{SIGH......}

Sorry for my lack of blogging enthusiasm lately but I think I'm in a funk.......

Okay I'm just going to rip the band-aid off fast and say the following.....

As much as I love all things Christmas & holiday's in general, I'm kinda tired of all the decor. I know GASP! GASP! I'm afraid it started back in Oct. Don't get me wrong, I love to see my home all decked out in it's seasonal finest but I just am kinda tired of it. I think it's going to be good that there are no more "holidays" for a while, this girl could use a break in all things decorish at least for a little while that is.

Am I the only one who feels this way?

Okay stepping down now, see told told you I am in a funk. Hopefully I'll be leaving funky town aka seasonal depression soon.

As per Christmas, we had a GREAT Christmas the kids had a wonderful time and they loved all their gifts. I'm still working on a monkey and a smallish house that I totally spaced off finishing. But Brinley has a birthday coming up in January so I'll save it for then. I captured this fabulous photo on Christmas eve and I use the term fabulous loosely. Ya gotta love Parker's EYES!
Me and my camera aren't getting along lately. 
So I'll take what I can get at the moment. :)

And look what I found under the tree on Christmas morning!. :) I sooooo needed a bigger KitchenAid, with 7 mouths to feed my little "Aid" has served me well, but her replacement is much appreciated. No more cookies or bread crawling out of the top of the bowl this baby is HUGE she holds 14 cups o' flour I think I'm in love! So thanks Santa! :)

Okay well I better get back to my day, my baby is crying (still) she was up last night until about 5 am this morning I'm just a wee bit tired. I think she might have an ear infection. Being a mom rocks doesn't it! ;)

{My Dealer Called & My Drugs Are Ready}

Can I just say how much I love my OBGYN! This man will be getting a huge plate of cookies from me this holiday season. He had his nurse call me in a RX for the Z-Pack apparently it's been a big hit this holiday sickness season. I'm feeling a bit better and think I may just be on the mend! See going to the same church as your OBGYN has it's perks. :) Now maybe I can get some projects finished. Ahhh..... I love me a good round of drugs.

And since I am feeling a little better, I decided to finish one of my projects last night. I first saw the idea for this on my friend Cherry's blog who was inspired by this
Etsy store.

Anyway this is for my Mom, I have told her she's not allowed to look at my blog until AFTER Christmas so no peeping mom. :) The M is for Merrill my maiden name or it could be for Mom too I guess. I have NEVER in my life sewn with rope trim and low and behold the darn thing turned out, I was patting myself on the back last night.

La' back side.

Now I have to finish making this little Molly Monkey for Addison, this is my last sewing project for the holiday season. I had a sudden flood of 4 more orders for Stick families for Christmas gifts so I'm plugging away trying to get those finished so hopefully I can fit a little Molly in here and there.

Oh and I still have to wrap presents (haven't even started) and I need to take gifts to my Visiting Teaching ladies & I need to finish my Vinyl project. Oh my, how will I get this all done! Somebody H.E.L.P!

{I'm Sick & Tired Of Being Sick & Tired}

Yup, still sick here and the 6 degree weather isn't helping coupled with the fact that our bedroom last night was a brisk 54 degree's (darn old house) It's warmer now thanks to the little heater's that could..... But to help cheer me up look what my fabulous Hubster brought for me when he came home for lunch! :):) He loves me and I know I'm ever so spoiled. I'm dying to watch it again, but it will have to wait until the kids are in bed. Sigh..... It's just sooooooo good! Thanks babe.

I'm trying to get this little present done before Christmas, I have some buttons to attach and a seam to work on but for the most part, it's the cutest little play house ever. I'm sure Miss Polly P. will have no problem living here. I have decided after Christmas is over I sooooooo need a new stash o' fabric. Patience Rachel patience...

I'm also trying to get this Etsy purchase done for a customer, all I have to do now is stain it and frame it. And I have 1 more to go for my cousin.. 
Yes Laura I will get back to you, it's just been crazy around here.

And this is a project that I'm working on for a family members present. I so hope it turns out.

So I am around (barely) I'm still coughing my lungs up but I think, I THINK I might be getting a little better. I've just been busy with being sick, trying to craft and going to School Christmas programs and lets not forget babysitting, being a mom/wife yada yada yada.... Hopefully after I am feeling better I will be back to a regular blogging program. Well off I go to finish well, something. 

