The Sunshine Stitch Blog

{cough cough} pardon the dust.

2012-02-19T23:35:00.000-08:00

as you can see.... TheTarrPit.com is no more...

we are under construction as we transition to...

The Sunshine Stitch Blog!

Thanks to the lovely Aimee for designing a few things for me, this little blog is going to be super beautiful to match my new shop redesign....

to be revealed on March 1st!!

Stick around... fun stuff to come! :)

FACEBOOK FEST! :)

2012-01-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

Looking for a fun marketing way to get your business or shop "out there"? Want to spread the love & find some new shops to love {& adore} .... welcome to

FACEBOOK FEST!!

This is where you can simply put your business page in the link below and then see the lovely fans pour in! :)

hosts:

the lovely poppy | glow kouture

sunshine stitch | henning love

to enter:
-link up your facebook page below
-"like" all hosts with your personal facebook page and comment on their wall. this guarantees at least four new fans!
-stop by and visit others who have linked up, i promise they are amazing and you'll find some amazing new businesses to support
-share on your facebook page, this will generate more traffic = more visits for everyone

HAVE FUN!! :)

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Shopping addiction? Let's feed that shall we.

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

we.are.HERE

the long awaited swag swap week is going on right now :) I am so excited to be apart of it!!

{Cliff Note: All shops participating in the swap get to trade their swag with swag in other shops too}

Not participating in the swap? No Worries! Our shop owners have graciously offered you fine folks COUPON CODES so you too can go all "click, add to cart" crazy on these awesome handmade shops!

Now what are you waiting for? Browse our shops, use their coupon codes, and check back later in the week at YellowHeartArt.blogspot.com for group giveaways from some participating shops happening this Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday AND Friday!

Have fun with all these fun new shops!! <3

[shop] [blog] [twitter] [facebook]

COUPON CODE: homegirl is giving 15% off ALL items in her shop with the code "CELEBRATE", works worldwide too! Go on our friends in Europe and Canada, get shopping!

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[shop] [blog] [twitter]

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[shop] [blog] [twitter] [facebook]

COUPON CODE: enter SWAPLOVE at checkout for 15% off!

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[shop] [twitter] [facebook]

COUPON CODE: enter SWAGER at checkout for 20% off!

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[shop] [blog] [twitter] [facebook]

COUPON CODE: score yourselves 20% off EVERYTHING in the shop with SWAG20 at check out

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[shop] [blog] [twitter] [facebook]

COUPON CODE: Enter SWAG20 to get 20% off all these hair lovelies! GO GO GO!

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[shop] [blog] [facebook]

COUPON CODE: Enter SWAGSWAP20 to nab yourself 20% off! (WOOT!)

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[shop] [twitter] [facebook]

COUPON CODE: If you enter SWAGSWAP12 at checkout you get 15% off on ANYTHING in the shop! ((US & Canada only please)) ((good till end of swap Jan 21st, 2012))

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[shop] [blog]

COUPON CODE: Enter SWAG10 at checkout for 10% off! ((US only please))

[shop] [blog] [twitter] [facebook]

COUPON CODE: Enter SWAPWEEK for 30% off (WOWZAS!)

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[shop] [blog] [twitter] [facebook]

COUPON CODE: Enter SWAPWEEK and get 10% off anything your heart desires <3

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[shop] [blog] [twitter] [facebook]

COUPON CODE: Enter SWAGSWAP at checkout for 10% off ANYTHING! (holla)

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[shop] [blog] [twitter] [facebook]

COUPON CODE: Enter SWAGSWAP10 and get 10% off any and all items in the shop!

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[shop] [blog] [twitter] [facebook]

PROMOTION: Free Shipping on all prints until December 20th. No coupon code necessary- all print shipping is already discounted. Free shipping available on U.S. print orders only with discounted shipping rates internationally.
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[shop] [blog] [twitter] [facebook]

COUPON CODE: Enter "SWAGSHOP" at check out for FREE domestic shipping!

