Baby needs glasses!

Yep...L needs glasses.  She thought she might so we had been talking about it for a couple weeks.  Then last week she came home from school and said she had her eyes tested and the nurse said she does need glasses.  We made an appt and that confirmed it.  Her right eye is the weaker of the 2, in fact left eye is perfect. 

She is so excited...can you tell?  She was also excited to be leaving school a bit earlier than everyone else. 

We found a really nice doctor and they got us right in. 
*I forgot to let the dr. know that I would be taking lots of pics (us bloggy moms, you know) and I startled her with the first pic I took...oops!

L did such a great job!

Now the fun part...picking out the perfect ones.  We did a good job too, I think we tried on just about all of them.

The overall favorite!  Purple with engraved polka dots on the side...that's my L!

She can't wait for them to arrive! 

Crazy Rain!

A lot of you are having some amazingly awful winter weather.  I know it's no fun but it will be spring again soon, I promise.

We had some crazy rain the other day...the rain just amazes me down here in FL.  I am not used to this kind of rain.  CO didn't have rain like this.  In CO, it was either sunny and warm or snowing! 

Take a look!

Not a great picture but does show the river in the front yard.

Near the pool...the pool is so full now. 

I think we got 3 inches in less than an hour.  Crazy.

I hope you are staying warm and safe wherever you may be! 

I moved...

...my sewing room that is!  A lot of you know we live in a much bigger house now and space is abundant.  One of the things I was psyched to have in this new house was a room all to myself for sewing, computer, writing, etc.  My own space, my hideaway!!!  Our home in Colorado was one C and I bought in 1993...we were 23 yrs. old and we thought the house was amazing.  It had a huge backyard, a 2-car garage for C, a large master bedroom and 3 other bedrooms that we used for misc. other things.  We didn't have kiddos until K arrived in January 1999 so there was lots of space.

Over the years those 3 extra rooms were used for many different things.  Sewing/craft rooms, C's hobby room, computer room, eventually kiddo rooms and then the office for our company.

We grew out of that house years ago but always seemed to make it work.  The living room started as the hangout for parties, throwing darts and watching movies.  Then became all things baby...swing, bassinet, toys galore and then held the sewing area where I started A.Lovely.

It was a well-used, well-loved house!

We moved to Florida in 2010 to be near C's family and our new house is much bigger.  So much bigger that we are sometimes at a loss for where to put things, ironic huh?  The funny thing is the kiddos, C and I are not used to it.  We grew used to being close together and always knowing what everyone was doing at any time.  This is the reason why my sewing room has moved...I couldn't get comfortable being across the whole house and never got anything done except when kiddos were at school.  So, the dining room is now mine and I am thrilled!

Have a look!

Still organizing but looking at this pic makes me happy...kiddos were happy too! 

What can be better than fabric, a sewing machine and a hot cup of coffee?

I love the window!

Notice the kiddos have a table in there too...we like to be together!

So we are slowly getting settled in, making this house work for us.  I am thrilled we all like to be together...they may make me feel crazy at times but I guess I would rather them want to hang with me than the alternative!! 
I am thrilled with where we are in life right now and look forward to making this my best life!
Might as well right?!

My latest!

I am linking to Today's Creative Blog today...it's "Get Your Craft On" Tuesdays!

Here is one of my latest projects...Valentine's Day is on the way and here is a great gift for your sweetie!

The Front!

The back!

I love this pillow!  It turned out so great that I wish I could keep it.  I will just have to make more!  If you want it, check out my etsy site...ALovely

Here are some just waiting to be made into either more pillows or some very cute wall hangings (I will show them off soon!).  Some of these designs were done by my daughters and they loved seeing their drawings after I got them embroidered. 
So, So (Sew, Sew) Great!

Now I am off to go create some more good stuff! 

A full week of school!

I really love my kiddos.  We do lots of fun stuff...crafts, tennis, the beach, museums, wii, etc.  But like many Moms, sometimes they make me crazy and I feel like running far, far away.
One of the things I really enjoy as a working/stay-at-home-mom of 3 school age kiddos is when they actually have school.

