Plugging Along....

It is a scientific fact that household chores take 46.957 times longer to accomplish with each child you have (no one could come up with that number on their own. It's straight science). Yet, the time you spend in the shower decreases by approximately half per child in your house....

I have part of one dress cut out. That's it. I want to relaunch the shop again in a couple weeks, but my children seem to think they need attention. One is shouting at me right this minute. To quote the Wicked Witch of the West: "All in good time, my deary, all in goood tiiiiime." Now, she is the LAST person I would choose to quote, but that's the only thing that comes to my mind right now. Not about my babies, of course, but about aaaaaaaaallllll the projects I want to accomplish by yesterday.

I hope to finish my first dress & cut out another tonight. Hopefully I can post a few teaser pics by tomorrow afternoon. 

Wish me luck.

Introducing....

Opal the Owl! 

 Isn't she just the cutest stinkin' thing ever?! I just want to squeeze her! She is the very first owl made from my own pattern & I LOVE HER! She still needs a bit of tweaking (ex., where did her little owl feetsies go?! I know I gave her some....), but for now she will live with Owynne Faith. I love the way the stitching turned out: gives her a trendy, shabby chic look! Wouldn't Opal be a fun, unique teacher gift? School colors, fall & winter colors. Hmmmmm, I think I may have a new addition to Hope & Faith Creations' fall debut in a few weeks....

I'll have to introduce Maevis the Monkey before too long. She is a  HOOT ---- no pun intended ---- & is quite possibly the funniest looking monkey you've ever seen. But Karsen loves her & that's all that matters....

Sunday....

Any transition serious enough to alter your definition of self will require not just small adjustments in your way of living and thinking but a full-on metamorphosis. 

 

Martha Beck

I Never Thought I'd....

That's the name of the essay contest I am entering. Sponsored by Real Simple magazine, the contest charges entries to finish the sentence "I never thought I'd...." When I first saw the advertisement for this in the August issue I passed it by. But something kept pulling me back to it & I thought about it for the rest of the day. I wasn't sure how I would finish the sentence; then it hit me like a ton of bricks: I never thought I'd ever in a million, BAZILLION years enter an essay contest. Allowing people in, being vulnerable to criticism....But I am going to do it. Wish me luck.

So....

My hubs is out of town on business for the rest of the week & took the camera. Not quite sure what I am going to do without it 'til Friday. ..

Sunday Quote

From now on, each Sunday I will share a different quote. I found this one & thought it another sign from my Friend that Hope & Faith Creations is headed in the right direction....

You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel.   
 --- Pau (Pablo) Casals

Now, go hug your children & share these words with them....

It's Time....

Losing someone you love is always painful. Losing a child can be unbearable....Several of my friends & family members have lost a young child to miscarriage, stillbirth, or complications from significant prematurity. My husband & I have 6 babies in Heaven waiting for us. 

I have even more people in my life who had to deliver a child into the world early & learned very quickly the special needs of a preemie; my niece, Ashley, was born 10 weeks early. She weighed a little over three pounds at birth & was the tiniest thing I had ever seen. I remember feeling so helpless as I sat with my sister in the NICU watching Ashley sleep & being surrounded by all the sweet, innocent babies fighting for themselves in one way or another....

I experienced several months of pre-term labor with our second daughter, Owynne Faith,  & was so very grateful when she was born last November at 39 weeks. I have always enjoyed making things; being crafty. Wynnie was a gigantic surprise, especially since I had my sixth miscarriage a few short months before she was conceived. The room that once held all my crafting items had to be turned into a nursery, so my crafting time & space fell by the wayside. It wasn't until Owynne was about 3 months old that I began to feel this intense desire to create once more, so I began making clothing items & things for my girls & others.  I consider myself to be creative, but haven't been able to pinpoint until today why this has become so important to me:

I recently opened a shop on Etsy, Hope & Faith Creations. But it wasn't thought through well so I closed down to rethink my plan. Today, after hearing of some friends' devastating loss of their son, I believe the true reason for the creation of Hope & Faith has been given to me by Him: Hope & Faith Creations will reopen in late August in honor of our children, Karsen Hope & Owynne Faith. God has blessed my husband & me with two amazing, wonderful, beautiful girls & now it is time to pay it forward. So we will honor all children by donating a percentage of sales to an organization helping & protecting children each quarter.

To honor the babies that were born too early & have gone Home & the babies who fought so hard to stay here, Hope & Faith Creations will collect 10% from each sale in August through December to donate to the March of Dimes. 

Please consider visiting the shop upon its reopening & help support our futures....

Success....

as defined in our house today: dress up, pizza lunch, bottles, princess search book, & 4 girls under the age of 4 resting quietly --- & simultaneously --- for 35 minutes. HOO & RAY. Did I mention the toy explosion in the living room?

I do believe I have jinxed myself because I now hear both babies & two big girls talking. Next up: pedicures, drawing on the windows, & a movie date with Tiana . Have I mentioned I L-O-V-E my new job?

Tomorrow....

I will have a party at my house. A party with a 5 month old, an 8 month old, a 3 1/2 year old, a 4 year old, & a dog. All girls. All day. May the force be with me.

Ain't Too Proud to Beg....

So, I want know how the heck I become one of those cool people companies just send stuff to. You know, to test out. Give my opinion. Keep it. Love it. Blog about it. I have made a greedyrific small list of things I feel I really need to test out. And keep:

* Step 2 friends, my children could really use a playhouse. A cottage would be lovely; something that several little ones can play in at once. How about this one? Or this one?  I'm --- er, I mean, they ---- are not picky....

*  Dear Vera Bradley, there are several items of yours I feel my family could really provide a lot of feedback for....The Weekender  in Night & Day or Paprika would make the hours long car rides to see family more bearable. Really anything in either pattern a cool, hip mom of two sassies could use my opinion. My husband would look FABTACULAR in the Loves Me necktie. The girls could use matching Audrey handbags. Sure, Owynne is only 8 months old, but it's never too early to learn about cute bags. Preferably ones in the Loves Me pattern....Or the Cupcake patterns.

* Krylon compadres. Your marketing department could definitely benefit from my opinions on your many spray paint colors & chalkboard paint. I heart spray paint.

* I am ADDICTED  to buttons, so I am certain I could provide valuable input on this, Discount School Supply people. A few hundred 3lb bags ought to be enough for me to determine an opinion.

* For those of you who know me well, I am a bit of a nail polish hound. I am raising the girls to love it as well. So here's you to, OPI. Thanks in advance.

* Ribbon, ribbon, ribbon. I love ribbon!!!! In particular, I love grosgrain ribbon. So, neighbors at Offray, I would LOVE to provide you with my discerning opinion on any & all of your grosgrain ribbon products.

* And, last but certainly not least, I have recently become completely infatuated with FABRIC. I think I would make a most excellent reviewer for the latest Michael Miller , Alexander Henry , Moda, Robert Kaufman, & Mary Engelbreit  fabrics. I would also be fantastic at reviewing any out of date or retired fabrics you may have laying about your warehouses....

So there you have it. As you can clearly see I would make an outstanding asset to any of these Research & Marketing teams. Tell your friends, companies.

I truly do love all the wonderful items I have listed here; I have not been paid monetarily by these companies to say these things. Nor have I been provided product ---- yet. 

My New J-O-B

Four days into my new job, & I am completely convinced I have made the right choice for me & my family. I have joined a large, family oriented organization, SAHM. Here are my new bosses:

These two are the most demanding, loudest, most critical bosses I have ever had. But they are also the most forgiving, wonderful, fun, & downright loving bosses I have ever had. I couldn't have asked for a better career move....