[shop] [blog] [twitter] [facebook]

COUPON CODE: Enter SWAGWEEK for 20% off anything in the shop! (she also has items for big people too! Fun iPad sleeves and purses)

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[shop] [blog] [twitter] [facebook]

***IMPORTANT NOTICE*** Kristina had to put her shop in vacation mode during this week, please visit her "sold" section to see what items she has. She will be available for contact. She apologizes for any inconveniences!

[shop] [blog] [twitter]

COUPON CODE: Enter SWAG15 for 15% off these ADORABLE purses! (I should know I own 4)

[shop] [blog] [twitter] [facebook]

COUPON CODE: Enter "SAVE10" at checkout for 10% off anything you want!

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[shop] [blog] [twitter] [facebook]

COUPON CODE: Enter "SWAPIT" for 15% off these hand stamped lovelies

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[shop] [blog] [twitter]

COUPON CODE: Enter "SWAPWEEKLOVE" for 20% off ANYTHING in her shop! (aww yeah!)

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[shop] [blog] [twitter] [facebook]

COUPON CODE: Enter SWAGSWAP20 for 20% off these lovely rosies!

[blog] [twitter] [facebook]

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[blog] [twitter] [facebook] [shop]

Swag Swap Week is going on from January 16th 2012 - January 21st 2012. Coupon codes will expire once the week is over.

Where {a lot of} my time goes.

2012-01-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

So, I spend most of my day with my lovely boys.

seriously. I am one lucky mama.

But then, when naptime rolls around & bedtime comes... it's back to work I go.

Oh what do I do?

If you're new here or you have just forgot since I am an awful blogger & you probably dont come around much....

I am the owner over at The Sunshine Stitch. :)

This past Friday marked the ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of my business being open! Whew what a year its been!

I have been so blessed to have had almost 700 sales in the first year!

{You customers are AMAZING}

As a celebration, Im having a HUGE giveaway over on my facebook page.

You should totally check it out!

And just for fun, I thought I would show you all what The Sunshine Stitch looks like at home. :) A little tour of where I get all my work done. :)

So do you live in a tiny apartment like me?

Or just have NO extra space for your crafting that you so adore?

Well, here is proof that you can indeed run a business with barely any space used.

{Why yes, The Sunshine Stitch business is run from my kitchen/dining room}

Gotta love it! <3

I do! :)

On Loving the Little Years.

2011-12-29T22:18:00.000-08:00

I dont read very many books.

With two children at home {2 1/2 & 10 months} ...

SIDENOTE: 10 months!?!?! How is he almost one already? eek.

I feel like I can barely fit in 20 minutes to sit down and spend some time in the Word with the Lord.

Soo. When a dear friend recommended to me to read "Loving the Little Years" by Janet Jankovic, I didnt.

Actually I forgot all about it. Mommy brain much?

But Christmas came around, I was writing my list for the hubs & secret santa and for some reason it popped into my head. The Lord's work? Yea, probably.

So, i got it for Christmas and by the end of day one, I had read 60 pages.

I laughed.

I cried.

My jaw dropped.

This lady SERIOUSLY had to be talking about ME! She wrote this book for me! And those were MY children she was talking about.

This is in no way a promotion of this book, I am not being paid, blah blah blah.

I just want to share this book with you, you mamas... you mamas "in the trenches" of the little years. If you've ever felt like you're "going under," drowning under the flood of laundry, discipline, training, exhaustion, diapers, food, mess, and all the other stuff that comes with small kids, this little book is a lifesaver. I've read a handful of parenting books by moms of 1 or 2 kids, moms whose kids are long out of the house, and other moms who have good advice, but lack credibility to me because they've not been "in the trenches" lately and they really wish their big kids were small again. Rachel LIVES in the trenches, just like I do. She knows. The chapters are really short, easy and engaging to read, but so full of perspective and truth, you can re-read the same chapter 5 times in a row and still learn from it.

