Taking a test...

Day 5 at Leprino.  Hoss is taking a fork lift test.  

 

 

Blanket #2

I am pleased to announce that I finished my final sewing project for the time being.  I mentioned briefly in the previous post that I had planned to make it a simple blanket, sewing two pieces of fabric together to make the blanket.  That plan fell through when I found a hole in the middle of the front piece of flannel.  So, I improvised and made the blanket a block style quilt blanket (no batting).  I think it turned out better than I imagined!

It is a nursing blanket.  I had never heard of or even imagined these when I had Big T and Little H.  I would just hide them under the blanket when I nursed, and sometimes it would drop down, making nursing in front of people kind of awkward and difficult.  When my sister-in-law had her baby boy about one year ago, I saw her nursing blanket with a strap that held the blanket up.  Ingenious right?  So, I decided to make my own, and here it is!

 The blue stripes are flannel, and the white is just a thin cotton fabric.

I wanted it to be warm, yet not too thick, as I will take it around with me.

A close up at the blocks.  This was fun to make, and I was pleased that it lined up so well.

It measures approximately, 40"x 36"  I am guessing. :)

As you can see, the front and back are the exact same, just reversed,

so a striped block is backed with a white one.

I think everyone in my family is glad that I finally got it finished!  I only have one more blanket planned.  That won't be happening for a few more months though... maybe after my final class for the year in December.  It is a car seat blanket.  They are THE best things ever!  Stay tuned for that.  I love them!

I hope that everyone has a fantastic Halloween!  We will be putting together costumes for Big T and Little H tonight.  Nothing extraordinary, but it should be fun!

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Projects

I seem to stack up projects like no tomorrow.  All things that I want to get done, at the same time.  I actually tend to get anxiety over it.  I want to have a spotlessly cleaned house, scrapbook, card make, write, and so much more.  For the writing, I want to write on my novel, and blog.  Not to mention the cleaning that I have to do and other obligations that come across my path like visiting teaching, grocery shopping (which I loath), and other various errands.

Since I am not a super woman, guess what tends to get neglected?  I'll let you imagine what you want to!  After being sick for 2 1/2 weeks straight, then working hard to get caught up in my class (which I completed 3 days early), I began a few of the projects that I have had lined up for a few months.  Two baby blankets, two baby changing pads, and 8 burp rags were on the list. 

It took me most of the weekend to complete the majority of these.  It was fun, especially since my sister was making some burp clothes for some of her friends as well.  Here are some pictures of these fun activities.  The bad thing is that when I start a project like these, I have a hard time focusing on other things.... so the sooner I get it done the sooner I can move on!  Ha!

Some pictures:

My sewing workspace.  The computer is so that I can chat with my sister.  That is how we do our projects "together."

Another angle, showing my lovely desk.  This is where I write, blog, homework, craft etc etc.

The adorable burp cloths.  These were fun to make.  I have never had fancy burp clothes for my daughters, so I decided to make some for Baby.  The link for the pattern is here.

Nicely folded and stacked up.

I LOVE how this blanket turned out!  I have made one before in the same style, but it did not turn out as awesome.  I love the little monkeys and the soft plush fleece back.  This blanket measures approximately 36"x 30"  Big T and Little T always want to cuddle with it.

Close up corner shot.

Full blanket spread out.  It is the perfect size for a little baby!

One more.  I am really just trying to give you a feel for the thing. lol

The changing pads.  These were fun to make too.  It is a little clutch changing pad that is held shut with a bit of velcro.  I got the pattern here.

Okay, so I don't have any diapers or a little wipes box, so I had to improvise!  I Love The Count of Monte Cristo. :)

Little H really felt the need to take a picture.  It was supposed to be a picture of the design I drew for another blanket (blanket #2).  Oh well... 

About blanket #2, it is a nursing blanket.  I flattened out the fabric to cut it to the right size, when I noticed a little hole right in the middle!  It was going to be a simple blanket, just sewing two pieces of fabric together, turning it inside out, then finishing it up with a neck strap... well, with that hole... :(  I was not happy.  So, I changed the design a little bit and made it more complicated.  It is now going to be a little block blanket without batting.  It is plenty warm here, and I think the flannel will be sufficient for nursing.  So all of the blocks are cut and near half of the rows are sewn together.  I just need a few more days on it, then I will post it up!

