"The Pig Bald Grandpa Wouldn't Let me Buy"

Last summer we went to the Bargersville Flea Market while we were visiting my husband's family in Indiana.  They have lots of fun booths full of junk and treasures to comb through, but by far, our favorite booths are the ones selling animals.  They usually have chickens, rabbits, and kittens, but this particular time someone was selling piglets!  Jesse and I were equally smitten. 

Sweet little piglets!

Jesse asked if he could buy a piglet and Gigi told him to ask Bald Grandpa.  Bald Grandpa was a few booths behind us, so Jesse ran full-speed to ask for the money to buy his new pet.

"Bald Grandpa, can I have fifty bucks?" asked Jesse.

Bald Grandpa reached into his wallet and gave Jesse the money then asked, "What are you going to buy?"

"A BABY PIG!!!!" he called out over his shoulder as he ran off, money in hand, back towards the pigs.

We all got a good laugh, but Jesse was a bit disappointed when he found out he really couldn't buy his piglet.  We did get to pet one for a while, though and that made Jesse happy.  He never mentioned the pig again, until one day, months later, he drew a picture of Bald Grandpa with the piglet he had wanted so badly.  I loved it so much, and I knew the Grandparents would love it too, so I turned his drawing into an embroidery project, framed it, and gave it to Bald Grandpa for Christmas.

(Please forgive the quality of this photo. My computer wouldn't let me adjust it.)

 And I wrote this on the back (in Jesse's own words), so we can all remember the pet that almost was....

Lessons

Sometimes it's hard to be a Mommy.

I got the awesome opportunity to go Jesse's class for "Bring Your Parents to School Day."  I loved watching all of the awesome things his teacher, Ms. Gump, does with him and the rest of the class, and was thoroughly impressed with the amount of things a Kindergartener can do. Jesse, however, is always 2 steps behind most of his peers.  I know it's not fair to compare him to other kids, because that boy is one in a billion, but I was really concerned with his lack of attention.  No one wants to see their kid struggle!  My initial reaction is almost always an over-reaction when it comes to Jesse.  I guess it's because I'm super protective of him.  I know his history, and I want to make his future amazing.  So, I did what any crazy concerned parent would do, I emailed his teacher to ask what I can do to help Jesse along.  And then his teacher called me.  I just love her (a million times over).  And after a bit of discussion, she reassured me that, for a boy in Kindergarten, he is super smart and not behind his peers.  She admitted that he might have some problems processing, but it's really too soon to tell, and since he doesn't seem to even notice he's distracted, it's not like his self esteem is taking a hit.

Deep breath.

Any way you slice it, I just love that boy!  So, if nothing else, really watching Jesse at school sparked a conversation with Jared, and we've decided that we really need to be proactive with playing up Jesse's strengths, namely music.  So last night at dinner, we asked Jesse what instrument he'd like to play, and the conversation went like this....

Me - Jesse, Daddy and I were talking and we'd like to know if you'd like to take lessons for an instrument.
Jesse - Mommy, I already play the microphone.
Me - You're right, but how about another instrument, like the piano, or drums, or guitar....
Jesse - The guitar!  (Leans over towards his Daddy, and whispers....) Do girls like that?
Me - Why do you care if girls like that?!
Jesse - I don't know, but they do like that, don't they Daddy?

He is my hilarious little boy!

HILARIOUS!

And sometimes it's great to be a Mommy!

Let's hear it for my boys! (More on crafting for Christmas....late!)

Last Wednesday I was on my way to Charleston for what was (HOPEFULLY) Micah's final surgery on his little club foot. The doctor told us that our surgery would be scheduled for mid-morning since we live 2 hour away...but...we had to be there at 6:30.  That's 6:30 AM.  I don't know about you, but for me, 6:30 isn't mid-morning, and getting up at 3:30 am is definitely not mid-morning either!  We both survived though, and Micah is doing so well.  He's such a little trooper.  Here he is in his new, stream-lined cast.  He is determined to walk in it, since he's been forced to crawl for the last 6 weeks.

Now on to the reason for this post....
Most of the reason why I was late on every other Christmas present this year, is that I was busy making some Christmas surprises for my little guys.  I make a lot of crafty goodies for our friends and family, but I usually run out of time when it comes to my boys.  This year, I scoured my craft books for ideas and decided on these.