An Excerpt:

"This is not a tender reminiscence from someone who had children so long ago that she only remembers the sweet parts. I do not have a foggy, precious perspective on mothering little ones. My children do not sit on monogrammed picnic blankets in coordinated outfits while I bring them nutritious snacks on a silver tray. You are more likely to find me putting an end to them pulling each other around at breakneck speeds on a tablecloth tied to a jump rope, or seriously counseling someone who has part of a toilet paper tube taped to their nose. At the time of writing this, I have three children in diapers, and I can recognize the sound of hundreds of toothpicks being dumped out in the hall. Sure, I am looking back in retrospect on nursing the twins in the park with a blanket between my teeth, but it wasn’t so long ago that I have forgotten about the overheated kind of specialness of it.

I didn’t write this book because mothering little ones is easy for me. I wrote it because it isn’t. I know that this is a hard job, because I am right here in the middle of t. I know you need encouragement every day, because I do too."

Seriously. You need encouragement? Need a little Godly wisdom on training your children in an applicable way? Or just need a laugh from a mom who really knows what you're going through?

Get this book. I love it. I'm sure you will too.

{Wow, look at that. I blogged. Crazy. Time must be standing still.}

Making Memories.

2011-12-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

We've been making some memories lately.

You know, those kinds that fill up your photo albums.

The kind of memories where you can just look at a picture & it take you back to that exact moment in time.

You can smell the air, you can remember the butterflies of excitement in your tummy & you can picture just how amazing time was in that exact moment.

This was that kind of memory.

Big Bear Lake, California. One of my favorite places ever.

Snow. So much snow I just wanted to live there. The smell of the air, the view, oh my the view.

Gods creation is amazing.

And the best part, I got to share it with the ones I love. Seeing a kids face the first time he sees snow? Mesmerizing. I will never forget the look on his face when he first saw it... and when he first touched it? I wanted to cry.

So. Much. Joy.

For those of you that have snow often, dont take it for granted. Its amazing. I seriously take our beautiful sunshine for granted far too often myself.

This beautiful town is where my husband and I spent our honeymoon just 4 short years ago. I still cant believe its been almost 4 years since I've been here.

Its just 2 hours away to this beautiful place & I dream of living here someday. <3

This was truly a weekend I will never forget. I never want to forget it. I cant wait to come back & I cant wait to open the photo album someday so it can take me back to that moment, that air, that view & that amazing feeling.

Advent Activities

2011-12-08T23:00:00.000-08:00

In preparation for making my first advent calendar, I needed some ideas of fun things to do with my kiddos for each day. A few friends of mine have already done advent calendars year after year so as you read these ideas, know that they arent all mine. Combing lists of activities always makes for better ideas.:)

And of course. There are only 25 activities needed so feel free to pick & choose.

AND yes, its already December 9th. I have been a bad bad blogger. But hey, its Christmas season & I am swamped! Good excuse right?

Here we go!

Advent Activities:

