Rock Climbing With Lizards....

We had fun spending the day at the park. The parks here in Florida are so beautiful. I enjoyed stepping out of the city today and took some nice deep breaths. The kids enjoyed running around the park and climbing a large rock but they had to share it with some of the local lizards.

Nonna's Quilt

My Grandmother and Anna's Great Grandmother recieved the quilt in the mail that Anna and I made for her. We pray she enjoys it in good health!! Hopefully the bright colors will brighten up her room like sunshine.

Anna will do anything for Chocolate Ice Cream !

Well as the saga continues of the last week in the high rise apartment most of the kitchen is packed except for my giant pot. Which I have been using to try and cook up the last of everything in the freezer so I do not have to move frozen food as well. Unfortunately for Anna she is not enjoying my one pot wonders at all. The good news is we have some ice cream left in the freezer which has been a wonderful incentive for Anna to eat my creative clean out the freezer meals. I wouldn't say she is enjoying it though hehehe!!

Is it really worth Chocolate Ice Cream????


Trying what her brothers told her eat it super fast!!


Maybe if I just keep it in my cheeks forever that would work??

What to do when there is not much to do.....

Well I had a very funny feeling about this last week in our apartment. I knew it would go by really fast in a whirl or it would go by super slow at a snails pace seeming as if the week would never end lol!! Can you guess which one I am leaning towards? I am not sure why but it is going by super slow. It as if time itself is standing still!! I feel as if I have been transported into one of those scifi movies my husband likes to watch lol There is a rip in the space time continuum and the time has stopped. Nothing like the feeling of anticipation. With the majority of our belongings packed it has left us with not much to do. And now we are down to one vehicle it has left us with no where to go. But truly that is not a bad thing even though my previous descriptions have been bleak lol! we are reading, playing cards and talking more. Drinking lots of tea and enjoying each others company. I am sure just as I am contemplating so are the children quietly thinking about what the Lord has in store for us as we move into a new apartment and a new side of town, with new opportunities to share and bless others with the Love Jesus has shown to us. Yet another journey is beginning.

"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6



"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5-6

Wind Swept Monday ~Life in a High Rise

This is our last week in the high rise and I am excited that we will get a little break from the wind. Wind was something we had not thought much about when we took this apartment. I was looking more at the granite counter tops lol .....But wind has been a real issue for us. The wind is extremely loud in the apartment and many times it is so windy the patio is not usable. I have even caught our patio furniture in midair as it was about to be lifted up and over and off the balcony. Those were the super mom reflexes kicking in lol!! It made me think about how amazing wind is and how amazing God the creator of wind is.
"You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride; And You dissolve me in a storm." Job 30:22
Here are some pictures of Anna riding on the wind!!







Anna does not mind the wind one bit! Her glass is half full!

Church Picnic

Sunday was a beautiful Miami day and our church had a BBQ after service. We had a great time in fellowship and the food was pretty yummy as well. We decided to try out some new recipes and we were inspired by a show we watched Saturday morning called Nigella Express and her show was all about food to bring to a picnic.
We made Buttermilk Chicken, New Orleans coleslaw, and Rocky Road crunch bars. These were fabulous super easy recipes and I am sad to say we had no leftovers to bring home. Just some smiles from the great time we had!

....digging into the food!

....talking with the Pastor

Bocce Ball!

My Monkeys

It was another super fabulous sunny day in Miami and the Monkeys and I went to the park!

Organizing

I have decided to take my creative posts and stick them on a different blog and keep this one for homeschooling and our family. Feel free to visit with me over there.
My Sewing and Art Blog

A Special Treat

Last night we decided to go out for dinner and use the gift certificates I had won from the recent Art Exhibit for my Picasso picture. The Kids had a great time at the Macaroni Grill. This is a perfect choice in restaurant for a creative family. At the macoroni grill they put white butcher paper over the table and give you crayons so you can draw all over it. The Mosaic Cross that we made with children's church was also mentioned in the Miami Herald Newspaper. Click Here to read the story.

Presidential Physical Fitness Challenge

The kids participated in the Presidential Physical Fitness Challenge today with their homeschool Phys. Ed group.

Ottobre Pattern

I busted out the Ottobre Pattern book that I got in the mail a few days ago. I really liked the European style of children's clothing and I thought it would be fun to try some of these patterns. I had no idea you would need an engineering degree to figure this out. I got motion sickness just staring at the pattern. Kind of like Where's Waldo gone bad lol!!

