.

Girls Room Redo Part 3

2011-04-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

Redo part 3 is here!!!!! I have been so busy. With spring break and doing some extra sewing the room is almost done. I have some picks of what has been going on.

Well my fabulous brother came over a few weeks ago and painted Carissa's dresser. It had a oak finish that would not go with the white finish on their new bunk beds. So I'm so thankful for a brother that is so willing to come over and help out his little sister. We share a passion of redoing furniture and are already thinking of our next project together. Thanks Bro for helping out. Here's a picture of Lily watching her Uncle Lee.

I took the girls antique shopping recently. We found these cute purple glasses and the metal mesh dress form. Carissa was so excited about this find. She could not wait to dress it up in some tool. Here's a picture of the finished dresser and dress form.

I have also been working on the girls bedding. Sewing away like crazy. Here's picture of the very cute monogrammed decorative pillows I got to make the girls.

Well that's all for now. Again more to come soon. Almost done. Working on some finishing touches. And I will have pictures of the complete finished room up soon.
Thanks for reading.

Rachel

Girls Room Redo Part 2

2011-03-23T21:41:00.000-07:00

Ok so this weeks rain is in our forecast slowed us down a little. We started to paint Carissa's dresser and only got to primer it. But I did get to do some stuff inside. Last blog I mentioned Mod Podge well look what you could do with it!!

Yup that's right I Mod Podged their ceiling fan blades.
Not hard at all. And I really like how it came out.

I also made our girls some very cute trinket box's.

This is Lily's box.

Carissa's box. This was one of my rainy day projects.
This was so much fun!!!

I then started on a bow tie holder i made from a old small frame.

I added some ribbon at the bottom to hang bows from.
More pictures to come but this is the frame part.

Then today I started and finished the one thing I was most excited about doing from the beginning of the redo.

I painted a chandelier in the girls room. Carissa picked this one out on her own, well maybe with a little help but she liked the birds. Thanks to my buddy Cindy who lent me her projector this was not to hard to do. Stay posted there is more to come.........

Grils Room Redo!

2011-03-20T22:52:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready to redo the girls room. With our tax money we bought the girls bunk beds.

I'm so excited to get to do something different. There walls are light pink and lavender so to cut back on a lot of painting I have done very little. I found a design and freehand painted it one the girls walls. Here is a picture.

More redos to come. I'm working on their cieling fan next. Doing something with Mod Podge. More pictures to come.

Been a While

2010-12-27T17:39:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a while since my last post. The last few months have been a little crazy. So many things have gone on. The last few things I sewed were Halloween costumes for the girls. But a lot of other exciting things have happened. I have pictures to show too.

Duane and I celebrated out 11th anniversary out a Lakers game in October. It was so much fun!! The following week we headed out to Rancho Mirage with about 200+ couples from our church for Sandals Annual Marriage Getaway. We had such a good time.

Were laughing so much in this picture. The photographer had asked Duane to open his eyes in a previous photo. I then told him those are just his Asian eyes he cant open them very much more when he smiles. So we all started laughing.

These were my last two sewing projects of the year. Carissa was a cat girl with a tutu and Lily was Jessie from Toy Story with a tutu like her sister. Halloween was fun.

With putting the sewing machine away for a while I pulled out my paint and brushes and this is something I did. In my quite time one day in November I had this vision while I read. The verse is Col. 2:7.

We also had our family photos done for our Christmas cards. These are a few that I love.

In the beginning of this month I had the opportunity to watch my Grandpa Nat get baptized at the age of 84. He had accepted Christ into his heart in October and didn't waist any time taking the next step. It was amazing!!!!

My Mom,Sisters, Aunts and Cousins got together later on in the month to make tamales. In honor of my Great Grandma Jesucita and Grandma Tony we continued after taking a few years off of making them. We had such a great time. We all caught up with each other and went home with a good amount of tamales.

This month was awesome. We celebrated Christmas and had a great time with family. I'm looking forward to this next year. I hope you all had a Happy Merry Christmas!!!

Birdie Diaper Bag

2010-10-15T20:46:00.000-07:00

I just got to make my first diaper bag for a customer. I had such a hard time finding the right fabric. It was like getting writers block. I went into the fabric store and could not find anything. It was seriously so hard. After trying to put together three different ideas I almost gave up and left. When I finally came across this birdie fabric and that was my inspiration. So I went with it. I also went with a polka dot look. I loved how it turned out.

I placed one main pocket on the back of bag and then sewed on two bottle pockets on the sides. I also added two birdie appliques on the outside front flap.

Along with this gift my friend Lisa ordered a tutu onesie with matching booties for Liliane.

I love the finished look and the really enjoy making baby stuff. I have more orders to fill so back to my garage/ sewing cave. L.O.L.

RoCk On!!!

2010-09-22T23:52:00.000-07:00

I just got to do some onsies for some really good friends baby boy. They are huge music people. So what better then doing a rock on symbol and some headphones. I love doing little boy stuff. Lately a lot of my work has been making a ton of tutu's so I needed to tap into some boy stuff. Here are some pictures.

Peace out!!!!

Pictures

2010-09-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

So here are some of the orders that I had to do this week. Not to much explaining I'm watching Project Runway........

Courtney's baby set.

All wrapped up.

Baby Bella's set.

Wrapped up.
Oh that's my business card and it matches perfect!!

I want one for me!!! Um.... really I'm joking.
Seriously, seriously:)

Getting Busy......

2010-09-08T11:59:00.000-07:00

So orders are coming in and I am getting busy and excited. I have had a fun time doing the shopping and designing of some things. I have made a few more tutu's, bags and baby sets. I really enjoy my sewing time. I get quite time to sit, sew, think, sing, and pray. There is a song that I have been really listening to a lot while I sew. Chris Tomlin's, Our God is Greater.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SAtWjBDFeM

I love it!!!! Just a reminder of how much God loves us and takes care of us all. God is amazing.
Some of my favorite verses are in Romans 8:31-39 and that's what is song is all about. I love it when some of your favorite passages are written into songs. Well back to my sewing. Later friends.

Anchors Away!!!

2010-09-01T07:14:00.000-07:00

So the other night I needed to do some school supply shopping. So of course I couldn't go anywhere else but Target. While I was there I found some really good buy's. One of my favorites was a red and blue striped boys zip up hoodie. It was $7.00 so I thought at that price who could pass it up. I had some ideas right away and went with my gut. Came up with some things to make it look like a girls sweater and this is what I came up with.

Front

Back

I added stars and an anchor with a heart within the anchor. Also added eyelet trim around the hood.

Baby Blues

2010-08-21T23:35:00.001-07:00

Today I got to attend a baby shower for some good friends Johnny and Celeste. They are expecting a baby girl Genesis on September 14th. I really enjoyed hanging out with my friends from my youth group days. I love how we are all still connected 15 plus years later. I had such a great time I even won the first baby shower game,and that never happens. I did make my friends something special. Celeste had shared with me a while back that blue is her favorite color. So little Genesis received her first blue tutu with matching blue shoes I can't wait to see some pictures of her in it. I promise to post when I get one!!!

New Things!!!