1. Cut down & Decorate tree
2. Make toilet paper snowflakes and decorate kids' room/windows
3. Make Christmas cookies {Deliver cookies to neighbors}
4. Have a Christmas party/ open house
5. Make gifts for family members
6. Disneyland at Christmas {Or another fun park you live by}
7. Wrap gifts for family
8. Paint nails red and green {For the girls of course}
9. Christmas movie and popcorn (I usually do this a few times) (Christmas Vacation, Elf, Grinch, It’s a wonderful Life, The Christmas Story, Home alone, Disney Christmas cartoons)
10. Go see Christmas lights
11. Buy gifts for brothers & sisters
12. Preschool/elementary Christmas programs {If your kids are in school}
13. Wrap gifts together.
14. Camp-out in front of Christmas tree
15. Santa train ride. {We have this in our town}
16. Color/paint Christmas craft.
17. Build a gingerbread house.
18. Write a letter to Santa
19. Go to a Christmas movie at the theater
20. Christmas Eve/day service
21. Snow at the mall {Or real snow if you have it.}
22. Make homemade wrapping paper for gifts
23. Deliver cookies and/or gifts to friends/neighbors
24. Go to the snow {This would be a big ordeal for us haha}
25. Check out Christmas books at library
26. Read a Christmas story
27. Polar Express Train in Fillmore (Google it. SO awesome}
28. Make a Christmas ornament.
29. Get hot chocolate at Starbucks
30. Make Gingerbread houses
31. Give a toy for tots
32. Hot Coco all the fixings by the fire & read stories
33. Open special ornament and put on the tree.
34. Buy a new book to unwrap
35. Wear new jammies to bed
36. Choose Special Treat
37. Invite friend and cousins over for cookies and a movie
38. Go to Christmas tree lot and look at trees and reindeer
39. Write a Christmas story. Everyone adds a line
40. Go ice skating
41. Make popcorn garland
42. Host a Christmas Sweater Party
43. Wear a fancy dress or outfit for dinner time
44. Go See Santa!!
45. Learn a new Christmas song, sing around the piano
46. Drink a glass of Sparkling Cider
47. Play a game with a Christmas theme
48. Find a Family to do the 12 days of Christmas gifts.
49. Read The Night Before Christmas
50. Bake a Birthday Cake for baby Jesus
51. Special Breakfast
52. Keep a holiday journal- Take a picture of your child and have them write or you write down what they remember about the picture in the child’s words.

So many ideas!! Feel free to add your own.

And in case you were wondering...

ad·vent/ˈadˌvent/

Noun:

The arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.
The first season of the church year, leading up to Christmas and including the four preceding Sundays.

Synonyms:

coming - arrival - appearance

So in essence, while we do these daily "Advent Activities" with our children. Remember why we do them. WHO we do them for. Read them Luke 1 in preparation for the birth of Jesus. Tell them the story of their savior.

Jesus really is the reason for the season.

Pinned it, then did it....again.

2011-12-01T05:30:00.000-08:00

Gosh, i literally have NO time but for some reason I still find myself on pinterest day after day. {time suck for sure}

But at least this time I pinned something worthwhile. Something to do with Dawson.

I saw these beautiful Advent Calendars on Pinterest and knew I just had to make one for our family. :)

from here

And this one is by far my favorite but I just did not have enough time or items to do this one! :) {Especially for low budget}

from here

So after looking at all of those for inspiration & laying out a budget, I knew the scrapbook style was my way to go! :)

I should have taken photos along the way but alas, i did not.

So here is MY finished product. Not really pinterest worthy in my opinion but I LOVE it and we are so excited to start our activities & bible versus today! :)

December 1st - Pop popcorn & watch Elf! :)

Anyone interested in seeing our verses & activities? :)

I would love to share! And i would LOVE to hear some of yours!

YAY for almost Christmas!!

and 6 days later.

2011-11-27T23:46:00.000-08:00

yea, so i havent blogged in 6 days.
whoops.

I've been a little busy lately.

with these handsome boys...

life is good.

There's an update for ya. ;)

Once the holidays slow down {ha, right?} ill be back & give ya a little update! Hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving!!!

Pinned it then did it.

2011-11-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

I know everyone has seen those beautiful yarn wreaths on etsy and pinterest right?

Well I have always loved how beautiful they look and wanted to try it myself!! :)

So now, I have made 3 of them! :)

This was my first one:

And this was my second:

{Also now for sale in my shop}

I loved making those so much that my sister in law & I decided to throw a Girls craft night & make some more!! :)

Kandi, Erica & Christy {some fabulous friends}

My sister in law Ashley, her mama & me.

Our beautiful finished wreaths <3

And this one was my 3rd creation:

We are definitely doing a monthly Girl's craft night from now on!

Do you craft?

Do you have a girls craft night?

What types of crafts do you do? :)

so much to be thankful for.

2011-11-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

This month I have decided to do the 30 days of thankfulness. And since we are now{more than} halfway through the month of November, I thought I would share with you what I am thankful for. :)

Here are my {so far } days of thankfulness.

