A quilt for Ollie made from fabric from my mama, and the colorful quilt I made from a $1 sheet I found at the thrift store. I can't even tell you how much I love the bright, cheery fabric. This fabric just makes me so happy. I dream of finding more of it and making many many things.

Building towers
and painting little dinosaurs that my friend Kim from Camp Whimsy sent to Caillou.

Bathtime cutie pie!

My voice is coming back, raspy and weak, but quite the improvement from my silence. Nights are pretty terrible, I cough and cough, and if the coughing doesn't get me, my heartburn does. Sooo, I have been a night owl, avoiding bedtime, and crafting the night away. Tonight I made a batch of homemade marshmallows, the boys will be so excited tomorrow! Then I sewed two reversible aprons/smocks for the boys. One side is big orange and white polka dots and the other side has trees and birds and owls. I will take a picture and post them soon! Monday I go to the doctor to check on my asthma, and I am pretty sure I will be getting some more prescriptions. On Monday, I will also pick up some fabric my mama bought and pre-washed for me.... more projects hooray! My fabric stash is starting to dwindle, and as often as my Mama adds a yard and a few fat quarters here and there too it, it is dwindling down, I am happy that all my cute fabrics are being made into things, but at the same time it is hard to see my pile of pretty colors and prints shrink. Right now I am crazy over all the 1930's style fabrics, polka dots, and 1960's-1970's floral bed linens. I have gotten into the habit of going onto Flickr and other crafty blogs, and boy oh boy.... I have fabric envy. It is a good thing I don't have a credit card, I could do some serious shopping online. I suppose if I did have a credit card, it would be wiser to use it for rent than fabric, but a girl can day dream, and anywho I do not have a credit card, so that is that! Tomorrow is Sunday, if tonight is a better night than the last few have been, hopefully I will make it to church. I am fixing a special dinner for the boys tomorrow mid-day. Today Caillou asked if we could eat at the "Chicken Bucket Store" this is what he calls Kentucky Fried Chicken. He was quite blue when I told him mommy didn't have the "money's" for the "Chicken Bucket Store" soooo.... tomorrow we are having our own "Chicken Bucket Store" dinner here at home. I am going to batter and fry up some cut up chicken breasts, make mashed potatoes and gravy, and Amish biscuits.... and I have two little metal buckets laid out to serve the chicken and biscuits in! Well, as much as I am dreading the heartburn and coughing spells, I think I am going to head off to bed. Thank you so much everyone for all your kind and thoughtful comments, from those I know and from all my "anonymous" bloggy pals. It means a lot to know I have friends out there thinking of me and enjoying my little corner of blogland. Good night!

Cat's got my tongue...

It has been an interesting week. I got sick on Saturday with the cold bug, turned into an icky cough, and have lost my voice completely. 3 days of nothing but un-understandable hoarse, raspy whispers coming from me. The boys find my voiceless state to be quite amusing. I feel a bit helpless, Caillou and Jasper running circles around me, getting into the fridge, sneaking candy...leaving wrappers everywhere, jumping on the bed, running, running, screaming, more running, and I am silent, chasing...frantically trying to keep them somewhat calm and behaved. Today I was in the hospital, my asthma was giving me a good deal of trouble with all the coughing I have been doing. I came home this evening with a breathing machine and an inhaler. I sat once again silent, taking my breathing machine, while the boys wiggled and romped all over me, pulling tubes, playing with extra oxygen masks, listening for my heartbeat with their play stethiscope, putting odd things including their mouth, fingers, and a chicken nugget in my breathing machine. And as chaotic as it has been, it is perfect. Perhaps this mama's voice needed a rest from the do this and don't do thats. It has been a time for me to sit back and just listen and watch my two funny little monsters do what they do best, be silly little kids. I can't wait till my voice comes back to be able to give them dozens of "I love you's" and to tell them just how wonderful I think they are.

I thought I would share a few random pictures from our week.

On Monday, I made a little trip down the hill without the kids for a girls day with my mama.

