Another day done- and a review

So I did my abs workout yesterday so I wanted to do a cardio workout today. Since I quickly decided Denise Austen's very annoying baby voice in her Body Burn Dance and Pilates video was just too much to bear- let alone the fact that she doesn't explain how to do any of the steps- I went back to Walmart today to buy Dance the Inches Away Hip Hop Dance video! Love it. LOVE IT. It reminds me a lot of Body Jam. And there is a seperate section to explain the dance moves you may not get- so watch it first and then do the workout. My only annoying thing was that my son kept interrupting me- to the point that he was trying to turn on a video on the tv close to where I was rocking it with Jennifer G. Now, I don't consider myself a natural dancer, especially since I have put on weight so I know I didn't get all the moves exactly right- but I am sure I will do this one again. Note to self though: wear dance sneakers- my tennis shoes where gripping the floor just when I didn't need them to. I have Jazz Dance Sneakers from Capezio that I use for my Israeli Folk Dancing so they should help when I do this one next.
So I am right on for my points this week- have only used 1 of my extra 35 weekly points- which I may or may not take. Since it is my first week- I dont know that I should and I am not required to take them anyway. I probably should eat a few extra to make up for my activity points though, maybe? Not sure. I really need to go to a meeting next week- but since they are 12 dollars individually- I was kinda hoping the money I am expecting will come in.
I am not concerned about the diet portion - I seem to be handling it pretty well this week- and I have worked out a deal with my dear darling beloved hubby that if I do my exercise every day- he will do his (30 minutes on the exercycle). Go honey!
TTYSoon

The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

There might even be a tutorial on how to slice bread for that matter.
Have you guys heard about DIY Dish- if not watch this 1 minute introduction video and then click on the DIY Dish button on the right. If you haven't heard yet- DIY Dish is a spin off of You Can Make This.com and will have all kinds of video tutorials on how to make and do things. I can't wait to see what is in store! And you can Win either a Janome Embroidery Machine or a Janome Sewing Machine!

Down 1.4 in 4 days

Okay, it is day 4 and I weighed in today because I set my weigh in day on WWOnline to be Tuesdays. Tuesday's are my alone evening, and I also go dance for 2 hrs. I wasn't sure how to list the activity so I said it was 40 min of Moderate, 20 min of High, and 1 hr of low intensity. Works out to 8 activity points, but that seems high to me. I love Israeli Folk Dancing!!!!! I think I mentioned this ages and ages ago.
Yay for having made it this far. It is 10:54pm with is way past my bed time so I am going to bed- especially since Aba Le Arba :) is teaching a Europe class this week so he is having to get up in 3 hrs to get ready and drive to the office to start teaching at 3am. Which means I have to get up extra early so I can do my 8 minutes in the morning exercises before rounding up the horde and getting them dressed to take Itai to school. But we will get through it. It is just for 2 more days.

Abs Ouch

So I got out my Transfirmer and did the Jiggle Free Abs routine- 25 minutes. It has been a long time since I did that routine (obviously). I had to rest a few times in the middle of the crunches but I think I did okay. I will do this every other day to make sure my body doesn't get too used to it- plus aren't you supposed to rest a muscle group after working it so it heals and strengthens?
Do you read Jorge Cruz? I love him- he wrote the 8 minutes in the Morning exercise book, and also the 3 hr diet. For now I am following the Weight Watcher's points but Jorge has a point. He talks about the 9" plate. You divide it in half- in the top half you put green vegetables- it can be as much as you want. On the bottom half you divide the plate in half again- in the first 1/4 you put protein and the other quarter you put carbs. You are allowed a healthy fat as well (flax seed oil, etc). Now, obviously this is a don't count what your eating type of plan but don't go overboard- piling your plate 4 inches tall would kind of defeat the purpose. He said there is no restricted foods, just proper portion control. I feel I do better counting my points or calories but I still like his principle message and I try to follow it even on the WW plan because it makes sense.
So, today at Macaroni Grill for lunch I had the Rosemary Grilled Chicken with Roasted potatos. I only ate half of the potatos because I wasn't sure how many points the chicken was until I got home. Turns out the meal of the chicken with roasted vegetables would have been 7 points, but I didn't have the roasted vegetables (did I mention I am a picky eater?). But when I got home I had some spinach to make up for it. I went ahead and counted the whole 7 points because I am not sure how many pints 5 roasted potato wedges would be vs the roasted vegetables. Then Ari and Tamar and I went to Joann's and then to Border's Books. (the first for me, the 2nd for them). Then home and stuck the kids in the bath tub.
Anyways my Abs are going to be sore, and my thighs because there are some squats in that routine. Tomorrow I have to decide what exercise to do- I was considering my Zumba dvd- the basic workout since it has been years since I did that one (again, obviously).