Day 1: Thankful for weekly story time at our library. Dawson loves his friends and I get to hang out with mine. :)

Day 2: for my amazing husband/super dad. I couldn't be more blessed.

Day 3: thankful that the Lord has blessed me with the ability to have babies. It is truly a gift from Him to be called mama. ♥

Day 4 of Thankfulness: Thankful that my dad had the chance to dance with me on my wedding day. The Lord called him home 2 years ago. I love you daddy. ♥

Day 5 of thankfulness: thankful for the beautiful yarn hutch my amazing husband built me. There would be yarn EVERYWHERE without it. :)

Day 6 of thankfulness: thankful for the food the Lord always puts on our table.. :)

Day 7 of thankfulness: thankful for lazy Mondays. Brothers play. Mama plays. Lots of cuddles. No errands. No chores. Just us. ♥

Day 8 of thankfulness: thankful for giggles, conversation & quality time with my Dawson over breakfast before the baby wakes. ♥

Day 9 of thankfulness: thankful for this little guy who is always under my feet to remind me to just slow down a little bit more in life. ♥

Day 10 of thankfulness: thankful for my early morning time alone with the Lord. ♥

Day 11 of thankfulness: thankful that my husband is home today and we get to spend it as a family. ♥

Day 12 of thankfulness: thankful for travel town and all the fun we had there as a family together yesterday. :)

Day 13 of thankfulness: thankful for this little guy. Thankful for his early morning snuggles, his love of resting his head in my neck, the smell of his hair, the way he gets so excited when I walk into a room and thankful most of all, that the Lord gave him to me lo take care of. ♥

I forgot day 14: BUT Ill add, thankful for days that I am just too busy living life & enjoying my babies to hop on the computer to upload a picture. :)

Day 15 of thankfulness: thankful my sweet Dawson who turns 29 months today. Thankful for his cheesy smiles, crater dimples, love of trains, loves me cuddles and stories every morning and night and how he needs a kiss from mama everytime I leave I room. I'm one blessed mama. ♥

Day 16 of thankfulness: thankful for the wonderful smell that fills my house after a batch of freshly homemade gingerbread cookies. ♥

And today, Day 17 of Thankfulness:

I am thankful for dinner time.

Silly time.

Family time.

Brother time.

The first awesome thing i have ever won.

2011-11-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

Remember that one time...

this last weekend...

where i got on my knees and begged...

for votes?

And spammed up my twitter feed...

facebook page...

business page...

and everyone elses pages?

Yes, well it was TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!!!

We won

two tickets to Disneyland

and a

stay at the hotel!!!!

so "thank you" cant even describe how i feel to you guys right now.

I am grateful from the bottom of my heart!

And I cannot even imagine the look on Dawson's face that first time he gets to walk through the gates of The Most Magical Place on Earth.

Thank you...

oh and boy was it a hard fight. Out of the 30ish entries there was only ONE other girl who was as competitive as I was. We went back and forth winning and losing to eachother but in the end, it was a dear friend who helped me pull through by getting all her fans to like my photo.

{handmade businesses who support other handmade businesses.... totally awesome!}

And after we won the contest, Brett walked up to me and said

"So now that you've won, what are you going to do???"

and of course I replied "We're going to Disneyland!!!"

{Please tell me you get this joke.}

Free trip to DISNEYLAND!?! Yes. Please

2011-11-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

My apartment complex is hosting a contest.

"Me & My Mini" is what they call it.

All we had to do was submit a picture of us & our mini & the picture to get the most "likes" by Sunday will win....

{TWO TICKETS TO DISNEYLAND

& a one night stay at the Disney hotel!!!}

so heck yes, we entered that contest.

this is the picture we submitted.

Maybe I'm a little bias but i think Dawson is definitely my little mini me.

Do you agree?

We are currently in SECOND place {behind someone who has WAY more facebook friends than I do} so that is why I am here at the blog.

