Other projects

At my baby shower Carolann Moak gave me a diaper that she made...from scratch! People like that amaze me. Then I found out that my cousin Terri Ann also makes up her own patterns for different bags that she sews (here's her blog if you want to see some of the stuff she makes and sells- http://www.terriannhart.blogspot.com/). I was amazed and inspired by them, so I decided to tackle a bag of my own. No, I didn't make my own pattern, but I did splice together two different patterns to make a bag with features I'd like better. Below is the bag & also a changing pad that I made. Ironically, the changing pad was more difficult for me. I've sworn to never sew with vinyl again!

My sister Kyra and me have been getting into different ways to make cute flowers and clips. Here's some of the flowers/clips I made.






I made this tutu because I think they're so adorable for pictures.

I love how all the projects I want to make are girly sort of things and I'm expecting a boy! Oh well, I bet Kyra is grateful for all the stuff I try out on her daughter.

The nursery is done!

I've finally finished the nursery, now just waiting for the baby...or maybe he's been waiting for me to finish his room before he comes.  Just one more week. :)

Here's the best shot I could get of the whole room.

This is a stained glass hanging that Chad's dad made several years ago. He gave this to us a few months back and it became my inspiration for the color scheme of the baby room. (Actually, my color scheme evolved from this stained glass and 8 yards of gray material that I had lying around that I didn't know what to do with. Trying to be resourceful, I paired my gray material with the teal and red colors in the stained glass to try to make a nursery that wasn't too dreary).



Caroll Wilkins made this vinyl lettering for me for a baby shower gift. I love it! Check her out on Etsy or at her blog (http://www.vinylexpress.blogspot.com/)if you're interested in her making something for you.


This is the crib set that I sewed. You can see how I made use of my gray material :) Oh, and I have to give credit to Chad for putting together the crib.


My mom made this shelf for me for Christmas. Some of my favorite gifts I've received over the years are things she made in her wood shop.  Oh, and a lot of things on the shelves were other gifts I've received for this baby.


I had to redo the blocks I'd originally made since the greens and blues didn't match as well.

Christmas pictures

We spent Christmas in Utah this year with Chad's family.  I took a ton a pictures! 

We started off the Christmas season by going to the temple as a family.

Chad's brother Jonathon was going to the temple for the first time.

Yes, Ashley, my mission companion responsible for getting me

hooked on candy in Spain,is now feeding her baby syrup.

Christmas wouldn't be complete in the Guerra household without cookie decorating.

Brittany got a little carried away with the blue frosting.

I took so many pictures of this little guy!

Sledding.

Another Guerra tradition...the Christmas Eve pajamas.

The tree and stockings.

Christmas morning crunch time.

The traditional Christmas morning french toast.

"All the single ladies"...

The family picture.

Charlie Brown Christmas tree

Growing up, one of our Christmas time traditions was to cut down our own tree.  Needless to say, every year we'd have a barren, Charlie Brown christmas tree.  To add to our tree's pathetic appearnace, every year my sister Kyra insisted that her kindergarten-made ornament be hung front and center.  (Her christmas ornament was a paper plate painted purple, hole punched one the outside with green yarn laced through, and an orange & purple ceramic monkey pasted in the center of the plate).   The tree's branches would bend with the load of the ceramic monkey decor.  I vowed that I would never have a Charlie Brown tree or tacky ornaments when I had a home of my own.

Well, it's my first Christmas with Chad and guess what we did for a Christmas tree this year...yep, we cut down a tree ourselves.  So much for my previous vows.  But it gets better, it's not even a real pine-  it's a cedar tree. What can I say? The pickings were slim on my parents property.

The tree...

The chainsaw (and my dad's backside)...



The haul...



Chad with his kill (a 10 point christmas tree he called it)...



The happy couple...



My brilliant idea to begin a tradition of making our own ornaments every year. We both agreed that this might be the only year that glitter will be used (especially since this will be our last child-free Christmas).

Some of our homemade ornaments (prettier than a ceramic monkey pasted to a paper plate, right?)...

Me trying to hang ribbon on our tree. Chad said it looked more like a toilet papering job...I agreed. We made the ribbon into some of the above ornaments instead. :)



The final result. Next year we will buy an artificial tree.