I'll never eat Jesus:: a cute Maddie story

We are watching Man VS Wild (we love his adventures!) and he said something about eating the heart of a plant and Maddie turns to me and says "Mama! I will never eat my heart, because Jesus lives in there! We don't want to eat Jesus in our hearts do we mama?!" I love that kid.

Just a few things I wanted to tell you

1. There are still NO BABY GOATS. And yes, they are still laughing at me.

2. Today is Ben's 30th birthday! Happy birthday hunny! I love you!

3. The new issue of Sew Wow is out! They did a very cute version of our Miss Madeline, there is a free purse pattern in this issue and some good tutorials too. You can see the whole issue online here.

4. Tim cracked me up this morning! I had just woke up and we were snuggling and talking on the couch when he said "Mama! Your bweath stinks! What have you been eatin?" LOL! I laughed so hard at him! He acted like I had got up before him and had a spoon full of poo or something. Crazy kid.

5. Ben is making friendship bracelets for all of us on the couch next to me right now. He rocks.

6. Sanuk sent my shoes this week. THREE PAIR! They sent me white, off white, and black. The girl on the goat farm in Alabama, who started out with one pair of Sanuks, now has four pair! Woot! I can't wait to get started on them.

7. Ben is seriously thinking of setting up a live "goat cam" for us! That way we can log in and watch them online, we could even have a link here on the blog. Then you could see our babies when they get here! He is so awesome!

8. Tim got a bug field kit yesterday so the kids have been outside all morning catching, inspecting, and learning about bugs. I love "toys" like that.

9. My sinus stuff is GONE. Thank you Jesus!

10. We went to the printer yesterday and we got to visit Cindy. Oh my goodness! Ben and I had so much fun! I got to hold and kiss her sweet baby for the first time and her kids entertained us and showered us with gifts, they are so stinkin cute! Her oldest daughter Emily and I are planning a big get-together again soon, I can't wait!

11. We get to go out and eat hot wings tonight for Ben's birthday. I love everything about that. I don't have to cook, I don't have to eat something that I cooked, I don't have to clean up, I LOVE hot wings, and being with them is always so much fun!

Happy weekend friends! I hope you have a lovely one!

This post is brought to you by..

...the magical powers of NyQuil Sinus LiquiCaps. You know, the "sleep like before you had kids" or something like that, medicine....yeah, that stuff. I've had a hateful sinus cold this week. I feel OK, just a little sneezy and foggy, during the day but as the sun sets I turn into a hot mess!

Besides all of that it has been a pretty busy week. We are still waiting on baby goats. I'm starting to wonder if they are just playing tricks on us! I think that they think it's funny that I drop everything several times a day to go down and stare at their rear-ends, looking for any "signs". They laugh at me. I can almost hear them as I walk back up the hill "haha! We got her again! Humans- 0 Goats- 167 Wonder if we can get her back down here by lunch? Hey Nanny, if you can get her back down here by lunch, WITH THE CAMERA, we'll let you eat all of the sweet feed. Deal?" Don't even try to argue with a woman in my condition. I heard it! I know I did! They are probably stuffing themselves with hay so that they will look pregnant too!

You see how they try to trick me? I was checking on all of them the other day when Nanny starts acting funny, she snorts, makes a funny noise, starts moving around, I get the camera ready and pay close attention......and then she does this little circus trick! Have you ever seen such? She IS laughing at me! Can't you see that little smirk on her face? "Hey everybody look! The mom thought I was about to go! hehe! She is so easy!".

I'm out. If you need me, I'll be here....doped up on NyQuil and taking pictures of the business end of goats....It's a glamorous life, I tell you. If any of these goats DO happen to have babies, you will be the first to know.

PATIENTLY waiting....

We are checking in on them about three times a day, we have studied up, we have watched all of the videos, we have all of our supplies, we have the camera charged and ready, everyone knows what their job will be.....now we just need the goats to go into labor already!!!! We are so excited, we just can't wait! I mean seriously, baby goats are just about the cutest thing on the planet. How much longer are we gunna have to wait? I'll keep you posted....

You are not going to believe this!

I don't believe this! It's another crazy story. Are you ready?

