Heather's Heartfelt Stitches

Lonely Library Bag....

2012-01-25T13:11:00.000-08:00

This Library bag has been packed away since we moved from OH, It's stitched on both sides and has Lady Bug buttons on both sides as well, hand-stitched by me.

Can anyone use her, for $15.00

I'm Stitching again Ladies!!

Little Econ Trail

2012-01-24T15:59:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we loaded up all 5 bikes on our new bike mount (lil guy's bike had to ride in the trunk), It was our first time loading 4 bikes on the new bike mount for my car so it was a rather long and stressful 1/2 hour but at last we were off. The weather was beautiful!

We rode for about 3 hours and only had 1 mishap...Lil guy and I collided and we fell and somehow I jumped over him inorder to not land on him, then Crystal looked back to find out what was going on and hit the wooded fence and went over the fence...Surprisingly no blood was shed by all 3 of us!

This One Bites the Dust

2012-01-23T10:14:00.000-08:00

My Husband has gotten back into flying remote control airplanes since moving back to FL. I don't mind, I like to go and watch him fly, the kids like to watch him fly, we take snacks and make a day of it out at the field.

Except for this past Sat. Hubby went with a couple of his co-workers very early in the morning and the kids were just blinking their eyes awake so he went by himself.

This is an older plane and he did buy it used so he knew of only a few of the issues with this plane, turns out the receiver went bad mid-flight.

Poor thing is totally dead!

I should have went with him..lol...This doesn't happen when I'm there..

Crystal's Science Project: The Plant Cell

2012-01-16T11:00:00.000-08:00

Happy MLK Day!

The kids are home from school and we had a sleepover last night with some of their friends so today all 3 seem kinda sleepy...mmm Big surprise there! LOL

Last week Crystal had a Science project due on the Plant Cell. Daddy and she really got into it and I'm really loving the finished results!

A short video with Crystal explaining her project.

Great start to the week so far, the windows are opened and the house is airing out and laundry is getting done!

Enjoy your day!

Monogramming...Love/Hate Relationship

2012-01-11T12:57:00.000-08:00

When you Monogram your name, in what order do you do it?

First, Middle, Last names?

Last, First, Middle names?

I'm lost and clueless...

When you wear a monogrammed necklace does it matter if it's your first initial or last initial?

This public wants to know..lol..

Experimenting and No Training Wheels!

2012-01-08T16:47:00.000-08:00

So today my Husband Richard experimented with my Flip camera, he took it and mounted it to his bike after making a trip to Home Depot for the parts.

We tested it today while our lil guy road his bike with no training wheels for the first time today, we took the training wheels off before dinner last night and today he rode with only 3 falls. Thank goodness they were not bad falls!

This will be so fun for when we go on long nature rides. We wish we had thought of this while on our ride on Friday!

You can see the video of todays ride on my Youtube channel.

Linking up with Kristen's Creations

The Van Fleet Bike Trail Kicked my Butt

2012-01-07T05:42:00.000-08:00

Friday Richard played Hooky from work and we ran off together as soon as all 3 were in school for the day!

We loaded up our bikes and drove an hour away to try our riding skills on the Van Fleet State Trail.

We rode a total of 30 miles with stops for water and our new fav. snack, CLIFF bars.

We almost didn't make it to pick up the kids in time but even with the rush to get back to the car It was worth being sore today!

It was so peaceful out there, we saw 2 turtles, cows and people were stopped along the trail taking pics of this otter that was down in the wet bank.

Today I'm sore but planning on riding again tomorrow but this time for a shorter ride around home.

You can read more about this trail here Van Fleet State Trail

Enjoy your Weekend!

Bike Riding in Style

2012-01-05T17:02:00.000-08:00

My Christmas present from my Husband Richard was a very nice new bike! It's a "Giant" brand bike and it's the color Mint...Yup like Mint ice cream..lol..

