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fresh air

July 11, 2014

we met up with my parents last weekend for some outdoor fun and a picnic.
sean was gone at camp… it’s weird when there are only three kids with us!
we tried to catch crawfish, climbed on the rocks and explored.

annie found me the Ultimate heart rock but then we dropped it and it broke. 🙁

it was too hot NOT to jump in for just a bit.

on the drive home craig let me stop for some photos of beautiful places.
i love the rust…the chipped paint… the washed out wood…LOVE!

getting out of the house… exploring new places… it always feels good.

i should get outside again today!

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tara // etsetara - o meg, this post makes me miss joplin!
we moved to NYC two weeks ago and i haven’t seen enough green around here. =]

thanks for the lovely photos.

Janet - Isn’t the school in Marion County off 50 Highway?

Lori - So sad about the heart rock. At least you have a picture of it. My kids find heart rocks for me too. My 6 year old boy brought me one today and said “mommy I found you a heart rock but it was muddy so I washed it off in a mud puddle and dried it on my shirt. ” Sweet boy. Oh and the old, rusty forgotten places make me so happy too.I need to stop along the way to enjoy them as well.

colleen - You are good … photography is awesome.. so glad craig let you stop… we are all the richer!

Jen - District 34 schoolhouse…hmmm…my grandma is from Chapman. Was this anywhere near there?

Mel - You have such a great eye – for color, for photos, for arrangement – I always love seeing the world from your point of view.

Julie - Looks like you all had a fabulous day. Love all those old rustic buildings, so sad that many of them are abandoned.

chasity - so many beautiful photos.
looks like a wonderful day.

Traci - That’s a beautiful heart rock! I always look out for heart shaped rocks too, for some reason. You’ll have more. :]

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the rainbow surprise

July 7, 2014

the week that Annie got to go to her first longer version of camp we decided was a great time to paint and decorate her bedroom!

she had picked her bedspread out a few weeks before at Target.
so i based everything around that.
i made a plan and we stuck with it.
i had all the supplies ready before i dropped her off at camp.
as soon i got back from taking her i emptied her room!
there was no time to waste.

getting it done without a lot of changing ideas… questions… able to work late into the night was GREAT!
kids change their minds a lot it seems.
i had talked with annie about the rainbow stripes so i knew she would like it.
we just hadn’t told her we were going to do it when she was gone.

photo-68
we painted the whole room white to start.

when the paint was dry, using a 48″ level and a pencil i measured down from the ceiling across the wall in three places so i could connect those lines.
and repeated that all the way to the floor.
then we used blue painters tape JUST under the line so our pencil line wouldn’t show.
the white stripe is the width of the painters tape.

if you were planning to do this project you would have to figure out your measurements based on your ceiling height, number of colors & stripes and your moldings.

we worked HARD for several days straight.
it was so great to finish a big project so quickly.
photo-67

talby helped me pick the fabric for annie’s curtains at Hobby Lobby.
i sewed them quickly while craig painted the stripes.

i spray painted many coats on the bed & bedside table over the few days we had.
i can only find that bright pink color at hobby lobby? that’s kinda weird don’t ya think?
photo-69
i also revamped the chandelier i found a few months back with spray paint, brighter colors & a glossy finish.
chady
the night before she was coming home we put another coat on the stripes, cleaned up, craig hung the curtain rod, moved the furniture back in, made the bed and it was after 1 AM.
we were zombies!
But it was totally worth it.

she was excited about this chair because it had been a big debate over who got the old living room furniture when the new furniture came.
and she got the chair!
the alphabet wall hanging is from SpunkyFluff.
i had been saving it for the new house!
it fit so great in that space on the white wall!

Annie’s pillow is from Chrissie Grace.
the blanket was at the thrift shop. 🙂

Stanley approves and really wants to get on the bed!
after she was home and settled in… and we were rested up a bit from the previous week,
i went back in and fixed the little lines that were left from the painters tape.
it didn’t bother craig and it might not bother you… but it drove me CRAZY.
so i fixed it with a little paint brush.

THIS was so much fun to surprise her with.
she has kept it clean… she loves everything about it… it was the best.

along the same lines as getting the old chair… she was so excited to get a lamp with a pull chain.
she said “you remembered i wanted one!”

kids are rad.

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Renee - love it!! did you go WOF for the curtains or piece together?? 🙂

annette - When you spray paint furniture, does it chip easily? How do you prep it? Do you cover it with anything to seal it from chipping? The room is adorable! You have an amazing way of making all the colors work. If I tried that, I think it would like a circus clown gone wrong!

Shellie - Absolutely LOVE it!!! ❤️

chasity - it all looks soooooo good.
that crocheted blanket is the bomb!

Tonya Brown - LOVE the room. can i ask where you got the material for her window curtain? I think all of it is my favorite.

