I hope that you all have a safe and Happy New Year! Here's to seeing what 2009 has in store for us!
Shawnee's Secret Santa
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Happy Holidays
So much for keeping up with this new blog. With the holidays fast approaching I was being kept busy with crazy kids, a huge family order of 7 aprons for Christmas, various birthdays that required a quick stitching up of one thing or another. In between that we had a huge snow storm, a couple of sub freezing temperature filled days, and a bought of the cold that's been going around and is still lingering. I put my finishing touches on my last sewing projects before Christmas. I made a few things for my sister's but I can't post pics yet as they may read this blog. So I packed up the ole' sewing machine and put everything away which for me means I cleared the dining room table (my "space" as I don't hace a sewing table or room of my own)and piled my goodies in a neat pile in a corner. Ahhh... one day we will have a bigger home and not just a two bedroom townhome and I'll have my own craft space. In the mean time I am ready to relax a bit before Christmas hits. I'll actually be going to sleep on time instead of sewing into the wee hours of the night which is the only time you have with twins. So I will leave you with a few pics of some of my latest and greatest. The Bears Apron is a set of three. Daddy's (pictured) and two sons 6 and 1.5 will all these matching pieces. I can't wait to get a pictureof the three of them together!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Welcome and all that good stuff!
Ahhh... The dawn of a new day and my new blog. Let me first take the time to welcome you all to my site. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and listen to my ramblings and pics of my works in progress.
So...a little about myself. I am am 32 year old mom of twins married to a great man named John. I currently work full time outside the home and have fun trying to balance the demands of mom, employee, friend, and (newly added) crafty craft artisan.
I'm a Chicagoan as far as most are concerned. You see I grew up in sunny San Diego, California. My family is smattered all along the Southern Californian borders (have been for ages now) so when you tell them you live in Illinois it's just easier for all to say Chicago.
Growing up and watching T.V, I dreamed of going away to college in a part of the country that experienced four seasons. I watched programs of parents welcoming college students back for the holidays. It was all so very romantic and All-American in my mind. So it wasn't surprising that the college I choose to go to was smack dab in the heart of the country. While at college I met my John, a native of the great land of Lincoln. When I graduated I found it easier to find a job in Illinois. That and the fact that I was still dating John prompted me to lay down some roots and finally turn in my Californian ID to establish residency in Illinois.
As vehemently as I was about returning to my homeland in the San Deezy, next year will mark the 10th year of my graduation from college and the time I was supposed to return home. A few things I have learned:
1. Four Seasons ain't all it's cracked up to be(and I don't mean the hotel chain).
Especially when one of those seasons is winter. Snow is pretty and white and fluffy as long as you don't have to drive or attempt to live in it. Can you tell I am so not a fan? Remember where I grew up? I swear our skin is thinner which has condemned me to a life of being perpetually cold. I won't even start on the commutes home during a snowstorm...Bah!
2. You can plan your life as well as you'd like and God will take a look at it, pat you on the head, and throw you a curve ball.
This little tidbit came after John and I got married. After a year we decided to buy a home.We started with good solid starter home. A two bedroom townhouse that would house our two dogs, the two of us, and (God willing) a baby. We figured by the time we were ready for another child
(4-5 years later) we'd be ready to make a move into the next size 
home. So we got pregnant and were ecstatic if not a little scared. Our first internal sonogram surprised our OB as much as it did us. After showing us the sack and subsequent bean in it she proclaimed with an ever so eloquent "Oh shit there's another sack" were to be the parent of twins. Twins don't run in our family and we weren't doing anything more then what men and women have been doing for centuries so we had no reason to assume it would happen to us. It still amazes us that we were blessed and although they can drive us crazy, they are a huge source of our happiness. They have taught us so much about our patience (or lack there of) and just how much love your heart can take in. They teach us to slow down and enjoy silly things and that sometimes a hug, kiss and smile from there face can make all the bad melt away.
