A Girl's Weekend of Crafting

The weekend before Valentine's I had the opportunity (it was my birthday present from my awesome husband) to get away with some of my girl friends and head up north to Shipshewanna for a craft retreat. Now they have this retreat annually and they always have it on the weekend that Shipshewanna is having their "pajama sale" so this is a weekend of serious eating, crafting, girl talk and SHOPPING! We left late Friday morning and started our weekend. We didn't get far (about a half hour north) before stopping at a quilt shop and to grab some lunch. After that we headed up the rest of the way. We checked in early, claimed our rooms then claimed our space for our crafting in the basement for the weekend. After doing this, we headed into town for what we call "scout shopping" (it's where we go see what it is we are going to want to buy the next morning at the pajama sale and then we make a list). After a nice diner we headed back to camp (the retreat is at our church camp) to chit chat and then get to work. Cindy and I brought our quilting and Winter brought her scrap booking. I went with a pretty nice size list (about 7 projects) and left accomplishing about 6 but also one that wasn't on my list to begin with. Cindy worked on a tedious pattern and left with a beautiful quilt top all done in blues and white......

Here she is the last day there getting in some last minute cutting so she could work on her next project when she got home.
Winter hard at work scrapping all the beautiful pictures she take of her family. She went with a pretty hefty goal and almost accomplished it however she also made valentines for her sons class.
The last day is hard cause it's really a half day so we find our selves cramming in work into every last minute as you see Winter happily doing here.
After our cram session after lunch, it was time to pack. Now we all found some really great deals while out shopping Saturday morning during the pajama sale (which we started at 5AM after going to bed at I think 2AM).

Here is the seat next to where I sat in the back and then there was the BACK!........

Here is the view from where I was sitting and.......the view from where we crammed all this stuff in! Yes people, this car was packed with all we need to craft for our weekend along with new goodies we picked up along the way. This was my second year going and I loved it this year just as much as last year. Lord willing, I will go every year. This is such a great break for me and I accomplish so much and tend to come home with new inspiration for more projects. The super exciting thing this year is that last year I began a quilt for Winter there and this year I finished it there. I named it Sherbet Dreams....
I look forward to next year!

Valentine Crafts

This year I forgot that I had picked up Valentines for the kids on clearance from last year and didn't want to buy any so I thought about making some after being inspired from a magazine. Colby was up first and he chose a puppy love look......
These little puppies held something special for the person who received it.Colby actually really enjoyed doing this little project, and I enjoyed working on something with him, just the two of us.
The next day was Autumn's turn and she picked a pretty little flower made of hearts with yet another little treat right in the middle.These were so stinkin cute, this project was very easy and turned out fabulous.A couple days later Dakotah had the chance to work on his. He picked a green alien and he put his own twists on it. Instead of drawing normal alien eyes, he wanted to put on google eyes which are way more fun and he made his aliens have smiley faces. I asked what kind of antennae he wanted on them and he picked curly then we had to add a treat to these little guys as well.
Over all, it was nice to be able to make something and have the kids put in more effort than just signing names. They enjoyed it as much as I did and next year we just might have to do it again and if not well, I already have a stock up of Valentines from last year I didn't know I had until after we started these projects.

A Rocking Good Time!!!!

On Sunday the 31 we had our growth group as we normally do on Sundays....the difference this Sunday compared to the others is that we had a rockin good party! We invited some new people to come to growth group and part of our party was so that we could all hang out and have a good time while getting to know eachother. It was a blast! We hooked up a WII to a projector in the down stairs living room and then had the XBox 360 going up stairs with Rock Band and Band Hero. Everyone brought some yummy food and we all enjoyed hours of playing, eating, talking and most of all laughing. This group has been amazing this year from what I have heard and the moments I've had hanging out with them. I get to watch all the little kiddos when they have their normal group and so I have really my little growth group with juice boxes, snacks, movies and little people in tow.

Cutie, Comfy, Girl

Madi was the only kiddo in our family that didn't have a robe so for Christmas she got one from her Daddy and I. I actually found this robe at a children's consignment shop in town for $5. Not bad for Disney Princesses if you ask me! Well, as much as she loved getting it, she hasn't worn it much and I actually think since it's hung up in the bathroom under her towel, that she really just forgets about it. Tonight after her "quick shower" she got out and was freezing. I got her all dried off and dressed and to warm her up we both decided her robe would do the trick. She just looks so stinkin cute in it, especially when she puts her hands in her pockets.

Madi turns 4

So about a month before Madi's birthday her and I are having one of our priceless talks while all are away at school or work. She continues on in the conversation which happens to be about her birthday and some how we get onto the topic of her age in which she proceeds to start to cry and have a "3 year old melt down" about turning 4. She explains to me how she doesn't want to be 4 she just wants to turn 5 and how there is nothing to do when your 4 and it's going to be so boring. After I reassure her that 4 will be a blast and things will be fine, the tears slow down and the smile begins to shine back through. So, party on as usual the weekend after New Years, before school starts up again and while Aunt Mimi, Jessica and Chelsea are staying with us.

