Wow, can you believe that Christmas was almost a week ago.  It doesn't seem fair that one days takes weeks of planning and is over in like 10 hours, then there is the opening presents part - like 30 minutes.  We do make our kids take turns opening gifts so it takes a little longer.

I know Christmas is over, but check it out - I did something crafty.  My daughter decided (like two days before Christmas) that she wanted to make some gifts for her friends.  Soooooooooo, we came up with this idea.  Have I ever told you how much I love Heat and Bond.   That stuff is awesome.  We used heat and bond to "glue" the fabric to a blank notebook and then the bond the fabric letter to the felt, and the felt to the notebook, does that make any sense at all? 

 The finished product turned out pretty cute and she was excited to give it to her friends so I'd say it was a success!  I have to admit, I need to get better and letting my daughter help me.  She got frustrated at my taking it over and went on to something else.   She is making her first quilt right now, and I'm trying oh so hard just to let her do it by herself.

I used my pattern from over here to make this bag for my kids piano teacher.  She also likes to be called their 3rd Grandma.  She is super good to my kids and our family and I wanted to do something special for her.  She loves fabric as much as I do so I thought she would like this bag.  It turned out pretty good.

The fabric is Butterscotch and Roses from Fig Tree.  Ever since I found this blog - I've loved the combination of green, brown, red and blue.   I  Free Motioned Quilted it.  Someday I'm going to get good at that if it kills me.  I did buy some super cool gloves though that makes it TONS easier.  If your thinking about getting them, it's totally worth it.

So all in all, I would say Christmas was good.  I gained my five pounds eating way more than I should and now I'll make my New Years Resolution to loose it plus some.  We will see if I can actually do it this year - yeah right!

Merry Christmas!!!

I've been a horrible blogger lately, but I did want to make sure and wish you all a very Merry Christmas!  Here are a few pictures of our home this Holiday Season.  I have done some crafty things that I will show you in another post. 

It's been a little crazy, as I'm sure it is for everyone this time of year.  A couple weeks ago my husband has some training in Las Vegas for his job, so I got to get away with him for a few days.  I'm not crazy about Vegas but it was so nice to get away.
  

We've had hand foot and mouth disease at our house.  Lucky us!  It could be worse.   At least it's just some blisters on the hands and feet and a little in the mouth.  My kids have actually handled it pretty well, their just bored from being at home all the time.

My favorite decorations of all!

Have a Merry Christmas!  Love,
                                                  Nicole

Happy 13th Anniversary to my Best Friend Ever!

Our 2nd Date (I don't have a picture of the first.)  I think we were trying to wink!

2 1/2  years later, getting home from a 2 year LDS mission!

Engagement Picture

Our Wedding Day, December 18th, 1998

Our first home.  Good thing we were in love huh!

First trip to Disneyland, with our daughter and one on the way!

College Graduation!

Our Family!  Crazy what can happen in just 13 years!

I saw this on Nie Nie's blog and loved it...........

Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are.

Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two.

Louis De Bernieres

Funny!!!

Stole this from another blog, it was too funny, I had to share!

Real post coming very soon, I promise!

We have a Winner!!!

And the Winner is ................................

Here are your random numbers:

88

Timestamp: 2011-11-29 17:20:35 UTC

Who is............Jan from the Blog Neecy needs to Sew - go on over and congratulate her!

Giveaway!!!

I've been busy baking up a little something  over at the Moda Bake Shop so go on over and take a look.   You all know I'm so in love with this fabric Ruby.   I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one since I just visited the Fat Quarter Shop and they are sold out their Layer Cakes in Ruby.

So to thank you all for taking the time to visit my blog I decided to give away a layer cake of yes.................. my all time favorite fabric -  Ruby.  And, I'm not gonna lie, the thought of parting with it isn't easy. 

So if your interested in winning some of this fabric here's what your gonna need to do........................

Become a follower of my blog and leave me a comment letting me know that you are or already were.  Be sure and leave me an e-mail address so I have a way of letting you know if you win.  This giveaway will go until Tuesday morning at 9:00.

For the LOVE of Fabric..................

I think it may be fair to say that  I've been a little out of control lately when it comes to fabric. Ya know how some people love shoes, and some people clothes, my downfall has been fabric. Pretty fabric just makes me so darn happy.  I get all giddy waiting for the UPS man to come.

I've wanted some of this fabric forever.  I always wait to long and then I can't find it anywhere. This is Bliss by Bonnie and Camille, probably my favorite fabric designer.  Isn't it pretty.......I really want more from the collection and when I saw these 5 fat quarters for 10 dollars I jumped on it.

I don't remember who this fabric is by.   My daughter picked it out.  If I wasn't lazy I go look and see, but I'm feeling lazy today.  My  10 year old daughter has been really struggling lately with anxiety.  Lucky girl, why do they have to inherit all the crappy stuff from their parents.  I've been at a loss for what to do for her.  Doctors don't seem to want to diagnose it.   It's not like I want to get her on medicine (unless of course she needs it), but I want to know what I can do to help her.  She has stomach aches almost daily.  Sorry I don't mean to tell all our problems, but maybe it some of you have been through this you can offer me some advice?  Long story short, the week her anxiety was really bad I told her if she would go to school every day I would buy her some fabric and we could make her a quilt.

This fabric is for my newest Moda project.  It's butterscotch and roses by Fig Tree and I LOVE it.

My project is going to be out of these fabric's.  I can't wait to show it to you.  It's going to be one of those long term projects, but hopefully I will get in done in a few months.