I survived the first day

Well, I survived today- and it wasn't bad at all. Course I had a turkey sandwich for breakfast because it was the fastest protein thing I could come up with as we headed out the door to meet one of my photography clients. But it kept me full until we got home so I had tyson beef fajita strips and low carb tortillas for lunch. Not bad, I vaguely missed the cheese- but since I keep kosher now it was no big loss for me.
I went out shopping with Yael and on my way back we stopped at HEB to buy Totinos, Popsicles, and Ramen Noodles (none of those are mine). I also purchased one of the lean pockets 4 cheese pizzas. Wow, it was really good, and filling which meant I could have Israeli Salad for dinner and top it off with a Skinny Cow low fat Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich. I ended up thinking I might join Weight Watchers because as much as a I love you dear readers- what is it the Nesting Place calls readers- peeps? - I need to be accountable and if that means going to meetings, then that is what I will do. Don't worry- I will still blog here, for my sanity , if nothing else :)
Thanks for checking back

Answerability

Ok, apparently I have a little trouble with will power and responsibility. I know I am overweight and in the past it has been easy for me to decide to diet, and then do it. I cannot seem to gear up the same determination this time. I have started and stopped within a day or two at the first sign of a challenge or what my body is telling me is hunger (or craving). Like I said, before it has always been I decided I would lose the weight and was singleminded on making it happen, but this time... not so much. So I am putting this out there- if I tell someone I am going to do this I am answerable for my promises, I am unable to deny that I need to do this. So here goes:

(Deep Breath)
My current weight: 186
My short term goal: 170
My long term goal: 150
This is me at Thanksgiving. I was thinking I looked okay, until I saw this shot:

Lets take a closer look: (do we have to?)Yup, that is me in my size 16 jeans, with backboobs that are at least a c cup.
I am taking this as a wake-up call. It is time to stop ignoring the obvious.
My instigation are these pictures, this feeling of unhealthiness and unsexiness, and my going from a large shirt to an extra large. My inspiration is knowing I will feel better both about my health and my relationship with people instead of food, getting back to exercise and taking time for me, and last but not least- the inspiration of the Incredible Shrinking Woman- If you haven't heard of her, go to Youtube and look her up. She has lost 200 pounds and is incredible! You go girl!
Now you would think that as someone who dances Israeli Folk Dance and chases four young children that it would be simple to lose weight. But to be honest, I dance hard at dance class and then sit on my butt everyday on the computer, doing homework and sewing, crafting, reading, playing on facebook and reading blogs. I used to go to the gym 4 days a week when I was working. My children would go in the gym daycare and I would do body jam (love and miss you body jam!). Now that I am not working I cannot go to the gym- so you would think I would exercise at home... not so much. There is much to be said for a partner that you meet at the gym- there is some accountability there (thank you Judy). Now I see Judy once a week at Israeli Folk Dance. I miss going for body jam and feeling like I am making an effort toward fitness.
So my audience (real or imagines- mostly imagined I know since I have 10 followers and as far as I know very few hits in the past few months (my fault since I didn't post much)) it is your job to hold me accountable- I am counting on you to give me strength and determination to follow through. I know it won't be fast- I know that I didn't gain it in 1 month and I am not going to lose it in one month-, but I will keep plugging away at a safe and healthy pace. I will update this blog with my progress, as well as other projects I am working on.

Pink Ruffles and Polka Dots

Just thought I would show a beautiful baby with my pink ruffle pants:

What have I been working on?

