Christmas Project

I know that I have been very quiet on this blog. Hopefully I'll have a bit more time to post once in awhile. I haven't been doing a lot of crafting recently but have managed a few things.

So here's my big home made gift for Caitlyn this year and the big craft project that I have been working on:


I decided to make Caitlyn some counting bean bags. I used Chez Beeper Bebe's tutorial for the bean bags. I had originally gotten Sweetwater's Make Life charm pack to make bean bags but decided to use Andover's Maisey fabric instead since Caitlyn absolutely adores "Maisy Big, Maisy Small: A Book of Maisy Opposites" by Lucy Cousins. I had a lot of fun doing the hand embroidery on the numbers.

Here's a closer peek:

I think they turned out well and I can't wait to see Caitlyn's reaction when she opens them tomorrow. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas! May God bless you and your family during this season of remembering when Emmanuel (God with Us) came to earth as a baby who arrived in the little town of Bethlehem.

3rd Quarter 11 - Top 5 Photos

Well, another 3 months have gone by without me posting much. Things will probably be changing around here, when I actually get some time to spend looking at what I want to do and share. I know that there are probably few people who still come by, but that's alright. I like having the space to share and link up with various posts that I'm interested in (like this Top 5 pics of the quarter). Anyways, without further ado, here are my pictures from the last three months of our Pooh Bear. It was a bit easier to pick pictures since I had fewer to chose from (many haven't been downloaded yet). These are my favorites from the ones I had on the computer.

This one was taken in downtown Portsmouth after we went to the Children's Museum with my in laws. I love her daddy in the background.I love this picture and little one helping her daddy stir up ingredients (I don't remember what they were making). She had scrapped up her nose the day before while visiting me on the ship. I just love the apron and her intense expression.
This was one evening when we were hanging out in the backyard. She was saying "ball" as she would bring the ball back to me or her daddy. Love the colors in the evening.

This one was taken at the Children's Museum in our area. Just love the expression on her face as she tries to listen to two different headsets.

This last photo is from just a couple of weeks ago. Little one was climbing in and out of her toy box in the family room, so I wanted to snap a picture of it.

Thanks for stopping by! Hopefully I will have time to share a bit more frequently in the future.

Narnia Reading Challenge

Carrie @ Reading to Know is hosting the Narnia Reading Challenge again this month.

C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia is one of my favorite series and I plan on reading through the whole series again this month as part of the challenge. In addition, I am reading "Aslan's Call" by Mark Eddy Smith and "A Field Guide to Narnia" by Colin Duriez. I look forward to sharing more with you as the month goes on. Would you join us?

2nd Quarterly Top 5

It's been a long time since I posted ... in fact the last time I posted was last quarter. I'm definitely thinking about doing some changes to what my focus is since stitching has taken a back burner at this point in my life (still working on projects but not nearly as many at a time to talk about). So for now, here are my top 5 pictures of little one for the months of April, May and June. Click on the banner if you want to link up and participate :) Can't wait to see everyone's pictures.

Without further ado:

This first picture I just love the backlighting and the smirk on her face. This was just one day taking pictures in her room.

I decided to play with editing the color on the camera for this one ... love her looking around the shower curtain. She loves bath time.

We went to the beach for a week at the beginning of May. This is one of my all time favorite pictures from that trip. Her daddy and granddaddy are in the background fishing and she is just staring at the ocean ;)

We went strawberry picking at a nearby farm. She enjoyed picking the berries (didn't eat many though) and had a great time.

This last pictures is at the children's garden at the local botanical gardens. She has so much fun whenever she is around water. I love the water in the foreground of this picture.

It was hard to narrow it down to 5 pictures from the past three months. I hope you enjoy a small glimpse into our lives. God Bless!

March Quarterly Top 5

It's time for the first Quarterly Top 5 of 2011. This is hosted by Amber's Articles, Click it Up a Notch and Nap Time Momtog. It's a chance to showcase our five favorite pictures that we have taken of our children during the months of Jan, Feb and March.

As usual, it is hard to narrow down to my favorite pictures since we do take a lot of my daughter. Here are the five that I chose for this go around:

This first one showcases what a goofball Caitlyn can be. She was making faces out the door in the kitchen so I decided to go around and get pictures from the other side of her. There was a whole series but I loved the pucker face in this one.

I take monthly pictures of Caitlyn in this glider in her room. This just shows how hard it is to get her to sit still these days. This one was taken on her birthday. I love the lighting in the picture and how it softens it.

I chose this picture because she decided to climb in the box herself. She started to bring the toys in with her.

This one was taken at a local park that our family enjoys on nice days. Unfortunately it's gotten cold again recently but I am looking forward to heading back again. This is just one of my all time favorite pictures ... I love the backlighting and the expression on her face.

This last picture is from our visit to my parents. It was a beautiful day so we headed to the park. I love the wind blowing her hair as she comes down the slide with her daddy.

Thanks for stopping by! I'm looking forward to sharing more in June.

Smile!

At the end of last year I participated in the top 10 of '10 hosted by Amber's Articles. She has decided to do something similar this year. However, instead of choosing 10 photos at the end of the year, we share 5 photos every quarter (so we'll share 20 throughout the year). Click on the button for more information and if you want to participate as well.

Recent Projects

Blogging has definitely taken a back burner right now. I just started a new school in preparation for a new job. I have been crafting and such. I am finally able to show you the sampler that I stitched for my sister and her new husband as a wedding present. I had it framed at my local LNS as I usually do and it turned out great. Without further ado:

"Wedding Blessing"

Designer: Cathy Bussi (from the Cross Stitcher July '10 Issue)

Fabric: Silkweaver 32ct Autumn

Threads: DMC (converted to my sister's wedding colors of coral and green)

I have also been able to start my daughter's stocking. I am hoping to be able to complete that before Christmas. I definitely don't have as many projects in progress at the moment (other than as ideas in my head). I have one other cross stitch project that I am currently stitching on and hope to finish soon. It is a gift for our nanny in appreciation for how she takes care of our little one and has really become part of our family. I hope to be able to share that with you soon.

In addition to cross stitch, my sewing machine has also been getting a workout. I made my first attempt of making clothes for my daughter. I decided that I would make her a Valentine's Day outfit rather than buying one this year. I used a L'amour honey bun from Moda (the line is designed by Sandy Gervais) for both the skirt and the applique. I decided to use the strips to cut a heart from rather than a solid fabric so that it would coordinate with the skirt. I think it turned out alright for my first skirt.

So I think that covers most of the crafty stuff that I have done lately. Hopefully I'll be updating more frequently with more projects and other types of things. Have a great night!

Christmas Stitching

I just wanted to do a quick post to share the gift I made for my mom this Christmas. I shared a sneak preview earlier in the month but here it is all finished:

Little Women "Baking" Threadpack

Designer: Diane Williams

Threads: Included Crescent Colors

Fabric: 32 ct Cocoa Belfast Linen (Silkweaver)

I thought I had a picture of the cube I finished but can't find it right now. I know I have pictures of my mom opening it. I picked out a nice fabric with poinsettias on it to go with the stitching. I hope you are all having a Happy New Year and may 2011 bring you much joy!