Fist up was a pattern from Amy Karol's super adorable book, Bend-the-Rules Sewing.  Jesse and Micah love puppets and performing, so I made the cute puppet theater.  There weren't a lot of pictures, but the instructions were clear.  The fabric and adorable fringe were thrifted finds, and I had the tension rod, so really the only things I purchased were the dowels.

Go ahead...you can ooooh and ahhhhhh if you want.

TA DA!

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

My little character!

Even puppets need to stop performing for a snack break.

I also made each boy a little house using this awesome tutorial.  I made Jesse a little woodland house for trolls and gnomes.  I found this cute set of critters on amazon (which isn't for sale any more), and added a couple of felt leaves for those little guys to sleep on and under.  I changed the closure a bit, by adding a small flap and velcro, rather than the buttons and bands.

 And for the Bean, he got a barn complete with little pond for his animals to take "dinks" (a.k.a. drinks).  By the way, I LOVE these Plan Toys farm animals!  They are the perfect size for toddler hands, the wood is sustainable, the dyes are non-toxic, and the sheep can be shorn by removing his cute little wool sweater.

Besides drinking, Micah's animals like jumping in and out of the barn.

I also made the boys stockings.

Merry Christmas!

And, I helped Jesse make a lion puppet for Micah, which he loved!  I made up the pattern as we made it and hot-glued the face and hands.  Jesse was so proud of it!

ROAR!

Merry making....very late (yet again!)

Well thank you, Ryan Gosling!  I appreciate your patience with my lack of getting my act together.  But how about February?  Hopefully, my sisters, nephew and brother-in-law didn't mind getting their Christmas gifts a couple of weeks ago.  

I do this to myself every year.  I have plenty of time to put something great together for everyone on my list.  But then my mind overflows with these amazing ideas that I can never pull off in time, and end up making only part of the gift that would have been great in itself if I had just put it together like that in the first place.  That totally makes sense, right?

For instance, I wanted to give my sisters little trees with ornaments that they could change with the seasons.  I found these adorable metal jewelry trees at Marshalls.  Then, my initial plan included 8 sets of 10 ornaments for each season (felted and/or sewn).  And for those of you who are still reading this and counting, that's 8 sets x 10 ornaments x 2 sisters = 160 ornaments.  Yeah.  I'm crazy.  So, what I ended up doing is 4 sets x 5 ornaments x 2 sisters = 4 ornaments (a much more manageable project).  And here are the ornaments I made for Robin.... 

Yo-yos for Spring and Summer, Acorns for Fall, Snowflakes for Winter, and....

Hearts for Valentine's Day!

I just love how the candy matches the yo-yos!  (Such a cute idea, Robin!!!)

I hope this sparked some ideas for you, and that you have more sense than I do to start a lot earlier in the year if you want to have something for your loved ones to open at Christmas.  I have much more to post, but that will have to wait until tomorrow!  :o)

Heaviness and Hope

I know I haven't written in a while.  I've started at least a dozen blog posts since my last entry, but everything I write seems extremely insignificant compared to the heaviness I feel on my heart.  My brother passed away suddenly a couple of weeks ago, and I feel such sadness for the loss of his life.  My sister put it best, though, that there was cause to morn for his life when he was still alive.  We knew he had his struggles.  He made his own decisions.  He never listened to reason.  Yet, he really loved his family as much as he could.

It's been so interesting to see how differently everyone in my family grieves.  They're so different from me.  I know they're protecting their hearts...like they've had to do for years when it comes to Gregg.  He hurt a lot of people.

On the day we found out that Gregg had died, I was reading the Psalms when this verse jumped out at me:    
"But as for me, I will sing about your power.  Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love.  For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress." Psalm 59:16 NLT

What a blessing to know that I don't have to mourn alone.  I am comforted at the thought that God is a refuge when my heart is troubled, and that God LOVES Gregg so much.  God's love is perfect for Gregg, even when my love for him wasn't.  

Every day gets a little easier.  I still feel like the wind's been knocked out of me...it's hard to catch my breath sometimes.  I'm anxious to hug my boys a little tighter, to really let my loved ones know how much I love them, and to cling to the happier memories I have of Gregg... his crazy laugh... the way he used to gush about my niece, Molly... his forgiveness when my husband backed into his car...how he'd sit back and just watch and laugh as the craziness ensued around him as he watched his 5 nieces and nephews fight, play, and cry... This is the Gregg I want to remember.   


