{Ta-Da! accomplishments}

Paisley Roots and Butterfly Wings

May 23, 2015 3 Comments

We are the happy owners of our *first* Paisley Roots creation!! 😀 We’re a little enamored.

Meri and I both *adore* it! <3 I was definitely not the only excited one:

Those colors – I swoon. Meri says the shirt is “windproof” too! 😉

I love the fabric – print and stretchy feel. It’s delightful and those tags – eek!

Karly’s details are impeccable as always! So excited for my dear friend and that she is sharing her talents with us. Her first craft fair was today and she rocked it!

Machine washable, my fav…

Monarch butterfly wings compliment nicely – and Meri, she knows how to fly. 😉

Filed Under: {capturing everyday}, {happy times}, {photography captures}, {Ta-Da! accomplishments}, {tickles and smiles}

The Yum

November 22, 2013 Leave a Comment

Sometimes I get a little conceited about the lunches I pack…

I think the note worked – Drewby came home today and said it was his best lunch ever!!

Filed Under: {bonne buche}, {capturing everyday}, {one little word}, {scrumptious schenanigans}, {Ta-Da! accomplishments}, {tickles and smiles}

Mission Complete

September 13, 2013 Leave a Comment

Although I’m working on my perfectionistic traits, 16 out of 24 is not bad. In fact, ought to be celebrated! 🙂

Especially considering the 24 hours also included a Pioneer music celebration practice, Jim Bob receiving a new calling, and getting to help at the school for 4 hours with the Bookmobile. Phew! 😉

A huge thank you to all of my wonderful hostesses that I will be working with this fall! I’m excited to help so many families pick out the books that will be perfect for their families and the learning styles within.

One of my favorite parts of the whole challenge was the photo shoot the night before. Comfy chair, willing participants, and beautiful light… couldn’t ask for a deeper breathe before diving in.

Filed Under: {reading reverie}, {Ta-Da! accomplishments}, {tickles and smiles}, {Usborne}

Harvesting…

August 12, 2013 Leave a Comment

Our garden behaved nicely while we were gone.

Hurray for ripe tomatoes, harvested garlic and the first handful of green beans.

Mom Pipes did a fabulous job of watching over the garden while we were gone. So thankful!

Filed Under: {bonne buche}, {capturing everyday}, {reflections and deep thoughts}, {Ta-Da! accomplishments}, {tickles and smiles}

Well, hello…

May 18, 2013 1 Comment

Dollies. 😉

My wondrous friend Karly had a sewing day and invited us. Karly’s sewing is delightful and fun-loving – this pettiskirt is one of my favorites she’s made and her post on storing patterns – brilliant!

The magical afternoon began with the girls (Karly’s girls, my two older ones and niece) choosing their doll dress size, fabric and legging fabric. Ooh – and eye color. That was fun. 🙂 The free doll pattern by girl. Inspired. was a perfect choice for our girls and made good use of some pretty fabric scraps.

Karly was so sweet to cut out the pieces while her little ones played/danced nearby. So fun to see her in her element.

Love the twirling dress and adorableness of her little guy.

After the pieces were cut, Karly showed the girls how to use a needle and thread to sew on the button eyes.

After the eyes were sewn on and all the pieces carefully laid out and admired…

it was off to the sewing machine.

Karly patiently sewed and sewed and the girls watched and waited… mostly patiently.

Then they got to stuff the arms and legs and sew up the bottom section of their dolls.

That they loved too. Huge thanks to Karly for a splendid afternoon and new skills learned!

Outside for a quick photoshoot:

After being inside they were ready to run around and play with their creations.

Sweet poses for the dolls & the girls:

I adore those giggles and shrieks of delight at the end.

Two months later and my girls are still loving their dolls. They find their way to church and the store as well as snuggled in bed with them most nights. I think partly why those dollies are loved so much is the wonderful memory of creating them.

Filed Under: {Ta-Da! accomplishments}, {tickles and smiles}

Stuck.

March 16, 2013 2 Comments

My getting-stuck-in-the-mud outfit – last Saturday:

[Coat: Old Navy – $20, Skirt: hand-me-down, Shoes: DI – $5]

{oops! In my defense the muddy area was snow covered and I didn’t realize how boggy it was.}

Here’s Jim Bob’s getting-me-out-of-the-mud outfit:

[Coat: North Face – eBay $50, Hat: Mission gift, Cords: DI – $4, Boots: IFA – $12]

{minus Mom’s truck – thanks again!}

Thankfully it happened near my friend Jessica’s home and I had a lovely talk with her, her sister-in-law and mother-in-law while I waited for Jim Bob to come rescue me. Not a bad way to spend part of the afternoon.

