promised pictures!

looking at the zoo animals

She must be Italian!

coolest animal I've ever seen! Reminds me of peanut in a weird way!

have you ever seen a giraffe bend down?

swinging at the zoo playground

wee!!

look at her sense of pride as she rides that big kid toy!

we bought this for $1 at the youth auction fundraiser! Best $1 spent ever!

the new water acitivity table

leraning how it works with Daddy

splish splash

did the car run out of gas?

i think so!

all ready for church

happy girl!

whats so funny?

Just a little update...

We decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather this weekend and head to the zoo bright and early Saturday morning! Our zoo has a great deal where you can get a years membership for only $35. This covers the cost of 2 adults any day of the year and little AK goes for free until the age of 3. Its such an amazing deal because it would normally cost us $20 to get in without the membership. Now, AK and I a can head to the zoo any day of the week. This will come in handy when we start having Fridays off together this summer. It is also nice because we will be able to bring anyone with us as our guest on our membership. This means any time a grandparent wants to join us for a zoo trip we've got you covered!
I am in the process of uploading the pictures from the weekend right now. I may have to come back and do a post with just photos when they are done. I've never uploaded the pictures from the big fancy Nikon camera before, so hopefully I am doing it correctly. Apparently you have to transfer the files and then convert the files to jpegs so you can share them. Its totally confusing to me, but its supposedly the way to get the best quality photograph. In fact I just checked on this process and I will definitely have to come back to upload an entire post of just photos, its only on number 11 of 125 in the conversion process!
The weather was almost down right chilly for the zoo, but we made the best of it! It was not crowded which was fabulous for us! AK even got to play on the big kid playground there at the zoo. We are always trying to teach her new things. I've learned that it takes a good 2-3 days of going over the same new word  before she totally gets it. We started really working on "What does a dog say?" The very first time she attempted to say it, she was in the bath tub. She responded with "braf braf" and then proceeded to giggle harder than I have ever seen her laugh. For two days after that experience, if you asked her "what does the dog say?" she would just laugh and laugh some more. If you were really patient she would eventually say "braf braf" but mostly she would just laugh. I knew she finally got it when she answered this morning during her breakfast time. She just amazes me at how absorbent she is. She can now tell you what a cow says and what a dog says, and rarely mixes the two up when you ask her.
In the last week she has become the funniest little person I have ever been around. She loves to play chase with her Daddy. He will tell her "I'm gonna get you..." and she immediately takes off running while looking back over her shoulder to make sure he is really coming. She gets so tickled at trying to out run him she usually trips over her own feet and falls into complete hysterical laughter. Because of this new found love for the game of chase she also enjoys hide and seek. You run and hide while she is watching and she will come seek you out. She giggles the entire time until she "finds" you when she sees you she says "baa" which is really suppose to be "BOO!"
I've totally enjoyed each and every stage of her life, but so far this has to be the most fun stage there has been. Watching her learn and discover new things brings such a joy to my life.
AK must have her Daddy's engineering blood running through her veins because the most entertaining thing for her to do these days is put tops on things, or build blocks. If an item has a lid or top she is not satisfied until she has properly fit that lid or top onto that item. When she accomplishes her task she is quick to applaud herself with claps and a big "yaaay" followed of course by her precious giggle.

We took her to toys r us this weekend to get an activity table for the backyard. After starting at all the option and prices we decided on this Little Tike's water table. I was so excited for her to have a fun activity for the backyard that I couldn't wait for her to play with it. Now remember, it was a chilly Saturday at the zoo, which means it was still a chilly Saturday at our house - but we played anyway! I didn't realize how WET she would get splashing her hands around in this little activity table! We had the best time playing outside with her. Matt bought a $2 kite while we were at the store and amazingly AK was interested in watching that kite fly across the sky. She followed her Daddy all around the front and back yards as he flew his kite.
Sunday we went to church and then went to eat at Five Guys Burgers and Fries with some friends afterward. Our friends has a little girl around 3 years old named Mason. Mason loves AK and gets so excited when she is around. Mason was eating her hotdog and dipping it in ketchup before each bite. AK got so interested in what Mason was doing she reached right over and stuck her french fry into Mason's ketchup. I want you to know that I have been trying to get AK to eat ketchup for a few months now. She has never been interested in this condiment! But I'm pretty such after Sunday's lunch ketchup has become her new favorite side item! We decided to give AK her own container of ketchup to dip her fries in, but instead of the fries she skipped right to her finger and enjoyed the taste of ketchup without any food! It amazes me, how one small person can influence another!

