Queen of my Domain

So after a few times being handed down the sleeves were much to stretched out to be worth anything. I decided I was going to do something about it. This is what I ended up doing. So I measured the sleeves and marked where the sleeve would hit my daughter mid sleeve. Then I just cut the sleeves off straight across. I measured the width of the sleeve and decided that I wanted the full length plus 1" extra for turning under. So I cut 9" of ribbon. I turned the edge under 1/4" so that I would have enough at both ends. Then I pinned it all the way around. I used to be an anti-pinner but I've learned the error of my ways ( Well only when it comes to some things! ;) Pinned where I butted the ends up together on the under arm at the seam. I have the worst lighting in my basement. But this is the sewing. I am sewing it with the fabric up so that I'm sure to catch the fabric to the lace. Here is the finished sleeves. It's a way better alternative to the sloppy, raggy s

So Aurora has been talking all summer about wanting to cut her hair and donate it. I so totally forgot to take a before picture but here is her after picture!! She cut 10 inches off to donate to cancer. They take the hair and make wigs for people that have lost their hair to chemotherapy.

So I hate being a follower but considering that it was Rayann's first year of school and that she is officially a kindergartener.... I figured I'd better post some first day of school pictures. My mom took pictures every year of us as well so I guess I don't fall far from the tree. Aurora started grade 2 this year. She absolutely loves French-Immersion and didn't take her long to get back into the swing of things. She is so wonderful and smart I don't know what I would do without her in our family!! Rayann is quick and witty and sharp as a tack. She is the apple of every guys eye (daddy, grandpa's and uncles) Just a cute one of them together. We are going to be in so much trouble when these two get to be teenagers!! I think Rayann is going to be knockout when she gets older. That being said we already are having problems with Aurora!! hahaha..... I know I shouldn't be laughing but really?!

So I keep saying that I'm going to put some pictures up here of the stuff that I have done. Always while I'm working on it I think that "Once this is done, I have to remember to take a picture." Ya well I keep forgetting. One of these days I will remember to take the pictures. But with that being said I did take pictures the other day of a project I was working on, a tutorial if you will. I'm gonna get that on here as soon as I can. I really just need to remember to take more pictures.

So since the beginning of this year, I have been very busy working my new home-based business. I am a sewer for hire. I do custom sewing and as fast as I finish an order I have another on my door step. If you had told me 9 years ago when I finished my fashion design degree that I would be designing and working out of my home I may have given you that funny look like you smelled funny or something. I have always been the understated sister in my family, (at least I think so) and so I never really imagined that I would have a business out of my home. The best part about it is that I love it. I love the challenge of the next new project, I'm using my design skills, which is AWESOME, my kids play right there while I sew, and this all rolls into one big ball of joy for me. Once I get some pictures organized I'm gonna get some pictures on here of all the work that I have done. So be watching!

So for the very first time in 60 years my grandparents, Vern and Kaye Seely had a family reunion for just their family! What a great weekend. Now before I get into details about the fun we had I do have to say that I really wished that there was more of our family there. We seemed to be lacking a number of cousins from the states. This will have to be rectified at the next one. So we got together in southern alberta at Aunt Charlene's, which she's not really my aunt but she's mom's best friend and she happens to be her cousin as well so she's and aunt. Uncle Brian, Aunt Judy, Bree and her husband Jared, Alexa, and Ethan came from Nevada. Aunt Sandy and Sheila came from Montana and then all of the canadians were there. (of course we would all be there.... we rock!!) We started the reunion off with a 60th Wedding Anniversary Open House in Stirling where Brittney re-created their wedding cake. Aunt Sandy had created a slide show of hundreds of pictures (the show took

So I have been attending my girlfriend's free Zumba class. I go twice a week, for the last 6 weeks or so. I've been so excited for the class and yesterday it dawned on me that I haven't lost aany weight or inches that are visible to me. But then....... a friend that hadn't been to Zumba in a couple of weeks said that I looked really good yesterday!! Well......... I'll be! What a great little comment. That means that I must be doing something good but I've decided that I have to step it up a notch. Once I've made some headway maybe, and that's a big MAYBE I'll post some pictures.

