Sewing is the Best Therapy...

I know that sewing is not for everyone...I am learning that from working with other women at church!  But I have come to truly love it over the years!  I love designing and creating new things that can be used by my kiddos.  It's not only one of my many jobs, it is also my THERAPY!  I have been wanting to make a pair of pants and vest for my boys for some time now.  So I finally made some time this last weekend.

Sure the time was at 9:30pm until 1am but I finished and Eli wore his outfit on Sunday!  I was quite proud of this outfit because despite Eli being fast asleep and no measurements were made, this outfit fit him perfectly---like a glove!!! I am drooling over nautical themes right now so I added that accent for fun.  The vest is actually reversible (forgot to take that picture).  I used a snap press for the buttons which are so easy to snap quickly for one "on the move" toddler.

 The pattern for the vest came from a sweater vest that he wears right now with some added adjustments.  It has some small issues (which I am NOT pointing out), but with Carter's I know where to adjust the pattern.

He was quite "dashing" in his "Daper Dan" outfit with his bow tie from Easter last year that matched perfectly.  Eli must have felt fancy too becaus he had an added "bounce" in his strut that day!  Carter liked Eli's outfit so well he said to me, "Mom...I want a bow tie too."  so I asked, "What color would you like?" and he replied, "I want ORANGE!"  So I guess that is on the list of things to make this week.  Hopefully I can find some more time!

As many know I chose to do cloth diapers (CD) with Eli.  Which turned out to be a wonderful experience and we just loved it!  Mister "sensitive skin" had not a one diaper rash.  So of course we are going to continue with CD with Baby girl. 

However, all we have are boy colored CD.  But buying MORE when I have about 30+ already is not really an option.  But I wanted some "girlie" colors.  So I am hoping to make some to supplement my stash.  Here was my first attempt.

It is a AIO (all-in-one) diaper with the softest fleece on the inside, PUL in the middle, and a cute Heather Bailey cotton fabric on the outside.

The insert lays right inside of the diaper and stays in place with Velcro.  This diaper is made to fit babies 9 lbs -15 lbs.  I was quite happy with my first try and I am now addicted and want to make more.  I have already adjusted the pattern in my head to make these more like my Bum Genius dipes from Eli.  Plus bought some better Velcro that should last through the millions of washes that these cute things go through!

 Can't you just picture a cute bummie in this dipe?!  I am so excited for her to arrive!  Sometimes I try and picture what she may look like.  Then I think back to the arrival of Eli and how much he looked JUST like his brother!!!  And still sometimes does.  So...here is my prediction...a bald, light-haired baby girl...blue eyes...fair skin...that looks just like her hooligan brothers!  I guess that is what happens when Mom and Dad were both bald, fair haired and skinned babies themselves!!!  We LOVE bald babies!

More projects to come...and maybe someday I will get with my business Blog!  I need to keep up to date on that one...Where can I buy more time?!

It's a....

GIRL!!!!

On December 21st we found out that we are having a baby girl!  I am now 24 weeks pregnant and the belly is growing ever so rapidly!  I am starting to feel her move more and more and with each movement I get more and more excited!

I have loved looking at girlie things.  Here are just a few from my Pinterest Board...

 Yes...these are for Toddlers...they are not adult shoes!  OK so I love buying shoes anyway, just look at my boys collection of shoes.  But now that a girl will be arriving, I will love shoes shopping for those tiny tootsies!

 And these bloomers!  I have wanted to do ruffles and lace for so long, but that just doesn't work for boys.  But now we can dive in, right?!

And this romper...is this ever cute!  I just love this picture and outfit! 

I have not bought much and I have been given a few things!  But just being able to look at girlie colors has gotten me excited and I haven't boughts much at all.  We could be in trouble.

I did make my first girl cloth diaper!  (Pics) to come this week!  Sewing with girl colors is exciting too!  We just can't wait for her to join the chaos...I hope she is ready for this!  We love her already!

Day in the Life...

 Does the scab on this lip tell you what goes on at the Edwards's household?  Lots and lots of boy craziness including rough housing, messes (and lots of them), shooting with anything that can be imagined to be a gun and of course fabric sorting!  I just wanted to fill you in on the happenings of this week which included some of each of these!  (Since I am trying to do better at blogging).

We have been on an organizing/goals kick around here.  This usually happens every january, but it has been very successful this year!  We have gotten much done including in the fabric room.  I sorted all of my patterns and put them in an organized binder where I can find them.  I organized my thread and notions including way too much piping and bias tape.  We even sorted and listed many fabrics this week.  Chris and I spent an evening just him and I on a date night between MANY bolts of fabric.  We were checking and double checking our inventory to make sure it was all up for sale on our site and available for purchase.  It was a long night but very successful!  The fabric business is going very well and keeping us busy.