Be looking out soon for a post with just photographs from our fun filled weekend. Now that I now how to use the new camera you may also find some pictures of many other fun things that happen around our house!
Until next time, Be Blessed & Be a Blessing!

Help With Gardening

As promised earlier - Here is the story of AK helping us with our gardening.

Saturday we decided to use our first free weekend at home doing a little yard work. We headed out the Southern Home and Gardens store to pick up a variety of spring flowers so we could do a little gardening. AK fell asleep on the way home, which gave us a chance to get a good jump start to our project. After she woke up from her nap we brought her outside and set up her pack and play with her favorite toys. Immediately a delivery was brought to us from the mailman. It was an expected package from AK's LiLi (my Mom) that had a few new pair of pajamas, a new swimsuit for the summer, and a surprise pair of sunglasses!

We played with the sunglasses and checked out the new pj's, and then went on about our business. AK got restless in the pack and play and it was lunch time so the two of us headed in to get a bite to eat. When lunch was over we headed back outside and this time I let AK roam the yard in freedom. I was spreading mulch in the freshly spruced up front bed and my sweet girl decided she wanted to help, you can see the video of my little helper lending a hand.

After we spread the mulch we had just one project left - planting some flowers under the maple tree. This project required a fresh pile of potting soil and peat moss to make for a good foundation. Again My little helper was reading to "dig" right in. Next thing you know AK has a mouth full of fresh potting soil and peat moss! OH NO - Parent Panic sets in and we immediately scoop her up and take her straight for the water hose! Please note - it was a beautiful warm day, but only warm, like 75 at the most. Matt begins gushing water in AK's face trying to get her to rinse her mouth out. Eventually her mouth was clean of all dirt, but in the meantime our little princess was having a blast playing in the frigid water hose water! She was drenched - so off her shirt came, and then her leggings - uh oh - water + a diaper = bad idea! Genius strikes and I run for the new swimsuit - so here we are on a warm spring day hosing off our baby with cold water in the driveway, stripping her down naked, and putting her in a swimsuit. It was quite the scene! Needless to say, we our panic was probably overrated, but hey AK got a thrill out of it!!

Let's just say that delivery at lunch was made just in time!!

For the World to See & a Few Updates...

My first post as a guest blogger is up! I cannot believe a real dream of mine is coming true. I have been wanting to share my story of fertility struggles and victory for quite sometime now, and now the process has really begun! Before you click the link above to read my first written post - know in advance there are a couple of typos I did not catch, I promise I read over it 3 times before I submitted it - but I guess it happens. As I read the post this morning I also realized I used some bad grammar (I know I should know better since my step-mom is an English teacher...) I will try better next time to catch those "uh ohs".

I will let you know each time I have a post on www.theuncontainabletruth.com, but consider following this blog yourself. Christen and Raleigh Price have a wonderful story of their own about and victory. Their hearts are to share the love of Jesus Christ with the world through their website and I think they do an amazing job!

I did something very brave this week, I signed up for a 5 week fitness camp! It started on Monday night - and boy was I shocked to find out just how out of shape I am! Sometimes my mind still thinks I'm back in my college cheerleading days or even in my high school cheerleading days, where I was exercising daily and very much in shape. But this week my body has let my mind know that I am not in shape at all! Monday was apparently "leg" night - and boy do my legs know they worked out! Tonight is the second night of the camp, and I am excited and yet nervous for the workout to come. I am anticipating it being an arms and upper body workout, which scares me so badly! I will be the first to admit my fear of "the push-up"! I hope I can survive tonight's workout and still want to return next Monday night! This is a really big deal, because I always start something like a workout routine, and then never follow through and finish. I also hate rooms full of people I do not know. Thankfully I do know a few of the other students in the class - so that is helpful. I can say I laughed more on Monday night while I was working out than I ever imagined was possible. The trainer is nothing like those "Biggest Loser" trainers that yell and scream fear into your workout. In fact he is quite the opposite! He teased a lot, and made the experience fun - which is good, because the first time I get yelled at will be the last time I go back - hahaha!
The most interesting part will be the outcome. He recorded my body fat, weight, and measurements on the first night, and I hope to see some positive results on the last night!  Either way - I know that I am doing something good for my body. We have taken a healthier approach to our food and eating recently, which will be good for my attempt at fitness camp!

