Quilting and Crafting

I have been working on a new Christmas Quilt! Last month I made a quilt for my friend who had a baby! I can't post a picture of it yet since she hasn't seen it yet! But it was super cute! Now I'm on to Christmas! I bought a pattern last year and didn't have the time to make it, so this year I did it! This is it so far.

It still needs to be sewn together with the backing and batting. Then I will add some big red buttons as christmas tree ornaments! I absolutely love it!

Awhile back I decided that one of my mom's lamps was super outdated and was in need of some re-vamping! So we got to work... well at least halfway to work. We finished the base part and then twiddled our thumps back and forth on what to do with the shade. Well we finally settled on a perfect shade from Walmart! It may have been a bit of cheating, but we like the outcome!

My next project- a 42x80 mirror that I picked up on the side of the road! Who knows what I'll come with next! 

*BONK*

It is amazing to me how quickly children pick up on what buttons to push to make you tick, to make you move faster than the speed of light, and to make you sympathize. I fully believe that she knows exactly what she's doing when she consistently and DAILY gets into the things I don't want her to. We have a routine down that MUST be adhered to or I shall lose my mind. Maybe these are good tips, words of wisdom, if you will. Or maybe it's just my kid.

First things first, I MUST...

-not give her a bottle too close to bedtime or she will wake up in the morning in a puddle of pee. 

-I must secure the diaper straps securely around her belly at night or she will wake up in the morning in a puddle of pee

-I must keep her sheets rotating every other day so that she doesn't continue to wake up in the same puddle of pee (Is it crazy to think that she might be deliberately doing handstands in her bed when she pees so it all trickles up her front!??)

-Her morning bottle must be heated in the microwave for exactly 20sec or she wont drink it- she'll turn it upside down and watch it slowly leak out... one. drip. at. a. time.

Once breakfast is over and before I set her loose, I MUST...

-Close the laundry room door to prevent her from eating cat food and dumping the water out all over the floor for her to paint with. 

-Close the bathroom door so she doesn't mummify herself in TP and dunk it all in the toilet. 

-Put up the baby gate to going up stairs to help keep her chaos somewhat contained to one level and keep everyone from being angry with her for going through their stuff.

-Close the basement door so that I can keep track of her easier on one level. 

This is just SOME of my day. It's funny to think about, yes. But sometimes it can be so tiring. But then I have days where all I can do is laugh and yesterday we had one of those moments. I was trying to put away some clothes in my closet and she was trying to shove me in and close the door!! Well in the process she lost her balance and bonked her head on the door. I waited to see if it was a hurt-cry or a fake-cry. Sounded real to me! So I got down on the floor with her and cradled her in my arms and rocked with her till the crying subsided. I tried to pull her away a few times to check her head, but she would instantly snuggle back into my arms! It was so adorable I couldn't help but give in to her. So finally, after about 5-8min of this I set her back up on her feet and watched her walk away... right up to the closet door and deliberately bonked her head again! She turns around and comes running back to my lap with the fake-cry! I was busting up laughing! The little stinker! See what I mean about the buttons? She knows them. She pushes them. She watches for my reaction. 

Stuff Stuff, Frankenstorm, and More Stuff

I've been trying to more interesting, but I barely have time to do all the boring stuff! Does anyone else feel this way? 

We did find some time, before the Frankenstorm hit, to take Hailey to the Fall Festival at Cox Farms. It was a lot of fun! Despite the severe disappointment of the food vendors closing at 4:30pm... what's up with that?! Anyway, Hailey had a blast watching the goats and pigs run around. She just stood there with her face pressed up against the wire fence laughing and pointing. I should work on her manners ;) She judges harshly those with fur. 

(laughing and pointing!)

(Be. the. cow.)

(Choo Choo!)

(loves her pumpkin!)

On our way out we let her pick out her very own pumpkin- she was thrilled and appeared to be ever so proud of herself! Can you blame her? That is one good-looking pumpkin! (and one good-looking baby, might I add!)

