Bedroom makings!

Well, I'm still working hard on trying to get Jorden's new bedroom cleaned out. It has really dingy white walls, so I think I must paint. I'm not sure what my gut says brown and pink and orange.... but this will be the boys playroom too, so I must pull that urge back a bit. I have kicked around tangerine orange, robins egg blue, or lime green. It's a small room, but it needs color! I think any of these would look nice with dark brown. I think I will have to keep the trim white, but the door panels and such can be brown.

Please don't mind the mess, like I said I'm still trying to clear it out. There are 2 doors one to the living room, and one to the basement (VERY well locked!) There is one window and a small "closet" cabinet with shelves.

I really want to do something fun and funky in there. I'd love to use some found or recycled materials. I think I'm still too overwhelmed to have any creative juices for the moment. The paint will need to be done soon, the other stuff I can do a bit at a time. (Oh it's really ugly brown carpet, but it will have to stay for a while.) Any help would be great! Thanks

Funday Monday!!

Monday was a pretty good day! Jorden and I made a snow man
Jorden with our snowman.



Jo and the boys posing after school with the snowman


It was beautiful with the fresh falling snow. We're working on cleaning out my craftroom, so she can have a bedroom. The contracts came and it looks like she will be living here nearly full time for 8 months. Her dad will gradually get more visitation so they can get to know each other. Once she does go to her dad's full time (next fall) she will be coming here for daycare when her dad and step mom are working. So at least I will get to see her. We are busy trying to make her a more permanent spot, a place of her own. My craft room/storage room will move upstairs and her bedroom will go in there. After she moves out it will turn into more of a playroom for her and the boys.


Here's where she's been staying until we had a more permanent place. Plus she was close to the bathroom and VERY close to us so if she needed us we could be there. Obviously it's not ideal, so we need to remedy it.

Swap Goodies!!!

I organized a fat quarter swap, which I have been horribly neglecting because of recent happenings. They have all been wonderful and patient! I received what was supposed to be 6 fat quarters yesterday, and it was SOOO much more!
Here is a group shot of all the wonderful goodies she sent! You see the 6 Moda!!! fat quarters in the middle. A gorgeous nest pin on the left. 2 sets of handpainted candles! A very touching card. And that cute pink purse on the right is for my niece Jorden!





As you can see Jorden loves it! She slept with it last night, she keeps her treasures in there, and has a picture of her sisters and mommy in there. The girl loves to accessorize! Thank you so much sewinglori!!!

Too much

Ugh, we had to get away this weekend, it was just too much. Too many people stopping by with food. Too many people calling with condolences. Too many cards.

Obviously the out pour of support is amazing! I don't mean to minimize it at all. We really appreciate all of it. We just needed to breathe. We disapeared this weekend. We have some amazing friends who let us stay at their house while we just breathed for awhile.

Now we are back at home. Life is beginning to get back to normal. Today would have been my sister's birthday. It will be a hard day.

Sick Kids

Well, after the funeral, everyone got sick. Alia & her step brother Austin have strep throat. Alyssa has an infection, my niece Ambrosia has pneumonia, and so does Alia and Alyssa's Step-mother Tiffany. Lore has diarrhea. I don't know what Jorden has but she has been sleeping alot today and she's had loose poops and just not herself. I really hope that she'll be feeling better soon. She was supposed to have a visit with her dad tonight, and I feel really bad that she won't be able to go. She's very confused, and misses her mommy very much. I'm very glad that she has been able to come stay with us. She lived here for awhile and is quite comfortable with our family and our house. She thinks of the boys as brothers (almost.) I love to see how happy she is when she's here. She's been a little apprehensive everywhere else. There have been so many people at the funeral home and the church for the funeral, it is really great to just see her smile when she feels safe and comfortable here.

My little sister passed away yesterday.

Candace, age 26, died yesterday. She fell in the bathroom and broke her neck. It shouldn't have happened, however, it did. She has 3 young daughters. 2 will be living with their father and his wife, both wonderful people. The other used to live with me for awhile, and hopefully will again. She hardly knows her father. There is a lot of other stuff surrounding her placement, I expect it to get quite messy and ugly. Can't really think about it yet, still thinking about the funeral and other stuff. One of the girls is staying with us tonight. It's surreal. We really never got along, but the last few months were good ones. She was trying so hard to get her life together. The last thing I told her, the last time I spoke to her, was that I was proud of her.....

Edited to add: the coroner's report says she did not break her neck. She has had epilepsy for some time and had landed in a coma about 2 years ago. We didn't think there was any way for her to survive that. She did though, but her body never fully recovered. We believe that she had another huge seizure and passed away because of her body being unable to take it.

Alyssa's Birthday

Well, I don't know how happy I am with what I'm doing for Alyssa's birthday gift, but the boys helped me decide. And I realized that if they would like them, then the girls might too. So they talked me into a birthday crown with her name on it. We bought her a jewelry making kit (that I hope she will be able to make.) I'd like to make her something else too, but I'm not quite sure what.

I love my boys, but.....

I've about had enough! It has been bitterly cold here. Crazy cold, so cold that school has been canceled because of the cold. Monday it was 35-40 degrees below zero, Tuesday was the same. Today was also cold. These kids haven't been able to play outside for over a week. Even at school during recess it's indoors. The kids are getting cranky and on each other's nerves, and to be completely honest, they are absolutely on my nerves!
Now they have a half day of school tomorrow and off on Friday and it is still supposed to be super cold. Not only can they not go outside, but they are cooped up in the house. My house has gotten quite messy, just from being around. I am going stir crazy and they are too. I think Friday we are going to just have a crafty crazy day. We'll get our Valentine's done and maybe some decorations and maybe even some baking too.

I'm a terrible aunty!

My niece Alyssa is turning 7 in just one week. Somehow with being sick and the cold, and DI, and other things, this had simply left my mind. Now I'm in a mad hurry to craft something for her, and I am having crafters block!!! I have no idea what to make for her. She's wonderful and spunky and likes red, and I still have nothing!

I considered either a pillow or a reading pillow (with straps to hold down a book.) But they don't seem right. I'm super stuck. Anyone out there in blogger land have any ideas I would be so grateful to hear them!

BRRRRRRRR it's cold

Well, school was cancelled today. It is -35 degrees farenheit. So we are still hibernating in the house. I think we are all getting a little pent up. The kids are getting on each other's nerves, and mine too. The cold is also making us all feel lazy too. They don't want to bake or craft or anything. It's supposed to be this cold all week and into next week. I hope "they" are wrong!

Ugh, I'm back

Well, it seems the entire world got really sick around my birthday, and I haven't had much time to do anything. Well, so far everyone seems back to their old selves, and the weather has turned bitterly cold. So, you'll probably see me making up for lost time as we snuggle in at home.

My birthday was wonderful, I did nothing which was the goal. Tim's mom took the boys (they had off of school, and she had off of work, everyone was happy!) I watched some soaps (believe it or not, I totally caught up.) I took a long bath, painted my toenails, drank tea, watched the snow fall, read a bit from a book I enjoy, Tim brought home some Chinese (my fav, he hates,) and we did absolutely nothing! It was so nice!

I received some wonderful gifts from a craftster birthday swap. I got a neat crocheted fairy.

I received a whole package full of crafting goodies!

Also, I received my One Tiny Thing Swap item. It is a beautiful knitted wristlet. I know I need to get better at my picture taking techniques. I'd love to blame my old camera, but I really think itis more user error. Here it is and the picture doesn't do it any justice.

Well, that's fairly caught up.