I love it and it goes along with my Resolution of getting back into shape, I shall not use the word "Diet" as I fail at that year after year. We are just making smarter choices in what we eat..which I'm finding very hard since I love to grab something Yummy after the kids are in bed at night. Any suggestions for low calorie but tasteful snacks?

We are riding our bikes about every weekend, if it' just us 2 then we go for a long ride around 20 or more miles but if the kids are along than we just ride for about 3 or so...They all have bikes and love to ride and see the turtles on the bike trail.

Here I am with my new bike, the sweater makes me look pregnant but let me assure you, I am not!..lol..

I'm finding bike riding to be alot of fun which I never thought it would be!

Learning Life Skills Early...

2012-01-04T15:02:00.000-08:00

He wanted to make his own Turkey sandwich so he learned how to do it all by himself today...I was/am nervous about letting him use a butter knife but I was told that "6 years old is old Mom"..lol..

Lake Woodruff Wildlife Refuge Day Trip

2012-01-03T17:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we met my Sister and her family out at DeLand's Lake Woodruff Wild life Refuge where we walked for about 2 hours.

We saw a tiny snake that my Sister was brave enough to hold but I passed on..lol..

We did see a 5 ft alligator that was sunning itself across the bank and he kept an watchful eye on us but never moved, Thank Goodness..lol The above pic is NOT the guy we saw though, he is from the webpage.

You can read more about the Wildlife Refuge below or google it. We plan on going back next weekend, it's free to park/walk and the kids love to see what pops around every corner.

The Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, located in north central Florida, twenty-five miles west of Daytona Beach, off U.S. Highway 17 in DeLeon Springs.

The Lake Woodruff Wilderness Area is part of the refuge, and consists of 1,066 acres (4.31 km²) or 4.9% of its total area. It lies along the western boundary, between Honey Creek and the St. Johns River. On the river's other side is the Alexander Springs Wilderness Area.

Happy New Year 2012!!

2012-01-01T15:01:00.000-08:00

We are enjoying Family and Friends today!

Hope you are doing the same on this fun day!!

Christmas Re-Cap

2011-12-30T06:45:00.000-08:00

Christmas was a very nice time here at the Graves Household, both G'mas came over along with my sister and even though there were moments of drama mixed in, the kids had a great time. I decided to not film them opening their presents this year like I have done last year because I got some very rude comments about how we had not given the oldest daughter enough presents..I'm not going to even acknowledge them since my oldest daughter is very happy!

We went over to my Step-Sister's and helped her bake/frost cookies and we had a blast!

We ate and ate and today I'm happy that Husband bought me a new bike so we can step up our riding this year! I'm having a great time riding with Husband, great excercise and we get to spend time together outside, something I have missed since moving from the farm.

On Christmas day my Scentsy lightbulb blew out and I bought a Wal-Mart Limited Edition Peppermint candle and we were so disappointed in the scent throw of this candle, even being in the same room with it and we could hardly smell it. What are your fav. store bought candles? I can't always run to BBW for their Slatkin candles or Yankee Candle store.

I leave you with a few pics that I was able to grab with my Iphone as the kids were grabbing seconds of Christmas dinner and one of us at my Step-Sisters frosting cookies.

An Early Christmas Present, Reading....

2011-12-24T06:27:00.000-08:00

This Christmas I was surprised by my Husband with an Kindle Touch, a early Christmas present, My new toy that I'm having so much fun with!

I have already loaded her up with a few FREE Kindle books from Amazon. My Husband surprised me by buying and loading the new Diana GaBolden book "The Scottish Prisoneer". She is my all time fav. author and I'm eagerly awaiting her next book in the Outlander series. I still love hardback books but this is oh so easy to slip in my purse and my nightstand is looking clutter free since I don't have a stack of books on it..I found a nice candle to put in their place!

I am looking for a pretty cover for my Kindle's safe keeping...Do you know of any Etsy shops that sell these or maybe pretty ones in a store?

