Sunday, September 1, 2013

What a 3 year old prays about...

Our little man is beginning to pray on his own.  Every time he says his own prayer, my heart melts.  I'm so proud that he has learned to do this.  What a great base to grow upon.  His prayers never fail to make me smile, either.  If only my prayers could be so innocent and childlike instead of having to worry about all the big stuff people face on a daily basis. 

Here are tonight's prayers, to make you smile.

"Dear Jesus, thank you for the moon.  We love to see the moon up in the sky.  It is so pretty.  It lights the way for the animals and makes it bright so we can see at night, too.  Amen."
"Dear Jesus, thank you for the monkeys.  We love to watch them swing on the vines.  They can swing on the vines like Tarzan does.  Sometimes duckies have arms and can swing on the vines, too.  And sometimes froggies can swing on the vines.  Amen."

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

My Great Grandma Rusch and her Legacy.

My Great Grandma Rusch passed away a few days ago at the ripe old age of 98 1/2.  Her funeral was yesterday morning.  I can imagine that it would make her smile to see all of her kids, grandkids, great grandkids (35 of them), and even several great great grandchildren together in one place for her.

I just wanted to share one quick story about Grandma Rusch that will hopefully make you laugh.  It is not only funny, but demonstrates the thankfulness and positive attitude that we should all try to have about everyday we spend here on Earth.

Several years ago we were celebrating Easter up at my Grandma Jan's farm.  Great Grandma Rusch had laid down on the couch to take a nap.  She slept for a long time, and every now and then I'd peek in to check on her.  After all, she was over 90 and you just never know (if you know what I mean).   Finally, she woke up.  She got off the couch, shuffled over to where everyone was sitting and talking, and in her scratchy old lady voice, she exclaimed, almost in surprise, "I'm still around!"  Everyone rolled with laughter.  I suppose at over 90, every time you wake up, you almost surprise yourself! 

I'm so thankful that we were lucky enough to get a 5 generation picture with each of my children.  This one is 5 generations of all women!

Saturday, August 3, 2013

We Have a New Niece!

Do you all remember how I mentioned that I made a cowboy boot and hat set for a soon-to-be-here little Texan?  Well... she's here!

Our newest niece, Sloane, made her arrival on August 1st.  We are all excited to see more pictures and get to see her.  Actually, when I told Brennan, he was ready to jump in the car right away and head for Texas!  "I want to see my baby cousin NOW!"

Congratulations, Mike and Marija, on your little cowgirl.


Thursday, August 1, 2013

The Lovely Crow- Boot Scoot'n Cowboy Boots and Hat Set Crochet Pattern Review and Giveaway!

Thanks for stopping by!

One of the many things I did during my recent blogging hiatus was work on crocheting whenever I had a spare moment!

We are expecting a new Texan niece soon and so I thought that The Lovely Crow's Boot Scoot'n Boots and Cowboy Hat Set would be the perfect crochet pattern to review!


Elizabeth is the creator of The Lovely Crow and boy oh boy has she created some BEAUTIFUL patterns!  Any of the projects you could create with her crochet patterns would definitely provide that 'AWWWW!' factor for baby photos or just everyday wearing!  They would also make fantastic baby shower or new baby gifts!

Here are a few of my favorites!  How can  you resist adorable patterns like this??

 
 

Besides just having cute stuff, The Lovely Crow also has a fantastic track record to go with it.  The Lovely Crow Etsy shop has been open since March 2011, is coming up on 10,000 sales and has 100% positive feedback.  That's awesome.  Be sure to check out her shops on Ravelry and Etsy as well as 'like' her Facebook page for more cool patterns and discounts!

So, here's what I was able to make with the adorable pattern I was sent to try out!


 

I am really happy with how the set turned out!  The pattern was pretty easy to follow, complete with pictures and very good instructions.  I think that anyone with any past crocheting experience would probably be able to get through the instructions just fine.  One other really nice thing about buying patterns from The Lovely Crow is that you can always get help if you need it.  If you have questions you can check out The Lovely Crow's Forum or even watch helpful videos explaining trickier steps.

