16 October 1999-2009

we got married 10 years ago! it was such an amazing day...mid 70s, leaves in full color, even had deer prancing behind the church...


this year, chris surprised me with this...and a dinner gathering with family and friends. a wonderful weekend to celebrate our anniversary! this is some of my first yarn being spun by our "fire" (aka christmas lights!) we got festive!


i am a blessed girl!

now...onto packing! i have been taking short spinning breaks when i feel totally overwhelmed by boxes!

i made it...i can breathe now

what a day...we spontaneously went to this gospel choir competition at the wachovia center in philadelphia. all local gospel choirs from churches in and around philly...i have never been a part of something like this. chris and i sat 3rd row center (which gave me the giggles at first...imagine the scene, folks). and in the end were blessed beyond belief. the judges were hezekiah walker (listen to this song...he sang it tonight), lonnie hunter, and marvin sapp. this song moved me severely. i think it's my new theme song.



the night ended with chris and i on the couch and U2 on SNL. nice close to an amazing evening.

hallelujah!

school supplies

my, my....how do i begin after such a long absence??? a quick update, and then on with it!

::::we are moving. november 1st. to elverson, pa. we are excited. nervous. can't wait. it's been a long time coming, and we are finally just jumping. country life is on its way! (or incredibly small town life, really!) and we will finally be a part of our church community!

::::1st grade started last week for stella. another year at home. i did my (now 2nd annual) freak out. i was all geared up. curricula chosen. supplies bought. and then...crap! i'm going to ruin my child! i cannot do this! she must go to school! chris talked me off the edge...and last week went stunningly. i don't remember 1st grade being so fun!

so here is what we did. from the chalkboard in the kitchen:

Bible Memory/Copywork: Psalm 139:1-2 (we will have the whole thing memorized for this year)
Grammar: Chapter 3 (Shurley Grammar)
Phonics: Review (Reading Eggs)
Reading: Curious George (First Favorites, Vol. 1)
Math: Review (waiting for books - got them Thursday!)
Geography: NSEW, make a compass, States: PA and NJ
History: Lewis and Clark, expedition game online, Thomas Jefferson, design your own Monticello
French: new CD of French children's song (so far, its just about sing-alongs)
Music: listening this week. we'll get to composer's later
Science: we've been doing the body at co-op (cells, bones, joints) on to muscles this week!

it was a great week. next week i'll give the update on friday (or saturday). next friday we are visiting a small homeschool-school (kind of a one room school house or sorts.) its called the hoke school and, if we decide we like it, stella would go 3 mornings a week. 2 would be with 1st thru 4th grade, 1 would be just her age. we'll see. this raising a child thing is tough. i feel terribly underprepared, unworthy, and ill-equipped. and there is nothing i want to do more.

so...here's to a new year. new pens. new paper. a new bottle of glue. it's so nice to start fresh.

summer reading

well, our first year of homeschooling has come to a close, and we are all so happy - with our achievements, the bonding that has taken place, the growth in all of our lives, and the letting go of our routine a little bit! today we woke up to a cold rainy day and just played. relaxed. played some more. made some cookies. and read. a lot. so i thought i'd share our summer reading so far (yeah, i know, it's not officially summer, but summer vacation has begun!)

for starters, one of the reasons we are so proud of stella is her accomplishment with reading! we used the veritas phonics curriculum and boy...she flew. she has been reading small books since before christmas, but really took off around february/march. we were at barnes and noble and picked up their summer reading journal...read any 8 books and get one free! she's read six so far! they are:








for some fun, stella asked me to read them Beverly Cleary's, "The Mouse and the Motorcycle" aloud. we sat down and cleared off five chapters in no time! so fun...

there are some "grown up" books hoping to be read as well...maybe i'll post them next!

happy summer!!

baby needs a new machine

sew mama sew is giving away a husqvarna/viking sewing machine this month. to win would be dreamy...so here we go. a sewing machine meme:

What brand and model do you have?
~singer 401A slant-o-matic
How long have you had it?
~almost 10 years...it was a wedding gift from the smiths (xoxoxo!)
How much does that machine cost (approximately)?
~i've seen them go on ebay for around $225, but i have no idea!
What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)?
~clothing, small quilts, home dec, bags, dress-ups, toys.......
How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get?
~i go in bursts. my machine acts up sometimes and frustrates me, so it gets hibernated for a bit, then wham-o. i make a ton of stuff.
Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name?
~i'm attached to it, but like i said, it acts up and i get annoyed. i think i'll always keep it, as it is SO sturdy and handy. but a new one would be amazing!!!
What features does your machine have that work well for you?
~solid straight stitch, fancy stitch "cogs" that are fun.
Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine?
~how it jams up regularly despite countless tune-ups.
Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it!
~a surprise gift from friends of my new hubby...sewed my finger lots of times....nothin' too interesting.
Would you recommend the machine to others? Why?
~yes...it is sturdy and good...just get one that is kept up well.
What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine?
~what do you want to do? how often do you sew? get the best you can.
Do you have a dream machine?
~i've been looking into janome's memory craft 4400. i want to do more quilting, some embroidery would be fun.

so go check out sew mama sew's sewing machine info...and enter to win yourself!!

Cakeria!

::before::

most of the ingredients...and a tinker toy

::after::

set up...last minute details

the bride's choice...

coconut layer cake with strawberry puree filling
my favorite...

biscuit de savoie with chambord syrup, chambord buttercream filling, and dark chocolate glaze waiting for flowers and the wedding party...

carrot cakes with orange italian cream cheese frosting

classic white velvet cakes with vanilla mousseline buttercream
congratulations ted and kate!

fabric

i was given a very generous gift to a quilt shop from my dear friend, elin, for my birthday...with those funds, i bought myself 2 yards each of these fabrics:

that's ivory lotus pond from amy butler's "lotus" collection
and:

this one is ombre cool blue from the carolina collection from anna griffin and windham fabrics

these were destined to be a reversible wrap skirt for myself, for easter. got them home...so excited and laid them out on the bed to get a good look. i stepped back in shock. i grabbed chris. these were a perfect match to our new bedroom wall color. looked beautiful against our new brass bed (handed down from mommom). oh no! they were not destined to be a skirt...but rather...CURTAINS! and maybe some pillows. and added to a new quilt. works in progress. hoping some of that progress will be done this weekend, so you can see some pics. we're even swapping out our old dressers for some even older new-to-us ones from chris' folks! bedroom makeover! fun!