2010-08-18T09:12:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in a while but I have been busy sewing away. Trying out some new things. I had a few people keep asking for business cards, so I ordered those. I love them. They are so cute and little. I have also been working on a few orders. One down a few to go. Excited about putting a sewing class together. If you would like to know more please leave me a meaage. Here are a few of the things I have done lately. Keep posted whoever reads this!!! Oh just so you know I'm blogging from jury duty today. Yay!! I'm kidding no yay. :(

Messenger bag made from scraps.

Baby Emma's first tutu with matching shoes.

Baby Cassidy's outfit.

Baby shoes I have been working on.

Fruit of the Spirit

2010-07-20T10:18:00.000-07:00

Recently my friend Karen asked me to embellish her sweat suit. It was fun to have the freedom with her jacket and pants. She had shared she wanted to focus on patience and self control from fruit of the spirit. So this is what we came up with. Everything was sewn on even added some bling!!

Front of hoodie a white dove with green butterfly.

Back of hoodie words patience & self control along
with dove and more butterflies

Back of pants word patience and butterflies.

Grand Opening!!!

2010-06-08T17:11:00.000-07:00

Ok the time has come. I have finally taken the advice of many family and friends. I am going to start selling some of my creations. I guess it might be nice to get paid for what I do right? So I am going to start out with purses.

I have three that are ready for sale now. I will continue to make more on a regular basis and post asap. So please share with your friends. Pass on the word. I am thinking about posting them on a site that sells items like them. Just not so sure yet. I want to see how well it takes off through my blog and F.B. So please keep me and all of this in your prayers.
My prayer is that God would bless everything I make and all the work I do. They are all unique and different in every way.

Dream Bag

$50.00
Outside measurements
Length 16" Width 12 1/2"
Straps from top of bag to top center of strap 10"

Inside measurements
length 15" width 12 1/2"
Magnetic snap and inside pocket.
Pocket can hold a cell phone, compact and lip gloss.

Detachable Dream flower measures a 4" in diameter.

Smile Bag

$50.00
Outside measurements
Length 16" Width 13"
Straps from top of bag to top center of strap 10 1/2"

Inside measurements
Length 14 1/2" Width 12 1/2"
Magnetic snap and inside pocket.
Pocket can hold a cell phone, compact and lip gloss.

Detachable smile flower measures 5" in diameter.

Thank You!!! I look forward to hearing from you!!!! :)

Rockin Baby Onesie

2010-06-07T16:40:00.000-07:00

My cousin called me in need of help the other night. She has been invited to a baby shower and received a package in the mail. They sent her a onesie with instructions to decorate it anyway they want and whoever wins their onesie will be framed in the baby's room.
And who did she call? No one but her favorite cousin. I can say that because she says that all the time. I love you D!!! Anyways we went to Joanns and had so much fun shopping. So I asked her a few things to get the creative juices flowing and she shared that the mom loves hot pink and zebra. So we went with that and this is what we got for baby Juliann. A rockin onesie!!

Oh and i had to add a cute little heart to the bootie of the onesie!!! How cute will she look crawling around showing off her bum.

Took a break......

2010-05-17T22:31:00.001-07:00

So I took a break from the Internet for a little over a month. But I did not stop sewing. Boy I was busy. My brother got married and I made 5 of the bridesmaids dresses. Mothers day came and I made 5 aprons. I also helped my sisters make some purses. I have pictures of these projects so hold on tight.

I am seriously thinking of starting a business. With a few people pushing me in that direction I am praying about it. So I ask you to please keep me in your prayers. I want God to be in this all the way. I want Him to bless everything I do and make. Even the people that I make things for. So you will be updated and informed as to when I will be starting this new journey.

Calender Updo!

2010-03-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

I know I had a reason I had saved all my old calenders. I had a few years of Mary Engelbreit saved. So I asked my big brother to cut me some plywood pieces that are 15X15 and he did. What a great guy!
I modged podged the calender picture to the wood and painted around it. I had so much fun. I also added wire to the top to hang them from the door or inside the house. Here are some pictures of a couple ones that I have done.

Dresser Makeover

2010-02-15T09:49:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I found a good deal on craigslist. We found a dresser for $15.00. This is it. I forgot and took the picture a little late. It's missing some the handles on the side drawers. Duane wasn't to sure at first but it was the price that sold him of course.

Here is the after picture. With some nice navy paint and dark silver spray paint, I think it looks great. Hey it was $15.00!!
What more can I say??

Conqueror

2010-01-31T21:38:00.000-08:00

Tonight at church we sang an amazing song and God was speaking to me in an awesome way. The words that speak to me still are,

"I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ no weapon formed against me shall remain."

Some challenges have been coming my way lately and I'm so thankful for God's reminders!!!

I am His CHILD, He LOVES me, and I know He will
NEVER LEAVE ME!!

Big Brother

2010-01-30T13:06:00.000-08:00

We have a little friend that will be a big brother this fall. Evan Imai is such a cute little boy who I got to make an announcement t-shirt for. Kimmy his mom and I worked together on some ideas and this is what we liked. Two arms flexing with the words big brother. I really like how it turned out!!! Here are a few pictures of the process.

Here is Evan the soon to be big brother!!!

Ladybug's & Owl's

2010-01-27T19:46:00.000-08:00

So here are my first 2 sewing projects for the new year. My friend Melissa was having a ladybug party for daughter Sophia's 1st birthday and she asked for something red & black so this is what I came up with. I got the idea from a blog that I follow called Made.

This is what I came up with for Sophia's birthday present. I got the dress from target and added the owl. Can't wait to see her in her dress.

More projects to come and hopefully they are getting more creative. Please let me know!!!

New Year, New Things

2010-01-17T22:41:00.000-08:00

Well we are now into the new year and the new year always brings us new things. This year will hopefully be a little more different then last year. I have tried to start the new year out on a different foot then last year. Here is a list of some of the things that I want to do different this year.

1. Pray more (specifically on my knees). Something my Dad taught me which is important. Turn off all distractions and give God all your undivided attention.

2. Read and memorize scripture more. It's important to spiritually be ready and prepared with scripture in our hearts and minds. They comfort us in times of trials and testing. Right now I'm reading in the book of James. Went through it once and I'm now on my second time journaling as I go through.

3. Read more books. I need to enlighten myself and not veg out in front of the boob tube. I just finished Forgotten God by Francis Chan. It is amazing!!!!! Seriously if you haven't read it I strongly suggest you do!!! One of my favorite quotes from his book, "We were made to lay down our lives and give until it hurts."

4. Step into a leadership role at M.F.I. My Family Incorporated, A Womens Place. For those of you who do not know I have been volunteering at a substance abuse rehabilitation center. I started out cutting hair once a month now I'm there once or more a week. God has given me a desire to help and love these women and mothers.

I know for sure their will be more that God will have me do and that is a prayer of mine. I know I can do more for him. We all know we are doing something good for God's kingdom when he asks us to step out our comfort zone. That is where I am. I would have never imagined that I would be where God has me. But I can tell you I would never want to go back to where I was. To see God's hands at work and to see lives changing is priceless.

The Holidays!!

2009-12-02T11:03:00.000-08:00

Lily Thanksgiving morning all ready to go!

