Skirt & Flower

I have been missing a little bit of creativity the last few months - I just didn't seem to get to any of the fun little projects that I have wanted to do. But I was rather inspired by a darling shirt that I got at the gap outlet for a few dollars the week after Christmas. I wanted to make Bella a cute skirt to go with it. I found some great Heidi Grace fabric (brown) that was darling and went with the shirt and a couple others that went with it. I loved this tutorial on Everyday Chaos but I wanted to step it up a bit and make it even more girly. So I added a few ruffles and this ADORABLE flower from Cluck Cluck Sew...and here is what we got:

I did better making the skirt than taking the pictures. I don't think they quite do it justice. But it was really fun to do and I want to make some more cute projects to do. If you have any suggestions be sure and leave a comment/link for me!

Happy Holidays!

Merry (Belated) Christmas and Happy New Year to all our friends and family!

This post is as close as we are going to get to a Christmas card this year! Since I have been a terrible blogger as of late, here are the 'one line' recaps:

Lucy: Walking, (not talking), page ripping, mess making, smiley 14.5 month old.

Bella: Dancing, singing, stubborn, preschool going 4 year old.

Clark: Sport playing, school acing, scout excelling 10 year old (well, almost 11).

Rachelle: Cooking, cleaning, organizing, Dr. Seuss book reading mom.

Ryan: Working, long commute driving, handyman dad.

I tried and keep it short and sweet so you would actually read it! Now if you want more details...Ryan graduated in April and was able to start his new job in May :) Unfortunately, it took the rest of us a few months to get here but we are finally feeling a little more settled. Good thing that Ryan has lots of house skills as they are often used as we try and get things done on our new home. Too bad he doesn't have more time for them! His commute is really long (1.5-2.5 hours each way, depending on traffic) but we are glad he has a job! The kids run to the door every night when he comes home! (And I am quite happy to see them run there :) He just got called to be the executive secretary at church, so that fills up any extra time.

I am trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to keep things in order around here. It seems like I am always a few days behind! Oh well. Of course, the kids keep me busy, and I am also in charge of organizing the RS meetings at church. It has been a great way to get to know lots of great people here and I am glad to have a little creative outlet!

Clark is doing well in school, started playing the French Horn in the fall and is almost done with his Arrow of Light. He is excited to move into Boy Scouts in February. Bella is in a little dance class that she LOVES and will sing or dance, with or without music! Lucy is a busy body who loves to be held and will say "Ma-Ma" forever until she get picked up. She is finally branching out and will say "Da" too now.

Thanks for all the Christmas greetings and pictures. We really love seeing our dear friends and family from across the country and how each family is growing up. We only wish we lived close to everyone and could see you more often. Have a wonderful New Year and know that we send our love and best wishes to each of you!