I am very much a routine person and the routine as been nothing but screwy for awhile now.  It all started with Thanksgiving, continued through Christmas break and then right when I finally feel I made it through to a new year and am excited for the next 5 months of school there comes (for us) 2 3-day weekends...in a row, no less.

I did make it...with C's help and encouragement.  They are back in school and will be until it looks like...February 21.  Until then I will enjoy my days, working at home and not hearing "mom, I'm hungry" randomly throughout the day...that is until 3pm!

So Cheers to all us working Moms!

At GWiz Science Museum...3 crazy kiddos in the background looking at 3D art and me with my coffee!

Baba's gone cruisin'!

For Carolyn!
My mother-in-law (Baba to her grandchildren) is a really amazing woman.  C and I started dating when we were seniors in high school and she made me a part of the family from the beginning.  I have always been able to count on her...for anything. 

This woman has done nothing but work HARD her whole life taking care of her family-husband, children, mother, father, in-laws, sister and now grandchildren.  Like many Moms, she has put herself last on the to-do list...always wanting to make sure everyone she cares about are taken care of first. 
She turned 72 in May and just retired this past summer from her position as Director of Extension for Sarasota County here in FL. 

This woman deserves a BREAK and I am proud to say she knows how to do it...in STYLE!  Right now she is 2 weeks into a 3 and 1/2 month cruise of The World!  Yes...The World.  She is on Holland America's Cruise ship The Amsterdam which is one of their most luxurious. 

She is having the time of her life and I am so over-the-top thrilled for her!

The first Formal Night!

From her emails she is sending, she is very busy.  She walks the decks every morning, has started a total body conditioning class, Tai Chi class, digital workshops to help her improve her camera work, dance lessons, learned to play blackjack, gone to several shows, lots of reading on the days at sea, emailing her family lots and the most exciting thing she said was trying out and making the ships Chorale.  That's right, a chorus of all passengers and they will perform 2 concerts during their journey.  It sounds so completely amazing and I am so, so glad she is taking it all in. 

Sitting at one of the many ports!

The Panama Canal...she said this was just completely amazing!

Where is she now?  ...the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

The kiddos and I are following her along the way with the map she included with her itinerary.  We mark it daily with our Sharpie.  Her next stop is Easter Island then it's on to Tahiti, Bora Bora, The Cook Islands and on and on and on until the end of April! 

We miss her lots around here but we are all so glad she is having the time of her life!  I will continue to follow her journey periodically as this is a big event for our whole family. 

Cheers and Bon Voyage Carolyn!  I am so happy that you did this for yourself and that you are really enjoying it from head to toe, forwards and backwards. You are AWESOME!

Our new family thing...Tennis

Tennis is something C and I really enjoy, watching and playing and we have decided to make it the new family thing.  We have forever wanted to do this with/for our kids and now that we are in FL, we can do it...a lot. 

This is the covered play area at Z and L's elementary school.  I only wish the wall was full height...we chased many balls over that wall that morning.

I took lessons when I was a kid and quit...no reason, probably laziness more than anything.  I have always been that way.   For some reason I am scared of success.  I don't think I can do it so I will make damn sure that I prove myself right.  Oh sorry...back to the point...this is not about me...

So we are taking on the challenge of teaching our kiddos about tennis...so far they/we are totally digging it.  I was tempted to wimp out yesterday (for before-stated reason) and C reminded me of the goal we have set so I got myself ready.  The kiddos were thrilled when we told them that it was time for practice and to get ready to go.  Today is not a practice day and this morning I got a big thumbs-down for it.

So who knows where this will lead us.  My main goal is to have fun with C and my kiddos and that's really easy when everyone likes the activity.  So far that is where we stand.  We will keep going and hopefully we will keep having fun (and hopefully my back will quite aching!)!

