The Single Needle

The heart condition

2011-11-18T19:03:00.000-07:00

Melina was diagnosed last year with an obscure and rare heart condition - postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. (POTS)

This was a surprise to us - we actually went to see the cardiologist last year because she had an abnormal EKG and had had several near-fainting episodes. We followed the non-drug guidelines the cardiologist gave - increase salt intake, eat and drink every 2 hours, and be careful when changing positions. Oh, and 99% of all teens grow out of it by age 16-18. And this condition very rarely get worse...

see where I'm going with this?

She is worse. It started with a constant headache. After 5 days, and a trip to the ER (with injections that didn't work at all for pain), and a trip to our doctor, we have now spent the last 6 weeks in and out of the cardiologist (not a pediatric one, but an adult dr. who agreed to see Melina because of her age and he specializes in these types of heart conditions), neurologist, and our general doctor trying to fix this.

And she has missed almost 11 days of school (fortunately, though this is now labeled "chronic" for the school (and district) and all this appointments and sick days do not count towards absences for school). Not to mention church and time with friends and family.

I will save you all the medical mumbo-jumbo and testing results. In short, the severe, constant headache is caused by the extreme low blood pressure and the high heart rate. The cardiologist started her on medication to help treat the blood pressure and heart rate issues, and the neurologist has started her on a medication regimen to get rid of the headaches. And our doctor sees her regularly, in order to keep track of all this - because she likes him best and trusts him and talks with him about how she feels. (plus side - his visits cost less!)

This has been frustrating for all of us. Melina because she is so sick at times. The symptoms for POTS are long - and she has a lot of them. Her head is constantly hurting. The new medications are not fun and must be taken - they cannot be missed - thus leading to new habits to develop. Us, because this time, we can't fix it as parents. We have to trust and get the doctors to help us. And her siblings, because Melina just isn't herself 100% any more.

Getting a cold (or any other illness) this past week, caused her to be down and out for 3 days - because stress, illness, and physical pain makes POTS worse.

And the doctors can't guarantee that she will "grow" out of this now.

And that sucks worse of all.

Life Changes

2011-10-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

18 months ago, I went back to college. It wasn't an easy decision, as in order to do so, I not only had to quit my work-from-job of medical transcription, but I also had to re-arrange the home-school teaching schedule in our family.

Since that time, Aimee has started high school, Matt moved out on his own, and Melina is graduating 1 year early from high school.

And I have continued to work on my Bachelor's degree in Health Informatics. Which I enjoy. Sort of.

What I have re-discovered is my love of teaching. During my internship, I have been busy teaching and training (and learning some too) all about the new EMR (electronic medical record) system the clinic is putting in.

So, in the midst of all this, a thought of inspiration - rather an very distinct impression from the Spirit, about what I should be doing with my degree work. And it doesn't include using my degree work for what I thought.

Instead of working towards my Master's in Health Information Management or Healthcare Administration, I will be finishing the few math credits I need in order to apply for Teach Arizona. (Teach Arizona is a 1-year intensive Master's in Education program - that will give me a Master's in Secondary Math Education, along with preparing me to get my Az teaching certification. Maybe one day, I will be able to teach Health Information at the college level...but one needs education certifications/classes to do so.)

The looming question remained for Mike and I.....

what does a homeschooling mom do with her children while student teaching?

Well, they would go to school. Public school.

And so Ammon, Jacob, and Josie will be attending our local elementary school.

We have prayed about this. Fasted and prayed about it. And we know that this is the right decision to make for our family. The school is good. And fun. I met their teachers - good vibes all the way around. I feel good turning over this part of the schooling to them.

And most importantly - the 3 of them are SO excited! They can't wait! They are excited to get to go to school with this friends, to make more friends, and to be where their friends are all day long!

Being a teacher doesn't mean that I am giving up on teaching my children. Rather I will not only be able to continue to influence their education - they are home for 10 weeks during the summer ;), but I also will be home in the afternoons to help with homework, do lots of reading, and other fun activities that we like to do (shhh...they are educational - don't tell them!)

Being a teacher also means that I can influence others too. I love high school age kids. I love being at the high school with them. I have started to shadow a few teachers at my girls' high school (in math!) and o.m.g. I love it! Still! So, while my children are excited to start school, I am excited to become a teacher!

Big changes. But if families didn't have change, wouldn't life be monotonous?

Still here.

2011-05-14T09:23:00.000-07:00

And working on school - my senior year - so very busy with papers and certifications. 4 papers left to write to finish this semester.

Sewing lots. Including J's flower girl dress.

2011 Grad Night is in less than 14 days.

busy...

2010-11-11T16:42:00.000-07:00

All the time. Seriously, between school (2 classes and 2 exams done in 4 weeks), teaching school in our home, being the mom and running our home, running Grad Night 2011 for our high school, helping my mom and dad with getting their house ready to sell, and sewing, my life (and my family's) has been full!

I passed those 2 classes (with A's actually!), am getting a grip on everything else (save the laundry - I swear it is out to get me), and have been sewing, sewing, sewing...

for my sister's wedding - which is in 2 weeks!

I have made (in the last 11 days):

a vest for my husband (for his suit - to make it a 3 piece suit)
cumberbands & bow ties for Jacob & Ammon
a new dress for Aimee
a birthday dress for a friend ;)
1 flower girl dress for Josies - completely with layers upon layers of material and netting -

I have also done some smaller things...mending, a pair of khaki pants for me, skirt for my mom, new outfit for Josie for winter...and probably more things that I can't remember

All I have left to do:
work on our family gift for my sister and soon-to-be husband
finish something for me to wear
finish making the bow for Josie's dress
sew on the fabric roses onto Josie's dress
help hem my mom's absolutely gorgeous dress for the wedding

oh, and make goodies for the bake sale this weekend, help with a Grad Night decorating build, study and pass my next exam (dec 15).

On to more things...

That's my girl!

2010-09-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

Melina's 1st quarter progress card came in the mail yesterday....

4 A's :)

2 B's :)

She was rewarded with hugs and chocolate chip cookie dough!

(and I didn't take that photo - Melina did! She has quite an eye for photography!)

Josephine's birthday!

2010-08-30T14:16:00.000-07:00

She is 5!

And following in tradition - I made her a new dress for her birthday (1956 pattern, which is a very similar dress to what her Nana had when she was little):

She had a great day! She went out for lunch - a tradition in our family - to the restaurant her of choosing.

She got presents...a new shirt, a minature skateboard, tinkerbell dolls, new doll house furniture, and 2 special gifts..

a new bike

And a set of Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls!

(more on those later - because I made them!)

Aimee and Nana made her a cupcake cake:

She is our last child! We are grateful for her! She is such a bright spot in our lives and family each day!

3 weeks ago

2010-08-30T14:00:00.000-07:00

I thought things had calmed down.

Ha.ha.ha

School started for Melina. I only have to drop her and her friend off to school. Friend's mo & dad are doing the pick-up! Melina has a full schedule - her graduation requirement have changed for her graduating class, so it was a bit more work to get her schedule done - and to include seminary!

I am almost done with my management class. Whew. 2 more classes for the semester. If I don't add more.

My sister is getting married! At Thanksgiving. Wedding plans are in action.

School started at home for everyone else.

I have been sewing.

The most important thing happened last week -

What I have been doing....

2010-08-03T19:56:00.001-07:00

Moving furniture and books.

(please don't ask me how many books there are

- I refuse to count for now -

but all you need to know is that there is 15 ft of bookshelves - 3 are 7ft high and 3 are 8ft high

(the shorter ones will be taller in a few months when I get back to Ikea).

My chairs were an awesome craigslist find! I got them and the ottoman for $40! All they needed was a quick clean! They have been deemed the perfect reading chairs by Lina and Aimee - you can turn any which way, pull your feet up, stretch over them, etc - and be perfectly comfortable!

Painting furniture.

I painted all our pine furniture in the family room! I love the new color - it is a soft, creamy white and really helps our family room to look bigger! And it re-newed the life of our furniture - which is 7 years old!

I painted the 3 tables also - coffee and 2 end-tables. We love them. They are painted with Behr Premimum Paint with Primer - in a semi-gloss - for easy cleaning. Needless to say, there is no drawing allowed on the tables anymore.

Or shoes!

Making new valances -

this is one, and there is a longer one over the sliding glass doors on the left. The material came from my neighbor's mom and was FREE! It is a very nice weight decorating fabric. The light yellow pops very nicely with the blue walls and white trim in our new library/my sewing room.

Covering one of the office chairs.

(the other one was just fine)

This is an older military chair, given to me from my parents, whose neighbor gave it to them! It is in perfect condition underneath, but need a puch of color for....

My new office!

I desperately needed this space - mostly for tax purposes while I work (I do IT work for people).

(Technically, I am supposed to share this room, however, I am the only one in there more of the time - either studying or working.)