3. Family is invaluable
So it is no surprise to those that know me that I'm not the biggest fan of the Midwest and it's winters. If I had the option I would be back in San Diego in a heartbeat (I always tell my husband I'm only hear because of him). It doesn't help that I am very close to my family (all of which still live in San Diego (mom, dad, 2 sisters)). Having the kids grow up with them missing so much of it is heart aching. What has helped? I was a smart girl. I married a man that came with a fantastic family! He is the only son with 4 sisters. They welcomed me into there family with open arms. Along with the family came a scad of aunts, uncles, and cousins. As we younger ones get married and start families of our own the numbers continue to grow. It's the only thing that keeps me from missing my own family too much. They have been a constant source of support and help for us and I thank God that he brought them all into my life.
*******************************
I have always been a crafty person. Crafting, in whatever form I happen to b
e into at the time, has always allowed me to express myself and nurture the artistic side of who I am. In this crazy life of 40 hour work weeks and kids, and family, I often find the "old me" getting squashed. You know, the part that existed before all the other stuff came into play. That part that originally attracted your husband to you. The part that gets easil
y forgotten in the hustle and bustle of life. I grew up with my mom making my Halloween costumes fro me. It was always a source of great pride for me. Throughout my years I have tried my hand at a number of things. A couple of things have really stuck with me, crocheting and sewing. I originally learned crocheting from my grandmother who once taught me the basics of how to crochet a chain and a few of the basic stitches. A few years ago I started a job and one of the older ladies was into crocheting and knitting. I asked her if she could teach me a little more about crocheting on a more advanced level. She did and I had a boom where I was doing nothing but crocheting projects of all types.
I decided at the beginning of the year that I wanted to buy myself a sewing machine and make my kids their Halloween costumes in hopes of creating some of the memories my mom had done for me. So I picked up a machine in June and began my quest. There weren't many
sewing classes available so I embarked on teaching myself through trial and error, books, and the help of some ladies at work. My first official project yield this apron as a gift to my sister. The next couple of projects included
a few dresses for my daughter and a shirt for my son. I ended up making my twins their birthday outfits since I wanted something to match their "Little Einstein's" theme. Of course the pinnacle of my success came on October 31st when we took the kids Trick or Treating in their outfits created by me. I had reached my goal and it turned out pretty good.
In between and since the above projects I have been creating away. I have added additional aprons (women's kids, and men's), nursing covers, and handbags. I have pictures. Oh so many pictures but I fear this post has already lost many of you so I'll put a cap on it and save for later. This blog from here on out will be mostly on my new sewing endeavors. I am new this site so look for it to change and grow as I do. I have found that reading others and posting has provided me with many new project ideas and helpful tips. I hope to attract some new readers and find some new one to read of my own.
Happy reading!!!
So...a little about myself. I am am 32 year old mom of twins married to a great man named John. I currently work full time outside the home and have fun trying to balance the demands of mom, employee, friend, and (newly added) crafty craft artisan.I'm a Chicagoan as far as most are concerned. You see I grew up in sunny San Diego, California. My family is smattered all along the Southern Californian borders (have been for ages now) so when you tell them you live in Illinois it's just easier for all to say Chicago.
Growing up and watching T.V, I dreamed of going away to college in a part of the country that experienced four seasons. I watched programs of parents welcoming college students back for the holidays. It was all so very romantic and All-American in my mind. So it wasn't surprising that the college I choose to go to was smack dab in the heart of the country. While at college I met my John, a native of the great land of Lincoln. When I graduated I found it easier to find a job in Illinois. That and the fact that I was still dating John prompted me to lay down some roots and finally turn in my Californian ID to establish residency in Illinois.
As vehemently as I was about returning to my homeland in the San Deezy, next year will mark the 10th year of my graduation from college and the time I was supposed to return home. A few things I have learned:
1. Four Seasons ain't all it's cracked up to be(and I don't mean the hotel chain).
Especially when one of those seasons is winter. Snow is pretty and white and fluffy as long as you don't have to drive or attempt to live in it. Can you tell I am so not a fan? Remember where I grew up? I swear our skin is thinner which has condemned me to a life of being perpetually cold. I won't even start on the commutes home during a snowstorm...Bah!