Mindy - What a fun room – no wonder she loves it!

Janae - Oh my! I love it!! Striped walls are my favorite and even more so with those bright fun colors! What an awesome room and super awesome surprise!! You are fun parents!!

Lindsey - How awesome! Love it!

Heather - Looks cute!! I think you should put the headboard on the rainbow wall. It would add a huge impact!!

Emilie - Awesome room. What a cute raspy voice she has.

beth larson - You two are the best parents God ever created!!!! What a laborious project- I love how you made it sound like “not biggie”- (I’d love to have your energy). haha xo

Bree - Beautiful room!! When you wrote that Annie was excited about the chair and the lamp, it hit me how much our children learn from us and how excited they can get when we share or do something for them that we love too. It’s special to them because it’s special to us. I’ve seen this with our boys too and I often forget. Thank you for the reminder 🙂 Have a blessed week!

Nana - I don’t think I’ve ever seen Annie as excited as she was when she got to show me her “new” room! She absolutely loved it! I have to contradict something I told her. I didn’t think the cabins at Camp Mennoscah had changed since I used to go there back in the 50’s, but after seeing the picture I realize I was wrong….there was no cute graffiti on the walls then 🙂

Elizabeth - I love the container at the end of the bed holding her dolls. What is that? (I need to start googling to see what I can find for my daughter).

Kathi Mahoney - I love everything about her new room and, especially, how you surprised her! Gah. Can you be my mom too? 🙂

Kathi - It’s beautiful!

Jill - Meg…It is a DREAM! Just a dream!

Now, I am curious where the rainbow fabric for the rainbow pillow on the bed came from? Hobby Lobby too?

Kristen Bangs - Thank you for the great shout-out, Meg! Was not expecting it and what a coup! So much traffic from your amazing readers! xoxoxo!

Elz - We are converting the study into a bedroom for my older daughter while they are away at camp. I can NOT wait to see her expression when they come home!

Jeannine - I’m going to have dreams about that accent wall.

Elizabeth - Well done! The room is a true reflection of her vibrant and fun personality! She will always remember her mom and dad staying up late to redecorate and paint her room. That is an awesome feelingg for a little one to have. You guys are just amazing parents!!

Karen - What a fabulous room for a young girl! I know as a mom, we love surprising our kids with things we know they’ll love!

Sami - That comforter is beautiful. It looks amazing with those colors! I love the way you decorate with such bright, cheery colors. It is so inspiring!

Sami

Crystal - Wow that looks stunning! On the nightstand and headboard, can you post about refinishing them? Did you sand first or just paint them. Too many pinterest tutorials are on the shabby chic look and not a regular bold paint job!

Lora - Wonderful! What a great gift to give.

marcie - Love the room – fun colors and just “looks” like Annie – spunky and bright!! I’ve done the “room surprise” thing twice for my daughter. Once when she went on a week long mission trip and we went from deep turquoise walls to white – talk about late nights – it took so many coats and threw me off schedule but it worked out. I did a bathroom makeover like that once, too. It seems that I only finish completely if I have a project deadline!!
There is a trick to painting those lines and not having to touch up…. has amyone shared it?? If not, let me know before you stripe again!! I’ve painted a zillion stripes with no edge bleed using the technique. It’s on my blog, too.
Can’t wait to see more progress in your new home!
Marcie

Nicole Franks - I WANT your taste and talent! and I want this room 🙂

Julie - LOVE the room! What a wonderful surprise to come home to. I remember painting my sister’s room when she was gone on vacation once. I told her that we had painted it to look like a candy cane when really Mom and Dad painted it mint green, which was her favorite color at the time.
Did Annie go to Camp Mennoscah? If so, she was about 5 miles away from where I live. That is the camp I went to when I was her age and for several years I took my students there for an end of the year camp out.

KirstenP - I would totally go back and touch up the white stripes in Annie’s room. Love her room!!

Jackie - Awesome!

Julie - What a fabulous room – love all the colours, especially that duvet cover and chandelier.

Janna - I LOOOOVE!!!!! LOVE!

Andrea - This room is adorable!!!! Just like Annie! So glad she loves it!

Jane - What an awesome room! I love the bright colors!

Shelby Beck - Meg, this is gorgeous and a great surprise for your daughter.

missy - If you paint over the tape with your base coat first, it will eliminate the need to go back & fix choppy lines.

Adrienne - Darling! The stripes remind me of rainbow sherbet!

Tammy @Through the Milk Glass - Wow, beautiful room! I would love to have it myself!

What a wonderful surprise to come home to!

Jesse - Love the stripes! If you want to avoid those paint line touchup next time you tackle a stripe try painting over the edge of the painters tape with the original wall color then paint on the colors once that’s dry. Since something will always bleed under the tape you seal it with the original wall color and end up with a clean line, no touchup needed. (Yes I saw is on Pinterest but I’ve actually done it and it works!)