Speaking of food, you have got to check out this blog, http://www.chloegibbs.com/. My friend Chloe is conducting a fast food experiment that will make you want to never eat fast food again! The thought of her ongoing experiment has kept me from driving through McDonald's even when I was desperate for food with no time for anything else. She has had a McDonald's Happy Meal sitting on her counter for over 50 days and it has yet to decompose. In fact - it still looks just as edible as the day she purchased it! Can you believe it is legal to make, sell, and feed people food packed with so many preservatives? No wonder America is "fat"!

Anyway - that was my soapbox for the day!

AK Update:

Last night Matt was showing AK pictures in an attempt to teach her new words. As he pointed out the boat in the picture, he asked her "What's this?". My sweet girl replied, "Jesus". LOL We have been learning about Jesus from the book "Jesus Loves Me"

My Mom bought this book for AK's 1st birthday, and we read it at least 6 times a day if not more. Did you know there are like 6 verses to the song "Jesus Loves Me"? Well, there are 6 verses, and we almost know them all by heart now! AK loves the illustrations in this particular book. It is filled with colorful images of children and animals. If you remember from before, my smart baby can point out a dog - and in this book there is the same dog on almost every page in almost every illustration. But now we know who Jesus is, and she can even say His name. What a precious sound to hear your 1 year old child call on the name of our Lord!

Speaking of sweet AK, we are home today recovering from a cold and minor double ear infection (again!). She had a rough day at school yesterday, so we are home recovering and resting. Pray she gets better quickly. We cannot avoid things like getting cold germs, especially during this time of the year, and with little ones there isn't much you can do but just ride out the symptoms until they go away. She really is OK, no need to fear grandparents, but those sniffles and coughs can just make you feel so sad for such a little person. Pray she recovers quickly and gets all the rest she needs.

She finally slept through the entire night last night - this is the first time since the wedding weekend almost 2 weeks ago!

I'm going to do a separate post soon on the adventures of gardening with AK - it was a fun time for all!

Until then, Be Blessed and Be A Blessing!

Birthdays, Weddings, and Bronchitis?

