"Sew" My Luck...

Why is it that like the second time I go to use my sewing machine in the 4+ years that I have owned the said machine does it have to go and lock up on me?! I should be stitching along right now listening to the whir of the washing machine downstairs and the mumbles of Huntler as he reads himself a Thomas book. While thoughts of tossing that little piece of machinery out the window after trying to no avail to get it going again most certainly crossed my mind, I decided to blog instead! And hope that my super smart husband can come to the rescue when he gets home from work tonight! {I already read the manual and called my mom...still locked up!}

I mean, when you have fabric this cute and have plans of making your sweet girl a couple of sassy new sundresses, of course you are bummed when you can't! Isn't this fabric adorable?!! I bought it back in Kansas City at Hobby Lobby! It is gathered at the top and will be SO stinking cute on Gentry girl! Well, that is, if I ever get to finish!! I was working on the flowered one when it all went bad!! I plan to make a matching headband like this one for her too {there are all sorts of patterns out there to choose from}! And some other fun little hair flowers if I have enough fabric left over!! I may have to head back to Hobby Lobby tomorrow to get some more...



And because I am obsessed with polka dots! {Just ignore the wrinkles...I haven't ironed that one yet!!}



So that is my day! Waiting on Gentry girl to wake up and we are headed out to pull weeds! They are OUT OF CONTROL! Spring comes early in the desert!

I think I'll go see if the little break did my friend the sewing machine any good!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Beautiful...

This one...she's our beauty. She'll tell you so. For the first time ever last night I heard her use the word "beautiful" in reference to a glittery little play shirt she has. She then went on to say, "I beautiful." Yes, Gentry girl, you are. You most certainly are.

We have been BUSY since getting home on Sunday! We literally pulled in the drive just in time to watch kick off of the Super Bowl and things haven't really settled down since then! Not that our life is overly exciting by any stretch of the imagination...there was just a ton of stuff to get unpacked and put away after being gone for two weeks. It takes a good week just to get settled back in!!

As fun as it was to be back in Kansas, it is so incredibly nice to be at home. There is just something about being in your own home with your own stuff that is comforting! And after spending four of the last six weeks away from the comforts of home, you better believe that this girl isn't going anywhere anytime soon!! 

I had high hopes of some fabulously fun photo shoots back in Kansas but as I mentioned in another post, those didn't happen!! And because I hardly used my camera at all the entire time we were back, I was itching to get it out and have some face time with my two sweets!! Gentry and I headed out yesterday for a shoot and then I took Huntler out today!! I am creating their Valentine's this year and what is a homemade Valentine without a picture?! 

So now I have 200 images to sort through and narrow down in all my "free time" this week!! The funny thing is, I snapped three quick pics of Gentry today while waiting on Huntler to finish running {he was apparently needing some exercise?}. The one shown above was the first one and I absolutely adore it! I wish that plastic tote weren't in it, but I can most definitely live with it!

{And because I often find myself reading blogs and looking at pictures and wondering where things came from I thought I would share this afternoon! I made her hair bows, bought the wings at Michael's and the sequined headband is from the "big girls" section of hair stuff at Wal Mart! If anyone knows where I can find some bright colored sequined headbands along with black and silver I would be MOST appreciative!! Oh and her outfit is from Babies r Us over the summer...she got it for her birthday but just grew into it recently!}

I realize I am all over the place today, but just bear with me! I haven't updated in forever and I feel like I have so much to share!! While we were in Kansas I created this Valentine for Gentry but have since totally nixed the idea of using it so I am posting it! While I do like it and think it is really cute, it just wasn't doing something for me!! Does that make any sense whatsoever?! I can't really put my finger on it, but it just isn't quite what I think I want! I have since downloaded a couple of other digital kits and hope to get to work tonight creating something fabulous and new! 

For some reason I feel like I am caught up in a 1970's time warp!! I am really into the vintage style post processing, gnomes, owls, mushrooms... I am not really sure all those were big in the 70's, but I guess that is how I see it in my mind?!

Anyway, I decided that I really wanted to incorporate mushrooms into Gentry's Valentines so that I could make mushroom treats for all the kids that we'll be handing these out to! I instantly thought of the cupcake pops over on Bakerella's site and knew they would be the perfect shape for adapting them to look like little mushrooms!!

So I do what any computer savvy mom does, I "Googled" it and found the cutest little forest party there EVER was! It was done by Cathy for her two oldest girls back in October! So stinkin' adorable!! I would have loved to have been there to see all the cuteness myself!!