  

You all might have seen my post recently about Just Doing It...this goes right along with that.  I have kept up with my walking goal (YAY!) but have now proudly added daily stretching and tennis 3-4 times a week. 

I feel good!

Saturday...

I do love a weekend day that is filled with stuff to do.  I like it when we have a plan and I really like it when the kids are busy and not making me crazy.  Winter time can be a bit of a drag when it's the weekend...in CO that is what would happen a lot.  Now that FL is home, there are a lot more things to keep our weekend's filled.

Saturday was nice.
Friday, Katia had a sleep over with a friend.  They stayed up way too late and she was really tired on Saturday.  That was the excuse we needed to just hang out and watch movies all day.  I loved it.  Kiddos had a lot of movies of their own to watch (thanks to Aunt Lizzy and Redbox!) and I had checked out a few from the library and we started the movie watching marathon.
The first...Driving Miss Daisy.  I love that movie.  It is hard to imagine how a movie about an old man driving an even older woman around town would be entertaining but the movie is so much more than that.  It really shows the building of what becomes a special  relationship between 2 totally different people from 2 totally different backgrounds...she is a very traditional Jewish woman and he is a very proud black man in Alabama in the 50's.  I love the part where she tells Hoke, "Hoke, you are my best friend"...brings tears to my eyes.  They relationship is based on truth and love and stayed strong even with all the prejudice they both endured.  They are each others best and most loyal friend.  
The next movie was a surprise. It was Herman Wouk's The Winds of War.  It's quite the commitment (7 part series) but so far we are enjoying it.  It's about an American family stationed in Berlin during WW II.  The father is the Naval Attache for U.S.  It's really interesting seeing the perspective of people who didn't know what Hitler was all about as we do now...to imagine that they actually thought he had only good intentions is truly difficult.  I made it through 2 1/2 parts before I gave up for the night but looking forward to finishing them. 

The kiddos were great sports for the entire thing.  As I said they had their own movies to watch but when they weren't busy with that, they spent time playing outside.  They are older now and sometimes that is a good thing...sometimes! 
It was a real treat to just do nothing all day except enjoy some great movies and work on finishing some sewing projects.

Send any suggestions for movies you have enjoyed lately, I love suggestions! 
I am a huge reader too so send those book suggestion too!



   

Sweet, loveable, and odd all at the same time...

and no, this time I am not talking about my kiddos/family!

I am talking about Snooty, our town's Manatee mascot who lives at the South Florida Museum.
But manatees in general are just odd, adorable creatures.

Snooty!  He has lived at SFM since 1949...spoiled rotten!

See?!  Look, here's another...

They can stay under water for up to 20 minutes at a time.

And another...

These 2 are manatees being rehabilitated and will soon be released back into the real world soon.

We have been to see Snooty a couple times now and I find this odd creature (have I said that already!) so cute.  The closest relatives are the elephant if you can believe and that's because of their snouts.  They are herbivores, usually very fat (average 1000 lbs), extremely slow, can't see well, can live in both salt and fresh water, have no natural predators and are endangered.
They are endangered because of us humans and not for the reasons that you might think...they are endangered because they are so slow they can't get out of the way of boats and get hit by the propellers.  They have major rules for the speed of boats in waters where manatees might be but it still happens quite often.


So the majority of the year, the manatees are hanging all around town...in the inlets, canals, drainage outlets, the bays...all over but in the winter this is where they go...


 The Tampa Power Plant

We are all unhappy with this cold weather that we are enduring right now but manatees are especially sensitive to the cold and have learned where the warm waters are this time of year.  The plant actually has a viewing site where you can go and see the hundreds of manatees just hanging out...it's on our to-do list!

Gotta love all the worlds creatures!

It's just walking...

For goodness sakes!
It's not a marathon.  It's not even a 5K.  It's just a walk around the neighborhood that takes maybe a half an hour...at the most.  I always feel better when I'm done.  It always make the rest of the day just a bit easier.  I know that it is so good for me.
So why does it feel like I am off for a trip to the dentist to have my teeth yanked out?