This room has turned out beautifully! Matt helped me paint it before he left, mom came over and helped with hanging all the pictures, and I (semi-homemade) made the closet curtain and covered the chair. Aimee likes this room, as she does her school work in here, away from the younger ones who are at the kitchen table.

I didn't buy any new furniture for this room. I moved all the pieces that I have had throughout the house into here - 2 desks, table-top desk, bookshelf, and chairs. I bought a few new frames, but I had all the pictures already - in storage.

And yes - it is Paris themed.

I *heart* Paris.

I have been there 4 times.

I am waiting to go back. I have been lots of other places - England, Wales, Scotland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belguim, South Korea, and several states in the US, but I always long and go back to Paris.

Love it.

Studying.

Yep. I passed my Healthcare Delivery Systems class.

I now have to finish:

Principles of Management

Medical Terminology

Pathology/Physiology (which really bites, because my last class was 6 days over the cut-off date).

I think that leaves me with only 5-6 classes, and then 2 capstone projects for my degree work.

I have been sewing - more than valances and chair covers. I promise.

I am still here!

2010-07-23T07:06:00.000-07:00

I promise.

I have been really busy. Between our son moving to my brother's home, summer school for Lina (all done! Yay!), teaching writing to Aimee, helping 2 boys work on Weblos and Wolf badges, cleaning, laundry, getting ready and sending the girls to camp, finishing decorating my office, repainting furniture in the family room, make valances for the library room, and sewing mulitple skirts, dresses, mending, and a new temple dress...

and all my studying...

I am very busy! But I should be able to upload pictures soon...

and the girls are coming home today...

my sister and her finace are coming into town tomorrow for 4 days...

whew!

My heros...

2010-06-20T20:07:00.000-07:00

My husband. The best father in the world - he is so loving, kind, and fun with all our children. And slow to get angry.

My dad. The greatest man I know. He is kind, loving, and fun. And slow to get angry.

It seems that the man I married is just like my father.

It's true. Girls want a man - just like their daddy.

The last of 3 birthdays in the same week...

2010-06-19T07:17:00.000-07:00

Ha! You laugh. But seriously - our oldest 3 children all have their birthdays within 4 days! So here is the next birthday child:

Melina! She is 15 today! Yeah! She is such a fun girl! She is very artistic - a talent that she has inherited from my mom.

Melina is going to be an artist.

She takes photos, sketches, writes stories, poems, and essays with no difficulty.

She has her own style of dress.

And she is the best sister - super loving and kind to all her siblings.

She has a wonderful sense of humor - and is always making us laugh. Although at times, we think that her humor is related to her being blonde...

This is Melina and her Daddy - they have the most amazing relationship - and the same sense of humor! I was truly blessed to be able to marry such a man for time and all eternity in the temple. (More about him tomorrow on Father's Day!)

Melina and Aimee have the most amazing relationship....as sisters, only 2 years apart - they have been becoming friends these last 2 years...

Need I say more?

Happy Birthday Melina!

Another Birthday!

2010-06-18T07:42:00.000-07:00

Today is my Aimee's birthday. She is the sweetest peacemaker there is! She is always kind, loving, and full of laughter!

Today she is 13!

We are grateful for her and that she is here with us today.

During my pregnancy with Aimee, she was diagnosed with 2 different life-threatening problems in utero at 18 weeks, and then at 25 weeks, I went into labor with her. Everything was okay, until at 31 weeks, and then I was hospitalized - for her - not me. I spent almost 10 days in hospital with her - and then, everything turned worse - Aimee started dying.

With quick thinking of the doctors and nurses, we had an emergency C-section at 33 weeks 2 days, and she was born - small and sick.

But once out of utero - with medication - and priesthood blessings - she healed very quickly and was able to go home at 5 days old. She weighed 4 lbs 14 oz and was 16 inches long.

She gained weight quickly, and spent most of her time in the sling that I wore almost 24/7. She was quite sick, off and on, for about 2 years - mostly respiratory viruses and lots of pneumonia, from her lungs not being matured 100%.

She was also born with a conductive hearing loss. She was 98% deaf in both years until age 2. She was treated by the German audiologists, at age 1, and her hearing was improved to less than <2% deafness by age 2. She now has less than a 1% hearing loss, and you would never know. She spent over 8 years in speech therapy to improve her her speech and communication abilities!

She loves to cook, bake, and read. She is going to be going to high school in 2 years and she already is planning on a culinary arts plan.

Happy Birthday Aimee!!!!!

For those wondering - we have our 3 oldest children with birthdays within a 4 day window!

So, Matt was on Tuesday, Aimee is today, and tomorrow is another birthday!

An 18 year old son.

2010-06-15T11:24:00.001-07:00

I am not old enough to be the mother of an 18 year old. Yet today I am. Mathew has turned 18 today. We went out for breakfast to his favorite place - Cracker Barrel.

He leaves today for the southeast. He will be working, learning electrical construction, for my brother. He is excited and sort of scared all at the same time. I remember feeling like that years ago when I turned 18.

Matt has been a blessing in our lives. He has been a great big brother to all his siblings and a good son. We know that this the right thing for him to do - to move to out with my brother and work.

Salt Lake City 2010

2010-06-12T18:48:00.000-07:00

We took a quick trip up to Utah to visit with friends and to drop off Melina and 2 of her friends at EFY. While we were there we went to Temple Square. Where I nor my children have ever been!

The organ in Conference Center! I actually heard one of organ concerts in the Tabernacle while at Temple Square! It was so beautiful.

Snow. In May.

Snow. Again. In May. In Provo. We drove through it and walked through it to drop off Melina and her friends! Yuck.

There is a reason I live in the desert.

Summer Clothes 2010!

2010-06-07T17:17:00.000-07:00

White knit shirt and black linen skirt...

White knit skirt and turquoise knit shirt - which is the same pattern as the white shirt above!

Black, red, and white rayon knit shirt, same black linen skirt.

Green rayon knit shirt (same pattern as the above)...

Pink, white, black, and gold knit shirt (Jalie Pattern)...

I also made a cute pair of denim capris for the jeans sew along on pattern review - I just have to finish writing up about them and take pictures...

Happy Birthday Ammon!

2010-05-31T09:42:00.000-07:00

Today...is his birthday! I don't have any baby pictures to post - they are all in the non-digital scrapbooks! But, I can tell you some interesting things about Ammon:

1. He was born exactly 3 weeks after returning from Germany - in Arizona.
2. He was 5 weeks early (just like one of his sisters!)
3. He was a good baby - and loved to be held and tickled.
4. He loves to read - and has been devouring the Percy Jackson series this last month.
5. He is planning on being a doctor. He has been planning this since he was 5.
6. He studies hard in his schoolwork - because he wants to be a doctor - and never complains about it.
7. He loves Legos!
8. He always is smiling.
9. He is very kind and sweet to everyone he meets.
10. He is just an awesome kid!

So....

Happy Birthday, Ammon!

Life changing events going on here...

2010-05-27T21:38:00.000-07:00

First - I finished my paper! It was evaluated with a 3.5/4.0 - all done - 6 weeks ahead of schedule - I start my new class this Monday - 4 weeks ahead of schedule!

Second - Matt graduated!

Third, we were up all night on Graduation - for our high school's Grad Night 2010 celebration! We were voluteering, like we have been doing all year. This next year, Mike and I will be the Committee chairs for the whole Grad Night 2011! We are excited to do so - we had a great time - both with the graduated Seniors and with our new friends that we made.

Fourth, Matt is moving! My brother has offered him a job with a local construction crew (doing electrical work) in Alabama! Matt will be leaving here in the middle June to live there! He is excited to be moving out on his own (with his uncle's help) and to growing up!

We took a trip early this week. I will post where we went later....

The last paper is done!

2010-05-13T16:46:00.000-07:00

It is being edited as I write this. I should be able to submit it for grading tomorrow or Saturday! Now to finish helping get ready for the Grad Night 2010 party and to help pull it off this week.

Today was Matt's last day of school. He graduates Wednesday. 1 child down. 5 to go.

I got lots of beautiful things for Mother's Day. I got new jewelry (lots of it) from my youngest children and my mom and dad. Melina made me a cute purple polka dot bowl for my sewing table in her Art class. Matt took me our for dessert at his work.

Mike got me a new headboard and foot board for our bedroom! I will post pictures of it later (um, when I can locate the camera cord - Melina seems to have "borrowed" it and has yet to return it to my desk). he new headboard is important - our last headboard was bought almost 20 years ago - for only $99. And it has been through 4 moves and was on its last legs! I also re-arranged our room for the new headboard. And it looks wonderful! I moved the bed to a different wall and re-hung pictures and a new shelf.

So, now to finish my intern reading assignment, The 5th Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization by Peter M. Senge. I really am enjoying this book and have learned a new way to look at organizations and problem solving. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a job or is in school!

This has been a busy week - again....

2010-05-06T18:41:00.001-07:00

Things are moving right along. My 3rd paper was accepted and graded with another 100%. I have only 1 more paper - which I will start while my mom is having some corrective foot surgery tomorrow. This last paper is on Performance Evaluations. But I am not complaining - I am 7 weeks ahead of my semester being done and will be able to start my next semester 4 weeks early!