So you might wonder where I disappeared to after promising I was going to stay current. Hahaha. Have you noticed life rarely happens like you think it will? My photography really took off in November and December of last year. You can view my work at www.teresamaureen.com/blog.

I have been busy playing with things for my photography. Here are a few pics:

The girls started ballet/tap

Big props to Lonestar Dance in Pflugerville, although they are still in the old building they will be moving this coming week (hopefully). The girls had a great time at their first class. I did discover that I will need to bring something to work on, since I will be unable to see the girls during class. Yael came out and told me they did the hokey pokey. When I tried to do the hokey pokey in my living room, she stopped me and said "No, the ballet hokey pokey" apparently I was supposed to point my toes. Who knew? lol.
Thanks Ms Blair for making my daughters first dance lesson so much fun.

Party in the USA

One of the bloggers I follow- Life at the Zoo- posted the official music video to Miley Cyrus's video to Party in the USA- I love that song. Then I saw this video:
I haven't posted many videos- but this one is amazing. I know this guy's mom. (hi Melinda) He is right on with timing and facial expressions!

Busy Times

So I have signed up to have a table at the Hadassah Hanukkah Gift Bazaar on Nov 15th. So I have been sewing, pinning, ironing up a storm. In addition I am taking an intermediate hebrew class on Thursdays. The kids have been sick, now Ori is sick (which is worse than having the kids sick because at least the kids try to pretend they aren't :) ). Also I posted an ad in Craigslist for my photography with free sessions to let me use the pics in my portfolio and got 20, Yes, that is 2-0, people who responded, well there were more but I cut it off at 20.
Want to know what I am sewing? Ruffle Baby Bloomers, Sensory Tag Blankets, Burp Cloths, Blankets, Hair bows, Hats with Marabou Feathers. Here is a pic of one of my bloomers- pay no attention to the actual picture- I was sad her forehead is all wrinkled- but it is a good pic of the bloomers. You can see more pics on my photography blog- www.teresamaureen.com/blog.

Get 2 Patterns Free- just in time for Halloween.

Hi everyone- you probably know I am a huge fan of www.youcanmakethis.com and now I am thrilled to announce they were featured on Studio Five in Salt Lake City and to celebrate they are giving away two free patterns- the filled tutu and the festive vest. Watch this video and then go to www.youcanmakethis.com for your free patterns!

Shana Tova

I'm Back- and Reinspired

I know I have been AWOL- it has been a crazy summer. But I am reinspired!!!!!!!! I have to show you what my friends and I accomplished in 1 day!
My craft room was a total mess- boxes and items that hadn't been unpacked since we moved in a year ago. Fabric, ribbons, and stuff spread on the floor while I was searching because I couldn't find anything. More Boxes, Baskets, and containers piled in corners and the closet. Well- check out the transformation.
My friend Susie painted the room, while Sheri and I sorted through everything- and I mean everything. Sorting out Fabric, scraps, ribbons, Books, Office Supplies, Scrapbooking Supplies, Sewing Tools, Yarn, etc. Divided items into keep, sell, donate, or trash. My new Motto is: It doesn't go into the room unless it has a place or a purpose.
I bought some darling- and I do mean darling- storage boxes at Ikea. The bookshelves I have had for a year- also from Ikea.
Enough Teaser- from Messed up Craft Room to Uncluttered Design Studio- here is the big Unveil:

BEFORE:
Left Wall inside the doorAFTER
Left Hand Wall inside the door


BEFORE-
Wall with Window



AFTER
Wall with the Window



BEFORE
Right Hand WallAFTER
Right Hand Wall
Wall Beside the ClosetAnother View of the Bookcases on the right hand wall- see the flower boxes aren't they cute?!

Teresa's Wish List

I am throwing this out there because hopefully the Universe is listening. My husband always says I have expensive tastes- and he is right. but I don't ask for anything too outrageous. Universe- feel free to fulfill my wishlist.
1) Canon 5D Mark II
2) Canon 580ex flash unit
3) 1 or 2 TB External Hard drives
4) Sprinkler System
5) Whole house Water Filtration System
6) Wordsmith "What to Sell"
7) Wordsmith "What to Write"
8) Wordsmith "What to Wear"
9) Photoshop CS4 (I have 3 but I want the latest)
10) to get into my photography forum's prepro business forum

I've been Tagged!

