One of the things Hannah received from Santa was a Harmunka doll. It is basically manikin with a slot in the back you can tuck strips of fabric into so that the front will make out fits...just like a fashion designer.
Hannah LOVES this thing. I went rummaging through my scraps and found her some more material to get creative with...no way I'm paying $5 for more scrap material...I have tons of that.
Here are some shots of her latest fashion line:
Watch out world...who knows where this will go to....
I love them...I do...Am I too cheap to have them done...well...um yes...more like have to make due with the money we have and monogramming is not on top of the budget list...
But tonight I found this awesome little way to embroidery names on things....I am so going to try it this next year!
I found the cutest tutorial. If anyone knows me and my sewing they know I LOVE to make things from sheets...there is so much material there and I LOVE to find a great deal...usually Target is my place for both.
I was doodlebuggin' around on the computer today and found this great blog...called While they sleep...and it has the cutest skirt...that I can't wait to make...so what if I have no fitted sheets for the beds...we will all have lots of skirts!!!!
Chad was so excited to make his first fire for us this winter. He worked so hard (we didn't have any kindling but had plenty of shred material (I know, I know-its not good for the fireplace). It looked so beautiful!
Here is a picture of the girls in their snowman pillowcase dresses too. I guess this will probably be the last year I can dress them like this...Hannah is "much too old " to wear these (she thinks). I love how "Little House on the Prairie" the look.
This is the first year of many we’ve been able to write a Christmas letter.Just like most of you, we’ve been busy, busy!
We are still home schooling.Hannah is in third grade and Mikayla is in second grade.Autumn just celebrated her second birthday and thinks she is in school too.
Chad is working at MS Valley Title and is very happy there.He has just recently moved over to their Canton courthouse and loves it.It puts him traveling 45 minutes one way to work, but he says it is worth it!
Chad has recently been very busy preparing for Pinelake’s (our church) Christmas Music program called Best Gift.By the time this reaches you, Chad will have performed in 5 performances in one weekend and many, many rehearsals.He has one short solo part and is singing in an ensemble. I am so proud of him being brave. I will be helping with the interpreting in our Friday performance. Chad is really enjoying his new found friendships with all his choir friends.
Chad has also started hunting again this year.He is very excited about it.He has even taken Mikayla out in the woods to hunt.She loved it too.Chad said she was the perfect little hunter, quietly watching and waiting for a deer to approach.
I am still signing at Pinelake with other interpreters as well as teaching Sunday school every now and then in the Deaf Ministry. I am very involved in our ReACHE home school group.I was just appointed to their board to take over the communications area.I basically created; run and update the ReACHE website and YAHOO group, as well as put together a newsletter quarterly for our members.
In June, I also started a website for our community called RankinKountyKids.com.This website is a database for fun things to do in and around our community (in our county) for parents and kids.It has been fun to put together, as well as a challenge to learn different types of HTML and CSS code on my own.
I’ve also been busy, busy teaching myself how to sew and knit on a loom.I’ve been able to make lots of fun things this year. Pillowcase dresses and twirly skirts have been fun to make.I’ve made several hats and scarves.As you can probably tell, I have a hard time sitting still.
These are hats for We Will Go ministry downtown.
Birthday gift for my niece.
The big girls went to sewing camp last June and had a blast!They both learned to hand sew and sew on a sewing machine.They made bags, skirts, purses, pillowcases, hair scrunches and many other things.They’ve sewed several times since then and have even sewed some Christmas gifts for family.
Hannah and Mikayla with the group of girls showing off their pillowcases and skirts they made during camp.
They have also started Karate this year.Mikayla picked it up right away and LOVED it.Hannah was a little more apprehensive about it, but is doing GREAT.They plan to test for their first belt after Christmas.Chad is taking karate with them.
Hannah went away to her first summer camp last May.She was gone for a week. It seemed like eternity for the rest of us.We couldn’t wait for her to return home.She had a great time.She also stayed with Nana and Pappy (Chad’ parents) and Misty and Marty (Chad’s sister and brother-n-law) this year.She is a girl who likes to travel.
Hannah also started her own little business making bubble magnets.It’s been lots of fun helping her in her creative ventures.I suppose it runs in our family.
Mikayla is more of a homebody but thrives in her environment.She has taught herself how to do handstands and back flips.She is doing excellent with her piano lessons.She will learn to play something, memorize it very quickly without having to look at the music again.She is one of those that tries something once and has it.
Autumn has learned sign language this past year using her Signing Time DVD’s she received for her last birthday.She signs all kinds of animals, foods, vehicles, emotions, and daily life signs.She is very shy with the camera so I’ll have to hold everything she has learned in my memory.
The girls are doing very well in school.They are involved with several co-ops this year.One is American History that meets once a month.So far they’ve learned about Christopher Columbus and William Bradford.They’ve even been geo-caching. Another Co-op they do once a month is PE.They get together with our home school group and play all kinds of school yard games and learn basic skills for different sports.Finally, the last co-op they are involved in is one that we do every other Friday with a dear friend and her daughter.We study different artists and try to recreate some of their techniques in an art project, they have piano lessons, learn praise and worship songs in ASL, and do review and a project from our Astronomy curriculum we study during the week.
