the sky is pink

Here is the 2011 edition of homemade "Sisters' Gifts." Crocheted snowflakes. I made snowflake #20 from 99 Snowflakes . While the priority is to make them for my mother, three sisters, three sisters-in-law and my sister-in-law's sister (who has no other family in the area), I always make enough to spread the love to teachers and close friends. I think I made 30. Or 30 was my goal. I may have made more. Once I memorized the pattern, they were flying off the hook. I took my hook, crochet thread and scissors everywhere I went. I crocheted at the boys' basketball games, track meets, in the car while waiting for preschool to let out. Every.where. I'm almost sad I've finished. (Not quite sad enough to continue making them, though. The very worst part was pinning and starching those suckers. The pins killed my fingertips and the starch dried out my hands beyond recognition.) Of course I added a bar of my handmade chocolate-mint soap with each gift.

This year's Christmas card photo. We had it taken in October, right after Joe retired. (It's been hard to keep in secret since then.)

The man I married unofficially retired from the U.S. Army on September 30, 2011. The man I married will officially retire from the U.S. Army on January 1, 2012. The man I married is currently on "leave" from the U.S. Army and is still considered active duty. The man I married served more than 25 years for the U.S. military. (He had a few years of National Guard duty while earning his undergrad.) The man I married started a new job today at the National Institute of Health (NIH). The man I married is also celebrating his birthday today. Happy birthday, Joe. Thank you for serving our country, our family, and the Lord.

From Carter. I love that boy. He's offered his services to organize my coupons. Bless him. He has a chore. From Jackson. I love that boy. Hangman that spells out "I love you." And he hid behind me when I opened it. Funny guy. Always the prankster. From Mason. Seriously. How could I love this sweet gesture more? I know not. It states, "I hope you like your man made of 2 dollars. Now you are 2 dollars richer than you were a few minutes ago!" (Don't tell the others, but I think I enjoyed this gift the most.) I love that boy. From Spenser. I'm the "nicksis (nicest)" mom she ever had. Again, the cuteness is unbearable. And yet more from the girl. She worked so hard. She gave me a sandwich bag full of more drawings, in a gift bag with a Christmas tag with cherubs. It certainly is MY day.

So, where was I? Oh, right. The memorable birthday party. The party was starting to disassemble and my side of the family (the early attenders) were leaving. Joe's family (who arrived later) were still hanging around. During the party we had a huge downpour (which has been typical of life in Maryland the past month or so). After things cleared up a bit, the kids went out to play. One of the kids ran in the house to report one of our hens in the neighbor's yard, so I quickly put on my shoes and went to retrieve the hen. She was hiding from us and it took three of us to get her out of the brush. As soon as I grabbed her, I tossed her over the fence into our yard and walked home. I kicked off my shoes and was about to relax. Moments later one of the kids ran into the house screaming there was a dog in our yard. We do not own a dog. I ran around the house looking for shoes I could wear out in the wet grass. By the time I got outside, the dog was gone. But I was out there in time fo...

It seems like yesterday that this little man of mine was born into this world. The baby that seemed like he was in no hurry to come out of me. The baby that has grown so much over the years. Years. As in five years. Five years. Oh my. Where has the time gone? (So many of my bloggy friends have been around for five years. And a little longer. It's a milestone, I tell ya.) I'm lucky enough to have Sawyer home with me for one more year. His September birthday was just a little too late for him to start Kindergarten. But, seriously, I don't mind it a bit. I always say to him, after the kids leave for school, "It's just you and me, kid." At one point (last school year) he asked me to stop saying it, and so I obliged. I started it again this year and he has started to say it to me. He often asks me during the day to cuddle with him. Usually it's when I'm busy cleaning the house, doing dishes, etc. I have learned to stop what I'm doing and cuddle with...

I guess it's time to wipe the slate clean with "Trips to the School Nurse" and "Soccer Goals." Trips to the School Nurse 2010 - 11 Taylor: 2 Carter: 2 Jackson: 0 Mason: 6 (4 in one day!) Spenser: 7 Soccer Goals Fall 2010 Taylor: 0 Carter: 0 Jackson: 2 Mason: 0 And, for the record, Mason has already visited Nurse Maureen. And so the love affair continues ... Edited to add: Spenser just came home with a slip that she visited Nurse Maureen today.

Nine years ago today, my sister, Kristen, died. In following family tradition, we met for breakfast. Today is also my parents' 44th wedding anniversary, so my parents, three sisters and I met at a local, family-owned restaurant. When I pulled into the parking lot, I looked around to see if I recognized any cars. I saw my parents' car, so I hopped out and walked toward the restaurant. I thought I heard my sisters talking, so I stopped and looked around. I didn't see anyone, so I continued walking. Then, very distinctly, I heard my sister, Kate say (in a sing-songy voice) "Laurie." (No one calls me Laurie, except family. I do not like to be called Laurie.) Again, I stopped, looked around and said (out loud), "I hear you. I just don't see you." And nothing. No sisters in sight. No other voices. I walked into the glass vestibule at the restaurant and a police officer was standing there smiling at me. (I'm hoping he didn't think I was too loony.)...