I sent my completed set down to Dallas where one expectant mom was super excited to receive them!  They should make for some awesome Newborn photos!

Of course, my little Cowgirl needed to give the hat a try before I put it in the mailbox. :)


Are you falling in love (or already fallen!) with The Lovely Crow's patterns?  Good news!  You have a chance to win FOUR patterns of your choice!  It's easy.  Just fill out the form below and make sure to come back daily for extra entries.  Good luck!  P.S.  I'm sure Elizabeth would love it if you dropped by her Facebook page and left a quick note to say thanks!
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

I'm back!

Wow!  It has been FOREVER!  I've been experiencing some pretty severe blog guilt because of my lack of posts.  I've got good reasons for it though!  I've been painting walls, building a bathroom, trying to keep up with 2 tiny tornadoes, having a garage sale, working from home, and doing all the normal 'Mom' stuff. 

It's probably going to take several posts to catch us completely up, but I'll try to start.

Brennan is getting bigger and bigger everyday.  He is funny.  Really funny.  The clever things and the very large words that come out of his mouth everyday always make me laugh.  He is loving summer and everything that goes with it; going to the park, running in the sprinkler, and riding in his new toy Gator, which, I might add, he drives fabulously.  I can't believe how well he does for a 3 year old.  He has graduated to a twin sized bed in his newly carpeted jungle room and is loving it.  I'm glad he can stretch his legs out again since all of his stuffed animals are WAY down at the end now.

Bryleigh is also growing like a weed- especially those feet!  She's got very big feet for her petite little body.  She is right on track for height for her age- 48th percentile, but she's a skinny mini- only 10th percentile for weight.  She was just under 20 pounds at 15 months.  She is really trying to say more words.  We get a very consistent 'hi' and 'bye bye', but not a ton more than that right now.  Don't let that fool you, she makes it very clear what she wants or what she is thinking!  She is an absolute spitfire.  Bryleigh has also graduated to a new bed (or maybe just struck-out on the crib).  We put a double bed on her floor so that we can try to ween her out of our bed and hopefully get her more and more used to sleeping on her own.  Keeping our fingers crossed!

Well, that's all for now!  Enjoy some new pictures. :)










Sunday, June 2, 2013

My Growing-Up-Kids and Church

Everyday it is becoming clearer and clearer just how much my kids are growing up. 

Brennan is becoming self-reliant in a lot of ways.  He generally sleeps well in his own basement bedroom, he is daytime potty trained, he can navigate an iPad with the best of 'em, and he can be downright helpful at times.  The other day while I was busy, he grabbed a chair to get a cup and fill it up with water without even asking me for help.

Bryleigh loves reading, playing peek-a-boo and hide & seek, rough housing with Daddy and Brennan, feeding herself (or better yet, stealing your food), petting puppies, chasing birds, and digging in the dirt or sandbox.  She is quite the little nature lover.  I see a Tom-boy in the making... there goes the pink :(.

Anyway, I've noticed lately that my kids' church roles are reversing.  At 14 months, Bryleigh, who used to be content to sit on your lap and cuddle, has become squirmy, wiggly, and not the quietest.  She quite often makes it through about half of the service before I end up taking her out so she can run around.  Brennan (3 years and 3 months) has greatly improved as far as church goes.  Though still a little wiggly, he generally can stay fairly quiet and calm- a vast improvement in the last few months.

He is doing so well that today my Mom, Gigi, as B calls her, took him up for the Children's Sermon.  I was a little nervous as Brennan's reputation in high pressure situations is not the best!  I leaned over to Ryan and whispered, "I hope he doesn't try to play the piano or something!"  Two seconds pass and- BONG!! He managed to bang out a low note on his way past.  The congregation chuckles as I roll my eyes... I know my kid. :)  He did sit quietly and listen, making me one proud Mama. 

It was a good morning at church, followed by fixing a flat tire, doing some sheetrock mudding, and digging in drain tile.  Now it is finally lunch time!

Have a good day!