It is all so much fun.  I like to sew, but I am not all that awesome at it.  I try, but I also don't have patients to iron everything and make sure all of the fabric is cut perfectly and evenly.  I just want to be done with it.

After my sewing projects are over, I won't know what to do with myself.  I have homework to do, naturally, and housework too.  I guess I will just have to hurry and get this blanket done so that I can move on to those other things! Ha!

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Where the Magic Happens

I have not posted anything for a little while.  I have just been plumb out of ideas, and NOTHING exciting or even remotely interesting has happened to us in the last week or so.  Just because we live in Roswell, does not mean that we see something exciting and interesting every day.  Unless you count the truck driver that I reported because he drove straight in a left turn only lane, cutting off the car that was really in the straight lane.... then he swerved all over the road.  Okay, not too exciting, I know... so moving on.

I, with the help of my sister, remembered that I do have a few things to blog about.  I actually have a stack of things to post, projects and things that I have been doing.  No worries, one at a time. 

For tonight, I had promised some pictures of our house when we first moved in.  Well, after 9 months, I have in my possession pictures of one room.  I don't want to give you everything at once!  I have got to leave you wanting to come back for more right?  Another thought that I had was: I don't want any of our family to forget about us, because they can't imagine us anywhere (never having seen our house--except a few).

So now, with my little explanation plus my title, you are probably wondering what I could possibly be referring too.  You Curtis' Some of you have probably taken it south already! lol  Sorry to disappoint!  Here are pictures of my kitchen!

We are just getting ready to eat.  When we moved in, we bought a little bar style table to fit our small kitchen.

 Further back: Hoss dishes up his dinner, buffet style from our stainless steel island... I love that thing!

 

The sink/counter/stove.  Tiny, I know... that is why we bought the island.  I cannot complain about the cupboard space though.  There is a lot of storage room.  And the cupboards are retro metal.

 Looking from the kitchen into the front room and front door.  You see our Culli, and our fridge... oh, and our buckets as a culli stand!  We also use a bucket for a night stand and an end table next to our keyboard.

The dinner spread for tonight.  Roast and mashed potatoes with corn.  Yum, an Idaho classic! 

 Little H wanted me to take a picture of her plate.  She's a little beauty, even when she eats!

Big T followed suit with a picture request, but she posed for me... another beautiful girl!

 

And finally, Titus knows right where he belongs during dinner time.  He doesn't usually even have to be told to go into his kennel.  Once I start preparing dinner, he just goes right in on his own. :)  But he is always right there to clean up any fallen crumbs after dinner.

Well, there you have it!  Our kitchen!  More to come later!  Hope you all have a wonderful week!
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Who DOESN'T Like Cheese?

An opportunity recently fell into Hoss's lap.  Yes, it really did pretty much just fall right out of the sky.  It was not something we were at all expecting.  Back in April, Hoss quit his job as store manager at PVT (a Sprint dealership).  Since his supervisor job at UPS was just part-time, Hoss needed to find another part-time job to fill his mornings, and to bring in enough money for us to live on.  At this time, we were very content to work with UPS and see where the opportunities led us.

A few months later, we found out that baby #3 was going to be gracing our home in February.  We were ecstatic, especially since we had accepted the fact that we might not have any more children (after 4 years of trying).

Doctor appointments commenced with deductibles and the realization that we had to buy all new baby furniture and equipment (we got rid of it all upon moving).  I had a meeting with the doctor's office financial staff.  They informed us that we would have to pay for a major chunk of the delivery out of pocket.  Money soon became a worry and issue.

Back in April or May, we had been discussing our need for another part-time job with some friends (husband and wife) from church.  The husband began thinking about this need, and he realized that the company that he worked for in town was hiring.  Then the contact was born.  We were not very interested at the time, since we had put our lot with UPS.  But who would say no to someone who was trying to help out?

A few months later, Hoss was encouraged to get his resume in so that this company could start the interview process.  The company's name is Leprino Foods.  After receiving his resume, Hoss was called in for a tour of the plant.  The people that met him just loved him... I mean, what's not to love!?  The human resource manager told Hoss that, at the point in time, he saw no reason why they would not hire him.  That was encouraging, especially since the position, Financial Analyst, would have put our income in a bracket that we have not even come close to.....ever.  It would be a major career starter.

