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Maui

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A year ago, April 1st, my brother and his family moved to Maui. In June, my parents followed. To say I am jealous, it a bit of an understatement. Actually, it is wonderful because I have already had the opportunity to visit twice. The first time I went was in August of 2019. On this trip, only Ashley and I could go. Ronnie and the boys were working and Elle was in Arkansas visiting our family there. Ashley and I were out of school so we jumped on the chance to go. It was absolutely amazing! Well in February, we went to Maui again, but this time it was Myles, Elle, Ashley, and I. We surprised my brother for his 40th birthday. My sis-in-law did an incredible job putting the party together and keeping it a surprise. It was so awesome to be with all my siblings and my parents. The morning after the party, we got up at 3 am to drive to the top of Haleakala, which is 10,000 ft high. This was an experience of a lifetime. We got there while it was still dark and the sky was alive with bill

I'm Back!!

I have decided to resurrect my blog. The last time I blogged was in 2012...8 years ago. So much has changed. This year in particular has been the most interesting. Unless you are living under a rock, you know that we are living in the midst of a pandemic because of a virus called COVID-19. The world as we once knew has drastically changed. We are under a strict ordinance to "shelter in place" and we can only leave the house for essential services and needs. Church consists of logging on to a social media platform and "having church" in our homes. Many people are isolated and trying to stop the spread. Some have large families that are pulling together during this time. Schools are shifting to a distance learning platform. So many adaptations and changes for all of us to navigate. Our goal: to stay healthy and stop the spread of this horrific virus that has changed our world.  On a personal level, my world has changed considerably in 8 years. My husband and I will

I So Sew...Sort of...

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I sew...not well yet, but I'll get there. I decided to make the girls skirts this summer while I was at my mom's. My mom is an incredible seamstress so it was a perfect opportunity to learn from the best. Well, little did I know the first pattern I chose was fairly difficult for a beginner, yeah, I tend to jump in with both feet. I will admit, it made me very frustrated. I DO NOT LIKE HEMS!!! Phew! I feel better letting that out. Especially hems on a circular panel. I finally got through that skirt and decided that Elle was gonna get a completely different style. I actually created my own pattern for hers out of a couple patterns. Now that was fun! My mom had to finish off the ruffle for me because it needed to be serged. I don't know how to use a serger at this point but trust me, I am going to learn! Here are the results of my efforts: First skirt...finally put together but not hemmed yet Making the flowers for the headbands (initially they were going on shirts bu

As Promised...

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Here are a few pictures of the last couple weeks. House, kids, etc. I will still post the pictures of the skirts I (with my mom's help) made for the girls. This is the side of the house This is the front Um..kitchen breakfast nook and living room beyond Dining room and family room (the house is shaped like an "L") Looking away from the house First day of school Lol! Love the expressions here! The driveway...well there are two driveways but this entrance is most often used because the other has a gate.

Home again, Home again Jiggity Jig...

We finally made it! Yes, we have officially moved back to California, Sacramento to be exact. We arrived the beginning of September and it has been a whirlwind of activities since. We moved into our house (I'll post pictures soon), enrolled the kids in school, went to church, applied for a job, and have been quite busy with a smattering of other "things". You know the saying, "Hit the ground with your feet running"? Yes, that's us, no time to waste. Everything will eventually fall into place and then it will be Christmas! Yikes!! Ha! To sum the school thing up briefly, Elle and Ashley go to the elementary school right around the corner from our house. They both love it and their teachers. Levi and Myles are doing a sort of hybrid school schedule where they go to a location two days a week and are home the other three. It is nice and so far, they seem to like it. For them, school is not something they love but rather they tolerate because they have no oth

Till we meet again...Great Nanny

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Yesterday, the family of Maggie D. Burke, affectionately known as Great Nanny, celebrated her life and her much awaited homecoming. This remarkable woman of God was ready to meet her Lord and Savior. In fact, her granddaughter, Javawn (which happens to be my dearest friend) said that she had actually packed her suitcase and tried to "go to heaven". She was ready. As much as we will miss her, heaven is having a party. A saint has come home. It is assuring to know that I will one day meet with her again in that sweet bye-and-bye. A few years ago, my family had the privilege to go to Great Nanny's house in Idaho. Along with Dalen and Javawn, we loaded our cars and set off for one of the most memorial road trips. My kids still talk about it! It was so wonderful to meet the family, who by the way, accepted us as if we were family. How blessed we are! Here are a couple pictures Javawn sent to me from that road trip: I'm not sure as to the pictures of

In the Meantime...

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While we are in transition to California, we are staying in Coos Bay, Or. with my parents. If we were going to choose anytime of the year to be here, now would be the time. It is slightly warmer than any other time of the year and with school not in session, we have some free time. We have went a few places; park, library, fishing (sort of), a little shopping and I am finally learning to sew from the master aka my mom. The project I decided to start with is a bit more than I can chew. Thankfully, I am staying under my mom's watchful eye. When I have this project complete, I'll post pictures. If I posted now, it would not make any sense :).   In the next few days, we are planning to head to the beach. Personally, I have been waiting for the overcast skies to clear. But I fear if I wait too long, we won't go at all! My parents live only minutes from the beach and at night I can sometimes hear the sound of waves wafting through my window. Glorious! Nothing like the sound of