to the Directors Office. Had to sit in the RED chair. Hysterical crying and flayling of the arms.

(long pause, deep breath)

Her punishment...John and I put EVERY (and I mean EVERY) toy she owns upstairs in the playroom....and left her favorite ones on the stair case for her to see everytime she goes down the hallway. The plan: make her earn back her toys one at a time by displaying proper behavior.

This weekend was rough. Every single good thing she did received a reward of one toy of her choice AND every single thing she did wrong resulted in a toy being taken away again. She earned and re-lost the same 4 toys about 50 times the first 2 days. We were stuck on 5 toys until today.

Today, she earned back 15 toys.

She's like a different child.

Yes ma'am. No sir. Thank you. Kisses to Mommy/Daddy/Baby Rae. She set the table for dinner (forks and napkins) and put her dirty dishes in the sink...unprompted! She even reminded me that she hadn't brushed her teeth yet when I went to tuck her in for bed.

I'm dumbfounded. I hope it lasts.

Tomorrow will be the BIG test day at school. We will see if our method worked. (BTW, thanks to Traci for sharing this idea with me) I'll provide an update later.

Self motivation for the day...

The other day at S-O's ballet class I had the following conversations:

me to S-O as she ran away from the ballet instructor for the 10th time: S-O, go back out there and dance with your teacher. (as I give her a little nudge towards the wood flooring and ballet bar).

me to Baby Rae as she tried to wiggle out of my arms for the 10th time: You are such a wiggly baby. Silly girl, be still and stop taking off your socks.

gentleman onlooker: Wow, you sure have your hands full.

me: Yeah. Better full than empty.

gentleman onlooker: Sometimes you just have to tell yourself that to get through the day, right?

me: yes.

GROSGRAIN MINI STORE OPENING NOVEMBER 6!!!! AND BIG PREVIEW GIVEAWAY!!!!

GROSGRAIN MINI STORE OPENING NOVEMBER 6!!!! AND BIG PREVIEW GIVEAWAY!!!!
I love this blog!!! I'm totally going to order some of these fabulous skirts if I don't win this giveaway. Hey, I think she has inspired me to host my own giveaway....stay tuned!

Manipulation

me: S-O, hurry up and use the bathroom so we can go to your speech class.

S-O: If I use the potty, I get to watch a movie on my DVD player.

me: No, you are grounded from watching movies for today because you screamed in the house this morning. Now, go use the restroom please.

S-O: If I use the potty, I get to watch Dora on TV. (note: Dora was already starting on tv)

me: Arrgh, ok, you can watch Dora on TV, just GO USE THE RESTROOM!

S-O: Pause it please.

me: OK< it's paused...now GO!

(20 minutes later) S-O: Mommy I peed. I get to watch Dora.

I push play on DVR, the Dora song plays for about 30 sec...then it's done....it was a commercial!!! Snap!

me: Sorry S-O, Mommy made a mistake, Dora is not on...that was just a commercial. Anyway, we have to go now, we are late for school...come on get your shoes on.

S-O: Mommy, you said I could watch Dora. You made a mistake. I get to watch a movie in the car.

me to self: Uhhhh. What should I say? I need time. Buy some time.

me to her: Let's call Daddy and ask him. (knowing he was in a meeting and couldn't answer)

me: Oh, he can't talk right now...we'll call him after speech class. Now, get your shoes on and lets go!

S-O: Mommy if I put on my shoes, I get to watch a movie.

-insert eye roll here-

Indecisive

I do not like to fill out those "50 questions about me" type surveys. I usually just delete them after I've read about their sender. However, last week, I received a survey and one of the questions (well, my answer to one of the questions) is haunting me. It was something to the effect of "name 3 character traits you dislike most in others". If I were the type of person to fill out those surveys, I would have answered that question something like this: The character traits I most dislike in others include dishonesty, passive aggressiveness, and indecisiveness. It's that last one that's haunting me.

I am a pretty bold and opinionated person. I wear my heart and mind on my sleeve for most to see. If you're around me much, you'll pretty much hear my opinion about something...ok, everything. Most of the time, I like to play "devil's advocate" to help people see the other side of the coin.

However, I am having a BIG problem playing "advocate" to EITHER one of the two men who may become the Leader of the Free World.
I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to share my opinions. I don't want to hear other people's opinions.

I am totally and utterly indecisive for one of the first times in my life. In a few weeks, I will be voting for the lesser of TWO EVILS!!!
Neither of them have a plan for our nation that I am 100% confident in.
Neither of them have a history that I am 100% comfortable with.
Neither of them have my confidence.
Maybe, after tomorrow, after the final debate, I will have an Ah Ha moment and will feel like I've made my choice.

Oh and I should add hypocritical to the list of traits I dislike...especially since I'm discussing politics.

You have 30 minutes to gather up your life...

