kate is eight.

(so what? i wanted something rhymey, but "katie turns eighty" didn't work!)


a still-groggy katie eating her b-day breakfast.


katie with her birthday posse.


the cake.


making a wish.


opening presents.


austin and megs.


hard to believe, but this may have been the last party that these guys will be the "babies" at.

this year katie decided to raise money for PAWS of bremerton, a local animal welfare organization. this is also the organization that helped us re-home our kitty, mosely, shortly after moving to WA. she raised $61.00 to donate to this deserving organization. i am so pleased with the fact that she has a cause she is passionate about (that happens to be the same as her mama's!)

wow it's been over a month since my last blog post. sorry to all 3 or so of you regular readers out there LOL as always, thanks for reading! (and if you REALLY want to make my day, feel free to comment!)

Valentine's wreath.

i used the same tutorial for this wreath as i did for my st. patty's day wreath that i did a couple years ago. scored the heart-shaped wreath form at joann's with a 40% off coupon for just over $3, and 10 sheets of felt at 3 for $1 is $3.33. don't recall exactly how much the maribou trim was, but it wasn't more than a couple bucks, so the entire cost for this project was under $10.







i attached a long ribbon to the back and tied the bow at the top cause i liked how that looked. the maribou doesn't really show that much looking at it from the front, but it does hide the edges of the wreath were the felt rosettes stopped.

PSA: when a project calls for a specific number of items (like 8 sheets of felt), it's probably a good idea to buy a couple extra. i ran out of felt tuesday night when i was about 80% done with the wreath, the same night that our snow hit. i didn't venture out anywhere that was not absolutely neccessary the next couple days, and it would have been really nice to finish this project up during one of those long, boring snow days. as soon as the snow started melting, i hurried my butt on over to pacific fabrics for some more felt.

thanks for looking!

robot love.

i just love this robot template. you may remember i've used it before to applique a shirt for sam. well, i decided to use it again for the little's valentine shirts for this year, i love it so much. the template is from Lil Blue Boo.



i used the "poor-man's method" of screen-printing, otherwise known as freezer-paper stenciling. it is so fun, and i love the results. i'm thinking of pairing katie's with a pink and silver tulle skirt that i saw at target last time i was there....watcha think?

side note: Ashley, the creator behind "Lil Blue Boo", is such an inspiration. i've been following her blog for years and she is one of the most talented and creative women i've seen. she was recently diagnosed with cancer, and she CONTINUES to be such an inspiration with her positive, joyful outlook as she follows her mantra, "choose joy". definitely check out her blog if you are so inclined.

thanks for looking!

christmas, nusz style.

here are some pics from our christmas.


sometimes they really do appear as if they all love each other.


showin' off the loot.


my mom got me this book....i love it so far! both hilarious and true at the same time.


i am SO GLAD it was not an over-the-range beer cooler!


nathan's beer holster. it will come in handy for lawn mowing, walks around the neighborhood, hell, it'll be handy for ANYTIME.


i LOVE these girls.


AND this baby! my benji.


my mom playing with benji and mater.


BRITT!! what're you doing?!


heidi is thinking of converting to islam.

hope you and yours all had a wonderful, blessed christmas.

thanks for looking!

sam goes skiing.

today we went to Crystal for the first time this season. it was one of those beautiful, perfect, clear, sunny, warm days that one usually only dares to dream about up here in western WA. it was also sammy's introduction to skiing. nathan spent the day down on the bunny hill with sam teaching him the basics, while katie and i ventured out on our own.


daddy getting sam ready in the parking lot.


all ready! (he reminds me of randy from "a christmas story" here)


first time riding the shuttle!


sam's first ski lesson (taught by daddy)




katie and i on the green valley lift


lunchtime. my pizza-monster worked up an appetite out there.


lookin' like a pro already :)


this mountain always makes me happy.

thanks for looking!

sandwich mats and superhero capes.

a couple recent things i've been working on. first, sam had a superhero b-day party to attend last weekend, with no costume to wear. a quick google search turned up quite a few crafty options, but i already had (almost) everything on hand to make this one by georgia leigh. i modified a bit, since i had a ton of red fleece on hand. mine was just one layer of red fleece, so it's not reversible, but on the flip side it was SUPER easy to make because fleece doesn't fray so i didn't even have to hem it! i used her picture as a rough draft for my pattern, and also her downloadable "superman" logo (although ours stands for "super-SAM" :) i also had the yellow felt and blue fleece on hand for the logo, so this was a super-economical project. the only thing i had to buy was the velcro for the closure. i made the birthday boy a cape/power-cuff as well, personalized with an "E".


superSAM, ready to defeat the forces of evil and save the world.


activating his "powercuff"


applique.

another project that i've had in the back of my mind for awhile has been reusable sandwich/snack wraps. i already try to not use baggies (for both economical and environmental reasons) but sometimes if i pack katie's lunch several days in a row the plastic containers that i use for her sandwich/snacks are in the dishwasher. and i'm lazy like that. i'd rather sew a NEW wrap for her sandwich than wash the one in the dishwasher LOL my friend gena posted a link to this tutorial the other day and i loved the sandwich wrap design. so i picked up some oilcloth and got to work.


i love how it turned out! it could easily accommodate a whole sandwich, katie usually just eats a half though :) you could also use it for cookies, crackers, grapes, etc etc etc.


and it fits perfectly in her lunchbox! (don't you DARE look at the pile of candy in there and judge me!! i'm trying to get RID of the halloween stash!!)

as always, thanks for taking the time to stop by and check out my little corner of the internet!

celebrating sammy.

sunday was my baby's 4th birthday. he is the sweetest, funniest, cutest boy ever. (i may be slightly biased, though.) we celebrated with family and a couple friends at what sam probably considers the "funnest place on earth", chuck e. cheese :)


big bro, little bro.


gabs and sam, lovin' the ride.


i thought this was *adorable*....austin leading preston around. preston grabbed his finger and wouldn't let go :)


feeding the ticket-muncher.


grammy/sammy.


sam opening a present and ignoring the giant mouse, while ella gives him a high-five.


sweet card from gabby (sophie helped her with it!)


modeling his new jacket.


gettin' some benji-lovin'.


cuppy-cake time!


lovely pic, i know, but somehow it was the only one i managed to get with katie and soph-ball in it.


the littlest party-goers, enjoying their cupcakes (or frosting, in benji's case).


sam and mommy ♥

thanks for looking!