(This surgery will be her third, on this foot. This particular foot is having difficulty healing - and the second surgery was to remove a screw that would not stay in the bone - and you could feel the screw on the top of her foot! That was repaired, however, there seems to be exessive bone growth in that same area, so tomorrow that will be fixed. She has been such a trooper about this! And it is not her dr.'s fault, either - her foot is just having difficulty repairing and healing itself. Even her dr. is surprised about this healing.)

Along with that, I have been taking children to eye appointments, buying new clothes, sorting out old clothes and shoes, and making new ones. I also have been remodeling my bedroom - which is my Mother's Day gift from Mike. So, I will get pictures up on that soon too - somewhere, I know I have the time.

We are 13 days from Grad Night for Mathew's high school. Seeing Mike and I are on the committee, we have been helping non-stop. We do enjoy it! This weekend we I will be building and helping with set up - Mike and the younger boys will be at Father/Son campout. It seems that our ward (congregation for all my non-LDS friends & family) likes to plan these on the weekend of Mother's Day - every year!!!!!!

Here is what we did last weekend - we went to the the Gila Valley Temple open house.

This was Jacob's favorite thing - Moroni on the top of the temple! That was the first thing he looked for!

It was super windy and super sunny. But we had a wonderful time - being in the temple together and being outside. Matt was unable to come, as he had to work that day.

And this is what happens when you let your children have gummy worms on a 2-hour trip. And Melina gets bored. Somehow, just somehow, the gummy worms end up being put in noses.

Sewing, tests, papers

2010-04-26T16:34:00.001-07:00

That is my life right. Sewing for a little bit each day. Writing these papers for my Business Leadership class (2 down, 2 to go -but I have 1 paper almost finished). Testing.

I took the final for my Organizational Behavior and Management class today. I won't know how I did until later this week. But I studied, read, studied more, and read more. And took the practice test for it.

Sewing wise, I am about 1/3 of the way done with the embroidery work on Josie's jacket. I normally due this while watching TV. But with my papers and test, I have been doing that very much at all this last 2 weeks.

I made myself a newer skirt to wear this summer.

So, this skirt I recycled from a pair of jeans. The jeans were in good shape, just wearing out at 2 places on the inseam. They about 10 years old. So, I followed this tutorial, only I didn't do 4 panels, just the front and back. No hem, but I did double needle stitch, just above, so that it can fray. I also did NOT cut out the inseam, rather I unstitched it - which took about 15 minutes. That way it looks more lived in - something easy for summer days. It definitely is NOT a "where to church" skirt.

I think a trip to the thrift store is in need to find another pair of cheap jeans, to make a skirt with 4 panels!

Here is the whole outfit I wore the other day. I made the blouse I have on too! I made it from a woven pattern, but used a wonderful lime green knit. Turned out pretty cute!

I did finish most of Josie's new summer wardrobe. (now to catch her in the outfits. and remember to take pictures!). I only have 1 smocked dress to put together (smocking done over Christmas break), and a dress. And I have to fix a skirt I made her. Unbeknowst to me, the fabric is a ~~whole lot~~ bit see through. So, seeing it matches a blouse I made, I will just add another skirt underneath it, with the contrasting fabric.

I have picture of what we did Saturday...and they will be forth coming this week.

This week in our house....

2010-04-20T07:42:00.000-07:00

We celebrated our son turning 8! In our church, our children are not baptized until age 8 - the age of accountability.

Thus turning 8 in our home is a very cool and important thing!

Not only do we have a baptism, this is the time to party afterwards! Jacob had lots of friends over for his party - complete with hot dogs, chips, and soda!

Here are a few photos from his baptism...

before

after!

and from his party...which was western themed - he loves cowboys and horses!

His cowboy cake - made by his Nana and totally chocolate and gluten-free - just for him!

On the sewing front - things have been sewn - mostly a brand new wardrobe for Josie - the 4 year old...because she had no summer clothes...

so in the last week, I have sewn her 3 knit shirts (2 tshirts, 1 polo), 3 cotton tops, 3 new skirts, 2 pair of capris, and in the sewing queue is her new fancy dress (just waiting for hems and for me to finish the hand embroidery on the jacket), a new dress jumper, and another top. Pictures forth coming...

However, they are going a bit slower due to the fact that I have 1.5 papers to finish writing, a final exam next Monday, and a grad night (for the whole school) to finish helping to put together.

So...my schedule is this - study for exam this week (with some sewing) and make phone calls for grad night. Any intern work for Jim. And all my chores of being the mom - and the taxi.

Pattern Overload

2010-04-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered that I had 900 patterns.

And now I have only 750. (approximate figure here - it could be more because I just got more patterns in the mail and my husband bought me 2)

I gave away 100 to a thrift store.

I gave away 50 to some friends.

And I only had 2 duplicate patterns in my patterns. (thank you photgraphic memory!)

I recently re-organized my patterns - I own a pattern cabinet - by Simplicity - that JoAnn's was gettin rid of many years ago when they were remodeling several stores here in town.

It is now organized:

~ Pattern pieces and instructions are in 5x8 envelopes labeled with the letter of the company and the 4 digit number.
~Envelopes are stored in drawers according to manufactor right now - in numerical order, of course
~Pattern front envelopes are stored in clear plastic pages in notebooks, according to type (skirt, pants, etc).
~There is a notebook for men & boys, children, and then home decor/crafts, and costumes.

Yeah. I have a lot of patterns. The funny thing - I have sewn at least 1/2 of them at some time...

My new winter coat...

2010-03-29T09:33:00.000-07:00

So, instead of trying to come up with new projects to post about, I realized I have several items that I can share already.

I needed a new winter coat - beyond wearing my sweatshirt jacket that I ~~stole~~ confiscated from my 17 year old son last year.

So...I searched the stash...both patterns and fabric (corduroy with polyester lining)...

and here is what I choose...

Simplicity 2508

The front - which fits me much better than Suzanne...

The back...

The lining (which was not in my stash - I ended up buying it from Hancock's Fabrics - it is a polyester blend - which is starting to shred a little - not good...)

The buttons...(from JoAnn's with a coupon!)

It is actually quite warm - because it stops the wind - which is mostly what makes Arizona cold in the winter. In all, I think it cost me $12 to make...

Busy Week ahead...

2010-03-27T18:32:00.000-07:00

Legal meeting for our 17 year old son (um...he did something really stupid and is now having to fix it!)
Embroidery work on 25 handkerchiefs for a friend.
Computer certification exam on Thursday. Along with shopping and lunch out with my mom that day (I have to travel to Phoenix for the test.)
Start reading for business management and leadership class.
Sew 2 new green tops for myself.
Make bread - everyone likes my homemade bread better than the storebought stuff.
Work on laundry - again. This is the bane of my exsistance.

What I wear daily....

2010-03-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

Erica B posts today about what she wears daily. She sews about 90% of what she wears. I sew about 70% of what I wear daily.

Unfortunately, I don't also dress up daily. I have several reasons why:

I stay home almost every day - without leaving the house.
I homeschool 4 of my 6 children (the other 2 are in high school) - thus requiring much attention for science projects, art projects, and reading on the floor.
I work/intern from home.
I am finishing my BS in Health Informatics from WGU.
I only can walk/exercise at various times during the day - sometimes morning, or afternoon, or after dinner - it all depends on the children/school/work/errand/church schedule.
It's too cold right now to wear all my skirts!

During the summer (over 80 degrees) I tend to only wear skirts with matching knits shirts. With ballet flats or slip-on Keds.

During the winter (under 80 degrees), I wear blue jeans, yoga pants, or long skirts with 3/4 sleeves or long sleeve shirts.

I find it hard to wear fitted clothes without lyrca in them - because I spend my days on the floor, bending over to pick up many things, or snuggling with my children while I teach them.

I spend my afternoon/evenings sitting in my office/bedroom studying and/or working and/or researching for work. Which is much more comfortable in yoga pants, sweats, or long skirts!

I do dress up when I can - mostly on Sundays or date nights.

Neccessity overrides being stylish at home everyday. Everything I wear, sew, or buy is current - but comfortable for my lifestyle - which is being a mom to 6, a student, and an intern.

Birthday Girl!

2010-03-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

Me!!!!!

Today I am 37. Yep. 37. I don't think I am old enough to be 37. That would be like saying that I am middle age. I.do.not.think.so. I.am.not.that.old.
Anyway, instead of whining here about it, let me tell you about me birthday presents!

We went out to breakfast at Cracker Barrel with all the kids, my parents and my sister who is in town.
I got a gift certificate to a great sushi place from my sister!

I got a Bias tape maker! from my parents!

My younger children got me this sewing basket...only mine is better - it has a vintage print on it!

My older children got my Wii Fit Plus! More fun exercising - because I have almost unlocked all the games on Wii Fit!

