Fashion Island fun

Last Saturday day we headed to Fashion Island with our good friends the Gruwell's to walk around and enjoy the sunshine. We also wanted to check out the new Norstroms that just opened there last week. It felt good to get out of the house and spend time with friends. Katelyn & Brayden loved meeting baby Jacob.

Liam's Dedication

Our friends little man, Liam, was dedicated at church on Sunday. It was a beautiful dedication. After church a bunch of us headed out to BJ's Pizza and Brewery for some lunch. It has been so awesome to watch Liam grow over the last 10 months into such a joyful little man. Patty & Cesar are great parents!

Introducing baby food

Last week I introduced Brayden to baby food. The real stuff in my opinion, not rice cereal, which I might add, he didn't care for.

So far Brayden has tried....

Sweet Potatoes

Apples...

Sweet Peas...

and Pears

next up Peaches and Carrots.... stay tuned for more pictures

Catch All Jewelry Organizer

After all that I still had some left over material so I created this Catch All Jewelry Organizer. I'm so excited to share that this is now a new item in the Rags to Stitches Boutique. I'm selling them for $20, so if you're interested place your orders. After all Mother's Day is just around the corner.

Ruffles and an Elmo theme

I found THIS tutorial a couple days ago and had to try it out. My daughter is turning 2 in June and we're having an Elmo themed party. This weekend I'm having her birthday pictures taken for her invitation and this tutorial gave me some great ideas.

I bought this adorable black and white damask and polka dot fabric by Michael Miller to use for my ruffles. 

I measured the width of the onesie and doubled the length, then I cut the ruffles.

The tutorial called for a serger and I don't have one so I decided to sew a zig zag stich around the edges.

Loosen the tension on the stitch as much as you can and then sew a running stitch along the center of the fabric.

Pull the thread on each end to make the material ruffle.

Then I sewed the three ruffles on the bottom of the onesie over lapping each ruffle.

I had left over material so I made these. A large and small flower clip

I clipped the large flower clip to this tutu I made for my daughter.

Stay tuned to see the new creation I just added to the Rags to Stitches Boutique.

Isn't she just the....

Cutest!!??

Button

I just added a button for my Rags to Stitches blog

I would love for you to check it out and add it to your blog.

The code is available below for you to do so.

Happy Blogging....

<a href="http://ragstostitchesboutique.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z78/mikerin3/Premades/buttoncopy-3.png" /></a><br/>

A Glimpse

of the Circle Family photo shoot.

Photos taken by David Tosti

Go HERE

Pumping

Pumping what you might ask. Iron?

No.

Pumping Milk.

Why? For a good cause. Next month I am going HERE

Breathtaking isn't it?

I'm leaving my kids. My husband. Packing my bags and jet setting with my sister-in-law for a 5 day all expense paid vacation.

So I'm pumping. Milk. Lot's of milk.

This is no easy feat as many breast feeding mothers know. You spend most of your day with a baby latched to your breast and then in the hours inbetween it's hooked up to a pump to store up any and all extra milk. But it will be all worth it when I'm laying  HERE

My amazing mother in law and husband are going to take care of the kids for 5 days while I'm gone. I'm so blessed. Blessed to have an AMAZING sister-in-law who chose to spend those 5 wonderful days with me and for AMAZING family and a husband willing to watch the kids while I go.

To make sure that Brayden still feels as close to mommy as possible. I'm pumping milk. 

Lot's of milk. 5 bottles per day, 5oz per bottle. That's alot of milk. So far I have 5 of the 25 done.

My Muse

She's the reason I sew. Isn't she just adorable?! This is my daughter Katelyn who's almost 2. When I was pregnant with her I went through a nesting faze and began sewing. It was only months later that Rags to Stitches Boutique was born.

Field's of Strawberries

This is the vineyard. 500 acres of grapes, strawberries and galdiolas. 

It's breathtaking. My pictures don't even do it justice. It's a place where you can see God at work every where you turn.

After the Wine Festival every year, the following morning we visit and tour the Sierra Madre Vineyard. Then we get pictures of the kids in the strawberry fields. I guess I should say kid as Brayden fell asleep during the tour and I didn't want to wake him up to stick him in a strawberry patch. I guess there's always next year.

Santa Barbara County Vintner's Festival 2010

Every year our family spends one weekend in April at the Santa Barbara County Vitner's Wine Festival. We go as a family to pour our wine from the family vineyard. Sierra Madre Vineyard. We bring our Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and dish out delicious long stem strawberries. Every year it's amazing and we have a wonderful time. I love how each year our family grows yet we all come together despite our busy schedules. This year Brendan brought his fiance Ashtyn and Kyle and I decided to brave the unknown and travel with both kids. (they did amazing!) If you are ever looking for something fun to do and a chance to getaway, come check us out next year. We'll be there!