Quick trip!

So Maitland has still not been feeling well so on Monday Matt and I decided it was time to get to a Dr. we could trust to check him out thoroughly.  So we hopped in the car and drove to Lethbridge.  It was a long way to get into a Dr but there are no options up in Lloyd at the moment so it was best to come home and see our regular family Dr.  We got to Wrentham at about 6:30 Monday night and rang the doorbell at my in-laws and no one answered.  So we rang the doorbell again...no answer.  Matt tried his key to the house on three different doors with no luck.  We could see that all of their vehicles were there and the lights were on in the house so we were stumped as to why they wouldn't come to the door.  We even tried calling them to talk to them and tell them to answer the door but there was no answer there either.  Matt finally broke into the garage and we got into the house.  He walked upstairs and almost gave his Mom a hear attack when she saw him standing in the hallway.  I guess she didn't hear the doorbell and Kevin was in the shower.  Maybe next time we shouldn't try to surprise them and call ahead.  We stayed there for the night and let Maitland play with Papa and Grandma Jane.  We were up and at it early the next morning and headed to Raymond so that I could get my hair done and we could go and visit Matt's Grandma Norma.  It was a good day.  We finally got Maitland into the Dr when they opened again after the New Year's holiday.  We had to wait for quite awhile but it was worth it.  Maitland had a chest x-ray this afternoon and also got a full blood work up done as well.  He would be classified as asthmatic if he was over 2 years old but right now they don't call it that.  We are hoping we can get it under control and he will grow out of it quickly.  I am so glad that we decided to take the time to come and see his regular Dr.  It's also great to get to see some family and a few friends.  It always seems like their are so many people I want to visit and never enough time to do it in.  So great to see Kate and Johnny today for lunch!  Oh how I miss that girl!!!  Tomorrow we are getting together with my family and having a games night.  Should be loads of fun!!  We also have to call the Dr in the morning to get all of the test results to make sure nothing is crazy out of whack for Maitland.  Here's hoping we can get everything all cleared up.  I need my happy little boy back.   

A Quilting Christmas

I don't know why I do this to myself but I do it all the time.  When we first moved up to Kitscoty I thought that I would have tons of free time and would need something to keep me busy.  So I got the idea into my head that I would put a quilt together for my Mom for Christmas.  So on my birthday I had nothing to do because Matt was working and we really didn't know anyone up here at that point and so Maitland and I hopped in the car and went on a little road trip of our own.  I drove to every quilt store I could find between Lloyd and Vegreville.  I just couldn't find any fabric that seemed to fit the vision I had for the quilt I wanted to make for my Mom.  I finally stopped at this amazing store in Vegreville and spent the next hour in heaven!  They were having a sweet sale so most of the fabric was marked down to $10/m or less which is awesome for the quality quilting fabrics I love.  I searched high an low and in the over 3000 bolts of fabric I finally found the perfect feature fabric to start compiling the quilt top.  It took a lot of trial and error and trying about a billion different combinations until I was finally satisfied.  Maitland was so great and just layed on the floor on his blanket and cooed and played the whole time!  What a sweet boy!  So I purchased the fabric and off we went.  I figured that I could get the quilt done by the beginning of October with no problem at all.  This turned out to not be the case.  I ended up traveling south back to Lethbridge several times over the summer and fall which ate up most of my free time.  I had put my name on a list at the Manville quilt shop to get my Mom's quilt quilted and on a sunny fall afternoon at the end of October I got a phone call from them.  My deadline was fast approaching to get the quilt done in time to have it for Christmas.  I hadn't even started it at this point. Opps.  So I decided on  Matt's next days off I was going to be a quilting machine! 

 

This is the pattern I decided to use.

This is the main block of the quilt.  One down and only 29 more to go!

First two rows sewn together.  Those little green squares are more work than I thought but totally worth it!!

All of the rows sewn together and checking for size on my bed.

Finally got the top done.  Added the purple outside border and we are ready to send it for quilting.

