Paint Chip Quilt Update!!!

Remember this baby from back on August 5, 2011? Well I am halfway through quilting it!!! Last night I was able to get two stencils done which put me exactly at halfway! I know what you are thinking...two and a half years and that's all the further you have gotten? Well for one thing I set it aside and didn't pick it back up until late October 2014 so it sat around for about two years not being touched at all. Also The stencil I picked to quilt onto this quilt is very intricate. Each Stencil covers three and a half little rectangles and takes approximately 40 minutes or so to do. I will pick it up some days and get only two stencils done and not touch it for a week. Other times I am like addicted to working on it and I will get 40 stencils done in 5 days or so. It just depends on my mood, what is going on in my life and how sore my fingers are at that time.

It's looking amazing! My goal is to have it finished by the end of March! Yikes! That deadline is looming over me! I just hope I can make it!

-erin-

59/100 Go To An RV Show

So yesterday we were able to check off something on our 100 Things list! We drove to Indianapolis to an RV show! No we weren't buying (although I fell in love with one and there might have been a little begging) but we were looking at floor plans and amenities that we could incorporate into a remodel of an older RV. (Stick around folks! There might be some RV remodel blog posts in your future!) 

This one is nice! It looks like a house instead of an RV!

Ethan liked this one!

This was one of the amenities that the boys fell in love with!

We liked the way they made a double decker storage under the living quarters. 

When you let the kids play with the camera, these are the pictures you end up with. Funny. The focus was supposed to be the outdoor kitchen in the background. 

I thought this round rotating closet was an interesting feature.

These bunks were interesting. They were full size and the bunk room was in the middle of the RV which was different. There was so much to see that it kind of makes your head spin. If you've never been to one, you should definitely check one out. 

-erin-

100 Things Is Back Too!

100 Things to Do in 2015

1.         Go To The Indianapolis Children’s Museum

2.         Go To The Terre Haute Children’s Museum

3.        Go To The Muncie Children’s Museum

4.        Go To The Indianapolis Zoo

5.         Go Ice Skating In Indianapolis

6.         Go To Dorney’s Pumpkin Patch

7.         Go Strawberry Picking

8.         Make Chocolate Covered Strawberries

9.         Make Strawberry Shortcake

10.       Go To An Apple Orchard

11.       Make Applesauce

12.      Make An Apple Pie

13.      Go Peach Picking

14.      Make Peach Cobbler

15.       Make Peach Jam

16.       Go Blueberry Picking

17.      Make Blueberry Pancakes

18.       Make Blueberry Muffins

19.       Take A Canoe Trip

20.      Take A Kayak Trip

21.      Take A Tubing Trip

22.      Hike Trails At Turkey Run

23.      Hike Trails At Red Hills

24.      Go Fishing

25.      Go Camping At Lake Waveland

26.      Go Camping At Turkey Run

27.      Go Camping At Red Hills

28.       Go Camping In The Backyard

29.      Rent A Cabin At Ouabache Park?

30.      Go For A Bike Ride

31.      *Teach Boys About Money/Tithes

32.      *Work On Our Sign Language Skills

33.     Take A Nap/Read A Book In A Hammock

34.     Try A New Recipe

35.      Make Robots Using Household Items

36.      *Finish Boy’s/Morgan’s Disney Scrapbooks

37.      *Make Pinewood Derby Cars

38.      Get Family Pictures Taken

39.      Have A Water Fight

40.      Have A Water Balloon Fight

41.      Go To The City Pool

42.      Visit A Water Park

43.     *Play T-Ball or Little League

44.     Bake Cookies

45.      Bake Cupcakes

46.      Make Banana Splits

47.      Make Root Beer Floats

48.      Go 4 Wheeling

49.      *Grow Our Own Names

50.       Go To The County Fair

51.       *Go To The Library Reading Program

52.      Get Library Cards

53.      Attend A Parade

54.      Draw A Mural On The Sidewalk With Chalk

55.       Make A Gingerbread House

56.       *Isaac And Seth Finish Five Sections In Boy Scout Books Outside Of Meetings