All that searching for 2 simple pieces lol~ I made an apron style top that you would wear over a Tshirt. I used very inexpensive fabric to see if I would like this for Anna.

The Ottobre had this pattern complicated with multi fabric and trim I left it simple thats my style and appliqued some butterflies onto it. If you would like the butterfly applique pattern that I drew click here
I think it will look really nice after it has been washed a few times and the fabric softens up. Anna loves it because it is kind of like wearing an apron. I am excited to figure this Ottobre stuff out I think it will be a good challenge to my sewing and help to improve my skills. And as an added benefit I get to make some really cute clothes.

The Incredible Shrinking Apartment

Yesterday we were able to get a pleasant break from all the boxes a friend came and picked us up and made us dinner. I was not aware how much cabin fever had set in until we stepped outside and we were all squinting from the brightness of the sun. The kids were able to run around outside at their house and bounce on the trampoline to get rid of the wiggles from being all packed in the apartment. Then we got to eat a fabulous dinner it was some sort of Peurto Rican dish on top of basmati rice. It was possibly one of the best things I have ever eaten. I'm still thinking about it lol!!
Our dog Lucy is also out of sorts since the apartment is shrinking she just has no idea what do with herself. She is constantly under foot and being tripped over.

She is resourceful though she has been napping where ever there is space sometimes that means next to where I am sewing.

Or it could mean she is pretending to be a footstool.

Not to much longer now until we move but I am hoping the next week and a half goes by super fast.
May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.
Psalm 33:22

Thunderstorms .....Brown Boxes.....and Kimono Dresses

Well Miami is hosting the seasonal thunderstorms today. I personally like being visited by the rain. It is amazing to watch the thunder storms roll in off the balcony in the high rise. It looks like a wall of water rolling through the sky. And the rain itself looks so different from a higher vantage point. The only downer is the Internet has been really spotty today making it hard to blog.



But then the view when you turn around from the balcony and look into our apartment is a whole different story. Then you see the giant wall of brown boxes. Brown boxes are basically everywhere and it is driving us a little nutty. Since the walls feel like there closing in. And with the narrowing of the hallways and rooms Lucy is constantly under foot. I actually tripped right over her the other day and fell to the ground. Luckily it was a fairly nice fall as far as falls go and I was not hurt. And quickly came to the conclusion we will need to take a break from school. Don't ask me how tripping over the dog and schooling goes together lol???? So we will finish up this week and take a 2 week break for our move. Aghhhhh I am breathing a sigh of relief. I have no idea how I thought I could swing school and the move.



Now back to the Kimono Dress. I was feeling pretty confident about this pattern I drafted for the dress after sewing it 3 times. And I knew what last adjustments I wanted to make on it so I decided to go ahead and pull out my better fabric and try it out. This was still a little risky since this attempt would be making it out of knit which I had not tried with the pattern yet. And I also decided to change the sleeve. I did not like how the cap sleeve left this huge gape underarm making it very immodest. I found a sleeve from an ottobre dress pattern and decided to chance it and go with it. I was really happy how this dress turned out. It has the wrap front so no zippers, sewed up great with the knit fabric, and sleeves solved my last issue with the dress. I am feeling rather content with this pattern now and will set it aside and tackle a very cute Ottobre Dress that once again has the dreaded back zipper that I will attempt to remove from the pattern.

Having Fun With Scraps!

Well times are not quite as tight as the depression but our family like many others has found ourselves reevaluating how to trim things up in our home. Our family has always tried to honor God with our finances and be good stewards with the money HE places in our hands. And even recently have been making a lot of changes we have gone down to one car we will be moving to a cheaper apartment and were paying attention more at the grocery store and every where else we go. I think all this has been a great blessing for me creatively it has me wasting a lot less and using scraps a lot more. I'll be honest with you in the past I have tossed some of my scrap fabric. But you won't find me doing that anymore. There is a lot you can do with scraps. You can make clothes from scraps ,quilts, appliques, potholders, pillow, purses etc ....the sky is the limit really!
Check below for some fun things to do with scraps
Appliqueing

This is a great way to use up your scrap fabric. And you can make a project like this as complicated as you want but I like to keep it simple. I cut the fabric out to form the picture and then pin it to the fabric and sew it on with a tight zig zag stich. Bee Pattern Click Here

Clothing

This shirt I made for Anna is made out of scraps. I had to sew several odd pieces together to be able to make this shirt. But I think it makes the shirt even more unique. These are scraps that you might otherwise get rid of. This is simplicity pattern 4206 super easy peasant blouse.