So, things are getting expensive. Gas. Groceries. Life with six children. We just learned that our water rates are going up 9% across the county. While I've always cut coupons (if and when I get a Sunday paper), I wasn't very diligent. I only cut the coupons of the things I regularly buy. And then I'd still buy generic. However, a co-worker of Joe's is really into couponing and has been getting Joe all pumped up about it. I thought I'd show you my deals. Um. Yeah. A cardigan and shoes. I'm pretty sure that when Joe was pumped about saving money, he thought I'd actually save the money instead of turning around and spending my savings. (But I got excellent deals on both!) (Sorry for the dark photo. If it would ever stop raining here, I might have some decent sunlight. And it would help my severe vitamin-D deficiency.)

I actually had a different idea for the (crocheted) lace, but when I thought of a lace-only belt, I threw my original idea out the window. This belt is so springy. Light. Airy. Breezy. Feminine. Spring, indeed. I wore this exact outfit (plus jean capris) to here with Sawyer (and friends), here (to buy a few things for the garden), and out to tend the chickens. Pearls . To tend to chickens.

You know, the yellow belt was going to be another tuxedo belt , but when I linked over to the original tuxedo belt, I spied another belt that I liked. I made a little yellow bow for the front, but I have mixed feelings about it. I want it to be removable, yet look like it's actually a part of the belt. I'm loving that vintage yellow button. It is perfect for this belt so I want to show that, too.

I'm still on belts. One belt I wanted to make was a sash belt. I found a very quick and easy tutorial, although it's so simple you really don't need a tutorial. It's a little floppy, but that's okay with me. I made the belt with some polka-dotted polyester that I found on clearance at the fabric store.

picture borrowed from: DownEast Basics' Tuxedo Belt It all started with the above belt. Isn't it the cutest? I had received a catalog in the mail and thought the belt was definitely something I could wear. (Specifically for the upcoming MML Convention I have in June.) The main problem? It has not been in stock online at all. And it was March's catalog. I had to take matters into my own hands. In the winter I bought a few yards of gray fabric to make another dress . And, well, it just didn't happen. (In fact, I thought I would wear said dress to Taylor's Court of Honor .) I decided to delve into the gray because, hey! I can always buy more fabric. I also used gray because I've been on a real gray (+ yellow) kick lately. Oh, and it was colder then and didn't feel like spring with her 85-degree days with humidity. So gray was totally acceptable. But then spring finally reared her pretty face and brought some warm (and hot) weather our way, so a change was ne...

One of my boys received a brown suede ugly hand-me-down coat. To put it mildly, I despised the coat. But, said son liked the coat and wore it. Luckily he outgrew the coat. It was placed in the donate pile without hesitation of passing it on to a younger boy. It sat there and I pondered the coat's purpose in life and decided it would be happy to be repurposed into a more useful item. I thought about a bag, but then I knew it had to be a belt. Afraid to "waste" the body of the coat, I cut apart the sleeves to experiment. And, lucky for me, it turns out that I love the experiment! I made the belt reversible with a bit of Alexander Henry fabric. It's versatile, too. I can dress it up or dress it down. (The design on this belt is what prompted me to go to the ribbon outlet in the first place.) I then decided I'd like at least another belt in this style, so I whipped up this one. I used a solid gray fabric and sewed a piece of lace down the middle. The reverse is s...

Let's talk belts. Lately I've been loving belts. However, I can never find the perfect one. Thrift stores are a bust (although I've found some belt buckles I can re-use). Target either doesn't have my size or I can't imagine paying $20 for a belt. I've seen a few in Marshalls, but the selection was small and the one I liked the most was damaged. So what's a crafter to do? After another recent trip to the ribbon outlet , I decided I was going to make a rainbow belt. And then it turned into a rainBOW belt because, well, it has a bow. Ribbon belts are probably the most simple (and inexpensive) ones to make. It only requires a little bit of ribbon and a set of D-rings. Even though it's easy to figure it out, I thought I'd show you just how easy it is. So you can stop procrastinating. First, gather your supplies. For this belt, I used 1/2"-, 1"-, and 1 1/2"-wide ribbon. Ribbon width is flexible. Use whatever you have or whatever you like. ...

I needed a new springy tote for church. I really should call it the Mom-do-you-have-a-pen tote. Or maybe the Mom-do-you-have-a-tissue tote. Or even the Mom-do-you-have-any-lotion tote. Or perhaps the Mom-can-I-have-a-piece-of-gum tote. Oh, and Mom-can-I-stick-my-trash-in-your-bag tote. Because that's what my tote holds. It holds the pens. And crayons. And small activity books. The lotion. The tissues. The trash. And two of my church books. I subscribe to a sewing blog that rounds up tutorials and I saw this one the other day. I realized I had everything on hand, so I whipped one up. I do wish I would have used the wide eyelet lace on the bottom. And I wish I had enough to go completely around the bag, instead of piecing it together with eyelet lace of a different width. Oh well. I'll use it for a few months and move on anyway.

So Spenser always wants curly hair. Why is it that you really covet something that you just don't have? I keep telling Spenser that her hair will be plenty curly after she has babies , but, at six, she is too impatient for that day to come. So, for now, we will put (foam) curlers in her hair. And wait until the next morning to see if it works. And, after it worked for church yesterday, she wanted to try it again. So ... we did it again. This time she wore her mob cap to help keep the curlers in place. And it worked like a charm! (Does anyone remember the 1970's jingle Curlers in your hair, shame on you ? I don't remember the jingle, but I remember my mother saying it to us when we put the hard, plastic curlers in our hair when we were little. And, just for the heck of it, I said to to Spenser when I put them in her hair.)