We celebrated Thanksgiving @ my sister house this year.
This is my Dad and my nephew Alex.

My Cousin D'Ann and her boyfriend Joseph.

Carissa in front of the tree her & her classmates help decorate.
Her decoration is at the top!

Dad & Mom with Santa.

Carissa & Gracie waiting for the fireworks and lights
to turn on at the Lighting of the Mission Inn.

Lights on!!

Duane, Lily and I

My brother with Sena and all the Kids.

The front of the Mission Inn.
We had a great thanksgiving week!!!

Been Busy Part 2

2009-11-12T21:46:00.000-08:00

So my last post I mentioned I have gotten a little busy and my priorities have changed. I have added a few things to my plate but I still have been able to do a few sewing projects. Here are a few pictures of what I have made and what I have been doing.

Baby shower gift for my Friend Liz

Baby shower gift for Joy

Made a very cute ladybug out of my Lily

Halloween night at Ruby's our favorite!

Cutting Hair at the womens shelter.

New entertainment center
Before

Stained ebony brown
After

Connected two of the same cabinets together to make a
great T.V. stand!
Great buy for only$40.00

Been Busy

2009-09-28T21:06:00.000-07:00

I have been a little busy lately. I have not been sewing or crafting. I have had my priorities change a little. This quote has been pushing me to help more.

Christ has no body on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which
Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;
yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;
and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.

Saint Teresa of Avila

God has been changing my focus.
Thinking a lot more about his people and How I can help.

Happy Birthday Evan!

2009-09-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

This past week I got to make my friend Kimmy's son Evan's 1st birthday shirt. I thought I would do a step by step of the process.

This is the picture Kimmy found and asked me to make.

I start out with a plain t-shirt.

The cut out the shapes of the hat and circle.

Then I print out E's name and the birthday number,
for my patterns.

Here is the main part of the hat with #1.

Added a round top and bottom.

The hard part was cutting out his name.

I then iron them on with Heat bond.
(You can find t his at your local Jo-Ann's)

Almost done.

At the end I ironed on heat bond and cut the circle.

E's shirt all done!!

Baby Kyndell

2009-08-29T22:15:00.001-07:00

Friends of ours from school and church just had their second baby boy
Kyndell Jullien
weighing 6lbs. 4oz. & 19 1/2 inches long.
I was very excited I got to make him a few things. Sheena and Dennis chose not to find out the sex of the baby before birth.
So all I had to go with were colors mint green and brown.
I had already made most of the gifts all but the onsie. So very quick Friday I put together a monogrammed onsie.
He is so cute!!
Here is a picture of him wearing his onsie and the things I got to make him .

Baby Kyndell
5 days old.

Monogrammed onsie

2 matching burp clothes

Cotton blanket backed with fleece and mitered edges.

All of it together!!

Shirring Away!!

2009-08-28T22:22:00.000-07:00

I have found a new sewing technique. It's called shirring. I have been following a few new blogs . Some have tutorials that show you how to make some amazing projects. I've had so much fun making this dress. It was like I had learned how to sew all over again. You use a notion called elastic string. At first it seemed very hard. It ended up being very simple. Here area couple of pictures of the dress I made.

Shirt Dress

2009-08-27T21:56:00.000-07:00

Carissa had been asking me to make her a shirt dress. We had bought this grey shirt months ago. We haven't had any ideas. So we put or ideas together and came out with this. Oh I should mention she loved modeling. She kept saying"wait one more." Which is why I posted so many.
I love my little chatter box.

Getaway!

2009-08-23T22:17:00.000-07:00

This weekend Sandals Church had their annual Marriage Getaway. We had not planned on going due to financial reasons at the time of registration. Well Duane has worked hard and saved up some money in the last few months. So Thursday night I mention to him "lets sign up on the waiting list?" He responded with"What?" "No way, it's way to late it will never happen." So I came back with "You never know all she can say is no."
So I send an e-mail to sign up.
Well guess what Friday morning I get a call someone canceled.

We got to go!! Yeah!!

It was AMAZING!! Well it always is.
This was the view from our room.

Pastor Matt challenged us in so many ways. He had us look at our lives to see what we are treasuring.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21
Saturday he continued and led us into discovering what our true treasure is.
Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you 2 Timothy 1:14
I love the conversations his message stirred up in our groups and alone. To see other people and ourselves being so real and allowing God to move in us was great!

I am so looking forward to next year!

Dresses & Bows

2009-08-17T22:59:00.000-07:00

This weekend was our little friends
Audrey's 1st Birthday.

A few weeks ago I made her a special birthday shirt.
She looked so cute in it.

I also got make her a couple of pillow case dresses.
I can't wait see a picture or her & Minnie Mouse with this one on.

We had a great time. I had so much fun playing photographer.

Cindy has a great camera.
I'm trying to convince Duane to get me one similar to hers.
I was able to snap some good pictures. Love this one of Lily.

Frames

2009-08-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

I love these frames! I got them at our yard sale we had a few weeks ago. Forgot to take a before picture. They were a gold color. They looked very tacky. But I knew they had potential. So I painted them white put some new pictures in them went a little scrapbook with them.. I also added the brown ribbon.

Busy Weekend

2009-08-10T22:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend was so busy. It started Friday with me working on the bathroom. Doing a a partial remodel. I painted and changed out the old medicine cabinet. Spray painted light fixtures towel racks. I had fun. The color seemed very bright at first but I really love it.

Then Saturday started with Duane replacing our old toilet for a new one. Oh my gosh!! Tough work that alone took most of the day. I missed a birthday party. But made up by dropping off her gift yesturday after church.

Forgot to mention at church really good friends of ours James & Teresa offered me 2 tickets to the Jonas Brothers concert. So of course at 5:30 Carissa and I were off to L.A. It was fun and crazy. So much screaming. I'm looking forward to the day when me and my 2 girls can do that together. We had an amazing night and it was a great way to end a crazy busy weekend. I took a lot of pictures so enjoy them please!

Here are a few more close up pictures.

Found this shelf at a yard sale Saturday morning.

Painted it white and sanded it to make it look old.

Spray painted all my old brass fixtures a Hammered Silver.
The whole look feels a little beachy.

I made this shirt and a Hello Kitty one
for our little friend Xixi from church.

Carissa & I before the concert.

Here they are on a stage that took them up about 20 feet high.
It made for the perfect picture.

Hello Kitty

2009-08-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

I made these shirts for the girls before we left on vacation.
I just got to post them. I have been wanting to make
Hello Kitty for awhile.
They are the same size just one is on a babies 18 month tee shirt
the other is a girls size 6 shirt.

St. Francis

2009-08-01T01:49:00.001-07:00

Snapped this photo of St. Francis
and found this quote of his on a wall in the
San Luis Rey Mission.
It was so beautiful. I really want to take some more
trips and visit more of our states missions.
Here are a few more photos I took this week.

Lily in front of San Luis Rey Mission.

Benny, Lily and I at La Jolla Beach.

The praying room at the mission.

Benny & Carissa at the La Jolla Caves.

Benny was so fascinated with all there was to
read and know about the mission.

I love this picture of Duane and Lily at Coronado Beach.

