The Handmade Dress

  I took this picture a few minutes ago, and it was just too cute not to share! This girl loves to get dressed everyday! She loves the bows, the socks, shoes, shirts, and now the cloth diapers. The diapers have just become another accessory for my funny girl. She is starting to remind me of her sister Maddie! Boy I'm in for it.....or should I say GIRL I'm in for it! xo, Sam   PS I know I've been quiet the last few days. I'm trying to get used to a medicine adjustment that's making me feel icky. I've got lots to say and tell you about! I'm sure I will be back up and running in a few days. I miss you guys! :)

The night before last our little Emma came into the world. She is a dainty little 6 lb 1oz angel. While waiting on a new family member it's natural to wonder who they will be and what they will look like, with Emma it was no different....and then when I got to see her, just after she arrived, my first thought was "She looks so familiar!" Isn't that funny? I always expect a big surprise and then when I look into those little faces I always feel like I already know them, with the mouth of one, and the nose of another, and eyes just like that one....The real surprise is always the who . She was perfect. The perfect combination of all of us, but with a new little something of her own added in. :) Emma, my sweet angel, I can't wait to get to know you! I'm going to be your favorite aunt! Cristina, Daniel, Luke, and Zoe are all doing great and are excited to bring her home today. xo, Sam

REAL hillbillies live at the end of looooong gravel or dirt driveways. This morning I found some of our driveway in Claire's diaper, and even though we payed good money for that driveway, I threw it in the garbage instead of taking it back out there. I guess a true hillbilly would have taken it back out and recycled it to save the money, but hey, I'm saving my steps these days. We all got a good laugh out of it anyhow! :) xo, Sam PS I know you've all got a story! So what's the craziest thing you've ever found in a diaper? 

  Yesterday I asked ( HERE  on our Facebook page) " Is it wrong that I was giddy today when my cloth diapers came in the mail?" The response literally made me laugh out loud! I realized that what I had suspected before was true, there are a group of mamas that are absolutely INSANE over cloth diapers, like they are seriously CRAZY! So I was thinking "I'm just pumped because I'm on bed rest and I've got something new to look at, read about, and learn. That's it." Then this morning I got up and encountered this (pictured above) and got all giddy again. My first thought was "Oh my goodness! I'm becoming one of "them. " And I'm completely at peace with that now. :) They are just so stinkin' cute! So there is my confession....don't judge. :) xo, Sam 

  (Picture from our "Why We Love Homeschooling" post HERE ) It's that time of year again, it's time to practice our times tables (again!). I need to revamp my old system. Do any of you have fun ways to teach or learn them? Since it's just the beginning of school I'm wanting it to be extra fun so that we can keep the motivation! I usually teach everyone together no matter what age so group methods would work too. So what's your favorite or most effective way? xo, Sam

I took this picture this morning while drinking my coffee. If I wasn't on bed rest right now, I would probably call this a mess! But since I am, and this place is a little outdoor getaway with a comfy hammock chair, I'm going to call this "signs of life". It has that lived in look that my living room gets on those cold winter days when everyone sticks close to the wood stove. Right now the signs of life include skates a skate board and orange cones for an obstacle course, a laundry basket from a little diaper laundry that I folded earlier, a pencil and pieces of construction paper from a craft project Maddie was working on, a baby doll for Claire to love up on and tell "no no" (sometimes all at the same time), and the just outside the picture but ever present bug that is being watched/studied for today. Yes, this place, though a little messy, is definitely full of life and all it's lovely signs. Just the way I imagined it would be years ago, when B...

Vintage floral nails brought to you by preterm labor. This is the sort of thing that you have time for when you are sitting 90% of everyday growing a baby. I took this picture just so that I can remember having cute nails after this baby gets here and I'm dealing with more important things, like THIS . :) I'm officially down for the count. I'm taking medicine (procardia) every eight hours now, and I'm off my feet except for very short periods of time. Preterm labor has come and now it's time to hunker down and finish strong! 37 weeks or bust!! I'm telling ya, I'm determined to be able to say that I have JUST ONCE been able to carry a baby FULL term. If I make it, I may even get one of those bragging stickers for my car...You know the ones that say "honor student" or "all stars baseball" and things like that? Mine will say "Full Term Infant On Board!" Woot woot! Okay so maybe I won't go that far, but seriously it may be on m...

