CHRISTMAS PARTY

There is a little Christmas tradition in our church to have reenactment of the nativity by the children. I can't begin to say how precious I think it is. It is one of my favorite Christmas time events. They also sang to us. We also had a huge breakfast fit for a king. There was this Mexican quiche that was so yummy. I have to get the recipe. If I do, I will share. There audience was also really cute. She will be in primary in less than a month. I am sad. My baby is growing up.
This little brass band played really well and preformed a few fun Christmas numbers.
These were my breakfast contribution, so yummy. You can get the recipe by clicking here and here. I left the almond extract out of the cupcake recipe. I added a 1/2 tsp of raspberry extract to the frosting and topped with a raspberry. They are so yummy.

I LOVE MY LITTLE GIRL

We are dancing to Christmas music and Madison is loving it. She is laughing and laughing. She says, "Again, again." I love these moments with my little girls. I wish I could put them in a bottle and inhale them whenever being a mother gets hard, because it will be again, but right now it is pure joy.

PATCHING HOLES IN KIDS JEANS

I have repaired my kids jeans in multiple ways. This way I think is the cutest and the most durable.

1. Seam rip the sides of the jean. Notice the way the jeans are put together because you will want to put them back together the way you took them apart.
2. Cut out the bad section.
3. Find an old pair of jeans that are beyond repair. I also keep denim remnants from when I cut jean pants off into shorts for the summer.
4. Use the piece you cut out as a pattern. Add an inch to the top of your pattern for seam allowance. When you sew the piece back in use a 4/8" inch seam allowance.
5. Sew piece back in. Sew most complicated seam first. This is typically your inside seam.
6. Walla, good for another year, or another child.

YUMMY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Don't you want one? You can get my recipe by clicking here. Madison helped me make them. Then she read me stories while I made dinner.

She said to me today, "You are my mommy, huh? But some people call you Wesa, huh?" I said, "Yes, some people call me Wesa, but I am still your mommy."

I AM A MORMON AND I LOVE THAT I AM!

I was born to a family that belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I was officially baptised when I was eight. I didn't understand then how much that simple decision would effect my entire life. I love that every Sunday you will find me here. It anchors me and gives me direction in my life, direction I desperately need in this every changing and shifting world. The peace I gain from my faith is what makes my whole life happy and it is what gives me the confidence I need to raise these two beautiful, crazy, silly, smart, little girls.

FLASH FROM THE PAST

This is my sweet Sierra in 2008. Isn't she the cutest? Don't you just want to pinch her frost bitten checks. I was rummaging through all my old photos for my sister. She needed some for a project she is working on that I am really excited about. I fell in love with this picture again. It reminded me of a picture my friend Darcy took of Sierra this summer. No matter how old she gets, she will have those same eyes. I miss my two and a half year old Sierra but I love my six year old Sierra.

A WINTER WALK

Today I felt like the best mother when I suggested Sierra practice her spelling words with the bathtub crayons. I got to bath her and she got to learn to spell simultaneously. I don't have many creative moments like, so I had to share. She got all 13 words right on her spelling test!
MJ and I went for a winter walk to break up the day. I asked her where she was headed to she said, "Californ-e-a." She saw some plastic candy canes in someone's yard and say, "We can't pick them." I said, "No, we can't." She said, "But we can lick them."

THE TREE HAS PROGRESSED

Remember this post from last year? Well, I went thrifting again today to add more pieces to the Christmas tree. I love how it is progressing. Next year, I will spend a few more dollars and it should be complete. I love it!

I felt so blessed today when I was thumbing through some of Sierra's paper's from school and one of her assignments was to complete this sentence. My favorite place to be is___________? She wrote... home. I can't tell you how if filled me to read that one simple word. I love our home too.

ON OUR WAY HOME AGAIN

There is nothing more refreshing than my late afternoon walk to pick Sierra up from school. The weather has been perfect here. I have only needed a jacket. A lot of my the tasks I do in a day take place in my home but to have an excuse every day to get out of the house and breathe in fresh air isn't just good for my body it makes life enjoyable.