Michelle Whitlow - Such a cute room!!!

katie Skiff - I loved watching this on Instagram – what a lucky girl! I want it for my room, but hubby might flip out!! HA!!

Jane - I wish you had been around when I was raising my kids. I did my best but could have used inspiration from you. You are an amazing mom and have so many incredible ideas!

Tiffany - Beautiful room! I love the stripes. I did that once in my youngest son’s room when we first moved into a house we remodeled. It was so much work, but adorable. Everyone loved it. Maybe one day I’ll do something like that again, but not right now. Good job mama!

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old coop – new home

June 28, 2014

some friends of ours came to our rescue and offered to help us move the chicken coop to our new house.
i am naive and thought it would be easy.
i thought the big equipment would come and lift it up… drive it over… set it down.
that did happen.
but with lots of stuff in-between.

once it is up in the air or on the trailer suddenly it looks like a really big coop!

we wrangled up the chickens and put them in our dog kennel.
i drove this car full of kids and chickens to the new house.
this was the extent of how i contributed to this project.
i WANTED to help but i have no skill in this area at all so i was totally in the way.
but i CAN drive chickens in a dog kennel!

at least we only had to go 1.5 miles!

then they took it off the trailer and the way it worked 1.5 miles before… stopped working.
hmmmm….
now what?
it was a beautiful night and everyone was out for a walk… so we drew a crowd.
more people meant more ideas… more resources… more muscle.
it was AWESOME!
and we even met some of our new neighbors!

a sloooooow drive down our “alley” with a parade of helpers.
and me… doing nothing other than take pictures.
(i serioulsy wanted to crawl under a rock. i was thinking “WHY did we ever get chickens? this is such a mess?!! holy cow i wish this was not my chicken coop!)
we put it down in the vegetable garden.
i don’t actually know how to have a vegetable garden so this seems like a much better use of the space.

this was a task way over our heads and we clearly needed friends.
it was a gift that they gave us their time and resources.
we were so grateful for all the help!

these ladies seem to really like the new neighborhood!

THANK YOU Vogts!!!

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teresa - How wonderful to have great friends to help…Wish I had space for a coop…Thanks for sharing.
Happy Day

Diana - Wow, what a chore, huh. Coops are crazy things to move, we did a couple for my cousins years back. I bet the chickens were glad to be back in their home. Pretty chickens, those are my favorites. 🙂

kerry - Thank goodness it was well constructed HA!

Jen - It looks as though it was meant to be where it is. Lovely.

Lisa - We had to do this with a shed we had built, which really didn’t look that big in our back yard, but looked huge, and heavy, when we had to put it up on a flatbed truck. Then we had to drive about 20 miles, right through the main part of our new town, with about 4 pickup trucks behind the flatbed full of our household stuff/furniture, etc. We laughed, calling ourselves the Hillbillies, and wouldn’t our new community welcome us! Friends are awesome, and I always try to volunteer to help others because I remember how important the help of our friends was that crazy moving day. Glad you finally have the whole family together!

Leslie - Hi. Just wondering if you ever posted how you made your coop. Next year we will be building a coop (probably adding onto our small shed that already exists) and I love how cute yours is. If you have any tips that would be awesome as we’ve never had chickens before. I’d love some chicken tips- there’s so much information out there it gets confusing. Maybe a “All about chickens” post in the future? Love your blog- such beautiful motivation to work out, eat healthy, to have fun with family, and to create beautiful spaces in our homes and yard. Keep up the awesome-sauce. I love that your life is messy and real and fun- not like some blogs that are always a little too immaculate and dreamy (which is not real life with kids). I read your blog and smile instead of think about how my life compares. Because mine is pretty messy fun awesome too!
🙂 Leslie

Diane - Now you have to start a veggie garden!

Mindy - I always love your chicken posts so I am happy they made the move. Your coop is so cute and they look at home already. You have great friends and what a bonus to give the new neighbors an excuse to visit : ) Looking forward to more chicken news…

Seamingly Sarah - Friends and help are such a wonderful blessing, but I would’ve been like you too, trying to hide under a rock! I don’t like asking for help,or drawing attention, but the blessings from God are there for us none the less.

Jennifer - That is the prettiest chicken coop I’ve every seen! It’s perfect there! It would make a great print! Totally agree with Karina.

Karina - I see a few chicken posters in your future…You can contribute artistically! And I am sure the Vogts will appreciate some free eggs. Good neighbours are worth more than their weight in gold!

Jenny B. - So pretty with the chickens in the flowers! 🙂

redheadsarah - The coop looks like it was made to be in your vegetable garden! I’m glad you got it set up. 🙂

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ribbit.