When I got my Sanuks I got a bigger size than what I really wear because I wanted to be able to wear my wool socks with them (you know how cold natured we southerners are). Yesterday I went to their website to see if they had any cute ones that I could "personalize" in a smaller size for this summer, even though I didn't think I would be able to buy another pair by then. It's not that I don't have the money, but every extra dime goes to our adoption because we are ready to get our kidos home! I can't justify buying a new pair of shoes, unless I really need them, thinking that my Bulgarian babies may not have any. So I was just looking at all of the cute stuff on their site when I saw the link to their Facebook fan page. I click on over and see that people are sharing what they have been doing with their Sanuks like "I took my Sanuks hiking today" and "I wore my Sanuks with a suit, they looked awesome", that sort of thing. I thought about uploading a picture of what I did with my Sanuks, but Facebook wouldn't let me, so I just left a little note with a link to the post about them. A while later I checked back in and found a message. It was Bron Heussenstamm, the PR guy for Sanuks. What?? Do you mean to tell me that they actually look at their FB fan page??  Shut up! He said that he loved my Sanuks and that he wanted to send me more to "see what else you could do" !!??? Then he says that he just printed them off and took them to a design meeting! NO WAY! You gotta be kidding me! A few minutes later I see that there was another message waiting.....I think to myself "who could this one be from, the stinkin president!? Is this for real!?"...it was Bron again! This time he simply says, "Thought you might like this for your blog. Its Sanuk Founder Jeff Kelley holding your design in our design meeting! Enjoy".....and then this picture was right there.....IT WAS THE STINKIN PRESIDENT!

So do you believe it?.....I still can't! LOL! Ben and I often pray that God will bless anything we put our hands to so that we can get our kids home as soon as possible, and he continues to overwhelm us with blessings!!!! I gunna get summer Sanuks! Seriously! Can you believe that?

Deuteronomy 15:10 "....the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to."

While we are on the subject of uniforms...

(This picture has nothing to do with this, but you know me and my posting without a picture phobia....so here's another "me and my camera" shot that was already on my computer.)

I should make you feel a little better about yourself.... my DEAR PRECIOUS SISTER entered my story for the TLC TV show "What NOT to wear" last year! Can you believe that? She didn't tell me for a while, but then one night when I was leaving her house she gave me that little "tidbit" as I was walking out the door. And my mom gets so sick of seeing me in the same clothes all the time that she will randomly give me a new shirt, jeans, or shoes. She once gave me a pair of shoes under the condition that I had to throw the old ones away so that she would never have to see them again. I guess you could say I'm sorta the family style outcast, who happens to designs children's clothes that people like....weird huh? I think the stuff I have isn't so bad, I mean everyone likes jeans and most of my t shirts are cute, but what gets them is the fact that I have the same 3-4 outfits that I wear over and over. I don't know why I do that really, I just really like my comfy clothes and I don't like shopping or trying on new stuff. LOL! So there it is...I've come clean!

Shoe makeover...and my uniform....

Here they are! My hippie Sanuk shoes. I couldn't decide on any one thing so I just started and this is what I came up with. I really like the way they turned out. Molly does too, she wants a pair now! I think I'm going to get her some little plain shoes from Target and hook her up.

I started with the little free handed flower applique (I cut it a little different for each shoe) and then just had fun with embroidery and crochet thread. I think the little paisley thingies are my favorite part. I can totally see myself wearing these for the next few years. I love them that much, they are so stinkin comfy.

I like the way they look with jeans on too. You know how some shoes look good until you put jeans over them? Remember when I told you how awkward it is to take pictures of your own shoes? Yeah, still awkward.

I couldn't resist the sharpies altogether so I had a little fun on the inside too...I love colored sharpies. They make me so happy. I still remember the day I got the whole set of fine point colored ones at Sam's. It was a good day.

I had to throw this picture in for good measure. I've always wanted one of those "me and my camera" pictures that all of the cool people have. So here it is, I finally have one, too bad my hair was all frizzed out on one side...oh well.