I was tagged by Melissa at 3 Princes -
I have to tell you 8 things in different categories.
Ok, here we go:
8 things I did today:
1) Listened to Harkada Radio chat
2) Called my Mom to congratulate her on 1 week cigarette free (which after 40 years of smoking is no small feat.
3) Sent my husband off to Columbia for a business demo.
4) played game cube Dora and the Purple Planet- did you know you can't die in that game? So I vary it up by trying to get as few space gems as possible
5) Watched- CSI: Miami from last night on my DVR
6) Picked up Ari from Pegasus, and then kept him home with me instead of taking him to daycare.
7) Picked Up Itai from Kindergarten- 1 hr later
8) let the kids play in the dirt for 1 hr and then sent them to bath and bed

8 Things I wish I could do:
1) Get a successful photography business going
2) Enjoy staying home with the kids this summer instead of working a 9-5 job
3) visit my sister or have her visit me more often
4) Make enough money to support the lifestyle I would like to become accustomed to :)
5) Be able to take my kids to do the things they want to do without worrying about money
6) Live in Israel for at least 3 months so I can become fluent in Hebrew
7) Craft or Photograph my kids more often
8) Finish my YCMT quilt- just need corners and binding and then to do the batting.

8 TV Shows I Love to Watch: (in no particular order)
1) All the CSIs- Miami, Las Vegas, NY
2) America's Next Top Model- Cycle 12
3) Numbers)
4) Bones
5) Biggest Loser
6) Backyardigans (that did not just make my list did it?)
7) Signing Times- a really great way to teach your kids sign language
8) Criminal Minds

the History of Ima Le Arba part 1

I was just your typical american growing up in East Texas when I met my husband. I worked everyday by driving into Dallas and then driving back to Greenville every work day. My stress outlet was the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) which is a renaissance reinactment group- kinda like a ren faire but held almost every weekend and we try to live life as close to period accuracy as possible. And that is where I met Ori, an Israeli- as out of place as one can possibly get :). He came here in 1997 from Israel with a successful Israeli startup who sent him from Israel to Silicone Valley and then to Arlington, TX to start their customer service dept. Now how did he end up at an event in East Texas, let alone ever heard of SCA? Well- he left his job and went to be a student at University of Texas Arlington. There was a fairly strong group on campus and that is how he got involved, he says it was to meet women- well, it worked didn't it?
It was close to my 29th birthday and I hadn't had a date in 3 years. Ori wasn't really my "type" but I got a surprise of my life when at a SCA meeting he walked by me and my knees got weak. I had met him before, What? So cliche- but I literally got all weak over him walking by.
So I got brave and asked him out (first and last time ever) Our first date was at an Indian Food Restaurant in Dallas- but Mapquest gave the wrong intersection and where I stopped and asked directions- not Ori. He wasn't really good at driving and Dallas traffic made him nervous- so he parked and got out at that Intersection (Preston and Arapaho) and walked all 4 corners. He didn't have a cell phone and so he was an hour late and to this day I don't know why I was still there. He came rushing up to the restaurant with 3 Gerber daisies and full of apologies. So we went in to eat. He did most the talking and at the end of the date he said to be honest he just didn't feel a spark. I said I appreciated his honesty and hoped that we would be good friends and that we would always be honest with each other.
Now remember- I had an hour and a half drive home and somewhere between the restaurant and home I decided he couldn't just decide something like that in 1 hr so when I got home I sent him an email that said "I demand a recount!" and other stuff but mostly the gist was that I didn't think he couldn't make such a decision in 1 hr and that I wanted a 2nd chance. He wrote back and said this was good- he thought I was too quiet. Hahahahahahahahahaha.
He knows better now.
We actually had our first date Sept 7, 2000 (the day before my birthday) and got married January 2001 in Las Vegas- but then we had about 5 ceremonies, lol. First we got engaged, it was a snowy day and we had just closed on our new property in Campbell (further known as the Pomeranch) and I didn't want to go back to work so instead we bought a ring- and he proposed to me at the corner of 3202/3204 overlooking our property. Next we were Hand Fasted in the SCA. We got married in Vegas, We had a engagement party in Israel that summer - because Ori didn't want to tell his parents we got married before they even got to meet me, not to mention that I am not jewish so he was concerned how they would take it. and Lastly we had a Renaissance Wedding at the Japanese Gardens in Ft Worth, where I grew up and his parents flew there to be with us and surprised us by renting costumes and dressing up for our wedding. The Renaissance wedding was gorgeous- nice clothing, good friends, good food, and we couldn't have asked for better weather. Cool enough that we didn't swelter in our Ren clothes but sunshiny and comfortable temperatures. and then we went to the Zoo for the fun of it- in our Ren clothes.
So that is the end of Part 1, I will post part two tomorrow.

