Announcing....

Have you ever been so excited to share something and you know you can't tell anyone. You know... that pee in your pants kind of excitement? I have been holding on to a little secret for over a year now and I am so excited that I can finally share with the world what I have been working on in the wee hours in the morning and on my free weekends.

Announcing... Stop. Go. Quilt. Sew!
Written by none other than little ole ME! {HAPPY DANCE}
and Published by Stash Books
IN STORES JULY 2012

12 Fun exciting projects for the BOYS to enjoy!  Girls would love this book too, but how many books can you honestly say that BOYS and GUYS alike would enjoy making and/or receiving the projects from? All the projects in this book were made with the guys in mind.

Be sure to follow my blog and check regularly to find out more about upcoming blog tours, book signings and more! You will not want to miss getting this book... great for beginners and advanced sewers!

Now that you all know my secret, PLEASE help me celebrate by standing up and doing a happy dance!

In addition, I am going to randomly select one lucky reader to receive a signed copy of the other two books that I have contributed to, Fresh Fabric Treats and Modern Blocks Book, both published by Stash Books.

Be sure to leave me a comment for your chance to win these two autographed books.

P.S... I would love to know if you actually did a happy dance to celebrate the announcement of my new book!

Winner will be randomly selected and announced on Friday, March 2. 

Spilling the beans... again.

I am spilling the beans, yet again! No, I am not pregnant. However, I am having a very difficult time keeping this little stash of joy contained.  It is just too yummy! Check back next week to find out what beans I am spilling this time!

1927 Baptismal Heirloom

This past Sunday, Roman was baptized into our church. It was a very special and memorable day, but there was one thing that made his day extra special to me.  The baptismal gown that he wore was not just any old gown. This particular gown was handmade by my Great Grandma hee hee in 1927. {that is what we called her because she laughed all the time.} She made this gown for my grandpa to wear at his baptism.

All my Grandpa's 8 kids, 13 out of 16 grandchildren, and 11 out of 16 great grandchildren wore this gown at their baptisms. I was one of those grandchildren that wore this gown at my baptism when I was a baby and now three kids have also worn this at their baptisms.

 

The gown is made from a very lightweight linen fabric and has two pieces to it... the gown and a slip.

 

All of the detail work and lace edging you see was all done by hand by my great grandmother.  She was so talented and I appreciate her talents more and more as I get older.  I absolutely adore this gown and feel so very blessed that my grandmother has saved this for all of us and our kids to wear on their special day of baptism.

 

 Roman was the 33rd child to wear this 85 year old gown at his baptism. It is still as beautiful today as I am sure it was 85 years ago when my great grandma hee hee made it.

SLICED contest

This is one contest you will not want to miss! Awesome Sponsors and Prizes. I am very excited to be one of the Judges on the panel and even more excited to see all the creative projects submitted during our audition round.  So, what is SLICED? Read on to find out all the fun and exciting details...

Sliced is an online sewing competition where four crafty people will compete before a panel of judges. They will have 5 days to use their creative talents to develop a project with a sewing basket of mystery items given to them on the first day of each week {crafters must provide their own items}. 

Once they have completed their project, the panel of judges will critique the projects from each challenge and will decide who will  be SLICED and who will continue on to the next week and a new challenge. We will have a guest judge each week of the competition. The competition will run March 4 - 31, 2012. Each week, someone will be "Sliced" from the competition until only one winner remains. Do you have what it takes to become the next Moda Bake Shop Chef?

We are very excited to about our Sponsors and Prizes for this competition. All four contestants chosen for the SLICED competition will not leave empty handed.  There are wonderful prizes for each of the four competitors all provided by these gracious Sponsors...

 You are not going to want to miss out on these prize packages!  So get your creative juices going and submit before it is too late!

What are you waiting for? GO NOW and find out more about this awesome contest at the Moda Bake Shop.

Daddy Daughter Dance

 

Tonight is the Daddy Daughter Dance for our little town. Paige was so excited for this day to arrive, she woke up at 6 am this morning, got dressed in her new dress, tights, and shoes. Came into our bedroom, woke us up, and said "I am ready for the daddy daughter dance! Get up!"

I am so excited for her! I cannot believe she is already going to her very first dance!  Good thing it is with Daddy.  I don't think I am ready for her to be going to a dance with some other boy. (eeek!)