 I finally got the top done a week after I started it and was able to drop it off on time.  The ladies at the Manville shop were amazing and had the quilt all done and ready for me to pick up within 5 days!  It worked out perfectly because we ended up heading south for Matt's grandpa's funeral so we took the quilt with us and I finished it at my sisters so that I didn't have to worry about mailing it home.

Got the quilt back and it looks gorgeous!!!!

Got the quilt all trimmed up and ready for the binding to be put on.

Binding added to the quilt.  I was really angry at myself that I didn't have enough fabric to bind it in the purple.  But I think it turned out just fine by adding the blue binding.

Quilt finally all done and ready to wrap up for my Mom.

 It definitely took me a lot of time and effort to make the quilt but I am so glad that I did and love the end result.  I love my Mom so much and she has done so much for me and my brothers and sisters that I can never repay her.  Every stitch and piece of fabric that was added to this quilt was done with a heart full of love and gratitude for an amazing woman that I am so blessed to be able to call Mom.  Merry Christmas Mom!!!  We love you and hope that you love the quilt.

Sick little boy

So the last week has not been fun at all at our house.  Maitland has been puking and had a terrible wheezing cough.  I finally broke down last night and decided to get him to a Dr.  When we walked into the ER and spoke to the nurse she looked at us like we were dumb.  In fact I got the distinct impression that she wanted us to just turn around and go home.  I was not impressed.  I am not the kind of person that runs to the Dr for every little thing but when I think something is wrong or more than just the flu I am of the mind that we have healthcare for a reason and I am going to take advantage of it.  I am glad that I listened to my intuition and took Maitland in.  I also think that no matter what your medical training is when someone comes to see a Dr it is our right to get to see one and be checked by them.  When she listened to his chest and breathing it was very labored.  She seemed a little more concerned at that point. And when she called the Dr he put Maitland on an inhaler right away to open up his chest and help him to breath.  Maitland did not like this mask thing that he had to wear for about 5 minutes and pretty much screamed the whole time.  It was sad and hard to watch as a Mom.  Once the inhalant was done she listened again and there was very little change.  Not too good.  It wasn't long after that that Dr. Smith arrived to look at Maitland (who had finally fallen asleep as luck would have it).  It was good though because he could listen really well to his lungs without Maitland trying to steal his stethoscope.  He said that his left lung was worse than his right but that he definitely had an infection and he was debating admitting him to the hospital until his breathing got better.  He decided that it would be better for Maitland to be at home and to take the medication for the infection and use an inhaler to help with the cough.  If he doesn't improve or gets worse in the next 48 hours we are to take him right back to the ER and they will admit him at that point.   Hopefully the medicine will work quickly and we can have a healthy happy boy for the holidays.  It is so scary to have a baby that can't tell you what is wrong and yet you know that something is not right.  I'm glad that I didn't let the nurse bully Matt and I into turning around and taking Maitland back home without seeing the Dr.  I think it's wrong that she even insinuated that option.  We drove a half and hour to the hospital for a reason.  I also like to think that I am not a complete idiot and in my own mind I would way rather always be safe than sorry when it comes to my kids.  Maitland seems to be pretty happy at the moment (tylenol must be working right now) so I hope tonight he can get some good sleep and fight off the infection.  It's been a rough four or five days and I cannot wait for Matt to have days off so that he can help me and I just might be able to get everything done that I need to before Christmas...we'll see about that.

Here's a picture of my sweet boy in one of his happy moments from the other day.  

He's been trying to get to the tree so we had to put up a barrier so that he'll leave it alone.

I'll be back

It seems like forever since I have posted anything on my blog.  Sorry about that.  It has been a crazy busy couple of weeks for our family.  Matt's Grandfather passed away a couple of weeks ago and so we ended up making a trip south for his funeral last weekend. It was so nice to see all of the family and get to spend time with all the cousins.  Sad circumstances but glad that Grandpa Coppieters is in a better place now and can rest.  Since we've been home we have been hit by a flu bug or something and have had a very sick little boy.  I am really hoping whatever it is takes a hike soon because I am exhausted.  I have some great posts planned as soon as I can get the time to actually scan some photos I found at my Mom's.  Hope everyone is ready for Christmas and has a safe and happy holiday season!!