Begging you. Yes, I am down on my knees.

Please, click this link & simply "LIKE" our photo. that's it. no spam. no emails. just two seconds of your time.

a lot less time than it took you to read this blog. sorry for that.

but THANK YOU for helping little Dawson's dream come true!!!

Cross your fingers for us or spread the word to help us win!! :)

A free trip to disneyland?!? YES. PLEASE.

2011-11-10T22:35:00.000-08:00

My apartment complex is hosting a contest.

"Me & My Mini" is what they call it.

All we had to do was submit a picture of us & our mini & the picture to get the most "likes" by Sunday will win....

{TWO TICKETS TO DISNEYLAND

& a one night stay at the Disney hotel!!!}

so heck yes, we entered that contest.

this is the picture we submitted.

Maybe I'm a little bias but i think Dawson is definitely my little mini me.

Do you agree?

We are currently in SECOND place {behind someone who has WAY more facebook friends than I do} so that is why I am here at the blog.

Begging you. Yes, I am down on my knees.

Please, click this link & simply "LIKE" our photo. that's it. no spam. no emails. just two seconds of your time.

a lot less time than it took you to read this blog. sorry for that.

but THANK YOU for helping little Dawson's dream come true!!!

Cross your fingers for us or spread the word to help us win!! :)

Over at Moriah's House today.

2011-11-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

Check out Moriah Makes today!

We are definitely a proud sponsor of her blog, shop & LOVE who she is!

We are so lucky because she is featuring US on her blog today! You don't want to miss it...

and the special surprise in store! :)

yea. more tests.

2011-11-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

I totally dont want to talk about this on the internet but hey, you guys dont really know me in real life anyways... and if you do, let's not chat about this over coffee, mmkay?

So last week I confessed to you that I've been sick.

I've had "flu symptoms" for almost 3 months now.

No fevers, chills, or sweats... just the super fun stuff.

Well I had blood tests to check for numerous things including

-allergies

-parasites

-bacterias

All of them came back negative.

{Yea, guess I'm not allergic to milk? weird.}

Then they did some other tests of my .. um...

yea.

That showed nothing either.

So I went BACK to the dr. for more tests.

-No thyroid problems

-No anemia

So, I will be going back, yet again, on Thursday to get an MRI to get a closer look.

Possibly testing for celiac disease as well.

hmm so.... no clue?

Lord, I know you have a plan for me.

I'm trusting.

I'm praying.

I'm believing.

You never give me more than I can handle.

<3 thank you all for your thoughts & prayers. I know praying for someone you dont know can be difficult but i so appreciate it when you do... even if it does end up being nothing.

Discovery.

2011-11-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we took Dawson to my college's Child Development center.
{I am a preschool teacher by degree in case you didnt know that. } They were hosting their biannual "Discovery Day".

Its a fun event that they put on twice a year where all the teachers and student teachers set up fun activities for children in the community to come & "discover".
{It's also a way to introduce parents to the preschool & hopefully get them to sign their kids up.}

So we went with Dawson for the second time & it was definitely worth the two hours on our Saturday afternoon! :)

He played with Gak. {Hated to touch it. haha}

He hammered golf tees into pumpkins.

He rolled balls down gutters.

Played at the sand table.

And went back to hammer more pumpkins.

{Could the goggles & construction hat be any more adorable?.. i think not}

*Exciting part of the day was that a photographer for our town newspaper was there and he was taking quite a few pictures of Dawson & even took down his name & age & asked if he could picture in the paper! ! ! :)

eek.. my little famous boy! How cute! Ill let you all know if Dawson is in it!

Happy Monday!

To get you a little excited for winter!! :)

2011-11-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

It's your lucky day.

The Sunshine Stitch is now a dedicated sponsor to a fabulous fashion & family blog! AND, we were invited to do something a little fun over at that wonderful blog!