My Mother-in-law has walked every morning for the last 20 or so years...not too many exceptions.  She gets up every morning and that is what she does.  She is even on a world cruise as I write this (she really is) and I could safely say that she is probably waking up every morning on that magnificent ship, slipping on her walking shoes and hitting the deck.  Yes, I know she might have a magnificent view from that ship and I could use that as an easy excuse but I am only 10 minutes from the beach and my view could be close to the same as hers.  There are only 3 minor/major differences...she gets up and goes...I get up and have to get 3 kiddos (the minors) clean, clothed, fed and off to school (one major job).  When I am done I just want to sit, drink my now warmed-up coffee and watch The View.  Just little differences but they make for major excuses in my head.
I wish I had her work ethic. There is no option.  There is no other choice.  It's what she does, PERIOD.  I think, no I know my big problem is that I think about it way too much.  I start contemplating all the things I could be doing/should be doing instead (sewing, checking blogs, sewing, checking facebook, a little cleaning, etc.) or that my ear buds are broken, that I didn't get that music I wanted on my mp3, that I am just plain tired.  The list can go on and on if I want it to.   

I need to instill Nike's slogan from the 90's...JUST DO IT.  Whether it's exercise, work, cooking dinner, or reading that bedtime story for my kiddo for the 1000th time...just do it...it's only a few extra minutes of your day, you get a few minutes of "Me" time, and you/everyone feels so much better when it's done. 

So tomorrow I will get up, put on my yoga pants, stick in my 1 working ear bud and walk around the block.  All the other stuff can wait...it really can wait.

Not too shabby! 

Happy Birthday!

I love your smile,

I love your laugh,

I love your kindness,

I love your thoughtfulness,

I love your spirit,

I love your spunk,

I love you!

You are my sunshine!

Happy Birthday Sweetpie!

I am doing this today...check out all the creativity!

A Really Nice Day!

Sometimes (a lot of times) you need to do something that reminds you why you live where you live.  In CO, we used to go hiking in the foothills or biking on the miles of bike trails that lie all over or hit the ski slopes at Eldora.  The beach is such a major part of FL and this past summer we spent a lot of time on Anna Maria Island but hadn't just hung out in quite a while.
 It felt good to be back...feet in the sand, the sun warming our skin, listening to the waves rolling onto shore and searching for the most beautiful shells.

Our day...

The water was cold (60-65 degrees) so kiddos didn't spend too much time swimming but they couldn't resist a little!

The kiddos wanted to be buried!

These are the moments that make life special.
It was just a really nice day!

We got this in the bag!!!

My kiddos think this is SOOOOOO ours.
HGTV Dream Home!

My girls have picked out their bunk, they are this close to having the bus route to the slopes mapped out, they love the car, K is nearly cooking in the kitchen already, and the downstairs family room is all theirs.  I actually forgot to register a couple days ago and my littlest came running into the office after I had tucked her in and said goodnight just to remind me to get that done before I turned off my computer.  It's just that easy! 

Check out the video or view the pics and daydream to your hearts desire... HGTV Dream Home!

I have already done a bit of daydreaming myself...slightly different though...my dream is to have that exact same house in Wyoming next to Mom and Dad.  Do you think they can move the house?  It's just that easy! 
I think anything is possible.

I am off to do a little more daydreaming...maybe a little sewing too!

My Motto

Make what I want, want what I make and love doing it!

People who are successful and love their jobs are always following their passions.  I love sewing, embroidery, small amounts of quilting.  My goal is to bring those favorites things in to some focus and help support my family.  That's what I want to do in life...something that makes me smile every time its work time.      

I like certain things.  I like certain colors.  I have my style.  I have never considered myself an artist but in some way I guess I am and as an artist, I need to make what inspires me.

Here are some of the things I have been working on for 2011...Enjoy!

 Some great stuff in the works...Valentines Pillows (yes, it's already another holiday)!

Can be personalized just for you or someone special!