pirate baby.

you know when your baby is really tired?when she looks like a pirate and it doesn't bother her.

baby quilt.

This was my first project I finished this year. I couldn't show it until after my sister, Julie's baby shower. It's made from scrap fabric. A lot of it was from clothing that she had altered a little and then sold on ebay. Again, I didn't measure anything so it's not square, nor is it in anyway perfect.

Hopefully, the baby won't notice and Julie will have a story to tell the baby about the history of the fabric.

I think the next quilt I make will be for our bed. I just have to figure out the colors I want to use. Our bedroom is more on the masculine side, so I am thinking grey's...hmmm. Suggestions?

coupons.

I am one to use coupons here and there.

I like a good deal.

My niece, Betsie, is a coupon nut. She gets things for next to nothing, and sometimes less than nothing. I've been wanting to learn this extreme coupon shopping, but have been a little overwhelmed. I have a friend that we go to church with that took me shopping with her today.

Betsie, you would be proud. I spent $16.79 and saved $31.75. i didn't think that was too bad for my first shopping trip. However, starting on the 31st, our Albertson's won't be taking competitor coupons, which means that I will have to drive a little farther for a good deal. The best deal I got, 4 bags of lays/doritos for .83 cents a bag. not too bad.

Aha.

if you grew up in the eighties when that actually had music videos. You'll enjoy this.

It will make you laugh!

naps.

Brinley woke up from a nap this afternoon and asked me "Mom, why is my sucker(lolipop) stuck to my underwear?"

I didn't know she had a sucker.

mike and claci.

I had the pleasure of photographing these two last Saturday. Claci is Matt's niece.

Poor Mike was frozen. He's from Arizona where it's not quite so cold. She kept him warm.

first quilt of the year.

I LOVE my sewing machine.

I finally got my mom's birthday gift finished...three weeks late. But I did it and I love how it turned out. Especially since I did no measuring, at all.

Its not for a bed, but for cuddling up on the couch reading a book or, in my Mom's case, watching FOX News or CNN. Mom, I hope you like it.
I picked out the fabric just for you.

This isn't my first project on my new machine, but I can't post the other one yet.

I have found a love for stippling. I think I'll be doing it on most of my quilts I make. I hope to make one a month, at least.

******

on another note.

Sunday, we went out to visit Olivia. It had been the first sunny day we have had in weeks (it only lasted two days). We hadn't been out there in a while because of the snow. (Its kinda hard to haul a 5 year old and a car seat through 3 feet of snow.) When we got out there, they had plowed clear out by where Olivia is buried. They had had a funeral there sometime last week. I will just note that I am greatful for the chimes that hang on a hook just above her. They had plowed the snow right up to her, even moving the rocks we placed out of the way. I think they would have plowed right over her had it not been for the chimes. My baby has a large amount of snow sitting right on top of her grave. If the headstone had been placed, I think they would have destroyed it.

It made me a little frustrated. Matt wasn't as concerned about it as I was. What if we had spent time beautifying her little place and they had ruined it. I feel as if it is sacred ground.

When you grieve the loss of a loved one, emotions come and go at really odd times. It has been over 14 months since Olivia's death. I find that I will start crying and not sure what has set it off. This past Sunday was Stake Conference. The Stake President told a story of a gift that was given to his son's family at Christmas time. The gift was a cookbook from an 8 year old neighbor friend of their son. When they opened it they weren't sure why he had given it to them, until they read the dedication page...

a few months before Christmas, this family experienced a miscarriage. Written on the dedication page was a note from this boy, "To the Pitchers, because they lost a baby and they need a gift." (I hope I got most of the story right)

Both Matt and I were in tears, I don't know if it effected anyone else the way it did us. For an 8 year old neighbor boy to remember what this family was grieving was just sweet.

I hope that people don't forget my daughter or what she meant to us. That another baby doesn't replace the one that was lost. Everyday I look at Sarah, she reminds me of what we would have been doing last year with Olivia. I think about the complaints I made while I was at the end of my pregnancy with Sarah, and regret wanting to be done, because that was all I had with Olivia.

I would write more, but I am headed down to the hospital for photos this afternoon.

hello.

when does this ever happen?

I left a comment on a blog and I actually got a real word. I have had a few, but this one made my day.

my home.

my home is not tidy, not that I don't try.

I always have dishes in my sink, laundry to be folded, a toilet that needs cleaning, beds to be made and floors to be swept. How does a person get to the point of being organized?

I try to run my errands while Brinley is at school. I try to do housework while the baby is sleeping, but I never catch up, there is always something. I have stacks of papers everywhere from the business. There are toys in just about every room because Brinley wants to play by me. When you live in a small space and the girl can't go outside because it's too cold, it makes it a bit tough to do anything but play with her, bake with her or be an artist with her.

She is a lot of fun, but we all get cabin fever, then she turns into a broken record..."Mom, I'm bored." "Mom, what can I do?" "Mom, Mom, Mom..." It drives me a little nuts.

