Pumpkin children...

Here is a photo my father-in-law took of my kids when they were 2 and 3 years old at the Fair! I always loved this picture in the fall!

Vodka and Caviar

After a busy, busy week and an impending busy weekend, I took time out tonight for a little pampering (Caroline is camping with her Girl Scout troup and the boys are playing "guy stuff"!). Last time I got my hair cut, I picked up one of OPI's new colors to play with later at home...

Now I have Vodka and Caviar toes!!!

Have a Wonderful, Relaxing Weekend!!!

Patterns to download from far and near...

These great Mini Stuffed Pumpkins are a free pattern from patternbee.com . I found them when I read her blog Turkey Feathers this morning.

She also had a photo of a really cute apron she sewed from Susan Branch . When I looked up the pattern to download (free), I saw that Susan Branch also has quilt patterns to download that are also free. They are more traditional patterns to use with her new fabric line:

I have been in such a sewing mood lately, but Becky reminded me today how much I miss knitting!! Never enough time, is there??!

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By the way, have you wandered over lately to Alicia's blog where she's been posting photos of her new puppy Clover? Warning: They are extremely cute! You may find yourself shopping for a black and white Corgi puppy!!!

Here's our own bundle of cuteness from just this past spring! She is so big now!!

October is around the corner!

Fall is my absolute favorite season! I get so excited for it: besides the beautiful leaves and the smell of fireplaces burning, I also love the quietness, the crisp air and the grey sky that just pushes you inside after a walk, to snuggle under a blanket. I love the excitement of school football games on Friday nights and apples in recipes. I love that my birthday is coming in another month, then a string of holidays! So in honor of October being upon us, I thought I'd post another poem from "A Child's Calendar" by John Updike, with illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman for you to enjoy! I love the imagery the words create in this one!!...
(you can click this one and it will go larger!)

Charity

I have a hard time showing people charity when I'm upset. I realized this today on my morning walk. Nathaniel's math teacher marked a test incorrectly, giving him a low score, which surprised us as it is his strongest subject and her mistake caused more discouragement than need be. But it was just a mistake. I, of course, felt I needed to comment on the test which I was required to sign, that she needed to grade his papers correctly and change his grade and go over the one word he obviously didn't understand...blah, blah, blah. I am a teacher so maybe I hold them up to the kind of expectations I have for myself. But then I also know teachers have a tremendously difficult job, wearing so many hats a day...it's amazing more mistakes aren't made! We ended the day on a low note... the house party was great, but my son's day at school was terrible... bad behaviour which was surprising, bad test score and a fight with a friend-- not at all like my smiling, happy go lucky kid who left that morning. After the sensitive lecture and sending him off this morning, discouraged (both of us) I'm really upset because I don't know what to do. His math teacher called, and we had to go over why I wrote that note (which embarressed Nathaniel)....ugh. So I'm focusing on charity today: with others and maybe with myself because I can't stop crying. Motherhood is not that easy and it's hard to fix problems for your children even when it breaks your heart!

What I love about my house...

Today we are joining a party to celebrate Karla Nathan's home being published in the current Romantic Country Magazine!! Yeah Karla!! You can go to her blog to see everyone's home who is participating today!

So, WELCOME to my home! We just moved into our house this year and I consider this place a "house of possibilities"!! I have lots of ideas and I haven't even unpacked all of my art work and decorative things...so it is a blank canvas, waiting to be designed!

We call this the "TREE HOUSE"... can you see why? :) ...

Here is a picture of our house last fall (before it was our house, our friends had built it!)...It has a porch which is just waiting for two wicker chairs! And our house sits on a wooded lot which used to be an old Christmas Tree farm (we like that a lot!)

If you come inside, you can see my mirror which was made by a local potter. It has leaf impressions... I bought it for my birthday a couple years ago! (you can click on the picture and it will enlarge, I hope!) Our family room has a beautiful view of the woods behind us and a cozy fireplace where we love to burn real wood! This room is waiting for a warm color and curtains!!