My husband got me a beautiful red leather purse from Stone& Co with silver buckles!

And now I go to a friend's surprise birthday party - because she is turning 40 - and I am not!

Snow Day!

2010-03-06T16:13:00.000-07:00

It very rarely snows here in southern AZ. However, it does tend snow in the mountains that is about an hour away.

So we can see the snow-top mountains from our home. And everyday the kids ask to go up the mountain to play in the snow.

We had time today and Husband was home. So we went. We borrowed sleds from our neighbor and took some snacks and went up the mountain.

We had a blast! The kids had a small snowball fight, made a snowman, and sledded all up down the hills. Thanks to our neighbor, we had an off the way place with no one else there.

Here are the pictures from the snow-day.

And because this is my sewing blog...and I love to sew...this is the winter coat (yes, it does get cold enough for a coat from about Novemeber - February) that I made the 4 year old. I embroidered the cupcakes and used some leftover cupcake material for the facings and covered buttons. It is pink fleece. Just a basic coat pattern for a little girl.

Computers and sewing...

2010-02-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

those are the 2 things I love to do - and people often look at me strangely when they find this out.

So, with this new knowledge - this past Saturday I worked on our family computer and then sewed.

The family computer was bought about 6 years and was top of the line then. Since then...well...like cars - computers quickly become last year model.

And since I was having issues with it having some spyware, etc and being sluggish (think snail crawling, really)...I decided some repair and upgrading was in order.

But being the computer geek I am - I didn't buy a new computer. Rather I installed more RAM in the system, installed Window 7, and Office 2007 on it. I also installed my new laser printer (only because I print lots off the internet for home-schooling my children) and found only one problem...

our color ink-jet printer is so old that it won't work on Windows 7. Bummer - now I have to go buy a new color ink-jet.

On the positive side - my children love Windows 7. Office 2007 is taking them a little time to get used to - but after writing an essay, my 14yo daughter is starting to like how much easier it is.

Now, if I could only find a 64-bit version of Vista to install on my virtual PC on my laptop...

on the sewing side, I finished a new striped button-down shirt for my 9yo son for church - only to find out that the size 10 I cut needs to be a but larger - the shirt fits him...for now - but within the next 2 months, he needs a larger one.

I also finished a cute skirt for my 14yo daughter. Something new for church also, as she only wears skinny jeans to school.

Yesterday I made her a button-down shirt - pink plaid with sparkles - for school. She is in love with it. I used Burda 8-2009, blouse 104 for the shirt. It fit beautifully and she has now requested 2 more - in black and pink again.

Off to study more database design methodology! And sew more!

Let them eat cake!

2010-01-27T12:59:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, my 14 year old daughter "volunteered" her little sister, age 12, to make a cake for their church youth group game night.

My 12 year old loves baking and cooking. So she made her version of a candyland game board.

She did everything - from baking the cakes, frosting them, decorating them,including the piping, to designing the whole thing.

I think she did an awesome job!

Spring Cleaning...or rather Winter/New Year Cleaning...

2010-01-22T17:06:00.000-07:00

So, when one gets frustrated when looking for paperwork that one knows they put on the computer desk...near the filing cabinet...and it is found days later...in the 4 year old's room...

it's time to deep clean.

I love to organize. I love being neat. I love having everything in its place. However, most of my children rather put it the easist place possible...which is anywhere but where it belongs...which is normally the nearest horizontal place.

So...here is the list of rooms in our home...

front room
kitchen
kitchen eating area
library
school room
teenage girls' room (think super messy with clothes everywhere)
teenage boy room (he can do this himself as he is like me and doesn't keep clutter anywhere)
boys' room
little girl's room
master bedroom
2 bathrooms
hallway linen closets

What really bugs me about this:

99% of everything I put away, throw away, and put aside for donations is NOT MINE!

and...
I have to stop studying in order to accomplish this quickly, as I can no longer function in the clutter that is happening.

So today, we did:
*front room - movies, cds, under couches, behind piano, under tables

*kitchen - just the children's dish drawer and placemat drawers needed to be done - I am sort of super OCD about this room
*kitchen eating area - the hutch with all the silver and crystal was cleaned up
*library - bookshelves (all 15 feet of them) was staightened up (the mess was mostly the children's books again)
boys' room - this was just plain scary - only 1/2 a bag of trash, and they have limited toys, but still...

Tomorrow I plan on tackling:

*The super scary school room - which is where the 2nd computer is located right now. And that one deserves pictures it is so bad! I will be changing out the super big computer desk for a smaller one along with a bookshelf. This will only be temporary, until June.

[Eventually my teen son's room will be our computer study - he moves out in June - and this will be where all 3 computers (I am rebuilding another system for this children to use) - the filing cabinet and 2 printers will be located. (gee...do I sound like a computer geek? I am and proud of it!).]

*The even super scary teen girls' room - whoa - even thinking about it is a bit stressful - but it needs to be done. So, I think pictures might be in order also!

This week, I think I will be extremely grateful for Sunday.

However, Monday is another thing.

fo' KUS -

2010-01-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

The word I need almost everyday! With school work to be done - both mine and my children's, sewing to do, a house to run, and a family to raise, focusing can be a bit difficult at times.

So, starting today, I am making a daily to-do list - for my sanity.

And I think I almost got everything done on that list...

except my studying...

so...
time to focus...

2009...

2009-12-31T17:27:00.000-07:00

2009 has been wonderful for me - other than the 17 year old son who continues to try to test our patience beyond all capacity, all while having a driver's license.

This year I started school again.

This year I met my mentor and I am amazed how much easier my schooling and business life can be with him.

This year I got my first of many IT certifications! Totally excited and proud of myself for that!

This year, my husband made the E-8 list for promotion (think 1st Sgt).

This year, my 14 year old daughter recieved her Young Woman Recognition Award.. She has been working hard on it for 2 years!

This year, my husband bought me a new sewing/embroidery machine. Which I love. Which I use all the time. My poor other machine only gets used occasionally now.

This year my first child lost both his front teeth at the same time! He is the first child out of the 6 we have to have accomplished this!

This year, that same little boy learned to read - all on his own. He was tired of his bigger brother reading without him.

This year, my other little guy got his Wolf in Cub Scouts!

This year, I went on my first cruise. The cruise was nice. The people on the boat - not so much - especially they were drunk from before the cruise started until after they got off.

This year I have sewn more and more clothes for myself and my family. Which I really enjoy doing. I would give a count, but I don't keep count. I sew clothes as they are needed and wanted. But I did do something new - I made 2 coats - not fleece - for my 14 year old and myself.

This year I have only done alterations (the bane of my exsistance) for 3 people, beyond my family's needs. Thank goodness.

I have lots planned for 2010. First starting with a much needed vacation to visit with friends and my mentor. I also have a new wonderful sewing project to work on this spring. Which I will tell you about in 2 weeks...

I will post on my 2010 goals next year ;)

Christmas Break

2009-12-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

Christmas was wonderful. Nice and quiet with our parents and children. We spent the morning leisurally opening presents and eating breakfast (cinnamon rolls and gluten-free cinnamon rolls). We then spent the rest of the morning playing on our new Wii.

We went over to our parents' house (mine technically, my husband's parents died 3 years and 1 year ago respectively) for dinner and movies. We had a simple buffet and watched A Christmas Carol with the Muppets. Then we introduced the grandparents to the Wii.

The rest of this week will be spent putting away Christmas decorations in preparation for New Year's Day and for our trip out of town. I also will be sewing a little.

I finished all my Christmas sewing gifts. And everyone loved them!

I finished J2's Christmas dress - which is lovely - and she loves to pieces. This was an heirloom dress and will be saved for my granddaughters one day when she out grows it.

I also finished my winter coat last night! I wore it to church today - for some reason the heater always feels like the AC in the church building. I was warm and comfortable during church today.

I made a beautiful pink fleece coat for J2 also - she outgrew her 2 jackets within 2 weeks of each other. It is very cute with pictures to follow.

On my list for sewing this week is finding and readying a new dress to smock for J2. I am thinking something peach or blue. I haven't decided yet. I also have a new white blouse that I need to make for myself.

We are treating the children to a trip to California this next week. We will be staying and hanging out with friends of ours there! The kids are excited to go to the beach, the Zoo, and just hang with our friends (who have no kids and 2 Xboxs - need I say more?)

As the younger 4 are still home-schooled and our oldest daughter is a freshman in high school, we will take her out of school for the week. Our oldest has to stay here to work and do school work for his senior year.

Almost done and ready for Christmas!

2009-12-20T03:23:00.000-07:00

Whoo. I have been busy. And I am awake for some strange reason at 3:15 am.

I have finished J2's new dress. She has been in the need of new dresses, as most of her dresses may cover her bum - but then she moves - and then one gets a peep show of her panties.

I also made a turtleneck smaller through the side seams and cut the sleeves into 3/4 length, and lettuce hemmed the edges for A2.