 Between me being ill for months at a time, my busy season for HBC orders, the holidays and family in town for a few months the boys have watched way too much TV.  Carter especially!  No one is to blame, but me as it was easy when I was puking my guts out and feeling so sick to just turn on the TV to entertain the boys.  Or for me to just finish this one last order.  Well, with my sweet Carter's imagination I have found that he turns into whatever character he is watching on TV.  He becomes a dinosaur, super hero, peter pan, or whomever it may be and he gets very excited and starts acting out when he has spent too much time there.  So...this week we are back into the groove (finally) and we have limited TV to 30-60 min per day and NOT the first thing of the day.  Plus No iPad all week.  What an improvement in everything!  He has found other things to do and things that he has come to love! 

 Playing Playdough has become one of our favorite things to do.  We have made snakes, fish, and even a few necklaces and Mustaches!  The boys love it!

 Oh and the messes that we can make with it! 

 I don't know how many times I have swept up playdough crumbs that have dried on the floor this week!  It was funny, just yesterday Carter sat down on the floor and said, "Ouch...I just hurt my foot!" I said, on what" as there was no object capable to hurting his foot from what I could tell!  Then he pointed to a dried up, crist and now sharp piece of blue playdough I had somehow missed on the floor..."Mom I steped on the playdough and it cut me!"  It didn't cut but yes it was sharp and hurt.

 Eli has been asking his brother to take him to the potty this week. Which I am just fine with!  I love the extra hands.  However, Eli was gone and quiet a little too long Friday afternoon.  I walked into the bathroom only to find this...

 Hard to tell, but he was taking the cup form his small potty chair and taking cups of water from the actual toilet and dumping them onto he floor of the bathroom!  He was in this picture standing in about a 1/2" deep of water!  Toilet water at that!!!  Yuck....i disinfected right after that!

 When Daddy comes home the boys love to play with Dad!  Riding horse is just one of the many Dad plays with them.  They also like going on "Bug Hunts" where they take the fly swatters and flash lights and hunt for bugs in the dark with dad! 

 These boys (all three) are the lights of my life...boy BOY do they wear me out!!!  Constant chaos over here at our house...so if you happen to just stop by...please don't be surprised if one is wearing nothing but undies and the other is in a super hero costume!  Just another day in the life of a mom with 2 wonderfully BUSY boys!  I love it!

2011 Happening for Carter Jameson...

2011 was a great year with lots of growth for little C-man!  He turned 4 years old on June 7th and has been growing like a weed ever since.  In September he started Pre-school at the Chelsea Community Preschool.  Which happens to be where I went to high school some 12-13 year ago.  It is now a preschool and continuing ed building.

I have first day of School pictures on my iPhone, so I will have to get those on here, plus so many more pics that other may enjoy.  (more posts to come when those show up)  But Carter struggled a bit at the start of school.  He was not sure if he was left handed or right handed.  The teacher asked, and I asked her the same question.  He is a bit of a "switch hitter" he uses both hands to write with.  But now as time has gone on I see that he does a better job and is more confident as a right handed writer.  I would love if he could do both...especially in sports...but whatever he does best at works for me.  He is a social butterfly at school and has so many friends.

He has a best friend names "Laura" who for a while was calling him her "husband" and we had a few kisses being given to Carter.  He learned quickly he didn't like kisses from girls and started to tell her that he only got kisses from family...whew!

We had a fun story with some of our moral values as well.  Carter is a giant sponge and picks up on every tiny detail.  But he knows that we do not drink coffee, tea, or alcohol as well as smoking.  Well, he wasn't at school more than a week or two and he saw his Teacher Mrs. Downer and her aid Mrs. Mullens drinking their morning coffees.  When he quickly announced to them, "Jesus does not want us to drink cofee...It's not good for your body!"  The teacher giggled a little at his seriousness, with which he became as serious as a heart attack..."It's not good for our bodies, and alcohol too!!!!"  They quickly saw it was not something he wanted them to be doing and they hid their drinks from him.  Later both the teachers and he told me the story and we had a discussion at home.  But he was just so worried about them and cared for them that he was letting them know.

I volunteered in his classroom one morning when they were making gingerbread men.  It was so nice to see him interact and be so sweet to his peers.  One of his peers was unhappy and did not want to join their circle for "book look" and he said to her,"I saved you a seat, you can come and sit by me!"  She quickly got over whatever she was upset about and joined the group.  He has a very tender side and seems to be loved by everyone including his teachers.

Carter had been planning his Halloween Costume for a whole year.  Last Halloween (2010) he said he wanted to be Peter Pan.  Well, he was serious and planned it all year long right down to the tights!  And boy did he play the part.