If nothing else, I feel like my capacity for grace has grown.  My hope expanded.  A desire to really love people where they are has been ignited.

Rest in peace, Gregg!

A New Year

It's been a bit crazy around these parts lately!  Making gifts, taking a couple of trips to Charleston for Bean's pre-op stuff, preparing for his surgery,  and a whirlwind trip to Indiana to see family has wiped me out!  We survived Christmas and rang in the new year by going to bed early.  But we did get to enjoy tons of Christmas treats, happy boys, fantastic homemade goodness, and more toys than a toy store... and, I got a new camera!!!!  :o)

I'll be posting about Christmas craftiness later next week, after Bean's surgery.  I hope you had a blessed holiday season too!!!

Felting Classes

A couple months ago, I mentioned I had something in the works, and now the schedule is posted, I can finally tell you!  I'll be teaching some felting workshops at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina this year!  Yay!  The Arts Center has a bunch of fun classes for kids and adults, and starting in January, I'll be teaching a couple of classes on how to make felted objects for you and your home... starting with hearts like the one below...

Here is the class listing, with link....

Felting Hearts
Valentines Day is coming up and love is in the air! Needle-felt 3 detailed hearts to hand out as valentines or use as seasonal decorations. Hang them up on a seasonal tree or mantle, adorn gifts with them for a special touch, decorate your dinner table with a little extra love – the possibilities are endless!
Instructor: Amy Plew
Date: Saturday, January 28, 2012
Time:  10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Tuition: $40

Thanks for taking a look!  I'm so excited to get to share this craft with other people!

The Christmas Chaos

Thanksgiving is barely over, and I'm feeling the anxiety of how much I have to do before Christmas gets here.  All of the making, decorating, planning, traveling... feels really overwhelming right now.  I don't know why!  I love this time of year and all of the festivities that come with it.  Maybe it's because everyone is so sick.  (BLECK!)  Our living room is starting to look like a sick tornado has spun through it, complete with empty tissue boxes, piles of pillows, blankets, and pink kitty nebulizer.  Hopefully, now that everyone is on neb treatments and antibiotics, we will be on the mend and we can get on with Christmas already!

The neb masks were hung by the chimney with care....

The pink kitty nebulizer

Maybe it's my psychotic need to have a "perfect" holiday, or the unrealistic expectations I have on myself, but my list is a mile long, and I am light years away from being able to complete it.  I have only purchased one gift for Christmas this year, and it's for Jared, and he was there when I got it... so no surprises there, and the gift making has not yet begun.  Also we do not have a single decoration up yet.  Jared has been in bed all day with a fever, and Micah was plumb-tuckered from taking a walk earlier today (we needed to get some fresh air!)... so Jesse and I are enjoying a little mug of hot chocolate and then we're going to start with the decorating.  The tree won't go up tonight.  It's in the garage and I can't carry it in by myself.  So we will have to cherish these little moments together, listening to Christmas music, drinking our cocoa, and putting up a couple of things to make this house look like Christmas is coming.  I know these moments are few and fleeting, so I am determined to enjoy them in the midst of the chaos that is our life.

Change of plans...

The plan was for the boys to be Oompa Loompas (from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) last year.  Instead, because I was just too tired, Jesse went as Fred from Scooby Doo, and Micah wore a "My First Halloween"onesie and striped pants.

Halloween 2010

This year, I was determined to make my little ones Oompa Loompas.  Thus began "Operation Wonka-fy":

Plan A: Buy some thrifted brown shirts and white pants and repurpose them into costumes.  No such luck.  

Plan B: Find brown turtle necks, brown socks, and white pants at any store.  Not happening.

Plan C: Buy pattern and fabric to create our own costume.  No pattern.  No brown and white striped fabric.  No brown socks.  No green wigs.  Plan D?     

Plan D: Make EVERYTHING from scratch.  Never mind I've never made a pattern, sewn a shirt, or worked with knit fabric...oh, and did I mention I waited until the weekend before Halloween to get sewing?

Thanks to my very sweet husband, and some patient kids, who had to try their costumes on at least a dozen times before I got them right, I think they turned out really cute!

 Happy (very belated) Halloween!

Gotcha!

