TOAD SAVING!

It's 11:00 pm and I just saved this TOAD! He was trapped in the basement window well.  I have to admit, there was a glove and a spatula involved...and I almost made my mom do it.....but when it really came down to it, I just had to pick him up and send him hopping on his way.....there was squealing involved on my part....and a minor freak out, but I did it.. It's a proud moment for me, so I had to blog it.  Markos kids, if your germ-a-phobe Aunt Rachel can pick up a frog, you can too! Go catch a couple this week.....it's okay if you squeal a little when it's squirming in your hand :) You can do it!  

Purses, Purses, Purses

So, my sister Sarah is a very creative person. She is super talented and makes awesome purses.  She was here for a visit and taught me how to make this purse. I love it! I took it to Utah with me this past week and it was the perfect size for everything that I needed. 

I spent time with my brother Jeremy and his family. My Sister-in-law Heidi and my nieces Hannah and Aimee decided that they wanted one of these, so we had a whirlwind weekend of sewing. We picked out our fabrics at Hobby Lobby on Saturday, cut everything out on Sunday, and then sewed it all up on Monday and Tuesday. 

Aimee liked the idea of having a pocket on the front of her purse, so she added it and embellished it with a lot of buttons. She is a good little hand sewer! Didn't she do a great job?  

She wanted to make sure she had pockets for everything she needed so she added a couple of narrow pockets for pens and ones that would hold her cell phone, etc. 

Hannah learned how to make cloth flowers at Young Women's, so she made a flower and embellished her front pocket with the flower, a retro button, and a little brooch she found.  Isn't it cute? 

I liked the combination of fabrics she picked. 

Heidi wanted a bigger purse, so we enlarged the pattern for hers and gave her plenty of depth and an extra long strap.

Here they all are. 

 Thanks for teaching me how to make these Sarah! Next time I see you, you will have to teach me to take better photographs! 

 Good job Heidi, Hannah and Aimee! Thanks for a fun weekend!