On Sunday, before the big hurricane hit we decided to go take a walk through Burke Lake and enjoy all the colorful trees before Sandy blew them all away. Good thing we did, because the once-pretty leaves are all over the ground now- not nearly as pretty down there, now it's just an annoyance! Does anyone else feel cluttered with all the leaves everywhere? Makes me feel like cleaning... the outside... OCD much? 

(Hailey and her Aunt Sydney walking through the forest)

(I couldn't resist. She looks so tiny walking around in the leaves)

Halloween was fun though! Hailey was a piglet at or ward Chili Cook-off and a bumble-bee for Halloween. I just couldn't decide on one. But I soon realized that everyone thought she was a boy in her bumble-bee suit... fail. Should've stayed with the Piglet suit.

(chili cook-off)

(right before trick-or-treating)

(there she goes with Daddy!)

 

October Came and Went!

(Our little Hailey-Bailey! She's so cute, I just can't help taking pictures of her! This was on a porch swing at the house I nanny for)

Wow- I cannot believe how fast time is flying! And of course there are pro's and con's to fast time travel. Pro: get things over with that you dread, get to the things you enjoy faster, pack in lots of memories quickly. Con: it goes to fast.

October is probably my favorite month of the year here in VA because of all the beautiful colors on the trees! But you have to sink it all in because they change and die all in one month! I'd rather it last at least 2 months! And the air is cooling off and the humidity is subsiding. Mmmm and HOLIDAYS are just around the corner! It's great!

As for Ryan and I. We are working like crazy! I have been doing my Pampered Chef shows almost every weekend! Which I am LOVING! And then 3-4 days of the week I nanny a family in Alexandria. Ryan works his 8:30-5pm job and has recently started up his own company with his cousin doing web design for other small businesses! So we are taking full advantage of living with my parents to make as much money as we can while we can so that we can find our own home to buy! We meet with a few realtors in a few weeks to start the search! Hopefully we'll have a pretty good idea of what we want and where by the end of the year! Cross your fingers for us!

Halloween is next week and these are our choices of costume for Hailey! What do you think?

(she wouldn't hold still long enough for me to get a good shot of this one!)

Hailey has been a whirlwind of emotions, mood swings, and curiosity! It seems she is always everywhere and into everything all at once! I don't know how she does it! No wonder she's exhausted by 8pm! Her favorite thing lately is to climb up the chairs and onto the dining room table and if she's fast enough- swing from the chandelier! So I try to keep all the chairs pushed in, but she still manages to get as high up as they will allow!

Happy FIRST Birthday!

(birthday outfit- Thank you Mima!)

Can you believe my baby is already one year old!?! I sure can't! Where has the time gone? Well it certainly hasn't gone into sleeping! Of that I am sure! But I do know where some of the time as gone and I feel so blessed to have lived this past year with my baby girl and to have put all my time and energy into raising her. Some of my time went to rocking her to sleep. Some of the time went to a nightly bedtime routine. Some of the time went to teaching her to crawl and walk. Some of my favorite times went to making her happy and laugh. She has the cutest laugh I have ever heard. Mostly my time has been spent watching her grow and learn and explore. She is so curious and smart! I can't wait to see what this next years time will allow!

(ooo how she loved to stuff her face and hair and diaper and toes and fingers and ears and nose with cake!... that kind of rhymed if you say it fast!)

(she spent most of the time at the park following the other kids around)

(opening presents on Mommy's lap!)

For Hailey's birthday Ryan's mom flew in to spend a week with us! It was so nice to see her again! And Hailey had a blast. We took her to the park, we ate cake, we sang happy birthday, and we opened presents... although she seemed more interested in the tissue paper and tried to put all her new clothes on her head or around her neck- I know she had fun! 

(we took Grama Net to Occoquan River!)

(Grama Net took this picture! How cute!)

(We spent a day touring DC!)

(so cute!)

(we found a little aquarium in the natural history museum! She was mesmerized!)

