Play Date

I met with some other mamas at the park a few days ago. It was so much fun. Natalie always has a blast going to the park, but it was much more fun for me to go with other women to chat with.

Wonky Houses

I'm so excited about these houses! I had the quilting bug bad and was too impatient to wait for my fabric to arrive by mail so I decided to give these wonky houses a try. Oh, my goodness, I don't think I've ever had a sewing project be this much fun--EVER. There is no measuring, no templates and accuracy is not all that important. The wackier the better, really, that's probably what makes it so fun. Natalie is really enjoying them too, she carries them all over the house with her and keeps asking me, "Are you gonna make another house for me?" I found the tutorial here. There's also a picture there of what the finished product will look something like.

And, here are a couple of scrapbook pages I made at Archiver's on Sunday. Everyone was napping, so I took advantage and got away for awhile. Always fun. I'm going to post some great park pictures tomorrow. Happy Fall everyone!

Quilting

These fabrics came in the mail the other day. My mom is going to make Natalie a quilt for her toddler bed, so this is what I picked for that. LOVE them. I ordered them from Purl Soho, which I also love because I can shop entire collections instead of spending hours at the fabric store and not finding three fabrics that really go together! Have I told everyone how fed up I am with my local fabric store?

Also, I'm really excited because I've determined to give quilting a try. I have tried a few times in the past, but bit off more than I could chew and so I gave up early. I used some money from a bag I sold last week and ordered 12 fat quarters from this collection. That was after I went to a quilt store in town (sort of in town) and bought a simple-enough-looking pattern. Casey even said I could use his dinosaur blanket for the inside so I won't have to buy batting and it will be soooooo warm. Also a good way to get rid of the dino blanket, if you know what I mean ;) I'm very excited.

Cutie Booties

Made these little cuties the other day and a certain someone is going to receive them in the mail in just a few days :) They were sooo fun and pretty easy to make, you can find the tutorial here.

I couldn't resist posting this picture of Natalie playing dress-up the other day. She wore all of that for hours on Sunday afternoon.

Dora and Angelina go to the Park

We went to the park the other day. It was great, we had the place to ourselves, the weather was amazing and even Dora and Angelina had a wonderful time ;)

P.S. What do you think of my new blog banner??? Yes, I figured that out all by myself. I know the picture's fuzzy, but it's a good start, I think.

Fall is in the Air

I love, love, love Fall. It's my absolute favorite. I love the colors, the smells, the weather, everything about it, so I'm so happy that it seems to be coming a little earlier this year than last. Exciting.

Also exciting, my Etsy shop is up and running!!!!! YAY! I already had an order, I was thrilled.
You can see it here. I'll be adding more goodies soon.

Teeth

So *certain people* have been bugging me about seeing some pictures of Layla's teeth, so I finally took some. Yes, she really is always this happy :)
Also, the last two pictures are of Natalie and her best buddy Cloe, who came over to play the other day. They were sharing a stool, and a sandwich. So funny.

Corban

Angela had her baby! Corban Allejandro Abeyta was born Sat., Sept. 8, weighed 7 lbs., 3 oz. and is 20" long. I went to see them on Sunday at the hospital and he's so cute and Angela looks really great. Congrats, Angela!

Heirloom Makeover

These are before and after pictures of the stool Natalie sits on at the table. My mom has had this thing my whole life so that makes it an heirloom, to me. I spray painted it white and covered it with some great oilcloth I found at Denver Fabrics. I almost paid $6 a yard online, but I went there and found this 2-yard remnant for only $2! So I also covered the little wooden table I also have from my childhood and Natalie loves to sit there and color. So, here's my $2 restyle.

Natalie's First Hair Cut

Becky came over to trim my hair a few weeks ago and Natalie said her "hair needs fixed, isso messy". So Miss Bucky trimmed her hair. She was thrilled, she didn't stop talking about it all week and every time Bucky's name comes up, she talks about it still. Awww, my baby is such a big girl.

Casey started working nights this week at UPS, so I've been all by my lonesome at night. It's okay, though, it's a huge blessing for us.

I've been on a *green* kick lately, thinking a lot about recycling, using less energy and generally having less. It seems overwhelming, so we're starting small. The girls and I are not watching any TV during the day anymore and I trimmed my closet by half. Just being mindful of the true cost of things, makes shopping less appealing. Casey and I have decided to opt for a small piece of land instead of neighborhood living when we own our own place eventually, so we can maybe have a greenhouse in the future to grow our own food. It will be a big lifestyle change, since we've both been city rats all our lives, but we get more and more excited about a slower pace. Anyway, just some thoughts. A great sermon series from Mars Hill Bible Church called, "God is Green" can be download here.

Awwww.

I love this picture of Casey and Layla, it is so precious. She's just the cutest thing and so sweet, which makes her even cuter. I told her this morning, she's just the cutest thing since Natalie :) Aw, we do girls well.

Anyway, here are some links to some sites I've been loving lately:

1. Cia's Palette--a great online fabric store I just discovered. (Mom, you definitely want to check this out.)
2. Cath Kidston--a UK-based store with super-cool goodies that are right up my alley
3. Femina--my sister's pastor's wife's blog (does that make sense?)
4. Rebellious Pastor's Wife--another great blog my sister led me to.

Happy Sunday!