Good tidings

 Well! That was fun. And it's good to see most of you are on the same page on colors you'd like to come back (hello eggplant and orange!!) and some other additions of yellows, corals, neutrals, reds, blues, more greens…but yeah it was the eggplant and the orange and the yellow. NOTED!

Now lets pick a winner congratulations to:

 Lisas Mom said...

I'd like a red to orange or orange to yellow ombre. Eggplant would be awesome!

for being the winner of a lot of color theory scraps. :) perhaps you can make a scrappy trip along quilt with them! :)

Well, Market is right around the corner and I have been working a lot these days on sewing for that, and for my books (pre-order them on amazon!)
and on some other fun stuff as well.

Some of you have been saying you miss my "noisemakers" presence on the blog. I know I do too. When I started this blog 7 years ago, my intention was to keep my husband up to date while he was deployed on our life back at home without him. What it ended up being was an opening to so many wonderful friendships, and opportunities, none that I could have even imagined…and as those 7 years have passed, my children grew up. My oldest is almost 15. And our move to the midwest has been absolutely amazing for him, and our family. And while I used to on a regular basis in the past write on the blog about being a mom to these amazing 4 individuals, they were young, I wrote generalized funny situations that I had as a mother of them. But at some point they grew up into mini adults/people with their own stories to tell and lives to live and create…and I felt like it was time to step back and stop telling my version of their story on the internet.
Oh they still say/do dumb hilarious things, but they are so much more than that. They are intelligent, caring, hardworking, selfless, spiritual, AND funny. I don't need to broadcast it for them, I don't want to embarrass them, and honestly, I don't want to hurt them. They can be these people to their close friends and family and individuals they know personally. So, yes, that's why no more funny/embarrassing/tear jerking stories about my children.
BUT I don't want to leave you hanging like Veronica Mars did in their final episode when they thought they were coming back for another season. I will give you a little bit of closure and give you a small update on each of the kiddos from where I left off telling their story to where they are now:

THEN:
Oldest noisemaker and oldest boy: (farthest left) Was struggling with friends and school. Had a hard time with Dad being gone overseas, and continued to have hard times even after Dad came home.
Second noisemaker and second boy: (farthest right) Was doing well considering the situation. Took on the role as the protector of his older brother.
Third noisemaker and third boy: (second in from right)Always smiley except when he wasn't. Loved cereal and being near his older brothers.
Fourth and Youngest noisemaker and the only girl: (only one wearing pink) Ruled the roost and was completely different from her older three brothers. Brought pink into our house, and was attached to me in a backpack at all times, or had to have at least one hand on me at all times.

AND NOW:

Oldest noisemaker: Is in freaking High School, almost 15 he is, picked up playing the trumpet and plays for the HS marching band (and they are pretty good too!) He's also in the 9th grade play "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." He also plays baseball for the city league. Through these activities he has made some really great friends, and is a wonderful young man (with flair ups of being a teenager but we don't hold that against him) He talks about going on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is thinking about going to school to be a Physical Therapist when he gets back. (the kid is pretty darn amazing considering where we were like 4 years ago. He's gone through a lot in his small time here on earth and we couldn't be happier with how he's taken life and spun it in a positive direction for himself.) He also loves reading books, skateboarding, pizza, and listening to instrumental music.

Second noisemaker: Is in middle school, is almost 13, getting straight A's, got braces, and no longer feels the need to protect his older brother. As a matter of fact they are more friends and have a lot of fun together. He was able to do the lego league last year in 6th grade, and is now devoting his time to swimming. He has been doing the swim team for a few months and loves it, and is super excited to start competing for his school this winter. He plays in plays the cello for the school orchestra. (he's a great example to us of being a hard worker) Has accomplished sewing a small quilt and is waiting for his mom to have some time to teach him the next step of quilting and binding it. (probably Christmas time) He's already stressing over colleges, even after we've told him to relax a little he's only in 7th grade...He also loves anything mexican food wise, oatmeal, skateboarding, and reading ridiculous amounts of books.

Third noisemaker: Is a brainiac in math and science, is almost 11, likes to skateboard, hang out with friends building legos, and plays baseball for the city team. He just earned his Webelos in boy scouts and is working on getting his arrow of light. He's enjoying his last year of elementary school and has started playing the Viola (and is showing that he is catching on pretty fast!)  This year he sewed his first quilted pillow top for his bed and has plans to make a quilt for his stuffed animals. He's a little obsessed with turtles and penguins. He's still a smiley kid, except for when he isn't, still loves cereal, and being with his brothers but can be found playing stuffed animals with his younger sister when he has to (even though he totally likes it and won't admit it). 

Girl noisemaker: Still rules the roost, just turned 8 and was baptized, is super girly girl through and through but can handle playing and tagging along with her brothers when they let her. Wears dresses and skirts every single chance she can, still best friends with her dog, and has a lot of human friends as well. She is known amongst her peers as a funny nice friend who is kind. She hasn't decided what she wants to play instrument wise, I keep telling her she should do drums but we might go with piano first. We'll see what she picks. She's still is my little shadow and has started to sew a few small projects for her dolls. I find her "crafting" on her own all the time and she's got some talent I tell you. She loves anything with a bunny on it, or bunny shaped, or basically bunnies in general. She likes Mac and Cheese and watermelon, and black olives and she reminds me that by this age all her brothers were knew how to ride bikes and ride skateboards, so what are we waiting for. Sheesh.

Our children are our lives. We work hard to protect and love them and give them life lessons so that at some point they can protect themselves and be honest, good, kind, virtuous, individuals who will make where they are a better place. At least that's what we're aiming for. 

So yes, they are all doing great…I appreciate the time I was able to write on this blog, and the support I received when they were smaller, when I was a struggling single mom, while my husband served in the military. I will forever be grateful for that time when I needed that, but now is a new era for me, one where I let my children tell their own stories, because it's time to start to let them be who we've been trying to teach them to be. 

Thank you for your support, and if you are a long time reader, thank you for sticking with me, reading my words as I tried to make sense of my role as a struggling military wife. Thank you for your support as I turned around and grew a side business. Thank you for your support as we went through and dealt with a loss of a job, having to uproot our family, having to leave all we've ever known to live somewhere new, dealt with heartache, lost a parent, saw the light at the end of the tunnel, and thanks for your support in the time of upswings as well. 

I am a very blessed individual. This does not escape my thoughts ever. Even when in the middle of a trial, I am blessed to wake up the next day. 

And with that, I will say that my children may make appearances on the blog, but this is mainly where I will continue to show what I'm making and what I'm doing, with a silly story here and there of how I fell, or missed a flight, or angered the angry lady behind the counter at the chinese restaurant. (story for another day)  because those things still do and will probably continue to happen to me. 

K, thanks for listening. 

We'll talk soon.