I am the Pampered Chef

So I have not written in awhile because I have been so busy! Starting in September I became a Pampered Chef Consultant! I had an awesome month in September as highest seller on our team! It was so much fun! I loved getting together with new people and having fun and getting to know each other- plus, who doesn't love food? What better reason to get together, than food! October isn't going quite as well. Hence the reason I have time for writing in my blog. But I'm hoping for a miracle to help me boost my business and help me save money!

The reason I started Pampered Chef was so that Ryan and I could start saving extra money for the house we want to buy sometime in the next 6 months. Which leads me to the other reason I've been so busy- I took up a job nannying! I nanny 3 days a week for two young boys in Falls Church! It's great and pays well! I was so happy with what I was able to save in September. Cross your fingers for October!

If anyone is interested in hosting a show (online or in person) please contact me!! I could really use your help- and you could use a great excuse to have some fun with your girl friends and eat yummy food, try new tools, and learn cooking tips!

Also, if you or anyone you know is interested in making some extra money on the side! ASK ME about the business! It's so amazing! I love it!

www.pamperedchef.biz/kileyferons
kiley.ferons@gmail.com

County Fair!

So this week my Dad is in London on business and my Mom, Sydney and Brenna are all at Girls Camp . So I get to babysit my two youngest sisters, Elise and Brooke, all week! I decided to start the week out with a bang! The Montgomery County Fair in Gaithersburg, MD! We left around 3pm to meet up with Ryan at his work and meet all his coworkers that I've heard so much about. That was fun! Then we set out to the fair. Ryan was going to meet up with us later after work. Nothing screams 'MOM' more than a diaper bag, a stroller, and three little girls traipsing around the county fair and stopping for picnics at the back of my SUV. I officially felt old. But we had a blast! We got to see all the animals and Elise and Brooke were overjoyed at the opportunity to ride some "roller-coasters". Hailey just kind of sat there and took it all in. I think she was overwhelmed a bit. Not to mention she is sill getting over a bit of a cold (the darn thing wont go away!). But we can now say that she has been to her very first carnival/fair! Hurray!

Modesty is Hottesty

So have any of you seen the Modesty is Hottesty video on youtube? It's hilarious! I get a kick out of it every time I watch it! As a member of the church we are encouraged to treat our bodies as sacred and holy gifts from God. As such, we are to dress appropriately and not flaunt too much skin, like cleavage,  stomach, thighs, too much back, and shoulders. By covering ourselves adequately we can invite the spirit of the Lord to be with us and deter the wrong kind of attention from the wrong kind of people. It is a shield and a protection of the gift we've been given and of our individual worth.

So lately I decided to try out some clothing modification. I have two pencil skirts that are just barely long enough- so instead of walking funny and constantly pulling and tugging to make it modest- I decided to add length to them. And this is what I (and my mom) came up with! What do you think??

(pleated edge added)

(pressed pleats- finished product!)

(slight gathering applied to the addition)

Little Miss Diva

(This has been Hailey's newest favorite toy to chew on- a clementine)

(Hailey has a bulletin board in her room covered in hair clips and bows. Fairly often, when she wakes up from her nap, she points to the board and picks out multiple bows for my to put on her hair! It's hilarious!)

(She is an expert stair climber, so to contain her we decided to put up a baby gate... she found a way around that!!! The little stinker got stuck! Hahaha)

I just can't imagine life without my sweet baby girl. But sometimes, I sure wish it was quieter and that there was less chasing going on. Hailey is 10.5 months old. She has been crawling since she was 4.5/5months old. That's five months of crawling lickety split fast all over the place. That's five months of leaving a drool trail everywhere she goes. Five months of tasting and ingesting everything that comes in contact with her tiny pudgy fingers. Just yesterday I saw a bead on the floor and she must have seen it at the same time because we both bolted for it at the same time! She got there first and in the split second before I got to her and my finger in her mouth to catch it- it was already gone!!! Guess I'll be seeing that one again today... yuk! Lately she's been growing some teeth (slowly) and so she's been kind of grumpy and hasn't been sleeping as well as usual (who can blame her!?). It's been kind of hard on me and really testing my patience. The other day was a particularly bad day and my mom was convinced that I didn't like my own daughter anymore. And even though she was joking- I took a good hard look at myself and my attitude. Even though it's hard being mom sometimes- I still love her! I still want her! I still couln't think of anything better than being her mother. So I've been trying to turn over a new leaf full of patience and love. I try to enjoy and cherish the best moments and turn the hard ones into learning and acceptance. So far- it's going well (she even woke me up 3 times last night and I didn't get angry!)! So I've decided today to share some of the fun and memorable moments in the last week that I've had with Hailey! I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed the moment! 