Well, one week ago today was my birthday which was also the kick off to the Damato/Whitfield Wedding Weekend! Who knew you could cram so many events into one weekend!
Thursday night my sweet husband threw me a birthday party with some great friends. We enjoyed a baby free night on the town, which was wonderful. We don't get too many baby free nights around here. Friday we headed to Birmingham with AK and my Mom in tow to help celebrate the marriage of Matt's little sister Ashley and her now husband, Kevin.
My sweet Mom arranged for my for my grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, and cousins to join us for a late lunch at the cheesecake factory to celebrate my birthday. It was such a great way to spend my birthday during such a busy time. After lunch we began all the wedding weekend festivities. We had rehearsal, after rehearsal dinner, then Saturday of course we had photographs, wedding ceremony, and reception. Sunday we followed all the celebrating with a family brunch before we headed home.
Friday night we enjoyed a wonderful meal Italian style with family and friends. My Mom so graciously took on the role of traveling nanny so Matt and I could truly enjoy sharing these special moments with his family. Its a good thing AK is so easy going and that my Mom loves her role as grandma - because her and AK spent a lot of time in close quarters at our hotel. Wedding day was filled with lots of excitement and tons of pictures! Everything went perfectly for the bride and groom! The church was packed with friends and family, and the ceremony was filled with fun and laughter. I had a great time meeting old family friends during the reception, and hearing funny stories about Matt when he was a young boy. We really enjoyed the catch up time we had with Matt's family from the Chicago area. I only had the chance to meet most of them 2 years ago, so its always a pleasure to spend time with them making new family memories of our own.
We partied hard Saturday night, until we could hardly stand any longer - unfortunately for us, AK was not interested in a solid night's sleep on Saturday night which led to no rest after our long marathon day.
The brunch on Sunday came fast after a lack of good sleep - but boy was that food delicious! I thought Sunday would never end though. We were so exhausted and still had a 1.5 hour drive home!!! Of course sweet AK slept all the way home with no interest in sleeping once we arrived. I'm not sure how we managed to stay awake or how we managed to keep AK occupied, but we all three crawled into bed for the remainder of the day and night on Sunday. Prior to the trip I had begun battling allergies from all the pollen accumulation here in the deep south. At first arriving in Birmingham seemed helpful to my sinuses because the pollen build up was not so intense there, but I guess with the late nights and lack of good rest my body didn't react well. By Monday night my throat was on fire and a unsettling cough had settled in. I hate going to the doctor (so much so I don't even actually have a primary physician), but I got myself to PriMed (our local doc in a box) to find some relief! I just knew I had strep throat, thankfully I did not! But an hour wait, one strep test, a chest x-ray, and a sinus x-ray later the verdict was in. Sinus infect and bronchitis - yuck!
This has been a rough week of recovery for little AK as well - she hasn't slept straight through the night since the Saturday night of the wedding. However, thankfully for me that means she naps good, long, and hard during the day - which allowed for me to catch up and get my body some much needed rest. I don't think I've slept as hard and deep as I have during the day this week! I'm not back to 100% but I'm proud to say the nasty ongoing cough is gone as well as the firery throat pain. I'm just left with a few sniffles and no more desire to crash in the middle of the day! WOOHOO for God healing our bodies and allowing us to have medicine to clear out the germs!
I never dreamed it would take us an entire week to recover from all that partying and celebrating! I'm sure the newly weds are thinking the same thing right now as they are relaxing in Mexico this week!!
While I've been recovering, AK has been exercising her voice and language skills. She has become quite the little chatter box these days. I'm not quite sure what it is she is saying, but she has a lot of it to say! She reacts when you discipline her (which makes it hard to keep a straight face when she mutters what sounds like "Don't" or "Stop" with her bottom lip poking out in a overdramatic frown, while you discipline her).
We have mastered that the cow says "oooo" and now we are trying to learn that dog says "ruf ruf" or in AKese "oof oof". We are learning where our nose is - which is often mistaken for our teeth or mouth. But at least thats near your nose, progress...right?
The weather has been so dreary this week, probably contributing to our long deep afternoon naps - but all the rain has really helped wash the yucky pollen away. The sun finally made an appearance today - I was all ready to take AK to the playground after school but she was out like a light before I could crank up the car to head home!!!
My favorite clothing store is having a storewide 50% off sale and I have birthday money burning a hole in my wallet - so I'm going to treat myself for the first time in a long time!! Last spring I had to buy a post-pardum wardrobe to fit my re-shaping body - so as you can imgaine, I don't have a lot to choose from for this year's spring wardrobe. I always tend to find that when you have money to spend you find less of what you want and when you don't have money to spend you want everything you see - hopefully I will be successful with this little shopping trip.
Keep a lookout on http://www.theuncontainabletruth.com/ for some blogs by yours truly. I have teamed up with a fantastic couple from our church who maintain this wonderful website. I will be listed as a guest blogger and I'm using this outlet to reach others through my fertility testimony. I've never put my full story into words, but have felt called to do this for quite sometime. I don't know how many posts it will take me to get the full story out there, but after I get my story out there I will be sharing ways to be encouraged or ways to encourage those going through the same journey Matt and I went through. Please pray for me as I write this story and words of encouragement. My prayer is to help others see they are not alone, but also to educate those who don't know much about the process. I want to make sure God gets all the glory for the mighty works he did in our family during our time of both struggle and victory. I thank God daily for the struggle it took to get AK here because it changed who we were as people, Christians, and who we were as a family. Hind sight is always 20/20 - but as always my God knew exactly what he was doing when he delayed my wants for his will!
I know my blogs tend to be boring without pictures - but sometimes I am doing good to just get a moment to write my thoughts...until next time BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING!

Search My Heart....or maybe not?

Investigate my life, O God,
find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
get a clear picture of what I’m about;
Psalm 139:23 (The Message)

This has been my theme for several days now...and I'm saddened to say I haven't been too thrilled about it.  It sounds like good logic, and even the right thing to want - but boy is it hard in reality!