{Reindeer Debit Holders}

Well I broke down in my DayQuil coma long enough to make these cute little reindeer pockets. I saw these on 3 other blogs and it was then that I knew I needed to make some for my kiddos.

And FYI, the pattern makes them look like you could whip them out in now time flat. WRONG!

They are time consuming little suckers, plus I cheated and used pipe cleaners for the boy's antler's I was in no mood to hand stitch teeny tiny antlers for deer that will get thrown away. I'm glad they are done and now I have something to put their cute Debit cards in. I have 4 more cards to add to the stash and they are just as cute, one of them says good for a movie night with popcorn. I'm sure my kids will have a blast "cashing" in the debits...... There's going to be a lot of movie nights and cookie baking going on after Christmas.. :)

The debits can be found at Wal-mart for $1.00 in the Christmas section. The deer pattern can be found HERE.

Sorry about the terrible picture, it's gloomy outside as it's "trying" to snow, If I can get a better picture I'll try and post it instead of this icky one.

{Crafting Under The Influence!!}

I've got the Ick!

I feel like someone hit me with a splintered 2x4 or at least that's what my throat feels like, but sick or not I must push on! So I worked a little bit on my sad DVD Hutch to make it more ahem...."Festive", not sure if I'm loving it or not, I figure once the drugs wear off I may change the whole dang thing but for now it will have to do.

I got this cute bobbin idea from my bloggy friend Cherry, Thanks!!

Then I got the bright idea (cough BB) to try and make a portable magnet board for one of the kids for Christmas...... 
The key word we are all looking for here is TRY.... 
Well, lets just say the note on the board says it all. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! I think I may just order them from the Etsy store where they are found and leave the crafting to the professionals. 
Seriously what the heck was I thinking!?! 
Just goes to show you that Drugs and crafting don't mix! I'm sorry did I just say crafting? Ha ha ha, 
I meant crapping yeah I have decided that I don't craft I basically create crap. ;) This is so a little project gone wrong. Sigh......

Cough!! Cough!! Cough!! Off to bed I go......

{I'm So Behind!}

Yes I'm still alive, and really I have been meaning to blog but everyday it would just get pushed aside to all the other things that have been going on.

I have managed to squeak in a little holiday decorating in between finishing up Etsy orders, doing day care, taking care of 3 sick kids, dealing with a 1 yr old that didn't fare to well with her last round of shots and is now cutting her last 2 molars (aka little miss cranky pants who's running fevers and wants to be held all day) church callings, running on little to no sleep and well the list could go on but I digress.....

So here's a sneak peek of La' Christmas tree this year, we are going with a Santa Clause theme. It's looking cute but I'm frankly running out of steam and it's not even Christmas yet. Thanks goodness most of my shopping is done. :)

These Ice Cream Cookies came about as I was making cookies for FHE and decided to throw some ice cream in the middle and all I can say is YUM-O!!! Especially with nice fresh baked cookies..

Just let them cool and plop some ice cream in the middle and your all set, the kids wanted 2nd's and 3rd's but we figured 1 was good. We have had these 2 times in the last week.. I know my thighs will be screaming at me come the end of this holiday season.

Here is the recipe I use for Chocolate Chip Cookies it makes a ton and they are frankly the best CC Cookies I have ever found. :) Enjoy

Side note: I used my medium Pampered Chef Scoop for these cookies they were nice and big!

Rachel's Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup shortening
1 cup butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
5 cups flour
1 pack chocolate chips

Combine all wet ingredients in Kitchen Aid and mix well.
Add dry ingredients and chocolate chips.
Bake at 350 for about 8-10 minutes.
This recipe makes a large batch o' cookies.
I use my small pampered chef ice cream scoop to put the cookies on the cookie sheet (but I don't level off the dough hope that makes sense). They make the perfect size cookie not too big - not too small.
I pull these out of the oven when they are lightly browned around the bottom of the cookie. And since every oven bakes different you may have to bake a little less or more. Just keep an eye on them cause even slightly over baking them will make them way too crunchy.
:)Enjoy

And stay tuned as I have enlisted the help of my Husband in revamping our TV hutch, okay really he will be doing most of it, but I'll be the painter... I'll tell you that it involves replacing the screen door with an old door that I got for free. Hopefully it will for the most part done within the next few days..... No pressure Lloyd! ;) I'll post pics for sure! I just hope it looks like it does in my head!