Our kitchen and dining area is the heart of our home... meals and homework happen here a lot! This is where we start from in the morning and congregate in the evenings!! And eat chocolate chip cookies occasionally!

I am lucky because I have a butler's pantry that connects the kitchen to the dining room. I have big plans for the dining room. sigh. I love the pantry because the shelves hold all my Wedgewood china from my wedding. I sewed the placemats (they are for spring, but now it's time for my fall tablecloth!)

The room we used even more this summer was our screened in porch off the back of the kitchen. It feels like you're in a vacation home off in the woods, separate from the cares of the world!

Upstairs in the bedrooms, I have my antique furniture that my grandparents had when they were first married! (Grandma is 93 now!). It is a golden oak and has a beautiful scroll design that I haven't seen anywhere else. The drawer pulls are sunflowers... it is so me!!! My daughter's room is the most decorated, as the painting was done prior to us moving in (though I helped with it!). She loves horses and it's such a girl's room...I love it! I also love my red quilt and yellow blanket... it will move to the guest bedroom when I finally sew our new quilt! Oh, don't look too closely at my bedside table... always full of books!!!


Speaking of books, I actually own a library! It is small and here is part of it. I am constantly reading and with all the teaching I do, I've collected many books on many topics. If you look closely, you can see a small painting I did...it's up in the left hand corner!

I hope you had fun looking at this little tour. I hope that in the coming months, I will have new photos to share of things we're doing around the house to make it special!

Have a wonderful time at the party!

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If you'd like to see some photos of my drawings (thanks Karla!) you can click on the Flickr link on the right under "More of Me" >

I'm sorry if the photos above didn't enlarge for you... Blogger did not let me upload the larger sizes today...ugh... but then, my house is waiting to be decorated right now!

On Tuesday...

Tomorrow is Karla's House Party!!! Join us there and here... I've been snapping photos this afternoon!!

Good mojo

This is Jesse, a custom-made Black Lab Sock Dog by Stacey Hsu. I saw him on etsy and fell in love! Good thing he was reserved! But the thing I fell in love with most is that her motivation for making these "Original Sock Dogs" is to benefit the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City. Most crafters who sell have good motives... I love to support cottage industries! But when it also helps non-profits who depend on gifts to keep doing what they're doing, then that's just wonderful! Check out her blog because there are some really great softies on there! I'd love to see Twinkle or Sparkle or Miss Maggie as an Original Sock Puppet! Or Buddy and Ellie!!!

As children do...

Why don't we see the world like children anymore?
Photo from "Amelie" the movie.

Drawing children

One of my favorite subjects to draw is of children and recently I found an illustrator who lives in England that just captures them so well and seemingly so easily! I'll try not to get discouraged after seeing how good she is! Her blog is belle and boo and her name is Mandy. She sells her prints and other things with her drawings on Etsy, but I haven't been able to find her anywhere else...

[Ava]

[Muddy Morning]

And the day keeps getting better!

I got a package today...

It was Joelle Hoverson's new book Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts! Joelle owns Purl and Purl Patchwork in New York City. You can get the book online from PurlSoho.com along with some of the best selection of fabrics I have found! Joelle formerly worked as a senior style editor for Martha Stewart Living, so you know her things are exceptionally designed!

Here are a couple projects that look like something I want to try!:

I have picked out fabrics now for a quilt for our bed, but I haven't made up my mind which pattern to go with... traditional or contemporary...or both!

We have Parent Orientation tonight at school, where we get to meet the kids' teachers. I am looking forward to it... I love to hear what they have planned for their curriculum because I'm a curriculum geek!!!

Today is a good day!

We started our first Blended Program session in York today! It went very well-- I loved getting to know the kids and their parents. Some are new and some are returning. What is the "Blended Program" you ask? With Agora Cyber Charter School, I am instructing at a site where we bring together the students from grades K-8 and they meet face-to-face, to work on their school lessons. It's like a co-op but it is all Agora kids. I taught my children last year through this school. Because of my teaching background, they hired me to be an instructor on site at two different locations. My kids are back in public school, now that we moved back to our old neighborhood and they love it! I am a BIG proponent for school choice. And we are lucky that there are so many choices. I meet kids all the time with many different backgrounds and needs, and to be able to choose the best education for your child, whether it is homeschooling, cyber schooling, public, private or religious ... is so important! If you want to know more, just email me. I love to talk education!!