June 25, 2014

we could hear frogs a block away so we went for a walk to find them.
the dogs joined us.
and Spanky always comes on our walks too…. such a funny cat.
i think she would LOVE if we got her a leash.
seriously.

this puddle was FULL of tadpoles!
they were finding so many!
then another night they found and caught a big frog.
they were so proud!
i love that they will get dirty and enjoy exploring nature.

then one night we had a big storm and my mom found this BIG green frog in our window well.
it was a little beat up… i assume it was from trying to jump out of the window well for hours.
talby rescued it and took it back to the creek.
what odd creatures.
i mean look at that thing…. the eye balls. the feet. the “fingers”

W E I R D O S.

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Cathy - I really enjoy your blog. I’m just getting back into mine after a long time off.? I love the shabby chic of your craftroom in the craft house. Can you show us pics of your new craftroom? Can you come shabby mine up?

Janae Mettling - How fun! My girls LOVE catching frogs and toads! After each rain we always have some in the pit of our walkout basement. We have lots of fun pictures of frogs and toads. I love that they aren’t afraid to get dirty and have some fun!

Amy Mak - Love your blog! The frog picture is insanely awesome and I love your new/old coop. We have chickens and love the fresh eggs even though my children are not quite as enthused about doing any of the work anymore 🙂 Enjoy your beautiful place.

Chris - Glad Talby rescued the big guy!

Lisa - The fingers is right…..yuck! Don’t touch it!!!! 😉

Gevay Piercefield - Looks like fun! Your girls are brave. 🙂

Christy - This reminds me of growing up in MO. Love the pictures! Stanley is getting so big!

PS. Is it wrong that I immediately thought FROG LEGS?! Not that I would ever consider eating them now that I live out West, but I remeber that was a big deal growing up. Now I think EWWW!

Tiffany - To add to the above… We have so many around our house I have to walk real slow when cutting the lawn to wait for them to hop out of the way. Last week when mowing I felt like I stepped on something squishy. I turned to see I stepped on a frog! That I mowed over!!! I felt A W E F U L!! (And grossed out!) So I killed the motor, ran away, and left the rest of the mowing till the next day, when I wore my rubber boots instead of flip-flops. 😛

Tiffany - My 6 year old Olivia is obsessed with catching frogs. I love that she isn’t scared of them and getting dirty. Exploring nature is the best!

Hannah - Can’t wait to be able to take Blueberry on adventures – I imagine that Chris will be leading the troops when it comes to that. I used to work in a builder’s merchants and we’d find little frogs hiding in the pallets of sand bags – on at least 3 occasions I caught little frogs hopping their way towards the tills and nearly getting squashed by trolleys. I used to get told off for rescuing them……

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this could be my favorite.

June 23, 2014

i brought two sewing machines home from the craft house.
i knew i needed to make curtains but i also knew annie wanted to sew.
so i brought two.
and i brought the scraps left over from all the craft projects we make at Craft Weekend.

i cut the scraps into rectangles.
annie started sewing strips of rectangles together.

then talby joined in too!
all on her own… no begging required. she just said “can i make one too?”
YES!!!
i helped get the machine working properly… reminded her how to do what… and then sat back and felt like my heart was going to explode.
they were just sewing.
for fun.
together.
it was awesome.

annie asked me what i liked best about sewing.
i said “i guess… mixing colors and pattern together is my favorite”
she said “me too! and also it’s calming. it relaxes me to sew”
that was my first thought but i didn’t think she wouldn’t understand that so i said “colors and patterns”
how cool is that?!
she gets it.

after we went through the scraps and were getting bored of those…
i let her pick from the apron fabric at the Craft House!
she said “SERIOUSLY?!”
so fun to make their day with simple things like that.
🙂

while talby was at camp i had time with just annie.
we hit an antique store (she loaded up on cheap beanie babies), we had bbq for lunch & went to walmart.
i also took her to our local quilt shop and let her choose some fat quarters that SHE liked.
(the unicorns? i couldn’t agree more!)

then while annie was at camp i had time with just talby.
we went swimsuit shopping, fro-yo at orange leaf & cruised around target.
and apparently i had never taken talby into hobby lobby?
mom fail.
she was quite impressed.
and picked cute fabrics for her quilt too!

i had some people ask about good ages to start and any advice i had.
i think if they are interested… START!
any age is good to learn to sew!
join a class together if you don’t know how either… it would be cool to learn together!
if YOU are doing the teaching… my main piece of advice: BE CALM.
the more relaxed you are about sewing the more enjoyable it will be for everyone involved.
when we are working together i try to use a soft voice, relax and say things “oh we can fix that” or “that happens all the time” or “its not ruined.. don’t worry”
sometimes i will rip it out for them & have them move onto to a new strip.
i don’t want them to lose momentum or feel defeated.

we usually have music on too to set the mood a bit.
making it feel more fun and light instead of a big project that takes a loooooong time.