Party like a rock star!

We weren't really rock stars but when 11 p.m. rolls around and there are still good times happening then it was a good night.  In fact, i am so tired from all the prep and getting to bed well after midnight and a little boy that just did not cooperate for sleep last night that I am not sure I should even write this post right now.  I want to get it done though before I forget everything.  So here it is.

Last night I hosted a "favorite things" party at my place.  I want to say that I am a huge nerd.  I got the idea from Pinterest and did a lot of the same things that the post I got it from talked about. 

I made invitations that I thought actually turned out pretty great and I totally stole the look of them off of pinterest and then did my best replication of them in my pathetic word program.  Here they are:

So pretty much how it works is you think of your favorite item that costs less than $6.  You buy 5 of that item and bring it with you to the party.  Once you arrive at the party you write your name on five pieces of paper and toss them in a bowl.  Once everyone has arrived and gotten their name in the bowl then you go around and everyone shares what their favorite item is and then chooses five names from the bwl and those people get to take home that item.  At the end of the night you should go home with five new "favorite things".  It was really great.  Here was my "sign in" station.

 

 

I tried really hard to have everything be matchy matchy...I even had a blue bowl for everyone to put their names in!  Nerd.  Seriously.

I made bags for everyone to put their loot in to take home.  I thought this was really easy and fun.  I bought the bags at Walmart in packages of 5 for $4.  So it was an inexpensive way to add another element to the party. I then did up some tags to add to the front of the bags with the favorite things logo from my invites.

 Once everyone had arrived at the party we all filled our plates and snacked and visited for a bit.  Once everyone was ready we started the reveal of our favorite things.  I started and shared my Burts Bees and Lindt Chocolate bar.  I then picked five names out of the blue bowl and gave my items to those people.  I then picked another name out of the bowl and that person went next in sharing their favorite thing.  It was so interesting to see what everyone brought as their favorites and we had next to no overlap at all.  Awesome night! 

Here is a list of all the favorite things:

Audrey ~ Euro Scrubbie - amazing scrubber to clean your pots and pans and it won't scratch Teflon coating off.  They are so great.  I was sad when I didn't get one.
Brandi ~ Body Lotion - so nice!  And all of the "flavors" (is that what you call them?!?!) were divine!  I scored and picked the vanilla and grapefruit one.
Lois ~ 3 piece tool set - this was brilliant!  A hammer, wrench and needle nose pliers.  And they were all pink.  Pretty sure the husbands won't steal these tools.
Jen ~ dry-erase markers - great for organization and lists for groceries and a million other things!  I gotta get me a wipe board or something so I can use mine!
Joci ~ 5 gum - this is one of my favorite things too.  Joci brought the green flavor and it is the best gum ever.
Tiff ~ CHEATED! lol she had floor tiles at home and she does vinyl lettering too so she made up 5 tiles with a variety of sayings on them and each person she picked got to choose one of the tiles.  So amazing and I was really sad when I didn't get my name drawn for one of those beauties!  Tiff is amazing.
Mandy ~ Mini-muffin tin - so good and necessary to make my new favorite dessert! lol  These were a hit.
Faith ~ Hot Chocolate and candy canes to stir it with.  Such a great idea!
Heather ~ made the cutest mini Nativity sets on wooden blocks so that if you have small children around they can play with them and they are virtually indestructible.
Chelsea ~ Super Magnets, Binder clips and skewers - I never would of thought of the uses for skewers that Chelsea gave and I am going to try them!  She has never cooked with them and only used them to clean...never would of thought!
Kalinda ~ Oreo's - Yummy!!!  Matt was sad when I missed out on this one.
Celeste ~ Aveeno Lotion and Ferrero Rocher - amazing lotion and you can't go wrong with anything hazelnut and chocolate.  

  This is the loot that I scored minus one item.  I got a package of Dry-erase markers, vanilla grapefruit body butter, Hot chocolate with candy canes to stir it with and skewers, magnets and binder clips.  The Burts Bees and Lindt hazelnut chocolate bar are what I gave out as my favorite thing.  I also got some Aveeno lotion and Ferrero Rocher as well but we had a bit of a glitch in the handing out of the items so in the end one of the girls was going to get two of the last persons favorite thing so I gave her a mini muffin tin that I had gotten because I already have a few of those tins.  It all worked out in the end.