I'm always a little sensitive this time of year.  I feel a bit... umm... delicate. It seems like Jesse has always been a part of our family, but my heart remembers when he wasn't.  Just over 3 years ago, I was full-swing in the midst of grieving...grieving for the children I thought I'd never have.  And when I think back on those dark days, I can still feel the raw edges of doubt and pain that ruled my life then.  Doubt that I would ever fulfill my purpose.  Doubt that maybe I wasn't supposed to be a Mommy...and the heartbreak that ensued.  I was exhausted, shaken to the very core of my being.  I feel silly even thinking back on those days now because everything changed, shifted when we got the call from DSS that they had a little boy for us to foster.  And ten days later Jesse walked into our living room and into our lives.  And God revealed Himself in a way I never expected.  I am overwhelmed by His goodness!

Our first "family" photo - October 20, 2008

My life will never be the same!  Jesse is one of the most amazing blessings I've ever received.  I don't know why it shocks me how perfectly he fits in our family.  Or how he and Micah look so alike.  God really did know what He was doing!  So, you see, I might feel delicate right now, but I am also eternally grateful!  Grateful for a God who sees the whole picture - both mine and Jesse's.  Grateful that I can see why I had to walk through the valley, and come out the other side a Mommy.  Grateful that He sees it fit to let Jesse call me his Mommy.  And today, we celebrate Jesse's THIRD Gotcha Day!

We love you, Jesse!  So glad we gotcha!

Some exciting news is coming!

No, I'm not pregnant.  But here's a little hint...

Pumpkin butter!!!

Have I mentioned how much I love pumpkin?!  And pumpkin butter has to be one of the best pumpkin-y things I've ever tasted!  YUM!!!

As of Friday, I was still trying to decide what I wanted to can this weekend, and then Jared brought home a bunch of little pie pumpkins that his work wasn't going to use for an art project.  We started processing the pumpkins after going to to the pumpkin patch on Saturday afternoon.  It was a family affair.

I've never made pumpkin pulp before.  Every time I've baked anything pumpkin, I've used the canned stuff.  So, Jesse helped scoop 1/2 of a pumpkin, and Micah just wanted to hold and sniff a pumpkin half, and take little licks of the inside when he thought we weren't looking.  (I don't think that he was too impressed with the taste. ha ha!)  Jared gutted the rest of the pumpkins.  We cut the pumpkins into chunks and lined them up on 2 large jelly roll pans.

We covered them with foil, then baked them at 375 degrees for just shy of 2 hours, and scooped out the pulp.  We blended the pulp until smooth using a hand blender.  Then, I looked for at a couple of recipes and tweaked one a bit to come up with my own (because I'm a rebel like that!).  16 hours in a crock pot, and a bit of canning, and we've got....

Pumpkin Butter (in a crock pot)
Ingredients:
9 pie pumpkins, cooked, pulp removed, and blended until smooth (see above) ***

Juice from 5 small lemons

2 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 cup apple cider

4 cups sugar

2 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Directions:
Place half of the pumpkin pulp into a large crock pot with all of the other ingredients.  Make sure you have at least 2 inches of room at the top of the crock pot.  Blend with a hand blender until smooth.  Place the lid on top, but do not seal or close tightly.  You want the steam to escape.  Cook the pumpkin on high for 5-6 hours or until the pulp has halved in volume.  You can stir the pulp, but it's not necessary.  I let mine cook overnight.  Add the rest of the pulp, and continue to cook the pumpkin until it's thick and dark brownish-orange - approximately 5 more hours.  Use a hand blender to smooth out the mixture once more.

The USDA says that pumpkin cannot be safely canned because the acidity of pumpkins varies so much...so spoon hot pumpkin butter into jars that have been run through a dishwasher with "heated dry" or boiled in a pot of water for 10 minutes.  You want to have the pumpkin butter about the same temperature as the jars.  Top with lids.  Let jars cool on a towel-lined counter top.  Store pumpkin butter in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.  Makes approximately 12 pints of pumpkin butter.

There's not much that I wouldn't eat this yummy pumpkin-y goodness on.  So far, we've tried it on crackers, pretzels, apples slices, pumpkin pancakes, bagels with cream cheese...but I'm thinking that it would be pretty amazing on a cheesecake, or on muffins, or how about chocolate chip banana bread?  YUMMY!!!!  Happy canning!!!

