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September 22 What a privilege to have been able see and be a part of such a wonderful and blessed event; Baby Kyler came into this world weighing 9-5 and 21 inches long. It was easy to tell that he belongs to Brian and Kiley both! He is a beautiful boy. We are so grateful.
July 18 This morning, I asked my 3.5 year old boy Cian to help find a pacifier, he responded, "Me's not a Power Ranger, Mom!"
 Step by step!
utorial.
Okay,
so most of us have the NB, 3-6mos. and 9 mos. sizes in those cute
cotton pants... some look like leggings, Some look like Long Johns, or Pajamas. Whatever they are, they are most often too cute and babies rarely fit them long enough, in the opinion of TurtleSoupKids.
So-o-oo, I decided to try to make use of them when one of the boys needed underpants and we were flat broke! They were fun making and so here we go-o-oo!Kids Boxer Briefs: These are made from a size 3-6 mos. pants and this is a lean child
21 mos. old wearing them. They are a bit loose but she isn't potty
trained yet, so we still have time for some growth to fill them in.STEP 1: Lay the pants on a flat surface, making sure they are as  even as possible because you will be making the cuts shown in the photo; two cuts on each leg. If you feel comfortable folding the pants over and making the cuts with the legs doubled, that is clearly up to you. Just remember to keep the legs as even as possible so that you don't end up with uneven legs and too little fabric to work with for the fitted bottom of the briefs. The rectangular piece in the middle needs to be wide enough to fold over for a ribbed cuff at the bottom. Mine is about 1 1/2" wide. STEP 2: Open the rectangle you just cut and fold the edges over so that the cut edges meet. You may press them or work free-handed as shown here. Make sure the right side of the fabric faces outward.
 STEP 3: It is easiest to turn your cut pants inside out and take the folded piece you just fashioned from the rectangle and place it inside the leg opening. Stitch with an overlock, or even a zig zag stitch. Stretch the folded piece gently as you go, so that the ribbing is stretched evenly around the leg openings. Repeat for the second leg and take notice of the seam placements. Reverse the pants and top stitch for added appearance and stability. At first glance, they look over stretched, but a wash will reshrink the fabric.
There you have it... in 3 quick 'n' easy steps!  (Sizes 3-6 mos.)
"Meet Shellie... short for Sheldon. He is a 24 year old sea turtle,
which by the way is just a youngster. He loves carrots and lots of
greens. He owns 2 pairs of skates; one for skating on the icy pond in
winter and the other for the drier days in summertime. There's so much
talk about how slow turtles really are, but Shellie has a surprise
under his big green shell. He can skate faster than anyone in his
hometown, Sprighill."
I was strolling through OSH one day in the garden section and I spotted
this garden turtle [sculpture]. I wish I had the before shot. He looked
very inanimate. He was a concrete gray color. He started out in the
great realm of imagination like all creations do. In my mind I saw what
you see here... His features flat and uninviting, I decided to give him
nice big eyes and a pair of glasses for character. With a little
molding clay I changed his expression and then came the colors. He
wears a mini version of my trademark 'Button Beanie' and grasps his
button collection close. During shows, Shellie gets a lot of attention.
Kids love to hold his glasses and try to spy through them. Moms grasp
his buttons and touch him gently. I think they are more afraid of
breaking him than I am. I like to see Shellie embraced with warmth. In
my writings, he is a soft gentle soul, shy and unassuming.
 After
being told repeatedly during a home church meeting, to please sit down,
our 3 year old son, Cody crossed his arms and exclaimed,
"I sitting down on the outside, but I standing up on the inside!"
"Gramma, if you like bossin' kids around so much, why didn't you have any of your own?"