isn’t it just THE best? so many colors!
so many patterns!
and it looks so GREAT together!
annie has lots of short strip and talby is making her strips as wide a twin size blanket.
we will figure out HOW to sew them all together when we have enough strips.
we are go-with-the-flow when it comes to creativity around here.
i have four of the SINGER Heavy Duty Sewing Machines and i love them!
i think they are great machines to learn on!
for yourself or for your kids! i highly recommend them.
fancy-smancy machines are wonderful but so many people are scared of sewing and a fancy digital machine doesn’t help with that.
sewing is not scary.
it is FUN!!
this machine helps take the fear out of sewing… in my opinion.

i honestly CANNOT wait to see how amazing these quilts turn out.
it’s worth every penny to me.
they are building a life long skill right now!
it is so rad.

i am pretty proud…. can you tell?

do you sew? do your kids sew yet? what is your favorite thing you’ve made? do you want to learn?

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Juli - My daughter (13 yrs old) and I love to sew. We’ve taken classes together but neither of us have the patience to sew “for real” as in, with a pattern, like you’re supposed to. It just sucks the joy right out for us! We sew doll clothes for her Jess Brown doll and they look awesome and her doll could care less if the seams are even or serged! 😉 That doll as a better wardrobe than I do!

KWolff - Thank you for the encouragement on doing something like this. Unfortunately I am one of those mom’s who gets stressed out about something like this. I want it to be perfect for them and I end up taking all the fun out of it. Fortunately I realize I struggle with this and am making every effort to knock it off! It’s about the process and the memories.
Now I want to take my daughter to Hobby Lobby and let her start working on something simple like this!
Your daughter’s have done a great job mixing and matching the patterns. The end result is going to be so fun!
Again, thank you so much!

Amanda K - Did a quick tiny pillow project with my 6 year old son earlier this month. He was so excited to sew!

Torey - My mom sewed all her life and made us so many wonderful things. Sadly I didn’t have the interest to learn when I was younger and by the time I wanted to learn, she was dying of cancer. It has been a huge regret that I never learned to sew from her. Thank you for the recommendation for a beginner machine. I had no idea where to look and some people said super cheap were okay and others were telling us to get a used Bernina for $300. It’s a relief to find a reasonably priced machine that is good for kids/beginners!

Jane - I learned to sew in junior high but haven’t sewn for years, I am wondering if you know/remember where the fabric that has the colorful alphabet on the lines is from. I love that! It would be perfect for something in my daughter’s classroom!

Stacey - Love this!!!! Just love it!!!

katie jones - I want to sew “SO” bad. I”m so scared though. Why I guess because I’ve never been taught so I just clam up and give up………….

Kayla - I sort of sew, but I have been good about making sewing a fearless activity for my girls….so they are much better and much more adventurous that I am. They even made their own swimsuits this year! http://www.shutthefridge.com/2014/05/modesty-in-2014.html The biggest thing I have ever made was some rectangle curtains!

Kathy - You have inspired me to get back into sewing! My 10 year old grand daughter learned to sew from her other grandma and I wish it was me who had taught her 🙁 It is on my wish list to come to one of your craft weekends. Do I need to bring a group or can I just come solo and join in with others? (I live in Seattle)Thanks!

Kirsten J - I do sew. I work as a bookkeeper at a sewing machine store and teach quilting classes. And you’re so lucky to have the girls sew, too! I love anything crafty. It’s good for my soul.

Sami - How can you not want to sew all those fun happy colors? Those quilts are going to be gorgeous!

Jenna - I love sewing too! I used to be soooo intimidated of it, but have gradually learned to love it! I’m working my way up to making a quilt someday! And can I say, the big ol pile of vintage sheets – holy moly swoon! 🙂

Angi - This is great. My grandma taught me to sew as soon as I was old enought to join 4-H, and I did for 11 years, but sadly haven’t touched a sewing machine since then. This makes me want to start again.

Dawn Gross - So much fun! I want to sew. But it intimidates me. I haven’t seen a thing since craft weekend. In February. 2013. WHAT?!? I need to just dig in! Awesome that the girls are enjoying it!

Dawn
dmg314

Kristin S - OH, I see these quilts going to college with each of them.

Jeri - Yep! Ages 7 and 12, both love to sew. They took a sewing summer class last year and are hooked. But my 12 yo doesn’t like to follow the rules of sewing, she just goes with the flow…

Kelly - Yes I sew and yes my kids sew…even my boys! They love to make new pajama bottoms. When they were tiny, I would sit behind them and show them exactly what to do (I still have to do this with the youngest) but now they don’t really need me too much. So fun! Love your girls’ quilts! What a great summer project!