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Psalm 139:23 (New Living Translation)

Be careful what you ask for - God is willing to give you the good things you need - and He will happily do this for you!
You know - I didn't even specifically ask for this recently - but I know I have asked and searched deep in the past - the difference this time is that the Lord allowed a big bright light bulb to ding over my head without me asking for it - which probably makes this harder for me!
My heart revealed itself these past weeks in a way I'm shameful to admit. It came out black and hard. I literally have a vision of what my spiritual heart looks like right now and it is so ugly and not healthy. I have walked around for many months now allowing my heart to get harder and harder and blacker and blacker. I have allowed bitterness, anger, and unforgiveness to settle into my spirit and boy is that junk nasty!!! It has affected my attitude, my relationships, and even my day to day functionings. I hate that I didn't realize this was happening, or even worse that maybe I did realize and I chose to do nothing about it.
While, this heart problem does not have an instant quick fix or even an overnight fix I am so thankful for a merciful Savior who loves me unconditionally and who offers me forgiveness through His own death on the cross and new life through His resurrection.
Psalm 139:23 just keeps replaying in my mind over and over and over again - and I felt it was important to confess my sins, repent, turn away and even ask forgiveness from YOU!
If you have been the reciepient of my black heart in recent months I apologize to you and am begging for your forgiveness. I am so sorry that I have been prideful in thinking that I'm the only one that knows best, and that I'm the only one with any sense, and that I'm the only one who could possibly know what it feels like to do or go through something (fill in the blank here, I'm sure I've had an opinion on it!)
Anyway - It was important to me to openly confess these things and let you know where I am. There is no better way to get yourself whipped back into shape than openly confess your wrong doings and then ask the world to hold you accountable!
I'm not sure what brought this revelation on in my l ife - possibly the 40 days of gratitude challenge from my dear friend Brad Goode, or maybe it was our small group lesson by Andy Stanley we did this week, or maybe it was even in the midst of my mini crisis yesterday when I totally lost the only set of keys to my car, but whatever it was it has whapped me so hard across the head that I cannot focus on much else.
I am embarassed by my behavior recently, more in the last weeks than anything. I read a blog this morning that really struck me and an even bigger ah ha moment hit. My new focus is going to be on freedom in Christ, not being distracted by evil ways, and learning the fruits of the spirit. All of this can be found in Galatians 5. I would ask again, that you would forgive me for my wrong doings, pray for me, and help hold me accountable in the most gracious and merciful way you know how.
My prayer is that I can release my recent hurts, and receive healing for the deep wounds that I have allowed to become infected with pride and even jealousy, I pray that I can release the tension of unforgiveness from my body. My physical body acutally aches to what I now believe is unforgiveness.  I want so badly to be able to say to you today "I forgive you"  - and maybe by the end of today I can say those words.
Praise the Lord for his correction in our lives and for the Holy Spirit who sometimes has to yell or whap us across the head to get our attention. I'm so glad the Lord does not relent until he has all of who we are.  He never gives up on us and His love never fails, no matter how many times my love fails Him. I am so richly blessed in so many many ways, and I am excited about what the Lord has in store for my future. Thank you for letting me confess my sins as it says in James 5:16.
I hope this is not just a confession on my part, but an urging for you to have God examine your heart, test you, and correct you where you need it!

A New Hobby...and Some Pictures!

When Matt and I went for premarital counseling nearly 7 years ago...we took a compatibility "test" to see what areas we need to to work on and make improvements in. Well, we seemed to pass with flying colors except for one little part. Hobbies...you see my sweet husband has many many many hobbies - cars, fixing cars, woodwork, home improvements, music, photography, his fish, etc... I have none!The counselor suggested I find a hobby to help balance things out or we might encounter a problem down the road. While we've never really encountered a real problem, Matt's hobbies have had a tendency to get of my last nerve or cost me some $$. For years now I've tried to enjoy cars with Matt, but they still bore me to tears as they always have. I've tried selling Mary Kay, I've tried scrapbooking, I've tried gardening, I desired to try photo editing (as the photoshop stares me in the face I realize I've never used it and don't know how!) Well today I am proud to announce my lastest hobby venture, sewing, seems to be a success...for this week anyway!
Our parent's always ask us what we want for Christmas and every year it gets tougher and tougher to make a "wish list". This year I randomly threw out there to my mother-in-law that I thought I might want a sewing machine so I could learn to make cute clothes for AK. Well friends, ask and you shall receive! I got my sewing machine back in December, and for almost 3 months that machine has haunted me. I was scared of it! Scared to open it, scared to touch it, scared to try anyting with it. My mechanical engineer husband, "Mr. Hobby" proudly opened it for me, and even set it up - 2 months ago! He drug me out to the fabric store to get scrap fabrics and some threads. Before I could even say "let me try" he had sewn the scraps together - and I quickly gave up on the idea of sewing.That machine sat by my kitchen table for weeks on end. Every time I looked at it I felt this great pressure that I needed to produce a piece of clothing. I wanted to take a class - but was too nervous to go alone. My hopes of learning to sew were quickly fading into the background and I was getting ready to mark that off my list of possible hobbies.
My mother-in-law graciously gave me her old sewing cabinet/table a few weeks ago, sparking my interest once again. This time my problem was that I had no place to put another piece of furniture in our house. Well, with the recent purchase of new furniture and some rearranging in our closet, I was able to fit the new sewing cabinet in our master bedroom closet. I moved that big cabinet all by myself this week to get it in position and ready to use. 