***If making your own pumpkin pulp seems like too much work (it is a bit labor-intensive), you can always substitute a couple of cans of already prepared pumpkin pulp.  Just make sure it's not pumpkin pie filling.

When we got home....

Camping was a blast, but the best part was coming home to have not one, but two packages for ME on our front porch.  I hardly ever get mail that isn't a bill, and I never get packages aside from my birthday.... and yet, there they were...

Package #1 was from my Mom.  I grew up on a sheep farm, and my very talented Mom has always used the wool from our sheep to spin, dye, and knit.  (We were the only weirdos in town that had a bunch of dead-headed flowers in the yard from from cutting the flowers off to use as dye.)  Later on, my sisters, Mom and I used the wool for needle felting.  But, it's difficult to make a living off of a product that is 100% hand-made.  For the first time ever, Mom decided that the most recent harvest of wool was to be processed and made into yarn.  She still dyes the yarn by hand, but at least she's sparing the flowers this time.  Let me just tell you that it's the most gorgeous yarn you've ever seen, and I am the overjoyed owner of 3 skeins of it - natural white, gray, and hand-dyed blue.  (I am practically giddy!!!!)

Gorgeous, right?!

The second package was from my Mother-in-law, and inside of it was two dozen Weck canning jars!  (Again, giddy!)  I love making jam and "putting up" peaches every year, but the last 2 years I've been a bit busy (on bed rest with Bean, and then chasing after my one-year-old).  I am afraid that I might have missed the best produce of the Summer, but these jars are nothing short of inspiring!  Their vintage/modern shape, all-glass lids, and little rubber gaskets, have me practically chomping at the bit to can SOMETHING!!!  Aren't they pretty?!

Yes.  I am a big dork, and the first thing I did was take them out of the box, line them up, and admire them. 

Like I said, I'm a dork.  

So, this weekend, on top of FINALLY finishing the mountain of post-camping laundry, I am on a quest to find the perfect knitting project for my new yarn, and something to put up.  Any suggestions?!

Oh, and if you want a bit of this awesome yarn for yourself, just contact my Mom via her etsy site.  She should be posting some yarn soon!

Into the woods...

With most summer days here reaching over 90 degrees with 100% humidity, we welcome Fall, and cooler temperatures, with open arms! We can finally venture outside without sweating through our t-shirts, and having to listen to incessant whining about how hot it is from our very heat-intolerant 5-year-old!  (poor thing!)  But...I have to tell you... I am not really what you'd refer to as an "outdoorsy type".  I would much rather stay in a nice hotel, with my own bathroom and a hot shower.  I don't really like getting dirty, and I hate bugs because I always end up getting eaten alive.  And if I'm going "camping" I'd much prefer camping the way my in-laws do it - in a RV.  Ha!  But until we can work an RV into the budget, we will stay in a tent because my Jesse just loves camping.  And this time around, I was really excited to collect my boys under one tented roof, and find some adventure in the woods.  And we definitely found some adventure!  We ventured into the "wild" of Jekyll Island, for one of the more memorable family times with my little ones.  And despite, colder-than-expected temperatures, a really grumpy Jesse, extremely loud quarreling raccoons at 3:00 am, a deflated air mattress, a broken camp stove, forgotten groceries and can opener, and attempting to pack 2 adults, five-year-old, toddler, and 2 dogs onto the only remaining queen-sized air mattress, we had a great time together.

Located smack-dab between Savannah and Jacksonville, Jekyll Island is an awesome place to visit!  It has a little bit of fun for everyone in the family - gorgeous beaches, miles of paved biking trails, gigantic, sprawling hundreds-of-years-old live oaks dripping with Spanish moss, the old plantation home made of tabby, Horton House, and a beautiful historic district, that was once owned by the richest people in the world.  And it was just so nice being able to enjoy all of it with my boys!

Micah eating a pre-breakfast muffin while Daddy went to get replacement eggs for the ones Mommy forgot at home. 

Cooking bacon on our tiny camp stove since the Coleman stove was  busted.

Brothers chilling in the wagon, after Jesse finally got over his case of the grumps.

My boys at the Horton House

Jesse showing us how to jump

Swinging with Bean

The squirrel who ate all of Jared's Chex Mix.  Poor Jared.

This is when he decided he loves camping.

Micah likes chilling at the camp site

Our home camp

Wagon walk with Daddy

Roasting marshmallows 

Micah likes S'mores!

and we all loved camping!!!