I also worked on another project for a friend quickly. She needed names put on the new family stockings - this is important as they are a blended family and she wanted stockings that were all the same.

The 2nd party is all done. We served 200 people and everyone enjoyed it (so they keep telling me!).

I have my dh's shirt cut out and sitting in my basket. I also have my coat part way done. And I have a new white blouse and a new red wool skirt waiting to be sewn.

But, J2 needs a new coat - it appears that her coat from last year doesn't quite fit in the arm length any longer. So, I have some gray wool with pink/purple embroidered flowers already prewashed and dried along with purple lining to make a new coat - and I think I will make it one size larger so that it will fit next year too.

Christmas checklist - almost done! Again!

2009-12-15T18:39:00.000-07:00

~~Mom and Dad - new pillowcases~~

~~M1- new hoodie sweatshirt~~

~~M2 - new hoodie also~~

~~A1 - Robe~~

~~A2 - Robe~~

~~J1 - Robe~~

~~J2 - Robe~~

Husband - new black Cuban shirt

J (my sister) - something she can take with her....

~~Stocking stuffers - personalized pillowcases like I made my friend!~~

~~My client's dress~~ Wow! It took over an hour to cut and rehem the dress. Must have something to do with the 7 layers of tulle....

~~write another paper~~ - revised and waiting for pass notice....

and plan 1 christmas party on the 18th - planned and have shopping and to do waiting to do on Thursday/Friday

Oh - and I have to finish my coat! Still.

And I have 3 new classes starting in January - about 14 credits worth. CIW Database Specialist - more computer geek stuff, Organizational Behavior & Management, and Healthcare Eco Systems I....and my textbooks, used! will be about $200. Fortunately, 4 of them can be used for the fall semester.

Christmas checklist - almost done!

2009-12-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad - new pillowcases (hey - be surprised if you read this!)

~~M1- new hoodie sweatshirt~~

~~M2 - new hoodie also~~

~~A1 - new oriental blouse for church robe instead (so she quits walking out from the bathroom in a towel)~~

~~A2 - Robe~~

~~J1 - Robe~~

~~J2 - Robe~~

Husband - new black Cuban shirt

J (my sister) - no idea - she is deploying to Afghanistan before March

Stocking stuffers - personalized pillowcases like I made my friend!

My client's dress is almost done - the zipper and shoulders should be done next week and then I just have to hem the whole thing - nothing major - just 7 layers of tulle, 2 fabric layers and the netting for the petticoat.

~~and to revise my paper...~~ done & passed!

~~write another paper - only 5 pages this time~~ submitted and waiting for either revision or pass notice

and plan 2 christmas parties...on the 12th and then on the 18th

~~and help my mom sew 2 costumes for her and my dad for her party...~~

~~make 8 costumes for the Bethlehem Christmas party Sat night~~

Oh - and I have to finish my coat!

My to-do Christmas List...

2009-12-02T20:39:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad - new pillowcases (hey - be surprised if you read this!)

M1- new hoodie sweatshirt (he fell in love with the last one I made him - hmmm, maybe a picture is needed?)

M2 - new hoodie also

A1 - new oriental blouse for church

A2 - Robe (they will probably all be out of flannel or cotton - it isn't always cold enough for one here - but it does help to take the chill off when getting out of the bath!)

J1 - Robe

J2 - Robe

Husband - new black Cuban shirt

J (my sister) - new blouses

I also am going to make pillowcases like I made my friend!

My client's dress is almost done - the zipper and shoulders should be done next week and then I just have to hem the whole thing - nothing major - just 7 layers of tulle, 2 fabric layers and the netting for the petticoat.

So - off to sew...

and to revise my paper...

write another paper - only 5 pages this time...

and plan 2 christmas parties...

and help my mom sew 2 costumes for her and my dad for her party...

I love being busy for other people! Especially if I get to sew!

Oh - and I have to finish my coat!

It has been awhile, huh? Paper writing is not as easy as it was 14 years ago...

2009-11-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

I have a 15 page paper due at the end of this week and then a 7 page paper due by Dec 9th. So, writing those, home-schooling, Thanksgiving, my little sister's visit, and some sewing I have been super busy! I might have to go writing once per week and posting pictures of what I have sewed during the week.

But I have sewed all this during the last 3 weeks....(most of it in the last 5 days)
for my 14yo daughter - black corduroy coat with silky lining for our "cold" weather
5 pillowcases, with embroidered names, for Christmas presents for a friend
11 pillows for my Mom - some for Christmas and some to replace the formal living room pillows
5 tablecloths for my Mom (she is having a party this week)
9 new ornaments for my Mom (her family is all western and needed some new ornaments to match -they are made from matching pillow fabric)
2 new fleece exercise coats for my mom and I
the sleeves, collar, sleeve tabs, back tab, pockets, and pocket flaps for my new winter coat...

And I have things cut for Christmas presents - new shirt for my husband, 2 blouses for my sister, a new fleece coat for her (she asked), 10 pillowcase (with embroidered names) for my family and my parents, a new Christmas dress for my 4yo daughter, a new blouse for my 12 yo daughter, a new stuffed penguin for my 14yo daughter, and 2 new vests for my 9 and 7 yo sons. I don't know what to make my 17 yo son - any ideas?

Oh, and I have a client's dress to hem (formal dress with about a millon layers of netting) and the zipper is broken and needs to be replaced and moved as the dress is a little big in the upper back area.

Wow. When is Christmas again?

Halloween (AZ style)...

2009-11-07T15:33:00.000-07:00

It has been in the low 90's/high 80's for 2 weeks now. Very unusual. We have actually new weather records this past week because of the heat.

So, as normal, we didn't have to worry about anything under costumes, save for a sweatshirt.

So, here are my younger 5 (the oldest has a job and was working that night):

From left to right: Prince Caspian, Queen Lucy, and High King Peter (do you see the theme they came up with?)

And here are my new Charlie's Angels:

And while husband and I were going to dress up, we spent all day Saturday working on the kitchen - leaving us in a 'not wanting to dress up mode'...

As for candy? We have an all you can eat day the following day! Everyone is allowed as much candy they want all day, starting after breakfast. The next morning after that, all the remaining candy is given away to Nana - who stores it for treats in her home (except for the lollipops that I keep for shopping trips)...

And there is no extra candy to tempt me anywhere!

Ok...here is an actual sewing post! Church trousers for a child...

2009-11-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

So, in the midst of the bathroom leak, and the kitchen leak, and my son getting suspended, my 9 year old needed a pair of new trousers for church.

So, I bought some nice Khaki Chino from Fabrics.com and went to town...

the front:

close-up for the front waistband:

Close-up of the inside of the back waistband:

What you see there is buttonhole elastic. While I am still trying to lose weight (35 lbs left to go), my children are all extremely thin. My 9 year old has the leg length of a 9-10 year old, but has the waist of a 6 year old!

So, I normally cut his pants patterns (and my other 2 little ones) 1 size larger than they are in the waist, and then cut the length based on their inseam. However, because these are church trousers, and not worn everyday, I also add a 2 inch hem, which I cuff up.

So, I add a 2 buttonholes in the waistband facing, near the side seams, insert the elastic, and sew on 2 clear buttons to hold the elastic. This work much better than havin to see him winch his trousers tighter with his belt!

I have been doing this little trick on skirts, shorts, and trousers for my younger children for a couple of years.

I passed my A+ exams!!!!!

2009-11-02T17:35:00.001-07:00

I am now a certified A+ Technician and A+ certified for IT work.

Whew.

Suspension!

2009-10-30T16:16:00.000-07:00

My senior son was suspended from school (on assault charges) for 10 days!

He has a hearing before Nov 13, to determine if he can return to school.

Why?

Because he stood up for his younger sister, when another young man who has been bullying her since school started, started calling her a liar - right where was my son was standing.

What makes this worse - is that we go to church with this family. And this young man and my son have already been involved once before in something similar, because this same young man shoved another girl into the door extremely hard (thus hurting her) on his way (he was shoving everyone) to get to dessert that night at youth group.

I am not denying that my son did this - he and his sister told us right away what happened. However, given this young man's actions in the past (ugly things said to her and to her friends, hitting her in the face with his binder, zip-tying her backpack shut and to the desk)...

can we blame my son for responding the way he did?

We have decided that there is no punishment for him being suspended - as he was standing up to a bully in defense of his sister.

You know - he may not be the perfect child. As a matter of fact, he has been acting like quite a jerk lately, but he did what was right - when it was needed...

and that is what matter the most.

No sewing here...again...

2009-10-24T18:03:00.000-07:00

Mostly because my kitchen is non-exsistant - except for my stove and microwave.

We are using paper dishes, instead of doing dishes for 8 people, 3 times daily in the bathtub.

But - it was bad. We had to remove all the cabinets on the wall where the leak, which was in the celing near the water heater, all the drywall, all the insulation, and the obviously the countertop, dishwasher and sink.

We only have to replace the drywall and insulation. The cabinets only need the hardboard at the back of them replace. And all the wood holding the cabinets to the wall and floor.

