From This Front Porch: December 2011

Home Of The Ten Cent Cup of Coffee

Saturday afternoon found us down at "the home of the ten cent cup of coffee". We enjoyed a lunch out with Grandpa and Grandpa accompanied by (uh-huh) a 10 cent cup of coffee. This is small town stuff! If you come in for just coffee it'll cost you $1.25 for that cup though. Yeah...

We also enjoyed live entertainment, on the piano, by the kids. Christmas tunes ya know...

A stroll through the grocery store on our way out. It all looks so good and colorful!

We turned it into a "modeling session" for Kyla's new skirt that I made her the night before from this tutorial. Took one hour to make the skirt...yeppers, it did!

Penny candy or eye candy- whichever you prefer!

This little place was a store I used to avoid but now I found it very pleasant. Wish I lived a little closer. Anyway, it made for a pleasing, unhurried and very "small town" afternoon!

So, here's what's going on here...
-Randy is off starting tomorrow until the new year (hopefully). Honey do list?!?! Oh yeah!
-Kids are off starting on Thursday through the new year. Parties tomorrow at school so getting ready for those. Parties, parties, parties!
-Lita is still rubbing her ears after 2 double ear infections these last couple months, and antibiotics. Now we're just doing ear drops and I'm watching her temp. Any ideas? poor baby. Oh, did I mention she's been popping teeth one right after another. Poor, poor baby!!! Anyone want to do night duty?
-Special company coming Wed! So, so excited...
-And I made some fudge yesterday along with some other goodies. Why, oh why did I do this?!? I hope it doesn't do me in.
-So, I'm off to attack my "to do" list for the day!

What's going on with you all lately?

Happy Holidays if I don't see you again! Looking forward to a New Year! Hugs all around!
Alison and family

Loving Longfellow (again)

Holidays

The holiest of all holidays are those
Kept by ourselves in silence and apart;
The secret anniversaries of the heart,
When the full river of feeling overflows;--
The happy days unclouded to their close;
The sudden joys that out of darkness start
As flames from ashes; swift desires that dart
Like swallows singing down each wind that blows!
White as the gleam of a receding sail,
White as a cloud that floats and fades in air,
White as the whitest lily on a stream,
These tender memories are;--a fairy tale
Of some enchanted land we know not where,
But lovely as a landscape in a dream.

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Alison

Crawlers

The boys have been having a grand old time setting up obstacle courses for their "rock crawlers" to maneuver all over the living room. The course in this video was quite tame compared to what they usually have. Couches, tables, pillows, boards, books, toys... they all make for hours of climbing fun. If only the batteries would last for hours!

And there is another little crawler in this video. See if you can spot her! She was set in motion about a week before Thanksgiving and hasn't stopped since. Although her five teeth coming in, in the last month did slow her down a couple times...uggghhh.

More on this crawling and teething business to come...

Happy Week! WE ARE COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS!

Alison

Four Smiles

I did it again... got the kids school pictures taken. I wasn't super happy with them but again, it's kind of a tradition. Instead of scanning them all and putting them on here this year, I thought I would just take a picture of the wall where they hang. I like how Melita's 8x10 picture turned out.

I found the wall saying at Target I think. "The greatest joy in life is to see those you love happy." I liked it but if I could change it I would say... "One of the greatest joys in life is to see those you love happy", because I have so many "greatest joys"!

Sending you four smiles today,
Alison

Concert Night 2011

Tuesday night was concert night at the school for Colter and Maya. It was pretty sweet to see the kids all dressed up and pretty cute to hear them all singing together, as usual.

Enjoying the season,
Alison

MADE

MADE by dana has been a huge inspiration for me lately to do some sewing. So, that is where my post title comes from. :)

I hate to be a complainer but... so, so many times I've been known to complain about the availability of "age-appropriate" skirts for my 11 year old. There just isn't enough "skirt" to the Junior section skirts of most clothing stores (if you know what I mean). And skipping up to ladies XS sizing just doesn't work either. I have a hard enough time finding skirts that I like in ladies clothing as a matter of fact.

I always ask myself "why don't you just make her some skirts". Then I laugh at myself and go back to changing diapers, helping with homework, or folding clothes. But then Dana and other sewing bloggers stepped in and encouraged me to get out my sewing machine and try making another skirt for my daughter.

One of the best things about this sewing project was that I didn't have to buy anything. I had the material. I had the zipper. I had a cute pattern. No excuses!

I cut out the smallest pattern and then made a couple adjustments. I was a little nervous about the 'invisible zipper' as I had only done 'centered zippers' in the past. I did have to rip it out several times but finally got it right. Not so bad!!!

I really am inspired lately and have been using my sewing machine a lot lately. One of the hardest things for me is that I don't want to stop what I'm doing until it's DONE! Sometimes I can get a little cranky when things get in my way and that is the reason I don't tackle some of the things I want to do. Gotta work on that...

The other thing I realize is that now-a-days, I have a lot more freedom to do stuff like this than I did when I was in the thick of baby/toddler/child rearing. I couldn't do a lot then when my kiddos were smaller and so dependent! But now, when Lita is sleeping I get busy. Some days work. Other days don't work. I guess I just want to encourage other Mother's in the busy years of your life to enjoy your little ones. A day will come when you will be able to do some of these things that you enjoy doing. Nough for now!

