Creative Wrapping

I am known to always make my gifts for

birthdays, showers, Christmas, and any other occassion...

But...

I never have the right packaging or wrapping on hand! Here's a fun way to spice gift wrap...

Try using some old fabric for a change of pace!

This gift was for a baby boy.

I got some vintage car fabric that was hidden in my stash,

some twine,

and a long strip from some old curtains that were in my craft bin.

And....Tah-Dah!!

Something fun to try when you're in a pinch!

Easy Onesie with Leg Ruffles Tutorial

Here is an easy sewing project for

that cutie baby girl on the way...

First, find fabrics and a plain onesie.
Next, choose a design for the front.
I chose a Queen's crown that will show
the girly-girl off.
I traced my image to the back of No Sew Adhesive Bond.
I ironed it to the fabric,
cut it out,
peeled off the backing,
place it in the middle of the front of the onesie,
then ironed it on.
My final stage was to sew around the edges
to make sure it was fastened tightly to the onesie.
Then, I got the same fabric and made two strips
(each were 4 inches x 14inches).
I folded them right side to right side,
then sewed up two of the sides,
leaving one end open.
I used a chopstick to pull the right sides outward.
Then (as shown below), I sewed up the last end,
by turning ends inward,
and sewing straight across.
My finished look was two strips,
with the right side fabric facing outward.

Next, I began pleating the fabric
along the base of the onesie,
from one snap to the other snap.
The picture below shows this process.
Lastly, after both sides are pleated and pinned,
I sewed straight across.


Voila! All done!
After a little press with the iron,
the pleated ruffles add a little spice to a plain 'ol onesie.

Easy.
Simple.
Cute.
Love it!

Advent Quilt

My mom handmade this beautiful Advent Christmas Quilt

for Simon.

It hangs in our diningroom on a quilt rack. Inside a special pouch,

there are 25 fabric ornaments that Simon

gets to put on the quilted Christmas tree.

This ornament marks December 1st...

and every single morning...

the first thing Simon does...

is RUN to his Advent Quilt

and puts the ornament on

as a countdown till Christmas.

THANK YOU, Grammy,

for this precious Christmas gift for lil Sime!

Home Grown...

Tah-Dah!

This is our first Christmas Tree that we've had since

we had our little boy

(5 years ago)!

Our little one bedroom was way too small

to jam a tree in there the past five years,

so we always got a table-topper tree from

Trader Joes...

the one that is about 8 inches high?....

you know the ones...

Well...

This is the one we got when Simon was a baby!

This is Pops, Simon's grandpa.

He planted it in his yard...

and boy, did it grow!!

Soooo...

my manly hubby took an electric saw and cut it down last night!

Our first Christmas tree as a family!

He pruned it and...

trimmed it...
then we took it home....

and decorated it...
We love it!
It's SUPER spindly-looking,
and is missing the back half
(the tree was growing against a wall, so it's literally half of a tree-
there are no branches on the other side!)
It works just fine...

Simon said, "Mom, this doesn't look like a real Christmas tree!"

Well, I beg to differ...

It IS a real Christmas tree...

and we're proud of it!

However...

next year we'll be going to Home Depot

and buying one of theirs:)

Spontaneous Santa Visit

Got a call after dinner to run over to

Julie & Jason's house for a special treat...
Christmas decorations
GALORE...
including fake snow that was falling!



A chance to take a picture with Santa...
but Simon wouldn't go by himself...
he asked his protector, Lucy, to go with him:)

And a little bit of family time that we squeezed in there.

Loved this last minute Santa encounter...

and the sweet memories with the fam & friends.

November at a glance...

Oh, how I MISSED my computer!

Sorry for the delay, my fellow bloggers.

So much happened in November...

so here's a brief recap...

Thanksgiving with the cousins... Best football game EVER

cuz watching it with a friend makes anything more fun...
Daddy's birthday...
I love you so much, Dave!

Birthday dinner at Ruby's

and a quick (and chilly) ride on the merry-go-round...

simple..

sweet...

perfect night!

Lighthouse Thanksgiving...

most amazing group of Special Needs adults

and their parents...

makes you walk away

humbled and grateful...

These parents and kids are our heroes

for their attitude & strength.

Little Simon making an Indian drawing for his Thanksgiving feast...

Man...those preschool teachers make it look so easy!

Hats off to all the teachers and helpers

that made our Thanksgiving

SO special and memorable for the kids!

he ate on this homemade placemat...

(is this picture the cutest, or what?!)

Actually this is a cute picture too...

gotta love little kids praying to Jesus...

Home Group Thanksgiving...

Love you, homies!

Decorating for Christmas...

Simon is peeking in the village to see if anyone's in there...

Daddy makes decorating more fun!

Sister, Jodi, and the kids came for a visit...

YEAH!

Precious memories

with the cousins...

Love you and miss you all!

Saw Santa arrive on a firetruck...

the look on Simon's face was priceless...

He came home and said he wanted to move the garlend

off the fireplace,

so that Santa can come out of the chimney

without bumping into it.