I've had this fabric for a while.  I bought it because I really want to make a pin wheel quilt 

out of it.

Just like this one from V and Co.

Guess what............Thanksgiving is at my house this year.  Crazy - well to me it's crazy.   It seems like such a grown up thing to have Thanksgiving at your house.  I guess it's official I'm a grown - up.  I guess I should be by now, seeing that I'm married with four kids and all.    I hope you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Guest blogging!

Hey, I'm guest blogging over at A little Bit Biased today about my sewing space. Which is really sorta pathetic but I made it seem as glamorous as possible. Come over and say hi. Amber has a super cute blog that I know you will love, especially you quilters.

Pinterst - they wont invite me!

I know, sad isn't it!   Here it is the newest craze and I can't get an invitation.  I've tried, like three times, but it's just not happening.  Sooooooooooooo,  if I were apart of that super cool group here is what I would pin. 

(wow, you guys are all so sweet.  I didn't realize you could be invited by a friend.  I now am a proud member of the pinterest group.  Thanks for the invites!)

I love this Christmas tree skirt.  Maybe not with that much lace, but I REALLY like it.

from U Create

This makes me miss my fireplace in our old house.  Not that it was even close to this pretty, but still it was something easy to decorate.

From Better Homes and Gardens

I love these garlands.  They are so natural looking.

From Better Homes and Gardens

I especially love these long ties.

From Better Homes and Gardens

Loving the little Christmas trees wrapped in burlap and a pretty bow.  That I can probobly do!

From Better Homes and Gardens

These are so sweet and simple, I just love them.

From Pinterest - the people who won't invite me!

Halloween!!!

 First I have to tell you how much I enjoyed reading your comments.  Thank you so much for taking the time to induldge me and my silly requests.  I had so much fun learning more about each of you.  I'm still trying to get back to each of you. 

My two year old wasn't too excited about taking pictures if you can't tell!

I think I've already told you what a neat area we are lucky enough to live in.  It has quite a few Historical homes (with some pretty cool stories).  It was a lot of fun to go trick or treating to some of these homes.  Someday, I hope I'll get to go inside and see some of these.  Our church women's group is organizing some home tours this Christmas, I'd love it if some of these homes were in it.

I LOVE this house.  The owners have done so much work to it.  They've been adding the front porch these last couple of weeks.

Isn't their front porch gorgeous. 

I had to show off this cute little crocheted spiders web that my daughters piano teacher made for me.  I think it's my most favorite Halloween decoration ever. 

She is so sweet, when she saw that I put it on my lamp, she hurry and made another one for the other lamp!  I'm one lucky girl!

I just finished a project for Moda Bake Shop that I think turned out pretty darn cute.    Of course I couldn't go wrong when I had this gorgeous fabric to work with.  I can't wait to get it written up and posted.

Thank you all so much again for your comments.  I just loved getting to know some of the readers a little better.  One reader even e-mailed me the nicest letter about how she admired my family and how we live our life.  I can't even tell you how much that meant.  I never even imagined there would be someone out there reading my blog because she was interested in how we lived our religion.  Especially when so often I feel like I fall short in so many areas. 

Who reads this blog anyways???

Today while I was trying to think up a blog post I got thinking, I don't really LOVE blogging like I used to a couple years ago before I had baby #4 and we decided to move and build a house, and piano lessons, and soccer and preschool and activity days and primary song leader and flute choir and homework (you get the point) life just got crazy.

So I got thinking?  Why don't I enjoy blogging like I used to.  I think I've figured it out.  I don't really know who reads this blog.  I mean, of course there is my mom and some family and friends and a few of you who stuck it out though my lazy blogging period - thank you.   But for me the fun part about blogging is making friends.  And for the most part I have no idea who reads this blog.

Are you still with me or have I bored you to tears?  I thought maybe I'd tell you a few quirky things about me and maybe you could leave me a comment telling me something quirky or interesting about you.

Here is goes............

I HATE doing my hair.  Most days it doesn't get done until the afternoon.  Most people would probably recognize me better with a towel on my head then with my hair done. 

I'm a member of a very elite group called the BBC.  Totally KIDDING about he elite part. BBC stands for something - I just can't remember what.  A group of women that live by me get together once a month and we watch BBC movies.  It just started last month and now I really want to find every episode of Lark Rise to Candleford.  Here is a picture of all the fun goodies a few of the girls made last month.

I studied music in college, but I really wanted to go to culinary school.  One my my favorite things on Saturdays is to watch cooking shows - I told you I was weird.

Ok, now it's your turn.  I would really love it if you would  leave me a comment telling me a little bit about yourself.  Mom,  and friends who stuck it out - you better leave a comment too :)

My baby isn't a baby anymore!

I don't know when it happened, but sometime along 

the way, this little guy decided to go and grow up!
I wish he would have talked to me first. I would
have asked him to slow it down just a little bit.

I sure love this little guy!

You keep me on my toes.  Lately your favorite

thing to do is relocate everything in the house.

I think you think that is your job!

You love going to the park.  The problem is, nothing

scares you.  You think you are one of the big kids

and you can climb on everything.

You love to take baths in the tub.  The minute you hear

the water running you come running with that cute

little waddle of yours.

You LOVE to play with trains.  And sometimes when

I need a little quiet time, you love watching Tangled.

And at the end of the day when I'm tired, you let me 

snuggle you. You always want to snuggle with me over 

your dad (don't tell him, but secretly I love it).  

You let me give you kisses on those sweet, soft chubby

cheeks of yours.

I love you more than you'll ever know!!!