I want to give a shout out

to Ayelet at harkada radio- it is Israeli Dance music played 24-7. With Live shows on Mondays and Tuesdays and sometimes Fridays. Love it- I stream at work and minimize the chat. Or you can chat too. The chat is sometimes English, sometimes Dutch, sometimes Hebrew. You never know what you will get. You should really check it out! Here is the link to Harkada . (music is mostly Hebrew- but occasionally they throw in spanish and english)
Awesome station!

I need your help- what to name my photography business.

I have had Moments Matter Photography for 3 years, but... last year I found someone in another state is using my Moments Matter name. I sent her a note saying she was in violation but she said she registered with her state and as long as they said it was okay she wasn't going to give it up. I never registered mine here. So I have toyed with a couple of different names: Teresa Maureen Photography and Birds Nest Photography. I just can't seem to nail it down since I really liked my Moments Matter. But I got to thinking maybe I should change it to Teresa Maureen since Moments Matter is limited to people photography only. I am not in love with any of them, So what do you think? Here is my current logo

and here is my work up for Teresa Maureen. I

didn't make one for Birds Nest Photography, although I did get the domain. Do you have another suggestion?

The issue is that if you do a google search- you find her, not me. I did want a more colorful logo- but I can't think of anything using Teresa Maureen and I am not sure about Birds Nest- although it does have great branding potentional. So I am throwing this out there for your suggestions. HELP?

Just a quick drop in note

I am having a garage sale tomorrow- and I haven't done anything except told my neighborhood I would host one as part of their neighborhood garage sale. So tomorrow early am will find me out putting anything and everything into the garage sale. Whee!
but hey, at least I will have some cash to show for it.

Oh, I know it has been a while

but there are going to be a life change coming. I am leaving my job at IBM to become a stay at home mom in June. There are a myriad of reasons but the one I am looking forward to the most is spending more than 2 hrs a day with my children. I feel like my children's daycare knows more about them than I do.
So if I post anything crazy like- that is why. This also will let me spend 3 weeks in Israel in July :) I am looking forward to it. I will get to practice more photography too.
Drawback- little adult time. You guys have to give me some Adult conversation okay. I don't mean xxx conversation- I mean crafting and people conversation.
So now I need to get working on some ebooks for YCMT.com so I can earn some extra money. I was also considering hosting a blog to sell my scrapbook stuff- I have a whole room full and it is just a part of my life that is behind me right now. And when I bought the stuff- oh how happy it made me. Now it makes me sad- seeing how much money I spent buying it and not having any time to use it. If I have any spare time- I want to sew- or take pictures, or just take my kids to the park.

Kochavim 2009

So I spent the weekend away at Kochavim 2009- an Israeli Folk Dancing Camp. OH, it was sooooo much fun! We learned 24 or so dances (talk about brain oversaturation!). I met lots of new people and we danced, danced, danced, ate yummy food, and danced some more. Now you notice I didn't say sleep because I doubt we got more than 4 hrs before it was time to get up and start all over. Our instructors were lots of fun, and patient too which is good considering I am not that talented to learn in one teach! And big kudos to Larry M for editing the video so that I only show in the review video looking like I know what I am doing.
I will post a picture later.
Also big kudos to my husband for keeping the kiddos. I missed you ahouvi but I had such a good time.