We were told that Leprino was slow to hire people.  Our friend (the husband) waited four months before he got the official offer of employment.  So we sat back, and soon we lost any interest in the company.  We thought that they had moved on, so, we did too.

Out of the blue, Hoss got a phone call from the human resources supervisor (not the same as the HR manager).  They were interested in interviewing him for a different job.  It was a job a bit further down the chain of command, and with that, it had a drastically different pay grade.  However, the pay was still a good amount more than what Hoss is pulling in right now.  It took a lot of pondering, thought, and especially prayer.  We considered all options.  But when it came down to it, with Baby on the way, we needed a change in pay now.  So after being offered the job, Hoss accepted.  He is set to start his new job at Leprino Foods on October 25th 2010.

Hoss's new job title is Shipping and Receiving Clerk.  He will be one of the guys who oversees orders from customers, and he will also see that those orders get shipped on time.  This will get him a great base knowledge for how the manufacturing process works.  We have been told by the CFO (our friend-the husband), that there are a few good positions that they can see Hoss excelling in.  They already have plans for Hoss, as long as he performs!  But come on!  Who are we talking about here!?  I love you Hoss!

 We do not regret our move from Idaho to New Mexico at all.  We knew it was the right decision.  We are a little bit nervous with leaving UPS, because it was the job that got us here.  However, we know that the Lord has been preparing the way for us to make our way through life.  This opportunity pretty much found us, and we are very grateful.

 If there is one thing that I can testify to, it is that when we pay our tithing 100%, the Lord blesses.  We would not be where we are now, if we did not pay our tithes like we are asked to do.
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A little bit about Leprino.  Leprino is a cheese manufacturing plant.  They are among the biggest suppliers for Pizza Hut, Dominoes, and a few other pizza restaurants.  They specialize in mozzarella cheese, and other dairy products.  They even have secret recipes that very few are aloud to see! 

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PS  Click on the link to read the latest episode of Sora's Journey.

Daddy's Are the Best!

Yesterday, Hoss went with the missionaries to visit a few men who are interested in investigating the Church.  The plan was that we would head out to the Eastern New Mexico State Fair, which we did!  Everyone was excited.  It is always fun to look at all of the animals and find out what kind of food is offered there.  I do have to say that it was no Eastern Idaho State Fair.... no tiger ears, and no HORSES!  The pigs, goats, cows, and rabbits seemed to be the highlight of the animals section.  I don't think I have seen that many pigs in one barn as I have yesterday!  The ammonia smell was overpowering.  But there were some huge pigs!

Another favorite thing to check out at the fair (for me...I'm not sure how Hoss feels about it), is the art entries.  I have to say, that there are not very many people who enter!  A friend suggested that I enter some of my paintings... now I wish I did!  I may have placed, AND I may have won some money!  Hind sight right?  Also, they have a little section for scrapbooking entries.  Next year... next year.

Well, I got ahead of myself there for a second.  I failed to mention how much I HATE parking fees and entrance fees to get into the fair.  I think that is THE most ridiculous thing ever!  We paid $6 per adult, and both girls were $2 to get in.  We also paid $2 parking (which wasn't bad at all--free would have been better).

As we entered and began looking around, we found out that to buy an unlimited ride pass you needed $30 per person.  Remember a few posts back when I mentioned a little place called Joyland in Lubbuck, TX?  Well, that only cost $17 per adult and $11 or so per child for unlimited rides... not to mention they have tons more rides, and better ones!  I was blown away.  So there went our idea to ride some rides.  I have come to the conclusion that fairs are money pits.  Maybe in a few years when we are rolling in "dough" my tune will be slightly different.

We decided to go home and fix dinner, instead of eating at the fair.  Preserving funds you know...  We had Dominican beans and rice with chicken.  I have to say it was better than pretty much anything you would get at the fair!  Good idea on our part!


So while I was preparing dinner, Hoss decided to play with Big T and Little H.  I thought it was super cute and entertaining.  I love my wonderful husband!  So willing to get down and play girl games with our girls!  I love you Hoss!



I'm sorry the lighting is not the best.  Our front room is kind of dim, plus it is getting dark outside.  One of these days, I will take pictures of our little house, since most of our family have not seen our house... then I will post them.  I just have to get it all cleaned up and mopped...catching up from being sick etc etc.  It is a work in progress!

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To read the latest episode for Sora's Journey click here-----> Episode 16