"W" Monogram Pillow

This pillow didn't cost me a thing.  All the items I had already.  

Supplies:

• a pillow (I've had for years), 
•  material  (from a curtain project that I had done)
• Sure Cuts a lot (software for my cricut)
• Cricut
• freezer paper  (click to see the tutorial)
• paint

The old cover had zipper, I just removed it and put it on the new material (it was great practice, since I'm not that great at sewing zippers)

Pillows

Red Ruffle Pillow

I bought pillows from the thrift store for under $1, and I used extra material from the ruffle knit scarf I had made earlier in the week. I used the old cover as my pattern (sorry I forget to get pictures) and I cut out the front panel 15X15. For the back, I cut two panels and sewed a hem to easy access to put in the pillow - I didn't sew the pillow in, it can be taken out . . . I don't remember what you call it.  

Ok, for the ruffle strips, I cut 2in strips with my rotary cutter (love that thing)

using my largest length stitch, I sewed down the center without locking the top and bottom for easy gathering

 once each strip were gathered, I pinned it to the top of the pillow and sewed each strip in the center over top of the gathering stitch.  The biggest challenge was keeping the fabric from moving (it was very slippery fabric)

 Viola - the finished product. I had fun making it!

reflecting back on 2011 . . . .

Can't believe that today is the last day of 2011 . . . .

It's been a while since I've blogged, I've thought about writing, but since I'm not a natural writer it takes me longer to think about what I'm going to say and then by the time I sit and start to write, I either have nothing to say or I have to pick up the kids from school, or put the clothes in the dryer or make lunch or something.

Here are just a few highlights of the past year:

My boys:  

Caleb

 He turned 9 in Sept and entered into 4th grade and doing well,

very thankful for great teachers.

He played flag football in the summer, but didn't win one game -which really discouraged him, but he didn't give up.  He also got the great opportunity to be part of a great soccer team in the fall, the team was in  31st place in the league and won majority of their games, but the end of the soccer season, the team was in 2nd place in the league. Being part of a team with great coaches and great players really helped him gain back his confidence and love of playing.

Christopher

He turned 5 in April and finish pre-school and entered Kindergarten in the fall

A watermelon volcano cake I made him

He got to finally play a sport too this year . . . we missed the soccer deadline (which he really wanted to play) so we sign him up for T-Ball. 

 He was just so excited to finally be part of a team, instead of watching his brother play

The biggest highlight for me this past year in April was when my family - 

Jocelyne and niece Alyssa, Joelle and Colin and Dad came to visit. 

Dad and his grandkids

Our business:

James had several TV cooking segments at KCRA, which was a fun experience!

We also did Caribbean Dinner cruises in the Delta in Stockton.  

It was alot of work, but everyone had a great time. 

It has been a slow year for our business, but God has always met our needs.

I start up sewing more these past few months, I'll be uploading more tutorial soon with my projects, also my new thing is pinterest (love that site) it has given me great inspiration for crafts, sewing, scrapbooking, etc - check it out, it's fun!

Well, I know this has been a very long blog, 

but I wanted to highlight a few facts in our lives.

2011 has been a year of ups and downs, but through it all, 

we have used every situation as teaching tools and have grown from it.  

We look forward to 2012 to see what God is going to do in our lives. 

Happy New Year!!!!

Freezer paper stenciling

I found this new fun technique and just had to try it out.  It's called, Freezer paper stenciling.  I used my sure cuts a lot program to find my template, then used my cricut to cut it out (i'm not great at cutting myself nor do i have the patience) 

Because I like to see things done step by step, I thought that I would do that myself.  

This one I made for Christopher, he wanted a football :)

I took one of his plain shirts

The white paper is freezer paper, I found it at Walmart for $6.  The paper has a glossy side and a matted side. I put the matted side on my cutting mat cause the glossy won't stick to it.  Now because I'm doing a football it doesn't matter how the image is cut, but if I was doing a word, you have to make sure that you flip the word as a mirror image, I made that mistake twice - you'd think that after once I would get it . . . ya, no!!!

Once my football is cut, I put the glossy side on the shirt and iron it on, it sticks great - run your finger around the edges to make sure it's sealed.

I took the inside of the football and ironed it.  

I used regular paint because it was on sale at Joann's - 3 for $1.  You can use fabric paint, but I found that regular paint worked fine.  I cover the football with paint and let it dry. 

Depending on the color, you may need to do a few coats. You can make that call.  It depends on what type of look your going for.

Once its dry, I carefully peeled it off the shirt. I though that I would tear, but it actually came off pretty good, 

 I then peeled the inside of the football. 

  The finished product

Christopher so excited about his "new" shirt

 Haha, gotta love his little face!!!

This one I made for Caleb.  This one was really challenging cause I wanted to use two different colors.  I didn't get step by step pictures, wasn't thinking about it till after.  Another thing I found out is that the freezer paper doesn't stick to dry paint. I tried to paint brown as the border but it leaked - but it kinda works.  Again, remember to cut your words mirror image - I had to cut it out twice

The serious athletic look

This is where Christopher gets it from 

This is a fun and easy way to embellish and change the look of something.  