Now about the uniform (sorry for the bad mirror, I love the look of antique mirrors, but they do make this sort of thing hard).You know how I said that when I find a good thing I just wear it until it's worn out? Well, Ben calls this my uniform! LOL! See how stylish the pattern designer is?! LOL! A good old pair of jeans, a long undershirt, a t shirt, and a zip up hoodie. Everyday of the week. It's all about comfort here people. I wouldn't know style if it slapped me in the face! If I'm not in this, I'm in PJ pants...I guess you could call the PJ pants and t shirts my home uniform. I really don't wear jeans at home much. I know I'm not the only one with a uniform, what's yours?

Her beautiful heart...

I just had the sweetest conversation with my Molly tonight. She was reading the Bible to me and then she stopped, looked up at me, and said "Mama...when I read the Bible it always makes me feel like I'm about to cry....like my heart beats faster and my chest fills up with air ...and my eyes get tears in them and my throat feels funny...Do you ever feel like that mama?" I answered feeling the same way she had just described feeling, my heart just swelling with love "The Bible does that to mama too...But it's a good feeling isn't it?" She answered "Yes, it feels really good."

She was teaching me...How many times do I rush through reading my Bible because I have a busy day ahead and I don't give my heart time to really absorb what I'm reading...or give God the chance to move my heart to tears? How many of us can learn from this little girl? She really does have the most beautiful little heart....

Mathew 19:15 Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

So I finally got a pair of comfy shoes....

The last time I got a pair of shoes was Christmas before last, you see I'm the girl that finds something that she likes and then wears it until it's completely worn out. Comfort is a big thing in my book. But the problem was that those other shoes were just not comfortable! And if they aren't comfy after this long you may as well give it up! I had heard that these Sanuks were one of the most comfy shoes out there so I hunted them down. They sell them at high-end sporting goods stores where you can find North Face and KAVU brands. Well it seems that my foot is so huge (8 1/2 or 9) that only the plain ones were left, and my feet have been hurting so bad that I decided I wasn't leaving that store without a pair. So here is my problem....I need to pretty these things up a bit. I'm thinking a bo-ho theme or something like that. (You know I'm a closet hippie right?) Maybe even a cute fabric patch or embroidery?? I even thought about just doodling on them with my set of sharpies, but I couldn't decide what to doodle. So what do you think? Have you seen any cool ideas out there? Link me up, throw me ideas, whatever you've got, I wanna hear! These things need some personality!

Just so you don't think that I'm completely mad, here are some hand painted Toms. Get the idea? But I want the bohemian theme...

I'm moving up in the world!

The Handmade Dress is on Facebook! Look HERE!

Miss Mary is in the shop!

Available in sizes 6 mo-4yrs and 5-12yrs. She's in the shop! The PDF version can be downloaded instantly and the printed version will ship by next Monday (February 22nd). Happy sewing friends!

My Sweet Mary

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Isn't she lovely? Mary is my little sis-in-law, AKA, our first baby! (This is where the Mary in Miss Mary came from!) She was just two when Ben and I got engaged and she was our little doll. We hated not having a baby to play with (and we still do!). On our honey moon we were walking on the beach, the same beach we had been at just months earlier with the whole family, and we both decided that it was no fun without kids. We talked about how much fun it would have been if we could have brought Mary, David, and Zachary, and we laughed about how cute she was the summer before when she would run after the birds on the beach and say "Look at the wabbits!" We went back to our room and rented some movies and didn't go out to the beach another time! LOL! As soon as we got back into town the first place we went was to see the kids. She is twelve now, and quite grown up, but she is still my baby. I like that. I like that she still likes to be our baby.

When I was expecting Molly, only Mary and I thought that she would be a girl! I think that there were so many boys in the family that everyone just assumed that I would have a boy, but she didn't fool us! Mary and I still feel like we knew Molly better than anyone because we knew all along what she would be. Boy were they all surprised the day I had her! Molly and Mary are great friends now, and we often tell her how we knew about her first!

I made Mary a Miss Mary dress last week to test out the bigger size ranges and she really liked it! And I really do think that it looks wonderfully modest and feminine on the older girls without being too "babyish" to them.