Baby Tutu

2009-07-25T23:26:00.001-07:00

This one I made for a friend attending a baby shower tomorrow.
The baby's name is Inez. So of course her first initial shirt and tutu in one.

Size 0-3 months

Dollar Bins

2009-07-20T17:36:00.000-07:00

I found this cute bag today in the dollar bin at Target.

I added a cute polka dot bow and a rhinestone monroe.

Thinking about what I could do to the other bag.
If you have an idea leave a comment.
Let me know what you creative minds out there are thinking.

Rock On!

2009-07-20T11:54:00.001-07:00

Wedding Day!

2009-07-19T01:17:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine from church got married today. I had the opportunity to style Melissa's hair for her special day. It was so much fun hanging out with her and Kimmy this morning. Talking and reminiscing about when I got married. Which seems like such a long time ago. There was one other girl who was getting excited about the special occasion. Carissa. She asked me a few days ago if we could make her a dress for the wedding. So of course we did. She felt a little funny at first and said she looked like a ballerina. I think it turned out very cute. I got to take a picture of the two girls together today. We had so much fun. Carissa had a great time.

Mail!!

2009-07-08T17:40:00.000-07:00

Today in the mail I received my birthday present that I ordered from
etsy a few weeks ago.
I love it. It has my husbands and kids names stamped on it.
I had been wanting something like this for a while. It came all the way form Oklahoma.

The etsy shop I bought it from is

www.thevintagepearl.com.

You should go and check it out. She has great handmade jewelry.
Thank you so much Erin for my beautiful necklace.

Feeling Patriotic!

2009-06-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

I have a friend Stacy that asked me to make her some
4th of July
shirts and I had fun!
So here are a few picks of the ones I made for her kids.

Boys flag shirt.

Girls firecracker tang top.

I loved making these shirts and adding the
fourth of July tool.
Turned out cool. I also added a yellow ribbon for our soldiers.

Benny

2009-06-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

This year Benny played spring baseball. The season is over for most of the teams. Not for us we have made to the playoffs. This Saturday was closing ceremonies. Our team the Arizona Diamondbacks placed first and all the boys received their trophies. They got to run the bases at the San Bernardino minor league field.

Last night was the third game of playoffs. It was a very nervous and fun game. Throughout this season Benny has had a great time. The only thing is, when he would get up to bat he would freeze up and not swing. We continue to encourage him and let him know it's all about having fun. In the last couple of weeks he has let go of all the worries and he's doing great.

Last night he got great hit. He brought two players into home. He also got into a pickle in between second and third. Didn't realize it but I was on my feet jumping and screaming. Sad to say, the opposing team was blocking the base so he was called out due to him running out of the base line. It's ok I think him getting the game ball made up for it. We are looking forward to our next game on Wednesday we play the Padres. All I can say is they are toast!

Crunchy Square

2009-06-15T16:05:00.000-07:00

I recently saw this project on www.joyshope.com I happened to have an empty wipes bag that I was going to of course recycle and remembered the post. So I decided to try it out and make one for a boy. My neighbor happens to have a 6 month old and is chewing everything. He loved it. I now get to make one for his cousin a girl that is a week younger then him. It was very simple and fun. It was different sewing plastic but not hard. Just something I'm not used to.

Inside of square is wrapper from wipes.

One side of square finished. Minky dots fabric.

Other side of square finished. Monster pattern.

Wipes Cover

2009-06-10T12:40:00.001-07:00

This is for Brianna. About a week ago Brianna bought some snack bags from me and asked if I have tried to make a wipes cover. I had seen them and just haven't tried. A couple of days a go I did. I didn't have the special trim everyone uses. So my first one has just plain ribbon.

I really like this one!

Then yesturday I had about an hour to myself. I was running some errands and took the opportunity to make a stop and Jo-Ann's. I got some trim and this is the new one. I had some fun with ribbon on top. Thanks for the idea Brianna.

Next request is to make some diaper clutches.
Similar to the snack bag but for a wipes case and a couple of diapers.
Convenient for Mom's with older toddlers who may not need a diaper bag.

Tanks!

2009-06-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more tanks I made for Carissa. The orange tank matches the same orange shirt I made for Lily. So yesturday they were matching. Sorry no picture Lily did not want Carissa close enough to take one.

Young Designer

2009-06-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

Carissa recently asked me "Mom when are you going to make me something?" I felt so bad. I have been making Lily so many things that I completely forgot to see and ask her what she wants. Well yesterday I went out and got her some tanks. We got to sit down yesterday and I asked her what she would like on a black and white tank. She said "lets put a skull with a bow." So we looked through fabric and this is what we came up with. She is an amazing little designer!

Here she is in her cute new tank.

Been Busy

2009-05-30T17:18:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in a bout a week. We have been pretty busy. I have kept up with my walking at least 3 times a week. We are still on the hunt for a house, and of course I have been sewing. Not to say keeping the house clean and hosting/leading a small group. I feel like I need a vacation. I got to go to Jo-Ann's today and that sort of felt like a little getaway. I asked Carissa if she wanted to go with me and she refused. I was shocked she is my little shopping buddy and today she told me "No mom that's OK You go and have some private time." I thought that was so sweet. How did she know I needed some private time? So here are a few things that I have made lately. One more note check out my friend Cindy's blog she has started making some very cute things. Her blog is mythreelittlebirds.blogspot.com

New fabric!

2009-05-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

New fabric patterns for snack bags.

Boy fabric.

Frog fabric unisex.

Girl fabric.

If you want something specific please let me know.
Thanks!

Reversable Sundress

2009-05-19T16:08:00.000-07:00

I have been in need of some summer clothes for Lily. We just recently had a birthday party for her and received a lot of summer clothes. One gift we got was a gift card from my Brother to Joann's. What a great brother!
So today I took a walk with Lily to Joann's to get some more snack bag material. I got some and it hit me. I have a summer dress pattern at home. Many years ago when Carissa was a baby, I made her some summer dresses and why not make some for Lily. So here it is. I made it reversible and found some great fabric. I love the colors!

I can't wait till Friday payday! I can go and get some more fabric.
Good thing there is a sale this weekend.

Lily's 1st Birthday Party

2009-05-18T15:34:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from Lily's party.

Here are some treats we had.
Kimmy eating a Hello Kitty Cake Pop.
Yummy!

Chocolate covered marshmallows
that look like cupcakes.

We had such a nice time with our friends and family!

Happy Birthday Lily!

2009-05-14T16:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my May flower,

Lily Rose!
I love you mama!

Bandanna Dress

2009-05-11T09:18:00.000-07:00

I recently saw a post from a great blog that I follow, www.joyshope.com. She posted a very cute blog on a bandanna dress that she made for her daughter. I took the great idea and changed it a little. I found some very cute light pink bandanna's, turquoise ribbon and buttons. I had some rick rack so I added it to the bottom and wah la! This is what the end product looks like.

Lily in her bandanna dress.

Button on bottom of dress.

Ready to sell!

2009-05-07T22:24:00.000-07:00

16 bags ready to order!

I have 4 lg. Watermelon bags
& 4 lg. pear and apple bags.
Lined with white durable nylon.

3 lg. map bags,
3 lg. skull and bones bags,
& 2 lg. green helicopter bags.
Lined with black durable nylon.

