30 and a day!

I turned 30 years old yesterday! What did I do for my 30th birthday? No, I didn't have a big party. I am not one for big parties unless someone else is on display:)

I spent the day by myself!!! Rarely do I get any time to myself (even when going to the bathroom). So all I wanted for my birthday was a "Me" day....Does that sound selfish?

My sweet husband granted my wish and took the day off work. He watched the girls while I got my hair cut (it hadn't been cut since April), nails done (who knows the last time)and did a little shopping(shopping...what?). If you have kids you know this task is near to impossible. If I do any shopping I have to have a list handy so I can grab what I need before I lose concentration between feedings, potty breaks, and nap time. It was so nice to be able to browse and try on things at my leisure. I truly had a relaxing day!

While I was out and about enjoying my "Me" day. This is what was going on at home:) A birthday cake was being prepared in my honor! By 3 of my most favorite people! And my husband captured it all on his camera phone.

I love Carson's hair. I think she may have done it herself:)

Chris turned his back for a minute and Clara took full advantage! Way too tempting!

What a special and thoughtful thing to do! I loved it!

I was serenaded and blew out my candles.

Although I throughly enjoyed my day, there was nothing better than to come come to these faces. Thanks for a great birthday! And thanks to my mom who watched the girls last night so we could have a quiet dinner! I am one lucky lady:)

Fabulous Friday Follow

Come join in the blog hopping fun! It's a great way to find new blogs for great ideas and a little inspiration...share your talents and meet some friends along the way.

October 22th-26th

Every Friday begins with Fabulous Friday Follow Blog Hop
here at Lily's Laundry and 2Giggle Boxes.

Here's what you do...

1. Follow the LLBB and 2GiggleBoxes. (We will follow you too!)

2. Click on the Linky Tool below and add your blog.

3. Check out the other blogs on "Fabulous Friday Follow"

Linky will close on Tuesday evening at 12 PM PST

Thanks to everyone who comes back for FFF every week.
We appreciate it. Happy Fabulous Friday!

Happy Following!

XOXO, Laura and Sarah

Smocking 101

I embarked on a new venture...smocking! This past week I took my first smocking class at one of my favorite specialty sewing stores...Keep Me in Stitches. Before the class we were asked to purchase a book to help prepare us. There were three books to choose from: A~Z of Smocking, Sew Cute Couture and Joy of Smocking. They were all great books with a ton of information and Sew Cute Couture even had several patterns included. However, I chose A~Z of Smocking as I thought it was the best fit for me as a beginner. So I read up a little in anticipation for my class. There was so much to learn...everything from how the fabric is pleated to materials needed and particular stitches. I knew right off the bat that it would take much more than a 3 hour class to become proficient in this craft.

The day came. The only other materials (besides our book) we were to bring with us was a tape measure and scissors. The rest would be provided (needles, DMC thread, pre-pleated piece of fabric). Well, mornings aren't the smoothest at our house. After getting the girls up and dressed fed, teeth brushed, hair combed, bag packed, lunch packed, Carson dropped at school and Clara at my mom's the only thing I remembered to bring was the tape measure I stuck in my pocket on the way out the door! Oh well! I ended up splurging on a pair of Heritage embroidery scissors, which I love! And I had a kind "neighbor" that allowed me to glance at her book.

Our teacher, Annette, was fabulous. She began by explaining how the fabric was pleated and how to tie off our thread so the thread wouldn't slip.

Pleaters can be somewhat costly, so I am going to make sure I REALLY like smocking before I invest in one. Annette mentioned there are pleating services too.

and took us through a few basic stitches...cable, trellis, diamond and a bullion and smocked rose. She also showed us how to center a design and knot our thread off if we needed to switch colors or begin a new design.

Yes, this is all I did in three hours time! It was fun and I will definitely be doing more smocking in the future. It is going to take, what any other hobby takes...practice, practice, practice!

Lots of practice if I want to be able to make some of these one day...

From Children's Cottage

From Hand Smocked Shop

Hope everyone has a fabulous Monday!