2. You can plan your life as well as you'd like and God will take a look at it, pat you on the head, and throw you a curve ball.
This little tidbit came after John and I got married. After a year we decided to buy a home.We started with good solid starter home. A two bedroom townhouse that would house our two dogs, the two of us, and (God willing) a baby. We figured by the time we were ready for another child
(4-5 years later) we'd be ready to make a move into the next size 
home. So we got pregnant and were ecstatic if not a little scared. Our first internal sonogram surprised our OB as much as it did us. After showing us the sack and subsequent bean in it she proclaimed with an ever so eloquent "Oh shit there's another sack" were to be the parent of twins. Twins don't run in our family and we weren't doing anything more then what men and women have been doing for centuries so we had no reason to assume it would happen to us. It still amazes us that we were blessed and although they can drive us crazy, they are a huge source of our happiness. They have taught us so much about our patience (or lack there of) and just how much love your heart can take in. They teach us to slow down and enjoy silly things and that sometimes a hug, kiss and smile from there face can make all the bad melt away.3. Family is invaluableSo it is no surprise to those that know me that I'm not the biggest fan of the Midwest and it's winters. If I had the option I would be back in San Diego in a heartbeat (I always tell my husband I'm only hear because of him). It doesn't help that I am very close to my family (all of which still live in San Diego (mom, dad, 2 sisters)). Having the kids grow up with them missing so much of it is heart aching. What has helped? I was a smart girl. I married a man that came with a fantastic family! He is the only son with 4 sisters. They welcomed me into there family with open arms. Along with the family came a scad of aunts, uncles, and cousins. As we younger ones get married and start families of our own the numbers continue to grow. It's the only thing that keeps me from missing my own family too much. They have been a constant source of support and help for us and I thank God that he brought them all into my life.
*******************************
I have always been a crafty person. Crafting, in whatever form I happen to b
e into at the time, has always allowed me to express myself and nurture the artistic side of who I am. In this crazy life of 40 hour work weeks and kids, and family, I often find the "old me" getting squashed. You know, the part that existed before all the other stuff came into play. That part that originally attracted your husband to you. The part that gets easil
y forgotten in the hustle and bustle of life. I grew up with my mom making my Halloween costumes fro me. It was always a source of great pride for me. Throughout my years I have tried my hand at a number of things. A couple of things have really stuck with me, crocheting and sewing. I originally learned crocheting from my grandmother who once taught me the basics of how to crochet a chain and a few of the basic stitches. A few years ago I started a job and one of the older ladies was into crocheting and knitting. I asked her if she could teach me a little more about crocheting on a more advanced level. She did and I had a boom where I was doing nothing but crocheting projects of all types.I decided at the beginning of the year that I wanted to buy myself a sewing machine and make my kids their Halloween costumes in hopes of creating some of the memories my mom had done for me. So I picked up a machine in June and began my quest. There weren't many
sewing classes available so I embarked on teaching myself through trial and error, books, and the help of some ladies at work. My first official project yield this apron as a gift to my sister. The next couple of projects included
a few dresses for my daughter and a shirt for my son. I ended up making my twins their birthday outfits since I wanted something to match their "Little Einstein's" theme. Of course the pinnacle of my success came on October 31st when we took the kids Trick or Treating in their outfits created by me. I had reached my goal and it turned out pretty good.
In between and since the above projects I have been creating away. I have added additional aprons (women's kids, and men's), nursing covers, and handbags. I have pictures. Oh so many pictures but I fear this post has already lost many of you so I'll put a cap on it and save for later. This blog from here on out will be mostly on my new sewing endeavors. I am new this site so look for it to change and grow as I do. I have found that reading others and posting has provided me with many new project ideas and helpful tips. I hope to attract some new readers and find some new one to read of my own.
Happy reading!!!
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