Daddy will be home for Christmas

He set his foot on the plane out of Iraq as far as we now. Finally. A few more days and we can finally say 'welcome home' after 12 long months. The longest ever. The last two weeks almost daily planes are arriving here and welcoming soldiers home. His soldiers, too. I even picked up another wife from the airport, she spent the night here and we brought her to the Cooper field to pick up her husband, but I couldn't stay there, seeing everybody else coming home but not him. So there was no holiday mood around here yet, something, somebody was and is still missing.

Now we are waiting for 'that phone call' to know how many more hours left, until he finally will be back home.

more of these pencil pouches

Do you  have enough yet of pencil pouch pictures? I stilll have to finish one and to make one more. LOL. Then I can go off and figure out the other xmas present on how to make that one. Why did I decide on ideas without patterns this year. Should I not be smarter than that?

At least we got definately the perfect size now for the pencil pouch and even got artsy with it. Thanks for Thanksgiving in joggingpants. It's the best time to be creative. You have no idea how much glitter and glue and paper and feather and .... got used that day also. Perhabs we do that on xmas, too. By the way we still had a dinner with ham and mashed potatoes and even mini pimpkin pies, but you just need to know how to fix everything within one hour instead of standing HOURS in the kitchen plus having a clean kitchen within minutes. lol. But as much as I love my husband I know having him back home by then we will fail in that part definitely. There will be too many reasons why nobody has time to clean the kitchen even there will be enough cooks.

Early morning on November 27, 2009

The sun is shining through the big window in the kitchen, my sewing maching is humming while working on a xmas present, Soren and and Chiara playing in the kitchen floor with their own setup of horses and cows and reading books in between while Bella is still sleeping. It is still early. Music is playing. We still have to fix breakfast. There is no reason to rush today for anything. We are not going to leave the house - probably -perhabs we are taking a walk. lol.

Stephanie's Pencil Pouch

On the last trip to JoAnn's with Karin to pick up the item's of my mom's wish list, my shopping list was pretty short. A little bit of Fimo and some cute paper. But I came across the the bargain table that was another 50% off and also held quite a few different types of fabrics including decorating fabric. So since then I am playing with more as just plain cotton fabric and this is the first pencil pouch that turned out real nice. It holds it's shape great, the size just fits and Bella thought it would be a good birthday present for her new friend Stephanie who just loves to draw. Do you see, even my label got it's first use.

If I can stay awake a few evenings you might see some more pouches which I have planned, some might have to wait till after xmas to be shown due to nosy readers. lol

Stillhouse Hollow Lake & Chalk Ridge Falls Hiking Trail

Sunday afternoon a week ago we spent on a nature walk at the Chalk Ridge Falls Hiking Trail. The kids love it there no matter what season, but especially in summer when the end up in the stream splashing in the cold water. This time Karin and I tried to to keep them out of the water even Soren would have loved to dive in head first of course. On our way back, we stop at the Overlook Park right after the dam of Stillhouse Hollow with breathtaking view.

I just love the this first picture. But the next one was just taken a moment before.

*** WARNING ***

Blue lips inclusive - Sonic Blue Coconut!!!

November 19, 2009 - happy birthday, chiara

Was the day that couldn't come fast enough for Chiara. Her 7th birthday. She said at least 5 times every day before I can't wait anymore and now we have over 300 days to hear those words again for the next birthday. Girl! But she was a happy girl. She had a great day at school, ate cupcakes with her friends there, brought a card home and her birthday ribbon, which she didn't take off all day.

She loved opening her birthday cards the arrived in the mail (Thanks again for thinking of her.) A special thanks to Marvin, too, an old friend of mine who sends Birthday wishes to everybodys birthday and never forgets one since years, even I still don't know his exact birthdate. I will find it out someday.

All three monkeys and Soren is of course already eyeing the cake and cupcakes.

Which he indulged in after stealing Chiara's birthday crown from her head. Little thief.

Chiara was of course her silly self as usual.

After checking out her new desk in her room she actually took the time opening her present from Oma & Opa (thank you so much for the rain coat, with the pour down the next day it was in use right away, it's just perfect) and of course Karin and the shoes and books she got from us. She is a shoe freak. Lol. And ruins them also in the shortest time possible.

We also munched on yummy Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes. Delicious. I tell you.

I might tell you the recipe another day, because if you try it once you just LOVE them. and they are so easy to make.

Now I go back to preparing and getting ready for the PARTY, because a bunch of kids are going to be here soon.

the secret project

Chiara has a little table with two chairs in her room painted pink with white and brown dots. Perfect size for Soren. Perfect color for Soren. lol. But it truly is a little bit too small for her. So after I was clueless for a birthday present for her I came up with the idea for a desk. I looked around for a small desk, a cute desk, something that I liked and she would love and  that also fit in my budget. Nada. Nix. Niente. I even checked at Ikea and I truly love that store, but there was just not the right desk even the bookshelf and dresser she has had a fitting desk - but it look weird with skinny legs. On our way back from Austin there is only one little town between Austin area and Kempner. Florence. And passing the main intersection and the traffic light there, Karin called 'Look over there, there is a little desk'. Of course I already passed, but with all the squared planning of roads here we were quickly back at the little antique store "Cowboys & Angels" and at the corner of the intersection was standing the perfect sized desk. We looked at each other and a moment later it was mine. Brown, dirty, ... and it fit right in my trunk.