We had a yummy lunch at a really good restaurant called Mi Guadalahara. Then we mosied through a way too overcrowded antique store, no good treasures to be found unfortunately, and then a trip to to the craft store. It was a fun day out with Mama. Later that afternoon, I got the boys in their jammies and they went to their first pajama party. We had pizza and rootbeer, popcorn and sweet treats galore. They watched the movie "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" they had a lot of fun and enjoyed getting to have a late evening. It was 9pm by the time I got them home into bed, but they sure had fun! We had our laundry adventure on tuesday and a special meal for Mardi Gras. My husband fixed a large pot of gumbo. I am really not too fond of the stuff, but the boys like it. It was a pretty good week, we had a day of play at the park, lots of projects were worked on, and I even got to enjoy a massage at the spa. I have a buddy who is a massage therapist, and she has been so sweet to spoil me with a prenatal massage package gift certificate. It was quite relaxing and I can't wait to go again. I got the sickies again yesterday, this is one yucky cold flu this year! Today I should have did a bit more resting, but my fabric pile beckoned me to get up out of bed, and I spent half the day cutting quilt squares and drawing out new patterns for the boys. Jasper napped and Caillou played with all my scraps, using his little scissors snipping and trimming away. This next week will be a busy one, many projects waitng for me to work on and lots of adventures to have with the boys!

Valentine's Day and red wagon adventures

We had quite a delightful Valentine's day. I baked lots of cupcakes for the boys to share in Sunday school, they had a swell time passing out their Valentine's. After church we took our jar of pennies to the coin machine in the grocery store and got $10! We made a little drive to one of my most favorite places, the old merry go round. It was a very sweet day!

Red Wagon Adventures.....

What on earth is that mountainous thing in our wagon? LAUNDRY!

Yesterday we walked to the laundromat to wash that mountain! It was quite a delightfully simple and fun adventure. The boys were quite happy to help. We walked to the little candy corner of the antique store and got 3 pieces of taffy, a gummy worm, and 3 gumdrops. The boys were quite pleased with their brown paper bags of yumminess.

Riding the Laundry Train.... We loudly sang our "Laundry Train" song and had a good deal of fun.

We've caught the love bug...

We put the finishing touches today on our Valentines. Caillou and Jasper were quite happy to be mama's crafty little helpers. They had lots of fun enjoying a few nibbles of candy and carefully placing all their Valentine's into their mailboxes we made earlier this week. Tomorrow should be quite fun for them!

Our life in pictures.....and words

The Valentine's mailboxes we made!

picnics and playtime

homemade sweeties

A cajun crawfish boil for the boys

The Crawfish Parade...

panning for gold and pumping water

sleepytime....

new yarns from my mama for another baby blankie

and

another baby blankie in the works

a new dress
and a blouse I made for myself

homemade chilli and cornbread Caillou helped me make

mama-made fitted crib sheets and a blankie for Ollie

handmade basket liner's for the basket to hold Ollie's clothes

homemade kimonos

little somethings for above the crib

a little Valentine's sweeties early...

With each post I write, I promise myself that I will be better at posting more often. Yet here I am again, and a whole week has slipped by without so much as a single post, picture, or update. Since my last post, we went to a free museum our church just recently finished in Old Town, the boys loved it, it was very interactive and exciting and at the end of the tour they panned for gold! We have had a picnic at the park, and the boy's first crawfish boil. I have been sewing, crocheting, and putting seeds out in the garden. I had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday. Afterwards my mama took us all to the McDonald's with the indoor playground. When it was time to leave, Caillou had other plans, and I in my 7 months pregnant figure had to climb and wiggle through the sky tubes and world's longest, most horribe twisty slide with 4 unknown germy noisy children on top of me, Caillou of course bolted out of the playground as soon as I got far enough into the germy maze to not be able to get out fast enough to catch him. It was a long afternoon of wild behavior and "bathroom" talk from Caillou. I was exasperated to say the least. Yet now I can't help but giggle thinking about it.