Roman Numeral 2

 

Roman is two months old and two pounds heavier. I cannot believe that two months has already flown by!

 Weighing in at 12 lbs. 8 oz. and measuring 23.3", this little man is in the 75% range for his height and weight.

Remember last month I mentioned I had to stop eating dairy because it was making his tummy upset. Well, it has been over 1 month that I have completely cut dairy out from my diet and it has made him such a happy baby! He actually started sleeping about 4-5 hours at night.

Instead of cow's milk, I tried Soy Silk {which tastes like a horrible diet shake} and Almond Milk {actually pretty good}. Even the kids liked the Almond Milk. We ran out of cow's milk one day and they wanted cereal for breakfast... so in went the almond milk.  They loved it.. Paige was a little hesitant at first... Her words "Why is the milk purple?".  The almond milk does have a darker tint to it compared to regular white milk... more like a tan color - like the color of an almond. A little convincing, tasting and then decides.. yum.. this is good.  How cool is that? Purple milk... her favorite color! Ha!

Anyway, giving up dairy has actually been really good, not just for Roman, but also for myself. I have actually started to loose my baby weight and I eat a lot healthier now.  I used to get IBS and now... no more stomach cramping! I now wonder if I am lactose intolerant and just never knew it.

I definitely recommend to any nursing moms that might have a colic baby to try to give up dairy for a couple weeks and see the difference it makes. It may even help you become a little healthier, too.

Ten Little Things Quiet Book

One of the most exciting benefits of working for Moda Fabrics is being able to see all the brand new collections before they are sampled out to our customers. When I first saw the Ten Little Things collection by Jenn Ski... I was ecstatic! 

Finally... a collection that can be used for young kids {not just baby}. Not only is it a great choice for the girls... it is perfect for BOYS! LOVE IT!

So, my creative juices started working. I am very excited to be able to share a free pattern I designed especially for Moda. 

Read more about this free pattern and fabric designer on Moda... the Cutting Table blog.

Minted.

Last week, I received Roman's Birth Announcements/Baptism Invitations I ordered from Minted.com

They look amazing! They have so many great templates to choose from and the process was super easy.  I was really impressed with their customer service and proofing process.

Absolutely love the way they turned out and will definitely be ordering from them again.

Just in... STITCH!

It's here!  I have just received the Spring 2012 issue of Stitch Magazine from the friendly UPS man! Not only does this magazine have superb projects contained in every issue, this particular issue is a very special one.

I am PUBLISHED in it!!!!  WOO HOO! Can you tell I am just a wee bit excited?  I designed The Little Girl's Garden dress for this issue.

Picture from Interweave Stitch Magazine

I must admit ... I was a little surprised when I saw the picture in the magazine.  The way I had designed the dress to be worn varied {ever so slightly} than the way depicted in the picture.  It is also super cute and gives the dress a whole new personality. It's like a 2-in-1 dress now! How cool is that!

You can tie the sash around the body for more of a baby doll affect or around the waist {as shown in the magazine} for a whole other look. Pattern includes instructions for girls sizes 2T up to size 7.

This magazine is a must have so get to it... go buy this magazine today! You can also download a digital copy of the magazine here.

Big & Lil Shirt Tutorial

What you need:
T-Shirt or onsie
Fusible web {Pellon Wonder Under}
Scrap Fabrics for applique {featured Reunion by Sweetwater}
Coordinating thread

Print out my free template

Instructions:

1. Trace the template to the paper side of the fusible webbing. NOTE: Template has already been flipped so all you need to do is place the printed template under the fusible web with the paper side facing up. Trace the letters you wish to use on the fusible webbing paper.

2. Iron the webbing side of the fusible to the wrong side of the fabric you choose to use for your applique.

3. Cut the letters out along the traced lines.

4. Peel off the paper side of the fusible web and fuse into place on the T-shirt. Stitch around each letter as desired.

Adorable new shirts for your little kiddos.

 

Roman Numeral 1

I can't believe it has already been one month since Roman was born.  Time flies by way too fast and before long they are no longer that little tiny baby you once remembered.  Thank goodness for the technology of camera's to help capture every moment so it is with you forever.

Weighing in at 10 lbs 1 oz and measuring 22 inches long at his 1 month doctor appointment... WHAT?! Yes, this kid has gained over 2 lbs and grew 2 inches in 1 month.  I knew he was eating well, just didn't realize how well!  He is in the 75% range for height and weight.