Filed Under: {capturing everyday}, {Ta-Da! accomplishments}, {tickles and smiles}

Sharpen

May 3, 2012 2 Comments

Did you know that there are tools available to help indexers and arbitrators to get even better at what they do? To sharpen their skills?

A whole page of resources is available. There you can find a Frequently Asked Questions page, and Enumerator Instructions (for those gathering the information for the census = fascinating – like place of birth and number of children born to mothers – so very good for those seeking family history answers – and neat info like current occupation and years of education. I love the glimpses into the lives of these people.) There are also classes on the history of, how to use and understanding the census.

Video trainings introducing the census, showing how to download the software, create an account, how to index and how to associate yourself with a group are all there. So good for a visual learner such as myself.

So, there you have it. Lots of good reading/watching inspiration and ways to sharpen the skills you have developed. Or if you wish to develop these skills, head on over to the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project site and help by being an indexer or arbitrator.

On a personal note, Jacob had his first Court of Honor for Boy Scouts last night. He loved it. A scuba instructor brought his gear and told fascinating stories. (Did you know that sea lions like scuba divers because their bubble trails tickle the sea lion’s bellies. I sure didn’t.)

Jacob was also able to participate in the flag ceremony. He told his scout leader he wanted to be the one up front calling the ceremony. He memorized and practiced… and nailed it. (Really?? The spotlight? Is that my boy??) Good on him.

This morning his dad presented him with a Swiss Army Knife. Jacob loves all it can do. And there is a neat connection to the 1940s too. When World War II ended, many U.S. soldiers bought Swiss Army knives on military bases. The german name: Schweizer Offiziersmesser was too hard for most to say, so they called them “Swiss Army knives” – what they are now commonly known as worldwide.

Victorinox‘s website is so cool by the way – take a peek at their stories.

{As part of the1940census.com ambassador program this blog post enters me into a drawing for $100 Amazon gift card.}

Filed Under: {1940 census}, {happy times}, {Ta-Da! accomplishments}

Dreamy Me

March 25, 2012 Leave a Comment

I had a dream this afternoon.

There was an academic competition at the high school I went to growing up. I was high school age again and all about competing. Right before the competition I was gathering up my children to come watch. The last one was on the roof of the school. As I was up there I noticed a young man in peril. There was a super-sonic jet about to take off to carry him and his broken camera to a repair shop. I helped him get on the platform when the whole surrounding area was taken up into the jet – me included.

The ride to the shop was crazy fast… and fun. Just a quick stop there to drop off the camera and the young man – the rest of us didn’t even get out. The ride back was even more fast. At one point the pilot told us to raise our hands to the ceiling. He dove down and landed on the school roof. It was exhilarating.

I hopped out of that machine and ran down to the gym for the competition. I got there just in time to run up to the microphone, wait for the last person before me to introduce himself and then take my turn. I said, with all sorts of confidence, “My name is Becky Pipes. I am from Shoshone High School and we are here to win. Bring it!”

Then I woke up.

I would love an interpretation of my dream. For now I know two things:

1. My identity of here and now is pretty strong. My age reverted, but I was still married with children. Groovy.

2. I would definitely ride in a super-sonic jet if my camera needed to be fixed.

Filed Under: {reflections and deep thoughts}, {Ta-Da! accomplishments}, {tickles and smiles}

Meri’s arrival

March 21, 2012 5 Comments

{Meri – having her range of motion checked just a short while after birth.}

When it’s time to arrive our babies like to come fast. This we know. It is a huge blessing in some ways and a little crazy in others. We have discussed the idea of a home birth before, but never felt it was right for our family until this last birth. There are risks that need to be calculated. We have always had low-risk pregnancies. Labor and delivery have never been complicated. We had our doctor do all the blood work and was on board if we needed to suddenly – or not-so-suddenly – have a hospital birth. We decided on two mid-wives we love and trust. Ones that insist on proper care and will transport at the first signs of need – no egos there. We consciously made the decision to have a home birth and there were so many ways our family was blessed by this decision.

A few reasons I loved a home birth:

We had a fairly relaxed atmosphere. We were not rushing to hospital (it is a 20 minute drive – quite a bit less when Katey was about to be born).