As part of the invite I asked everyone to bring either their favorite dessert or appetizer to share as well.  I am so mad at myself because I didn't get a picture of the table with everyone's food items on it.  They were amazing and we had so much great food for the party.  Some of the items were: Shrimp, Salsa layered dip and chips, chocolate caramel brownie bites, fruit pizza, no-bake chocolate cookies, pina colada (sp?) slush, brownies and lemon loaf.

 

These are the chocolate caramel brownie bites that I made for the party.  So delicious!! And addicting.

 

 I also made little tags to put in front of each dish to let everyone know what that item was.  

Again, NERD alert!

 The centerpiece on the food table was my Schleich Nativity set.  I love it.

 

I tried to pull off Christmas decorations as well before the party started and this is the best I could do seeing as I had about an hour before everyone got there to put most of this up.

 

Maitland and I put up the Christmas tree in the afternoon and I was pleasantly surprised that he didn't even try to pull it over.  I did forgo ornaments on the tree though, just in case.  Just lights, a star and ribbon for us this year.  Oh, and Matt put our Mickey ornament on it from our honeymoon...can't miss that one.

 I even had Matt help me string our lit garland across the window.  Can't open my curtains anymore but that's okay.  It helps keep the heat in and the cold out.

 I also hung up this Nativity wall hanging that my mother-in-law gave me for Christmas.  I love it!

 And of course I couldn't have Christmas this year without sharing my favorite quote from my favorite Christmas movie "Elf".  

And last but not least, this is the advent calendar that we made in YW's the past two weeks.  They are each a little envelope and tucked inside are little cards that have all sorts of different activities to do as a family over the holidays to count down to Christmas.  Some items I have in mine are: drive around and look at Christmas lights, write a letter to Santa, take treats to the neighbors, go to the ward Christmas party, have a sleepover in front of the Christmas tree, watch the Muppets Christmas Carol, and read "T'was the Night Before Christmas".  I also stole this idea off of pinterest and just tweaked it for the YW.  It think it turned out pretty cute and you can always update and change out the activites as your kids get older.

We might be in trouble...

This is not happening already!  AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

My little Maitland is standing up.  

He is constantly trying to pull himself up and he loves it 

when you hold his hands and walk with him.  

This is all happening too fast.  

Slow down little man.  

Please.

This is it...

I have finally made it to the end of the 30 day challenge.  This is the last post.  I hope to keep posting often but maybe not everyday.  It's hard to think of something interesting to write about all the time.  Anyways, here's the last post.

A motto or philosophy...

This is a motto I have lived by for most of my life.  I very rarely say no to anything or anyone.  This is a flaw of mine.  This also means a lot of faking.  lol  Probably not something I should share but it's true.  If I don't know how to accomplish a task that has been asked of me I fake it until I can figure out exactly how it is supposed to be done.  I have done this many times with cake decorating (using fondant), wedding decor, sewing, crafting and computer programs.  I try really hard to be honest with people and mostly I don't think it's lying.  I just haven't learned how to actually "do" what it is you want me to do yet.  I'm a quick learner.  I like to think I am pretty smart and can be taught almost anything.  Besides, Google and YouTube are great teachers and you can find a tutorial for just about anything under the sun by using these two sites.  I have learned to bind quilts, make fondant and put it on cakes, make wedding decorations and use Photoshop all from tutorials I found online and that's just to name a few.

Please don't think that I am a lying dishonest person.  I just like to look at life as a challenge and that there isn't anything I can't do (within reason).  So I very rarely say no to trying something new and then teaching others.  Besides, as long as the finished product is up to snuff who has to know that it took you 17 trial runs to get it right?!?  Anything is possible if you give it a try and work at making it happen.  So put a smile on your face and with a twinkle in your eye the next time someone asks you to do something you have no idea how to accomplish just go for it.  You'll be surprised at what you really are capable of.  You can learn new skills and patience!