Becca's First Quilt...

 I'm so very proud of my 17 yr old daughter, Becca... she made her very first quilt, 100% of the work was done by her, all I did was provide the instruction and some guidance.  She used all the leftover fabric I had in my stash from the quilt I made for my niece, but instead of a chevron pattern she did a pinwheel one.  The toughest part for her was working with the minky fabric on the back, she wasn't happy with the way it shifted(and ultimately bunche a little). She also wasn't too fond of hand sewing the binding on!, but she loved making the top :)

This was a gift for her creative writing teacher, whose wife just had their first baby.

I think she did a wonderful job!

Tiff

Homemade Yearbooks...

I know the majority of you have finished up the school year already, but up here in Maine, our last day isn't until the 19th, but you can save this idea for next year:)

I made my 3rd grader's class yearbooks, or more accurately, autograph books.  If I had planned better at the beginning of the year I would have collected pictures of the class during fun activities throughout the year and used them(but 20/20 hind sight right?) for this, but oh well, next time. 

Here are the finished products... lamintated covers and backs, with spiral bindings. Each child has their own personalized one :) I added all the links below for the covers and the inside...

For the personalized covers, check out this link(all of these are  free).

 here for the bucket list

Here for the story...

Here for this page...(there is also an autograph page in this link and a few others)

And here for the time capsule...

I added a class picture and several blank pages for the kids to sign.  I think they came out pretty cute and my son said his class liked them :)

Happy Monday to you!

Tiff

Willowbrook...

Having a child in 3rd grade this year, means the annual field trip to a local living history village, Willowbrook.

Our family has been there many times, but it still makes for a pleasant and fun day.

This fancy stage coach is documented to be the 2nd oldest in the country(the 1st is at the Smithsonian).

My boys hanging laundry :)

A replica working kitchen... they do demos and classes here.  The kids got to churn butter and sample some wood oven baked cornbread.

A little sign on the wall, I thought it would make a nice sampler...

At the granary, cracking corn...

Getting lessons in the one room school house... the teacher was very strict and cracked the hickory stick on the desks when the kids made too much noise... but she taught them to say "mam" very quickly when spoken to!

Back at the granary... stripping the dried corn off the cob...

At the cider press, the boys are working the old horse powered treadmill....

This trip was a more "hands on" trip than the ones in the past, so we didn't get tours of the two big houses, but the kids seemed to enjoy it.  We also saw a print shop and telegraph station, and they got to ride on the oldest working carousel in the US.

If it were a bit closer(it's a good 45 to 50 minute trip), I would volunteer there, maybe one day we will have something like this in our own town :)

Tiff

Surprise Baby Shower...

This morning I was totally surprised with a baby shower for Asher at school!!  They(my husband, daughter, and school) got me there by telling me that I needed to attend an early morning  prep meeting because I'm on the committee to select the new principal. I totally bought it and didn't suspect a thing :)

Homemade chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting(Thank you Jamie!)

Hungry Catepillar fruit plate :)

Presents... Asher has his very own library now!

Homemade doughnuts in the basket(thank you Rhonda!!)

Becky, Julie, and me...  (note to self, don't do that hairstyle again!)

Jamie and me...(she and Becky were the masterminds behind it)

Outfits for Asher...  and Ms. Kelly(Zach's teacher was so thoughtful and bought the boys a gift too, a rock and mineral set...Mason is loving it!)

Lots and lots of books, and surprisingly, all ones we didn't have!!

I must say, I was a bit overwhelmed by it... being the center of attention is not my thing and makes me feel very awkward... but I am blown away by the kindness and love that I and my family was shown.   Not only were there so many wonderful things for Asher, they all got together got a gift card to AC Moore for me(they know me well!).  Feeling very grateful and loved :) Thank You Great Falls School!!!

Now I'm off to register the little boys for Fall soccer, vote on the school budget, maybe make a quick run to AC Moore, and then I do have the real school board meeting this afternoon :)

Tiff

Gardens Early June...Making Progress

I'm slowly working on things outside, and I realize it all can't happen over night, but I am starting to see some progress :)

My lilac bush is finally in bloom!

The area beside the garage(where the camper used to be) is starting to come to life. I'm trying to keep it very low cost, and so far most of it has been free...  I was able to get a huge hosta plant for free(just had to dig it out myself) and then I divided it up and planted it along the pathway.  For now the path is just cement stones sitting on the rocks(had them already), maybe next weekend I will make it more attractive(tired out today). And I planted the rhubard plants way in the back there on the left.

I brought back the wheelbarrow that was a fairy garden, cleaned it out and will replant it as a miniature garden(their was only one plant that survived).  I added some stuff from the basement and hope to eventually get the old rustic prim garden look in this area. Needs a lot of help, but I'm working on it.

The area that I planted as a "cut flower" garden failed, nothing came up, so I planted Jack be Little pumpkins seeds today, I usually have good luck with them.  We also added more twigs to the wattle fence surrounding it.  I'm hoping this looks better when things start to grow in it!

Out front... things are blooming nicely...

Fronch porch is the same, just moved some geraniums from it.

That's it for now.   Thank for the kind thoughts about Sally. It's still hard to believe she is gone. I think Jenny misses her too.


Tiff

Sally...