Not too bad, moneywise...but the stress from going to one leak, to the next, combined with my A+ exams in not good. So, I won't be doing much sewing this week, while I study full time for my exams.

So...on to more studying...

More leaks...

2009-10-21T17:00:00.000-07:00

Sewing? Sewing? The only sewing going on here was for Halloween (thank you stitch witchery!) - with pictures coming at Halloween.

I did finish my Haiwian blouse (with no stitch witchery).

But leaks? Those seem to exist at random in our home.

The latest? The huge ~~leak~~ spray that was in the ceiling. In the kitchen. Above the water heater. That has been there for so long that there is wet insulation. Wet drywall. Wet everything.

I am cutting out a muslin to Simplicity 2508. I am cutting out the green jacket on the left front. I have decided which sleeve yet. So I will make it up with both the straight sleeve and the gather sleeve. Then I will decide.

I have several things to make while tweaking the coat. A dress and blouse for my mom. 2 new shirts for my A.

Oh. and a wall to fix.

Where have I been?

2009-10-15T12:57:00.000-07:00

At home. And not sewing.

We have fixed the leak, via our neighbor who is a contractor (and he would only charge me for parts!), re-tiled, re-grouted, caulked, sealed, re-drywalled, taped & mudded all seams, matching the texture as well as possible, primed, and am now finally painting the family room and bathroom!

I have managed to get the other sleeve on my Halloween Haiwaiin shirt (which is also a muslin for some other pretty fabric for the winter - note to self - add 2" to the length of the shirt) and I have tailored MD's new work pants (heaven forbid they be too baggy!). That is it sewing wise.

Fortunately, husband has been home to work on this - yesterday and today have been the only 2 days I have actually worked on this repair - otherwise I have been studying.

Oh - and repairing the wall where the cabinet fell off in my sewing room (we won't talk about how the previous owners were NOT very good at home improvement things)...and replaced the cabinets with some nice shelving. Which I like even better than the cabinet!

Sewing posts hopefully coming up in the next few days!

What I did today (and yesterday) and YES! it involved some sewing!

2009-10-05T18:48:00.000-07:00

I cooked more all day yesterday:

15lbs of ground beef
3 lbs ground sausage
1 ham (which we ate partly for dinner and froze enough for 2 more meals)
1 turkey breast
5 lbs round steak (now shredded)
5 lbs fish

Everything is now frozen in our new freezer (thank you Lowe's and their next day delivery!).

So then I sewed! 3 new knit shirts for my younger boys! Yeah!

And this afternoon, I had a client show up quickly with a bridesmaid dress for a wedding (she was an emergency substitution) to be altered before Wednesday! Almost done - all I have left to do is move the zipper some and then it will fit perfect!

So - I got to sew! Yea!!!!! Go me!

And now? I'm taking a break from studying...

and the "replacing the drywall and re-tiling project that has to be done now because of water damage"...

No sewing going on here - just cooking, cooking, cooking....

2009-10-03T20:43:00.000-07:00

Yep - nothing but cooking.

Our freezer is dying. We inherited it from my husband's father last year when he died. We really didn't realize how old it was until we starting adding the years together while on the way to buy a new one - it was almost 20 years old!

Anyway - I caught it tonight, as I went to get tortillas out for dinner tonight (bean burritos). 2/3 of my freezer was thawed! UGH!!!

Needless to say, with the help of 4 ice chests, very nice neighbors, and a little re-arranging of my 2nd freezer (hey, with 6 kids, what do you expect - this one is full of veggies, cheese, and pork), we were able to store most things.

Tonight, we went and bought a new freezer - from Lowe's! They offer free next day delivery with hauling away of the old freezer, plus they gave us a 10% discount on the price of the freezer because my husband was in his military uniform (he was coming home from work and didn't change so we could go and buy the freezer right then)!

The new freezer will be here tomorrow morning - and ready to add food hopefully by late tomorrow night - or Monday morning.

Tonight we cooked:
8 lbs of ground beef
12 chicken breasts
1 whole chicken
2 pizzas
4 stuffed baked potatoes
8 pork chops
2 steaks
2 hamburgers

and the ham is still in the roaster - it was only partially thawed - so it will be there through the night cooking.

They did eat the pizzas - and 1 of the steaks!

Tune into tomorrow for what we cook on Sunday!

Smocking!

2009-09-30T18:02:00.000-07:00

A friend from a chat board that I belong to is selling all her smocking things - pleater, patterns, plates, thread, etc...

And after talking with my husband - I am going to buy it from her!

I love smocking. I taught myself 2 years with my daughter's dress. But to have it pleated, I had to send it to a friend in San Diego, who owns a pleater!

I haven't done any more smocking because I don't like to impose like that - again.

So, soon, I will have my own pleater! I have a dress, a nightgown for me, and a blouse for me and daughter already planned in my head!

Cruise clothes, Part II

2009-09-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures from the cruise (that's the ship we were on above!)

This would be the capri pants and matching shirt I made. The shirt is not pink, but rather a baby red/white gingham check gauze. Nice to sew, however it does ravel a little - even at the seams. I added a white modestly panel as I don't like other people seeing my underthings (no matter how cute they are!) !

This was the new hawaiin shirt I made my husband. He loves it. I made it for this trip and while I was making it, he realized that I had enough fabric to make myself a matching shirt! So, for Halloween this year, we will be going as "tacky tourists" with matching shirts and everything!

And here is a cute picture of us in Mexico, trying to avoid all the flea market people. And our bright yellow tags don't identity us as tourists, at all, do they?

All in all, we had a great time. It was a nice early anniversary trip for ourselves. We spent all the time together and then also with our friends from my husband's work. (they were not allowed to talk shop at all!) We were able to pretend that we were a couple again, with no children for 5 days! However, as soon as we started shopping in Mexico, guess what I did?

Yep! Bought presents for my 6 children, my mom and dad.

And none for me!

My 6 children -

2009-09-26T10:36:00.000-07:00

People always ask me 3 questions about my children:

1) You have 6 kids?! (yep, that's what I said)
2) Are they all yours (DUH! of course they are all mine!)
3) I can't imagine having 6 children! You do know what causes that, right? (yea, we finally figured it out and bought a TV to keep us busy at night ;) )

I love being the mom of 6 - they keep me busy, on my toes and laughing for the most part. There are always interesting conversations at dinner and after school - between 3 teens and 3 younger ones, it can be quite confusing at times.

Here I am always talking about my 6 children, but not always posting pictures of all of them...so here they are:

MD

MM

AM

AP

JT

and last but not least, JP

That's all of them - all 6! They make my life fun and complete!

My sewing to-do-list...

2009-09-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

My sewing to-do list seems never-ending, but by my choice. So far, in the last week I have finished a matching sundress (it matches mine) for JP (4yo), a knit t-shirt (pictures forth coming when I download the camera) for JT (7yo), and a denim mini-skirt (pictures not yet taken) for MM (14yo).

And sitting and waiting for a waistband, belt carriers, and hem/cuff is AP's (9yo) new church trousers! I will finish all but the waistband completely, as I am waiting for buttonhole elastic. Seeing that most of my children are super thin (hmm...wonder what my problem is?) but have long legs and crotch lengths, I often sew their size, and the put in this type of adjustable elastic. Then they can adjust the waist to their liking.

I also have a pair of khaki trousers to finish for AM (12yo) also. I have several other things cut - some are put away until winter, and others I have put away until my mom wants them sewn up.

I have a shirt to make my husband for his birthday - a very nice black cuban style shirt with pintucks and embroidery - his favorite type of shirts.

The rest of my list are clothing that needs to be made: jackets for our slightly cold winter, jeans for JP, oj bottoms for most, some new blouses for me for winter, and also in line are new bags that my mom and I plan on doing together.

So, no pictures today - maybe tomorrow or Sunday!

Little girl vintage (or my daughter who loves poufy skirts!)

2009-09-22T12:26:00.000-07:00

I love sewing vintage! I find that the patterns are well put together, the directions are simple (often only 1 page, not 4-5) and that the styles are perfect for those of us with an hourglass figure.

I also love sewing vintage for my daughters. They have all been blessed with an hourglass figure - and they each love to wear beautiful clothes in their own way.

I recently made JT this new dress: Simplicity 4158 from the 50/60's.

My pattern is a size 3 - which is still a little big on her! I took up the 4" hem and it still comes to her knees - not above them!

My son, MD, choose this fabric - found at JoAnn's. It is a cotton muslin with pintucks sewn on the diagonal. I lined it with ecru bastiste from Hancock's Fabrics. The skirt is puffy because 1) she loves puffy skirts! and 2) I used netting on the skirt lining to create a permnanent petticoat!

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This is the apron/pinafore (don't laugh, but I found the fabric in the $2 section of Wal-Mart! it's just a cotton/poly blend) - it comes apart into 2 pieces. I covered my own buttons, as the fabric is quite busy and I could not find anything I liked to go with it! There are, count'em, 10 buttons alone, on the pinafore, along with 11 buttonholes! (thank heaven for my automatic buttonholer on my Brother sewing machine!)

