Davis turned 1 and of course he had a party too! We did a carnival theme. Low key (well as far as the guest list went)but fun non-the less. Games, tickets, prizes, Kettle Korn, Shave Ice and cake, what more could a baby want. Here are some photos of the event.
Ella wanted an underwater birthday party with Ariel. She started planning this big event in January. In her costume she planned all her games, invite and food. Man this girl is growing up. The day finally came an we played pin the crown on Ariel, did a candy filled piñata, Arial’s treasure hunt, Under the sea gunny sack races… We had shave ice, Kettle Korn, Peanut butter and Jellyfish sandwiches and Sandy pasta (for the moms). She put shells everywhere and hung fish from all the trees in the back yard. The kids came in their swim suites and hung out at the 20-foot waterslide all day. She had a blast (as any kid would I hope) but is already planning her next party… watch out Tinker Bell!!!
Today Ella is turning 7… What an amazing little girl. All of her hard work and dedication to a happy life shines in everyway. You are a special gift from God, and I am so very thankful for you. Here are 7 of your favorite things right now in your world…
1. My pink Teddy Bear (and all my webkinz)
2. Spaghetti
3. Salmon
4. Milk
5. WII
6. Singing
7. Dancing
I love you....
Together Jerry and I are so excited to announce that we are expecting another baby in November. We just found out that the new addition coming to live with us is a BOY! We are all very excited; well Ella really wanted a girl. Together as a family we are just so blessed to have another baby in our lives.
This week on Rick Rack I show you how to make this easy party banner. With the large sizzix die cuts and some adorable fabrics it is a snap! Don’t forget you always get the step by step instructions and you can e-mail me for any additional information anytime. Hope you enjoy it!
11 months old already? It has gone by so fast and you would think I would know by know but it goes by too fast! At 25 lbs, crawling like crazy, climbing on everything, smiling all day long and NOT sleeping thru the night, you are just right. I love you baby Davis.
Braeden graduated from preschool today. It was a very exciting and sad day. I am so happy for him but sad he is going into kindergarten. I am not ready for him to be gone everyday. He keeps telling me he is not ready for kindergarten yet. That breaks my heart too! He is so very bright, he is ready. Good job Braeden! Congratulations.
Quinn’s 8th Birthday party was a blast. We did a water park in the back yard with his friends in the back yard… all boys! He did not want anything extra, no games, no piñata, no decorations… I knew this day would come. The day the kids would not want me to plan their parties. I added a surprise of plastic water guns in hopes they would approve… It was a great party. He thought it was the best party ever. Thank heavens I have other kiddos to plan parties for! Happy Birthday Quinn!
I cannot believe it has been 8 years already. I cannot believe 8 years ago God brought you into our lives after a ton of prayers, infertility and a birth. Your daddy and I always say you were meant for us as we were meant for you. In these past 8 years we have been blessed to share everything with you. As of right now your 8 favorites are…
1. playing video games
2. hanging out with your brothers and sister
3. not getting into trouble
4. playing kickball at recess
5. math
6. cheeseburger plain
7. holding Davis
8. having great friends
Happy birthday Quinn, I love you.
Baseball is over… We had a rookie player on the Giants. For his first year he was amazing hitting every ball (it was t-ball) and only picking the grass one time! Braeden LOVED t-ball and when asked what is the best part he says… “The snack shack!”
Quinn had a wonderful season ending it on a huge game. Hitting a triple and a grand slam home run… I just love watching my kiddos playing sports. It really is fun to me.
Good job boys! Get ready for fall sports.
With the baby being baptized earlier this year and Quinn making his first holy communion it was a very big sacramental year for us. After 2 years of classes Quinn’s big day had come. We were all so very proud of him… He understood a lot and asked tons of questions when he didn’t. He was defiantly ready. I am so proud of you Quinn.