LOST CHILD

TODAY we...
-Went on a walk around Snook's Bottom with Sister K. We had a good conversation.
-We went to Sister Trevenan's house and looked at the quilt. We just admired it up on it boards. She is going to teach me how to cross stitch a pillow case. (I know how to cross stitch but don't tell her, she needs a friend and I think we could be good friends.)
-I picked up Sierra and lost MJ in the processes. I have never been so scared in my life. I was shaking. She has never left my side. She is a the cling-on...especially in crowds. I turned around and she was gone. I knew someone had taken her. I was screaming and shaking. Sierra's first grade teacher was helping me look for her. She was even shaking. We were scared. She was missing for at least ten minutes. The longest ten minutes of my life. She headed to the car on her own. They found her wandering around the parking lot. She was fine and happy. She said, "I just went to find the car but I couldn't." Sierra was praying and crying while we were looking. Sierra said to MJ, "Don't ever go in the road without Mom." She said, "I didn't go all the way in the road, just a wittle bit." I was so relieved to have her back in my arms. I discovered that maybe there is an independent little spirit in there.
-We went to Sam's Club to pick up toilet paper among other things and my two girls giggled all the way through the store and not cute giggle, out of control giggling. Bitting each other and laughing. Saying potty words at the top of their lungs and laughing. I wanted to hide.
-We ended up at Darcy's home. She showed us her cute home and her fun vision for it and we dreamed and clicked around on Pintrest, while our girls played together.
-I ended the day on Sierra's bed reading her Mary Poppins. I have never read it before and it is really the cutest, sweetest, most wonderful children's story ever. We are halfway through and enjoying every word together.

VINTAGE QUILT

Sister Kay's Grandpa's "other woman" Emma made this quilt for her when she was a teenager. It was just a quilt top made out of all her old clothes. Today, we were on a mission to quilt it together. We got her mother in on it. We went over to her house. Madison discovered all these vintage toys. There was a Dr. Dolittle lunch box in perfect condition from when the movie came out in the 70's. I fell in love. I wish I was a theif because I would have stolen it, and it would be mine. Also, her mother has boxes and boxes of fabric from when her mother worked at a grocery store that carried a fabric line. You could have shown me a vault of money and I would have been no less coveteous. I wanted to steal that too. Do you know of a robber for higher?

WHINY PRINCESS

Monday, MJ wanted to try on every dress up in the house. The house was a little chilly and I didn't understand why she wanted to. I told her she needed to put warm clothes on. She threw a fit. She threw a fit bacause she was "hungry" after I made her a waffle and gave her a bowl of canned peaches. She threw a fit after I turned off her show. I finally hauled her into bed with me and made her take a nap with me. We slept till 1:00 in the afternoon. I don't know when I made her lay down but it wasn't too long after I took Sierra to school. We must have both been exhausted. We both went to bed at 9:00pm that night. Yeah, for a good nap that didn't effect bedtime too badly.

WINDOW ART

My sister's bought window paint and let the girls go to town on Grandma's windows. It was so messy but the girls loved it.


Other fun things that we did over Thanksgiving weekend.
1. Made stockings with cute appliques on Friday night with my sisters.
2. Bought a cupcake from the Sweet Tooth Fairy. I have always wanted to try one. I have to say... I wasn't that impressed. Go Oakmont Bakery!!!
3. Went to the temple.
4. Sat with my Grandma Hair while she taught me a little about how to do Family History work. She is doing a class in February. It is a week long and I am thinking about taking it.
5. Went to Creativity and painted a mug with Nate. He designed another fish bowl.
6. Got to hug both sets of grandparents, my Uncle David and Aunt Sheryl, my favorite and Aunt Ruthie and my siblings.
I LOVE MY FAMILY.

THANKSGIVING

Yummy food and a great family, who could ask for anything better? The thing I missed the most when I spent Thanksgivings in Pittsburgh was not being able to spend it with my family. I have the greatest family ever. We try to coordintate it so that all of the siblings will be at their in-laws and then at my parents house on the same Thanksgiving, so every other year we get to be all together. This year was an in-law year, so we should have been with Nate's parents but Nate couldn't get enough time off of work, so we had to go to my parent's house. I heard Nate's parents had a blast and we wish we could have been there. However, it was fun to spend Thanksgiving with my grandparents. I always wonder if it will be the last holiday we get to spend with them and I am so grateful for everyone.

DRESS FOR BABY AUDREY

Project 1, done!

MJ's TURN

I am in love!

THE CUTEST THING EVER!!

Nate made Sierra a hair accessory. He went to Walmart and bought headbands and barrettes and secreted himself away for a couple of hours and came out with this. I thought it was the cutest thing ever. Sierra squealed.
Her cute outfit came from a family in our ward. I love it! I thought she was so beautiful today for school.

A PROJECT and A HELPER

I am working on getting organized. Once I am organized I will be able to start on few projects that have been on my mind. Look at MJ, she is sporting her blessing dress. I did this to Sierra when she was three too. I don't remember either of their dresses being big on them when they were little but I love that I can still do up the buttons when they are three, maybe a testimony to how skinny they are.

CHRISTMAS CARDS

I have never done one before. This year maybe my first year. Wish me luck. These are the family pictures my friend Darcy took this summer. If you want to recieve one, send me your address. lcmcknight@gmail.com.