Giveaway Alert: WonderMommy is up to some good

Wondermommy is hosting a giveaway for 2 yds of Anna Maria Horner Fabric- it is gorgeous. I so want some but I am spreading the word- so go enter by leaving a comment on her blog- just click on the picture to be linked to her blog:

I have a dream

I don't know how many of you know that I am also a photographer- I have another blog called Moments Matter Photography. I have always wanted to have the opportunity to go to Photography Workshops around the world to learn everything I can and maybe provide reviews to magazines and my blog public about those workshops.
Well now I can try to make my dream come true- there is a contest being sponsored by Lenovo and Microsoft. You can view my entry by clicking here. If you like my idea- click on Pic it to vote.
If I win I get a new laptop that is made specifically for photographers and some money to apply toward my dream. So all my loyal readers- I need your help. Pass on my information to whoever you think might like it.

My Nephew's School Project

Okay- I can't claim to have anything to do with this project other than it is my nephews. They had to create a habitat for a pet rock. Blake decided on Sonic the Hedgerock- it turned out so cute!
especially considering he is only 9- not shabby at all huh?

My poor baby car

So this week Ori is teaching a class in the office so I have been picking up Itai from School. So he has been driving my car so he can pick up the 3 little ones. Ori's normal car is a tiny little Hyundai Accent, and I drive a Dodge Grand Caravan Minivan. Somehow he didn't make the turn out of the parking garage and this is what my poor baby car looks like now:

So I called insurance and had them book me an appt and dropped it off at the body shop this morning. Well if Ori thinks my car is Carzilla- then the rental car is Truck Kong- they gave me a Dodge Ram King Cab Pickup Truck! No way am I letting Ori drive it so looks like I am not going to the Israeli Block Party this evening :(

My new fabric

I am so not a product photographer- unless it is clothing:) but look at my pretty fabric I got in the mail today:)

Israeli Block Party- Matilda Jane- and misc

For those that asked- my MJ Trunk Show went well. We only had about 5 of us- but we all were able to get what we wanted and I really enjoyed talking to the Moms I knew and the ones I just met.
For those who don't know- the Israeli Block Party is held every year on the UT campus and this year they are looking to make it the best since this is Israel's 60th yr. March 11th is the date- Click on the link for more information. My Israeli Folk Dance buddies and I will be leading dancing down there and it is going to be fun. Come on out and do some shopping, dancing, talking, and eating!

I am joining Mama's a Mess- in providing an orphanage with blankets and bibs. Sharon- your heart warms mine! If you are interested- head on over to Mama's a Mess' blog and volunteer- make a receiving blanket or two or 20 and feel good about yourself- if your going to craft- might as well get some love out of it- right. And those kids in the orphanage don't have warm blankets and bibs to keep them clean- lets do what we can to help! I am also thinking some fleece blankets for the older kiddos wouldn't go amiss either. Or quilts- I know lots of you have your YCMT quilts.

I am in love with these pics

Just in case you guys don't peek at my Moments Matter Blog- here are a couple of recent pics of the girls. There are more pics on my other blog.

Matilda Jane Trunk Show- Austin, TX

That is right- I got the first Trunk Show date of the new Hot Line Collection from Matilda Jane. For those who have not seen these clothes- they are gorgeous- and perfect not only for portraits for going out and about. I own several of the pieces from the Fall collection- check this out:

While this is not the most technically perfect picture- it does have all 4 of them looking and looking so cute in their Matilda Jane (yes- the boys are wearing the Mr Lucas shirts from MJ)

If you are interested in coming to the Trunk show it will be Sunday March 1st at the Bright Horizons on Braker Ln in Austin at 2:30pm. Come and see the brand new collection- I can't wait. And I am setting up my photography lights so there are pictures involved!

Matilda Jane's website is http://www.matildajanegirls.com/ and the blog is http://www.matildajane.typepad.com/ they have been posting sneak peaks over there so head on over and check them out.

