Cheap? Yes I am...

So it wasn't that many years ago I started crafting for money. I worked in a little craft store and I started painting signs to sell. I think it was in 2002. In 2003 I started doing craft shows and just about everything I made was wood. I got a wild hair and decided I wanted to start sewing. It was around Christmas time so my mom bought me my first sewing machine for Christmas. It was a $100 New Home sewing machine. A nice simple machine that did everything I needed it to do. Sew. Gradually I stopped working in wood and when I opened my store, the sewing machine got moved there. It moved back home with me when I closed my retail shop years later. That cheap little sewing machine made a lot of things. Years after I got it, it started slowing down until one day it stopped. I took it in to get it cleaned and it worked like new. In November it started slowing down again. It was 7 years old and I had only had it cleaned once, so it was probably due! I took it in, but this time it didn't seem to work as fast as I remembered it had. I didn't think too much about it until the other day when it really slowed down again. Sadly I came to the realization that it's day might have finally came.

I was in Walmart yesterday and I broke down and bought another sewing machine. This time a little more was spent, $150. I got a Brother this time, it has a lot of good reviews online so I hope I made a good choice. I haven't had time to do more than take it out of the box, but it makes my other one look soo small! I can't wait to start playing with it, hopefully tomorrow I'll have some time to escape to my craft room and learn how to tread the thing!

Flu Bug

It was a sad sad week in the Hall household. I have no idea where we got it, but the flu bug got us this week. On Friday I packed the kids up to head to Lincoln with my mom. About a half an hour into the drive Brett threw up all over himself. I pulled off at the next interstate exit and cleaned him up the best I could. When we got to my mom's store in York he seemed just fine, playing, giggling and such. I figured it was just a fluke. The rest of the weekend everyone was fine. Early Monday morning (1amish), Brileigh woke up coughing. She would cough and cry, cough and cry and wouldn't drink anything. So I took her into the spare room and laid down with her there. Then she threw up, all over both of us. I got us all cleaned up and changed, and she did it again. Once again we got all cleaned up and laid back down. When she started to throw up for the 3rd time I was ready with a bucket. The poor little girl literally passed out afterwards. She was soo tired. A couple hours later she woke up really thirsty, and that was it. She slept the rest of the night, woke up happy, had breakfast, lunch...

Monday was a good day, everyone in good spirits. My husband left for Kansas City for work. Tuesday rolls around and everyone is still doing great until about 4pm. I could tell Brett wasn't feeling the greatest. And then it started, Brett and me! We both started the throwing up the same time. I called J and told him and he asked if I wanted him to come home. Um no. He doesn't even change wet diapers. I can't imagine him cleaning up puke and poo! What good would it do to have him home. I was calling to make sure he stayed away. The last thing I needed was another sick person!

Brett and I camped out on the floor watching Mickey Mouse. Poor Guy!

I did feel like a terrible mother. I was so weak it was difficult to deal with the kids. Tuesday night Brett fell asleep early so I laid him in my bed. I put the other two in their cribs in the clothes they wore that day with their night bottles. In the middle of the night Brett got transferred to his crib because I was still so sick. I took me till 4 the next day to get anything down. The only good thing about it I suppose is that I had it the worst! Brett woke up Wed. morning feeling fine. Rylan never really got it. He threw up only once on Tuesday, almost as if he felt left out!

Wow, I didn't mean for this to be such a long post about being sick! We'll end on a good note. We are all better! Brett says I'll clap to that!

We're off to play!

Cupcakes!

Yesterday was a snow day, so I made cupcakes, just because. After supper each baby got one, just because. It brought smiles out all around...


Rylan power ate his. Double fisting, it didn't last long enough for me to get the camera out!

It's hard to see, but Brileigh's right hand is full of frosting. Saving it for later...

Brett had a lot of fun eating his cupcake and cried when I cleaned him up.

They were transferred from their high chairs to the bathtub last night, needless to say.

Love Birds

I finished my Love Birds yesterday. I really like how these guys turned out. They are finished with an antiquing decoupage and sprayed with a bronzing mist. I'll be listing them on ebay this weekend!



I have another set of birds started on SPRING blocks. Hopefully I'll have those done in a couple of days.


These are the letters I started last week for the kiddos room. They speak to each of their personalities. Rylan is the monkey, Brett the bulldozer and Brileigh is all girl!

Spring Time? Please!

Last year when I brought the babies home on Jan. 4 I knew that I wouldn't be leaving the house for a long time. 4 pound babies and winter don't mix. I was dead tired from being up every 3 hours so I didn't really feel like leaving the house anyway. This winter is a little different though. The latest snow storm kept me in the house for 10 days. I was ready to go insane! I finally busted out today since the temperature went above 30°. I got some good shopping time in today and feel revamped! But I'm still wishing for Spring.

I drew up a new idea and got started on it the other day, Spring Birds! (could you tell I was coped up too long!)


Here they are after the first coat of paper clay!


This is a little project I just finished for me. I thought it would be fun when the kids were older to make each other cards and put them in the mailbox to open on Valentines Day.

Another little pet project I've been working on are these letters for the kids room. I bought the paper mache letters and painted them. Then I glued paper on the the front and glittered the edges. I'll post photos when I'm done with them.


And last, we took a couple moments out to strike a cute pose!

Snow Day!

Boy did we get dumped on! It's beautiful out there but holy cow! My husband cleared the driveway 3 times since 1pm yesterday. Now the wind has started to blow, that will make for some fun drifts!

Too bad it's soo cold outside, I'm sure the kiddos would like to play in the snow. We will get up to a high of 12° today and 6° tomorrow! So looks like we wont be leaving the house for a while. Good thing we have plenty of toys to keep us busy!

Or so I thought we had enough toys to keep us busy... This is what happens when we are left unattended for 3 seconds. Notice the missing wallpaper on the left side of the photo. And what is that in your hand Rylan? Good thing I have part of a roll left over.

Kiddo Update!

Time has been flying by lately! I don't even know what day of the week it is most days. We had 6 Christmas' that dated from Dec. 19 to Jan. 1 so I think that contributed to the flying days. When you're on the run every weekend it's hard to settle down during the week. The kids got another cold, not sure where this one came from. I was able to avoid getting it myself, but I have yet to sleep all night as there is always someone waking up crying. Most of the time I wouldn't have to get up, but if I leave them untouched they eventually wake their siblings up and then it's big time trouble!

We got all sorts of new toys this Christmas, the house is a wreck everyday as they drag every last thing out daily. Here is Brett enjoying his cousin Leighton's hardhat and tools.


The hallway in our house has storage and the bottom drawer is large and deep. A perfect toybox! They love to crawl into the drawer and throw all of the toys out!


I caught Brileigh enjoying an electronic book.


Later her and her brother sneaked into mom's room and found a crock full of fabric balls, what fun!

And dear Rylan, being goofy. (Do you think he's teething? He's the drool monster!)

Today we got about a foot of snow, so I think we'll have plenty of time to slow down in the next few days as we probably wont be going anywhere!

Valentines is Around the Corner!

Where have I been? Hard at work on Valentines item! I have sew hundreds of hearts already this year! I've come up with some new designs for this year and they have been added to my website: Valentines Page

I've also listed them on ebay along with this Valentines light. Here is the link for that: EBAY


This heart bag hanger is one of my new designs this year. It would look great hanging from a cupboard door!

I absolutely love these double heart ornaments! They make an impact on pencil trees and are sold as a set of 3!


Now it's on to Easter!