You guys are the best. Hanging out in the backyard all day made my day so relaxing and fun. Thank you for making me a mother. I love you, Momma
If you have ever wanted to turn your children’s old baby clothes into a quilt here is your free how to. This week on Rick Rack I am doing a 2-part lesson on how to make a memory quilt from your children’s old baby clothes.
Ella has decided to cut her hair!!! With the weather getting so hot here and the fact that she and I both hate to brush out her hair 2 times a day, she has decided to get it cut. I thought this would be perfect for a chance to do locks of love. Ella and I read over all the requirements and off to the hair salon we went. Ten inches were cut for the charity and a couple inches to make her new look complete. She just loves it (and so do I). Good job Ella…
Braeden turned 5 today and for the 3rd year in a row he did not want to change to the next age… Last year on his birthday it was a sore subject to say he was turning 4 and this year he is feeling the same way. He wants to not turn 5! This just makes me smile, this is so Braeden. I tell him that is fine he can be any age he wants. No one is making him grow up. I am glad he has his very own opinion on what he wants…
His birthday party was a blast. The book theme went as planned. The only issues were that I had a house full of sick kids the week before and I was not up for any last minute planning so I am glad I had done what I had before. I turned target t-shirts into "brown bear brown bear" iron on shirts. Party hats were made out of old books. The food was all the food in the book "Very Hungry Caterpillar". Read books. Made bookmarks. We played musical chairs, hot potato, pin the hat on the cat, and had a piñata… I found these book bags and the decorations that I did not make from Highsmith, a library resource on-line. Breaden loved it and so did I. Happy birthday baby Braeden, I love you.
For 1st grade at our school the kids have to come up with a leprechaun trap… the teacher makes it so much fun for them on this day. Here is what Quinn cam up with. Lucky Charms always trap leprechaun’s right?
With all of the state budgets our district is in jeopardy of loosing some teachers either to pink slips or transfers. We love our school and cannot say enough about the teachers that make the everyday learning fun! With all of the state budgets our district is in jeopardy of loosing some teachers either to pink slips or transfers on Friday. Teachers and parents rally in pink to protest job cuts. Jerry and I quickly made these shirts for the kids out of scraps of fabric…. They say “Save The Teachers”. You can read a great article about it here…
I am excited to share with you a new adventure I am doing… VirtueRadioNetwork.com's on-demand sewing shows RICK RACK. We are taping new shows every two weeks with easy, sharing simple sewing solutions, tips and projects for the busy woman who loves to sew. Full instructions and step-by-step are on the web site… This week’s episode is about making a reversible ½ apron. I even have the instructions on there if you want to make one for your little one. Get your sewing machines out and come play with me!
This scrappy quilt was defiantly one anyone can do in one day… I used the extra charm squares (5” x 5”) from baby Davis’ quilt and added some 5” x 14” rectangles to make this pattern. Being random with whatever scraps I had. After finishing the center panel I did the border with 3 “ strip of blue and the final border was with anything I had cut into 5” wide. I backed it with a cream piece and hand sewed on the scattered alphabets. Ella had a big hand in this quilt; I have officially decided she is ready to join me with the Binky Patrol! If you do not know what the Binky Patrol is please check it out…
Ella did a wonderful job at her first ever Girl Scout Olympics... She ran, jumped, threw and made life long memories! She won several ribbons and of course the patch for her daisy bib. She is all about the patches! It is very difficult for me to let her spread her wings and experience all of these types of things but she is doing perfectly. I saw a sign the other day that said, "Worrying is you telling God he is not in control"... I have got to work on this I worry about my little ones more then anything.
I did not finish these in time for Christmas this year so I gave them to the kiddos today on Valentines Day. They had so much fun running around being super heroes. Ella loves that show “Word Girl” so she kept calling herself that when she wore it. Braeden and Quinn were a bit more aggressive as could be expected… right? I could imagine a bunch of kids running around with these on for a birthday party, how fun would that be? Next I need to make Jerry and I some… super Mom and super Dad. Also Captain Drool (aka Davis) should have one too!
