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Jason sanded & painted this rocking chair for Ivory. I made the seat cushion. I'd say it's a success!

Christmas Celebrations

Recent Project

Found this shirt at Target for $1 & just couldn't resist! Spruced it up with applique from leftover fabric remnants of the overnight bag I made for my sister.

Also super busy with many other secret Christmas projects!

Santa Suit

Ivory doesn't even have a clue who Santa is, but doesn't she look cute in his suit?

First Parade + Christmas Baking

What's kept me busy & away from my sewing machine the last 3 days:

Goodies for neighbors & friends. I tried my hand out this delicious cinnamon honey butter I discovered on one of my favorite blogs. And then, being the over-achiever that I am, couldn't just give it to the handful of people I planned to, but more like 15 + rolls to go with it. Then, I ran out of containers & supplies for more cinnamon honey butter but still wanted to complete my list so I made goodies such as these:
Basically a take on buckeyes converted into Reese's-sorta-look-a-likes. This batch was for one of our church secertaries who likes them so much she asked if she could pay me to make more for today when her relatives came. I bartered for free babysitting instead.

And this is what kept Ivory occupied for some of the time I was creating above treats:

She loves "reading" & is quite entertained by it. I love hearing her read anything she comes across, t-shirts, signs, numbers, labels, books, posters, etc. She "reads" quite well.

Ivory was absolutely *precious* when we delivered the goodies. She was politely entertained & well behaved at each stop & said good-bye & blew good-bye kisses quite appropriately. Very proud Mom moments!

Tonight was Ivory's first parade and she was completely enthralled:

It's rather cold for us Southern folk so Ivory sported my gloves for a little while.

Ivory was showered with goodies.

Maybe 1/10th the candy she actually received (she doesn't even eat candy) & 1 of the 3 stuffed animals she was given.

We gave her the very first sucker tonight.

Savoring

She really took maybe 5 licks & then was finished. Fine by me!

Check it out, Colonel Sanders was in our parade...on a scooter...behind the dune buggies & motorcycles but before the the tractor, lawn mower & tiny cars.

Small Town Parade - Take 1

Take 2

Please excuse the poor lighting--it's just to get that hometown-parade feeling.

There was a Sunday School Christmas party for young families following the parade. Here the kids are bartering with their parade treasures. Ivory just walked around taking a little from each pile (don't worry, she gave it back).

Well, now that Ivory's in bed & Jason's enjoying marshmallows at the party bonfire I better scram & make some progress on my many unfinished projects & finish wrapping gifts!

align="center">Here's wishing you and your family joy this holiday season as you reflect on the incredible gift of Jesus Christ our Savior when he came as a baby. And can I just tell you how much I love teaching Ivory about baby Jesus & reading her the new nativity story board book we bought her?! So fun to tell your child Bible stories for the first time. It's definitely something worth savoring.

Christmas Dress

The girl makes the dress--wouldn't you agree?

Gymnastics with Daddy

We watched her do this in her crib the other night before going to sleep...let's hope she doesn't tumble all the way out one night!

Sunday Happenings

Ivory dressed in her Christmas attire & ready for church.


Sporting her jacket passed down from cousin Bella.

It's always a treat to watch our preschoolers sing.

The kids did a great job with their Christmas program!


Ivory was enthralled...most of the time. She found the peppy songs most entertaining but wasn't too into the talking scenes.

Dressed with an international flair for our Lottie Moon Christmas Banquet Sunday evening. Ivory is sporting a dress Aunt Debi bought in China for Bella. Debi bought me the shirt on her China adventure and I bought the tie for Jason on my China adventure!

Night Out

Yesterday afternoon Jason & I enjoyed an entire afternoon/evening together! We went to 2 fabric store (props to Jason) & then headed to an outdoor shopping mall to spend the afternoon browsing stores & wandering aimlessly. Why we chose the outdoor mall is beyond me--it was freezing! Oh well, it made it feel more "Christmasy" & presented a perfect opportunity for a peppermint white chocolate mocha. We were also just glad to not be dealing with diapers, stroller, diaper bag, whining...etc. We were able to spend the afternoon worry free knowing Ivory was with her beloved "Ca" (Cassie), Mrs. Robin & Brother Mike. We also knew there was no way she'd starve as she eats constantly when at their house (this visit included 2 pieces of pizza, a large helping of ham, broccoli, smoothie, crackers, and a few other small snacks--and yes, she ate lunch before going over there!). There's something about their house that brings out the hunger bug in my child.

Target is one of my all time favorite places to shop, besides having fabulous diapers, great two pieces & a wonderful $1/$2.50 section, they also have incredible customer service & very speedy check-out (as opposed to our extremely slow, yet very affordable, Super Wal Mart--I must always be on guard for my Christian testimony is always on the line when I shop there). We managed to pick up a few stocking stuffers for Ivory's stocking and discovered skidders at Target:

Moms out there can appreciate why these shoes are so amazing. I love that they're machine washable, sock is attatched, easy to put on, very durable yet flexible soles, and they're only $12 at Target! I struggled between this style & this one:

But since I will mainly use these for long car rides & play shoes, I decided white probably wasn't the best option. And brown will look cute with most of her play outfits & jeans.

We managed to snap a few self-portraits in front of the Christmas tree in the outdoor shopping center.

Some sweet girls walking by offered to snap some pictures for us.