We hid it in the shed under an old carpet for a few days and on Monday when the girls were back at school we we got it out - on the coldest day of the month -  and set it in the sun in front of the garage. And yeah, we got to play with Leland's toys. lol. The ones I usually should not touch. He doesn;t trust me with any powertools besides my sewing machine. But we had one manpower help. He got the manual sandpaper.

We pretty much used every scrap of sandpaper up we could get our hands on and every bit of paint was gone by the time we were done.

Even we were dirty from top to bottom covered with dirt and dust and the next day with paint we got little and big rewards from our little helper with kisses and flowers.

After three days of work the desk lost all the brown paint, got fixed and glued where needed and a coat of white wash. Now it has a new home in Chiara's room and she LOVES it. She got it as surprise for her brithday yesterday and is already working on it every moment she can.

P.S. Thank you Karin for all your help. I don't know if I would have gotten it done by myself if I would have even found it.

Smores Experiment

Yesterday, we took off right after school to the lake. We intended an afternoon there withthe kids playing on the playground, sitting lazily watching them before bbqing our hotdogs and trying our mini experiment.

There were plenty of playgrounds. We parked right in the middle. But a few minutes later those were forgotten. Treasure hunting was way more interesting for the little and the big ones. The lake the was shockingly empty this summer was filled more as we have seen before and we just loved finding all the awesome driftwood. Even Karin would love to fill her luggage just with the driftwood.

It was truly beautiful out there and nobody else there. We had the whole park for ourselves.

The two hours of daylight passed really fast and the sun was setting behind the trees. But it did not feel like the middle of November. So we did lite the grill, didn't burn the hotdogs totally, had yummy roasted hotdog buns and even fresh dessert. Okay, we did it. We made smores. We grilled them. Soren threw the graham crackers at me before the even got close to the grill with "No Thank You" - just not using words. The girls gave it a try after we managed the first two melted smores. Karin and me kepting. lol. I have to admit I prefer the roasted marshmellows on the sticks. OMG, those are delicious. I can live without smores. But the roasted marshmellows might get repeated - do they work on our gas grill, too? lol

Eventually we had to leave. But it was nice there, sitting out there in the swing seats under the stars under the trees on the shore.

not perfect ... yet

Yes.

I easily can just go and order labels, but no I wanted to make them myself. And I did. They didn't turn out perfect and these are not the first attempt neither. A few of these are okay, some not, but truly on the picture they look better as they are. LOL

I have to see if I keep experimenting with what kind of tape or ribbon works best and what I actually can find - while smacking mosquitos flying around my nose again and again. I hate mosquitos.

Now I will start back with the pencil pouches after stocking up on new types of  fabric. Some I never used before. Experimenting. Again. Before that two more seam that need to  be finished on the last bag that is waiting to be done. Karin and I were sewing the last three days and worked on two bags each. You can call us productive. We also visited the fabric and craft stores productively. More as once since she is visiting.

Yesterday's production made all kinds of weird things from the typical buttons to the not so typicalor unrecognizable somethings called buttins by the kids, ladybugs, snails, snail food, ..... all made out of FIMO.

We had to stock up on fimo suppplies again today, luckily JoAnns had the perfect sale because little friends already announced they want to participate in our button factory.

I got bored with the normal buttons, too.

P.S. Important question - How do you make SMORES?

American Soldier

One very sad and tragic day here

Everyday we are counting the days down when Leland is coming home from Iraq. Everyday we want him to be back home safe with us. In less as a month he will be. Finally. After a year of deployment.

Yesterday was the one day I was glad he was not home and just being at work.

I never thought I would ever say that.

When you have a loved being gone and deployed you always worry. No matter how much you get told or not. You never really know what happens where he is, he won't tell you, but you don't expect a disaster happening like yesterday right here. Here is just training. Here is home. Here is your time with your family.

Yesterday  was different. One person changed the life of lots of families. Mine was lucky. So many were not and lost a loved one.

Think of all the people and their families who died and got injured yesterday at Ft. Hood, TX.

Yesterday was one of those days

Yesterday was one of those days.

It was a busy day with

lots of cleaning.

some *totally unplanned* bargain shopping.

24 cents made my toddler absolutely HAPPY and it was even a healthy investment. those 24 cents were spent on a singing vegetale toothbrush and it never even made into the shopping bag, it was handcarried into the car. it was the only left.

some amusing moments for the car that drove behind me

and one helpful person driving next to me. LOL

The backseat passenger of the white Suv next to me was  screaming out of his window

"Hey. You left your....."

Me: "What?"

Him: "You left your soda cup in the back at your trunk. And it is still there!"

lost lugagge

we are still waiting for Karin's luggage to be delivered

eating more Halloween candy

and more sewing - pencil pouch #2

the day of prototypes

well, one was planned and didn't really work out so well to my satisfaction unfortunately. The other one was not at all, but I finally it clicked and I figured out how to do it and it worked. So with some minor adjustments and some fabric changes and detailing I do have a few more ideas.

Soren approved. I didn't. I am not sure if I will give it another try or not.

This here turned out better if a different type of fabric and I already have a first birthday wish order in before it was even totally finished with it's lining inside.