Working on making some medium size bags next.
Email me with your order @
rachelhdesigns@gmail.com.

Spend some time with your Buddy!

2009-05-03T13:00:00.001-07:00

John 6:37
Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me.
And once that person is with me,
I hold on and don't let go.

The Message

I am thankful in knowing that Jesus will never let me go!

Snack bags

2009-04-29T21:15:00.000-07:00

I have made 3 different bags sizes and here are the prices for them.

Large $5.00
Medium $4.00
Small $3.00

5 large for $22.00
5 Medium for $17.00
5 Small for $12.00

Attempting to go Green

2009-04-29T09:02:00.000-07:00

This past Earth Day gave me a few new sewing projects. While watching the Oprah show she had a couple of things that made me think "I can make that." She had reusable snack or sandwich bags. The neat thing is a friend of mine Stacy happened to have the same little bags. I got to see them firsthand a few weeks ago out on a play date. I thought they were so cute and the neatest idea. So when I saw them on the show I really knew I needed to make them. The kids loved picking out their bags that they wanted to use today. I am going to also make a smaller version. These ones fit a homemade uncrustable sandwich with some extra space.
They measure 51/2 in. by 6in.

Benny chose this ones today.

Carissa chose this ones.

I am not an Athlete

2009-04-28T18:24:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks I have been going pretty frequently to Mt. Rubidoux. It is so beautiful there. I have been going with my big brother. I really enjoy the time that we have together. We did not come from an athletic family and we never played sports for school. I'm not sure if I will keep this up because I SUCK at things like this. I really do feel like I can but I am not sure. I feel so good about myself when I go. I am not a runner and not sure if I ever will be but a walker I am. I'M TRYING!

New Job

2009-04-23T21:34:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot. I have been told by many people that I should start a business. I have talked about and toyed with the idea about starting an Etsy account. Well I am and I am going to take baby steps. I am new to this, so please bear with me. I want to start selling my designs to my blog readers and their friends and so on. I still need a name, tags, etc. I will start by adding prices to my creations. I have added prices to my older posts as well. If you are interested in anything and would like something please add a comment and let me know what you would like and how many. Also please give me your information. Name, number and address. I will then contact you. I am very excited about taking this step forward. I would love it if you would do something as simple as sharing my creations with a friend. Thank you to all of my faithful readers. I can't wait to see what will happen.

Something Sweet

2009-04-23T16:36:00.000-07:00

So I found some more very cute cupcake fabric. I have made another 80's shirt dress. I thought it would be cute for Lily to wear it for her birthday. I paired it with hot pink and white polka dot fabric added some cupcakes to the top, a fabric covered button and a ribbon. I got to make baby Evan some onesies today too. I am hoping to get some pictures of him soon. I can't wait.

Skirt dress $30.00

I love fabric!

2009-04-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple new shirts I made. I love fabric. I used some new fabric for these tees that I just got recently. If my husband would let me would buy a bunch constantly and the garage would be full. I tried out something new and added some ruffles to the bottom of one tee. I really liked how it turned out. I left the ends undone so they can fringe a little in the wash. I also found some very cute sugar skull fabric and made a flower on the other. It's different but cute. Some of my friends have been encouraging me to start an Etsy account. I wanted to let you know I am seriously thinking about it. I have checked into it. I think I am on the verge of something amazing!

Skirt Dress $30.00

Sugar Skull Shirt $24.00

Easter Celebrations

2009-04-14T18:20:00.000-07:00

Our Easter was very good. The kids looked great. We had a great time with family and friends. Benny also had a great time celebrating his birthday. One of my favorite things was is having my Dad pray for him. That is one thing that I will never forget. How special for them to look back and remember their Grandpa praying for them year after year. I also got to take some pictures of my Papa with Lily.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T14:02:00.001-07:00

Have a Blessed and Happy Easter!

New Stuff

2009-04-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

Here are a few things that I have made recently. I am trying to work on some boy items. Let me know what you think.

Flower Shirt $24.00

Vest shirt $20.00

Tie Shirt $20.00

The Museum

2009-04-08T20:03:00.000-07:00

Today we took the kids out to L.A. to the Museum of Natural History. We had a good time, only thing is Duane's allergies were killing him. Poor guy walked around all day and all he wanted to do was to be in bed. Thank you hunny for hanging in there and driving us out there. What a trooper. Here are some pictures of our day out.

Late Night Crafting

2009-04-07T23:19:00.000-07:00

Well I couldn't sleep and everyone else was in bed. So what better to do then to put in a good movie and sew. I had bought this very cute hoodie on clearance for $4.50. I knew I wanted to add something to it. I had an idea and this is what I did. Didn't take very long so I thought I could post it before the night was over.

Maybe Lily can use it tomorrow on our trip out to L.A.
Good night blogging buddies!

Spring Break!

2009-04-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of spring break for the kids. We have a full week planned which is very unlike us. We usually just hang out and relax. Well this week is full of fun. Today we headed out to Balboa beach. We enjoyed a day full of beautiful weather. The kids had a great time. I realized my little man loves the water. The poor boy got a pretty bad sun burn. I didn't think of spraying sunblock closer to his bum. Poor boy. Carissa on the other hand tanned with no problem.

One crazy thing is their were ladybugs everywhere. Lily had fun trying to catch them. We ended our day out by going to our favorite diner, Ruby's.

Lily having fun crawling all over the beach.

Benny got out of the water long enough for me to take this picture.

Carissa and I had a nice time watching Benny jumping in the water.

A ladybug crawling on Lily.

Jackie this is for you!

2009-04-03T23:15:00.000-07:00

I found this very cute free purse pattern through a blog that I recently started to follow. It is www.graceviolet.com and the purse is called Buttercup Bag Tutorial at Made by Rae. I had to increase the size about 2-3 inches bigger all over. The size that printed out would only hold a few things. So I went and found some very cute velvet on CLEARANCE! I love it, it reminded me a little of Mary Poppins you know what I'm talking about her carpet bag that could hold anything. I also thought of my buddy Cindy's mother in law Jackie. She had shared with me on her last trip out here a few websites that had some free purse patterns. So Jackie, that is why this is for you. I got to recycle an old pair of jeans. I used the back pocket on the inside and some other parts of the jeans on the outside as well.

I found some very cute buttons for one side of the strap. I really enjoyed this project. I made this purse earlier in the week. It took a while to post, I have been working on a few things. I had a great idea after making this bag. Wait to see. Turning it into something any Mommy can use. Or at least one with a little baby.

Audreys Shirt

2009-04-03T12:39:00.000-07:00

This morning Cindy came over to hang out and make Audrey her first initial shirt. I love hanging out and showing her a few things. I think handmade things are so unique. Well Cindy picked out a very cute green fabric. With Lily crawling around we did a pretty good job and had a little while just to sit and chat when we were done. Here are a few pictures from this mornings sewing lesson. Keep posted I am already thinking and searching the web of many more things to do.

Easter

2009-04-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

Well Easter is a little over a week away, and I got busy making the girls some cute things for Easter Sunday. Found some very inexpensive outfits and embellished away. They are both matching with pink and white. Can't wait to take some pictures of them on Sunday the 12th. They will look so cute for their big brothers 8th birthday.