I had to hide the costume from him after it was finished so that he wouldn't sleep in it, or spill on it before he actually got to wear it for Halloween.  He enjoyed the Halloween Carnival they had at the preschool, as well as the ward Halloween party at church!  And if anyone called him "Robin Hood" he was VERY quick to correct them, "I AM PETER PAN!"  One lady while trick-or-treating even said to him, "I love your shoes" and he replied, "I know!"  Manners are a constant battle and HUGE learning curve for these kids!

Thanksgiving we spent with Chris' family in Brighton.  Becky (Chris') cousin was in town so we enjoyed a trip to Bronners Famous Christmas Store and the annual Turkey Trot 5K in Ann Arbor.  I walked it being that I was and am pregnant and when the race was over and Carter was waiting at the end he said, "Can I run this with you next year?"  I quickly replied, "yes let's plan on it!"  Becky and I also enjoyed some serious Black Friday shopping the day after Thanksgiving...got some serious shopping done and very little sleep.

Nana showed up at our house on November 1st because Becca and Jon had a baby the end of Oct.  So she was with us all through the holidays and into the New Year.  Getting ready for Christmas with Nana was fun.  We made cookies, read lots of Christmas stories, did the Advent Calendar, and had a new visitor come to our house "Elf on the Shelf". 

Carter named our Elf "Twinkle"  He loved this elf and spoke with her and believed in all of her magic.  She goes home to Santa and reports kids behavior to Santa each night while they are sleeping and when they awake she has landed in a new place in the house.  Now, you can't touch the elf or she will lose her powers. 

So Carter was trying to get something off of the mantel where "Twinkle" just happened to be sitting.  He accidentally touched her and he began to cry!!!  I mean tears of pain and sorrow!!!  "MOM, I accidentally touched Twinkle...she is going to lose her power...Oh No!!!" I mean he was beside himself!  He cried to Nana and was SO upset!  We convinced him that she understood it was an accident and they she would be OK.  The next morning she was still alive and had all of her powers, he was SO relieved!

Chris was worried about the boys getting into the Christmas tree this year.  So he told them that is they touched the tree that it sounded an alarm to Santa and Santa would then send Dad a text saying that they had touched the tree and with each touch then Santa would stop working on any gifts he may have for Christmas!  Boy was Carter sold on this LIE too!  Anytime he bumped or came close to touching that tree I would catch him wispering, "Sorry Santa!" to the tree!  Carter was in the spirit and believed all the magic of Christmas this year.

 He saw Santa 3 times this year...church party, PAT play group and Preschool!  By the third time he told Santa, "I already saw you and told you what I wanted!"  And what did he ask for...a jellybean shooter!  That was all he asked for from Santa.

 He loved helping Eli and teaching Eli about Christmas time and traditions.  It was fun to watch.

 He would open each gift and say, "That was just what I wanted!" It didn't matter if it was a shirt or a remote control car..."It was Just what he wanted" despite the fact that all he asked for was a jellybean shooter and he didn't even get that!!!

What was even more funny was to watch him at church on Christmas Day!  There was a musical program and the primary kids sang "Away in a Manger".  Carter was standing there and not singing a thing, but plugging his nose the entire time while making a face of pure disgust!  When he returned to his seat he told his dad, "Something stunk up there dad!"  Oh how he is honest!

 I love this family picture...one is picking his nose and the other sticking his tongue out!  Gotta love these boys!

They sure were handsome though!  We had a very Merry Christmas and Carter loved having all of his family here!  He loved playing with his cousin Nikolas who is 9 as well as his cousin Lillia who is 2-1/2 years old!  They all played very well together.  We also enjoyed the baptism of my brother-in-law Jason Mayer who was baptized Dec 24 by my father.  It was a special family day!

Looking Back on 2011---Eli Douglas

I know it has been WAY too long since I last updated this blog.  Whenever I think about updating I get overwhelmed with how much I need to catch up on...I get filled with guilt...and then I just say, "Forget It!" 
But...now its a new year.  Time to start over and do a better job recording the simple happenings of our lives so one day I don't look back with regrets.  So lets just wrap up some favorites happenings of 2011...

Starting with Eli Douglas...
This kid has grown more than I can even believe in the last 12 months.  Just last year he was pulling himself up to things and just starting to get around.  And now...I can hardly keep this kids' pace.  He is into everything and at times looking for trouble.  Eli had his first birthday in March and started walking around that same time. 

He has been a slower talker than his brother was, but don't think for a minute that we don't know what he is saying despite his lack of words.  Between signing, grunting, pointing and the few words that he knows he is very clear with what he NEEDS!  Or maybe it is because he is so LOUD!  He is learning new words every day...some new words he has picked up in the last 2 months..."Nana", "Poop" (always a good one), "Toot" (another essential in a little boys world), "up", "Woof", "ME!", "Ah!" (which stands for his pacifier, a drink of water/milk, or anything he would like to put in his mouth)...and I am sure there are others that I just can't remember.

