Rainbow Knits

I am just obsessed with spoonflower.

It is so easy and so much fun.
You can make ANYTHING YOU WANT!  And whatever you think you may want to make but cant actually make, someone has made it and you can buy it.  And then they send you sweet messages saying thanks for buying their homemade fabrics.  It is the best feeling in the world when people buy yours or when you get to buy something that someone has made.  Can't say enough good things about it.  They also have wallpaper and wrapping paper options of your work. SO much fun.  I stay up wayyyy too late until my eyes glaze over making things that I then have to delete the next morning because I see them in the light of day and they are rough.  I am not an artist by any means.  I am merely crafty; the stepsister of artist that no one wants to own up to having.
But, some do pass in the early light of day, and then those I order a little swatch or fat quarter of.  I try and make them into something and see how it looks.  Some are better than others, obviously, and some look better once they are actually sewn into something.  It can be hard to tell online, but its so exciting to get in the mail.  And a fat quarter makes baby leggings or hats or headbands. 

I have been making baby blankets, lately, and trying all different ways to do them.
I made this one for Dylan and I dont know.  I wanted the scale to be big and for it to strong and simple.  It is a little bit BIG, so I think I am going to make one with his name a little smaller.  That way if I make pants and stuff for him you could actually read his name.
I did this one like a quilt without the quilting.  I sewed the binding on the inside of two fabrics and then flipped it over so there are not any seems.  Then I just left the fabric free. Hopefully it won't get all wound up and separated.

For my cousins babies Reef and Hilary, I made Hilary's with her name on it and I just ordered one for Reef with this awesome reef pattern.  I thought it was just so perfect for him.
Their blankets I just cut out and left them.  They dont have any binding or sewing around the edges.  They are knit so they shouldn't fray and I think it looks cute simple.


For my cousin's baby Bexar, he and his sister and brother are named after counties in Texas so I highlighted the counties they are named after.

For Bexar's I just bound the edge of the single piece of fabric and it is rough up close.  I am so thankful they love me because it is not any kind of perfect.  Luckily he is the sweetest, happiest, best baby in all of the entire world and he let me off easy.  He gave me that big grin of his to let me know he knows I meant well, though it may be hard to tell in the actual construction.
I am also working on tags for when I send them.  I am thinking of calling them Rainbow Knits since I just mostly use knit fabrics.  That way I can also use them for if I actually knit something too.  (I guess it will be confusing if I make something out of cotton or linen.  Cross that bridge when we get there.)

I think I like the white one? Thats what I am leaning toward.
I have done more for friends and other cousins but I never took a pic.  I'm so mad.  I want to document stuff, but I have gotten so bad at it.
I have made a few things for Shea bean too- mostly tights.

 I am not super great at sleeves or neck lines...

As is visible in this garment.
Oh well.  I am going to keep practicing.  Someday I will make a sweatshirt that the first thing people say is "Did you make that??" because it looks obviously homemade. Someone will say, "Where did you BUY that?"  Clearly not in the near future, but a girl can dream.  Lets just say I'm not ready for my project runway debut justtttt yet.

Everything we did this fall

So, I have pretty much sucked at keeping up with our fall over here.  It is not exciting to anyone else, but I just want to remember.

So here it all is in one fell swoop.

Jeff and I went to ACL again this year with my brother and cousins and it was a blast.  We got fantastic cruisers that we took everywhere and it hysterical how hard it is to ride a bike…/ Group pic/ We painted Shea's room with chalkboard paint/ I made this fantastic Cinnamon pull apart bread that seeing this pic makes me want right now/ Crazy hair day/ Family Juicing/ We went to see Brittney's soccer game/ Aves and Sass's hair and make up salon had a pop up shop for about 2 hrs/ Sass is learning to sew

Then we totally jumped on Lindsay and Carol and Kinley's girl trip and invited ourselves to their Dora Live adventure at Casa Mañana and it was AWESOME.  The kids could not get over it and just loved getting to go with kinley and lindsay and Carol.  The actors were amazing.  It was just so much fun.