This is Carissa's outfit. Made the flower pin

and added the letter C and a heart at the bottom.

This Lily's dress. Also made her a flower pin
and added a cute Lavern L at the bottom.

Planning on sewing tomorrow morning with my B.F.F.
going to make some things for Audrey.
I can't wait I get so excited!

It Bit and I itched!

2009-03-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

So I blogged recently about the craft bug bitting. Well It sure did bite and I scratched it good! My B.F.F. gave me some great ideas. Thanks Buddy! She asked if I had heard of a birthday onesie or shirt. I didn't so I did some searching in Etsy and I was so motivated. I went out and bought some basic white Tee's and the creativity flowed, itched, or bit whatever. I started with an inital tee for Lily. Here is the finished product.
I then prceeded to make a really cute red flower shirt from a piece of fabric that I had left over. I should of told my Mom to please not give Lily her first cheeto with out a bib. OMG! I wanted to scream. Hopefully the stain remover works.
I then got started on Lily's birthday shirt. I havn't finished it yet but here is the work in progress.
Cindy and I will be starting on some for Audrey soon. I will be posting. Thanks you for your comments bloggers. I love the sights you have recomended. I really enjoy sewing soooo much. You all should know that what I wanted for my 16th birthday was a sewing machine crazy huh.

The Craft Bug!

2009-03-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

The craft bug has been bitting me really bad. I want to make or create something just don't know what. I have a few coupons for the local fabric store. I want to use them. If you have any ideas please let me know. Maybe I need to look on etsy and see what other people are doing. If you have any sites that you know of please share. I would love to get busy and do something.

Crock-potting

2009-03-16T21:51:00.000-07:00

My experiment for the next two weeks is to cook using my crock-pot. Tonight was the first night. I made homemade chicken nuggets tomorrow is eggplant parmesan. Alicia from MAP suggested this blog crockpot365.blogspot.com. I needed something like this to help me with time management in the kitchen. I really don't like being in the kitchen all day. You know what I mean breakfast, dishes, lunch, then prep for dinner, clean up from dinner, and then dishes again.

So keeping with our budget I planned our meals for the next two weeks as usual. Did my shopping and only spent $92.00 of the $100 we budgeted for, remember that's for two weeks for a family of four 1/2. Duane was very proud of me. I hope these next two weeks go well. We were getting used to eating out all the time. Spending way too much money. What I spend now is amount of about 3 nights eating out. Sitting at the dinner table every night is so nice and peaceful well, when the kids aren't fighting.

I will be updating soon and let you know how it's going. Hey Chappy if your reading she has a lot gluten free recipes.

Out and About

2009-03-09T15:51:00.000-07:00

Last week Lily was diagnosed with R.S.V. or Bronchiolitis. Which means that we need to stay away from all our little friends that might get sick and catch what she has. For us that means no church, small group, MAP's and hanging with our B.F.F.'s Cindy and Audrey. So for almost a week we have been stuck indoors and it has just started. We have a few more weeks to go.

Yesterday we missed church since we are so worried about spreading the virus. While Lily was down for a nap, Benny, Carissa, and I took off for some fun. We needed to breath some fresh air and and take in such a beautiful day. Our plan was to go to the park, run around, take some pictures, and have fun. Well we got there and found out they charge a parking fee. I didn't have any cash and not enough change so we left. I was so disappointed. I so wanted to hang out for a while. I love that specific park. As we were driving away I quickly thought we can take pictures very close to the park.

I love how it came out with the palm trees in the background. Very Riverside. After driving around through the orange groves we decided to go downtown. We were getting hungry and I knew the perfect little place to sit and have a good time. "Mijo's Taco's is so cool" the kids said. We walked around and checked out the place and all the neat stuff they have to look at. We then sat down and had a couple tacos and enjoyed a very satisfying horchata. It was very yummy.

Update

2009-03-02T21:34:00.000-08:00

A lot has been going on. Carissa had bronchitis and Lily had an ear infection. So that means we were stuck in the house for the last few weeks. We thought we would be nice and not share the germs. We had to cancel 3 weeks of small group. So sad. I really miss my small group buddies, Carissa does as well. She asked me today if everyday could be Tuesday. I asked her "why?" and she said, "so we can have small group everyday." How about that? She sure does love small group. Benny really thinking that through responded with "then we would have school everyday." I don't think he agreed with her.
I have had fun sewing too! Making baby blankets, burp clothes, mini blankets. I even made a car seat cover it turned out nice,but I'm not sure if I will do that again. It was a lot of work.

My little Lily seems to be getting bigger and bigger every day. Here is a video I took of her today. She is so ready to walk. She pushed that walker stroller all over the house.

Duh!

2009-02-11T09:20:00.000-08:00

This morning as usual I'm in a rush to drop off the kids. So on the way back home I think to myself a white mocha sounds so good. I knew I had some cash in my wallet so I head to Starbucks. I drive up to the intercom and give them my order. I then realize OMG! I don't have my wallet and let the young man know. How embarrassing. I felt so dumb! So now I'm stuck in the drive thru and have to wait in embarrassment. I wish I had the pregnant mom excuse but I don't. It was just no thinking thats all! So I give myself a big DUH!I got home, cleaned my French press,and made my own cappuccino. It was pretty good, and free!

Open The Door and Let Him In

2009-02-10T18:54:00.000-08:00

My response is to get down on my knees before the Father. This magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit. Not a brute strength, but a glorious inner strength. That Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all Christians that extravagant dimension of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. God can do anything, you know-far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Ephesians 3:14-20

I came across this in my quiet time today. Isn't God amazing. Open the door and let Him in. Let Him into your heart and let Him show you the extravagant dimensions of his love.

Strike Update!

2009-02-01T16:40:00.000-08:00

So this morning the Los Angeles Times printed an article stating, So. Cal. Gas Comp. has reached a tentative agreement to avert the strike. It was so exciting to see my husband this morning jump up and down shouting with joy " Thank you Jesus!" We are truly thankful to God who continues to show us that he is in control. Please continue to keep Duane and his coworkers in your prayers, as we wait and see what will unfold.

My Buddy!

2009-01-29T20:12:00.000-08:00

Over a year ago I got the opportunity to meet and hang out with one of the mothers from my preschool class. From that day on we have had a great time hanging out. Turned out we had so much in common. Before Cindy, I didn't have someone to call or text whenever I wanted. I was challenged in the area of making friends I guess you can say. I had some issues back in high school that left me scared. So from that time on I avoided the opportunity of making close friendships with other women. I kept every woman I knew and met at arms length.

Around the time I met Cindy, God had been dealing with me about this issue. I knew and told myself to be vulnerable to other women. To me that was scary. I had stuck with those feelings for over 13 years.

So for the last year I have had such a fun time hanging out with my buddy. We have got to enjoy so many things together this past year, being pregnant...having babies....going to church together...joining Maps...sewing...and so much more. Cindy, I love being your best bud. I couldn't ask for a better friend. Thank you for putting up with a friend that has issues. I know it's been tough. I look forward to all the years to come. Thanks buddy!