Karina - Yes, I sew! I was initially self-taught. Then I took a few quilting and weaving courses (it was usually me plus a bunch of retired ladies). Then I did a degree in Textile Art. So now I also know how to weave and dye the fabric. I do remember some early attempts by my mother to teach me…we did not manage to stay calm and soon gave that up…lol…My daughter is interested now (she is six) and we have started slowly…a few attempts at stitching a straight line by hand…not very successful – but she is so proud, even when it is a wonky mess! We will work on a sock puppet next. 🙂

Jenny B. - This is wonderful! I would totally buy a pillow cover or quilt made by Annie and/or Talby. 🙂 I have a sewing machine. I asked for it for Christmas at least 3 years ago. It is still in the box. I am too intimidated to even open it! I have only sewed a handful of things in my life. It is so scary to me! I think the hardest thing is threading the machine. Something always seems to go wrong with the bobbin (or I forget about it completely). That, and cutting fabric in straight lines. Anyway… I really need to take a class or something so I can get over my sewing anxiety! Ha.

Mandi@herbanhomestead - Yes! I sew! My kids sew too. I started them hand sewing very young. Probably age 3. My 10 year old uses the machine without assistance and sees pretty regularly (she makes toys and clothes for the animals, ie tiny hamster clothes!). My 7 year old sees less frequently, but sometimes he is struck with creativity and makes a new robot or dinosaur, or doll for the baby. And the baby (who’s 2, but is still called the baby) sits on my lap while I sew. She also has a little wooden toy machine I found on etsy that she loves to pretend sew on. I think all children should at least know the basics when it comes to sewing. As I child my grandmother made sure we all knew how to sew a button on.

Tonya - One of my favorite posts ever! On many levels! You kindly teaching your girls to sew. Remembering the year my mom taught my brother and I to sew a straight stitch because we wanted to make Christmas presents for each other. I love the colors you have and that you just go with the flow. I do “messy sewing” and I always wonder if people look down on me for my lack of precision. (I guess as long as I don’t enter anything in the state fair, I will be okay!) I also wonder if the trends will change and my style will be left behind…maybe that’s when I will take a class! And mainly i like your post because it reminds me to just CREATE and stop worrying about other people!

Kari Shadrick - I want to learn to sew so bad! I just don’t really have anyone around that can teach me, nor do I have the money to get a machine right now. Hopefully soon…

Momma Bug - I bought that sewing machine on your last recommendation so I could have a simple, durable machine for my girls to learn on. I love it. They love it. My nine year old daughter threads the bobbins and feels free to experiment because she has permission to use it whenever inspiration strikes.
Thanks for the heads-up! I LOVE Amazon prime 🙂 Having a sewing machine delivered to my door? Awesome.

Tiffany - This makes we want to get out my sewing machine and finish my daughter’s quilt I started for her birthday last year! Plus finish the curtains for my boy’s bedroom. The sheet just isn’t working anymore! Thanks for inspiration and your daughters are doing a wonderful job.

Katie Skiff - That is an awesome way to start easy. Good idea!! My dd is 7 and we sew too. I agree, if they are interested, sew. Cute photos.

Cassandra - Way to go Mom!!! I started sewing at an early age, first clothes for 4-H projects & then my grandma taught me how to quilt when I was 13. She started me on a 9 patch block & I haven’t slowed down since!! What a wonderful gift to teach your girls 🙂

Karen - My mom taught me and about 6 of my friends to sew when we were 10. We worked on a girl scout sewing badge and we each made a wrap around skirt. I learned enough of the basics to be able to tackle most anything today. My regret, I didn’t teach my daughter. I will teach my granddaughter!

Tracy - Oh I loved sewing with my mom when I was their age!!

Please show us the completed quilts!!!!!!

laurie magpie ethel - My mom sews and passed that along to me. I am not a master with the machine, but can get by with simple projects. My daughter is 20 and I REGRET not teaching her more. She expressed an interest occasionally and I should have jumped at it. It is such a good life skill to have. High five to your daughters for their interest and the darling projects they are making!

Stephanie - My mom sewed all my life and she learned from her mom, an expert, Austrian sewist. She taught me to sew when I was young, and then again as a teenager, but I had ZERO patience for it. Labour seven years ago I picked it back up and really enjoyed the gorgeous fabrics out there. I still hate sewing machines. I mean, there are times I want to toss mine out in the yard. I’m not mechanical or technical at all and they just frustrate me with their diva attitude (so do lawn mowers. Lol). BUT–fabric is addicting! I love the finished results. My second daughter sews. She enjoys it. I’m glad.
Thanks for hearing your girl time!

heather - All of my life I watched my mom sew and always wanted to learn how. She wasn’t as patient and I became frustrated quickly. BUT a few weeks ago, I asked her to sit down and teach me, so now, at almost 32 years of age I can finally sew. 🙂 I have only accomplished a pair of shorts for my son and a pillow, but it IS so relaxing and fun. And now my 9 year old son wants to learn to sew, is case he wants to make a costume for his bearded dragon he says. Ha! Can’t wait to see how your girls’ quilts turn out. They look beautiful so far! And way to go on teaching them a valuable skill at a young age!