Jasper's ear infection is getting much better, however we all caught something nasty from the germ vat otherwise known as Urgent Care. My poor boys cough and cough all day and all night long. Jasper is still on his amoxcicillin and they are both taking their asthma breathing treatments. Tomorrow we were scheduled for our 3 year old and 18 month check-ups and shots, however as it turns out, it will be more of a sick visit. Right now they are huddled up on the couch together, freshly bathed, warm and snuggly in clean jammies, tummies full of chicken noodle soup, taking turns with the asthma machine... watching a 1970's Sesame Street Episode.

We have not been able to accomplish too many of our Valentine's plans yet. We made some lemon sunshine cupcakes on monday, and yesterday we made our Valentine's Day mail boxes... a doggy one for Jasper and a frog for Caillou, we still have our Valentine's to make to fill our mail boxes. On Sunday they will bring their mail boxes with them to their Nursery Class and Sunbeams class and pass out some goodies to their friends. It is so exciting to me as a mama to help prepare special little goodies for my boys and to see them grow and start making friendships. Caillou and Jasper have become the best of friends, it is quite endearing and heart melting to see big brother hold little brother's hand, to see big brother worry and fret about little brother when he coughs or cries or is out of his sight on the Mc Donald's playground. It is adorbale to see the two of them snuggle together and hug each other, and to hear Caillou tell Jasper " I love you" . Today Caillou was feeling pretty sicky and crying, and sweet little 18 month old Jasper came over and rubbed Caillou's back.

I wish I had some good news to report concerning the job hunt/ keeping our home situation, but a job still has not been found. My mama was our miracle this month and saved us from eviction. We have $20 to our name, bills due and rent approaching again. We will however be receiving a $900 tax return, so that will definitely help. I just keep hoping that a job is around the corner and that all will work out. I truly appreciate everyone's sweet comments, prayers, and hopes and wishes for our happiness. It is comforting to know I have sweet friends out there who worry along with me and care about my little family.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day weekend full of love and smiles and sweets!

Silly Boy...

Yesterday while Jasper was napping, Caillou and I went out into the yard to work on our little garden. Caillou did not care to wear pants yesterday, so out into the yard we went in a thermal shirt, a pair of underwear or as he calls them Wee-wear, and his cowboy boots. For some reason he decided his underwear was best worn around his knees, and decided to run around, search for worms, and dig in the garden this way for nearly an hour. He is such a silly boy... I just adore him! Tomorrow my boys and I are going to get out in the dirt some more. We have some strawberry plants from my mama to put into the ground, and some nasturtium seeds. I have decided to work on my little garden and have faith that we will be able to keep our little home and see our seeds sprout and enjoy picking fruits and veggies from our little plot. I cannot lose our little home, I just can't. Perhaps it is naive and foolish of me to feel this way when there is no prospects of paying the bills, but I just can't bear to lose our little home. The landlords will have to drag me out kicking and screaming. This is the home my boys love, it is the home we are making memories in, and we have nowhere else to go, I just have to believe that we will find a way to keep our little home. No we don't own it, yes it is very tiny, cold in the winter, and rickety and old, but it is home. So.... tomorrow we are going to dig around in the little yard that surrounds our home and plant some seeds. And who knows, maybe Caillou will even wear pants!

The very long week....

It has been a while since I have posted. I have been under the weather with a kidney infection and poor little Jasper has had an ear infection. I had a long evening in the labor and delivery unit to address my kidney issues, and had an ultrasound. Baby put on quite a show for us. He showed us his little feet and stretched out his toes. He brought his hands to his face and stretched and waved, and even had hiccups. It was very exciting to be in the labor and delivery unit, seeing the little baby isolettes and baby blankets ready in each room for a new baby. I am getting quite eager to meet little Ollie. Not too much time left to wait, he will be here in May. Last night was spent at urgent care with Jasper and his earache, poor baby, he is starting to feel much better though now having taken a few doses of antibiotics. I have been busy sewing and we have been taking walks to the park to play. Tomorrow I am going to help the boys begin making Valentine's cards and we are going to make some carrot cake cupcakes. Hopefully the boys will have some quiet playtime, and I will be able to get a bit more sewing done.