Ha! How did you like that official title? This is not a fun post, but one that I hope may help others when they are desperately searching for answers, even if it's years from now. It's personal and not pretty, but because someone else shared I'm feeling much better, so I'm spreading the love too! :) So, during my last pregnancy I got this horribly itchy red rash ALL OVER my belly and the top of my legs. The doctor said that it was PUPPS (which stands for something with a ridiculously long name) and said to try a steroid cream. Well by that time the rash was so bad that I was miserable! I couldn't even sleep I was itching so bad. The cream did nothing. I searched and searched for answers and treatments on the Internet, nothing that worked. It got worse. Finally, I found a lady saying that V8 may work. An 8 oz glass at morning and at night. I tried it, along with Sarna lotion to sooth the itchiness when it was bad, and within a week it was almost gone. If I stopped...

We have 6 beds and four children. No matter how or where they go to sleep, this is how I find them come morning...piled up like puppies. Timothy is always close by too in the bunk above them or sometimes at the foot of the bed. They seem to gravitate toward Molly (the oldest, AKA little mama) in the night. Even Claire has learned how to climb out of her bed and find "sissy". Occasionally Molly will stay up late with me, while Ben is at the station, and fall asleep on the couch; by 5 AM they have found her and they will all be piled on when I get up. Just like little puppies. I love that they are so close, it makes mama's heart very happy. :)

Another recipe, I know, but this was another big hit that I didn't want to forget! I think they will be perfect for fall, and I've reallllly been in the mood for fall lately. The kids and Ben loved these and I loved the fact that that they were a little better than the basic sugar cookie....I mean they do have wheat flour and apples! :) I started with my favorite sugar cookie recipe and went from there. I wish I could credit the sugar cookie recipe, but it has been written down in my pantry for so long that I don't even know where I got it. Next time I may try to add raisins, and maybe substitute half the sugar for brown sugar.  Apple Cinnamon Cookies 1 1/4 cup flour 1 1/2 cup of wheat flour 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 cup of butter (2 sticks) softened 1 1/2 cup of sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla 2 small apples peeled and cut into tiny pieces (about the size of chocolate chips) 3 tsp cinnamon 1- 2 tsp of water (if the dough seems a bit dry) Combin...

Today is laundry day, and I've got one sleeping on the job. You just can't get decent help anymore.... :) xo, Sam

 I wanted to write down this potato soup recipe that I made up the other night (before I forget what I did). The kids LOVED it and so did mama! It's completely sinful, heavy whipping cream and all, thick, thick, thick, but it's worth it! At least it doesn't require any canned "cream of" anything, I'm really trying to get away from using canned food. The good thing about keeping recipes here on the blog is that when my kids want to cook, they can use our family recipe with pictures and all! It even helps them to know what pots to use. That's really coming in handy since mama is on partial bed rest. Molly and Tim have both used our tomato soup recipe from here this summer. So here we go. You will need: 3 celery stalks diced 10 small to medium potatoes 1 cup of heavy whipping cream (more if you are really bad!) 1/2 stick of butter 4 pieces of bacon 1 medium onion diced 2 tsp Salt 2 heaping tbs of sour cream 2 heaping tbs of flour 1 1/2 cups...

My wee little nephew, Levi, has been fighting an ugly diaper rash. :( My sis thought that he may do better in cloth for a few days, so I made him three covers and 8 liners (she already has prefolds to use as soakers). After 1 full day in cloth his bitty buns are feeling much better. You know, I was thinking that this may be a good baby gift for any mama, whether she plans to do cloth or not. Three covers is more than enough to get you through one day, and it's nice to have the option for just a day or two occasionally when they have unhappy skin. She also has the option of using them as swim diapers instead of having to buy them. Quick, easy, and multifunctional, I like it! xo, Sam

 My little bug catchers/scientists have another mystery on their hands. Maybe you can help?   They found this guy eating in the trunk of a tree. Tim thought that it was a grub, but we can't find this particular grub anywhere. All of the grubs that we have found on the internet have three legs on each side, this guy has two legs on each side. My bug catchers are just crazy to find out more about this big ole guy! If you have any idea what he is, or know a good place for us to look, please link us up! It is a scientific emergency in the eyes of my eight year old boy. :) Thanks friends! xo, Sam