Potholders
Now mine are all packed so I have no pictures to show but potholders are something everyone needs and make great presents and are a super way to use up your left over quilt batting and scrap fabric. Click Here for Instructions

Here are some more links for your scrap enjoyment! Have Fun!!
Scrap Happy
More Scrap Ideas ~
Scrap Flowers
Scrap Skirt
Scrap Hair Curlers
Book Marks
Hanging Dish Towel

Kimono Dress Part 2

Well some might say I am determined. I am not the sort to give up easy lol ...I continued to make another attempt at the kimono dress since I am looking for an easy every day dress pattern for Anna that I can quickly make a few dresses that are comfy and play well. Without the added headache of zippers and buttons. I was happy with my 3rd attempt and even remembered to save the pattern changes. The fabric I used for this dress was some of that 2nd hand fabric I picked up last time I was at Trash 2 Treasure.With all these trial runs I am happy I picked up all that free fabric. She still will probably have to wear something under it for modesty but I think that if you are going to make a dress that has no zippers or buttons that is to be expected since you have to leave the neck opening wide enough it can be pulled over head. Which has me thinking again maybe I should switch to jumpers that can just be worn with a Tshirt! Uh oh watch out the light bulb has gone on again ehehehe!! stay tuned to see what makes the cut as the everyday Anna dress.

Lapbooking

Liam chose the new lapbook for everyone to do and he chose Beavers by Hands of a Child.We decided to do something that was geared more towards science. This will probably be our last Lapbook for this school year. 3 weeks left and it's Summer Vacation Yippee!!

Kimono Dress

I have been so determined to get this pattern figured out. I am taking a Simplicity Pattern 2677 and tweaking it so that it will not require zippers or buttons and just pulls over the head.This just happens to be one of my favorite style of everyday dress for a girl with the mock wrap/ kimono front. I think some pockets on the front would be a nice addition as well. So far I am close but not quite there yet I need to bring in the bodice more so that it is more fitted. In the mean time until I get it worked out Anna could care less that the dresses are not how I want them and is happy to wear them and enjoying her new outfits. And since the opening is a little big she wears a white t-shirt underneath. I was glad to see on pattern review that another mom who made this thought the back zipper was not a good addition as well. She also took out the zipper and made it without.

Noah Doing Well

Noah's surgery went well and he is at home recovering. He looked really good when he woke up today and even requested pizza for lunch. I am sure by the weekend he should be up and around and back to himself. Thanks for all the prayers we had many answered and we have lots to praise in our house this week!

Wandering the soon to be old neighborhood

The Weather was fabulous for Easter in Miami, but unfortunately Noah was still under the weather so we had The Lords Supper at home with devotions. My husband happens to be a really great cook so Adrian made us a fabulous Easter dinner with Sirloin, smashed potatoes, and these awesome green beans with bacon and salsa. We went with a gluten free cheescake for dessert. And we were all stuffed full!

After dinner we decided to go for a little walk on the beach we thought the fresh air would be good for Noah. It was nice to look around at the neighborhood to tuck away some memories since we will soon be moving on. Packing with all the interuptions has been going slow and I will soon be kicking it into overdrive so that we finish in time. It is definately countdown time now 18 days until we move.

Life in A High Rise~

Well if I had time to look at a calendar I would be able to tell you how many days are left until we conclude this adventure with our family and we will no longer be living in a High Rise. It was definately an interesting experience and you can't beat being next to the beach, a state park, breath taking views and sunrise off the balcony every morning. But I am excited to be moving into the town house and to have something more family friendly. And we definately will not miss the elevators it will be nice to just walk in the front door as well as the challenge of dragging the groceries from the parking garage up to the floor we live on and all the interesting things that you do not think of until you move into a high rise. I thought I would post some pictures in case your curious of what it looks like to live in a High Rise.