Bring your friends- your all invited. (more pics of my kids in Matilda Jane at www.momentsmatterphotography.blogspot.com)

Fabric Insanity

Some how I have become the proud owner of the complete Aviary from Moda Fat Quarter Pack - here is a pic from the Fat Quarter Shop

And if that wasn't enough I also got 3/4 packs for the Grand Revival Darla Fat quarters- this pic is from the Grand Revival Blog

Here is the picture from the Fat Quarter Shop

See- what happened was- I joined a fat quarter swap. Then I ordered fabric- I think I thought I was ordering a small pack- but um- no. But my husband said it was okay- I can keep it so Hooray!

Can't wait to sew!

I just have to brag!

My son Ari is going to be 4 in June. He is so talented- he drew this when he had just turned 3-

For those of you who are not family- you might not know that when Ari turned three he was inarticulate- he rarely said anything and he was very frustrated in trying to communicate. He had had a series of ear infections from 12mos old and had ear tubes put in at 18 mo- even after that his ears drained and drained and when we took him for his followup with his ENT he had 40% hearing loss. His dr gave him claritin and suddenly his ears started clearing up- by the time he hit 2 1/2 he had 100% hearing- he got it all back- but he wasn't talking.

When he was 2 1/2 I had twin girls- He liked to play independantly and I just thought it was that he was secure- but then when he turned 3 and wasn't talking I was worried- and I thought he might be autistic- he had neurologist appts and MRIs and even a geneology screening- and wouldn't you know it- completely normal. We put him in private speech therapy and since January 08 he had made huge strides. He was doing 48 piece puzzles at age 3. and then he drew the lion above. Isn't that impressive for a 3 yr old? I have tried to find an art program- but there are not any for age three. What is up with that? Ballet starts at 3- why not art?

Follow up to the Teacher's Valentines

the gifts were a hit! The teachers all marveled over how it was made and how cute they were. I owe a big thank you to Kris for those directions! Also- I took a picture with my cell phone- it isn't a great picture but hey- it was 6:30 in the morning. Here are the girls teachers- doing it up Charlie's Angel Style

Altered Letters Tutorial

This is one of my favorite all time crafts- and it is perfect for my first tutorial to share.

ALTERED LETTERS



Supplies:
Wooden or cardboard letters (I got mine from Joann’s) Since it is right before Valentines I chose the word Love- but you could spell Family or someone’s name. (the possibilities are limitless)
Scrapbook paper- I used coordinating paper- but it doesn’t have to be- you can make every letter different if you want.
Ribbon- I am a ribbon aholic so I put Ribbon on almost everything I do.
Photographs (small- no bigger than wallet size is recommended) (unless you use the big letters you can sometimes find)
Bulldog clip (opt)
Cup hook (opt) I bought the tiniest size from Home Depot

Paint (I love Memories brand- but regular acrylic is fine)

Modge Podge

foam brushes

embellishments- I used a big flower- isn't it pretty?

Basic Construction:
You need about 4 sheets of coordinated paper (1 for each letter). Even unrelated lines of paper can be combined in an appealing manner.

Paint the edges and/or bottom of your letters with a coordinating paint. (that way if your measurements are a little off it will cover a multitude of sins.

Turn your first sheet of paper upside down and place your letter right side down. Trace around your letter. (make sure you get the center of letters as needed.

Now cut out your paper letter- I cut on the inside of the line I drew.

Apply a thin layer of decoupage glue (Modge Podge) evenly on the front of the letter and quickly put your paper letter over it. Use a brayer or your finger to smooth the paper several times to make sure the paper doesn’t bubble up. The idea here is not to be a perfectionist so if you get a few bubbles no harm no fowl. You’ll be covering up any mistakes with your accessories anyway. (the important thing here is THIN layer- too much and your paper will stretch and wrinkle)
Repeat steps 2, 3, and 4 until all letters are covered. Remember… there is no wrong or right to this. You can be as perfectionist or as messy as you want to be. You can sand the edges of her paper to make it flush- . As I tend to cut my paper just a little smaller than the letters, I used paint to cover the imperfections. Can you spot my mistake?

Yes, that is right- I didn't notice that when I turned my paper downwards and placed my letter on it- I got the title strip. If you can read that- you are too close- but the paper line is from Basic Grey. I fell in love with it on sight.