 Well, today the babies went to hospital for fixin'. It's a relief to get it done, but I feel so bad for their discomfort. We are big supporters of spaying and neutering with good reason; so many unwanted kittens are born each spring. We have rescued, placed and adopted not just a few kitties. It is hard to say no to such beautiful little faces and so we hope  we are helping by making sure those that enter here remain singletons and leave the baby making aside. We have a total of 5 kitty-cats now. The
last of that list , [we claim], are Wren and little Fiona... siblings
that were separated from their momma just a little too early. They were
very thin and frail when they first came home to us. Well meaning,
their caretakers had vaccinated them before we received them and it had
a very poor affect on the kittens. Their immune systems were
compromised and consequently, made very sick kitties. With intense care and lots of veterinary help, they have come a long way. Wrennie is a beautiful boy and Fiona, a wee girl who could just steal
your heart away. With such a rough beginning, they have overcome the
bigger obstacles of being unwanted and sickly and looking forward to a
much loved life. This
stroller has got to be my favorite of the few [Gerry, Graco &
Cosco] I've owned. The Gerry was a nice single reclining umbrella
stroller that we had for many years. It was a favorite for sure. On the
other hand, the Graco was a single typical looking buggy that steered
horribly and worse on carpet. I couldn't get through an isle with more
than two people because it  had no maneuverability. Very frustrating and because of it, never bought anything Graco again. The double Cosco [
good for short trips] was very short with a bucket style jump seat, but
not very comfy. It was a tough metal one that steered wonderfully and
continued its service when we passed it on to a good friend with
younger babies than ours. The Bugaboo didn't make its debut until well
after we thought we wouldn't have anymore children; Our last 2 welcomed
after 12 years. A boy, then baby girl are a little less than 2 years
apart. Having seen
the Bugaboo Frog... if I could make do with a single buggy, I wouldn't
mind it at all! I love the way it looks and moves. But alas, I need a
double and the E3 has a jump seat option that gives me the advantage of
a double stroller without it being double wide and the length, a little
shorter than the in line doubles. The Phil & Teds' E3 received
raving reviews as well, but in my opinion, for what it is worth, the
enthusiasm would seem to be initial excitement. It has its issues. But
despite them, I still love it for its good qualities.
From birth, the youngest of our 6 children had difficulty
feeding and required a feeding tube her first year of life. Everywhere
we would go, the feeding bag and monitor had to go too, so
consequently, we stayed home a lot. We discovered the E3 had a function
we hadn't expected. It gave us the opportunity to provide the two
youngest an outlet we didn't think was possible. When we did go out we
found that the jump seat actually made it feasible to take them out for
short excursions. The feeding bag hung on the hand grip bar and the
monitor from below, a setup which enabled it to function properly. Our
outings were more dependent on the monitor battery charge than anything
else. So as you can guess, the Phil & Ted's E3 is endeared to us.
 The
downside is minimal for us, but the trouble with the E3 for others seem
relative to a couple of woes. For instance, the wheels are a problem
for us. For whatever reason, they are off kilter making the wheels
wobble enough for me to notice as we stroll. I am currently looking
into ordering new pegs from P & T, but maybe the wheels from a
different source. I read where one mom complained that the tires need
to be inflated every so often and it is the same for us. But in defense
of our lovely buggy, our [auto] tire guy gave us this simple
explanation; heat and cold effect tire pressure. I noticed the pressure
loss was most when we used our buggy less. We have replaced the rear
inner tubes and the front maybe soon. I think the original tubes were
defective.
O. K., now
second, I would have to say that the length from front wheel to push
bar is a bit longer than I like. Sometimes, it's a little awkward. For a
3 wheeled type, it is not intended for jogging use as preferred by P
& T, though it certainly does well off pavement... just have to use
caution. So, the 3 wheeled design, though it gives the E3 its slimmer
line toward the front end, really makes it a little less than useful
for us. Maybe its dynamics give it the balance it requires to
accommodate the jump seat. In any case, I still like my buggy. And in
response to a problem the same fore mentioned mom had with her "basket"
under the main seat which also serves as a foot well for the jump seat
passenger... Not having ever had to replace the basket or storage area
beneath the
main seat and not ever wanting to replace it, I have constructed a
support for the undercarriage that requires little sewing and a couple
of dollars [if you don't have a few extra straps laying around the
house. Over time, we also added the Panniers side bags which are very
handy and the Fanny Pack which we latched on to the hand grip bar with
a little creativity.