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the lake

June 21, 2014

lots of fun today out at the lake i used to go to when i was a teenager.
it has to have been 20 years since i’d been there.
it almost made me want to think about camping….
almost.

we were invited to go on the boat with the family.
SO FUN!
i tend to get sick in anything moving crazily (bad traffic, bumpy boats, roller coasters) but i did ok today!
the kids all tried out the tube and LOVED IT.

there was not room for all of us on the boat at once so there was down time to skip rocks, talk and find disgusting dead fish.
HA!

our youngest girls are back from their camps they went to last week.
they were at different camps but happened to be on the same week.
this was a really fun way to celebrate them coming back.

i hadn’t thought about the lake in a really long time.
i had all kinds of memories coming up… the smell of the boat… the water… the waves…the engine… whipping the boat around to pick up the person who wiped up…
it was so good to remember that stuff!
i miss it.
i used to water ski!!!
i could cross the wake! more than once!

i was an excellent Zip Sledder! check me out! i would guess this is 1980.

6a00d8341c469c53ef0133eced6b40970b-640wi
so long ago.
but it all smells and sounds the same.

🙂

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Julie Schmidt - OMG, I grew up in Michigan. We had a Zip Sled too. My brother and I spent many hours being dragged around on that thing on Lake Charlevoix. My dad would drive in circle to make a “soup” of giant waves. Then he would pull us straight put of the soup and we would fly in the air over the giant waves. Some of my best childhood memories!

Sami - We bought a boat because we want something that our family will always be able to do together. We want our kids when they are teenagers to actually want to be with us. 🙂

Carrie - You’re in a rainbow bathing suit?! Ha! Awesome!

I love your blog, pics, “voice,” etc. Thank you!

PS LOVE lakes. Awesome lakes in New England where I am!

Laura H - So fun! My Grandparents taught me how to water ski on Barbie lake. I believe it was in Indiana…one of my sisters would never let go of the rope when she fell, and we would all be yelling from the boat-“let GO of the rope!”
Ha! We still tease her to this day! Have fun making memories!

Tiffany - Look at you cutie pie!! And that white swim suit cover-up is darling! I love when events stir up old memories! I had that this weekend too and it’s just the best being reminded of those times!

se7en - That sunshine looks glorious from a cold wintry Cape Town… and were you not the cutest little gal ever!!!

Sarah{Handbags*and*Pigtails} - My parents have owned a small cottage on a small lake since before I was born. I’ll never forget the year my dad taught me how to water ski. I was about 9. I kept wanting to quit but he wouldn’t let me. Before the day was out I was skiing successfully.
The lake is still one of our favorite places in the world. Theres just nothing like it.

Kirsten J - That looks like so much fun! I used to water ski too….

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cuteness overload.

June 12, 2014

our kitty Agnes had 5 babies last week.
we were out on the porch and talby said “AGNES just had a baby!”
then we proceeded to sit and watch her have two more.
it was quite fascinating.
and totally quiet…. not even a meow.

she actually had the babies on one of our patio chairs.
then i moved her to a box for a safer place.
THEN we had a huge storm in the night that woke me up so i went and got the box in the rain and moved it to an even safer spot.
and in the morning there were FIVE babies instead of 3.
way to go agnes!

as far as we can tell we have 3 boys & 2 girls.
if you are wanting a kitty… we are giving these to loving homes when they are ready to leave their mommy.

we are anxiously awaiting their eyes to open!
annie checks about every 15 minutes to see if there has been any change!

it is so much fun having them here.
we love them.
a great summer adventure for the duerksens.
🙂

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Andrea @ This Pug Life - They’re adorable but I too cringed. Please spay Agnes. The shelters are overflowing with adorable kittens. :-\

Amy K. - So cute, but spaying is kindest and it’s not that scary…she’ll be fine in a few days and much happier in the long run.:)

karen - my husband wanted our cat to have kittens because it was ‘so cute’. no thanks…this world doesn’t need more cats when there are so many in shelters. i’m curious how it must feel for the mothers to have their babies taken away so young from them.

Jen - Please tell me you’re going to spay her as soon as possible!

Seamingly Sarah - Oh how cute! I grew up on a farm where our first cat came from someone who dropped off a cat with a litter of kittens in our barn one day. My mom was not too stoked. But us kids got to witness lots of other kittens to come over the years. Of course the cats have grown too wild at this point to be cute and cuddly. Have fun while it lasts!

Tiffany - What a wonderful memory making adventure for your family! Did you know she was pregnant? How amazing to watch her give birth! One of my favorite memories of living on a farm was finding baby kittens in the hay loft. Enjoy!