Here is the L fixed
Set aside to dry and begin thinking about your accessorizing.
Accessorizing
This is the fun part. You can mount at least one of your photos onto chipboard and mounted it using a bulldog clip from the local office supply store using a screw. I like the idea of using a cuphook and hanging beads, bells, or something similar. Dig in that stash- you can use metal frames, photo corners, rubons and more to make your letters unique. My husband was delighted that I actually used some of my supplies and I was delighted to make room to buy more J.
You can use ribbon to tie a bow around one or more letters.

Here is the final product again- have fun- and feel free to show me the letters you made

Teacher gifts are done!

Here they are- they turned out so cute!

teacher gifts in progress and quilt top

Sorry for my pity party this morning- I wasn't sure anyone was reading since I didn't get any comments. Anyway- moving on...

here are the teacher gifts in progress - there are 16 of them- I am obviously not a product photographer- but they are filled with (l-r- conversation hearts, valentines candy corn, valentines m&ms and valentines fruit snacks) They will be topped with popcorn balls dipped in white chocoate and sprinkled w/ valentines sprinkles. a "cherry" chocolate heart and pixie sticks or pencils for the straws will complete the look.

Here is the pink/sage green quilt top- I cannot seem to get a picture that is as pretty- it is much prettier in person.

OK- I know your out there lurking

I have only one PIF commenter. Pay it Forward is a great program.
Or maybe I do only have 3 people who read this- me, myself, and I? Well we will keep nattering on anyway! Maybe someone will randomly land in my blog by clicking on that next blog button up at the top.
Quilt status- the pink and sage green is 2/3 sewn together. the black/white/teal is patiently waiting for me to sew it together too.
And my "sundae" teacher's gifts are in progress. If you haven't seen this- sneak over and visit Kris at JesseKate Designs. Her valentine center pieces are becoming my teachers gifts- only I can't find taffy so they are getting popcorn balls instead.

Pay it Forward

Have you heard of Pay it Forward- it is a fairly easy project requiring little on your part. How many times have people done something nice and you wish you could pay them back- but you can't - but you can do something nice for someone else? That is the concept of Pay it Forward.

How this one works is quite simple. The first three people to sign up on this post will receive a surprise PIF sometime within the next 365 days. Then each of my three players will invite their own three players and so on. Doesn't that sound like fun?
Ok, so the first three to sign up (international welcome) will receive some Random stuff from my collections :) sometime this year. In return, you will make a post on your blog and offer the same thing to three of your blog readers. So, come on....who wants to be part of this great event?

PS- Make sure you give me your email addresses- I would hate to not be able to contact you.

Don't be shy about commenting- I have lots of random goodiness in my craftroom- some scrapbooking, some beading, some yarny stuff, some fabricry stuff. You name it and I probably have it- except maybe felting stuff- haven't ever done felting :)

I have pinwheels- for my quilt that is

Here is my pinwheels- I am loving them both- but now I wish I had made more- oh well- this is for a wall hanging right? Not a queen sized bed- trying not to be too overly ambitious.

I still can't decide which I like best- although I love love the sage and pink but I also really like the teal and black/white combo.

Hello.... Hello? Echoo?

Is anyone reading? I feel alone in cyber space. I have been sick this week and haven't gotten a single comment? I am working on my quilt- My pinwheels are almost together.

On the Mend

I am on the mend (finally!!!!) from the worst cold I have ever had, well maybe the flu- not sure. I had fever for 3 days and now that that is over I am coughing and sorethroat. But at least the fever is over! So sometime soon I will try to do more work on the quilt. Steps 8 and 9 are on the YCMT website but I am still where I was- squaring up the original triangle blocks.

Quilt update- and before and after pics of me

Okay- first the quilt update- I have finished ironing the squares for both quilts- now I am squaring them up. I don't understand how I got so far off on some of those- but it is all good, I will make it work. It is obviously going to take a while to square them up since I have 64 of each quilt.

Have you heard of Weightview.com? They so rock. I sent in a picture of me and they did a digital nip and tuck to show an after picture if I lost 40 pounds- check this out:

Before

After