Sew fun!

I decided last year that I wanted to learn to sew. Before last year, I thought sewing was a waste of money and time. Why would anyone sew? It's cheaper to buy clothes than to make them, and it's easier. Thus my decision to never care that I don't sew. Then, one day I decided that it isn't about the clothes, it is about the crafting and the cuteness. And so, I decided that I wanted to learn to sew. I dawdled about thinking about how I should learn to sew for 3 months (or so) until I stumbled across a cheap-o used sewing machine for only $50. I thought that was as good of a price as I was going to find for a functioning good condition sewing machine. I bought it. It sat in my attic for a couple of months until December when I needed to sew a Christmas Tree craft. I pulled it out of the attic... and I sewed. It wasn't easy and it wasn't fun. Back to my attic went the machine. Then I saw a really cute Valentines day runner in a magazine. My mind started thinking about how much fun it would be to have a Valentines day runner. It looked easy enough. I decided that I would try sewing again. I pulled out the machine. I bought the fabric. And in the end, it was OK. I got a decent runner done. Not bad for a beginning project. A bunch of straight lines. Easy enough and it didn't make me feel like a total loser. So, I may try another project in the future, now that my confidence is boosted.

On a happier note, Look at my cute wreath!! I am so glad that I have such a cute friend named Kellie who encourages me to be crafty. I am so happy with the way it turned out. It is such a rich, beautiful color. It is perfect for Valentines Day. We have another wreath in the works, so stay tuned to see a way cute wreath. I should have it posted next week, if I am on the ball!!

And those conversation hearts? Love them. I only had time to sew and stuff a couple today, but there are several more cut and waiting to be finished. They will fill the bowl in the center of my coffee table, totally cute, Valentine-ish, and very kids friendly!

So, if you have ever thought about sewing... give it a try! If I can do it, then the dog next door could do it!

Nelson Brothers... I Mean- "Kendall Sisters"

How cute are these guitar girls? They are so dang fun, I love it!! Gloria and Gray have been doing guitar lessons for 6 months. Gloria has been asking for an electric guitar for MONTHS and we have told her NO so many times. But she and Gray have both been doing an excellent job practicing and have been playing so well. Their teacher has told us REPEATEDLY that their current guitars are too small and not good quality ($15 target specials 3 Christmases ago). We keep telling the kids that when we are SURE they are serious about playing the guitar they can earn new ones. For the past few months, they have really gotten into their guitar practicing and are now teaching their dad to play with them. The 3 of them sit around and 'Jam" and they sound pretty good.

The other night when the kids were with Travis at a friends house, their friends decided to give Gloria an electric guitar! Travis agreed to let her have it and she is soooooo excited. She gave her small pink guitar to Cami. Gray then handed his guitar to Liv and told her it would be hers in a few days when Dad got him a new guitar too.... I guess they kids are ready for new guitars! Liv and Cami are both so excited about their guitars, they sit and strum along with whatever their brother and sisters are doing. It is a lot of fun! I think that we will stick with the guitar for a few more years.

The Discovery Center

Last weekend we made it to a little "park" in Fresno. It was a lot of fun... freezing cold, but fun!! We left our warm 65 degree weather at our house, and headed to Fresno, with only jackets on. When we got to Fresno, the weather there was much more cold than it was here. So, we were a little bit chilly, but we still had a good time. They had a little toddler playground, that Liv loved. They have a reptile room (indoors) where you could see live reptiles and spiders. They had a lot of bones and animals that had been stuffed. Outside there was a fun little maze made with walls that had been painted. There was a fish pond, space ship, dinosaur area, a worm digging area, whisper dishes, cactus gardens, kid gardens, science experiments and crafts (indoors). The kids loved the science experiments.... they learned about heat conductors. The kids each got to decide a way to keep the heat in their cups with hot water. They had a choice of items to insulate their cups and after 10 minutes we checked to see whose cup kept the water the hottest, Cami's was the hottest (thanks to a little help from Daddy). We had a great time and look forward to finding more fun places to play... did I mention it was free? Even better!!

In the cactus garden, Gloria and Liv and their friend loved touching every single cactus they could find. I tried to tell them that touching them could be painful, but they reminded me of the parks motto "Touch Touch Touch!!!" How could I argue with that? They did touch them all, and didn't get poked at all. Liv loved running and running and running all over, everywhere. She had a great time. Gray found some orange trees and picked up all the small ones that had fallen on the ground. He brought them home, they were pretty cute. Cami loved the whisper dishes and like to make sure that the people on the other side could hear her. I think that we will go back there soon.