In this 1st month, Roman has been breastfeeding very well {the boy latched on in the first hour after he was born}. Knew right away I was not going to have a problem nursing this one.

During the first week, he started off as a very quiet and calm baby. It was awesome! Then in the second week, he started to become a little colic. The doctor thought he might be a little sensitive to dairy. Dairy... really? I have some type of dairy with every meal... it is like a staple for me... cheese, milk, butter, sour cream, cream cheese, milk chocolate... CHOCOLATE!  CUT... CUT... CUT... I cut it all out. {kinda.. so I cheat and have some Dark Chocolate every once in a while... just a little. It does not contain as much milk as milk chocolate.} I can do this... and I have for a week now... and it really is not that bad. I actually feel much better without all that dairy sitting in my stomach and Roman is a much happier baby too. Which is completely worth it!

Reindeer Cookies

My kids love making these cookies... simple... no bake... fun.. and yummy to eat!

Ingredients:
1 Package of Nutter Butter Cookies
1 Bag of Pretzels (original or christmas tree shape)
1 Bag of Chocolate Melting Chips
1 Cookie Icing with built in tip
1 Green or Blue Icing Writer
1 Bag of Christmas Plain M&Ms (Red and Green)
Cookie Sheet lined with wax paper

Instructions:

Break the pretzels in half to resemble reindeer antlers. Melt the chocolate in a bowl and dip the pretzel ends in the chocolate and lay on the wax paper to dry.  For faster drying, you can put the chocolate dipped pretzels in the freezer.

For the base of the reindeer face, lay out your Nutter Butter cookies.

Apply a small dot of cookie icing at the bottom of each Nutter Butter.  The Cookie Icing will act as a glue for all the pieces to stick to.

Place a red M&M on the cookie icing dot for the nose. Apply to small dots of the green/blue icing writer in the middle of the cookie for the reindeer eyes.

Apply cookie icing to the top of the Nutter Butter to attach the pretzel antlers. Do not worry about the excess cookie icing that shows... that is the snow that falls on the reindeer's head.

Now your done! Fun project to make with your kiddos. Eat and enjoy!

New Arrival...

Roman James Yosten

December 5, 2011 at 1:17pm
7 lbs. 7.5 oz. 20" long

9 months.

You know how on a turkey, the thermometer pops out when the turkey is done?  Well... I think the same goes for pregnancy. My belly button has officially popped out and I think this little turkey is just about done! This week marks 38 weeks... FULL TERM!  YEAH! I am in the safe zone.  This little boy is welcome to show up anytime now. :0)

It's amazing how much your belly grows in such a short period of time.  Look at just the last week from 37 weeks to 38 weeks... is it just me or does my belly look bigger than last week!? I know my lower back and my pelvic bones are definitely feeling the added growth. Just one more week, and my new little guy will be out of the oven and in my arms. He is scheduled to arrive on December 5 {next MONDAY!!} through a repeat c-section. {My oldest, Paige, was delivered by emergency c-section after 23 hours of labor... not going through that again.}  I can't wait!!!! So anxious and excited for him to be here!

A Thanksgiving Day Recipe

It's Thanksgiving Day and I want to say Thanks to all of my readers that visit my blog.  I really appreciate all the wonderful comments and support I have received through my blog and have made many new friends that I cherish always.

To share in the Thanksgiving, my daughter wanted to share her delicious and fool proof recipes that she came up with at school.  ENJOY!

 Translation... First get a turkey. Then I go to the farm. I make a turkey. I cook it with pumpkin, pepper, eggs, 2 cups of sugar. Put it in the pan. Put it in the oven. I eat it.

Translation... Paige's pumpkin pie

1 cup of frosting
1 cup of vanilla
1 cup of pumpkin
2 eggs
2 spoons of salt
2 spoons of sugar
3 cups of chocolate
4 teaspoons of flour

mix it together, put it in the oven, bake it at 2 degrees for 3 hours. Eat it.


{LOVE HER!}

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

A Ruffled Knit Shirt Tutorial

 

Go check out my latest tutorial posted on the Janome website!  Featuring Moda knit fabrics by Oliver + S and a fun and quick way to use your Janome Serger and CoverPro machines. Add the ruffles and tie to a long sleeved shirt or turtleneck for the upcoming winter months!