Isn't that the cutest picture? It just sums up the word "girlhood" beautifully doesn't it? I try to keep that word in mind as I design every pattern. Girlhood is so sacred and scarce now. I recently found this verse "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of the world..."Romans 12:2, and one of these days I'm going to embroider it, put it in a frame, and hang it above my drafting table.

Oh these girls melt me! They are so beautiful inside and out and I am so blessed to have them in my life! We had a "girls day out" yesterday and I won't soon forget all of the fun we had. We went to our favorite restaurant (eating out is a treat in itself!) and when we went to pay, the man told us that our ticket had been taken care of! An old friend had stopped by our table and said hello a few moments earlier and he had payed for our meal without us knowing! Can you believe that? I can't even tell you how blessed I felt leaving that restaurant. I mean it's hard to beat lunch with these two angels and then an unexpected blessing like that! God is so good!

In The Loft Today

You see those big rolls of paper right there on top of my drafting table? That's Miss Mary! As of this morning (Ben made a run to Kinko's while I slept in) the Miss Mary pattern sheet is in print. My master copy is ready, and there is a possibility that we will be heading off to the printer sometime next week!

You know, I'm always amazed when I see that first master copy, at how it looks like no big thang, but in the back of my mind I know how many hours it took to make them...oh it's such a relief to to have them DONE! There is still a lot of work to do but this definitely takes some of the pressure off!

(By the way- just ignore the empty Diet Sunkist bottle under the desk, it's all good!)

While we are here in the loft I wanted to show you this awesome drafting table my hubby got me a few months ago! Isn't it awesome?! He saw it at the thrift store and thought it would be perfect since it can be used on top of a table (we don't have a ton of extra space in the loft these days). He brought it home and decided that he could make the top of it into a light box, which is what I was used to drafting on, and he did! I used it first on the Miss Alice pattern and it really made the job easier. It also has a good bit of space for large drafts to lay flat inside- that's wonderful since my kids have this thing for crumpling large flat pieces of paper. When it's not in use it can be stored in the attic right outside of the loft. He rocks! Just sayin...

Bowling!

We went bowling for Tim's  birthday on Monday night and I took a ridiculous amount of pictures! But none of the pictures really looked good alone, they were kind-of a set because you could watch them like a movie and really feel like you were there....so I looked around and decided to just upload them all (like a billion of them) to flicker, and instead of telling you what an awesome time we had, just let you be there with us. Sid came along with us too!

If you haven't met Sid before I'll just tell you, he's awesome! He has been a part of our family since Ben and I were just kids, he was our Sunday school teacher for at least five years. He goes on vacation with us, he eats with us every Sunday, and he is at every birth, every party, he has been in every hospital waiting room, you name it Sid has been there. He's also the man who married Ben and I! It's funny, the kids usually get upset the first time they realize that his last name is not Caffee! LOL! I've always thought that was so funny.

I hope you enjoy these! I thought they were so cute because you can see the kids jumping and moving, Maddie was mid-air in a couple of them, and you could see when they were frustrated or doing really well. You can even see how often Molly was stalking the score board! That kid was obsessed! Maddie won the first game and I think Ben won the second. It was a good time!

My Amazing Readers! You, my beautiful friends!

So I had this awesome idea to have a post that's all about you strutting your stuff. This is how it will go, leave a comment on this post about you, what you make, sell, stand for, what you like, what your kids are like, whatever, just tell me what you want us to know about you! Spam us with your shops, blogs, or websites! Then I will have a big fat link on my sidebar linking to this post so that everyone else can read about you too!  I'm always the one doing all of the talking, this time I want you to talk to me! So.....what do you have to say? What is your story?

Just in-case you are wondering what in the world the pictures have to do with anything....they don't, but I hate to post without a picture ya know? It hurts me. This is just a couple of shots I took the other night when my dear boy was trying his best to annoy his big sis. Yeah, my kids do that too. At least this time it didn't end with me yelling over them "Break it up!" or "Take it outside!". So back to you now....

                                    
                                                     (I just added this! Your new button!)

P.S. I should add....if you happen to read this two years from now and have gotten to know our family through this blog, please add your story! This post will stay open! This is going to be so much fun!!!!