Luisa - Meravigliosi 🙂
Enjoy your kittens, they are delightful.

Jen B. - I’m glad Debby and Laura spoke up about the same thing I was thinking. The kittens are adorable, and it’s an awesome things for kids to witness, but there are so many kittens and dogs who need homes. Or never make it to homes. I hope this will be the last litter for the cats.

CathyC - So sweet!

Laura H - Oh dear! Please Spay sweet Agnes. Kittens are cute, but please don’t contribute to the overpopulation of kittens. At PAWS Chicago we have so many unwanted animals. Thank you!

Lisa - I can’t get enough of looking at these pictures! So awesome!

Debby Benson - As cute as they are, please spay Agnes and spay/neuter the babies. The Kansas Humane Society is overloaded with cats & kittens. There is no shortage of these sweet babies needing a good home.

That’s the kindest thing you can do.

Lecture over. 🙂
Debby

Jane - No disrespect…..I LOVE your blog, but…..but….I volunteer at an animal shelter that is overflowing with unwanted cats/kittens. Please, please spay this mama cat! If you could spend a day in a kill shelter and watch the heartache of the people (me) who have to euthanize animals everyday, you would understand. Even if you find all of these kitties a home, it takes away from the ones that are sitting in the shelters waiting to be adopted. All I ask is that you please spay!
I love your blog, I love you, I love craft weekend pictures, but my heart breaks every day for the unwanted that I have to kill…..

Andrea - What an awesome summer event for the kids to enjoy!
My first pet was a kitten named Cuddles, and there was a 45 record for “Cuddles the Calico Kitten” (This would have been in the 70s, like early-mid 70s). When she had kittens she went off to a barn to have them and didn’t bring them home until they were weanable – and wild as can be. One day I went to school and when I came home my mom had taken Cuddles and all the kittens to the shelter. Scarred for life, sorta.

jen - If you want an excuse to road trip to Fort Collins, I’ll take the orange one. 🙂 I was actually in McPherson last weekend but the timinig on that was definitely not right.
We stayed in this super cute place in Lindsborg for a couple nights. You should look in to it if you haven’t already heard of it. It’s called Vetehuset. It’s a loft over some shops on main street. And they have another one called Tradhuset, the tree house. Great little getaway for you and Craig. 😉
Love the kitties. They’re totes adorbz as my teenager would say.

Tammy Kay - When my twin boys were born they were in the nicu while I stayed in my hospital room. One of my husbands friends came by to visit. He went back to see the babies and he was so surprised that their eyes were open. Totally serious. His mom was a big cat lover and they always had cats and kittens. I guess he just never fit those two things together~

Lisa - I have very vivid memories of being a child and having our cat give birth to kittens. It was so cool to witness that. Excited for your kids to have that experience!

Kristin S - I love all the different colorings. This sounds so bizarre in a normal world but I grew up in a family who bred cats (pedigreed ones) and showed cats. At cat shows.

I’m CRAZY allergic to cats.

I promise. We are normal. I don’t have any cats now. Again, I’m allergic, but I also am too lazy to take care of litter and food. Gross.

BUT I so remember when kittens were born. Somehow it was always in the middle of the night and cats prefer privacy (clearly not Agnes) so they were always in a box in the closet as we watched with a low light.

I have a feeing the girls are going to have a tough time saying goodbye to these kittens….

Amy - I love the orange odd-man-out! So sweet! Will Agnes be spayed now? I know it can be expensive but it helps cats (and all animals) live longer, healthier lives! Enjoy those little bundles of cute for me 🙂 🙂

Janel - So cute!

Didn’t Spanky? The other cat have kittens too when you were moving out?

Juli - Good girl, Agnes! And now that she’s been a mom…can she get spayed?

kimberly oyler - if i could, i would take all five.

CK - Totally and completely adorable!! Are you planning on fixing all of your fur babies?? I hope so. You have enough on your plate already 🙂 Love your blog!!

Karleen - They are so cute. We had 4 kittens about 5 weeks ago and they so fun to watch play now. They are so similar to yours in color. They were also born on our patio chair!

Jenny B. - Oh how adorable!! Our cat had kittens at least once when I was growing up, and I loved it so much. I can imagine their tiny mews and their razor sharp kitten claws. Ha. 🙂 Such a great experience for your kids!

Erin - Did you have any clue she was pregnant??

such cute kittens! We found stray kittens once in my neighbors yard as a kid and we got to play with them all summer until they found homes. so cute!!

Kristin - So precious! Wish we lived closer & my husband didn’t think 2 cats were enough for one time!

Sarah{Handbags*and*Pigtails} - My girls just stood over my shoulder screaming AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!! CAN WE BUY ONE?!(me: “No…they’re in Kansas, not New York”). AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!! 🙂

Kimberly - Oh Agnes, you’re my hero! They’re adorifying!

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