Today, I am over at Natalia's blog {Ma Nouvelle Mode}. If you havent read her blog yet, you are COMPLETELY missing out.

I am over there today because she is reviewing one of my fabulous hooded cowls that she took with her to france!

And then, I am doing a GIVEAWAY! :)

You best head on over to her place, go enter & cross your fingers that you win some loot to my shop! :)

Have a wonderful Friday!

Take Two.

2011-11-03T04:59:00.000-07:00

We totally took the boys to another pumpkin patch.

Yea, we just love farms & dirt & hay & huge crowds of people THAT much.

Ok, maybe we dont. But hey, the boys loved it.

aaand the best picture of the day.

Dawson & I flew out of this slide, i landed right on my back & then Dawson asked to go on it again. Painful but hilarious.

I love that we literally live 10 minutes from this farm & all the attractions {pony rides, trains, wagons} & fun things are literally just quarters to play on... I want to go here every day! :)

What did you do to celebrate fall & halloween?

Confession.

2011-11-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

So ive been sick lately.

Flu like symptoms.

And by lately, I mean...

almost 3 months.

Funny how when you have kids you kind of start to put your health on the back burner. {no time to go, not another co pay, its probably nothing}

Yea, not smart.

So Brett finally convinced me to go to the dr after I was practically curled up in a ball for the past week.

They drew blood.

Asked questions.

Did tests that are too gross to tell you about.

& now I wait.

I trust in the Lord.

I pray that it is indeed nothing.

He is almighty.

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

Psalm 56:3

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6:34

Worry is the sin of distrusting the promise and providence of God, and yet it is a sin that Christians commit perhaps more frequently than any other.

John MacArthur

Halloweekend

2011-11-01T04:59:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a blur.

We went to our church harvest fest. The kids played games where they won candy, they played with friends & adults gave them candy and they bounced in bounce houses and then got candy.

Yea, we came home with a little candy.

Dawson & his friends.

The Tarr's

Halloween 2011.

trick or treating.

My little superheros 2011.

{Emerson 8 1/2 mo. Dawson 2 1/2 years}

Hope you all had a fun & safe Halloween!

mass spider homicide.

2011-10-31T04:59:00.000-07:00

-Its 1030pm.

-I just finished a hootie patootie hat for a fabulous customer.

-I go over to my yarn hutch to grab some packaging to wrap up the order.

As I go to grab a bag I see something behind our fake decorative tree that sits in the corner of the room.

A big. black. spider.... fabulous.

Brett is already in bed {like usual, i stay up way too late} and there is NO way I am going to bed knowing that spider can crawl back to our room and crawl into my ear and make a home there. {yes, i have nightmares about this.}

So i do the rational thing... I wake up my husband.

He is amazing. Always willing to kill even the tiniest of spiders at all hours of the night. So he comes out, grabs a tissue, pulls the tree out of the corner of the room and after a few minutes, catches the spider and kills it. {Yes, i am pacing the room & feeling my hair tickle my arms thinking i have spiders all over me the entire time he is trying to kill the spider. I really have issues.}

The spider is dead, Brett goes back to bed and i decide to sweep the corner where the tree sits because hey, Im still awake & I cant go to bed thinking about all that dust I just saw from Brett pulling the tree out of the corner. So I grab the broom and start sweeping. Then the dusts starts scattering all over the floor. "OH. MY. WORD." were the exact words that came out of my mouth that made Brett come flying out of bed and back into the dining room where I was sleeping.

"What? What is it?" he asked. And then I didnt have to say anything. Tiny little baby spiders were crawling all over the corner of the dining room. I always dreamed this day would come. I would have nightmares of this exact scenario. And in my nightmares I always dreamt I would just grab the kids and run out of the house screaming. And to my surprise, that did not happen.

I ran to the kitchen, opened the doors under the sink, grabbed the bug spray and started spraying those little spiders as fast as I could. Yea, I felt tough. And then i felt kinda bad. I killed their mama and then poisoned, no, drowned all of them.

oh well, at least I would be sleeping a lot better after that.