Eli had a rough couple of months back in the fall with getting his blood drawn.  At his 1 year well baby check-up they found his iron was low so we started a Multi-Vitamin with iron.  Then they asked to re-draw the levels in a month or two.  So they checked it again in the summer and found that the iron levels were still low.  So he started taking "Ferrous Sulfate" (straight iron...I mean you can smell metal when you open the bottle).  But in the meantime we found out that he had abnormally low neutraphils.  Whick is part of the white blood cell count.  They did not know why this was since he is a very healthy boy...which required him to come back for blood drawns once a month monitoring the levels.  Talk about a moms worst nightmare...taking her 18 month old to get poked...watching him bawl and cry using one word he knows very well..."Momma" when there was nothing I could do.  After months of blood draws and about $200-$300 worth of lab costs and co-pays his levels have ever so slowly improved.  For now we are just going to watch it.

But I am not sure he will ever be happy about going to the Dr.  In fact...after one blood draw he was so angry that he ripped the bandaid off before the blood could cloth that blood went everywhere...the nurse said, "Wow, Eli it looks like a Murder scene in here!"  And it did, blood everywheres!  That is one strong boy!  Took 3-4 of us to hold him down each time!

Other adventures this summer...
My nephew Nikolas came and stayed with us for 2 weeks this summer.  The boys loved a playmate and we enjoyed playing outside in the warmer weather.

Spooner Family Trip to Chicago to see a Red Sox vs White Sox baseball game.  Eli enjoyed his first major league game and train ride.  He also enjoyed time with his aunts and uncles and cousins.  We walked the Magnificent Mile, saw Millenial Park and Navy Pier, ate great Chicago Style pizza, and SHOPPED!  We even celebrated Chelsea Irons birthday (Uncle Jamie's girlfriend).

(Popcorn and baseball..yumminess)

(I love the train...no carseats!)

(He enjoyed riding the luggage cart too)

(Eli and cousin Lillia at church together in the windy city)

Eli also decided in about October, Halloween time that he was tired of wearing his diaper.  He started taking off his diaper and going into the bathroom when he needed to perform his duty.  I decided that we can better jump on board and start potty training this kid.  He has done VERY well and we are so proud of him.  At times he will show up missing and it never fails...if we go into the bathroom there he is...standing up...on the stool...aiming...shooting...and firing.  Saying "PEE, PEE" and pointing at the potty.  He does not wake up dry yet, so he still uses a diaper at bedtime.  And #2 is still difficult and a work in progress, but otherwise he does very well.


Speaking of Halloween...Eli loved being "Smee" from Peter Pan and Captain Hook this year.  He even wore the glasses the whole time we were "trick o treating".  He had a great time with all of the candy and playing out his part with his brother who was Peter Pan.

Eli and I have had some great moments together since Carter started school in September.  Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday it is just he and I from 8:30am until 11am.  We both enjoy the one-on-one time together. 

Eli is a very special little boy.  He LOVES to help and will help with any project whether you want him to or not.  HE LOVES HELPING and says, "ME" to let you know that he can do the task at hand by himself!



This boy can kiss.  Eli loves to give away his kisses.  Maybe its because his dad is always telling him to give kisses or maybe its because he has the cutes most FULL nice lips..either way he melts are hearts when he shares his kisses.  Just beware...he kisses the Dog on the lips...kisses the TV...kisses legs...chairs...heads...and of course lips.  Maybe we should call him "Loose Lips"?! 

(just look at those lips...who wouldn't want a kiss from this little man!?)

He had a great Christmas.  Loved talking with "Twinkle" the elf on the shelf.  Sometimes he liked opening gifts and othertimes he could have cared less.  He loved having Nana and Pepa back in town from Romania especially when Pepa let him play on his iPad.

He also loved meeting and "helping" his new cousin Ari Hale Spooner.  He loved having a "BABY!" around and wanted more than his share of turns to hold him.

As for Santa...he was NOT interested.  He was terrified and watched from a safe distance.

(look at those curls...never had a hair cut and almost 2 years old...NO just a CURL-HOCK!)

Some of his favorite gifts this year...His brother "drill" from uncle Jon.  He must have drilled everything in the house on Christmas Day.  His remote controlled car...beanbag...police car that makes noise and his Hot Wheels cars!

Eli keeps us on our toes...but is a pure joy to have in our family.  He is getting to be a big boy right before our eyes and I wish I could just say, "slow down!".  BUt he is learning and growing so much and turning into his own little strong-willed bossy self!  You can see this when the dog or Carter gets into trouble and he goes up to her and says, "NO, NO Woof, Woof..." all the while shaking his pointer finger back and forth.  Oh melt my heart Mr. Eli!