A very exciting thing that happened this year for both Hannah and Mikayla (and us) is that they asked Jesus in their hearts. Hannah was baptized in February and Mikayla was baptized in November. It was very exciting for our family!!!
Mikayla's baptism
Hannah's baptism
As you can tell, we stay very busy but our life is blessed and we are thankful for God’s mercy, faithfulness and guidance in our life. We’ve lost much in the last few years, but have pulled together and grown closer through it all.We pray that you will have a great Christmas and especially a wonderful new year.
You can see what we do all year by visiting our blogs:
For years (mostly my adult years), Mimi made this delicious dressing for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I can barely think of a holiday passing without making this or having it. I am sure she pulled it out of one of her MANY cookbooks but her daughters have renamed it "Aunt Phyllis' Famous Dressing".
I am not really one that's fond of the holiday foods...you could grill out hamburgers for all I care...but if I have to eat Turkey...this dressing makes the whole holiday to me.
I just finished preping it to cook it tomorrow. I can't wait to "go back home" when I put it in my mouth...
I think Mimi thought cheese could make just about anything better and toss in some yummy ground sausage...you have some melt in your mouth "yum"!!!!
Here is the recipe if you'd like to try it: (click on it to make it bigger)
Listening to Mrs. Jennifer read Mikayla's testimony.
So proud of my sweet Mikayla today! It was the most awesome Children baptism service. Pinelake does a New Beginnings Class for children that want to ask Jesus in their heart. It is four weeks long and it involves making sure they know what kind of decision they are making and how to become a disciple.
Today was the culmination of the class. Her baptism. They told us that the parents could join them in the water, so Chad went while I had Autumn and Hannah in the audience. I didn't know but they let the parents baptize the children (Chad is an ordained deacon, but Pinelake's stance is just being a Christian, follower of Christ allows one to baptize). This was the most precious thing ever! A daddy baptizing his little girl...his sister in Christ. It was beautiful!
They all were able to take the Lord's supper and they clearly explained how the ceramony was a time to remember what Christ has done for us and examine our own lives and confess any sins we many have before partaking.
After this, we had a reception for all who were baptized and they awarded each child (who was baptized) a certificate of baptism and a beautiful Adventure Bible with their name on it, to start their journey getting to know who Christ is!
An exhausting day, but a beautiful one! We are entirely blessed!
I've been down with Bronchitus this past week...so though I've had no physical energy...I've had to keep my hands busy...I hate staying still but when you have no get up and go...its hard to feel inspired to do anything...
Enter the knitting looms...they are just sitting there begging to be used to make something...so while I watched about 4 movies laying in the bed...I made these for the girls...
Our church is doing Hats for Homeless. My goal is to make 2 hats per week for the project. Here is my first one for it. I've made a couple for the girls so now I've had good practice. This one is made on the extra large yellow round loom. At first I thought it would be huge, but when you take it off the loom it tends to shrink up a bit. I think it'll be nice and cozy for whoever gets it. I made it with a combo of olive yarn and black chenille type yarn.
I was in a sewing swap recently. I received 2 half yards of fabric to make anything I wanted. Knowing that my person had 2 little girls, I decided to make as much as I could for them out of what she sent me.
I ended up making a crayon roll, a marker roll, 2 tote bags and a key chain. Fun stuff!
I have found this cool thing called a Knifty Knitter. I wanted to learn how to knit...but I really need to have someone show me how. So this is a meet in the middle kind of thing. I LOVE it. I've made 2 hats in 2 nights. Not perfect....but pretty close. These are so fun to make. I am going to teach the girls had to make them too! They love them and get excited when they see the colors blending!
The shirt with the yo-yo on it came at a light bulb moment and the rest of it just spilled out as I looked at what fabric I had left to play with!
It's Christmas come early! With a late October birthday, what's better than a great Christmas outfit! This definitely is crying out for some funky tights to go with it!
Still looking for a cute top to use for this skirt..Should I applique...should I add y-yo...hum??? What to do!!!
I am so excited to make one of my sweet niece's her birthday present this year. I've made her two twirly skirts. One I still have to get a shirt to go with it but the other one is all finished and looks oh so cute!
I found a tutorial on how to make a twirly skirt and just had to make it! Don't all girls love to twirls...smile!
We'll I was putting too many side items in my homeschool blog so I thought I would start a new one. Hum...what will this one include:
1. My Sewing Projects: Some of you know that my 2nd Mom passed away August of 2008. This was an intense summer of care taking for her as well as my children. Her cancer came quickly and took her quickly. The sting is still very much here. Anyhow...I inherited her sewing machine and have began to do little projects here and there. Each time I use her sewing machine , I think...she would be so proud. I've always wanted to sew but lacked the confidence to figure it out on my own. So there ya go...
2. My ramblings about life, crafts I insist on making, and just ongoing projects I am tackling because life is too short to wait til tomorrow!
3. Whatever else evolves here...who knows what the Lord will give me to say!
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