The Eggs That Died...

I know it's not Easter anymore, but it's still Spring, so I'm ahead of my usual blogging game! I wanted to recap our Easter egg dying experience because it was so much fun this year! Full of blog-worthy hilariousness :)

Last year, I was way too controlling during our egg dying. This year, I decied to back off and let the boys have their messy fun, and it was so much better! Here's what happened...

Carter could have done this for hours. He put the eggs in...took them out...put them back in another color...took them back out...and so on...

Our mini muffin tin turned upside down with paper towels on top worked well for holding the eggs.

Miles HAD to get his hands on this activity...literally...he loved to throw the eggs. He only got one egg, and he threw it over and over and over again. To him it was nothing more than ball practice!

As you can imagine, this last picture ended in us mopping up a mug full of dye - good thig we had no clothes on and a cover on the floor! (I said I backed off...not that I didn't take any precautions :)

This is the difference between a 2.5 year old's egg and a 11 month old's egg :)

Carter peeled and ate an egg - very unusual for him - he doesn't like eggs. He did not, however, eat the "cheese" :)

At the end, we still had a total of 13 eggs and they were all different colors (I was thinking they would all be brown by the end...)! We had 11 cracked (some totally smashed) and 2 whole eggs, but we had a whole bunch of fun memories!!!!

Here's a fun video of the experience.
Please excuse the water running in the background...I forgot I had turned it on!

Happy Easter!

Our Easter was far from picture perfect. Life is not picture perfect. Isn't that why the world needs a Savior? We serve a risen Savior, and that's why Easter is one of my very favorite holidays! 

My sister and parents got to spend Easter with us this year. I'm so glad they were here. We went to an Easter egg hunt on Saturday morning, then it got rainy and cold for the rest of the weekend.

Miles got sick, and we didn't end up getting to go to church. So, we all got dressed up in our Easter duds & took pictures anyway (this was all for mommy & her love of tradition :-), then we crawled back into our pj's and watched Veggie Tales Easter Carol together. 

I was pretty dissapointed we didn't get to go to church on Easter. That is one of my favorite services of the year - so full of joy! It made me realize that I don't have to wait until Easter Sunday to be filled with "Eastery" joy. After all - you might be sick on Easter Sunday, and then it's a whole 'nother year until the next... As a Christian, I can live in the power and joy of the resurrection every single day. Sure, the fun traditions and pretty clothes make it "feel" like Easter, but my Savior lives every single day, and that's where my joy needs to come from.

Happy Easter! 

He lives, aren't you glad? :)

Easter Baskets

I posted about Christmas yesterday... Today, I thought I'd post about the current holiday :) Carter has used his daddy's old Easter basket the past 2 years, but this year I knew I was going to have to get either one or both of the boys new baskets. I didn't want one to have a sentimental basket and the other a new "meaningless" one, so I decided to get them matching new baskets. For some reason, I love Easter baskets. I know that they aren't the reason for the season, but they are fun! The ones you see in the picture below are from PotteryBarn.com. Nobody does holidays like Pottery Barn...I love that store! 

Unfortunately, Pottery Barn - in all of it's beauty - is not affordable. Those Easter baskets - though they are are beautiful - cost $60!!!!!!!! That's right...I checked. So then I had to come up with another plan.

I found this basket at Target for $15.

I would have preferred $5, but I have come to find that a real wooden basket is going to cost a little bit of money. I didn't have the time to look all over creation for a great deal on baskets. These were the right size and shape, so I got 2. I consider it an investment into the future - this is the basket they will use from now on - it's big enough to be their "forever" Easter basket. I cut up the lining (purple and lace do not fly in this house), and made my own lining pattern.

I already had an "Eastery" gingham fabric, so I worked on them during naptime, and this was my final product.

Not bad for $35 cheaper per basket!!! Now all we need is some hidden Easter eggs :)

Happy Easter!

"But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed."

Isaiah 53:5

"He is not here; for He is risen, just as He said."

Matthew 28:6

Thank you, Lord, for the precious gift of eternal life paid for by Jesus on the cross. Thank you that Jesus is alive and waiting to see us in Heaven!!!

Happy Easter!


(See THIS POST for details on Carter's outfit.)

Easter Egg Hunt

Today was our church's Easter Egg Hunt. Carter got into the hunt this year a lot more so than LAST YEAR. Last year all he wanted to do was put the eggs in his mouth.

This year he he was more into looking for / finding the hidden eggs, and then checking out what was inside! I know it has nothing to do with the real meaning of Easter, but I think it's a fun childhood tradition.

Waiting patiently for the hunt to begin!

Little Friends

Found one!

Here's the real live action...it takes him a minute to warm up to being on camera - just ignore my irritating coaxing - gotta love home videos :-)

Finding the Treats!

Chocolate!!!

