baby shower- quilt complete!

Today was the baby shower for sweet Rachel!
It was at my sister's lovely apartment and was really pretty.
I finished the quilt just in the nick of time but didn't get the blocks and burp rags done... i'll save those for when she has the baby i guess:O) I had wanted to hand quilt baby Rosalie's name in script with hearts around it but didn't have enough time. Maybe i'll try it on Emory's. But that will have to wait until after Leland's party or i will go CRAZY!
Here are some pics from the shower and of the quilt. Jillie had this adorable speech bubble to take pictures with, so sweet!

free 8x10

good morning.
quick blog, then i am closing the computer, hiding it, and continuing my clothes sorting/purging.
i have been wearing this eighties inspired sweatshirt all week:

i kind of feel like i should star in a movie about teenage angst or high-school detention... or a workout video.
regardless of the puffed shoulders, very tapered sleeves and huge neckline, it's so comfy i could live in it... and this week i have.

but anyway:
yesterday i found out that i could get a free 8x10 at walgreens, so i did!
i picked kind of a silly picture to get that big and hang on the wall/frame, but i love it! makes me giggle when i look at it:O)

how about you?

emory was so tired yesterday that she took her afternoon nap pressed up into the corner of the crib, poor baby.


We were all so tired that last night we missed Awana/ a really good study to stay home and put the kids in bed at normal time and get clothes, toys etc ready to take to Inner City Mission. Our good friend Jeff Higginson ministers there and we were planning on taking a trailer load over today. I don't think the trip will happen this weekend after all, but at least we'll have it all boxed up and ready! Check out the mission, you'll be glad you did!

last but not least, i'm attempting to finish that quilt for Miss Rosalie, along with a few fabric blocks and 2 burp cloths...
it's a little bit sweet and a little bit rock and roll:




I hope they love it!
enjoy your friday friends:O)

BIG sale, chocolate and PJ day!

Monday was MOPS! we 'made' these delish treats:

nothing helps a monday hurt less like MOPs and chocolate......
unless its an outrageous sale at Old Navy!!!
50% off of already clearance items means that the most expensive item i purchased was $8.97 (sweater pea coat for emmy that was originally 24.50, oh yes)
most of what we purchased was for upcoming years/sizes, lots of 5t's and 24 month, but these two purchases were for the here and now:

it looks like he couldn't believe he got such an awesome shirt, when really he just didn't want to take a picture.

love the ruffle neckline!!

Tuesday was pretty gross as a whole... if you are my facebook friend you probably saw that Emory spit up directly into Leland's ear... disgusting.

on to today! i could label it poop day (very appropriate) but instead i will say Pajama Day!!
everyone is in Pj's because they either don't feel well (emmy), pooped in their original outfit (Lucy and Emilia) or woke up ridiculously late and didn't want to get dressed cause no one else was (leland). And i of course have pj pants on because that's what happens when you only see children for most of the day.
but how cute are they?



poor Emilia looks like the odd man out, but really she just kept getting excited and was trying to leap off the couch;O)

daily withdrawl limit?

did you know such a thing exists? on a debit card? on your checking account?
weeeeell. apparently it does, and it's $1000 at our bank.
( i guess we've never had enough money for it to be an issue)

now, in general, love our bank. Super friendly, helpful, local. all good things.

trying to see a movie with hubs, more money in our account than ever before in our lives, being told the limit was already reached, NOT a good thing.

how this happened:
you remember said tax refund. you remember me paying everything off as quickly as possible, out of excitement of FREEDOM!

Well, Joel wanted to take "me" to see Avatar before it was out of theaters because neither of us has actually seen a 3D movie.
So we get a babysitter.
an actual, pay her, leave notes for her, not related to you, babysitter.
we get the kids ready for bed.
we leave.
we get to theater, all excited!
card denied.
are you sure? we actually have money right now....
manager: yep, tried everything, sorry!
well, here, try this card (credit card i completely paid off that morning but didn't know didn't go through due to daily limit)
manager: nope, won't work either.
um, okay. we'll run to the atm and try to figure out what is going on....

go to atm, get balance. still lots of money there.
try to get some. no such luck.
think, okay, whatever. no cash but we can always speed home, clean out Leland's piggy bank and then replace the funds tomorrow.

call the babysitter (Lauren, very sweet gal with good taste in music) to warn her that we are coming back, so she doesn't think someone is trying break in... try to explain why we are coming back... lame much?

so, leland's piggy bank had a bad year and doesn't have enough in it to see the movie.
write lauren a check, give her a ride home (all the way back to Shiloh, we live in Maryville)
come home and watch LOST.

Date night FAIL.

oh well.
date night.... so elusive.... you tease.

a momentous day!

so so so so so so so so so so so so so HAPPY today.