Here is the dress without the top of the pinafore/apron. And one more just because my mom takes great pictures (she used to do this all the time - and is startin to get back into it - don't they look better than mine?):

The Birthday Dress and the Birthday Blouse...

2009-09-16T17:43:00.000-07:00

My youngest, JP, turned 4 last month. And as most 4 year old girls go, she is into princesses and the like. So I took a pink t-shirt from the dollar store, 1 yard of disney princess material, a little embroidery from my sewing machine (and the princess card) and voila! A princess dress for my princess:

I embroidered a castle on the front of the shirt

and made it slightly longer so that she can wear it next year also.

And finally - here is the birthday white blouse I made for my sister, being modeled by Suzanne (the mannequin) as my sister lives on the East Coast:

While it bothers me that the fabric is "slightly" see-thru, she loves it! I was all worried, but it was exactly what she wanted (and she has now commissioned a purple and a black blouse with 3/4 sleeves for the winter!). Fortunately, she won't be here until Thanksgiving, so I can get all my schoolwork done and then sew her blouses!

Not much sewing at the moment - I have to take my A+ examinations by October 5th, so I actually am spending my sewing time studying and reading for the next several weeks.

Sewing for older children

2009-09-15T22:39:00.000-07:00

I have been sewing for my children (all 6 of them!) since my daughter, MM, was born. Her brother MD, was 3.

Anyway, they are now 17 (MD – the boy) and 14 (MM – the girl). There are 2 more girls, AM who is 12, and JP who is 4; there are then the 2 little boys – AP who is 9 and JT who is 7.

So, the standard questions I get about sewing for my older children are:

What do you sew for them?
and
How do you get them to wear it?

What do I sew for them? Everything!

My daughters enjoy me making their dresses, skirts, shirts, and pants. I don’t sew everything – sometimes it is a much better deal to buy something rather than sew it. However, I do know that most high-end things they want, I can replicate. Here is my process:

1. Window shop! My daughters and I go window shopping with our cell phone cameras and notebook in hand. We take notes, sketches, and sometimes, pictures. I write down type of fabric, colors, and key designs.

2. Home to dig through patterns that have similar features that can then be re-designed into the look they are looking for or to the store to purchase a new pattern.

~ Patterns for older children are a completely different thing. I use misses patterns for MM – because they have bust darts and such in them – something she likes (and needs now). I often will make a muslin for her – to correct the shoulder, bust and waist, and overall length (she has a long torso). She often designs her own clothes, giving me the drawing of what she wants based on what she has seen lately.

~ I also use misses patterns at times for my 12 year old, AM. She loves very simple, classic lines for her skirts and dresses – things that are definitely hard to find in girls’ patterns! (why the big 4 pattern companies think that my 12yo wants to dress like my 4yo is beyond me!) I will cut the pattern to either her waist or bust and then make my corrections from there on the muslin. I often save her muslins, as she tends to like the same patterns used again and again.

3. Once patterns are decided on, then we shop for fabric and notions! We always start at home with my fabric stash. Each child has their own bin of fabric – pieces that they have chosen over the last year. I also allow them (to a point) to look in my other bins (all 18 of them, and yes, they are all organized according to content – no comments today about being anal please – we will leave that for another discussion, ok?). Otherwise, we go shopping for the fabric they are looking for. I very rarely buy any fabric without them anymore (lesson learned the hard way – that bit of fabric became a dress for JP instead).

4. Once fabric and notions are in hand, they wash/dry their fabric and then help either with cutting out or with the younger children while I cut out fabric. I make sure to have current measurements and then start sewing.

How to get them to wear what I sew: I only sew things they want!

I don’t sew as much for them as I did when they were little (I still sew about 75% of my JP, the 4yo’s, wardrobe), but the things I do sew are things that they want and need. By allowing them to have control over pattern, design, fabric, and colors, they love the things I sew for them. At the moment, I have a blue jean mini-skirt cut and ready to sew this week for MM – because she couldn’t stand to spend $30 for one when she knew that the pattern only takes 1 yard for $10 plus the zipper for $1.75. She gladly bought the yard of denim and the zipper!

In the last 2 months, I have made for both girls: black leggings, 2 church dresses, 1 new knit shirt, and 1 new mini-skirt. They have a few more things that they want – new jackets for the winter and some longer sleeve shirts (plus the mini-skirt).

Sewing for my 17yo son, MD, is slightly different. He has a very distinct style (t-shirts and jeans). However, he does like the dress shirts and vests that I make him for church. He prefers me to make them at times because they are more fitted than what he can buy in the store.

So, to recap sewing for older children:

~Let them choose – everything! Style, pattern, fabric, color, and notions!

~Take your time sewing for them! While I can quickly sew, I take time and use all my skills to make my older children’s’ clothes. I want them to be impressed and proud of their couture clothing, which is exactly what I am making! They have learned to appreciate good fabric, good seams, and good techniques – which often leads them coming back for more!

Re-using shirts for little ones

2009-09-04T10:39:00.000-07:00

One of the things that I have learned with having 6 children is how to reuse things. Recently, my husband got a yellow stain on his white polo shirt - right in the middle of his chest...thus rendering it inwearable (at least by my standards).

So, I turned it into a much needed white shirt for my now 4-year-old daughter.

And I took photos, too!

This is the shirt cut out (a Jalie pattern)

What was left over from the original shirt

The finished shirt! (before I ironed it)

Parting shot -

The smocked dress 18 months later...it still fits everywhere - just a little shorter. In case you were wondering - my 4-year-old is 28 pounds and wears a RTW 3/4 in length, but a 2 in her waist and chest.

Something else I made several months ago...

2009-09-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

So, I do have some new pictures on the camera to upload. But, somehow, between helping my mom and dad with their house (they are getting ready to sell) and studying and teaching school to my 4 home-educated children, and then helping my 2 teens with their homework each day...the camera is like the last thing I think of needing to do something with.

These 2 sweet mandarin collar dresses I made for my oldest and youngest daughters last fall. The little princess wasn't too fond of the black and red, however she quickly fell in love with the satiny feel of the fabric!

I used red piping and handsewed the frogs on. The girls still wear them - although less this summer, as the dresses don't breath too well in 100°+ weather that we have here in Arizona.

So...now back to our regularly scheduled CompTIA A+ studying!

Cruise clothes....

2009-08-25T17:43:00.000-07:00

I made this blouse: Simplicity 2619 I made the blouse out a lightweight gauzy, red gingham check (small so I didn't have to match too much). I am also going to make the capri pants in a white stretch cotton blend.

And this shirt for my husband: McCalls 4399 It is a lovely Haiwiian print - red with yellows, blacks, and tans. But no obnoxious looking flowers.

I am making these cargo shorts right now: Simplicity 3891 They are made from a stretch denim - something he wants to try. I have the front fly done, the front pockets (though I have to go back & fix them so the belt goes through them) and I have made the back pockets. I haven't attached them, but I have made them!

All I have left for the cruise is this dress: Simplicity 3823

I plan on making View E (the red dress). I will wear it over a white t-shirt as to be modest. I am using a white and light blue cotton print.

There are no pictures because husband is out of town this week. He will return on Friday - so maybe some then. I don't think he would like me posting a picture of his shirt on Suzanne, the sewing mannequin!

More A+ certification studying than sewing right now...

2009-08-20T17:03:00.000-07:00

which is really sad, because I have 1 pair of shorts and a new shirt to make my husband for our cruise next month. I also have a pair of capris, a new blouse, and a new sundress to make for our cruise too!

However, my A+ certification is quickly approaching and this week with dh at home all week, I have been studying more and repainting my little guys' bedroom.

So - back to more computer technology! Sewing - next week - dh will be out of town and I will be able to sew at night.

Have you tried sewing with little kids around?

2009-08-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

And no teenagers around to help? Wow - I didn't realize how much time and effort my older children put in to helping with my younger children at times. I don't ask them to care for them as parents, but rather they play, read, and do puzzles and games, and take them outside to play for me!

As parents, we help them do all the other stuff - chores, getting dressed, helping with laundry, etc. But seriously - I haven't had kjust 3 littles under 9 since my oldest was 5 (and then they were 5, 2, and newborn!). I am seriously out of practice with just having littles around!

So, I have only done 2 things - worked on the secret princess dress for my almost 4 year-old daughter; and I have been working on my mom's new dress. It is almost done - it is sitting beside me, waiting for me to finish hand-stitching the armhole facings and neck facing - I finished the hem earlier.

I also realized how little time I have had to have to study! I have only managed to get in about 1 hour per day - including today! My other teens (17 & 14) who are still here this weekend (my 12 year-old went on 4 day trip with my mom)...have wanted my attention all day! They always have so much to tell me about their week in school - they come home each day, eat snack, do homework, and then have dinner, do more homework and go to bed early - because their first class is at 6:20am! So they have been visiting and talking with me all day.