Well, today it was very warm for springtime and we bought a pack of
really good squirt guns that even my 19 month old girly-baby girl could
trigger.  Cian had a ball taking pot shots and squirting Baby K in the face, who actually took it quite well and let him have it a few times. I was impressed!
Katie came down and joined in the water balloon fight that followed,
but the balloons didn't pop on impact. Hmmm. We couldn't figure that
one out. So, the hose came out and a pitcher  of water was the only defense. Tomorrow, Cody joins us at church! We're all excited about that. He works so much and we miss him being around. Kiley and husband, Brian will go earlier, but Katie will join the rest of us at
the later service. We look forward to the worship and praise part of
the service. When the message comes it is like we are listening to a
message just for us. It is awesome.
 Welcome... welcome... welcome!
 I am a 47 year old Mommy. There are 6 beautiful children [Kiley, Cody, Katie, Christina, Cian & Kaelan]. I am Meow-ma to 5 kitty-cats [CeCe, Pumpkin, Gia, and babies, Wren & Fiona], Mama
to Joe, our wonderful Golden Retriever [who forever puts up with all
the theatrics of each one of these kitties], soon-to-be grandmother and
finally, dedicated wife to my Ronnie, who is the love of my earthly life. But first and above all, I am called of God, to be His faithful servant.
  I have been designing, manufacturing and selling
infant and children's clothing, diapers and novelties for over 20 years. The first hurdle in my sewing career, was overcoming my all thumbs approach to dialing in the right tension setting and not stitching my fingers in the process. Once my brain connected with the machine, there was no stopping. I just love to sew!
My most favorite machines are the Husqvarna Designer SE and the Husqvarna 936 Serger. They are the smoothest running machines I have ever had. The tension settings are computerized. There is a less loved Janome but simply for the fact that I am spoiled by the Designer SE. I save the "rough work" for  "her," if you can call it that. It is completely manual. The bobbin chamber is not inaccessible but everything comes to a halt if the thread runs out and requires patience in changing bobbin colors.
The tension is good and fairly easy to set after 24 years of practice.
At times, when I sew too fast [which I sometimes do], it has jammed. I
have sewed with less accommodating machines. As simple as it is , the Janome does its job without hesitation most often than not.
I really enjoy sketching people. I studied Medical Illustration at Loyola  University at Chicago and can draw almost anything near exact. With a little background music on my headset, a good pencil and a few hours I produced this sketch, A Boy & His Dog, from the same entitled series.
 I've
always been athletically active. In my youngest days, it was fast pitch
softball. I pitched, played 1st base and ran around a lot. When inline
hockey made its appearance in the early 90's my best friend, Tammy and
I traded in our cleats for hockey skates. In borrowed gear, we started
out on a converted basketball blacktop court in a schoolyard with plywood hockey boards. OUCH. Those hurt. Hockey moved indoors to a sport tile that looked like ice from the stands. In short time, we invested in stuff that fit and eventually, the higher end equipment. It was incredibly exhilarating. What a time!
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Tools 
What you Need...
STEP 2: 
Step by step!
even as possible because you will be making the cuts shown in the photo; two cuts on each leg. If you feel comfortable folding the pants over and making the cuts with the legs doubled, that is clearly up to you. Just remember to keep the legs as even as possible so that you don't end up with uneven legs and too little fabric to work with for the fitted bottom of the briefs. The rectangular piece in the middle needs to be wide enough to fold over for a ribbed cuff at the bottom. Mine is about 1 1/2" wide.
STEP 3: It is easiest to turn your cut pants inside out and take the folded piece you just fashioned from the rectangle
and place it inside the leg opening. Stitch with an overlock, or even a zig zag stitch. Stretch the folded piece gently as you go, so that the ribbing is stretched evenly around the leg openings. Repeat for the second leg and take notice of the seam placements. Reverse the pants and top stitch for added appearance and stability. At first glance, they look over stretched, but a wash will reshrink the fabric.
(Sizes 3-6 mos.)