So one wonderful day under my belt... now we start our first session up in Lancaster on Thursday!

Fifteen minutes of fame...

My cousin's daughter was just in the local Sunday paper (you might remember her from photos of their Germany/Paris trip) and I just thought this was so cute! Terrill says, "She'll be signing autographs at our local playground at 5 p.m. today--for a small fee (an oreo will do). :) " Hopefully all this fame didn't go to her head--ha!

Quick post

The bunny was a hit! Ava is adorable and had a good birthday.

My dog is sick. I think she ate some stuffing out of her puppy. She's had a stuffed animal dog since she came home here. It was the same size as her then. Now she's twice as big and so are her teeth!

My first Religious Ed class (ever) went not so well. I am reevaluating for next Sunday. Maybe a couple calls to parents are in order. I love kids... but I don't love mouthy kids!

Tomorrow begins the school year of our Blended Ages Program. I have been teaching for years and still every time we begin a new year, I get butterflies and feel like I'm sick to my stomach! Achhhh! I have a huge pile of copies to sort and check off my list of supplies. Meanwhile I'm cleaning up the house for Nathaniel's friend to come over. Cookies are on my "to do" list!

Nathaniel's antibiotic kicked in and he's breathing so much better now. I love doctors. Especially our pediatricians. They saved us again!

If I disappear a bit, don't worry... I'm just having a nervous breakdown... it will be better after Thursday morning.

Pretty little package

After Karla's suggestion, I decided to turn my previous blog story into a little book for Ava! So we're all set for her party tomorrow. I also made the gift bag decoration. I just traced the outline of a cupcake on the wrapping paper and glued it to the bag. Then I cut out the felt shaped like icing. I added some glitter and ta-da! Everything matches.
Hope you're having a good weekend!
xoxo Beth

new stuff

I think I'm the only one who doesn't know about Mahar Drygoods! Maybe you haven't been there either? Lots of interesting things that make great gifts. They have a great blog which I will add to my favorites! (that list is getting long!)

I also found a link to a free online magazine called small. They are in their third issue and you can subscribe here. Very cute kids clothing, handmades, art and furniture, etc.... it's definately worth a peek!

For the midgets...

There's a new book on crafting for kids: D.I.Y. Kids and if you go to their website, they list a lot of the crafts that are in the book. This isn't the typical kids craft book...it is more reflective of what's going on in the crafting world that you and I know and love! Click here to get there!

One favorite that I know my Caroline will like: on D.I.Y. Kids' blog they have "Donut Stuffies", which is a take-off (or copy!) of Heidi Kenney's plush toys on her website My Paper Crane. (She is located in Waynesboro, Pa... we used to live just down the road from her, and never knew it!)


My Caroline and Nathaniel have been keeping busy making things out of this newer book since last summer: the Cute Book by Aranzi Aronzo. I haven't taken photos yet, but just know that it inspired sewing beyond the patterns. They were making sleeping bags and pillows for their little characters!

I took Nathaniel to the doctor today for a cough he's had for almost two weeks. The doctor said it is walking pneumonia! So no soccer game tomorrow and antibiotics for five days. He's not contagious (at least no one else contracted it and that's the theory... you're contagious before you show the symptoms). So maybe there'll be more crafting done here by the kids tomorrow, while I clean and prepare for a very, very busy week of all my classes starting!

Little Manhattan

If you're looking for a cute movie to rent this weekend, we just saw Little Manhattan staring Josh Hutcherson (Bridge to Tarabithia, Zathura) and Charlie Ray. It's about a 10 year old boy's first experience at falling "in love". Craig and I enjoyed it even more than the kids! We all thought it was very funny and the thoughts in his head are so true to life. It is a good family movie for kids aged 10 and up (it's PG). Just be aware that at the very beginning, there is a scene with vomitting but it doesn't last long and the whole comedy thing makes up for it completely! If you like NYC, then you'll also like it for all the scenery of the city. If you don't have kids, still see it because it will remind you of being this age! (Cynthia Nixon also stars as Josh's mom.)

THANK YOU

I just wanted to tell you that I am really honored that you take the time to read my blog and thank you very, very much for all of your encouraging comments!!!! You've helped me get back into my creative life which I had lost for awhile. I count you all as friends and put your names in my little book of prayers so I can ask for God's blessings for each of you! xoxo Beth

A bunny tale...

This is a story about a little bunny who was getting ready to be adopted by a very special little girl!

Little bunny awoke from her sleep, anxious to greet the morning...

She stretched out her little paws, gave a sweet little yawn and thought about all the things she would tell her new loved one, once she got there...

After her breakfast porridge, she hopped swiftly to school. So swiftly that she felt like she was flying in the beautiful blue sky...

At school Little bunny was learning her manners: her "hellos" and "I love you dearlys" and even "Don't cry, I'm here to wipe away your tears!"


She loved to ride horses and shared her horse tales during Show & Tell...

When the school bell rang, she knew it was time to say "good-bye" and gathered her things to go. She brought along a brightly wrapped present to give the little girl who was going to adopt her. Off she hopped, across the meadow, the hills and the valleys, to Philadelphia...

So long Little bunny! We will miss you but we know you will be loved and hugged and cuddled with! And you will get your own special name soon! Farewell!

This little bunny was sewn from Hilary Lang's "Big Footed Bunny" Pattern, which is sold on her wee wonderfuls website! The body is a soft flannel and the dress is quilter's cotton. (The reverse side is yellow!) I had a lot of fun making it! And the special little girl who will receive her this weekend is my niece Ava who is turning one year old!

Happy Birthday Ava!

September Poem

(**click on the picture and it will be large enough to read!)

Last evening my kids and I were pulling out favorite children's books (you never outgrow them!) and I found A Children's Calendar by John Updike and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. The kids whine whenever they see it (maybe someday it will bring wonderful memories! I hope!) because I LOVE reading it to them and did every month! I love the words that just fill your senses with the different seasons. And Trina has always been one of my favorite illustrators. I would stare at them, in awe of her talent and perception. I read that she illustrated this book (A Caldecott Honor Book) with pictures of a family who was similiar to her own daughter's family. Her daughter married an African American man and she realized there weren't any stories out there where the parents were of different racial backgrounds. Unfortunately Trina died in 2004 of cancer. I think she would have continued making beautiful illustrations for a long, long time. This picture of the farmers market stand looks just like one that is right down the road from our house. We were just talking of getting some pumpkins soon for our front porch steps! Fall is coming!!!

There you are...sewing again!

This little blue bunny keeps showing up at the sewing machine. She should be ready for her premiere very soon!

Sale notice

If you're interested, Raspberry is having a one day sale tomorrow on her etsy site for three of her bags which are very, very cute! Just click on the name and it links to her site and photos!

Remembering 9/11

Lord, thank you for our safety and protect us from evil. Help us to bring peace to our world by the friendships that we make and the good we do for others. May the souls of the departed join with you in heaven. Amen.

wishes...

I was granted my wish by a fairy today:
"for the inspiring Bethany:You awaken in the early dawn to the soft, breathy sound of fluted pipes. You turn to your bedside table to see a notebook filled with your handwriting - you must have written this in your sleep while you were dreaming! You see the pages are filled with detailed notes of your plans to bring art and creativity to others, and you realize that this is something that could really happen. As you turn the pages, you notice that you are getting fairy dust all over your bed. "
Thank you fairy!

*** If you want your wish granted too, you can find her in my "inspiring links" list...but she won't be there long!

Sweet!

Someone else who shares my affinity for cupcakes and fun children's illustration:
Cupcakes for Clara...

Donuts and Coffee Cupcakes

Here's the latest cupcake creation at the Cupcake Bakeshop! (Recipe is on their site) Honestly, why bother with the cupcake...just give me the donut!!!