This set of photos started because Felicity was being so cute. Last monday night we played Go-fish and ate popcorn for FHE. Ahhh the fun times spent together as a family!! Counting up his pairs. Go-fish can be competative. I don't think he won though! I hate it when I catch part of a blink. She really was happy to be playing cards with us. Aurora and her beautiful smile!! Cards and popcorn... what can make the day any better?! Here mom, here's my pose. Most of the time Daniel is teasing her saying "Your a silly goose!" Here's Felicity with her feet on the table. Who's in charge in this house?? Not me!!

So I picked up a book at the library titled " The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey. What an absolutely mind opening book. It is a must read for every single person in this world. If you are NOT debt free, read the book!! Simple as that. So after having read the book we have decided that life is going to change in the Jarvis household. We are attacking our debt with gazelle intensity!! ( Read the book, you'll get it) We have cut every luxury and by following the book we can be out of debt in about 1 year and then we can have a down payment for a house in about 2 years and then we figure that we can be out of the mortgage in about 5-6 more years. That means that before Daniel and I are 40 years old we will be completely debt free. With the gazelle intensity that we are working at it tough I think we could be done in as short at 6 years total, not the forcasted 8 years. Dave's motto in this book is; " Live like no one else, so you can live like no one else"

So my Grandpa Lansing ( my Dad's dad) passed away on June 24th. The funeral was on Monday June 28th in Creston where he has lived most of his life. Most of his married life would be more accurate. As I sit here quietly this morning I was thinking about life passes on. Everyday we get up and look at our list of things to be accomplished and every evening we lay down and take note of what we got finished or didn't get finished. Life just passes on. But when you come to the end of your life and you reflect on your list of things that you should have done and could have done and the things that you did do, what does your list look like??? When I lay myself down at the end of my life will I have completed the things that I need to complete or will I have wasted away my time doing things that really weren't that important. Will I be satisified with the what I have gotten done on my list of life things too do?? I don't really have a tonne of memories with Grandpa, he was alway

How busy is to busy?? Everytime I seem to find a minute someone finds a job for me to do. The Lord has blessed me with many great talents and I know that one day I will have to account for what I did with my talents so I rarely say no. I love helping other people and doing things for them but sometimes I just wish I could sit on the floor with my kids and do nothing all day. Don't get me wrong I take the moments but I wish all day everyday could be one big moment. Felicity is getting so big I can hardly believe my eyes. Aurora will be done grade 1 in 5 days and Rayann starts kindergarten in 2 months. Time moves faster everyday. I can't imagine how hard it must be for Heavenly Father to see life on earth as moving so quickly. My life is truly blessed and I don't know what I would do with out all the blessing I do receive. Hopefully I can find a minute to enjoy it all.

So I haven't been on here much lately, mostly because I've been extremely busy. So what have I been doing that is keeping me so busy you ask?? Well I have been basically starting a business. Let's back track a little. I went to college for Fashion Design and Merchandising and for the past number of years I haven't done much with my degree but without trying I have basically started a business right out of my house. There is a great need for basic sewing skills. I have had the great opportunity to do some really great projects and the work just keeps pouring in. So as I get my self organized and get some business cards and start generating business then I'll be able to officially call my self in business but for right now I'm just working on the good old standard 'Word of Mouth'. So THAT's what I've been up to. Once I get some pictures organized then I can post some of the stuff that I've been working on.

So I really wanted this blog to be all cute and full of great crafts and stuff that I'm doing but really it's just a small spot for me to share what I'm feeling and a place for me to unload a little. I guess life doesn't got the way we expect.

I have been so out of it this month. After being at my mother's for 2 weeks in the middle of April. (which they were wonderful aside from being holed up in the sewing room the whole time) I can't wait until I can go again, I doubt that I'll get to have 2 whole weeks there but we'll see. Anywyas, I finally got the bridesmaids dresses done and they were picked up last night. This was the first major project that I had undertaken. I've had other projects where it was fix this or alter that but to do 3 full dresses was quite the project. I may second think a project this big next time only because it takes so much time. And of course silly me.... I forgot to take pictures of them. But maybe I can get some from the bride later down the road. Anyways, the next project has to be started so off I go.