Good things that have happened so far today:
Small things-
- woke up with some sexy bed hair (nice)

-only have my two children this morning (unexpected)
-stayed in bed until 7:30 (take what i can get!)

bigger things-
-recycle bin we have been waiting for FINALLY arrived (no more bags full of milk jugs and paper in my kitchen)

(yes, i am really THAT excited)

BIGGEST thing-
-tax refund made it's way into our account!!!!! (we have never had this much money in our account EVER!)
-and back OUT of our account (i've spent the morning on the phone paying people off)
(wish i had a picture rolling in that money, since it will be gone in 2 days!)

glorious. just glorious.
will money be perfect and easy and growing on trees after this? nope. do i care? NO!
what a great day.

also, made sure the covers fit the chairs in the nursery last night when we took Leland for Awana and they are pretty much perfect! now for the zippers.

side note:


anybody heard of a little show called LOST?
lol.
we watched it the first few seasons then had babies and got busy.... that's coming back to bite me now!
hubs has decided we have to rewatch ALL of the seasons before watching THIS season. AHHHHH!
so. much. time. down. the. drain!
don't get me wrong, i love the show, but oh, the hours!

we're in season 2 now. pray for me.
i am stressed out and jumpy for at least 2 hours a night, ha!

oh well.
no spoilers please:O)


and now, a reading by Leland, in his underwear, with commentary by Lucy.
(he was doing better before i started taping:O)


love how at the end he said 'Amen'.
(sorry it's so long, again, it was better the first time)

pretties...

this past friday night we had a shower for my soon-to-to-be-sister-in-law Becca!
It was very nice and everyone was very generous. One of the few things that i did for the shower was getting fresh flowers.... i was thrilled to bring them home after the shower too:O)

And here's miss Emory with Becca (and her valentine's puppy from Granny & Gramps)


i don't usually talk/show much about the projects i'm working on... usually because i don't know what i'm doing or it's taking a long time.
but here's a pic of some slip covers i'm making for all the rocking chairs in the nursery at church. I'll show you the completed project, but i still need to get zippers and figure out how to sew them in, lol!


i'm also trying to finish some small curtains for my MIL's neighbor and a quilt for our friends Danny and Rachel's expected baby, Rosalie.
confession: I. have. never. made. a. qulit. AH! no pressure, right?
i'll let you know how it turns out;O)

another confession: i save tissue paper...
it's expensive and always gets thrown right away. this is the tissue paper from Becca's shower (that wasn't ripped or taped). i either shred it if it's really crinkled or just use it like normal. waste not, want not!

i'm bAAAAck! (Super Sisters)

At least for the moment we have internet, so i am taking advantage of it!
Today I will tell you about 2 sisters whose blogs i follow. I know of them through my sister and her husband, Owen Pye.

Lady Danburry is the wife of musician Drew Danburry, who you should definitely check out. She is a tailor/designer who makes beautiful vintage feeling, classy clothes. She is currently doing a give away for a fabulous wool coat. Whoever wins will be oh so lucky!
her sister, Jessica at Running With Scissors is a very creative mom who sews, crafts, and sells on etsy.
I used her tutorial on freezer paper paining/printing to make two tank tops for Leland's betrothed, Brooklynn's birthday!
They turned out pretty well, and would have been better if i hadn't waited til the last second and been in a rush... patience is a virtue if you don't want paint to bleed:O)
here are a couple of pictures of the process....

(one shirt said her name and the other said Somebody <3 's me in IL)
thanks to these lovely ladies!

MIA

just so you don't think that i am no longer interested in your life, due to lack of comments on your recent post, dear blogging friends, we don't have internet at the moment. Sorry! i am missing you and your stories but i AM getting more done around the house:O)
hope to be back soon!
<3 elise

the Bogart

Jaci at Me and My Soldier Man gave me this award!!



This is called The Bogart.
It means you're really going places, Baby.
You'll still be blogging about your great adventures 10 years from now,
and I'll still be reading them.

The Rules:
Link back to the blogger who sent you the award.
Post where you would like to be in 10 years.
Pass this on to 10 other special bloggers.

How very exciting!

Wow, where i would like to be in 10 years?
Don't tell hubbs, but i'd really like to have added at least one more baby biologically and hopefully one by adoption.

Leland will be on the brink of 13 (it hurts to even type those words), so I am sure i will have lots more grey hair.

I would like to be homeschooling, totally out of Debt aside from our home, doing more crafting, updating our house, doing more ministry with the homeless, and playing music with Joel.
I hope we will have a more free as the wind lifestyle... still have our home base but be able to travel for music, ministry and learning.

I want to be more in love with Jesus, look a lot more like him, be a better cook, have a healthier family life, do more hiking and camping, and look SMOKIN HOT. LOL.
but really, i'd love to look like the girl my husband married.