When you live in a house as small as ours, there is no room for extra "stuff", but how do you get to being organized? Can't it just happen. I don't want to go through all the papers. What do you save, what do you throw away? What do you do with all the art that your kindergartener brings home and cries when they find it in the garbage...you can't keep everything. What about the toys that the girl plays with maybe every six months, but as soon as you put it in the garage sale pile, she asks where it is. And now that we have a new little person in our home, it just makes for more stuff in every room.

So, if you come over to my house anytime soon, don't expect a tidy home, but one that is well lived in.

my birthday.

last Thursday, my mom and sisters, Julie and Kami, took me to lunch at Casa de Oro, where they sang to me. I did not expect it and I am sure turned a lovely shade of pink. then we got pedicures. Karen happened to walk by and snapped a photo for us so that we could all be in the picture.
here are our toes:
It was a fun day, other than Brinley's accident. I am not sure why she thought that they didn't have a bathroom there or decided that she just didn't want to let me know she needed to go.
It was the 2nd time last week it happened.
The first time, last week, she was way too excited about ice skating that she didn't let us know.

On Sunday, my Mom made me a dinner of: roast, homemade mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade dinner rolls, corn, peas and brussel sprouts. YUM! and then my favorite cake, brownie cake. SO GOOD! Thanks Mom!
Kami gave me a gift card to go to the movies and Julie and Merv gave me a framed 8x10 print of one of my favorite pictures of Sarah to put on my wall. Thanks guys!
It was nice, quiet day.
On Monday, I got this:
and I love it! It's not the Bernina that I wanted, but this machine has EVERYTHING I need an was $500 dollars cheaper. Thank you Matt!
I have already made my first project on it, but I can't show you yet. It's a gift and she won't get it until next week.
Matt will find me sitting in front of this machine a lot, so I will apologize now for the dirty dishes,
piles of dirty laundry.

happy birthday to me...

Of course I got a new cell phone...what else would my husband get me?

I now have texting (megan and juli).

My mom and sister's took me out for lunch on Thursday and we got pedicures too. I forgot to bring my camera (I can't believe I did that) but my sister did, I haven't got pictures from her yet. Brinley went with us and peed her pants. that was fun.

I love my...

bumbo.
and she told me all about it...in baby language.

no school...again.

School is closed again today...I am going nuts.

All but one school district is closed (Julie, I am jealous and I bet Cody is happy to be going back)

Brinley has had LOTS of Cabin Fever and I am not able to play with her outside while Sarah is awake.

My house is a DISASTER and I really could care less right now. I clean a room, then Brinley decides it needs a little something extra. Gotta love it.

Our poor little house is trying to fall apart and the awning above the front porch is a little to heavy with ice.

(can you believe the amount of snow? and this had melted some)

Thank you Dad, Mom and Merv for coming over to shovel our roof and get some of the weight off the awning. I guess a new roof is on order for Spring.

blessing day.

yesterday was Sarah's blessing day. She was such a good little baby and didn't fuss or cry at all. In fact, she was pretty happy the whole day. I guess it helped that I figured out what gives her gas...lettuce. Isn't that great? I craved salads all through my pregnancy but they gave me such bad heart burn and indigestion that I didn't eat them. Now, I can't eat them because they give Sarah gas.

Anywho... her blessing was sweet.

Her dress was made by my friend Karen's Aunt Kris (I hope I spelled your name right). I thought it was going to be big, but since we waited until she was 8 weeks old, it fit perfectly. Kris made Olivia's dress also.

It is absolutely beautiful. She sells them, so if you are interested, let me know and I can get you her information. I made her sweet little headpiece in about ten minutes on Saturday night. I think I am going to have to make a few more of these. They are SO EASY!
I have a hungry baby, so i will have to keep this post short.

Last night we celebrated the New Year quietly, in the literal sense, my dad went to bed early because he worked today. Our cheers were on the whispered side.

We woke up to huge snowflakes falling. By afternoon, the snow was starting to melt, not that it made too much of a dent in the 2 1/2 feet of snow still on the ground. I am sure there is more in the forecast.

2008 was a really good year to us. We bought our first house in February, bought the CricKet store in August, Brinley started Kindergarten in August, and the best part...our sweet baby Sarah came in November.

Last year I had no goals, I think that after losing Olivia, I just wanted to make it through the year. This year I hope to accomplish the goals I set for myself.

*lose all of the baby weight (although I am thrilled with the outcome, I don't recommend having babies a year apart)

*spend more time with my little family

*more dates with Matt

*cook dinner more often

*eat healthier

*sewing projects, such as quilts and clothing for the girls

*read more books

*read and study the B of M

*organize, organize, organize

*insulate the house

*new roof for the house

*start finishing the basement

* more craft projects with Brinley

*put in a garden

* remember family members birthdays and send cards

* keep up on my blog better

*exercise

* work on scrapbooks

*run bloomsday (its been a few years)

*cut out soda completely

*get Brinley into gymnastics

*get Brinley swim lessons

*spend more time outside

*travel to see some family and friends

I think this is just the start of what things I want to accomplish this year. We'll see how this goes and go from there.

I hope that everyone has an awesome 2009.