June 30

On a happy yet sad note, my friend and her family made it to Alabama now but still have not made it to my house. They had to go straight on to one of her family members houses. So I have to wait a little longer to see my friend today sometime. Today is about the only day of her trip that didn't have something going on. So it could be about the only time I get to see her unless her family stays at our house like planned. But none of her plans have gone right, so I don't know if that will actually happen.

Now onto my hobbies and crafts. My husband has been complaining about my working on my cross stitch at night the past few nights. He says that my light is to bright for him so he sits away from me if I am working on it in the evening after dark. Since I had been able to work on it a good bit during the day I put it up after the kids went to bed. Since it doesn't feel right to just sit and watch television specially when it is stuff I don't really care for but watch because of my husband. I found something else to do that did not need a bright light to work on. I started working on a rug. My husbands grandma has given me a lot of fabric strips that about three inches wide. I have gotten some each time that she brings me stuff, so now I have a big box of it. It is almost all pink but there is a little blue and cream colored stuff too. So last night I got the box out and start crocheting a rug out of it. I just have to decide how big I want it to be. I think my husband was happy with the change of my projects for the night. He didn't have to complain, we got to cuddle, he watched his shows and I was doing something I enjoy. We both were happy. Now if I can just fit in as much time to cross stitch during the day on a daily bases it would always be that nice. But with a big family there is always something needing done so that is not always possible. It was only possible yesterday because my husband has this week off and yesterday he helped out more. Just hope he keeps that up all week because yesterday was nice. I know I can fit more time for my hobbies and crafts in but then something that needs done doesn't get done.

Our plans for the Fourth of July weekend has changed a few times so I am not sure what all is going on. I think somehow we are now having two different BBQs with one family each. That is what I get for letting my husband plan things I guess. Usually he he has the idea of what he wants to do and with who but then I have to do all the planning and arrangements for it. This has been all him with the exception of dividing up food assignments for at least one BBQ. Should all be fun but I can't wait to see how it all works out. Just have to see how the rest of this week goes first and then see how well my husband did with his planning.

June 29

Well my friend and her family should be getting here sometime this morning. The poor guys have had a long hard trip to get here. First they started out later then they wanted. Shortly after getting into Texas they had to get a new rental car because they hit something and couldn't drive any more. After about three hours waiting for the car to get changed they got back on the road. Then they had a stop at my friends mother-in-laws house, something that she didn't want to do. In all it took then three days to get across Texas. Right now we are waiting to hear from them. They will either be here anytime or get word to us that they stopped for the night again.
They had planned on being here on Monday but this have worked against them I guess. As long as they get here safely it is all good.

One good thing is that we my house has been clean for about a week or so with out getting to messed up by the kids. Making it easy to get ready for company visiting. Plus I have been able to get some of my crafts done. Plus get all my stuff reorganzied so that it all fits again, with all the new stuff that I had gotten from my husbands Grandma.

One of the things that I was able to get done was finishing off a coat for a little girl. All the pieces had been cut out but the coat was only partly sewn together. It fits my youngest daughter so she is happy about getting it. Even though it is way to hot to need a coat even late in the evening.

Another project that I got started was a set of matching vests. I got two new panels for vests that match. So my oldest asked me to make her and I matching vests. I was able to get them started. I should get them finished this morning while I wait for my friend.

As always I am working on my cross stitch that I am trying to get finished. I work on it most evening even though my husband starts compaining about it. I have almost completed another page of my pattern. Considering it has twenty pages and each page is at least half completed or more. It really isn't saying much that another page is almost complete. You really have to see the project to understand why that can feel good to say. Specially consider how much time I do get to work on it.

End of June

In the past week I have not done much of anything, except for maybe laundry which is a never ending process around here. Last week my oldest son was going to Boy Scout Camp and had to be picked dropped off and picked up everyday. For some reason the boys his age were not allowed to camp out over night with the rest of the boys. So that was fun, we had to have him at the camp by 7 in the morning and picked up at 9 in the evening. The rest of my kids spent the week mostly vegging in front of the television. This week they dont get to watch as much television.

My husband left at 5 this morning for the airport to go on a TDY for work. He is traveling to California for the week to perform an evaluation. He will get home sometime Thursday eveing. So this week it is just me and the kids. Our plans are to get the house ready for company to staying with us next week. Plus to get a little extra learning and educational fun in.

We did go to the library last week and already need to go back for more books since everyone has zipped through the books they got. So I have to get some leaves made up for our reading tree. As soon as I get the leaves made our tree will have thirteen leaves. I am so excited that the kids asked to have the reading tree. I recorded a few educational shows on the history of the United States for them to watch. They may be watching two each week for the rest of summer. I have flash card to work with my younger kids on numbers and sight words. Work sheets for speach to help one of my sons. Oh and my husband wants me to get my oldest to learn the Constitution. She has complained about it since he told us he wants her to learn it so not sure how to make that fun for her, and me.

Next week we have company from California visiting. Still do not know the whole plan of when they might get here or how many days they are staying. I was told we should find that all out on Wednesday when they email us their plans. As of last night I am starting to wonder how many people are coming. From our conversations it sounded like our friend, her husband and their two kids. When I talked with our friend last night it sounded like there might be two other people coming as well. They would be her sister and her sisters husband if there are other people coming. So now I need to find that out for sure or not or if her math was just off last night.

Anyways once I find out how many people are coming out to stay with us and if they will be here for the Forth of July weekend I can start planning my shopping trip for food for our get together. My husband has invited two families to have a BBQ at our place. One family has two kids and the other has four or five. So I will also have to figure out stuff for the kids to do incase of weather. The last time we had planned on a BBQ I was glad I had indoor things plan for bad weather since it rained on us at the last minute. Which also reminds me my kids wanted me to ask my husband if we could invite that family over for the Forth too. That would add another six kids. Didn't mention that one of my brother-in-laws called the other day to ask if we could pick him up for the Forth also. He is in Florida at tech school so it is about three hours to get to where he is from our place. Besides it being a long drive we might already have company that could still be here. I don't mind having a full house but it makes it a little harder to go and get him. So that is still in the works there. I think my husband is starting to lean to a no on his brother visiting if he has to get picked up because of that. We will just have to fit in a visit with him again soon though if he doesn't come up then. He only has about six more weeks before he is done and off to his first base. He is going to Japan, not like we will see him much while he is there.

Hard to believe that we are already planning for the Forth of July. The month of June should not be almost over yet. I guess it seems like it is passing so fast because this year I have had two kids that each got to go to camp of some sort for a week or so. I just know that after the the Forth of July weekend I have to start the back to school shopping. My kids will only have a month of summer break left before school starts from that point.

The Fun of Summer

June
Summer is just beginning and we have been back and forth with being busy and not busy at all. The joy of summer with kids. Last week we did the running girls to and from Girls camp. This week we have a boy in Boy Scouts doing camp but he is doing more of a day camp for the week. More running to and from camp, always fun. My husband goes on a TDY for work next week. I am not sure what to do for him for Fathers Day before he goes. The week after that we have friends from California coming out to see us during their trip. Still do not know how long they are going to stay with us. They are driving out so we do not even know what day they are getting here for sure.

July
At the moment we do not really have plans. Have to see what we can come up with so the kids don't complain about being bord. Plus we will have to start doing the back to school shopping since the kids start back to school at the beginning of August. For now abut the only plans are a few important doctor appointments for two of the kids.

Yesterday and Today

Yesterday was a great day. We had a visit with my husbands Grandparents in the morning. They brought a bunch of stuff for me, of course mostly fabric. This time there is a lot more whole fabrics for me to work with. Instead of just large scrap pieces. There are also a bunch of panels for pillows, door hangings, and vests. My kids are already fighting over what fabrics they want me to make stuff for them out of. I should have waited to go through the bags and boxes until after they went to bed instead of after our little shopping trip after the grandparents left. That evening our Home Teachers stopped by and they even asked about all the stuff since it is stacked around my sewing table in our livingroom. Have to start getting it put away this morning.

Today we have my Visiting Teacher and her kids coming over for a visit/play date. It should be fun. After that I will be putting away stuff that I got yesterday. At least what ever I have not already gotten put away before they get here. That and cleaning out my van for tomorrows run as a camp bus for the Young Women in my ward.

Fun Week Ahead Visitors And Being A Camp Bus

Well it is another Monday and it looks like a fun busy week ahead. Today the kids and I are doing a house cleaning since we found out last night that my husbands Grandparents are coming for a visit tomorrow. They live about three hours north of us and always get to our house between seven and eight in the morning. Then they tend to leave to head home between noon and two in the afternoon, so it usually is not that long a visit but always nice to have them. My husband is a little sad because he will be at work when they visit this time. I was told that they have at least six big boxes of fabric and stuff for me. Can't wait to see what they bring. Grandpa asked if I had a spair room to put all the stuff in yesterday when he called. Should be fun to go through it and sorting it out.

On Wednesday we have friends coming out to visit for a while. The kids get to run around and play while I get to visit with the mom. Don't know how long that will end up being but they are welcome to stay as long as they want.

Thursday morning we will be up early to get to the church building we go to. The girls between the age of twelve and eighteen are going camping and I get to drive a group of them. I knew that I would be asked to drive for things when we got our van. It is almost expected since my van holds fifteen poeple, specially when I have at least one kid in the group needing driven places. Should be fun though a van full of kids almost all of them girls. I just have to pick them up at the church and drop them off at camp on Thursday morning. Saturday evening I have to get them from camp back to the church building. My oldest is one of the girls going so everyone is excited. She is excited about going camping with friends and getting away from the family. The other kids seem to be excited about her being out of the house for a few days too. Honestly I think my husband is a little happy about it too. The two of them have been butting heads a lot lately, which is somewhat of a normal thing around here. But it has been a little more so the past two weeks.

Friday looks like a down day so far but that can change quickly. I might see what I can do to put up our family reading tree. What it is, is a tree that grows as everyone finishes books they are reading. For every book that is completed a leaf is put on the tree with the name of the book, author and who read the book. For every set number of books that you add to the tree you earn a special thing to put in the tree, like a bird nest or squiral. Everyone in the family gets to add leaves for the books they read. So far we are planning to do it for the summer only but depending on how well it is going it might keep going. It just depends on how fast it grows.

Yesterday

Well I managed to get the pictures take the other day but only was able to get them up today. I usually get computer time in the morning but yesterday was a busy morning and I usually do not get on the computer in the afternoon or evening. Yesterday, my six kids all had dentist appointments and none of them had cavities. Guess what I did with the kids after the dentist...went straight over to get ice cream. After ice cream we went to the library and got some books for the kids. When we got home my four youngest took naps while my oldest son and I sewed up a decorative door hanging for his bedroom door. My oldest daughter took the time to be a couch potato and talk on the phone with one of her friends. The rest of the afternoon we just hung out and made dinner watched some tv and then the kids went to bed. My husband and I stayed up to watch a movie together with out the kids. That was my day yesterday. What today will hold instore for me is still unknown but I hope that it is as good as a day as yesterday was.

Some Projects

Picture One: Yesterday I was sewing and my oldest son wanted something to do. So I had im find some fabric that we could do something with for him. He found some animal cut outs that my husbands grandma gave me and another fabric that we used to make a door hanging for his bedroom door.

Picture Two: The fish is another pillow panel that I put together, just have to get some batting to stuff it with.
Picture Three: With so many small scraps I decide to make a few bean bags for my kids to play with. I was luck to find two fabrics that could go together but are not the same. Making it great for playing games since you can tell whos bags are whos.

Picture Four and Five: These are the bibs that I made that my husbands grandma had already cut out. Three of them are two sided with baby Looney Tune characters and my kids keep digging them out of my things to look at. Part of the reason that I have not put the ties on it because they would take them to play with and most likely tie them to something.

Harvest Vest

A little while ago I found two panels for making vests. The panels were the same but one was missing a trim piece for the front. I decide to put the two panels together and not put the trim piece on. This way the vest can be flipped over should say my kids get something on me during the day until I can get it washed. A win win for me and a project completed.

Goal for the day

Today my goal is to get some pictures taken of the projects that I have completed. Then as always it seems trying to get some time to my self for getting more done. I have completed another page of my cross stitch so that is a good point for me, I hope to complete another in the next day or two. My husband keeps asking if I am almost done with it yet. He feels that it takes time away from him since I work on it in the evening while we watch tv together. So I tend to sit on a different couch then him because of lighting and so I wont get a stiff neck when I do watch the tv. If all goes well I will complete the cross stitch as soon as I can and then he can get his time back that he thinks it is taking away from him. At least until I find another project that I can do while watching tv with him.

I am the type of person that has to have my hands moving. If I am not working on something I tend to play with a small piece of tape that I roll through my fingers. It helps me to relax in a way and destracts me from the fact that I am just standing or sitting somewhere. It drives my husband nuts though because he cannot stand the little noice of the tape as I play with it. Specially if I am doing it for a long time. He much rather me have a project that he complains takes time away from him then have me playing with tape. He just loves when my roll of tape runs out so that he wont have to hear it. I am sure he wishes that we could keep from having to buy more ever again.