After I was out of the shower and braiding my hair. ( I know I'm a little old for double french braids but I need no fuss hair today) Anyways, Rayann was playing with the Q-tips and I said put it back, and she said, "But I need to floss my ears" It amazes me what kids will say!

March 26th was Felicity's first birthday and we had ribs for dinner. I love it how kids LOVE their food not just ingest it!! The best face in the world. It's my birthday! Ooooooooo what is this?? Cake is wonderful, we should have this more often. Mmmmm cake!! When all else fails... use your teeth. She loves her singing, dancing Donald Duck, that she got from my best friend Amber.

So I'm 29 today and I guess that's kinda' a big number. At least for me it seems like a big number. So I decided that I would post a picture that I took of myself just so that at some point in my life I can look back and remember just what I looked like at 29!!

So my computer has been on the fritz again and I cleaned it and reset it this morning... now I'm having to find everything again and download all of my programs and everything...... So scowling right now }:o(

So this weekend we had a bit of a scare. The girls were playing in the basement on saturday and we have a lamp down there that does not have a shade on it. There was a foamie leaning up against the freezer, near the lamp, anyways, after about 30 minutes of the girls playing down there they came flying upstairs because "the foamie is smoking". So ya they had almost started a fire in the basement. We were fortunate in that it didn't but do you want to know what burnt foamies smells like? Just think chemicals..... it was horrible. So after 36 hours of fans blowing the air towards the dryer hose vent we sprayed Febreeze* to try to get rid of the smell. Sunday afternoon Rayann comes up from down stairs just absolutely extatic!! "Mom, the basement smells BEAUTIFUL!!" I never buy or use Febreeze* so this is something new to her but it was hillarious none the less.

So I'm working on these Bride's maid's dresses. I have 3 to make by the 1st of May. I got the first one put together so that we could do a fitting with the first girl. They came last night for a fitting, the bride and the maid. After a half hour the bride has completely changed the whole top of the dress. I love the opportunity to use my talents but not looking forward to all the extra work of taking the initial dress apart and making a whole new top and then putting in all back together again. Ah fun times.

I can't believe that my life is back to the 'plan day by the hour' ness. A little over a year ago when I was working full time I had to plan my day by the hour just to keep up with everything. Now somehow I've managed to get myself back to that. I am really enjoying it, at least that's what I'm telling myself. I mean don't get me wrong I do enjoy it but some days I just have to wonder. Right now I'm working on 3 bride's maid's dresses that have to be finished before the 1st of May, so that is my full project for this week. Next week I'm all over the Relief Society March party which is going to take up most of my week. The week after I'm off to my mom's so I have to get a bunch of stuff organized here so that I can go there. But I guess that does calculate into a 2 week vacation for me... even if it is taking care of my mom.

We went to a reception for a good friend tonight that married a wonderful. It was so nice to get out of the house and have a minute to just be the two of us. We got to sit and visit for a whole hour without hearing "Mommy?" or trying to hold/contain an almost one year old. It was very nice. I am so happy for Nila and her new course of life and so excited for their family. I'm ready for bed now but I think I'm going to give myself a pedicure instead. AHHHH pedicure!!

I think Felicity may be a daughter from another mother. I think she is part pterodactyl. All she ever does is screech, and it's driving all of us insane. She is walking some now. Mostly just 3-5 steps in between people but walking none the less. It won't be long now and she'll be full out walking. Which I'm kind of glad for. Then I don't have to carry her out to the car and I don't have to pack her around, as much. Where did the time go?? Didn't I just give birth to her? Seriously?! I can't believe that we are counting down the days until Felicity turns 1. What a crazy year it has been.

I have had a wonderful day! Aside from the fact that Felicity is cutting two teeth today. Poor thing won't stop crying. But aside from that the first thing that started the peace in my home is the peace of a home clean and spotless. I am at such peace when my home is clean and my whole family helped. That even makes it better. The second piece of peace for me was making bread. I love making bread for my family. Knowing that I have created exactly what they needed with my bare hands. I also made buns and cinnamon buns but that's besides the point. The time that I spend mixing the bread and waiting for it to rise and then kneading it back down again to raise in the loaf pans is truly a time for me to reflect and enjoy the peace and pleasure I get from doing something so (what may seem, in their eyes) as menial. I enjoy it none the less.