Mattthew 6:30

2009-01-26T12:51:00.000-08:00

STRIKE!
It's a very upsetting and discouraging word in our house right now. Duane job is talking about a possible strike starting February 1st, this has brought on worry and stress. So please keep us in your prayers. God has always taken care of us as a family. Duane and I know God will take care of us, but we also know that God allows us to go through rough times as well. So this morning this is the verse that God had for us. Isn't he amazing? "If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers-most of which are never seen-don't you think he'll attend to you? Matthew 6:30

John the Beloved

2009-01-25T17:56:00.000-08:00

Twenty five day's ago a few women and I started a journey together for the the next ninety days. I have been challenged in so many ways. Thank God. My biggest excuse was that I was too busy to find time to get into the word. So when our small group minister asked us to consider going through this study together. Right away I agreed. I needed this. Something daily to push me and draw me close to him. Oh.... and it is. I am finding myself looking forward to this every day. To see what God is going to show me. If you have fifteen minutes to spare please take the time to meet God! Don't miss out on what he can reveal to you through his word. Through the life of his beloved disciple.

Appendicitis

2009-01-22T18:54:00.000-08:00

Who knew that a piece of tissue the size of your pinkie nail can make you feel like you are about to die. Well last Friday I thought that I had finally got what had been sending my family running to the restroom every 5 minutes. Around 12:30 in the morning I told Duane I was going to drive myself to the E.R. I arrived and waited for about two hours to see a doctor. He checked me and said he thought it was appendicitis, but I needed to have a cat scan. The x-ray tech came and wheeled me to the room where he would take an x-ray of my body.

He didn't know this but my family has dealt with the cancer disease for a long time. It (cancer) is something I fear. Every time I have a physical I think I will get a call that I too have the disease. So while he was wheeling me to the room he goes on about how, hopefully it's not cancer. Like thats what I needed to hear. That sent me into a quiet panic. I then started to pray and knew that God was there with me.

People have asked why I drove myself to the hospital and if I was worried about being alone. No I wasn't, God was there with me. I felt him there with me that night.

While I waited for the results of the cat scan I remembered that I had taken my bible and ipod. I started to read and listen to some music to help me focus while I waited for Duane to arrive. The Doctor then came in and let me know my appendix was inflamed and I needed surgery asap.

Thank God.

Thank God that's all it was. I had surgery around 6:30 that morning. I have been home for almost a week and I still can't believe this all happened. I am so thankful for my church and all the people around me that have been praying and helping us out.

First Day of School

2008-08-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of school. The kids did great. I thought it was going to be a very emotional day, but I did well. No crying at all. We got to meet their teachers and see their rooms.

Benny is so excited that he gets to be a monitor for his teacher on Fridays. He said, "A monitor is someone who helps the teacher with things." He is so happy. He says he really likes his school. Carissa said the same as well. She had a great day. Today went so well she past out on the couch. I am so happy for them, I don't know what I worry about so much.

Ready?

2008-08-24T23:15:00.000-07:00

It's 11:30 p.m. and I feel like a kid again. I can't get myself to go to sleep. I have all of the kids things ready for their first day of school.

Benny is like Duane, quietly excited, but went to bed early. Carissa on the other hand is like me, she could not stop talking and we painted nails and picked out an outfit.

I told Duane I hope I don't have too much of an influence on her. I know for sure I will be kicking myself in about five years or so. Check for pictures tomorrow and you'll know what I mean. We both love a certain character that has happened to make her way into our lives and she is all over Carissa. I made special bows to match her clothes. I hope they have a good day, make a lot of friends, like their new school, and love their new teachers. Please pray for them and us.

I HATE LAUNDRY!

2008-08-23T22:05:00.000-07:00

OK school starts on Monday and I need to start washing clothes like NOW! I hate washing clothes. I have told Duane that for torture Satan is going to make people wash and fold clothes in hell. I hate it so bad. I think I will pout and whine all night.
I DON'T WANT TO! I DON'T WANT TO!

Well after looking at this picture I shouldn't complain.

SUSHI!!!!!

2008-08-22T22:29:00.000-07:00

Had to post this Picture. This bib was my very first purchase when I found out I was prego. I love it! Can't wait to take her out to sushi.

Ruby's

2008-08-22T18:44:00.000-07:00

So today was our last day of summer break. Benny and Carissa start school on Monday. I am both sad and happy. Please don't get me wrong. I Love my kids, but having three changes everything. I am looking forward to having the mornings alone with Lily. We get to bond just the two of us. Then on the other side the house is going to be so quite. It has gotten a little loud this summer. Two posts ago I mentioned that big changes have happened. One other change was that my two older kids are not going attending private christian school anymore.
One big sacrifice that I made when I choose to stay home, was to take them out of there school. Through a lot of prayer and thought we decided to put them in public school. I am honestly scared. I am so worried about what they are going to pick up and hear. We have put it all in Gods hands. We know that we can't keep them in a bubble forever. So today I surprised them and woke them up and took them to mine and their favorite place for breakfast, Ruby's.

I tried to get some serious pictures out of them, that was not happening.

She is so funny!

2008-08-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

My daughter says the funniest things sometimes. She regularly makes her way into our bed at night. So the other night she stayed in her room the whole night. When we woke we praised her for being such a big girl and said we were so proud of her for staying in her bed all night. Her response was," Well I used the sleep soap Mommy bought and washed my hands before I went to bed. Then I put my hands next to my face and I fell asleep all night and didn't wake up." We had to laugh she is so cute. Who knows maybe the aromatherapy really does work.
Thank You Bath and Body Works!

How Life Changes

2008-08-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

Well it has been one year from the last time that I blogged. A lot of things have changed. One of the biggest changes have been that, I had a little girl on May 13Th. She is so beautiful. I felt like I was a new mom all over again. It had been almost six years since the last time I had a little baby to take care of.

I also decided not to go back to work. When I got married I told Duane that whenever we had kids that I wanted to stay home with them. I did with Benny and Carissa for four years. So I had to with Lily. I felt when I was working I had no time for nothing. To come home and clean and make dinner was a lot. I had put so many things off. Now that I have been home I have had a chance to take care of things that really needed to be done. I still have a lot to do. But I have had a chance to do so many other things. We have been able to go to the beach and visit friends and family.

I love how God has shown us over and over again that he is in control. We just have to give him control and allow him to take care of us. So now that I have a little more time on my hands I am going to give this blogging thing a go again. To all of my blogging friends I have enjoyed reading your blogs and thank you for sharing a little of your lives and humor with me. So I now would to love to share a little of my life with you.

Baptisms at the Beach

2007-08-24T22:32:00.000-07:00

Tonight I drove down to Corona Del Mar to see a lot of people get baptized. Sandals Church was having baptisms at sunset. It was so awesome to see so many people make a public statement like that. What I enjoyed the most was when it was all done, Pastor Neal made an announcement that if anyone else felt the desire and call of God to get baptized, they should come forward. It was so great to see a young boy come forward and make his way into the ocean. I think as a mom I of course got a little emotional. I thought how amazing God moved this young boy to step out in front of so many people and follow Gods call.