Happy Wednesday!
Alison

Kewpie Doll

{ the eyelashes, the cheeks, the button noses }

{ pointing and poking }

{ such kew(C)pie poses }

{ nine months old is passing by }

{ soft and sweet }

{ and happy girl, my! }

{ kew(T)pie }

{ enough! pouting lip }

{ smile and bye-bye }

Now that our little Doll is almost 10 months old, I suppose I should get these 9 month old pictures posted. Thanks to my super camera-smart husband for helping me with these pictures one Saturday afternoon when he had so many other important things to do... and I had way too much fun editing them when I should have been in bed one late Sunday night! But alas, she'll never be nine months again.

Love you, my little kew(T)pie,
Ma-Ma

Memory Lane Monday: Dear Laura,

Ice Skating with Laura-December 2009

We went ice skating on Saturday.
And of course it made us think of you.
And thinking of you made us very happy.
We are glad that you are where you are.
And we love the stories and pictures.
Enjoy some warmth for us!

Until we 'skate' again,

See you around the next corner on memory lane,
Alison

Copy and Paste my button. I'd love to walk along with you down memory lane!

Fifth Grade Fun

Sometimes I wish I was in fifth grader again. I'm kind of enjoying having my fifth grader. I like putting our heads together to see what kind of things we can create in the various project assignments she brings home. These were both fun projects that she did so far this year.

I'm not the only one that is enjoying this fifth grade year. I think she is enjoying it too! A lot more than last year. But some days are a grind. Yeah... I guess I'm glad I'm not in fifth grade again. But it is fun to walk along!

Keep up the good work Kyla!

Love,
Mom (Alison)

Friends Old and New

This last weekend was a busy but very "special" weekend. It was so nice to have cousin Elaine here with us for a few nights before she headed back overseas. It will likely be many years before we see her again. Wishing her many good days ahead...

We also had Ron and Kathleen (at left) stay with us. Although we have known them and thier family for years, we didn't REALLY know them. It was so awesome to have them with us and get to know them better. The brought so many good things to eat and they spent special time with the kids talking to them and doing puzzles and legos. I'm pretty sure they will hold a special place in these kids heart for the rest of their lives! New true friends!!!

On Sunday evening it was fun to have cousin John and Suzie (center) stay for supper. Thanks so much for the wonderful apple crisp for dessert guys! We feel so lucky to be surrounded by so many friends and so much love.

We have much to encourage us on and our hearts are full after all the privileges of the weekend. And now another weekend is upon us. Hope you have a great one!

Don't miss my catch-up posts following this one...

Big Bud!
Attitude Up!
Simplify: Week Five

Love,
Alison

Big Bud!

Lets just say that Montana isn't known for it's Manufacturing Industry. There was a day however, that a little company in Havre, Montana called Northern Manufacturing Comapny cranked out some big tractors. Some REALLY BIG tractors. In fact, Colter's teacher's father owns one of these tractors. His tractor was produced in 1977 and happens to be the biggest tractor in the world. The tractor can work more than one acre per minute, at speeds up to 8 mph. You can read about it here and here.

Needless to say, Colter was very excited when his teacher shared this information with her students one day. He came home and told us all about the tractor. We had fun googling it and learning more about "Big Bud"!

Randy's known about Big Bud Tractors for years since he grew up on a farm in Eastern Montana. On our recent trip home for Thanksgiving, he told Colter he would show him the place were Big Bud's were made in Havre. He also thought that there may be a couple Big Bud Tractors that he could show him along the way...

And there was. I think Colter's "Big Bud Smile" says it all!

Alison

p.s. Oh and... did you know that Colter went on a trip to North Dakota for a recent school project? You can read about it here! Thanks Aleta, Rob, Evan, Lana and Mattie for the fun time at your house and for sending him on to Virginia! What fun

Attitude Up!

Attitude

by Charles Swindoll

The longer I live,
the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude to me is more important than the past,
than education,
than money,
than circumstances,
than failures,
than success,
than what other people think, or say, or do.

It is more important than appearance,
giftedness, or skill.
It will make or break an organization,
a school, a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday
regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.

We cannot change our past..
We cannot change the fact that people will
act in a certain way.
We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do
is play on the one string we have,
and that is our attitude….

I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me
and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you…..

Just what I needed today,
♥ Alison ♥

Simplify: Week 5

* I meant this post for a week ago but never got in completed until today. Have lots more to share coming up. Happy Weekend! *

Time to get rid of stuff again. A never ending process around here.

I took the time to go through Randy's stuff this time. I got rid of a lot of his clothes including an old green Levi shirt he used to wear when we were dating. (above) I've always had a hard time getting rid of that shirt because... well, I'm just sentimental like that...

Anyway, I thought it was time to get rid of it and realized it was just wasn't worth keeping because he doesn't wear it anymore and it's out of style. Just as I was thinking that I looked at the tag on the shirt and it said "Quality never goes out of style." Well sorry Mr. Levi shirt, this organizing mama is sending you on down the road and maybe someone else will appreciate your style. I gotta be tough with myself sometimes like that...

This project was partly inspired by Joellyn's Organize Your Hand-Me-Downs Post a couple weeks ago. Even though I go through the kids clothes a couple times a year, I found there was plenty of things to get rid of.

So, this stuff is staying...

And this stuff is going... (it's already gone!!! Yippee!!!)

It was sad to see most of my girl baby clothes get stuffed into the bag. :( But I did save a few things out... I'm just sentimental like that ya know...

These special little outfits went right into their keep sake bins. Also, all the homemade things I got for the kids go into their bins too. There is just no toughing it out for me when it comes to this stuff.

And let the fun continue,
Alison

From This Front Porch