Fun with the Marble tower.

Jim got a marble tower for Christmas, one we can build over and over and always be different.

The girls mainly place marbles and watch them roll down but they have an input to where to place the 'whirl circle' (lg blue and yellow circles) or the 'spinners' (one is orange, green ad pink) and all the other parts.

 It's a simple, whole family activity that we are enjoying.

The towers can get tall too, EW is little taller then 30". :) 

Until Next Time,
Lexie ><> 

It's my birthday !!

Or should I say my birthday week, so I decided to write a bit about me, which won't be difficult. I always have something I can spit out, regardless if it's interesting or not.  Here we go!

The 15th, my birthday was wonderful.  We attended church in the am and I was a greeter, then we came home for pizza.  Home made and delicious!  I got EW down for a nap and was out the door!  Well, not quite. I did take a cat nap in between EW napping and leaving to go shopping. :) A girl needs to be rested up for a little shopping, right? Anyway, on my way to town, my girlfriend Kat called me and asked if I could stop over later that night to look at a window and decided what we could do about curtains. I said sure. (remember this for later)
While I was out, I was able to hit up a thrift store, a few shoe stores, find my girls white long sleeve shirts for pictures, the fabric store for goodies, found myself a new pair of winter boots (Waa-Hoo!) and after all that, I went to church for the semi-annual women's event.  The evening was wonderful; fellowship, God stories from fellow women at church and worship to our Heavenly Father!  Completely wonderful! Then I made my way to Kat's, you know, to check out that window for curtain ideas. Oh, no! That was just a scheme between her and my husband and a few other friends for a SURPRISE party.  And yes, I was surprised, completely.  I even walked into the house and saw a 'birthday cake' with a spread on the counter and decorations and still didn't tie it all in. Note: It was Kat's birthday two days before mine and I assumed it was just her decorations. :)  I went upstairs to check out the room and what do you know, a large awesome group of people were there!  Oh what fun it was!  My girls had fun yelling surprise and blowing party ca-zoo's along with everyone else!


Today is Monday and it has been one of the best Monday's I have had a in a long time, it feels great!

What else have I been up to, you guessed it. Sewing, hanging out with my girls and those domestic duties that I signed up for.

Booties for little ones. 

                                                         

                                    Boots for Me. 

 The awesome cutting mat with a small rotary cutter from Jim for Christmas! 

Small clutch.

       

Western Dress-up for niece G. 

             One of two poncho's for my girls. 

 Burlap wreath for the Christmas season. I cut 4" squares, folded and pinned to a styrofoam circle. 

The girls and I are busy with Christmas toys, playing outside with 50 degree weather until recently, creating sensory boxes, laundry, cooking, cookie baking and much more.  

 Until next time,

       Lexie ><> 

   

Welcome 2012 !

It's been a while... and I go back and forth deciding 'should keep up this blog or not?' I do think it's neat, the fact I can print off all the blog post from each year.  I do know some people actually read my type and maybe this is the year to be a bit more proactive on writing what we all are doing and make is s.i.m.p.l.e. 

Short, fun post of our life in a little town in N.Dakota. 

Here's to a fresh new month, four writings a month and a 'spot light' on each family member!  

Here we go,  

                   Lexie ><> 

A guitar in the making !

Jim has been humming and haaing about making a guitar. Well, he finally took the plunge and got started. Here are some beginning pictures to see how it's taking shape. 

rim set assembly (Rosewood)

sound hole purfling 

Spruce top

cloth pins are holding the kerfing

wood parts for top and bridge bracing (they make the top stronger)

 So far, this project is working out nicely, a little work here and a little work there. 

We'll keep you posted so you can see how it's 'coming a long'. 

Until next time,

Lexie ><> (and Jim too.)

Sewing for Africa

I asked.
Was given permission.
I'm giving my best.
I'm sewing items to sell at Eco Chic Boutique in Fargo, ND.
30% of my profit will go to support orphan care in Kenya! Why? 
Because this is what I can do from where I am at.
Because my friend Lindsay and her family is there and this is what I can do to help her ministry. 




This is my new adventure, involving what I love, Sewing and paying it forward.  


Eco Chic Boutique, a green boutique in Fargo ND. Their focus is on Baby, Mom & Home. With a dash of Pet stuff thrown in there for good measure is where I am selling my goods. They aim to buy safer, healthier and locally made products.  I tried selling my recycled feed bags when they first opened but were not that great of a hit.  Since then I slowly have gotten to know the owner, Ms. Maria and it's been one fun journey!  I asked about making some 'wet bags' for the cloth diaper department and now I am on to making booties and multi-purpose bags/purses (only a few though). I plan on making a few smaller bags for make-up or the random items in a diaper bag or the miscellaneous small toys floating around. It's is all exciting and all the same nothing major but it's something I am enjoying. Maria wants this to be fun as well, not a chore or I do because I feel I have to.  It's is all consignment, so it makes me think a little more about 'what is really going to sell' and it's done at my own pace. Even though at times I feel, if there isn't any available, I'm not able to help Eco make a sale'. Goofy I know.  I do not know what the future holds or what I'll be creating but I do hope this continues to be a fun adventure that fills me up instead of draining me. 


Once I decided that making the wet bags and booties were selling well, I decided that I would send some of my profit to my friend who helps with orphan care in Kitale Kenya. It's what I can do from where I am at.  


How is this all happening? Most of what I do is during nap time or late evenings.  It helps that the husband is working on a project that requires time spent doing his thing and I don't feel so guilty for sewing up a storm.  We have made more time to go on dates too, this part I love. :)  


Next time, I'll have some pictures to show of my goods and give an update of how this is all turning out.




Until Next Time,
    Lexie ><> 

Oh the faces she can make!

A few pictures of my Eleanore!

Her daddy Jim loves this 'angry bird' face she makes, we both think it's a little comical.     

Painting, of course it was all over. 

And there it is again, my beauty. (:  

Until Next time,

Lexie ><> 

A place for all my pretties...

    I have been meaning to make a place to hang my necklaces, bracelets and earrings for some time. I even had all of the supplies but just was not getting around to it. Well friend Melissa at her blog made one and that gave me the extra push to get my done.  I am glad it's done, my pretties are now hanging, I know what I have and it actually reminds me to wear them. (:  

My supplies: 

frame

 spray paint

 pet screen

 material - of your choice

 foam board

push pins

some sort of crafting glue

tacks or staple gun.

 this is a really odd photo, taken looking down and trying not to get my shadow in the picture, weird.


Here is my finished product, with all the pretties. (:  

    I painted the frame, sewed the pet screen and material together, glued the material to the foam board, cut the foam board snugly to fit the frame, and stapled the screen to the frame.  Then used push pins to hang my necklaces and bracelets; the earring are in the pet screen. (Pet screen: like window screen but it's rubber like and has a bit larger holes.)
   
    The board does not have to be as complicated but I wanted to hang my earrings, that is what the pet screen is for.  You wouldn't need to staple the screen to the frame, it's stiff enough to lay flat or it could be tacked down instead.

   For a more simpler version, check out Melissa's, it's super cute and when you're sick of the back ground color, you take if off, cut a new piece and Waa-Laa. A new look. (:


                                                  Until next time,  
                                                            Lexie ><>