57.      Design Thank You Cards And Send Them

58.       Take A Ride On A Train

59.       Go To An RV Show

60.       Have A Family Barbeque

61.       Cover The Table In Paper And Color

62.      Visit A Historical Site

63.      Decorate Place Mats

64.      *Read 4^th Grade Muppet Series Together

65.       Make S’Mores

66.       Watch Fireworks

67.      Build And Launch A Bottle Rocket

68.       Design Tee Shirts

69.       Tie Dye Tee Shirts

70.      *Vacation Bible School

71.      Make And Use Tin Can Stilts

72.      Play Hopscotch

73.      Play Miniature Golf

74.      Go Bowling

75.      Make A Kite

76.      Let’s Go Fly A Kite

77.      Have A Tea Party

78.       Have A Scavenger Hunt

79.      Rake Leaves Into A Pile And Jump In

80.       Create An Obstacle Course And Race It

81.       Make A Skirt (For mom DUH!)

82.       Make Shirts For The Boys

83.      Go Roller Skating

84.      Make A Fort

85.       Create Bubble Burst Paintings

86.       *Read All Of The Boys Books

87.       Have A Picnic

88.       Make Treasure Boxes To Hold Boy Scout Patches And Belt Loops

89.       Go See A Movie At The Drive In

90.       *Finish Isaac’s Star Wars Quilt

91.       *Finish Seth’s Star Wars Quilt

92.      *Finish Ethan’s Star Wars Quilt

93.      *Finish My Paint Chip Quilt

94.      *Actually List Some Items On Etsy

95.       Make Christmas Ornaments

96.       *Make Mix Books Of Disney 2014 Trip

97.      *Pay A Chunk Of Student Loans

98.       *Save A Chunk For Disney Trip

99.       *Blog About 100 Things To Do In 2015

100.    *Make Mix Book 100 Things To Do In 2015

This is the list for this year. The hearts indicate that they are ongoing projects and will take more than one day to accomplish. I'm sure that just like in years past that I will not get through every single thing but I'm sure going to try! I'm sorry this post is kind of boring with no pictures or anything but stick around. Things will get better. 

-erin-

Happy New Year! I'm Back!

So I know I have been a little MIA for way too long. But I want you to know I am back. I'd like to say that I will be blogging every single day but that would be a lie because life happens and things get in the way. But I will be posting a little more regularly. Yay!

From my family to yours...Happy New Year!
-erin-

 

Book Review

 

This is my latest read. I just finished it up. The back reads:

As the rest of the nation is embroiled in the civil war, the Amana Colonies have remained at peace-until now. Amalie Wiese arrives in the newly built village of Amana in 1863 only to find that her fiance, Friedrich, has left to fight with the Union army. Amalie fears for his safety even as she struggles with his decision to abandon the colony's peace-loving beliefs. She hopes that working alongside Friedrich's best friend will provide some comfort, but Matthias himself leaves for the battlefront to deliver supplies to the soldiers, war rages in Amalie's own heart. Will love claim victory?

I would give this book an eight out of ten stars (and that's only because I reserve the higher awards for only the best of the best of the best!)

 

The part that sticks out in my mind is:

     "I'm on my way to Iowa," she told him. "Our new community is separated from the rest of the world."

     " No matter how hard you try, you and your people will never be able to completely separate yourself from the world."

It struck me as odd because all my life those who have been placed above me in authority have pounded in my head that "we are to not be conformed to this world" and "be separate and different from the world" etc. I know that we are supposed to live our lives differently than those who do not have a relationship with Christ, but I believe that some people that i know actually feel that they can be completely separated from the world and that is just not possible. I think God just wants us to live life differently as an influence to those around us, that hopefully they will feel God's love for them through us. It makes me really stop and think about some of the choices that I make and although I still have a long way to go, I think I am doing better than I was. And after all, isn't that the point? To be constantly changing and trying to be more like Christ? Even if it is baby steps?

This book (by Melanie Dobson) was cute, grabbed my attention almost right away. It is well written, the story is believable, the characters are like able. It was actually a very good book. Thanks for listening to my ramblings. Thanks for reading.

 

-erin-

Book Review

 

This is my latest read. I just finished it up. The back reads:

A former marine is no match for the spunky Sam Sinclair. Bryce Stone has returned to his hometown of North Pole, Alaska, and the self-admitted scrooge is not very happy about living in a town "Where the Spirit of Christmas Lives Year Round." What's worse, Bryce must postpone his dream of opening a furniture shop when his aunt Olive retires and leaves him with the family's cluttered Christmas boutique. When Bryce underestimates Sam, the inexperienced young woman hired to manage the store, it becomes a battle of wills, and the two soon find that they're fighting for more than just the shop.

I would give this book an eight out of ten stars (and that's only because I reserve the higher awards for only the best of the best of the best!)

 

The part of the book that stuck out to me was:

     Sliding her Bible from the bag, she'd told Bryce to find I Corinthians, chapter 10, verse 13.

     "'There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man,'" he'd read haltingly, "'but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.'" When he'd finished, Bryce admitted he hadn't understood a word of it.

     "It means," Olive had said, "that the Father knows you better than anyone in your life, so He knows exactly how much pain and pressure you can handle. And because He knows there will be times when you think He's forgotten what your limits are, He gave you this verse, to remind you that no matter how tough life seems, He'll always provide the strength to cope...or a door to escape through."

 

It is such a nice reminder and came just when I needed it.

This book (by Loree Lough) was cute, grabbed my attention almost right away. It is well written, the story is believable, the characters are like able. It was actually a very good book. Thanks for listening to my ramblings. Thanks for reading.

 

-erin-

16/365

Have a Water Fight!

 

 

That face is priceless! He tripped on the sprinkler and was crying because he got muddy!

 

-erin-