River...reflecting

It seems like just yesterday we were on our way home from the hospitol feeling excited & scared all at the same time....

one of my favorite hospitol photos,sweet little toes...

our 4th little miracle=LOVE,so soft & so new,my heart is full...

all bundled up,ready to go home...

i know it's a cliche' but time really does fly! River will be 10months in 3days,hes no longer that itty bitty,6lb. baby boy we brought home...he is now chubby rolls of soft skin & bright blue eyes that charm our socks off.

i  love soft little baby bellies,with perfect little belly buttons sticking out from under little yellow shirts:)

(probly over-used little,just a little bit,hmm?)

hamming it up with big sis,Aalyvia

he always sleeps like this,with his bottom straight in the air:)

not even 10months & hes pulling himself up,jabbering words only mamma understands...uh-oh,all done,puppy,mommy,daddy(his favorite),buck(of course),daddy taught him that one...

although it seems like time is slipping away too quickly,he is also approaching my favorite baby stages,i can tell he understands when i say somthing to him & hes really starting to interact with his siblings & it's so adorable to watch...

...enough reflecting,i hear my little guy crying in his crib(when he should be sleeping for the night).

good-bye for now,

Ruth

Mom's birthday brunch...

First a little shout out to my mom,thank you for teaching me the importance of  christian & family values,for dragging my butt to church every sunday morning & wednesday eve. even though I didn't want to go somtimes,for loving me unconditionally when i'm sure there were times I didn't deserve it.Thank you for allowing me to pursue my dreams of traveling even though it must have scared you to death to see your daughter step on a plane & go places you've only imagined.Thank you for teaching me to sew,cook,clean & make a house a home.I am blessed to be able to call you my Mom...Happy Birthday Mom,I Love You!

I was planning to have our brunch outside in the sunshine,make a fire to sit around & drink our tea & coffee but the weather didn't cooperate & our day started out with rain,so i set everything up inside,& sure enough as soon as everyone showed up,so did the sun,by then i didn't feel like dragging everything outside so we had a wonderful brunch indoors:)

My sister Nettie made these perfectly delectable scones,they were delish!

My sister Marie brought the fresh fruit,my sister-in-law Sheila,blessed us w/ the flowers.All I had to do was make the main dish,the very unique breakfast soup:)

My beautiful sisters enjoying their after brunch coffee:)

The guest of honor,Mom & little River just eyeing the scones thinking,if only she would give me just one more bite!

looks like Mom & Sheila are really hashing somthing out;)

Despite the weather we had a wonderful day just sitting around chatting & catching up w/ whats going on in eachothers lives,days like these don't happen near enough.

good-bye for now

-Ruth

Fall...

   I can imagine what your thinking,another Fall post? Didn't she already do a Fall post? I sure did,but I can't get enough of Fall...The colors,dark rust to bright oranges & rich golden yellows,the crisp air,you can smell the dried leaves,(I even enjoy the smell of neighbors burning their leaves)...i know,that may be alittle weird:)...the evenings are cool enough that it makes me want to sit,snuggled up by the fire w/ my family with a mug of hot chocolate,not the stuff out of a packet either,the good homemade stuff made on the stove top,made w/ melted chocolate & rich whole milk,Mmmm!
   This week the babysitter & I loaded the kids into the van & went shopping for mums & pumkins @ our local produce stand to decorate the front porch.I love the ornamental pumpkins that come in all shapes,sizes & colors...

these mums will get planted shortly so they can develop a root system before it gets too cold.I'm slowly filling up the bare spots in my flower gardens w/ hardy mums so I have bright spots of color in my gardens even after the summer flowers are done blooming ...

here are some mums that I planted last Fall,these mums were all one bush & i divided it  into four different sections along the walkway to the front porch...

orange is probly one of my favorite colors:),i bought 2 of these this Fall...

The sky was absolutely BEAUTIFUL today! A perfect Fall day!

It's days like today that make me wonder how anyone can say there is no God.

As the wind was blowing the clouds today,the sun peeking in & out of the clouds as they moved,I felt like God was painting an ever-changing masterpiece just for me:)

good-bye  for now

-Ruth

sewing stuff part1

     I've been reading/following quite a few sewing blogs lately & getting some amazing ideas...

     This Fall i've been cleaning out closets & ended up w/piles of clothes that I normally would have either taken to the local thrift store or stored in the basement till next seasons garage sale.

     On one of these blogs suggested reusing items that you don't wear anymore & making clothing for your children with them,the results.........

This cute little shirt was made from an Old Navy t-shirt of mine that i no longer wore.

this ADORABLE,cream sweater dress was made from a sweater someone gave me that i never wore.

Aalyvia said,mommy this is my favorite! It's so cozy & comfy:)

green,t-shirt skirt,made from a t-shirt I bought on clearance it wasn't my size but I bought it thinking i'll lose some weight & be able to fit into it...that never happened;) so nows it's a cute skirt!

embellishment on green skirt.

This skirt was made from an old maternity top,the eyelet was the trim @ the bottom of the maternity shirt...

Then i added some ribbon & lace to give it that little bit somthing extra.

This linen,peasant style dress was made from a linen skirt that i made for myself,w/out a pattern:),& it ended up being too small,so now it has a new life as a dress!