I'm linking up with Flip Flops & Pearls for her Christmas Party!

The Tree is Trimmed

2011-12-21T17:54:00.000-08:00

So we finally trimmed the Christmas tree, It was a nice evening with G'ma Terri and Christmas music playing in the background.

It has been hard for us to get into the Christmas Spirit this year since FL is still in the 80's and it's getting colder in OH. We are putting our Smiling faces on for the kids though and hoping that next year will be a better year.

I have enjoyed looking at everyone's Christmas decorations and seeing what ya'll have bought this year and the baking I have seen...Yum!!

Am I the only one that will be out finding the last Hot toy of the season? Yup..not done yet with the Christmas shopping...lol..Every year I swear I'll be more prepared but it never works out.

I did receive a Christmas present early and I'm having so much fun with it, I'll share more on this tomorrow!

Crystal's Christmas Band Concert

2011-12-14T07:47:00.000-08:00

Last night Crystal had her Christmas Band Concert. She did really well, She brought home her Saxophone and practiced Jingle Bells many nights.

She gets her musical talents from her Dad, not from me..lol..

We are very proud of her!

Enjoying the Body Shop...Small Haul

2011-12-13T07:08:00.000-08:00

Can you believe I've never shopped at "The Body Shop"? I have always ran into Bath and Body Works for my goodies. With all the fab. sales going on right now I was able to get 3 body washes with free shipping for less than $15.00.

All 3 smells really good and I can't figure out which one is my fav. My oldest daughter is trying to steal one of them...lol..

What are your Fav. products from "The Body Shop"?

Kristen's Christmas Give-Away

2011-12-10T18:32:00.001-08:00

You may go here : Kristen's Creations to enter her give-away.

I LOVE her frames and I have wanted one for the longest time now!

The Christmas Singing- A Romance from the Heart of Amish Country

2011-12-09T13:21:00.001-08:00

After Gideon coldly broke her heart, can the warmth of the season revive Mattie’s hopes?
Mattie thought her childhood sweetheart adored her until he abruptly ended their engagement on Christmas Eve.

Three years later, will learning the truth behind his rejection restore her Christmas joy – or open the door to even deeper heartbreak?

Spend Christmas with the Amish in this story of love, romance, heartache, and restoration.

You may read the very first chapter here : Chapter 1

Many of you know that I LOVE to read books about the Amish, there is something so enjoyable about reading a story about simple times. This Christmas enjoy this new Amish Christmas story for 30% off Plus free shipping using promo code CHRISTMAS11 at waterbrookmultnomah.com .

Let me know if you read this and how you liked it, Happy Holidays!

Do You Choose Organics?

2011-12-06T13:45:00.001-08:00

I'm researching Organic beauty products. I hope to start the New Year off with new products that are better for our Family. Everything for Bath and Body and some foods, right now we can't afford to go all organic in the pantry so we will start off with health products.

Some items I can pick up at Wal-Mart.

But today I have just confused myself with the choices and variety of items that call themselves Organic.

What do you use, if any, Organic products in your home that I can look at?? With 3 kids and 2 dogs it has to be safe,proven and for me Smell good :)

Linda Castillo~ New to Me Amish Mystery Author

2011-12-02T09:03:00.001-08:00

After Thanksgiving my middle girl fell ill with a stomach bug that had been going around and since we were resting and getting her on the road to recovery I picked these books up from my Library to pass the days with.

Now these are not Christian Amish mysteries as there are a few "bad" words and some violence, just to let you know but if you do not have a problem with this than read on...These kept me guessing the whole way! She has a fourth book coming out in 2012 that I will keep an eye out for.

Have you read any good books lately?