Ben fed the ducks from his hands/ We scooted around the park in honor of my mom who almost killed herself on one not too long ago (luckily she is now miraculously healed against all odds)/ We cut Ben's hair/ This was forever ago but we did move all the beds in together and all the kids share a room.  I just love it and kind of hope it never changes/ We love the park/ Blair and Mel came over with Sneaky Pete and we sewed pillows for Blair's house. It was so much fun.  We thought we were west elm/ Octoberfest was so much fun down here with all the fantastic animals and games.  We just love our new town.
Whew.  Was that a whirlwind or what.  Thanks for reading if you have made it past all of these collages.  Its like a high school scrap book up in here.
Happy Friday!

Family Photos

My cousin Heather came over a few weeks ago (well, maybe a couple of months now.  Julyish?  I dont know.  i cant keep track of anything these days.) to take our family pics.  It was so much fun.  She is just a genius with her camera and every pic is something I will cherish forever.  Thank you so much heath for capturing us at our house, playing, lounging and eating gummy bears (of course).

We clearly rarely brush our hair and I must have eaten every type of salty food I could get my hands on the night before, but swollen and all, I just love how these turn out.  They are a great depiction of who we really are and how we live.  Jeff even had to run out for a minute and work, so it was real real life.  I can not tell you enough, Heather, how much I cherish every single picture and how I am forever grateful for what you did for us by capturing these memories.  You are our memory catcher.  We love you to the moon.

First Day of School and a New Addition

(who can get over Ben in his 70's musician hair?! and his shirt poking out like he has a gut- kills me.)
It really was fantastic.  No one cried, and they seemed excited when they saw their teachers.  We even got there on time without feeling rushed, which was obviously a first day of school miracle that will never happen again.

 and I only have a picture of aves at her desk and not the twins.  SO, mom fail.

And the second day they got up there and walked in with ease and excitement and then when we got to the twins teacher they got kind of clingy and cry-y.  I found out that Ben had wanted to sit with Sassy at her desk for the day the day before.  I dont know exactly how it all went down, but the teacher had let him pull up a chair at her desk and not sit at his own desk. I dont know if that issue has been resolved yet, but what a sweet teacher letting them sit together.  Just love that leniency this week.  I know there will have to be more hardcoreness next week :)
oh, and baby makes four- coming in Jan! (hopefully Dec. All fingers are crossed!)

I know four kids is kind of crazy.  When I met my new Dr, after looking at my charts he asked if I was sure if I wanted to do this?  What with all my kids already grown up, why would I want to go back???  He went on to stress that three is the normal amount of kids that one should have and I quickly realized I was pretty on par with the Duggers.  Thank you for the advice, but I am already kind of pretty deep in this.
I have definitely have my "what was I thinking?" moments, but the thought of getting to hold another chubby big headed baby just makes me giddy.
So, we are excited.  And I am 22 weeks at this point and feeling great.  The beginning was rough and I didnt feel very good at all, but I am through the rough parts and feeling so much better.
oh, and its only one baby this time.  So that's super exciting :)

Last Week of Summer

We crammed it all in.  I think we only slept in our beds for one or two days of the entire week.  It was just one of those weeks where everything exciting happens back to back.  Just love those kind of weeks.

We started it off in Tyler for the day for Ryker's fantastic bday and spent the rest of the day having our first ever go cart experience with the neighbors.  The kids LOVED it.  I dont know why I have never taken them to putt putt or to ride go carts before, but it was genius.  They thought I was the best mom ever. (Dont tell them they could have been doing it for years.)

Then, we got up early and cleaned our rooms  and got ready to go visit Julie! We have a lot of friends in one place (which we love) but we kind of try and sort it out so we can see everyone for a little quality time.  Her husband was working and it was just a huge slumber party!

Then, we headed off to paradise at my uncle and aunts lake property.  We ate until we could not fit any more food in our bodies and laughed and fished and played. It was heavenly.


Jeff even got to meet us out there after work for a night.
We did a little back to school shopping when we got home at the mall.  (started the fun with a carousel ride, hoping that would keep their spirits up for all the walking that was ahead.)

Then, on sunday, we all made friendship bracelets to remind the kids we were all thinking and praying for each other on monday.


We ended the night with a super healthy dinner of cereal.

I stayed up way too late making cheesy teacher gifts and going to every store trying to scrounge up the remaining school supplies.  Annnd I just sent candy.  Who needs school supplies.


(Whew.  So, that was about it.  I know that is all so very exciting for everyone.)
Here's to the first day! They are there right now and I am just counting the minutes until I can go get them.  I can not wait to hear how it went!!