Oh and can I just tell you how excited I am for Mama Mia to be coming out on DVD on the 16th! Hello early Christmas present to me!!!

{Happy Thanksgiving}

Meet Turkey Lurkey's 2, 3 ,4 & 5!

Yes the other kids begged and pleaded for a turkey shirt as well so I got busy. ;)
All I can say is thank goodness for nap time.Parker wanted a Camo Turkey-Check!
Brinley just wanted something pink-Check!
Corbin just wanted a turkey shirt-Check!
And just to be the nice babysitter that I am, I made the little white one for Miss Ruby. Her mom loved it, and I think it turned out pretty darn cute.
Oh and Jentry didn't want a turkey shirt, end of story!

I hope you all have a Fabulous Thanksgiving!

See you in a couple days!

Okay now Lets Eat!!!

{Turkey Lurkey}

Well last night I found an Addison shirt, traced her little hand then put her to bed and made this.

Yes I bit the bullet and sewed on knit fabric (never done this before). Just don't look at my sewing job, my heart was beating through my chest while I sewed this, yes just the thought of sewing on knit makes me sweat & a professional I am not!

But I just had to do this tutorial I found yesterday. It is super easy and I think I may do one for Corbin, that is if he wants one. :) I know the fabric isn't very "Thanksgivingy" but I was going for a more Mod Turkey. I mean ya still have to be styling on T-Day.

Oh and instead of machine stitching the legs of the bird, I hand stitched them with Embroidery floss. I think they stand out a little more,

I just love those short little legs. ;)

Click here for the tutorial. Now go make one or 12!

Oh and this took maybe 25 mins to make, yes I'm slow but hey I hand stitched!

{Nope Not A Craft Post}

Sorry no fun craft idea today but I have been doing this instead....................... 

I just started this morning at 7:30 doing daycare for 1 little girl (I'm so not a morning person) Her name is Ruby she's almost 2 and she is a cute little thing. She's basically been the perfect child today she has not cried once plus she ate a good lunch (she's a picky eater) and now she's napping for at least another hour (she sleeps from 1:00-4:00 or 4:30), so I'm sure tomorrow will be different. I really didn't want to do daycare but I figure the $500.00 a month will help out with some bills and getting some stuff paid off. ;)

 I could never go to work outside the home as the 2 kids I would have to put in daycare would basically eat my check. So here I am at home trying to help earn a little cash to help out the hubster. 

Plus I snuck in a little power nap this afternoon, that never happens!

Well I need to go find an old shirt why you ask? Well I found on a blog this afternoon the cutest turkey shirt idea, using an old shirt and one of the kids hand outline. Genius this woman is! Hopefully I'll get it made this evening that is if I can get my craft mojo on, right now I'm still in semi coma sleep mode. Boy I hope this post made sense..... Later!

{Well..........}

The movie surprised me, I liked it better than I thought I would. I have to admit that I went in with low expectations because when I saw the movie trailers on TV I found the acting to be a bit cheesy. But now having watched it I would totally watch it again & I will be watching the movies to follow. :) I mean don't get me wrong I still found a few parts in the show where it was just a little cheese but it was still good, so if ya love the Twilight books go and watch the movie I give it a thumbs up!

And speaking of movies, they showed the preview for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Looks like it's going to be a good one! I know I say it every time but I just love me some good movies!

I do have one question though why do some parents think it's okay to bring their 18 month old toddlers to 12:00 am movies that last a little over 2 hrs? Seriously it's called a sitter, look into it. People are STRANGE! And I felt bad for that little girl you can tell she just wanted her bed.

Well I better get my sorry butt in bed it's way late & I'm rambling plus the kids don't seem to care if I've had a late night, they still require care and feeding, why is that? :) J/K

{I'm Out Of Here}

Yup I'm going to the 12:05 a.m. showing of this tonight errrrr I mean this morning. I am really needing to get out of the house. 
Lloyd is still not home from work, but will be sometime around 10:00 after his work meeting in Enterprise. 
The kids have been less than stellar this evening, the boys won't stop fighting & everyone is whining about doing their homework.
Yeah I need to get out, all i gotta say is this movie had better be good.

{Sneak Peek For Sarah}

Sorry I've been a bit MIA over the past few days but I have a good reason. Enter my Wanna Be Photographer stage, yes I've been playing the role of Photographer, I have no idea what the heck I'm doing but the fun is in the experimenting right? Lets just say that my camera and I are getting to know each other a little better.