Anyway, here are the mushroom pops she created...I personally like the idea of not putting them on the stick because I KNOW me and my talents in the kitchen are limited to say the least! But surely I could handle them in cupcake liners and wrap them up with cellophane and tie them off with cute ribbon?!! Ahhh....how cute does that sound?!

So even though I have changed my mind about the Valentine itself, I am more than likely still going with the forest-y theme and will be able to incorporate these little gems despite my change in plans!

And Huntler is going to getting some custom little Valentine's himself! Train related - but that goes without saying. I have a nifty little craft that I plan to do with him as well. What is a train Valentine without a train treat?! Not sure if anything from our shoot this morning is going to work though so I am waiting on Daddy to help with the "prop!!" More on that later...

And one last thing here just for giggles!! I am going to show you the before and after of the picture from above. I obviously like my style of post processing and while I know I have come a LONG ways in the wide world of Photoshop, I am still learning! Anyway, I know that some sweet photographers pop in here from time to time and I would love to hear any little bits that you have to share on this image!! 

The before...scary, hunh?! This moment happened SO incredibly fast that I didn't have time to change my settings and it is a bit underexposed!

And the after...I edited it downstairs but have since come up to update my blog and it looks different up here to me.

Continue to keep sweet little Cora and her family in your thoughts and prayers. My heart is still aching for her and her family as she faces the challenges that lie before her.

Heartbroken...

So I was on my way to bed but then decided to check just a few more blogs before snuggling up beside my little teeth grinding man {that would be Huntler, not Chris!!}.



{I borrowed this image from her parents blog so I could share her story. Click on "her parents blog" to link over...Chris is back at the office tonight and I can't seem to adjust the color so my links aren't showing up.}

Meet Cora. She is eleven months old and absolutely beautiful. She is fighting for her life.

I have had this little darling and her family on my mind all week. All week. Last week her parents took her to the doctor for a follow up because she wasn't kicking her ear infections and just wasn't acting quite right. Their lives were FOREVER changed in an instant.

It's late, I'm tired. I've been crying all over again reading their update so I won't even try to tell their story tonight, but please go check out their blog. And say a prayer for little Cora. Say a prayer for all of them. And hug your kids a wee bit tighter tomorrow. Life is far more fragile than most of us realize...

Splurge...

WHEW!! It is 11:26 PM as I begin this and I am flat worn out after one heck of a day, but I wanted to post a little something before heading to bed as I attempt to redeem myself from my lack of posting the last, oh, six weeks or so!! In my defense {not that I need to defend myself on my own blog!}, we have been out of town for FOUR of the last six weeks! Is that not crazy?!

First of all, I am loving my new look!! I HAVE to give credit where credit is due though!! My sweet and extremely patient husband did all the hard stuff and spiffed it up for me!! I got to do the fun parts like searching for sassy digital kits and creating the header as well as picking out what patterns/papers I wanted where and colors...he got to spend hours staring at the computer and messing with the html! Did you see he even figured out how to insert textured papers from the digital kit into the background of my posting area and sidebar?!! So I must say that it was a total combined effort!! And now I know to NEVER EVER EVER EVER attempt to change anything in the html until I have first downloaded the template. Lesson well learned! And thank you so much for all your help in getting my blog beautiful again honey! I truly appreciate it!

So, today was our last full day here in the KC metro!! It was jam packed with visiting friends {Sorry Gentry caused Owen to have a bloody nose Sarah!! It was so great to see you guys this morning!!} and doing a little last minute shopping at some of my favorite stores that are nowhere nearly as accessible back in AZ as they are here!

If you have been following along for any amount of time, you know that I love to shop! LOVE it! Not so much for myself, but mostly my munchkins. And to be completely honest here, moreso for Gentry girl than Huntler. We ALL know how sparse trendy boy clothing is in comparison to the girly stuff!! {Don't worry...Huntler made a haul today and also right before we left to come out here...his shorts were WAY too tight so we had to revamp his summer wardrobe!! And the way the child has been scarfing down food the last three days, I am beginning to think he'll have to have another set of summer clothes come June!! Our boy is in the midst of a growth spurt I do believe!!}

Anyway, despite my love affair with shopping, MOST of the time, what I buy is fairly reasonably priced. Most of the time...

Today I splurged...more than I should probably admit. I get emails from Janie and Jack each time they release a new line. Although 99% of the time I check out the newness, 100% of the time I delete the sweet notification and go about the rest of my day without thinking twice about it. I love Janie and Jack, I do, but what I don't love is the price tag! And my husband likes it even less! But when I got an email this week and saw the cutest little swimsuit ever, my mind reeled with visions of my Gentry girl flitting about the back yard in just a couple months in this little bit of sheer cuteness! And it also reeled with the fact that I could drive the whopping five minutes to the store that it takes from where I type at this very moment and get the suit!