Thanks for checking it out :)

Jamaican Patties

Hello!!  My husband, which just happens to be an amazing 

chef, is making his delicious Jamaican Patties.  

Today be the first to get your order in! 

 If you've never had the privilege of trying these Jamaican patties, 

I encourage you to order a couple to get a LITTLE taste.  

To those who have received the treat of tasting his patties, 

please leave us a comment on how you enjoyed them :)

Check out the info below:

Jammin Patties 

CJ’s Jammin patties are pastries that contain various fillings and spices baked inside a flaky shell, often tinted a golden color.

Meat Patty - $2 ea. or $18 per doz.

-         Seasoned ground turkey mixed with CJ’s signature blend of Caribbean spices.

Veggie Patty - $2 ea. or $18 per doz.

-          Scrumptious mix of veggies – green beans, broccoli, corn, eggplant, carrots, spinach & onions – seasoned to perfection.

www.mychefjames.com

To order, please call

Chef James at (209) 271-5586

Delivery charge $2.00 or come by and pick them up for no charge 

When placing orders over 5 doz.,

please allow 5- 7 days

Today, the last day of the school year ~

Today is the last day of school and I'm not sure if I'm excited about it or dreading the summer days with my boys saying "i'm bored" or "can we call our friends" (when the timing is all wrong and I have to say no again)  or "what are we doing today"  or "do I have to fold my clothes" or, or, or, or . . .  LOL

The last week of school were fun!

Caleb had a young author's tea.  He wrote two stories and drew pictures of it and made it into a book.  

He's very creative and had great lessons in the stories.

Then there was his last choral concert

Christopher's Graduating from preschool yesterday

Here's he's getting his graduation certificate :)

One of his friends, Logan

Both boys have done so well in school and I'm very thankful for all of their teachers who put so much EXTRA time and effort into making this year great.

Caleb's reading and math scores were very low in the beginning of the year, but through hard work and diligence, his scores have gone up double maybe more - very proud momma's moment.

Christopher has learned his alphabets and number and how to write his full name.  

Also, memorized his phone number and can write it out.  It's amazing to see the progress throughout the year.

So glad that I can be attentive to the great memories of my boys growing up . . . life goes by so fast and sometimes we have take a few moments and slow down.  

Burp Clothes

A friend suggested that I make burp clothes for my sister, Jocelyne, who had a baby last Aug and I thought about even selling them, but I wasn't sure if they would be good or even if anyone would like them. 

 So, I made a few and had my sister be my "guinea pig". 

 I also wanted to give her something that I knew she didn't have.

Well, Jocelyne LOVED them and encouraged me to make more to sell . . . . . so here I am.

 This is what it looks like spread out. I can customized the color scheme to your nursery depending on availability of fabric.

Here's the set of 3 for a boy

Here's a set for a girl

Each set will have it's own customized tag.

Right now, I only have these prints, but I'm working on different colors and designs.

I would love to hear your comments!!!

In honor of my mom

Where do I start . . .

 I've been thinking about writing this all week and have even starting this blog a few times, but didn't know where to start, yet have so much to say about who my mom was and the legacy she leaves behind.

I miss my mom so much,  for some reason, last fall until now it has hit me a little harder.  I'm not sure if it's because my baby sister Joelle and older brother Julien got married last year, or that Jocelyne had a baby girl.  Our family is growing and mom would have LOVED every single part of it.

She was an amazing mom!!!   Even though she was strict, she was kind, gentle and loving.

The wisdom she shared about life was far beyond what you would ever learn in school or even receive a degree in.  I remember the training as she fostered children in our home - she always used different situations as tools to teach us kids.  

Mom was passionate about music and loved to sing. When she sang, it was more than just singing for her - her heart's desire was to minister to those who were hurting through music.   She loved to worship God. 

Mom had a burden and heart for young moms - she would always take the babies and put them to sleep when the moms were so tired and overwhelmed - it was her special gift.

She fought a good fight and even though we think that cancer had won the battle -

 it didn't!!!!

God was in control of every step of her fight with cancer.  I still believe that God is a healer and will stand on His promises.  It doesn't take the pain or lose away, but it gives me hope that I will see her again.

This is the last family picture we took, a year before she passed away.

I choose to be thankful, 

Thankful for the time I had with my mom. 

Thankful for all that she invested in my and my siblings

Thankful for the love and respect she had for my dad 

Thankful for her unconditional love, even when we as kids disappointed her

Thankful for her instructions and teaching

Thankful for her discipline, even when it  hurt :)

Thankful for the joy she had - she loved to laugh

Thankful for the legacy she left behind

Thankful for her relationship with God

Thankful for being a Godly example as a mother and wife

Thankful for being my MOM

A full and eventful day . . . .

What a fun day, but it didn't start out fun - was really hectic!!!

I got to sleep in a little . . . 7:30 is sleeping in these days, ha.  In preparing for the day, we had to make a quick run to Walmart - we did pretty good and was on schedule. 

Today was the 1st day of our sport season, both boys had games around the same time.  