Once upon a time, I had the good luck to be working with some amazing scrapbookers on an online scrapbook show for Scrapbooks Etc. magazine. Unfortunately, not much of the 7 seasons worth of shows are available to me . Season 1 and Season 2 were a daily format with guests. It was similar to the format of the "While You Were Out" design show. These 5 days worth of shows were shot in the winter of 2007. By the summer of 2007, the producers of the show changed the show's format slightly and went with one longer weekly show. The show ended in December of 2007.
I thought I had lost access to most of the videos I made for Scrapbook LifeStyle. Luckily, I happened to think of searching my name on the ScrapbooksEtc.com/BetterTV site and found quite a few of them archived! I'm still not sure how to link to them specifically but I am happy to share how to find them:
Thank you Angela for this info, how in the world did you figure this out?
This year I am making the valentines with the kids… I can’t say it is cuter then any store bought ones but it was fun to make together and it is homemade.
I had each kiddo write on a blank sheet of paper “Happy Valentines Day From --------” or what ever they wanted to add. Ella added the word “friends” on hers (so cute) and the boys drew a heart. After they each wrote their own valentines on their own sheets of paper I scanned the image and saved it as a jpeg. I opened elements 5 and started… Open a blank file to be the size of my colored sheets of paper (mine were 8.5 x 11). Opened the jpeg of their original written words. Simply dragging and resizing the words to fit on the page as I wanted, (over and over and over and over) I had a finished image. Flattened the jpeg and renamed it.
From here I printed this new image onto colored paper. Used a play doe cutter to trace onto the backsides of the colored paper and cut! Using a small hole punch cut 2 holes for the sucker to weave through…. I put the finished valentines on glass bowls around the house for Valentine decorations.
In planning Braedens 5th birthday party I have made these for the guests. He is having a book party and the plans have begun. With not having as much free time as I use to I am trying to get anything done way ahead of time as I can in order to not feel rushed. Here are the book labels I made out of Quinn, Ella, Braeden and Brittney (my niece and wonderful babysitter) artwork. Scanning it and adding the frames in Adobe with the text to top it off. I am thinking to print them out and the guests can write their own names on them when they are ready to use them… More ideas to come on the book party!
The pinewood derby was Friday night and it was fun. The kids along with Jerry all designed their cars and cut the out. Jerry was so into it that it was cute. Quinn made an army hummer, Ella’s was a littlest pet shop racer and Braeden’s was a hot wheel. First you have to weigh the cars, and then impound them. After all to do the races were on. Quinn’s car was amazing… winning the fastest car of the night! Bringing home a trophy, pin and patch. The siblings did race each other and Ella could not be beaten. Her times were amazing… The emcee of the night kept calling her “Ella no one can beat her Duffner”. I am not sure why her car was unstoppable, maybe the glitter or even the rhinestone window? We will never know. They did not give awards to the siblings but good thing I guess because a Girl Scout wiped all the boys scouts on Friday night.
I first heard about this project from Debbi and thought it was a very interesting concept. Preserve a piece of your life every day for a year. Every year I do a “year book” for our family with all of the exciting events. After much thought, this would be changing the way I have documented our family events for the past10 years I have decided to try it. I still have my individual traditional scrapbooks for each baby but our “year book” for this year was going to be different. I have added a photo album button on the side to keep me up to date on my daily photos. Here are some links for some inspiration on this project.
6, 4x6 We Are Memory Keepers
Close To My Heart Photo Storage Pages
In the past 6 months you have changed everything... My world is a better place.
Trying to get a photo of 4 kids and a dog is near impossible… but super fun. I could not stop laughing at us trying to get a new family photo. The kids and the dog alike where not taking “commands” very well. And I only had treats for the dog… I am sure you can imagine what it was like. I would like to introduce you to our newest family member Roxy. The older kids have wanted a dog for some time now but we were in search for a perfect one… I do believe we have found her. She may not be a “perfect” dog but she is a perfect fit. We found her from a local Labrador rescue site. She had been with a trainer foster mother for about 2 years working with the LA SPCA going daily to the Los Angles unified school district being a therapy dog. She is 2 years old and is active, loving and playful… see what I mean she fits right in?
Spending the day with at my brothers and sister in laws house playing in the snow was a perfect way to kick off the New Year. The kids enjoyed the snow so much that they stayed out there all day. Baby Davis and I stayed in the house where it was nice and warm most of the day. Quinn loved using his buggy board as a “snow board”… man that kid is good at everything he tries. No fear. Ella loved making snow angels and eating the white snow. Braeden loved making snowballs and throwing them… and Jerry loved every part of it!
Every year I like to take a Christmas Thank You Card photo on Christmas… The kids are usually in a great mood and looking great in their Christmas pjs. Let me tell you about a little secret we have to get our kids to smile so well. While I am taking the photo, Jerry is doing the silliest things behind my back. The kids think it is soooooo funny and just crake up every time. I love how the photos turn out so what ever he is doing behind me works every time. Someday I am sure I will find out what it is but for now it is worth not knowing.
My friend Debbi talked me into buying a dollhouse from Craig’s list to makeover for Ella for Christmas. She was doing one for her daughter Iris; we were going to help each other. Well as the season creped up on us this is how Ella’s turned out. She did LOVE it on Christmas morning… All the paper is from Paper Source… Thank you Ella for loving it, you are a sweet little girl.
Trying to figure out what to give a sister that has everything… I made her and her husband a little something she could fit between her mattress and box spring. It holds 2 magazines on each side as well as her glasses, ipod, tissues, paper pens, remote control, even a flashlight if needed. This was super easy to make after a lot of planning. I am not sure what I enjoy more about making these goodies, the planning and figuring out how it will all come together or the fabrics or the actual sewing??? I took the width of their mattress and added 24 inches to each side. Sewed up an 18” fabric band. Folded up the ends to make the pockets and stitched the seams to finish it off. This would even be fun to make for a college student… If you are interested in more detailed how to let me know and I will make one. Christmas countdown…
Even the kids are getting into the Christmas spirit and making their very own handmade Christmas decorations… Stinging popcorn was Ella’s favorite while Quinn made orange pomanders. We decided to make them at his class Christmas party, they were very simple. Each child gets one orange, white plate, toothpick, 1/4 cup of whole cloves, ½ yard of ribbon. Wrap the ribbon around the orange first and tie off a knot; let the extra ribbon hang on the sides. Poke the orange with a toothpick first and then insert the clove. They can do simple straight lines, cover the orange completely if they want, or write your name with cloves, or even shapes like a poinsettia flower. You can tie off the extra ribbon to make a hanger or leave alone.
In all the Christmas excitement baby Davis turned 5 months old. Just as sweet as ever. Boy is he ever so easy to love!
Making traditional books digitally is easy enough. I used snapfish and shutterfly to make several calendars and photo books for presents. I am hoping the in-laws will like them as much as I do. I am having a hard time wrapping them up to give away. I may need to make additional ones for me J
This year our Christmas card included a family crossword puzzle. One side had the custom puzzle and the other side ha the key. I have made these before for birthday parties but I thought it might be fun for Christmas this year… You can make your own here. Merry Christmas to you all.
A paper-covered clipboard with a funny pad of paper attached is a creative Christmas gift. Why conjure up the same information for the babysitter over and over again? Parents can now keep the kids safe and happy the fill-in-the-blank way. With prompts for all possibilities, you’ll remember to clarify everything from food quirks to bedtime rituals. “Don’t Kill The Kids” is found here…
If your little one likes to color as much as mine do this crayon apron is a handy way to hold your crayons…
Materials Needed
Two pieces of 13 ½ ” X 17 ½ ” for the body
One piece of 4 ¼” X 13 ½ “ for the pocket
47 ½” of decorative ribbon
Thread
Matching the right sides of the body fabric, sew together ¼ “ seam allowance along the 2 long sides. Fold the pocket in half long way, press and sew together. Unfold the pocket pieces and press. Cut and sew on decorative ribbon to front of pocket along the length.
Aligning raw edges on both sides. Input the pocket to the body. Leaving a ½” opening on both sides for turning, sew the sides together. Make sure to catch the pocket, turn right side out and press. Cut the remaining decorative ribbon in half. Topstitch around the apron ¼” from the edge including the ribbon ties on the topsides. Sew from top to bottom every 1 ½” to divide the pocket into sections.
Making belts out of different widths of ribbon is an easy and quick Christmas gift. Two lengths of 1 ½” ribbon (waist size plus 9”) Sew one end around 2 1-1/2" D-Rings. Hem one end of the belt by folding it over twice approximately 1/2" each time. Stitch across the hem to finish and you have it! You can even layer the ribbon to get different color combinations. Simple, quick and easy.
On Sunday after all of the fires and sleepless night Ella did it! She song the National Anthem at the Walk Now for Autism. I could not have been prouder. Her team “My Sister Ella” was represented with family and friends all wearing t-shirts I pulled out of nowhere the night before. Here is the video of the experience.
Please pray for our community...
Photos courtesy of CBS, the OC Register, the Associated Press, and KNX 1070's Karen Zarsadiaz
Making personalized scorecards for a Christmas gifts was an effective way to include the entire family in one gift. I printed out 10 pages with each family members names in each line. Some smaller families have room for guests. I downloaded the free template here. Cut them apart and attached them to cardstock on the back with embroidery string. Jerry and I have loved playing tri-ominos ever since we first learned it on a trip to New York to visit Jerry’s Grandfather. We were hooked. When the kiddos came along they have been wrangled in to play as well. They too are hooked. It is a good family game…
Do I say that every month? Boy he is a dream baby. Thank you God for such a blessing. We spent the day at the beach with Tracey Meyer who is an awesome photographer to take our Christmas photos. She is great at getting their natural beauty. Their true self… I love this photo of Davis with his drool and all. So him at 4 months. Thank you Tracey for such a perfect day…
Major momma points… I survived the overnight camping trip with the cub scouts. We have never camped with the kids before they were so excited, counting down the days. We got all of the necessary equipment well ahead of time. Tent, sleeping bags, air mattress, tarps etc. I was so nervous about all of the unknowns. Tent camping with Quinn was something I knew he would LOVE but it would take a lot of juggling of the other kiddos in order to make it happen.
After figuring it all out… Jerry would sleep over on Friday and I would go down on Saturday after leaving baby with loving auntie in a warm house. Ella, Braeden and I met Jerry and Quinn at the lake to fish and start our adventure… WOW it was an adventure. Fishing, bb gun shooting, archery, slingshots, and tomahawks. This was a heaven for little boys. Meeting the professional boy scouts that work at the camp was an adventure too… let me just say I hope Quinn has as much passion about his job someday as these boy scouts have about being boy scouts. After all of the days activities and another Auntie coming to pickup Ella and Braeden by midday it was time for just Quinn and I at the hands of the cub scouts. We had dinner, campfire songs, skits, prayer and called it a day. After crawling into our tent and sleeping bags we fell fast asleep… until 2 am when it started RAINING. I could not believe it. All I could do was laugh. And laugh and laugh. It lasted about ½ hour… a long ½ if you ask me. After all to do I am hopeful Quinn has earned his badge but truthfully I too am hopeful to have earned a badge too. I am putting that thing on my purse! Not only a camping badge but do they make a “porta potty” badge??? I could not have asked for all of the memories I have made this weekend with Quinn. I am hopeful he will remember this forever… he better!
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