We ended the evening with a nice, quiet (no family section for us!) dinner at Olive Garden where we used the gift certificate a Sunday School class at our church generously bestowed on us during Pastor Appreciation month back in October. We even treated ourselves to alfredo dipping sauce--delish!

And I haven't even shared the icing on the cake yet--Saturday morning my sweet husband got up with Ivory, fed her breakfast, took her to the church with him while he worked, brought her home tired & ready for a nap. For me this mean sleeping in (until 9!), a quiet shower, time to get ready, and even a little time to sew before she woke at 11:30. So basically I had the entire day off! Can we say amazing?! Now I feel re-charged and ready for another week with my precious little screamer! No, she really is a joy & a true delight that I treasure every single day.

Hope your weekend was great, too--though I know it can't beat mine since I spent it with the most amazing man on earth. ;-)

Christmas Sewing Projects

I've also been working on a few other projects that must remain a secret for now.

I did make a stocking for Ivory, but I'm just not quite finished with it yet and want to wait to post pictures until I can add some finishing touches. I am going to buy fabric (hopefully today!) to make Jason a stocking, too! Until now I was the only one in the family with a handcrafted stocking (my mom did hours of cross stitch and gave it to me for my first Christmas). I love having a special, handmade stocking and want to give that same gift to my family.

I'm loving being home and able to sew again--o how I missed it! I miss the business of going and doing, and Ivory does to (that girl *loves* to go!), but I enjoy having the extra time to sew. We're still busy at church with Bible Drill, Christmas gatherings, youth stuff, etc. I've had dr. appointments for baby 1 & 2 and unpacking joys, but things are still slower then they were. With the Bible Drill Weekend over (which was so amazing!) I'm able to focus more on family, home, and Christmas sewing projects. I'm excited to be making some gifts from hand to give to family and hope they enjoy them as much as I've enjoyed making them! I love finding creative ways to re-use things I have or fabric people give me.

Speaking of sewing projects...Ivory's napping & Jason and I are going on a date this afternoon! Sooo, I better run and get ready myself for the date & get in a few more minutes of sewing before she wakes & we leave!

Rainy Day Play

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

I've also been busy with some Christmas dresses for the little miss--pictures soon to come!

Thanksgiving Take 2

Lies Young Women Believe

I'm loving this blog: Lies Young Women Believe.

While I haven't read every article, the ones I have read are fantastic. A fabulous resource if you have teenagers or work with teenagers. This week she's highlighted articles about the Twilight series and I found her perspective to be very interesting and informative. I'd definitely encourage you to check out this blog!

Happy Thanksgiving

Hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving with family/friends! We were blessed with a wonderful day, even if we did miss our Eby family this year. I was too busy visiting and cooking to snap any pictures, but as soon as my sister Sherri or Aunt Nancy sends pictures I'll post them! Each year we divy up cooking responsibilities so no one person is overwhelmed with cooking the entire meal--which is so wonderful! We actually get to enjoy being with each other free from stress. My responsiblities this year was rolls & mashed potatoes (as usual) and added to this list dressing & gravy--which I've never made before. I decided to go with my mother-in-laws recipe since her dressing is the only kind I've ever eaten and liked. It actually went really well! I thought it tasted great and everyone agreed! The gravy didn't turn out super flavorful and I had to cheat by adding quite a bit of cornstarch to thicken it, but it wasn't bad for my first experience. I feel rather accomplished! Next year I should probably try making a turkey so I'll know how, but it's really okay with me if I never do. Sherri made several delicious dishes and did an amazing job washing dishes all morning so there wasn't too much of a mess after dinner, though of course she cleaned up that, too! I managed not to get sick this morning (hallelujah!) and fought my nasuea valiantly to complete my responsibilities. For those interested (namely Debi) the menu included the following delish dishes:

• Assortment of appetizers
• Smoked turkey breasts & gravy
• Dressing
• Glazed ham
• Mashed potatoes
• Sweet potato casserole
• Baked beans
• Corn
• Cranberries
• Cranberry sauce
• Jello mold
• Rolls
• Pumpkin pie & whip cream
• Peach cobbler & vanilla ice cream
• Sweet tea, pepsi, sparkling cider

I love Thanksgiving with my family! And tomorrow we get to do it all over again with my husband's family! Yay! I'm making maccaroni & cheese for this meal. Hope your day was as wonderful & blessed as ours!

Day 25

25) Mild Morning Sickness (25

Though this morning was my first throw-up morning sickness morning, I realize that's extremely mild for many. I am grateful that I have had mild nasuea this pregnancy. It is my constant friend and reminder of the little one growing inside me, but not too constant to prevent me from eating and only once really affected my daily routine. For all this I am grateful and say, praise Jesus!

Day 24

24) Haircut (24

It's really not much more then a trim & a slightly new style of layers, but I just love that feeling of a fresh cut. I went to a new place on a total whim and perchanced on a sweet and good beautician. Yay for unexpected haircuts & God's provision!

Day 23

23) Ivory's Pediatrician (23

I'm grateful for a kind and understanding pediatrician. She is respectful of my opinions even when different from the mainstream medical persepective. She's extremely supportive of nursing mothers and even has a lactation consultant part time in her office. Ivory loves her! She's very calm whenever the doctor comes in to look at her, I think it's her soothing voice and middle eastern accent. Some days I think I just *have* to find another pediatrician because I can't stand waiting so long, but then, on days like today where the wait was approximately 15 minutes and we had such a good visit I remember why she's worth the wait. A good doctor is worth his/her wait in gold. I praise God we've found one for Ivory!