Christmas time is here!!!

Wow!

November flew by...

LOTS to be grateful for!

Computer Issues!

My computer is down....

BUMMER!

I get to use my husband's work computer once a day...

OH how I miss my friend!

All I can do for now...

is PUMP UP my friend's blog...

You HAVE to visit

Once Upon A Cupcake...

Kelly is having a First-Ever Give Away...

Go to

http://onceuponacupcake.blogspot.com/2010/11/its-time-to-make-history.html

Her CUPCAKES are delicious...

ridiculously detailed in design...

melt in your mouth...

I'd eat 10 all at once...

GOOD!

Good luck winning her Give Away!

What a Legacy...

Dave's grandma passed away this week.

She was 98 years old and lived an incredible life.

I am SO thankful that I brought my camera with me

the last time we saw grandma

(only two weeks ago)...

a last memory of the way grandma was every time we saw her.

She's impacted my life in such an amazing way...

Grandma was so interested in our lives,

asked questions about our family,

remembered special things that were going on in our life,

knew birthdays,

great-grandchildren's names,

and even remembered things they were doing

and activities they were involved in.

She had a keen memory,

a BIG heart,

witty and straight-up with how she was feeling...

She was honest,

loving,

and interested in

whoever she talked with.

She invested in her family...

THAT is the most important part

of her legacy.

I never knew my grandparents.

When I married Dave,

I married into a family with three of the four grandparents alive.

Grandma Seapy is the last to meet Jesus.

Our hearts are sad...

but we are left with such a tremendous impact

and heritage that she left for Dave,

and now our son, Simon.

What a gift...

to have Simon KNOW and have a relationship

with his beautiful great-grandma.

We are all inspired by the life she lead...

touched by her hand in our lives...

and encouraged to live a life

and leave a legacy for our children...

just like she did for us.

Trick-Or-Treat

Simon's hand-me-down SpiderMan costume

sure got its use this year for Halloween!

He wore it for five straight days...

even after Halloween!

He tricked-and treated...
along with about 25 other cuties!!
Thank you to the Spinellos
for making a VERY fun Halloween for all these
kiddoes!
He already is thinking about what he wants to be
next year!!

Pumpkin Adventures

We had a chance to go to Pumpkin City

for a few pictures and some fun

with our friends,

Archer and Beau...Simon got to squeeze and snuggle his favorite

little baby boy, Beau...

we ran into the Carsons
as we do every year at Pumpkin City...
Simon and Lucy are VBS buddies
(and sure make a cute couple!!!)
Simon and Archer got to go on a train ride...
that almost ended up to be a
shoving match...
BOTH boys would not let go of the bell
during the ride-
there were tears and yelling...
it actually made me laugh so hard
because I couldn't believe they were going at it so much....

just to hold the bell!
"Work It Out" as we Mommies like to say;)

The night ended up with some cute pics and
three VERY tired boys!

Then, the next morning was Kids Club...

Super Heroes RULE!
Which Super Hero looks more authentic?

This bunch of kids is GROWING all the time!

Just got baby TWINS added to the bunch!

Happy Harvest Time Everyone!!

Have FUN!!

5 Minute, $5 Meal for Two

I HAD to share this SPEEDY recipe with you!!!

Get a can of Enchilada Sauce,

black beans,

roasted peppers from Trader Joes,

shredded jack cheese,

and tortillas.

Next, get an 8" x 8" pyrex dish,

put PAM in it and get all your supplies ready.

Put your tortillas down first.

Layer with black beans,

one or two roasted bell pepper,

wrap up and repeat.

You can get four or five enchiladas in this sized pan.

Then, pour over enchilada sauce,

sprinkle on some cheese,

and cook on 350 degrees for 35 minutes or

until golden and bubbling on top.

It is SUPER YUMMY...
less than $5 for TWO people to eat,
and takes literally 5 minutes to prep.
TRY IT!!!

Chow for now!

First Ever Field Trip with my Boy!

What a day today...

my first ever ever field trip with my big preschooler!

We headed to Tanaka Farms in Irvine

with all 12 of his classmates, plus the AM class....
which included his sweet cousin, Ryan.
we are lucky enough to have to the same teachers,
but different classes.
The great thing is...
we get to spend
Field Trip Days together!
Whoo-Hoo!!!

Only five months apart,
these boys adore each other and
his mommy and I are
soooooooo happy!
Family get togethers are like a BIG
playdate!!

Simon got to walk through Corn Mazes....

Pick his (least favorite) veggie, radishes....
but he quickly changed his mind after I cooked
the BEST dinner
with some Olive Oil and stir-fried in those home-picked veggies:)


and yummy carrots....

and of course, green beans....

finally, he got to pick his own 'lil pumpkin....

PERFECT for our Harvest decor at home!

We LOVE Preschool and ALL the adventures Mrs. Summers

brings us on!

I LOVE being a Mommy

and am honored to be able to stay at home with him

and spend these priceless memories with my sweet boy.

I am one grateful Mommy!