Hello Again, Friends!

It has a been a loooooooong time since I last posted.  I thought I would you all know that I have moved over to Facebook with the rest of the world ;) 

My Facebook Fan Page is here  Please stop by and "Like" babe-a-gogo! 

Also, for those of you who are into photography and editing, Florabella has a *FREE* set of beautiful cards.  To go to the site and download them, click here.

Cookie Monster

My daughter requested chocolate chip cookies this morning, and so we made them.  After they cooled a bit I put one on the table for her and her older brother.  They ate a few bites and were distracted by something in the family room, leaving their cookies behind.  When Maddie returned she shrieked that her cookie was gone.  I thought she just forgot that she had eaten it, but I should have known better.  Two-year-olds rarely forget the whereabouts of their treats. 

Inspection in the family room helped us solve the crime... Ryan's guilt was revealed as he turned and beamed at us with a chocolate covered little smile. 

July is Flying By

Whoa!  Sorry for the loooong delay in posting anything, but I have been busy.  Summer has taken on a life of its own, and I am loving it.  I promised some family members I would update and post pics, so here they are. 

I hope you are all enjoying the warm weather!

Happy Father's Day

For my husband...
Without my amazing husband none of the this would be possible.  Our kids adore him because he spends so much time with them and communicates with them on their level.  He is patient and generous and loves them more than anything.  We always wanted a big family, and we are thrilled to have four kids who make our lives fulfilling. I love him for being such a wonderful dad and partner.


For my dad...
My dad is the type of guy who can fix anything.  Anything.  Really.  He is my go-to guy for any household (or otherwise) problem, and I still call him about once a month with some "emergency," with which is he always willing and able to help.  Sometimes the emergencies are big and difficult to discuss, and other times I just need help getting the pool filter going.  No matter what I can count on him for help.  Thank GOD for that! 

For all great dads everywhere...
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Secret Dahlia...

The Easter bunny brought seeds earlier this spring and we promptly planted them indoors.  They took off and we had hundreds of little sprouts within a couple of weeks.  April then lulled us into believing it was warm enough to bring plants outside, and we lost mostly all of the little plants in a cold snap.  Just a handful of dahlia plants made it, and now they are absolutely going bananas.  Every day I check to see if they have opened... and these coy little buds are keeping quite tight lipped about their color.  It was a "dwarf mix" pack of seeds, so I really don't know what to expect here.  I cannot wait for them to bloom!

...And look at the funny little guy I caught swimming around...

Mad for Madras

At long last I have three out of the four pairs of these shorts made for my kiddos. Jonathan's will be done tomorrow, but I am too tired tonight!

I LOVE DAD shirt

And here is the matching shirt :)  This was SO much fun to make.  My daughter will soon have another patchwork skirt... once I get caught up on orders, that is...

Custom Made Skirt

This is part of a custom order I am working on for special repeat customer.  She has the best ideas!  I will post the matching shirt when I complete it.

Into the Blue

When we moved into our house we were thrilled that it had a swimming pool.  I lived in a pool growing up and dreamed of having one of my own for my own family, so it was a selling point for us.  Problem is that the liner really began fading in the past five years, and the with the constant sun it began to break down. 

We budgeted money to replace the liner this summer, and here it is.  I cannot tell you how stressful this seemingly simple choice was for our family.  My husband had definite ideas about what color liner he wanted, and then there were other issues that arose from my expectations of the service.  (I may or may not share them here.)  However, I did want to share these especially cute pictures of some of my little ones enjoying their Daddy and their pool (and their new watering cans). 

Six Pack for Babies

Here is the six pack of bibs I made for my coworker and his wife who are expecting twin girls.  This was so much fun.  Almost makes me want another girl... almost.

PROJECT: Tea Quilt

The domain of quilting is territory somewhat unexplored for me. I made two crib size quilts for my daughter when I found out that I was having a girl. I mean the DAY I found out I was having a girl. The sheer glee of sewing with pink inspired me to whip off a rag quilt and a minky backed quilt in a what seemed like no time. I just remember being so happy sewing those together knowing that my daughter would someday use them.

Okay - so what does that have to do with today? I have begun to piece a long queen size quilt. After a LOT of thought about design and color and pattern, which is ongoing, I chose Tina Givens' Tea Quilt pattern and a mix of some of my most favorite fabrics ever. Kaffe Fassett's Suzani in Red (below) is simply stunning - cannot imagine a prettier fabric - so I had to include it here. I also love Tina Givens' Heaven in the Oberon Red colorway and all of Anna Maria Horner's prints, but the Social Climber in gold (above) is to die for. Oh, and I almost forgot Amy Butler's Acanthus in Teal (not pictured here) - divine! I love it even more in olive, but that didn't work with the other prints I have chosen.

Yesteday I pieced and sewed three blocks and snapped pics this morning. I also realized that there is no way I will be able to machine quilt this baby - it's HUGE. Then again, maybe there is a way... I have to look into it more. The thought of hand quilting anything makes me want to run for the hills. I get antsy just thinking about sitting still that long!

P.S. A coworker and his wife are expecting twin girls - how adorable, right? I have been trying to figure out what to make for a shower gift. I think I have decided on a pile of bibs because I never really wanted to buy bibs myself, but babies definitely need them. Plus, I could make really pretty, girly bibs. I was going to use my pattern when I started thinking about quilted bibs I had seen on Etsy... I modified my pattern and gave machine quilting a shot with this bib. Let's just say I have a LOT to learn!!! Here is my first one.

Sprinkler Love

If you have little ones and are looking for a way to entertain them in the sweltering heat, get this sprinkler.  It is from Little Tikes, and it is really, really cool.  My kids absolutely loved it and it was $10.  Love that!

Crimson King Maple & Mulch

Daddy & Maddox were hard at work this week!  We've been wanting to get a Crimson King Maple for about 5 years, and now we have one.

He's ONE!!!

As I was walking down the stairs today leaving work, I was thinking how thankful I am to not feel the way that I did one year ago.  At that time I was in labor.  In fact, I had been in labor pretty much all day at work.  My classes were reading To Kill a Mockingbird, and I remember planting myself in a chair and reading Atticus's closing argument aloud to them while feeling increasingly regular twinges.  The kids were on to me and were worried I was going to have the baby right there!  I assured them this was not the case.

I headed to the doctor's office as soon as I got out of school and found out I was 6 cm dilated.  Great, I thought... less work for me to do in active labor.  This was no easy delivery, however.  (It would turn out to be only the second most challenging one for me, actually.)   Long story short, Ryan Matthew (over 22" long and nearly 9 lb.s) joined us hours later and has changed our lives for the better with his charming personality, sweet smile and bright blue eyes.  We cannot get enough of this little guy!

Happy Mother's Day (Lots of Flowers)

Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

Jonathan's Birthday!

I really cannot believe that my first born has turned 11.  If I close my eyes I can smell the hospital and feel the warmth of holding his little swaddled body shortly after he was born.  It had been one hell of a delivery.  (I didn't know it at the time, but it would take three subsequent v-bacs before I would fully understand why I needed this c-section... that is another story.)

After he was born his eyes were wide open - very alert and ready to take in the world around him.  He still has those wide eyes, but my little boy is growing up fast.  Here are some sweet memories from today.