So this being the year of the crafter (for me that is) I can't seem to stop the crafting juices from flowing. As soon as I get my next project done I'm gonna get it up here but I have some great ideas. I just can't seem to find the time to do them. Three kids can take a lot of time.

Why is it that life always seems to come in an ebb and flow. I can go days without even leaving my house and then I spend two days back to back just running crzy. A million things to do with 2 kids in tow. It just is so frustrating. It's like playing that game as a kid....... go, go, go, STOP. Well today is day 2 and I will survive and suceed. Then next week I am going to be sewing and designing!! Watch out!

We have decided that we need to get our passports. With my parents living so close to the border and the fact that I'm going to be there for 2 weeks I just might end up running across the line. But WHY does it have to cost so much to get them. First of all I'm going to have to get Felicity's birth certificate.... which costs money, and then it's going to cost $270 total to get our whole family outfitted with passports. Isn't that ridiculous?? Why does the government have to charge an outlandish price for a little booklet with my picture in it?

I just finished a bowl of fresh raspberries with cream and sugar on it!! It doesn't get any better than that. I grew up in Fernie, B.C. and because of the cool climate we grew the biggest raspberries you've ever seen and we had the biggest patch. By the end of every summer we were so sick of eating raspberries but everytime I see a container of raspberries I wish I was back home. Our harvests per picking averaged about 13-19 gallons of raspberries, and that was every 3-4 days. Needless to say we had a tonne of raspberries to eat..... all the time. My mom was so good at preserving the extras as well. We would have raspberry jam and raspberry juice concentrate but mostly we just ate raspberries with cream and sugar with toast all summer long. I got a great deal on raspberries and bought a whole case and we are going to eat them all, just straight up raspberries, cream and sugar. Ahhhhh the memories.

What can I say..... I am very glad to be home. The wedding was beautiful, and no I don't have pictures. Most days I don't even know why I have a camera?! I never seem to take any pictures. There were lots of pictures taken and I'm sure I'll get some up here at some point. Friday and saturday were crazy. Sunday was a long drive and monday was just a little bit of everything else. I'm glad to be home and happy to just be able to sit around and do nothing.

So I have been doing tonnes of crafts this year. Ones I had started previously and ones that I just up and decided to do. This one that I'm posting today I found on the urbanmoms website. I made this for my nephew Adam. My sister Simone, was the champion and had the first grandson for my parents.(up till now they have had 5 grand daughters) I think it's beautiful!

I am standing on the edge of life. Where will we go? What will we do?? Will we love it?? Will we enjoy every minute of it?? I don't know but we will see. Only time will tell. I can tell you this much though........... the Adventure Awaits!!

So last night while Aurora and Rayann and I were washing the dishes, actually Aurora was washing the dishes, we had a great conversation. "So something serious happened today." said Aurora "Oh ya, what was that?" I questioned " Well there is this boy in grade 1." she said as if she were a grade 4 student and that grade 1ers were so below her. "And he got into so much trouble today he got in trouble twice, TWICE! Mom" she said as if that has never happened on the face of the planet before. " Really?? What did he do??" I asked without sounding to ambivalent. "Well it happened at the slide, that's where everyone was playing, it was just so busy at the slide today" she continued. And this my folks is where I absolutely fell in love with the conversation. A boy got in trouble twice at the slide because it was the happening place to be, the end all be all of the grade 1 realm. Oh to live the life of a first grader, where a boy g

You know when you have one of those moments?? I have an amazing husband that at the right moment can make me laugh that I feel it in my soul. I was trying to find something, there was a bunch of stuff in the way and it was falling and crashing and just making a bunch of noise. My lovely husband said to me, "Your just like a bull in a china shop!" I just started to laugh and it was one of those laughs that you feel right down in the bottom of your gut. It makes all of your muscles shiver with joy and then he laughs along with me and then kisses me. It's moments like this that I look forward to.

So I decided that being that I like to follow blogs and that I have lots of ideas and thoughts that maybe I should start blogging. I can't promise you anything wonderful but I can tell you this much. I'm gonna have fun doing it. Thanks for checking me out and don't worry I'll get something up here fun very soon!