This is an exciting new thriller set against an English/Amish backdrop. Some secrets are too terrible to reveal... Some crimes are too unspeakable to solve... Painter's Creek, Ohio may be a sleepy, rural town with both Amish and 'English' residents, but it's also the place where a series of brutal murders shattered the lives of an entire community over a decade ago. When the killing stopped, it left in its aftermath a sense of fragility, and for the young Amish girl, Katie Burkholder, a realization that she didn't belong. Now, 15 years, two dead parents and a wealth of experience later, Katie has been asked to return as Chief of Police. Her Amish background combined with her big-city law enforcement expertise make her the perfect candidate. Katie is certain she has come to terms with the past. Until the first body of a slaughtered young woman is found in a pristine, snowy field...

The sound of a scream in the early morning dawn leads to a case that will change Kate Burkholder's life irrevocably...When the police arrive at the Amish farmstead in Painters Mill they can't imagine the horror that awaits them. An entire family slaughtered: the men shot, the young women tortured and killed. The Amish are peace-loving, gentle folk and the town is shocked by what appears to be a particularly brutal and random killing. But is it random? Every family has its secrets. Kate knows that better than anyone. And as she and Agent John Tomasetti dig deeper into the victim's lives they discover a young woman who was living a lie. A girl who had to live in silence. With her own past resonating, Kate knows she has to maintain some distance. From the case, and from Tomasetti. She knows what could happen if she gets too close. But when she puts herself in the line of fire, she realizes that, this time, there may be no going back.

When Chief of Police, Kate Burkholder, is called to a farm in the Amish community of Painter's Creek, nothing could prepare her for the horror and tragedy she encounters. Solly and Rachel Slabaugh, and his brother Abel, have drowned in the hog pit leaving the four children as orphans. As the investigation progresses, it seems that the Slabaugh deaths were not an accident, and the case suddenly becomes a murder enquiry. Agent John Tomasetti and Kate have worked together before, and now he is called back to Painter's Creek to help seek out the perpetrators of what appear to be serious hate crimes against the Amish. Whether these crimes and the Slabaugh murders are linked is hard to establish because the Amish are very proud and private people who do not enjoy involvement from outside. As the case deepens, Kate develops a bond with the children, particularly the 15-year-old daughter, Solome. Maybe she is reminded of herself at that age, and maybe there's something about this case which stirs up memories for her. The events surrounding the deaths puzzle her - something doesn't feel right. As more information comes to light, a tragic incident turns into something much more shocking.

One Wall 2 Different Looks

2011-11-28T14:12:00.001-08:00

This is how this wall looked after we moved in about 8 months ago, it did the trick but now that Hubby has a dedicated office....

This is so much better!!

I need to hang that big pic. that is leaning on the floor and you can see that I have started to decorate for the Holidays.

I am linking to these Parties,

Wow Us Wednesday

Sherry's Open House Party

Sunday Daydreams

2011-11-27T10:05:00.001-08:00

A nice road bike so I can keep up with Hubby. I just finished riding 20 miles (slowly but I'm getting faster)

The new Kristen Coach bag, just because I love Coach..haha..

Okay, so every Sunday I'm going to share with you a couple of my Wants, just for fun.

I'm off to the grocery store with my Husband, it was a deal that if I finished 20 miles with him this morning he would go grocery shopping with me...He HATES grocery shopping!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2011-11-24T04:23:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a Great Holiday with Family and Friends!

We are cooking, eating and watching movies with G'ma today and tomorrow going to the Turkey Run Car Show in Daytona Beach, I love looking at old cars, plus I'd much rather spend it with my family than standing in line fighting with other people!

What you are doing?

Enjoy the day!

Sunday Dreams

2011-11-20T09:31:00.001-08:00

We are missing our first snow fall and our lovely fireplace, today I'm reminiscing.

20 and Counting? The Duggars are Expecting Again!

2011-11-11T13:01:00.001-08:00

I Love to watch this show and I do wish that at times I had her patience with kids, That being said I'm on the fence about this pregnancy. Her last was dangerous and Josie will most likely always have some kind of issue stemming from it.

I will pray that everything goes smoothly with no complications in up coming months.

Do you watch this show? What are your thoughts?