(This was a new toy from a friend of Ryan's at work- she immediately bonded with it! Can you say whoobaby from whooville?)

(This is what we found after diner and right before bath time. It's kind of hard to see... but this would be Hailey's very first wedgey! She'd been sitting in her highchair during dinner screaming at us- and we couldn't figure out what she wanted- no food, no bottle, etc- Well no wonder! She was uncomfortable!)

(Forgive the lack of swimsuit- she wouldn't hold still long enough for my to put it on her before she wiggled her way to the pool... This is her lounging float! She loved it. Can't you see the relaxation occurring here?) 

My 22nd!

(my new hot glue gun! and basket of crafting things!)

Haaaaaapppy Biiiiiirthday Toooooo MEEEE! ANd many moooooore! Yes- I sing to myself on my birthday :) Who doesn't like to celebrate a little "me" once in awhile?! I like to celebrate by shopping! Ryan thinks that it is lame and boring that all I ever want for gifts is clothes! And then of course he doesn't like to pick clothes out for me (something about no sense of style or opinion)- so I get to go on shopping sprees with my sisters! It's WONDERFUL! So thank you to my wonderful husband and in-laws for the shopping spree! I so appreciate it! And to my parents and sisters- thank you for the gift basket full of crafting supplies! Lately- I've been going on crafting binges! Pinterest is to blame. I will soon be adding photos of some crafts that are still in the making! But I am so excited for my new crafting supplies and can't wait to put them into use!

So, when it comes to birthday cake- I like to get creative. Last year I had an oreo pizza pie for my "cake", the year before that I think I had strawberry shortcake with berries and whipped cream. This year- I went with a good 'ol mississippi mud pie! It's based with an oreo crust, layered with hot fudge and mint moose tracks ice cream and mint cookie crunch ice cream.... oh DIVINE! It was heaven in mint and fudge form! Overall- I'd say it was a spectacular day! Not to mention the extra long nap Hailey took just for me :D

One more thing I'd like to mention about my birthday. Since now I am older and wiser I have gained a little bit of perspective in the last year- I'm talking about giving birth to my daughter who now has a birthday of Sept 21st. She would not have that birthday if I had not carried her for 41weeks, loved her immensely, and given birth to her. So as I have reflected these things I find it only fair and appropriate that I thank my dearest mother for all she has done for me! I thank her for the 42 weeks she carried me, for giving birth to me, for loving me, and for giving me this day as my birth day. I am so grateful to her! Enjoy the box of your favorite cookies! :D

Trying New Things!

So since we've been living with my parents, we're all still trying to adjust a little. I have been trying to find ways to make cooking meals for 8 a little easier on my mom. As a result I cook dinner at least once a week. But I decided to try something a little different this time. It's easier and supposedly cheaper to buy in bulk, prepare meals right away and freeze them. My mom has been shopping once or twice a week, so I decided to go to Costco and Shoppers and bought about $300 worth of food. From there, I spent about 2 hours preparing meals in gallon bags and freezing them! I made Teriyaki Chicken, BBQ Chicken, Hawaiian BBQ Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Honey Garlic Chicken, and Ranch Pork Chops. I made about 10 of these and all of them we can pull out in the afternoon and throw in the crockpot all day! Makes for easy clean up and easy prep for busy nights! We'll see how it goes, But I'm excited to taste them all! Does anyone else have good freezer meal ideas?