                                       Sally...  December 7th, 2000  to  June 3rd, 2015

We had her since she was 12 weeks old, she was practically the same age as my 4th child, Gavin, it felt like she had been with us always.... it's hard to believe she is gone now.  She wasn't the easiest dog to live with, but she was part of our family and will be forever remembered and missed.   Rest in Peace Sally... we love you.

Climb out of the Darkness...

I don't usually post things like this, but I think it is important and I just recently got involved.  Postpartum depression, and all the associated things that can go along with it, is real but often not talked about or even acknowledged.  As a woman(a pregnant one), a mother, a sister, a daughter, an aunt, I feel that I should help spread the word to help other women who may suffer needlessly because they are scared, ashamed, or just don't know where to turn for help.  I have never had full blown PPD, but I have definitely suffered from my share of the "baby blues" after birth. Luckily, I had the support of my family and Dr and knew this was a normal thing and it would pass. But for many new moms, things can be much worse and I feel the need to do more to help them.

I am joining the "climb" on June 20th and will walk with other women to help raise awareness and fundraise for this worthy cause. If you can, please join a local team and walk(run, bike, hike) or donate to the fundraising effort.  And if you know a new mom, please help support her in anyway you can, people don't always ask for help, but I don't think anyone would ever refuse a kind word or gesture.  I know many of you are moms and grandmas yourselves, you know how hard the first few months can be. Now imagine that with PPD, anxiety, or just the baby blues. And if you have been through it yourself, please share your story and how you got through it with them, you can help others!

If you would like to donate, please follow the link...

https://www.crowdrise.com/cotdmaine-cotd2015/fundraiser/tiffaneycupps

Thank you so much and I truly appreciate your support :)

Tiff

28 weeks 3 days...

So the first thing we are Not going to do, is make fun of my poor selfie skills!  I always try a million shots in the mirror for these belly pics and I always look stupid in them, LOL! But oh well, this is for prosterity's sake, right ?!?

I had my 28 week check up today, which also meant the glucose test :(  The drink itself isn't too bad,  but boy oh boy the feeling that hits you about an hour after you drink it is NOT fun.  Hopefully I passed it, but won't find out until tomorrow morning.  Everything else was fine.

Asher stats...

: measuring pefectly in the exact 50% range for his age

:weighs 2lbs 11oz

: practicing his breathing muscles like a champ(as seen on the U/S)

: is extrememly active(like ninja baby active!)

: and already has hair!!(the U/S tech showed me on the ultrasound, apparantly he has quite a bit)

Mommy stats...

:BP good

:recovering from a bad head cold(but the worst is over)

: major acid reflux(will try pepcid instead of tums)

: told I can stop the daily baby aspirin

: gained 8 lbs in 2 months, so 18 lbs total so far

: csection is officially scheduled for August 7th at 1:30 pm

: was told that everything is perfect and go back in 4 weeks

what a look? haha~

Now, I really need to get to work on this house! and baby stuff, I haven't sewn hardly anything for him.

Have a lovely day,

Tiff

Outside Spring 2015....

I will admit... I'm not a gardener.  I try, I really do. I know how I want things to look and I dream of having beautiful English gardens and lush green grass...but I just never seem to get there.  But I keep plugging along, and maybe one day, after much trial and error, my yard will look how I envision it :)

I thought today I would share pictures of outside that I took the other day, and every few weeks I'll take more and then I can see how things change....might give me some encouragement.

Here is the front porch... brought back the white wicker this year from the back deck and added a splash of color with the cushions.

Everyone else's lilac bushes are in full bloom right now, but mine is always a week or two behind, I'm assuming it is because it is in a mostly shaded spot.

We put the picket fence back up last fall, just in a straight line across the front of the house, and I really like it.  Along the front of the fence are a row of buried pots tha have yellow wax beans in them and I'm hoping they will grow up on the fence. I didn't do a vegetable garden this year, but I at least wanted to have some beans and we really like this variety.

My lovely cement cow that hubby got for me last year. She is in a new spot this year which is just perfect because I can see her right when we pull in the driveway.

On the other side of the walkway...

My cement bunnies... I need to find a bunch more babies!

Front of the house...  yes, the grass is patchy. It really needs more loam.

My lilly of the valley is slowly multiplying :)

The elementary school where I volunteer at dropped off this lovely rose plant for me! After I took this picture I moved it to a different spot and planted it, I just hope it survives.

Along the far side of the fence, not much going on... but I have two big tubs of strawberries that came back from last year, that was a very pleasant surprise!

This is a spot  in the side yard... it had a small crab apple tree in it, but the tree died :(  I was going to let it just go back to grass but then I decided to plant 7 different cut flower seeds that I had in it. It will be my first cut flower garden.  We are currently working on a wattle fence to go around it.

And this area is beside the garage... it was where we parked the camper, but now that the camper is sold, I need to do something with it.  I will be working on it all summer. So far, it has two elephant ear hostas and I'm going to plant a couple rhubarb plants.  And I already got a big petunia plant for the wood chair on the right. This area is definitely a work in progress, well... the whole yard is!!

I'm hoping the morning glories I planted come up and the clematis I planted by the mailbox thrives... I guess we will see what happens in a few weeks!

Have a lovely long weekend!

Tiff