Feeling a little crafty

I have gotten the crafty bug again. I haven't done any crafts since my beaded watchbands. Since I don't have normal energy right now, I picked something easy and simple.

What can one do with a strip of fabric, thread and a needle?

Well, I have been making the fabric flowers you have been seeing everywhere. I learned from TV and library books, and had to try.


They can be warn in the hair or on a sweater or shirt.

It is so simple I taught the young women in my ward. Some did better than others, but they are learning to use a needle sometime before they move out of their parents house, so mission accomplished.

Abby has joined in too. These are the two I taught her to make. She picked out the fabric from my little stash at home. I finished them up for her ( a little too hard for a 5 year old.)

There is felt glued to the back with slits in them for hair clips or

the pin can be sewn right into them.

I have other ones in mind with fantastic fabrics and texture, and a kind that you can melt the edges with a candle. So fun, right? I just need the fabric at a good price.

I realize this isn't all that cool to see, but for me who loves to craft, it is nice to have the energy to do something besides cleaning the house (sometimes.) This is what I do when it is too cold to go outside. Spring will someday day, won't it?

That is our boy...

Frank was getting Daniel ready for church when Daniel decided to show dad a trick he knew.

A little of what we have been up to

Just a little of what we have been doing this last little while.

Daniel fell asleep on the couch while watching TV with Frank, while Abby and I were gone. I guess watching how candy is made isn't too entertaining for Daniel. He has never fallen asleep outside of his bed or car seat since he was probably two months old, so this was unusual.

This is one of my BIG accomplishments lately. I made homemade yogurt. Daniel is enjoying it with some apricot jam, he loves yogurt, and he has never tried preflavored kinds. He has only been allowed plain yougrt with added berries or jams. My bowl is sitting there in front with thawed out berries, with cinnamon and ginger. YUM!

Daniel is vacuuming up some spilled powder he had out of the kitchen and dropped. He is a little helper in the making. He loves to help, but most of the time is "too much" help.

We made pizza the other night. Daniel put on his own topping, and then I spread them out a little better. Abby's is on the left which is shaped like an ice skate.

Abby picked that shape because she had just gone ice skating that day for the first time. Abby did very well on the ice. She didn't need to hold my hand really, but she held my hand anyway after she fell the first time, which was a while into the skating. She did great and wants to go again.

Abby had a friend over earlier one day and they had dress ups on. Daniel came to Frank insisting that he wear this. I told Frank to go ahead, but I thought he would leave is clothes on underneath. I guess I should have said that out loud. Frank had to get the event on video.

Daniel loves to play trains and yell "All Aboard," but this day he brought blocks, instead of trains, in the kitchen while I was doing dishes. I tried to get him yelling "all aboard" on video. This is as good as it gets. But he will often yell it at the top of his lungs in his bedroom when playing trains. My mom can hear him on the other end of the phone when I am in the kitchen talking to her.

Frank recently started back to school in the mornings. Abby made him a special picture to hang on the hall at the end of his first long week.

The End of the Year.

Here are a few pictures from the last month or so. I have been a little behind on the blog because we got a new computer that is taking a while to get used to, and I am tired because of being pregnant. So, I only do what has to be done in order survive with the family.

As you can see, Daniel goes around without pants a lot lately. If he puts up a fight at all, I give up until Frank comes home to put his pants back on. He loves his new crane that the wonderful neighbor gave us as her grandkids are too old from them now. He loves those toys.

Abby got to go the the Treehouse Musuem in Ogden over Thanksgiving with her mom.

This is Abby in her garden harvesting the crop.

This is her at the fire truck being a fire fighter.

This is Princess Abigail in her thorn at the Treehouse.

This is Abby's playdough chair she wanted me to show everyone.

As I was taking a nap on the long couch one Sunday afternoon, Frank went to the smaller couch to find a place of his own to rest. That didn't last long. The kids just can't stay away. Meanwhile, I got the bigger couch all to myself.

Abby and Daniel are here hidden in the statues of the Christmas carolers at the Ogden's Christmas village of houses and lights. We were with my sister, Andrea's family and my mom. They had so much stuff to look at, but it was so cold we didn't get to see it all,

but maybe next year.

Can you find one Ava, Abby, Daniel, Seth, Ethan and a little Lily in the picture?

Santa in the House!

Santa made a surprise visit on the 23rd. Abby and Daniel were both on the "Nice" list, somehow. Unfortunately for me, Kristin made the "Nice" list as well.

The Big Announcement...

I am pregnant for the final time, we think. I went to the doctor yesterday and all is well. I am nine weeks along. The due date is June 22nd and not too far into summer, thank goodness. We have decided to name her Sarah May Aiello, if it is a girl. I feel like it is a girl, so we aren't really talking about boy names right now. We can't really agree on one anyway, maybe Otto.
Sarah will be lucky enough to have a cousin born in May the month before. Mike and Elisabeth will find out what they are having in December (a girl maybe?). My cousin, Tricia, will also be having a baby in May. It should be fun for our little one to grow up with cousins the same age.
So, all is well on the home front. We got a new computer this week, so I haven't got the program loaded for pictures from our camera yet. I hope to shortly, when I have the energy and enthusiasm to do so.

More October

Happy Halloween.

Abigail made a great Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. She even had the red glittery shoes.

Daniel was a cowboy by default. We could NOT get the lion costume on him.
The Tuesday before Halloween we woke up to snow.
This is Abby playing on the deck.

Daniel just eat snow the whole time, YUCK!