My First Attempt at Decorating a Cake

My first attempt at decorating a cake was really not all that bad. I am no Martha Stewart but I think it turned out pretty good for a novice. I think my son will like it...at least I hope he does. And there will be Publix cupcakes just in case it is not good!

Always Leaving Things to the Last Minute!

I have done it again! I have left just about everything to the last minute for my son's 4th birthday party tomorrow. Just finished the treat bags and now on to finishing the pony cake. Should be an interesting evening. Wish me luck - please!!!

4th Birthday Shirt

My son's 4th birthday party is on Saturday and we are going to a farm for pony rides. Several of his friends, and his sister, will be there to help celebrate. I can't wait! I thought it would be nice for him to have a special shirt so I looked on Etsy for the perfect one. I kept thinking I could make this shirt myself if I just took the time to try. So that's what I did! I used Barn Dandys Cowboys fabric by Robert Kaufman for the circle and a brown bandanna for the number 4, both found at Joann. This was my first attempt at applique and it was harder than I thought it would be but was a lot of fun! I hope my little cowboy likes his birthday shirt, even though it is not quite perfect. I don't think he will notice!

Special Quilt

Today I received a very special quilt. It was the last quilt my mother made before she passed away last year from pancreatic cancer. I did not know she was working on a quilt. If she had mentioned it I was probably too busy with my one year old, and being pregnant with baby number two, for it to have registered in my mind. And at the time that she was working on it I had not yet taken up quilting. From what my father tells me she had finished the top, made the sandwich and was hand quilting it on a hoop. Not long after she passed away my father gave the almost finished quilt to my aunts, my mom's sisters. They lovingly completed it for me to have and to pass down to my daughter one day. Now our tastes differ greatly, she was very traditional and I love modern patterns and fabrics. She also hand quilted which I am not sure I have the patience to do! But that aside, this quilt is very special and I may not even realize the extent of how special it is just yet. I so wish I had taken up quilting before she died so I could have asked her questions and possibly even worked on a quilt with her. I think it would have been nice for her to share her craft with me and she would have been delighted that I enjoyed it like she and her sisters did. However, it was not to be but I am very thankful that I had that time to watch her create beautiful quilts and that I have this one to share with my own daughter!

My Baby is 4 Today!

How has time gone by so quickly? One minute he is a little tiny baby who needs me for everything...


...and all of a sudden he turns into this smart, funny, independent creature who loves and laughs and makes all of our days bright!


He still does need me for a lot of things, which makes me feel not so bad, but every day he becomes a bigger boy. It is happy and sad all at the same time. Love you, Nathan!

Good Bye October, Hello November!

We had a very fun Halloween this year! The week before was filled up with many Halloween craft play dates and parties. This was the first year the kids were interested in dressing in their costumes and Trick-or-Treating. I did not think I would enjoy it but it was the most fun I have had in a long time. It was so neat to see the kids getting the hang of going to our neighbors doors and saying "Trick-or-Treat!" They ended up with way too much candy and we are trying to think of ways to get rid of it without them noticing. Meanwhile we are eating it ourselves! Here are some pictures from our fun filled Halloween week!











October was my month in the Bee Slendid quilting bee and I chose to do house blocks. I wanted everyone to be creative and make whatever type of house or building they wanted. They could even make trees. This was definitely a stretch for me and a great learning experience. I love a pattern to go by but designing a house and piecing it in a free hand kind of way was a lot of fun and I find myself wanting to make more of these cute little blocks! The other very talented members have made some fantastic blocks and I can't wait to see them all together. Here are my blocks and you can see the other bee member's blocks on Bee Splendid.

This is my interpretation of mid-century modern :)

I thought this Riley Blake plaid looked kind of like bricks so I make an apartment building.


And finally, I was reading the blog of one of my fellow bees, Karrie from Freckled Whimsy and saw that she is challenging others to post on their blog every day in November for NaBloPoMo - National Blog Posting Month! I thought my blog could really use some attention so I am joining in on the challenge and will post every day this month. I just hope I have something interesting enough to share everyday! Click here for more information and to add your blog to the blog roll and you can get a badge for your blog here. Happy blogging!

September Bee Blocks

It has certainly been a long time since I posted anything here! It has been a very busy few weeks for our family. We spent some time in Canada with my family and when we got back my little man started pre-school! Now that we are getting into a good routine I am getting back into my quilting. I have tons of projects that I need to complete and I need to finish my blocks for Amy's Simple Sampler Quilt Along.

Tonight I finished my blocks for Carrie who has this month in the Bee Splendid virtual quilting bee. She sent some really great fabrics in turquoise, orange and lime. She sent us strings and gave us the opportunity to be creative and make any type of string block we wanted. She also send a turquoise square that we had to incorporate in the block however we wanted. I love this idea and can't wait to see this quilt when it is complete!

Here are by blocks for Carrie, I hope she likes them!