That is what my BFF Carrie heard from the Nassau Bay (a community south of Houston and north of Galveston)authorities about accessing possible damage to her home post Hurricane Ike. She and her husband evacuated their home early on Friday in preparation for the storm. The region, as seen on tv, was devistated by a raging storm surge and high winds. And tomorrow morning, she and her hubby of 4 years will have 30 "approved" minutes to visit their home, gather up what they can, take pictures if needed, and say goodbye (temporarily of course). Who knows what they will find when they enter their home. Who knows when they will be allowed back to clean up any debris or possible damage. Please pray for my dear friends. They are such loving, kind, and totally rockin cool people...and I hope they don't have to deal with much clean up. I wish I wasn't so far away and could help clean up that community...and my parents, aunts/uncles/cousins and other friends communities as well... since they all had some sort of damage from the Hurricane
I love you, Houston and surrounding area. My thoughts and prayers are with you all!

What have i done?!!!

Yikes, I posted the outfit (see below) on ebay and have been bombarded with orders! I've taken 5 complete set orders, 2 orders for just the pants, and one for just some shirts! And that's not counting the 4 or 5 orders that are pending. How will I find time to do all this!? I love to sew, but sheesh! Need to order more material. Need to cut out the patterns. Need to hire some people to hide in my basement (if I had one) and work all hours of the day and night to bust out all these orders!!! "Hey, S-O, wanna learn how to sew?"

Sleepytime Bear Nightgown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Sleepytime Bear Nightgown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!
Another give away......yeah! This would be great for photoshoots!

Stop complaining and LIVE already!!!!!!!

Five things I say to myself almost daily (not in any particular order):
1. "Stop complaining...and LIVE already!"
2. "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming, swimming, SWIM!!!"
3. "You're gonna miss this..."
4. "The grass is NOT greener...really."
5. "What would ________ do?" (insert the name of various people who I think would perform the task at hand MUCH better than me)

I'm NOT smiling!

"I am NOT smiling!"

Letter to the Editor

Dear Parent's Magazine Editor Lady,

I love (to eat) your magazine. It's really fun (to tear). I especially enjoy (biting) the Mom Notes Section. It provides (my belly) lots of great recipies for life (and dinner).

Sincerely,

:)Christina (Baby Rae)

Hot despite the pain...

Here's Mr. Hotty looking HOT...despite the excruciating pain in his back. He somehow injured his back on Saturday but didn't feel the extent of his injury until Sunday morning when he literally had to wrestle S-O into her carseat after church. The super HOT husband and loving Daddy that he is...sucked it up and posed with his girls for an impromptu photo shoot after lunch.

Sewn lately

Here's what I've been sewing lately. I found this AWESOME baby pants tutorial here and used modification techniques from here to make them to fit S-O. This outfit was made for one of her friends at school. I've had such a great response from people who have seen her new outfits, that I decided to start making them for sell on Ebay and Etsy. I guess we will see how it goes.

Table Cloth Skirt and Dinner Party Top GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Table Cloth Skirt and Dinner Party Top GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!
I love the blog on this link! I often visit it for inspiration since I've really gotten into sewing.
Plus, S-O would look so adorable in this outfit!!! Hope I win!

Correction

I looked up the lyrics to The Laughing Song and I have a correction. The guys name is "Ticklish Ruben" and he's from "Way down in Old Vermont". I guess as a kid, the cassette tape I had was so bad, that I remembered him saying his name was Ticklous Ruben from Overs Mop....my how 23 years and the internet can shed light on ones childhood memories.

The signature

Ever since I opened my first email account in 1998, I have always signed my name to every email with ":)Christina". Cheesy? yes. Old fashioned? yes. Out of style? yes. But, does it make people smile? surely. And, there is something to be said about consistency...and smiling. When I was a kid, I had this cassette tape (yes, I said cassette tape) of a man singing a song called The Laughing Song. It was a pretty crappy piece of audio with some dude laughing to a really bad tune. That's it. Just laughing.
But you know, no matter how mad, sad, or upset I was...if I played that tape, I'd be smiling or laughing before the 1min. 32seconds was up.
So, why do I still sign my emails with a smiley face?
I don't know, maybe I'm just hoping that the person opening up and reading their email will think of me, remember something silly that I did or said in the past, and smile.

Oh yeah, I just remembered that there were some words to The Laughing Song:
OOOOOO, MYYY, name is Ticklous Ruben from way down in Overs Mop. I've been tickled by almost everything. I've been tickled by a feather. I've been tickled by a wasp. I've been tickled by a yellow bumble bee. AHHH ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. AHHH ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ah, AHHH ha ha ha ah ha ha hahaha, HA-HA-HA- HA- HA HA-HA- HA - AHHH HA-HA-H AH-.....ha ha ha ahhh ahhha hha hahahhahhha ha ha ha ha ha ha hahha hahhahhh HEY-HA, HA HA HA HAHAHAH, HAh Ha Ha Haaa HAh Ha Ha Ha Haaaa, Ha ha ha ha ah ha ha. He he he, badea badea badea...that's all folks! Heh Heh eh heh heh.

The first time.

Ok, so here it goes. My first blogspot blog. The first time is always a little scary. Maybe I will, maybe I won't keep up with this thing. I guess we will see....