Maybe it was the boost of self esteem from all the spring clean up and clean out, or just the fact that sewing now had a literal place in my home, but I decided to google how to make a simple dress, known as a pillow case dress. Keep in mind I had and still have no idea how to go to the fabric store and pick a pattern and buy supplies...I don't even speak sewing "language". I found this youtube video...how to make a pillow case dress...after I spent 9 minutes watching a normal person show me step by step how to sew this simple dress I was highly motivated. I purchased her detailed instructions for $3 and headed off to the fabric store to get my list of needed supplies. I immediately went for the easter fabrics. I really really wanted AK to have a cute outfit for her 1st easter egg hunt at church, but I had no budget for a new one, let a alone a custom made one!I went home and got to work right away. My goal was to prep all the fabric and get it ready for sewing. Right off the bat, I cut in the wrong place and ruined my 1st attempt at dress making. Thankfully I thought ahead and bough twice as much fabric as I was going to need.  I tried again and got it right this time. Wednesday morning Matt left for work and soon after I put AK down for her morning nap. I went straight for my machine, unpacked it and set it up on my new table. I stared at it for a while and decided to go for it! Of course I immediately jammed up the thread and my machine had this big ERROR light flasshing on the screen...."OOPS" - I realized Matt had threaded it and set up the bobbin and all that stuff and was quickly aware that I did not know how to fix this major problem. I know what you're thinking, you're thinking that I quit...but I did not! I got the instructions to the machine out and fixed my problem! I begin to sew on the arm holes of the dress...not a good starting point for your first try - its a curved piece of material - I cannot even sew a straight seam! I finished the first arm hole and it looked awful! Alas I was not defeated - I dug around my "supplies" and found a seam ripper, I just pulled that tread out and tried again - this time I was much more successful. Things just got easier and easier from here on out. Next thing I knew it was nearly 3 hours and later and AK's dress was almost complete. I got ready to do the last step, which was thread the ribbon through the neck of the dress and I realized my front side neck did not line up with my back side neck. Several seam rips later I measured, cut, and sewed again! Finished! It looked amazing - might I add - I did french seams on this dress. I really don't know what that means other than the lady in the video showed me how - and from the inside my dress is very clean and professional looking around the seams and hems.

I was so nervous the dress would be too small, especially after I had to adjust the neckline at the end. I told myself that even it it was too small for AK I would count it as successful because it was complete, it looked like it was suppose to, and it was just too cute! Much to my surprise it fit AK perfectly!

Unfortunately, as she wore it throughout the rest of the day I realized I must have missed something or done something wrong! Beginners mistake, I didn't reverse stitch at the end of my seams, so it is coming apart. I didn't even realize there was such a thing as reverse stitch, let alone how to do it myself! It's all ok though, because I will try to fix it tonight - and if I don't - I'm ready to begin again on the exact same dress. This time I'm making 2 one for AK and one for her cousin Bella. Every little girl needs a easter bunny dress for her first easter egg hunt!

I had a blast constructing this dress and plan to move forward in my sewing projects, I will continue to make mistakes, but I will also continue to learn from them. After I master the art of the pillowcase dress, I have my eye on some girls pants with ruffled cuffs! I hope you enjoyed the story of my blunders and successes of my first sewing project. I'm considering framing this adorable dress in a shadow box frame to hang over my sewing table to keep me motivated!

Also, as promised here are the pictures of the newly done bedroom. Please keep in mind we still need to pain the ceiling a light gray and we have not hung any mirrors or pictures on the walls.

This last pictures is a close up of the curtains - so you can see the pattern

Stay tuned for more sewing successes. I wish I had a good AK story today - but she is still stuck on everything being a "dog" and being as independant as ever!