"get that tree out of here!" were the next words to come out of my mouth.

I love having a cute cozy home with beautiful decor. But i dont want any more spiders making babies in my house! So the tree slept on the patio. And it will probably be going to goodwill tomorrow. I cant even get myself to clean it in fear that more spiders will crawl out.

So yea, we had a mass spider homicide in our house that night. I went to bed feeling like there were spiders everywhere & all over me even though im pretty sure we killed them all.
Funny how no matter how small, spiders will always make me quake in fear. bleh.

{I cant remember which harry potter it was, but the one with the huge spiders, yea, i had nightmares for weeks!}

How we make it work.

2011-10-26T05:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I told you about the new arrangement in the boys room.

Well, here is a look at the new makeover.

See, we can totally fit 3 in here?

haha.. I think that will forever be a thing i like to say to my husband even though I am totally content with the two amazing boys the Lord has given me. :)

{only problem would have having to add another dresser. Two boys share the dresser fine, not sure where we would put the 3rd's clothes since the closet is also packed}

But seriously, the bunk beds rock! And I am sooo excited to be packing up the crib & changing table in less than a year so the boys can have even more room to play together... and who knows? Maybe the Lord will have us in a bigger place by then..

But if not? That's totally ok too. :)

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out.

– 1Timothy 6:6-7

How many kids can you fit in one room?

2011-10-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

So Dawson's bed is Brett's old bed. Brett's old bed, that used to be a bunk bed. Its pretty cool when you can take bunk beds apart and make them into two separate twin beds.

So thats what we did for Dawson.

Well, Brett's parents really wanted to get the matching twin bed out of their house since no one was using it anymore, so we figured, hey, let's just build Dawson's bunk bed {Its not like its going to really add any more furniture to our house, I mean, it goes ON TOP of Dawson's bed.}

So this past weekend, Brett & his dad spent a couple hours trying to arrange, rearrange & then rearrange the boys room again to try and put the bunk bed in a spot that didnt look hideous, didnt block the window & still made room for shelves. They finally did it and now we officially have:
One set of bunk beds

One crib

One changing table

One dresser

One small bookshelf

& one laundry basket

& a closet that takes up an entire wall

That completes the room. Not an inch of wall space is empty.

{Just picture it, because lame blogger me forgot to take a picture}

So, its pretty awesome. We could "technically" fit 3 children in one room.

Or as Dawson likes to do, him and Emerson could share the crib & we could fit two more children on the bunk bed.

*Yes, Dawson has climbed into Emerson's crib multiple times and actually laid with him while he was sleeping. Yea, not safe I know but come on, how can i not allow that cuteness?? ;)

So of course, after the room was built, i said to my husband "Look honey, we CAN fit one more baby in our little apartment!! =)"

you should have seen the dirty look he gave me.

aw shucks. It was worth a try right?

*I will post some pictures of their new room makeover asap!

Thankful Thursday....errr... Friday.

2011-10-20T22:13:00.000-07:00

I havent done one of these in a while but this week has been hard with both the boys having serious colds as well as myself. & i think i need it .... to remind myself that I must be thankful for everything. For God is so good in everything.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Thankful for:

- Sick kiddos. {Forcing us to do nothing but cuddle}

- Tissues. {For the never ending runny noses}

- Bob the Builder {He sure makes the day easier}

- 31 sales in my shop this week. I am so grateful. {the extra income is a blessing}

- My amazing sister in law who risks getting sick just to help me out. { i love her.}

- Chicken noodle soup. {No matter how old you are, it always helps}

- Frozen pizza. {the husband never complains. }

- 3am wake up calls from my toddler {I really do miss late night snuggles with him}

- Fresh sheets, toys, blankets & clothes after the colds are over. I look forward to feeling booger free! :)

What are you thankful for this week??

{Crazy that BOTH of my boys eat dinner at the table with us now. }

Very thankful for our hardwood floors & my broom. ;)