So I did. But in my moment of weakness, I also bought another entire outfit, complete with matching hat. {SHHHH!!!} It is by far the most expensive outfit I have ever bought either one of my children...ever. Well, other than the pettiskirt, but that is a different story all together!

Here it is in all its red and white polka dotted cuteness! {If you remember, she had a pink and white polka dotted suit last summer, but it was made completely different!}





And the little bum if you just can't get enough of that ruffle action!!



And for the fashionista that she is, we of course bought the glasses!!



Here is the funny thing though! I made the kids try on all their new clothes tonight because it is MUCH easier to take them back here rather than once we get back to Arizona. Huntler threw a fit {yes, my kids throw fits} and griped the entire time while Gentry totally ate it up! She is such a girly girl!! When we were done she had to put her swimsuit BACK on and pranced about this evening in her suit and shades!! And my oh my how cute she was!!

Alright friends, it is now nearly midnight and I have to get some rest! Tomorrow brings more packing and getting ready to head out!!

Test Pic Size

Love Fest...

So it seems as though we have been having a bit of a love fest around here lately. I mean, there are four of us crammed into 1/5 of the amount of space we have at home {yes, our house is big} and to say that the walls seem to be closing in is an extremely accurate description of how I am feeling with each passing day! Not that I want to sound ungrateful or complain. We are so, so fortunate that the kids and I were able to load up and come to Kansas with Chris, but after 11 days, I am ready to go home. {Don't get confused here...I desperately want to move back to Kansas and being back in KC has really got me on a kick, but it is now the time in the adventure when everyone is ready for their space, their beds, their toys, their routine, their own washer and dryer...you know how it goes!!}

I am sure the fact that we have all been sickly doesn't help matters. Or the fact that it is FREEZING and we can't hit the park or head downtown to take pictures. My dreams for some fabulous photo ops got pretty much crushed this trip!! Darned blustery coldness and sick germs!

I love winter. I think I love fall a tiny little smidge more just because we can still play outside and our fingers don't come close to falling off on the walk to the car, but I do love winter. I always have. I remember walking to campus my senior year of college {I lived about 3 blocks away} and LOVING the cold wind on my face and relishing in the frigidity {I think may have just made that word up?!}. There is just something so invigorating and refreshing to me about the cold. I can't really describe it and I am sure you most certainly don't understand it, but oh how I love it!

However...the two years and four months we have lived in Arizona have thinned my blood drastically and I have been SO cold this trip! As in freezing my bum off cold and holing up inside! Although I am excited for the time when we move back, our first winter here is going to be a little on the rough side! Can you say HELLO huge heating bill?! Just ask my parents...they got their bill from when we were visiting at Christmas...it was a "little" more than usual!! Sorry guys!

Anyway...since we are all getting a little bored, we have been having a little fun with the camera inside!! I am now more convinced than ever that when we move I need a room with white bedding and amazing light! Although this hotel suite {two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living area and a full kitchen} isn't home, it does get some fantabulous light!!

And a sidenote here...the editing on both of these was really fast and they are completely different from each other! I was just messing around in Photoshop while my nuggets sleep the day away!! {Hence the texture and the out of ordinary full color image!!}



Ahh she is her mama's girl!! She wasn't talking to anyone, just pretending!!



I think learning to make those fun fabric headbands is in my not so distant future! I bought this one on Etsy and I LOVE it!! Plus, it is reversible!! Can't beat that!

I have something else up my sleeve to share soon, but I am waiting on permission to use someone else's photograph!! So this will have to do it for now!

Chris should be "home" soon and I am hoping I can sweet talk him into fixing my blog while I go out and do a bit of shopping?! {He worked until midnight last night and didn't get the chance!} Thanks for all your sweet words on what I have done so far!! You guys are the best!!

Strict Instructions!

After COMPLETELY screwing up my layout and causing all sorts of problems, I have been given strict instructions to leave it alone until Chris can help me!! OOPS!

When we redid my blog back in October I changed the background without a problem one. This time, I seemed to mess up EVERYTHING. And I mean EVERYTHING people!! My sweet {and oh so patient!} husband was able to get it back in readable order for the time being, but has to head back to work so I am going to leave well enough alone and wait until he can help me again!!

I can hardly stand to look at it all crazed and imperfect, but such is life!!

AHHHH!!!

I am SO not good with doing my own installing and messing with html!! Bear with me as I update my blog the next couple of days or so!!