She had been waiting since summer time for this cake and oh boy it was in her eyes "perfect". She actually had wanted the sheet cake and when Rodney and I went to order it we chose the cupcakes in the guitar shape for our little rocker chick. She LOVED it as did we.

This cake really was so cool, but tons of frosting which ='s major sugar rush!

It cracks me up how little kids so look forward to that moment when everyone around sings to them and then they get all bashful. I love it! Madi is no different! She has probably been planning this moment out in her head all day in anticipation and she almost can't handle it. Too cute!

4 candles and she blew them out one.....by.....one. That's my girl!!! After cupcakes it was onto presents. Aunt Mimi knitted her a super cute pink scarf and the great thing was earlier in the week Mimi asked if she could test the size out on her to check for something and Madi asked who Mimi was making it for. Mimi told her for a very special person. Well, after she opened it Madi proceeded to tell me the story again and then after I told her she made it for someone special, she looked up at me in that cute Madi face with the head tilt to the side and said "and I'm someone special mommy". That's right baby, you are someone special and you always will be!!!!

Here she is...officially 4 on her birthday. She got her present from Grandpa Rob and Grammy Theresa on her birthday and it was a Pottery Barn bed quilt and sham quilt and the pattern is called Daisy Garden so it has flowers everywhere and she now thinks her bed is so "beautiful" and she invites me to lay with her in her Daisy Garden when I tuck her into bed.

I love this special blessing God has bestowed upon Rodney and I! She is such an amazing creation. He made her as the bow to complete our family package. He made her amazingly smart. He made her crazy cute. He made her able to MELT her daddy's heart with one particular look (which also gets her anything she wants practically). He made her so loving, caring and thoughtful. He made her a child after His own heart and so in touch with her desire and love for Jesus. I love witnessing Him through her! She has my toes and her daddy's dimples. She is spunky and a firecracker that can keep up with her brothers in some trash talking and wrestling and yet 2 minutes later be dressed up in her Cinderella dress twirling around asking her daddy if she is beautiful. She is amazingly confident and I pray she NEVER looses that as most young ladies do at some point. She had a love for each of her siblings all their own and is the only kid in our house that has that. She loves our home preschool time and is eager as ever to leave me home alone to run off to school and would have been there with the rest of our kids a year ago if she had it her way. She cracks me up so much and when she is crying or mad it is way too easy to crack her up and it always has been (I love that). I pray 4 is amazing for her like she couldn't imagine and that 5 comes slowly before she is able to leave my day and run off with the rest of my kiddos. It will be the day I think Rodney needs to take off not only to see the "baby" off to school, but also to pick my blubbering self up off the concrete in front of the school to take me home before they have to call the cops to escort me home. LOL! Seriously though it's going to be hard so until then I enjoy "4"!!!!

New Years Rocking Out!

Since Rodney and I had the knowledge of what our family gift was going to be, we had planned an all nighter with the Lawsons WAY before Christmas came. We had been waiting in anticipation for this evening to come with pizza, soda, family, friends and Rockin Out! We picked teams and took our turns on about 3 songs or so. The teams seemed to change as the evening went on but it was all still so much fun.

Here is a team of Jesse, Bre, Rodbey and Jessica

and here is the other side of that team.

Rodney was cracking us all up with his very deep rocker singing.

And Rachel is just about the cutest little 2 year old drummer I've ever seen. SHe rocked out with us all night no matter how out of it she was, she kept on going and how.....none of us know although the almost full glass of Pepsi I let her drink might have played a hand in it.

As the night went on everyone grew more and more sleepy or "out of it" and this is a perfect picture of playing the guitar while half asleep. Her face was so blank like she was gone and yet she kept in tune pretty darn close.

I had a blast and enjoyed this night so much. Kim actually made it to see the ball drop for the first time in the 3 or 4 New Years we have spent together. She made it even if she was also half out of it. Good job Aunt Mimi!

Christmas

Wednesday before Christmas the kids and I drove down to Madison to pick up Grandma CUlver and then headed back home. Christmas Eve day Rodney had off from work so we all hung out as a family and enjoyed Grandma's company. We were all very anxious for our presents and Rodney especially was anxious for the kids to open up our family present from Grandpa Rob and Grammy Theresa (we already knew what it was). We made it to our churche's Christmas Eve service for the first time since we have been attending there, then as tradition is, we all packed up into the van and headed to see the lights at Matter Park in Marion and then home to bed so we could wake up and open up some stuff. The morning finally came and there was paper flying everywhere. Rodney and I played it kind of funny as to the order we had the kids open the last few presents. Colby opened some Xbox 360 games his dad had sent him but the crazy thing is we don't have an Xbox 360. The girls then opened Band Hero for an Xbox 360 (I'm sure you see where this is going). Then the boys got to open the last gift..... the XBOX 360! We then played Band Hero after dinner for hours and Grandma watched us from the side lines and even sang along to some of the songs. We had a wonderful time spending our first Christmas in our new house, with Grandma Culver and rockin out.