(sorry this picture is so blurry, i had to take a picture OF a picture... which is why i haven't done a love story/wedding post yet....maybe valentines day:O) but you can tell that i was skinny, right?!)


now, to tag:
1. my sister Jillian at I still Take Out the Trash
2. Abbie at LIttle Trailer Big People
3. Jaime at Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
4. Annie at The House That Jade Built
5. Maggie at Glitter Paper Scissors
6. Tiffany at Ramblings of a Newlywed
7. Maria at Learning to Listen
8. Bethany at The Kuhligs
9. Jodie at That's Stamps...Like Postage Stamps
10. Devan at Beyond Blessed

if you weren't tagged, oh lovely follower/friend, i still want to know where you would like to be in 10 years!!

oh happy day!!!

taxes.
never a fun time of year for our house. we are usually missing a paper, running late (one year i actually had to drive into STL and do the midnight drop!!!), and generally don't get much back. And it always goes to paying off debt or in last years case just paying normal bills(unexpectedly quit my job earlier than planned due to being told to 'act like i had a brain' by my boss. preggers hormones did not help and i quit on the spot).

this year, much the same, it is all going to pay off debt and pay bills.
but i am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited!!

here are the differences:
we didn't wait til the last second
we aren't missing anything
we are getting ALOT back

we will be almost totally out of debt, aside from our house and van payment.
now, we aren't crazy shoppers. we only have 1 credit card.
we made a few small mistakes, and had a few crappy things happen, and don't depend on other people like you to pay for our medical bills (government programs).
and don't make much.
these things combined made it hard for us to get anywhere financially!
i seriously don't mind having a modest income. unless you are trying to pay people back, it makes things a lot simpler.

i've been thinking to myself all month- if $_______ amount of money would just fall from the sky, we would be set! we could start digging ourselves out of this hole! it was a small hole, but we only had tiny shovels.

and that number my friends, is the amount our return was.

oh happy day!!



usually i can't sleep because i'm trying to be strategic in planning what day i can pay what bill. last night i couldn't sleep because i couldn't believe we were going to get this under control!! i was thinking another year or two at least trying to pay everything down.

Please don't think this is to gain your pity, complain, or that i think you are an awful person if you feel differently about medical responsibilities.
i am honestly just so thankful that we can pay what we owe, with out having to send Joel out to the corner.
as i've said before- he has much better legs.

i am breathing easy my friends. and it feels so good.


photos

just a normal day...

today has been a full day of the norm with 4 kids.
i've been putting 1 oz of formula in Emory's baby food hoping that she will get use to the taste (and gain a little weight!) and go for a bottle eventually.
it makes it runny and messy but she eats it up!




i spent lots of time trying to catch up on these...


and wash up mr. sticky chocolate fingers...



then miss emory shat everywhere and i started cleaning her off and getting her into the bath and she peed on me. this was a first (the pee on me) so not that big of a deal... but i did spare you pictures of that part of my day:O)

character flaws- cute or not?

i have been thinking lately about my character flaws, things about my self that drive me crazy.

for example- I am nearly always late.
Part of this has to do with having kids and having other peoples kids, but to be fair, there are plenty of people with kids who arrive early. We also live too far away from things like church, etc. so if you get behind, you can't make up for it with drive time.

i am also scatterbrained and clumsy. I feel like i am always carrying a baby on one hip, holding a preschoolers hand, toting a diaper bag, backpack and purse, about to drop everything. Picture that in your head for a second. That's how i feel mentally most of the time! so i come of as crazy, i'm sure.

now there are exceptions of course.
days like today, i MADE myself start by reading my Bible and another book. Then i fed Leland breakfast and read his Bible story book with him. So i don't feel so mentally strained. which is nice.
sunday morning i was on worship team and Joel was running sound. We had to be there at the church by 7:45 am. Even though the guys had a concert the night before and we didn't get to sleep until at least 2, we were in the building by 7:48, which in my book counts as on time. LOL

anyway, my point: Ever notice in movies that the heroine or main woman character generally has a character flaw that everyone either finds charming or endearing??
for example, take zooey deschanel. in almost all of her recent roles this is the case. take failure to launch: if i remember correctly she is mean and self centered. and blunt. But we like her! or Gigantic: can't commit, flighty, etc. But we like her! Yes Man: unforgiving... actually she was a pretty likable character in that one.
It would just be nice if our real life character flaws and issue were endearing and cute, ya know?
Maybe it's how stinking cute zooey is in everything? I can like her characters in spite of it all, except for in 500 Days of Summer. I was really excited to see that movie and was disappointed. Because the one flaw that isn't ever cute is being skanky, if you ask me.

so, i guess i will try to remedy my lateness and my scatterbrained ways and until then hope that to at least someone its a little bit endearing. It's that or head to the plastic surgeon to become Zooey- be so cute no one cares:O)