Last year, Carter thought the Easter Bunny was the funniest thing ever! 

This year, Carter was not interested in having his picture made with the Easter Bunny - maybe it's because the Easter Bunny's eyes weren't falling off this year... I must say that our Easter Bunny's look has improved!

All he would do is shake his hand - a very gentlemanly greeting :-)

Fearfully & Wonderfully Made

We've been loving the Spring weather lately! Does this face do it justice?

Here's hoping that Spring is really here, and Winter doesn't come rearing it's ugly head again. I know I'm ready for Spring to be here to stay. It's definitely my favorite season. Everything just seems to come back to life, and I love seeing it each year - it never gets old! Speaking of coming back to life, we are gearing up for Easter weekend around here. Easter is the most joyful holiday to me! I mean - JESUS IS ALIVE!!! It just doesn't get any better than that (no offense, Christmas...)! When I was growing up, we always got some new duds around Easter, and the most special of those dresses that I can remember are the ones that my Mama made. I was just so proud to wear something she had made :-) See (far left - that's me)?

Now, I am fully aware that Carter could care less if I make his clothes - good gracious, Carter could care less if he even has clothes :-) HOWEVER, I love making clothes for him - especially his Easter clothes! I made his very first Easter outfit last year - you can see it as well as how little he was last Easter in THIS POST.  Well, a lot has happened since then, and my sewing has both improved and expanded. This year I decided to make him a smocked romper using THIS PATTERN.  I smocked 3 crosses to remind us of Calvary during this sacred season that gets so covered up in the eggs, bunnies, and candy. I got to work on some skills that I had never done before: plackets, collars, sleeves, buttons down the back, belts, using my (surprise Christmas present) serger, etc... I had SO MUCH FUN making this precious little outfit!  Here are some snippets of the process. My camera died halfway into the project, and I was so wrapped up in sewing I didn't replace the battery until I was completely finished :-)

As I sew, I think. I love that time. I think about all kinds of things. I plan, I measure, I create, I think about our family/our future/the baby/our home/etc.... However, I when I was making this outfit, I could not help but dwell on how much God must love us - his prize creation!

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, 
I know that full well. Psalm 139:14

I was making this outfit thinking of how happy it makes me to create something so special, and my mind could not stop going back to HOW MUCH MORE precious we are to God than this silly little outfit is to me. He created us - in his image no less! From scratch :-) I have a pattern of course, because my mind is INFINITELY less creative than God's (stating the obvious? - I think so...). Then after he created us, he sent his son to die for us, and raised him from the dead to save us - on Easter :-) So there you go. Sewing is just my little tiny way of using the brain that God gave me to in-turn create something beautiful. The finished product?

The very next day I used extra fabric to make a certain someone else a special little matching outfit for when he gets here! This is the first outfit I've gotten to make for him, and my first project smaller than 18 mos in size. So, so, so fun!!!

This was a new pattern as well, which you will find HERE. I got to try my hand at several new skills for this outfit too!! I did heirloom embroidery, pleating, and elastic leg casings!

Close-up of my First (far from perfect) Attempt at Heirloom Embroidery :-)

I cannot explain how fun it was to make my boys matching outfits :-) Disclaimer: I do not expect this baby to be here by Easter, but they will be wearing these outfits throughout Spring/Summer :-)

BROTHERS :-) I can't wait! 

PS Can I just say that the Creations by Michie' patterns that I use are so easy to follow!?!?! I have used 3 of her patterns now, and every single one of them has been super easy to follow, and the finished product looks like it's supposed to and fits my child! Worth every penny!!!

Smocking Projects

Here's what I've been up to lately. I LOVE TO SMOCK! It's COMPLETELY addicting. For some reason it is a stress reliever, but at the same time it fuels my creative side and makes me think that I've used my brain at least some that day :-) Kevin would tell you that smocking is unsocial and life-consuming. Just kidding [kind of]. He's probably glad that the smocking part of these projects is over though...I cannot wait to see what the outfits are going to look like!

Here's Carter's Easter Smock. It's my variation of Ellen McCarn's "Crosses" pattern. It's going to be in a romper.

Here's some Crabs that I'm going to turn into a matching Bubble and Jon Jon for the boys for spring/summer. Aren't those button eyes the cutest!?!?! The crabs are my variation of Little Memories's "Crab Happy" and Cross Eyed Cricket's "Blue Crabs" patterns.

Here's a smock that was supposed to be done this Fall...then my 1st Trimester happened. It's the Little Memories "EI EI OH!" pattern. I'm planning to make it into a Seersucker Jon Jon for the Summer.

Don't feel bad if it took you a while to figure out what on earth that said. And if you still haven't figured it out, it says "EI, EI, Oh" as in "Old McDonald had a farm _______..." I think it's really cute! Kevin said it's confusing.

That's the plan at least...I'll update as the projects progress.