Boys will be Boys

2007-07-31T21:21:00.000-07:00

While on my vacation I got to attend a field trip with Benny. The trip was to Olvera Street in L.A. We arrived and it was shopping right away. My mom and I were taking care of Benny and one of his friends. Another Mom and her son joined us. It was real fun! So guess what the boys wanted to get?

Benny and his friends posing in there Luchadors masks.
Thanks to the movie Nacho Libre my son loves to wear his mask.

Some more pictures of our day in L.A.

Benny and My Mom, Grandma Mercy.

Been a While

2007-07-30T22:00:00.000-07:00

So it has been a while since I have blogged. I have heard from a few friends that I need to blog. I know I have really slacked off. So here you go. A lot has happened in the last few months. June ended well. The kids are in summer camp at school. They are having a blast. Benny just finished swimming lessons. Carissa is having fun in her last few months at the preschool. Soon she will be starting kindergarten.

July came and oh did it really come. On July 9th my parents were over at our house for a nice evening of fellowship with them. My father got a call from his sister in Texas that my grandma had a heart attack. He was able to fly in to Texas the next morning. On Tuesday night July 10th my grandma at the age of 91 passed away and went to home to live with her heavenly father. So my Mom,older sister and I drove to Uvalde, Texas for my grandmas funeral. It was like a mini family reunion. It was awesome to hear stories of her life and the things she had done. My grandma was such an great role model to me She left behind a legacy that will be hard to compare. She raised eight children and half on her own. She never wavered in her walk with the Lord. She kept on running to one day win the race, which I believe she did. I know without a doubt, Gods words were," Well done, my good and faithful servant."

We have been so busy. I got to attend a very good friends wedding. It was beautiful. It was the first wedding that my children attended with us. I think we will wait a while before we do that again.

Our camping trip came and it was so needed. We got to go fishing and didn't catch much. All I caught was a little fish. The kids were so excited. I got to brag that I was the only one who caught something. Ha Ha! We took a lot of really good pictures. So we finished July really nice. I really hope August slows down a little.

Oh, and to all my blogger friends, I promise to blog more!

My Betty

2007-05-08T18:28:00.000-07:00

Two years ago I told Duane I wanted a bike for my birthday. We saw a white one just like this at downtown market night. I saw it and wanted it right away. Well, on my birthday he left for a while and came home with my Betty. I was so surprised. The sad thing, is I have only ridden the bike only a hand full of times in the past two years. This week, I started riding my bike to work. I have been so tired, but it is good exercise and I'm saving money on gas. Thank you Duane. I love my bike.

Dinner with Dad

2007-05-06T21:24:00.000-07:00

Once a month Duane's Dad likes to get together and have dinner with all of his children and their families. We have not been able to get together for our monthly dinners in about four months. So we have not seen my father-in-law for a while. Duane's brother and his family were not able to make it this time. His sister and her family came with the new baby in the family. Dad had such a good time with the grandkids. Benny and Carissa were enjoying the baby and grandpa too. We all made plans to go fishingon Dad's new boat. I can't wait, I love to fish.

Chocolate Milk

2007-04-30T18:20:00.000-07:00

This is how much my son loves chocolate milk.

We celebrated his Birthday on April 11 and this is what my parents got for him. That's what Grandparents are for. He was in heaven, with his Oreo chocolate cookie cake.

Benny and my Dad "Grandpa Lee"

Love

2007-04-23T20:46:00.000-07:00

I have been experiencing love so much in the past few weeks. I am so blessed with the group of friends that God has given me. If you know me, I love spending time with people. I have enjoyed a wedding, a baseball game, making a friend and her family dinner, and getting together with the Botswana team. I feel Gods love so powerfully through my friends. I love you guys!

Home From Africa

2007-03-27T19:16:00.000-07:00

I want to start this blog by thanking everyone that helped me go to Africa. The trip would not have been possible without all you prayers and financial support. Everyday I was there, I was so thankful for each and everyone of you. Since I have been home, so many people have asked me, "How was you trip?" My reply is, "It was AWESOME!" I had such a great time spreading the Good News.

We arrived in Botswana on Friday night. Shawna (our missionary from Sandals) and other missionaries living in the same area, took our group to her house. We were all so tired from our 24 hour flight. There were two families. The first was Robert, Margaret, and believe it or not, their daughter Carissa. I know, it shocked me too! The other family was George and Fay. These two families were so welcoming. That night Robert briefed us for everything we had planned the next day. We went over our conference and all other important issues.

Saturday came before we knew it. I'm not sure most of us slept well that night. I know I didn't. Time changes can mess you up. It was o.k. I think we all spent time on our knees in prayer and in the Word. That night I kept on battling with how God would use me. See, I was in the Sheperding group of our conference. Our job was to impart into the pastors from the nearby villages on how to nurture and provide for their churches more effectively. So that might help you understand why I may have been battling with that issue. I'm not a pastor. I had long talks with my parents before I left. They gave me many words of wisdom to share with these men. So that night I laid it all down at the Lord's feet. I had to trust him and not be worried.

We were all ready and prepared as we walked to church that morning. We could not believe it. Here we are walking to church in AFRICA. That morning, Dean, our team leader, shared his message on leadership from the book of Timothy. We broke for lunch and jumped into our individual groups: prayer, worship, evangelism, and sheperding. We all felt at the end of the day that it went well. Before we left, we got to hear from some of the leaders that attended, what they are taking back to their churches.

Sunday morning we went to church at Lobatse Baptist Church and had a wonderful time. Sunday afternoon we loaded up in all the trucks and vans and went to our first village, Kanye.
When we got there, we met in a small house and discussed what our plans were. The prayer team went on a prayer walk through the village. The evangelism team went throughout the village and shared about Jesus Christ and how to be born again. The sheperding team went to visit people from the church and pray for them and any needs they may have.

We got to talk and pray with two girls. They had not been to church in a while. We prayed with them and their families. It was so neat to be able to share with the the girls and pray with them. The next three days were the same. Sharing and praying with the locals in the villages.There is one lady that I will never forget. We went to her house to share scriptures with her. The pastor had let us know that she recently became a believer. A few shared some scriptures. I felt a tug on my heart by God saying "You need to share with her Rachel." So I asked the pastor "Can I please share with her?" He said "yes." I shared with her Jeremiah 29:11 "I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out-plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. When you come looking for me, you'll find me. " I felt that I needed to talk to her and share with her about being a mother. How God is there for us when we feel so overwhelmed and alone. That just like God says " When you come looking for me you will find me." It's in those moments that I was in awe. I knew God was right there with me, using me.

So Thank You! Thank you for sending me and letting me be a vessel that was used by God in such a awesome way. Even if it was for that one woman that I shared with, it was worth it all.

The rest of our trip was great. We spent the next few days having fun. We bonded so well, we all refer to each other as "family." We are family. I have such an awesome group of new friends in my life. I have life long friends. I have a group of seven sisters and four brothers. I hope you have enjoyed reading my never ending blog. It needed to be written. I have had it inside me for over a week now. I also hope you enjoy the pictures I posted. They are just a few, but very meaningful to me.

Keep posted as me and Duane keep you updated on our family and everything else that God has in store for us in our future. If you are wondering our title for our blog "One October Night" is from us. We were married eight years ago, one October evening.