So because James is coaching football, he took Caleb and I took Christopher. 

James then took Caleb to his football practice for 10:30 and I ran to Trader Joe's for Christopher

 special Hot Dogs.  I ran home to assemble the little BBQ we just bought and finish

 gathering the stuff for Christopher's birthday party. 

We didn't stay home long, because Christopher had his 1st T-Ball game and he was SOOOOOO excited.

Here he is on 3rd base - not too much happens here

His turn to bat . . . 

After the game, we rush home to get the rest of birthday stuff ready and wait for James and Caleb.

For those who don't know, Christopher has MANY food allergies, so every birthday, I have to be very creative on what kind of cake I will make him.  This year, he was into dinosaurs, so I thought about making him a volcano cake using watermelons.

Before:

 the next step 

the beginning of the lava - i used fruit rollup.  I cut it into strips and layered it all around

I made this the night before so that the rollup can harden

Here's the finished product!  I added fruit around the bottom, then embellished it with dinosaurs, trees and rocks.

probably my favorite picture of the day ;)

Christopher and his friends.  

Happy Birthday Christopher!!!! Already 5 years old ;)

Although, it was very windy today, it was perfect!!! 

 Had a great day with friends & family, celebrating our little man's turning 5

When plans don't go as planned . . . . . .

well, what do you do when you plan to have a plan, but then the plan doesn't go as planned.  Well, that's what happened to me last week.  I had a this whole thing plan on how I'm was going to get all these things done before my family would come down.  Ha, things didn't go "as planned".  I even typed a "to do" list, with very detailed things to accomplish. It started Wednesday after school, Christopher eye swelled up - so I kept him home from school thinking it was pink eye, took him to the doctor which took 3 hrs.  The dr said it may be pink eye and to watch it, but it turned out to be allergies (which I've become VERY familiar with)  So that day completely threw off my scheduled "to do" list, which pushed all my chores back a day.  So I re-adjusted my plan :)  that's what you do when your plan doesn't go as plan . . . . .

I got most of my chores done  

but that's what amazing about family, they really don't care and we're just happy to be with each other and that's what more important.  So when things don't go "as planned", just re-adjust it and don't stress about it - it's not worth it :)

My Birthday . . . .

Well, I'm another year older today :)  I've received so many wonderful birthday wishes and kind word on my facebook wall - it's incredible!!!!
I spent my day reorganizing my pictures, haha.  I didn't intend to be doing that so in depth, but once I got started I couldn't stop.  So my scrapbook/crafts have taken over the house.  I have a table in the living room covered with a scrapbook project i'm working on for my niece, one table in our bedroom covered with potential pictures for future scrapbook pages and I can't forget my craft/scrapbook/sewing closet - that is full of all my stuff for many projects.  I actually started in there to organize, but then got into the pictures, but it's good cause it really needed to get done ;)
Tonight, my amazing husband is taking me out for dinner, he got a sitter and set it all up - so excited!!!!

A fresh start . . . .

A step of faith . . . . where do I start? 

I feel like I'm venturing out into a new season in my life.

I quit my job at Costco working with flowers and stay at home full time, be with my kids more and help my husband with our business - J.Williams Events, Inc. It's a scary move, because I will no longer have my small check with my own name on it - and that's huge.  I'll be staying home more - which right now seems like a great idea only because I'm never home long enough to get anything done.  I've prayed and fasted for God's clear direction and really felt like it's the Will of God to quit, I felt His peace in my decision, along with the support from my husband, family and close friends (I'd count my kids in, but they don't really understand right now . . . but in the future they may)

So what do I do NOW . . . . . ????????? 

  

Oh, I have tons of THINGS to do, but where do I start???? 

 I've written down my goals for organizing and even starting a home base business . . . . . big question is "where do I start?"

So I thought, well, I've always wanted to blog, I'll start here and IF I get any followers . . . .well, I can bounce ideas of and see what happens :)

Went online today to see if "google" had an great advice on where to start organizing, that I may have missed last time I was there (a month ago) but it didn't - although I did find some good info.  Soooooooo, I'm going to start actually cleaning up first, I have small piles of clothes (clean laundry), mis-matched socks, piles of paper.  My thought is "how can you de-clutter with messes everywhere?"  That's what I did today, but started late because I went to MOPS (mother of preschoolers) this morning, then picked Christopher up from preschool, fed him lunch by this time is later in afternoon.  

Now the things about being a stay-at-home working mom, when you get in the middle of an organizing task or any other task for that matter, it ALWAYS get interrupted by the kids who NEED something - like all of sudden they're hungry!!!!  Ha, I'm happy to announce that I got a pile of clean clothes sorted and put away, went through two files of paperwork, dinner made (yes, I made dinner tonight) I had roasted chicken, which I put in the oven myself, with gravy (I also made that from scratch) and salad, Caleb had roasted chicken, baked potato and green beans. Christopher had white rice & turkey burger with pineapples (which he didn't like the pineapples warm - he likes it cold) 

Well, that's it for now . . . . think i'm going to like this blogging thing