We felt prepared and learned so much along the way. I learned which vitamins and supplements would help with a lot of my symptoms. (flavinoids and cayenne for varicose veins; calcium and magnesium for charley horse cramps in my legs; overall better nutrition and exercise for arthritis; water, protein and walking for swelling; & bland diet and papaya enzymes for heartburn} I loved learning about more natural ways to provide relief.

I took better care of myself. Especially towards the end I reported weekly on my water intake, exercise (yoga and walking) and sleep. It was my best pregnancy yet, in huge part to taking responsibility for my care. I loved the personal care from my mid-wives. Texts and phone calls to check in were common.

I also learned a lot about the birthing process. I learned how to tuck my chin to my chest to help curve the spine and help the baby along. We planned on a water birth and were able to have that at the end of labor and delivery. Barely. Labor is fast for us. By the time the pool was full Meri was almost here. The warm water totally muted my contractions and I was able to focus for the delivery. Huge blessings. I breathed through contractions and gave gentle pushes between contractions to allow time to stretch. Every other delivery I have torn – partly because of the speed of delivery. This time we were able to slow the process a little by breathing and waiting and the outcome was much better. A little nick, nothing more – and it healed up on it’s own.

It was wonderful to have Jim Bob deliver Meri. After the head and shoulders were through (the tricky part 🙂 ) Jim Bob took over and was able to place Meri in my arms. She was then wrapped in a towel and we enjoyed meeting each other face to face.

Pure happiness.

My home is a wonderful place to recover. Jim Bob made sure we were stocked up on Cottonelle toilet paper, a variety of cranberry and grape juices, and crushed ice from Fred’s.

There were a few things I missed about having a baby at the hospital. I missed the baby heart monitor. I love hearing the sound throughout labor. A baby’s heartbeat can be checked often at home, but it wasn’t quite the same for me. The nurses. I miss the nurses in our small hospital fawning over our new baby – often the only one there at the time. Our little ones would get three baths in the day we were there. It was always fun to watch the sweet, excited nurses.

I know not all women would be able… or would even want to have a baby at home, but it was wonderful for us. We loved our experience and packed up our pool (minus the liner) for future use.

Meri a few days later:

Filed Under: {happy times}, {holidays and celebrations}, {Ta-Da! accomplishments}

March Forth…

March 19, 2012 3 Comments

I’ve been crushing on this site: Purdue Avenue

What’s not to love about a site that features crafty goodness, photography tips and inspiration about life? As promised, it is a site that leads to all things fabulous. See?

{Click on any of the photos to go straight to that project.}

The tutorials are thorough – complete with pictures and ooze creativity. I would not mind taking up permanent residence on Purdue Avenue.

One of the contributors is my very good friend Mandi. I *adore* her. She posts sweet and fun weekly layouts of her family. Weekly! She also makes adorable stuff like this:

and this:

And inspiring things like these:

Cards can be downloaded here.

Mandi does all the research and lets you know the best products and process. Even those photos turn out cute.

Mandi made my blog header – I’m so blessed. Have you noticed that my puddle splashes change each time you visit… or refresh? Try it out. 🙂 Love! And she sent me the cutest package when Meri was born. Mandi found things I had pinned on Pinterest and made them for me. All in my color I chose for last year. Who does that? Mandi. She’s amazing.

I love her idea of setting goals on March 4th. I always need a refresher by then.

Here is my first week in March goal:

My comments on the blog: “I have spent a full day contemplating. Then I realized there is more than one week in March and that took some of the pressure off. 🙂 So I decided. This week I will not let my perfectionism keep me from starting. Yes, there are things that I put off doing because I know they won’t be perfect in the near future. I’m going to start anyway. Starting with a newsletter I volunteered to make… over a month ago.”

Almost week later – “I did pretty good on my goal – it wasn’t everyday though. 🙁 And there my perfectionism peeks out again. So – I’m gonna celebrate what I did accomplish! ready? * Newsletter for the Humanitarian Center? started, finished and delivered. hurray! * a guest blog post for the 1940 census blog? sweet. fun photo shoot for said post? can do. Except not a 1940s radio in site. Instead I sketched a radio for a backdrop and let my little ones dance in front. It worked and I think it turned out even cuter than my first idea – love. And my final one? I haven’t hung anything on one of my bedroom walls because I’d love to re-paint it sometime. So here’s a beautiful wall needing a little color with no holes at all. I decided it’s okay to put a few holes in it while it waits to get painted. It’s right by where Meri sleeps and I put up the most beautiful yellow cloth banner EVER. And it makes me smile.

Thanks for getting me started Mandi!”

Here’s my goal for this week: