new blog...again

I've been blogging here: humbledwelling.com

Come sit for a spell.

i train superheroes

I have a new blog! Needed a fresh start. :)

unplugged

I've been taking a nice long internet break and it feels great! There is lots of sewing, embroidering, schooling and playing going on at the Jones house.

As the school year is coming to a close, I've started looking more and more at redecorating. The house is still the same as it was when we moved in and that just won't do. So I'm going to spend the summer making it our home. Most of it will be handmade and fun, so I'll post a whole lot of tutorials and such in the next few months, but it will be in a different spot than elaine and company. More details to come!

As for now, I'm working on Easter outfits for the littles. I'll post pics soon.

That's it for this tiny update. I hope my two readers enjoyed it. ha

ahhh...

to hear the whirring of my machine is wonderful! I'm starting to find sewing time again. I made these little dresses for some American Girl dolls that belong to a friend's daughter. Now on to the quilt I've been working on and the other long list of things I want to sew!

Ring in the new...

How fitting is it to have my 100th post coincide with the new year? Very fitting if I do say so myself!

I'll stray from my usual bland posts about sewing and knitting and wee ones just this once. I'm sure my one reader won't mind. Here's a bit of my 2010 in review:

• In January 2010 we started the long, stressful, fun, scary process of relocating from Ohio to Texas.
• In February we celebrated our sixth anniversary. I'm still totally in love with him.
  
• In March our daughter turned 2 and our Ohio house went on the market.
• In April our fourth child, Matthew, was born. I had no idea how silly he would be. I celebrated my 32nd birthday even though I still feel like a teenager. An offer was made on our Ohio house.
• In May all was calm. Then came the storm...
  
• In June we sold our home and bought a new one in Texas. My aunt passed away a week before we moved from Ohio. My mother passed away a week after we moved to Texas.
• In July I moved into my new home and buried my mother two days later and had a birthday party for my four year old son two days after that. My best friend from childhood called me when he heard about my mother. I didn't recognize his voice and that saddened me.
  
• In August my oldest son started Kindergarten.
• In September I rested.
• In October we trick or treated with our family. My sweet celebrated his 39th birthday.
• In November my first born turned 6. I made him a cake and hugged him a lot.
• In December my King celebrated his birthday. We helped him celebrate by baking lots of cookies and spending time together.

How do I feel about 2010? In a word, happy. I know it's a strange word to use when the year seems to have been so full of stress and heartache. But I do really feel happy. I'm happy to be living near my family, so the stressful move was worth it. I'm sad that my mother and aunt passed away because I miss them dearly. But I'm happy because they are no longer sick. And mostly I'm happy for all the little things that happened in 2010...the morning snuggles, the giggles, the countless board games and games of hide and seek, seeing my kids getting better at reading and writing, seeing the baby smile for the first time or roll over for the first time, walking the silly dog, playing World of Warcraft with the husband, date nights, the final Harry Potter movie, my morning cup of coffee, my afternoon cup of tea, I could go on...

What do I want in 2011? More little things. It's in those little things or little moments that I find happiness. I don't want to spend my time chasing after things that I think will make me happy. I want to sit back and notice all the things that do make me happy.

Happy New Year to all.

Some Christmas Sweets

I went out to do some late night shopping (along with everyone else in the city). As I was piling food in my cart for multiple gatherings, I stopped to look around at all the people in the store. It was very sweet to see a few young couples celebrating their first Christmas together and a few older couples who have done this Christmas thing many years but still enjoy every minute of it.

traditions

Here are a few (ok a lot) of pictures of some of our Christmas traditions... Our Advent Calendar (each day is a little book that tells the story of Christmas) lined with some porcelin angels that my mom used to decorate with.

Liam's first ornament.

Jack's first ornament.

Matilda's first ornament.

Matthew's first ornament.

One of my mom's old ornaments.

Some more of my mom's ornaments. I vividly remember taking these off the tree and playing with them. The polar bear is a candle.

Another of my mom's. This was one of my favorites as a kid.

Lining baby Jesus' crib with good deeds. The kids get to put a piece of "straw" in for every good deed they do. The more good deeds, the softer Jesus' crib will be when he arrives Christmas day.

Our Advent wreath. It's small and humble. We bought it our first Christmas together when we didn't have much money. I haven't replaced it and don't know if I ever will.

That cranberry garland took a while to make, but I kinda like it! And the Santa all the way to the left hold Christmas cards and candy canes. This is another thing I remember playing with as a child. And of course our Nativity is on the mantle so the kids can see it every day.

And here's a tiny new addition to our Christmas.