Lots of SEWING & Creating!

Lisa and I have been staying up late sewing!! It has been so great to have my bestest friend here! I love sewing and making stuff with her!! She is always buying great patterns, but she has a hard time reading them.... So, that is where I come in! There is no point in me buying patterns... I can make them with her!

Here are some of the purses and bags we have made this week....

My NEW Purse that I made Sunday Afternoon!

The appliqued flower!!

Messenger Bags...
Lisa's Bag!

My Bag!
I appliqued a flower on it and added the lace on the flap!!

Also she showed me how to make a rag top quilt!! I love it! It was so fast and easy!

Stephen Held it up for me!! Isn't he sweet?

Then we make reusable baggies... This is craft Vinyl fabric!! It was GIVEN to Lisa and I by a lady at a quilt shop... She said it wasn't selling! And so we took it! I know we can make lots of stuff out of it!!

We also made QUILTED book covers! These are sooo cute! I love mine!!
I love that the ladies have flowers as hats!!

Lisa made this one!

We also made pillow cases! I am going to make some of these for the kids for Christmas presents!

This is one Lisa made...

Here is one that I made!
I love sewing!! This has been so much fun!

I am missing Detto something crazy! I feel like I have served my time and now he needs to bet his butt home!!! I am glad to get several letters from him week and I have gotten a hand full of calls!! He is doing good! He said he is really enjoying it!! I am Very Proud of Detto! Please keep him in your prayers!! He has been suffering with shin splints, from running in boots!! He went to the Physical Therapist and was told "You shouldn't be running this much with the condition of your shins, why don't you try riding a BIKE!!" Detto said, "Should I tell my Drill Sgt. that? I am in boot camp still!" I was crackin' up!! A bike? Are you serious?

Keeping Busy!

The kids and I have been keeping busy!! My best friend Lisa has kept us constantly moving!! She is so much fun!! I Love spending time with her! The kids have loved playing with Kyle... and not just because we aren't doing school while they are here!! We are still going on field trips though!! We went to the Orlando Science Center together and we went to the BEACH!! I haven't been to the beach ALL SUMMER!! So that was a treat!! We grilled hot dogs and rode HUGE WAVES!! I haven't seen waves this big.... maybe - Ever!! It was pretty eventful... Stephen got stung by a jelly fish and Alyssa got pulled out by the Rip Current - Lisa was nearby and pulled her back in safely!! Other than that it was a LOT Of Fun!! We rode wave after wave!!

My brother and sis-in-law Samantha had their BEAUTIFUL Baby Girl!! Her name is Anaia Patricia.... When we went to see them in the hospital, I was so overwhelmed at how much Anaia didn't look like a newborn! Her cheeks are so chubby. She made an even "20 nieces and nephews!! Yeah!!

Stephen and Alyssa and I went to BUSCH GARDENS - Homeschool Zoo School!! It was a blast! We got to go behind the scene's... They divided us up into groups of aprox. 30!! We had a personal guide who took each group around the park and told us about the animals, and their habitats, etc. We were able to ask questions and they had lots of hands on stuff for the kids to touch and learn!! It was an incredible field trip!! One of my favorites!!

I am so proud of the kids ball playing!! They are getting so much better every game! Alyssa played first base tonight and made an incredible play. She caught a pop-fly and got the runner going from first to second base!! She made a double play!! She also hit and eventually made it all the way home!! She got the GAME-BALL tonight!! It was signed by the whole team!!

This is her and her Coach!!

This is a Army Doll that one of my quilting friends sent me from Washington!! I was thrilled! Isn't it cute?

These are the quilting projects I have been working on!! These are my finished blocks from the quilt-a-long Lisa and I started at the beginning of the year!!

This is my Pumpkin Table runner!! I had so much fun quilting this! I cant put pictures of my other projects, because they are Christmas Presents!!

Why is it called HOMEschooling?

I just realized... we are not HOME alot! We have been on the go lately!

The kids are playing baseball and are "LOVING" it!! They have had several games already and it is amazing to see the difference from last season to this season! Alyssa's team is called the "Diamond Girls" and Stephen is on the "Hurricane's". Alyssa is playing FIRST BASE this year and Stephen playing SECOND BASE! Their games are generally Tuesday and Friday nights, so that leaves Wed, Thur, and Sat. for practices!! Ugh!! They don't have practice every wed, Thur, and sat.... but, normally Stephen will have a practice during the week and Alyssa's practices are on Saturday!! I feel like I am NEVER HOME!! The key for parents is to try and stay out of the sun... and at night - bring bug spray!!

We have been enjoying lots of field trips so far this year!! The latest ones have been Rock Springs

St. Augustine

Charlotte's Web - the play

The Orlando Science Center

I like that we are staying busy. Detto is away at Fort Jackson, SC - Army Boot camp and so me and the kids are ALL ALONE! It is so strange to not have him around. It kinda feels like he is at work and will be home any minute. I still wake up and forget he is not here! It has definitely been an adjustment for us! It really makes me realize how much he does for me on a daily basis!! He will be back in 8 weeks!! We went with him to Tampa to see him swear in...

We also got to go with him to the airport to say goodbye :(

We had a few hours to kill before his plane left so we played around in the stores!!

Lisa and Kyle came for a visit from NV. Yippy!! They will be here for 3 weeks!! The sad part is that we have to share them with Lisa's family!! :(

We went to the Orlando Philharmonic together on Wednesday!! The kids loved it!!

We also got to visit a couple of quilt shops on the way home from Orlando!! :) These are my Christmas cottage blocks that I made for a block swap. Also, I made a baby quilt for my sister... And, I am working on a Pumpkin table runner. It's not finished yet... I will post pictures when I finish it!!