Anyway, this is my sweet cousin Sarah and her Fiancee Ryan, they came down over the weekend & I took a ton of engagement pictures for them. Watching her with Ryan made me feel old as I used to babysit her and her sisters. (aka changed their diapers) But it's so fun to see them growing up and starting families of their own. And Sarah you have got a keeper, Ryan is just awesome, congrats your two!

{Be Still My Crusty Little Heart}

Okay my bloggy friend Camille is giving away one of her Coveted quilts. I love LOVE love her stuff and her quilts/patterns are AMAZING! Quick, Go leave her some comment love & maybe if you tell her I sent ya it would help my odds. maybe.... Well???? What are you waiting for!!

{A Photo Shoot & A 1st Birthday Party!}

Well I had about a 30 minute break from the rain on Halloween so I threw Addison into her Birthday outfit and ran downtown to take a few 1 yr. pictures of her. I didn't have much time because it was starting to sprinkle again, and the fact that we had to go Trick 0r Treating. But thought they turned out kinda cool considering it was a real quick shoot. I went with more of a punk dark look with these 3 I just had to with all the graffiti & metal background! :) I'm by no means professional so don't look too close. ...

Then I took these in our back yard, I love the contrast with the big black clouds.

We decided to have her party on Saturday only because Friday was so busy with all things Halloween. I went with a princess theme because 1. she's only going to have her 1st birthday once and 2. I know she will have plenty of Halloween themed parties for the rest of her life. So pink and orange princess it was! 

The Birthday Girl!

This is the first banner I have made, I think it turned out pretty cute. I'm thinking of making a few more. Maybe for my Etsy Shoppe. :) maybe......

See Tausha I'm finally using my Cricut again!

Don't laugh, remember I told you I'm no cake decorator! Plus I had frosting tip drama and only about 20 mins to frost the thing.

Addison Cakes, I got the idea from Ashley's blog. Thanks!

There you have it! 
Oh & for those of you that asked about the "pumpkin head" stuff. I got them at Wal-mart they cost $3.50 per box and each box had enough to do 4 pumpkins with some eye's & maybe a nose or 2 left over.
 I bought 2 boxes. The kids love them and I get to use them again next year!!!

{Halloween With The Fab 5!}

Well we didn't have time to carve our pumpkins this year.. I know!! Can you hear the utter disappointment in my voice? ( I dislike carving greatly, oh the mess) So we went with a "Mr. Pumpkin Head" theme this year. The kids loved it and to top it off we were done in 5 minutes with no mess & we think they look pretty fabulous!!

Then @ 6:00 we went to our Church and attended our annual Trunk or Treat! The kids had fun & I didn't have to make dinner because they served hot dogs & hot cider (thank you very much). The kids played tons of games & scored all kinds of Halloween trinkets and goodies, then we headed outside where they literally were stuffing their bags with candy.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking....... Good times!

And here we are Trick Or Treating our friends Brent & Maria's house! Sorry had to post one with Brinley wearing her cat mask! 
Phew 1 holiday down 2 to go....

All in all it was a pretty good night, granted I was sporting a nice headache and I was stressed to the max (try 2 day's o' stress). We had Addison's B-day party the next day so I have yet another Addison post coming. I know, I know I promise it will be the last for a while, but I promise the pictures turned out pretty cool so of course I have to share.

Okay I'm going to drag my sorry, exhausted, stressed out body to bed. Good grief I just noticed it's only 11:40 someone just call me Grandma and get it over with. I mean I usually stay up till 2 am sheesh, see what stress will do to ya. Night all!

{ Happy 1st Birthday Addison! }

Well, she's 1! This last year has FLOWN by, I seriously am wondering just where the time went. I have mixed emotions as a mom today, on one hand I'm excited for her to grow up but on the other I'm sad as I will never have this baby stage again. I think this 1st birthday is harder on me then the other 4, she's my last, my last baby, my last little girl.

I remember when I found out I was pregnant with her, at the time it was not good news. I was going through a really dark depression and being pregnant was not in the cards for me. 
But Heavenly Father knew what I needed and he sent her.
 I will ever be grateful for this little girl in my life. In the process of bringing her into the world she saved me. I love you so much Addison and hope that today is a great day for you! 
Happy 1st Birthday my little Luv Buggin's!

Love Mom...