Nonna's Quilt

Okay I was not packing today I should have been but I wasn't.I think at this point I am looking for any reason not to pack :-) I was working on Nonna's Quilt. I did not want to pack it away I just can't stand unfinished projects, and I was worried that we would be so busy unpacking over the next few months it would be one of those projects you always meant to finish but never really got to. I would have been able to finish it but I ran out of binding.....ugh so frustrating I was so close lol .... I needed like 3 inches to finish the bottom corner. I feel pretty confident that I will finish that corner this week and have it off in the mail in time for mothers day. I was hoping it would make it in time for her birthday but it just didn't happen. Hopefully it will help brighten up her room in the nursing home. Liam looks really tall but he is actually standing on a chair.

Spring or Summer

Well in Miami I can't really tell if it is spring or summer? Some days it's definately spring and others days it's definately summer. We are just about finished up with homeschool and busy packing so nothing to exciting going on. Since we will be spending the next several weeks in and out of boxes I thought I could do some posts of some of my recent craft projects. So I will post some pictures of the things I have sewn recently for Anna and I. We have pretty much transitioned over to only wearing skirts and dresses and enjoy being much more feminine and modest. I think my pants were one of the first things I packed and I do not miss them at all.
Here is one of my new dresses it is a New Look pattern from Walmart #6779 The neat thing about Pattern Review which I linked to the pattern number is you can see the dress but pictures of how others made it. This dress definately had a few issues while sewing and the pattern needed tweaking. I was really frustrated with the sleeves. I have sewn cap sleeves before by Ugh something was just a little off with the pattern. But in the end I think I worked it out.

Slavery Lapbook

Anna is working on her slavery lapbook we have enjoyed working on this together. I don't know about her but I have learned tons lol!! I was surprised by how little I knew about this subject. I thought maybe because I grew up in Canada it was not covered as much in school. But then the slaves escaped and made there way to Canada so it only seems logical that I would have learned something about it? I have no idea why I seem to be lacking on my knowledge of this. I must have been daydreaming again and I did seem to do that alot when I was younger. You would frequently find me staring out the window looking off into the distance. I have also thought that this study of slavery really goes along well with our Weaver studies in Exodus.

I really enjoy how we all learn and benefit from homeschooling especially now that the kids are getting older and we can talk together and share our opinions and thoughts about what they are studying. I look forward to many more years of us growing and learning together in God's grace.

Update on Noah

Noah is our miracle baby that began at conception when we found out I was expecting Noah we went in on a Friday for an exam and the doctor told us he could not find a heartbeat and that a D & C would be scheduled for Monday. We went home heart broken. But when you trust in God one thing you do have is hope. You do not have to believe what hear or what you see you can wait upon the Lord. I had a close friend who came over that weekend to be with us during that long wait until Monday and she had a message for me she told me that she did not know why but that I would not have a miscarriage but that I would have that baby. I believe that was a message from God to ease our minds and bring us peace. And to our surprise on Monday they did an ultrasound before the surgery and there was Noah heart beating strongly letting everyone know he was there.

Noah's story continues by my 8th month of pregnancy I developed Toxemia and was extremely ill. I had gained 90 lbs. from the fluid I was retaining and almost nearly doubled my weight. My blood pressure was incredibly high. He was born by emergency C Section bruised from being breech with low amniotic fluid but was happy to stretch out in the world and was joyfully welcomed by his family waiting his arrival.

His story picks up again at 4 1/2 months old he was diagnosed with bacterial meninigitis. We were living in Anchorage Alaska at the time and they had told us it was the worse case they had seen in 10 years. The odds were completely stacked against him they did not think he would survive. And it was more than once that Adrian and I as new parents hung on to each other as he turned blue and they recesitated him. The doctors also told us that if he did live he would be severely handicaped and possible deaf as well. Well God is gracious and merciful and he did an amazing thing with Noah. After 21 days in the ICU Noah survived and thrived and God healed him. Completely !! While in the hospital Noah was blessed with some amazing doctors and nurses that never gave up on him.

Noah has again had a challenging week but despite his infection is doing well. Currently he has been fighting a fever from the infection but he is a trooper and taking it all very well. His pain and discomfort in the middle of the night Monday night literally popped and disappeared. No doubt God heard all the requests from all those faithful prayer warriors. He will have surgery on Tuesday but this will be a minor surgery and out patient. And his pain is now very minimal and tolerable. And once again as parents we will place our Trust in the Lord who is gracious and merciful. And Noah I am sure will be back to climbing, biking and fishing in no time at all.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10