Thank You For a Great Year Teacher Gift

Little Man N will be spending his last day as a 2nd grader today!

Wowzer! 

This year flew by so incredibly fast!

And to add to the craziness, Baby M took her first steps last night!
All my babies are growing up waaaaay too fast.

                                                              
                                   Oops...

I got sidetracked...back to my topic.

I wanted to make Little Man N's amazing teacher a gift for her "amazing-ness" & for the wonderful job she did.  She was able to make my Little Man a serious learner & that is so fantastic.

Nearly every day he looked forward to attending school & I truly believe he enjoyed going this year.

(Although, he may tell you otherwise if asked.)

I am so proud of his accomplishments & I owe so much of those accomplishments to his teacher.

With her guidance, patience, love for teaching & perseverance, Little Man N was able to reach goals that were thought to be unreachable in a short amount of time.

Here is what I made for her...

I have to apologize for the crummy photos.  I finished the tote bag during the evening hours which means horrible lighting.

I made a simple tote bag, but to make it unique, I sewed the fabric to look like notebook paper.

Super-cool, right?

I got my inspiration here & here.

I then appliqued an apple & embroidered my son's teacher's name to the front of the bag.

On the backside I embroidered a heart, my son's initials & the year.

This tote bag is also reversible!

I added  pockets for pens, markers, pencils or whatever.

I only did the pocket thing on one side & I am now wishing I had added pocket to both sides of the bag.

Oh well.

I am really digging the "notebook paper" fabric.

I can't wait to do more with it!

So, overall I am happy with how it turned out & hope she likes it.

Thank you, Ms. Morrill!

You are truly amazing & wonderful!

Happy, happy Friday!

~Amy

**I'll be linking up to some fantastic parties!**

Finally Posting About Our Incredibly Fun Memorial Day Weekend

I know, I know...I am a bit late with this post.  My computer has not been playing nice, therefore the lack of posting & anything else that requires my computer.

The wee ones & I spent an amazing time with Grummie & Grumpie at Grumpie's hunting camp.

(I can hear your giggles now as I type.)

I figured it was time to get back to my roots, so to speak.

Shot guns & four-wheelers my friends!!

There is nothing like it!

Camp is set in, what seems to be, the middle of nowhere. 

Lots & lots of trees

AND

black flies

AND

MOSQUITOES THE SIZE OF YOUR HEAD!

The wee ones & I had so much fun, minus the shotguns, of course.

Little Man N & Sweet Little L spent hours catching frogs...

And snakes...

In between the frogs & snakes & dumping out the mucky water from their puddle boots, they found time to practice their golf swing...

My Mom, aka Grummie, is playing the role of golf instructor here, giving Sweet Little L some pointers.

We also enjoyed a game or two of horseshoes...

As well as lots & lots of bike riding through giant mud puddles...

and some jump roping...

The wee ones, of course, found time for a 4-wheeler ride with their Grumpie...

While on their ride, Sweet Little L & Grumpie, noticed a turtle hitchhiking along the path & decided to give Mr. Turtle a lift back to camp...

During our few down times, Little Man N would serenade us with some good ole' guitar pickin'...

Even my Dad, aka Grampa, paid us a couple of visits at hunting camp.

Here is looking all super-fly riding his Harley...

And, no, you're not seeing Grizzly Adams or a member of the group ZZ Top,

this man is my very own cool Dad.

For a very short amount of time,

we were able to roast a few marshmallows.

We were out numbered by the mosquitoes & black flies, so a cozy campfire was, unfortunately, short lived.

Wearing a space suit could not have protected us from those nasty, mean bugs!!

Poor Baby M, all she got was a stinkin' cracker...

One of the highlights of the weekend was when I went to check in on Little Man N at bedtime.

He was tossing & turning so I asked,

"Hey Bud, are you okay?"

He replied, "MOM!  What is that noise?  It is so loud.  I can't sleep!"

I giggled & said,

"Um, those would be the frogs croaking & crickets chirping."

"Tell them to STOP!" he bellows.

Ha!!!

I think my wee ones are becoming a bit too "city" & need some more back woods adventures.

Minus the dreadful mosquitoes & blackflies, our weekend was

FAN-TAB-U-LOUS!

It is nice to go back home & let my wee ones enjoy the environment that I grew up in.

Playing outside & getting dirty...

there is nothing else like it.

Thank you Grummie & Grumpie for such an incredible weekend!

Happy Wednesday!

~Amy

Pillow Fight-For a Cause

I am super excited to be posting about this fun Pillow Contest over at Ladybird Ln.

Every month, Carlee & Alyssa feature a charity, service organization, or project to spotlight during the month.

During the month of June they are doing a contest called, Pillow Fight--For a Cause to help an amazing,  beautiful & very talented young lady named Malynn.

Malynn is 14 years old & has spent many months inside a hospital.  She has made it her goal to donate 100 bright & cheerful pillow cases  to Primary Childrens Medical Center to brighten up the patients rooms.

Malynn thought it was helpful to have her own  pillowcase during her hospital stay.  It helped her feel more at home  &  made the room more cheerful & she wanted  to share that with other patients.

Ladybird Ln has come up with a super-cool contest to help Malynn and her goal of 100 pillowcases & it is called Pillow Fight-For a Cause!

You create a pillow, any kind of pillow, enter it & the best pillow wins.  With every entry that you enter into the contest, you must donate a handmade pillowcase for Malynn's cause.

Easy, fun & great prizes for the lucky winners.

Most importantly, you will be contributing to an amazing effort.

So, get over to Ladybird Ln & join in on the fun!

Use my easy pillowcase tutorial & get donating, Ladies!!

Happy Thursday!!

~Amy

Look Out Etsy...Here I Come!!!

Yikes!  I did it!

I finally listed a couple of things for my Etsy store & now my stomach is flip flopping.

I feel like vomiting.  What the heck?!

I can sew and well, I am quite good at it.

I sew all the time for family & friends, heck, I have even sold items at craft fairs & have been hired out to make items.

Then why am I FREAKING OUT??

The thought of failing or disappointing or being criticized

probably sums it up.

Time to climb that mountain & get over it!

Off I go...climbing, climbing, climbing!

Happy Wednesday!

~Amy

Just when I didn't think my day couldn't get any better...
I noticed that I was featured on another blog for my Petal Pillow!

How cool!!



Thank you Jonie Marie!

I also won a spring craft contest on Wikia for my Re-purposed Windowpane to Towel Rack!

Wow!  Wow!!  Wow!!!

**I would list more items if my flipping computer would operate properly!***

**still having technical difficulties with this darn computer/internet service!**

Bird's Party Blog - Party Supplies, Party Printables, Custom Paper Goods, Stationery and Party Crafts

Do you have any birthday parties coming up? 

Visit Bird's Party Blog for a chance to win a Helium Balloon Kit!

My wee-ist will be turning 1 in a few short weeks & I would love to win this for myself!

Bird's Party Blog Helium Balloon Kit Giveaway

Oh, and if you don't win, she has a promotional coupon for $2.00 off  if you are looking to purchase a kit!
Woot!  Woot!

                                                                          ~Amy