Aalyvia being shy:)

This was another one of those too small,bought on clearance t-shirts that is now a cute,comfy skirt for Aalyvia...

the trim is just another t-shirt that i cut in strips & ruffled as i sewed it on.

This shirt was made from one of my skirts,i later added a small lace trim along the bottom of the shirt,but i don't have a photo of it.

I've also been making LOTS of flower barrettes/pins,now that i've learned how to make them I don't think i can ever bring myself to pay 5.00-10.00 for them anymore!

Now you know whats been keeping me busy the last 2weeks,it's been so much fun,almost addicting,seeing what i can make out of somthing i normally would've thrown out or taken to a thrift store.

The best part is,i made these clothes for 0$!....

I still have more clothes that need to be transformed but i'm waiting on fresh ideas:)

good-bye for now-Ruth

Labor Day Weekend...

   Where to begin?...Getting ready for a weekend in Columbus...Thurs.afternoon i'm frantically baking choc.chip cookies,doing laundry,packing & trying to make dinner all @ the same time!(some cookies got alittle darker than others:)...this is about the time that Weston tells me his tummy hurts.i tell him to go to the bathroom thinking it's nothing,he went then seemed to be fine.dinner time comes & he doesn't want to eat,thats unusual but i tell him to sit w/ us anyway so he picks @ his food alittle then goes to play.After baths it's off to bed,not more than 5min. later Weston comes out into the kitchen puking what seems to be everything hes eaten in the last 2 days!

my sick little guy:(

 So we clean him up & snuggle w/ him on the couch till he falls asleep.UGH! now what to do? everything is mostly packed & Andy is committed to playing for a team in the Dublin softball tournaments...I finally tell Andy to just go,that I would stay home w/ the kids(what I really wanted to say was,(YOU CAN'T GO & LEAVE ME W/A SICK KID ON A HOLIDAY WEEKEND!!)...Weston slept all night & fri.morn. he seemed to feel better so i picked up my babysitter to be w/ the little boys(the 2 older kids were in school)& i went to get groceries for the weekend.When i got home he was still fine so i thot maybe we can go afterall...nope! right after the kids came home from school he up-chucked again!...by this time I was physically & emotionall drained & just sat down w/ him & cried:(
   By the time Andy is ready to leave the kids & me are one droopy,sad mess...i'm pretty sure there were @ least 3 of us bawling when he's giving good-bye hugs,he comes to hug me & I just wasn't feeling the love so he says hes sorry & turns to go...( I know what you're thinking,that wasn't the proper wifey response)but I was feeling jealous of his weekend alone w/ the guys,playin softball,having fun while i'm @ home in the sick house.
   By this time i'm resigned to the fact that i'm staying home,thinking if Weston is ok all day sat.the kids & I would go visit my family @ the campgrounds where they are camping all weekend,it could still turn out to be a fun weekend.Weston was fine all day sat...I got some canning done,10qaurts chili soup & 8pints  ketchup.

8 pints ketchup

10 quarts chili

Everyone slept great sat. night,the van is all packed for a day of camping...Sun. morn we are up,dressed & heading out...literally 3min on the rd. & Dawson throws up in the van! We turn around @ the nearest driveway & head home again,unload the van again & clean up the mess,now i'm staying HOME!!!

oh yes... Aalyvia's first tooth came out sat. too! She was almost giddy,happy! all her friends teeth kept falling out & she could hardly wait for her 1st one to fall out:)

One more thing...i've been updating my blog alittle,wanted to add some photos...i'm mostly happy w/ it but the photo behind the blog title is HUGE & can't figure out how to shrink it,the width is fine but the length of it is so not cool,if you know how change this please let me know...thanks! good-bye for now

FALL....

Fall...i know i'm rushing it just alittle but fall is my absolute favorite time of the year! There are so many things that come to my mind just thinking about fall, the mornings & evenings have cooled down some & it feels wonderful to sit beside a campfire & roast marshmellows & drink hot chocolate...

Dawson is thinking he's alittle too close & it's alittle too hot=)

Aalyvia picked me a few flowers & before she got them to me a little yellow butterfly landed on them...

the kids just got home from school & wanted their after-school snack(munching on homemade granola bars)...ahhh yes & with fall comes canning,i'm always excited to get started & love doing it(towards the end of the season it becomes a bit of a drag)but i love the fact that my pantry is filled to MAX CAPACITY with great food that i can pull off the shelves & literally have a meal ready & on the table for my family in 10min.!So far i've canned sweet garlic dill pickles(not pictured)...

SALSA

PASTA SAUCE

CHUNKY TACO SOUP....& still ALOT more to do...

today i got my fall decor out,i don't have much but it still gives our home the fall vibe=)

i got these 2 primative pumkins brand new @ a garage sale this yearfor 2.00 each(love!)

i also start burning my candles more,with the evenings getting darker,earlier again i love sitting w/ a good book,have the candles burning while snuggled under a blanket(that is after the kids are in bed for the night).

i rearranged my living room furniture today too,i like when the love seats are closer & it gives it a cozier feel to the room.

my boys snuggled up in their blankets=)

now i need to go snuggle under my warm blanket w/ a book & hot choc., my windows are open & the cool eve. breeze is blowing through the house,my candles are burning,my house smells yummy,(the kids are in bed!).All thats left to say is good night & good-bye for now...