I enjoy it - but still....

I promise - I do have pictures - of my new blue blouse, my sister's birthday blouse, and my younger daughter's vintage dress and pinafore I have finished. Maybe tomorrow I can upload them????/

Lots of sewing going on. Pictures? Not so much.

2009-08-12T17:42:00.000-07:00

And so is several other things - a new blue 1950's blouse for me; a new teal church dress for dd#2; a new chiffon blouse for my mother; a new chiffon blouse for dd#1; a brown/white polka dot dress that I made into a skirt for my mother; a skirt to wear over my swimsuit for our cruise; and a quilt block for a dear friend who husband recently died.

I have pictures of the birthday blouse. I haven't worn the new blouse yet (I will tomorrow though!) and I forgot to get pictures of the things I made my mother.

I will post pictures of my sister's blouse tomorrow, with explainations too! And of my new blue blouse.

Do I sew lots? Yep - all the time. I am either studying for my A+ certifications for IT technician and essentials exams (I am currently finishing my BS in Health Informatics); home-educating my younger 4 children; helping my older 2 children in high school with their homework; or doing typical mom stuff.

I try to sew every day for 1 hour, or more if I can. I seriously have no other hobbies - although I do play piano, read, and serve within our church.

Today I have also been working on birthday invites for dd#3 - who will be turning 4 soon! This is good and bad - bad because she is our baby, but good because each day she becomes more independent!

Blue Flowered swimsuit

2009-08-07T17:32:00.000-07:00

I love sewing swimsuits! They are fun, easy and a nice way to practice sewing with stretch fabric!

I made this suit for my daughter #2. Because we live in southern Arizona, our summers start around May and end about late Sept (those there have been years when April is way hot and so is October!).

I tend to buy fabric out of season, and such was the case with this blue floral lycra (I think I picked up 2 yds for $5). I underlined each piece with some lightweight blue lycra due to the fact that the blue floral fabric was see through when wet (that would have been scary, huh?).

This is a Kwik-Sew pattern that I have had around for several years. It takes just under 1 yd for the girl size 10. It also sewed together fairly quickly, with most time spent zig-zagging the elasic in all 5 areas, and they turning each area down and more zig-zag stitching!

It has lasted her all summer - I made this in late May, here it is August, and she is still wearing it - and we swim every other day!

And yes, we are still swimming. Today it was 105°.

Finishing the finale touches on my sister's new blouse

2009-08-05T16:40:00.001-07:00

My little sister (well, she isn't too young - she is almost 29!) loves simple clothes. So, for her birthday I am making her a white blouse. Very simple - just white cotton poly broadcloth. Simple buttons. French seams, bust darts, princess darts, etc.

After I finishing handstitching the collar down and sew on the buttons, I will post a picture of it on the mannequin - I think my girls named her Suzanne.

I might make her another cute blouse, too, seeing that her birthday isn't until the end of the month.

Silk blouse for me!

2009-08-03T12:50:00.000-07:00

This is my new duponi silk blouse. The color is about right - it is not quite an off-white, but not quite a pale yellow; it's somewhere inbetween the two.

I washed the silk and then air-dried it. This changed the feel and look of the silk - making it softer and much "nubbier"; something I was not expecting, but I really enjoy.

I used this Simplicity 2758 for this blouse. I loved the ease of it - plus the fact that I could choose the bust size to make - meaning I didn't have to make a FBA for it!

I added underarm shields because it is terribly hot here and everyone sweats - no matter what deodrant you wear!

I changed up the buttons and added them in groups of two for interest - something that is noticed everytime I wear this blouse!

Mending, mending, mending...

2009-08-01T20:19:00.000-07:00

Well, after finishing my studying last night, I did some much needed mending. Mostly because the mending basket was larger than my to sew basket. Sigh. (with 6 kids, I think my mending basket is always bigger)

So, I mended. And mended more. By the time I went to bed I had finished mending or altering:
3 skirts (new zipper in 1, new hemline in the 2nd, and smaller waistline :) in #3)
1 tankini top and bottom for dd #1 (made smaller in back and neckstrap and adjust belt on bottoms)
1 pair of exercise capris (mine again - made smaller all throughout!:))

And then I remembered I needed to embroider a few things.

So I embroidered (I own a Brother Innovis 900D):
Ariel (dd#1 new shirt)
Jasmine and Aladdin (dd#3 new shirt)
Floral design for a memory quilt for a friend who recently lost her husband (a group of us are making her a quilt with each block made by one of us)

I still have to re-fit dd #1 dress - I took the seams apart to make it larger in the chest (smart mom that I am, she was so small in that area, that I left 1" seams to make it larger later - which I am now doing tomorrow).

This week I plan on starting on a new blouse for my sister's birthday - just a plain white blouse - that's what she likes!

And then I will be cutting out some new dresses for dd#2 and a home decor item for my family room...

and still studying....

A new dress for Daughter #1

2009-07-28T20:56:00.000-07:00

Daughter #1 wanted (and needed) a new dress for church. So, she went through the Burda magazine from June 2009 (dress 128) and found this dress.

So, after tracing, cutting fabric, and trying to figure out for the life of me why it wouldn't go together...I realized I had missed a whole part of the dress bodice.

So, mistake corrected, bodice piece cut out - and - she had a new dress!

Doesn't she look happy? She chose the fabric - an orange and white small gingham with white bastiste for lining (she hates wearing slips so I tend to line all her dresses and skirts!).

This was the second thing I have made from the Burda WOF magazine and I do love their patterns! So do my children!

Most Prettiest!

2009-07-25T18:09:00.000-07:00

I won!

There were 6 categories, plus Best of Show. I won Most Prettiest! I won a $50 gift card plus free entry ($25) into next year's competition/convention!

without further ado.....

the back of the apron (from either side)

front of apron and then the detail of beading on 1 of the panels

This apron was a fabric panel that I could do anything with. I felt that it would be perfect for a hostess apron. My grandmother used to have these elaborate, but never wear while actually cooking/cleaning, aprons. She would take off her dirty apron and wear one of the elaborate aprons for when she had dinner parties or other guests over.

I beaded 5 of the 6 18" panels over a layer of cystal organza, in various colors. I cut away the center of each flower after beading each center. I lined it with a cotton and then used the 6th panel to make the waistband, waistband lining, and covered the buttons with it also.

I cut each panel to reflect the flower petals and then appliqued the edges with off white thread.

The sewing part only took 1 day. The beading took about 6 weeks - working at nights while watching tv.

We had an ice cream party tonight to celebrate!

Whew! All done!!!

2009-07-23T22:59:00.001-07:00

I finished the vintage apron for the sewing competition tonight. All I have to do is iron it tomorrow.

I will take pitctures of it when it is on my mannequin (Susan is her name) tomorrow. After I have enrolled DS1 and DD1 in high school tomorrow. And did the grocery shopping.

Why am I so busy?

2009-07-16T21:14:00.000-07:00

probably because I have started back at school to finish my BS in Health Informatics! So right now I am concentrating on studying for the CompTIA A+ certification exams in both IT Tech and Networks.

After that I slide into the healthcare management part of my degree work. I decided to do the hardest classes first - which turned out to only be 2 - the CompTIA A+ certifications!

The other reason I am so busy is that I have been trying to finishing an sewing art project. I have entered a sewing convention contest that gave me a fabric panel, which I can do anything with, and I have been turning it into a vintage dinner apron. I have been beading this project for several weeks now and seeing the convention in on the 25th....

More later - after the apron is done!

The start of previous sewing projects.

2009-07-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

I know that I don't sew projects. I sew clothes. Clothes for me; clothes for my 3 daughters (ages 14, 12, and almost 4); clothes for me 3 sons (ages 17, 9, and 7) clothes for my husband; clothes for my mom; clothes for my dad (on occasion) and sometimes I get to even make clothes for others.

I do make home projects at times; you know, things like pillows, curtains, blankets, embroidered kitchen towels, the like. I also sew accessories at times for my daughters and myself.

But mostly I sew clothes.

Here is a dress I made when the youngest daughter was 2 1/2. This was Vogue 7435. I used view A. It was cut to be a 3. (It still fits her - it is just shorter on her now - can you see how petite she is?).

It was first attempt at smocking and I think I did rather well. A few lines are not completely straight on my embroidery, and to this day I am not sure why. A friend from California pleated the dress front for me. I made my own piping to match and the buttons were vintage flower buttons my mom had in her stash!

PS - don't even pay attention to the dates on my photos! This was from our previous camera and every time the batteries would start to die, the dates would be all messed up! How do I know this for certain? Because this daughter was born until 2005!

There is more coming!

2009-07-08T16:14:00.000-07:00

I have more to share...

with bad pictures (time to have Mom teach me how to take better pictures!)

My Sewing Blog

2009-07-02T20:20:00.001-07:00

I love to sew and create clothes for everyone. Here I will share everything I know and create.