Ahhh....Sunlight and Fresh Air!

We've all been sick. Really sick. Ian and Josh got it the worst. "It" was the flu. The boys missed school all of last week and went back to school on Monday, but their energy hasn't been 100%. We were late to school almost every morning b/c it was so hard for us all to get moving. Josh has been miserable and in bed pretty much all day/every day for a week. I wasn't too bad off, thank goodness b/c somebody had to run this household. I think Ayden and I were semi-immune and just had bad colds b/c he didn't test positive for the flu like everyone else and I never got bad enough to feel like I needed a doctor's visit. We've been shut-ins for TOO LONG! Today was a perfect day and Josh finally felt like joining the land of the living, so we went to his favorite store, Big Lots, then to the park with Afton. Don't get me wrong-we are still walking zombies-but at least we got out of the house and into the 65 degree crisp air. As an added happy bonus, I actually brought my camera with me and got some great shots of Afton finally playing outside after two weeks of indoor quarantine. Amusez-vous bien!

2011 Already?

Hi. It's been a while.

I haven't taken any pictures this month, except for a few on my phone.

Here they are:

Afton's beautiful locks.

If I wet her hair in the morning it curls up like this.

Josh turned 33 on the 14th.

Robin and Brent treated us to a new pizza joint that was very kid friendly.

We had a great time with all of our kiddos.

Happy birthday to the best man in the universe (just to make sure and cover any other planets that might have living male beings)!

So, where has Stacy been? I know you've all been asking yourselves this. I've been a little obsessive with my sewing machine and serger. I've been learning a lot and made some things I'm proud of and some that were big disappointments. I'm realizing now that I'd rather buy myself dresses than make them. Little girl dresses are so much easier and faster to create.

I made this one for myself. It looks better on. I was pretty proud of this one except for the hem and the sleeve cuffs are too tight. Minor things that no one else would notice.

The pattern I used:

I haven't been brave enough to wear this one yet. I love all of the pleats and it looks really cute with a big belt. The big problem is that the waist was too tight, so in order to give myself breathing room, I had to expose the zipper a little bit, which I don't like much. I DID however teach myself how to do a blind hem on the serger which is SO MUCH easier than by hand or with a sewing machine. Now I can finally hem some pants for my family and actually enjoy it.

Pattern:

I love, love , LOVE this dress. The pattern is super easy. I added the gathered chiffon at the bottom and pinned a white crocheted flower for Afton to wear as a broach.

Pattern:

This silk is so beautiful, but it was very difficult to work with.

I made something for my mom (She's turning the big 60 on Saturday!)

I watched about 6 different tutorials to teach myself how to sew binding to a quilt with the nice corners and all. I LOVE this quilt. It's for my friend who's due anytime with a little boy that she's naming Joshua.

Last but not least, I have these fabrics waiting for me. I'll be making about four dresses for my niece, Peyton's super belated birthday/Christmas gift and a couple for my Aff-a-taff.

I'll do a pillow case dress and the same style as the plaid one above with each LSU/SAINTS combo.

Scroll On Down

I finally finished my Christmas post, but I started it on January 2nd which made it post below "December Adventures". Scroll on down and check 'er out.

December Adventures

In early December Josh and I were busy getting our house ready for Christmas.

I failed to blog about our fun times. Here are a couple of things we did...

Josh went with Ian's class to the Christmas tree farm.

They found one and brought it back to their class to decorate.

We had real snow (shaved ice) to play in downtown.

I should have brought gloves. Just look at Ayden's agony.

We also got to go ice skating. This was not on ice though. It was greased plastic. Weird.

Ian came with me first. Ayden refused to got, but after he got a pep talk from his dad and saw other kids falling and hopping right back up, he joined in the fun.

When our time was up he didn't want to stop.

Tree decorating!

December Has Come and Gone *sniff,sniff*

My sister, Dixie, came across the pond from England for Christmas with her hubs, Markus and their sweet baby, Vera. Their 3 week stay brought on lots of other family visits from all over. We filled our days with Louisiana adventures, cuisine, and quality time. It was a whirlwind of crazy fun. Here are some pictures...

Avery Island

Ayden & Ian's school Christmas Program

Look at all of their supporters!

Happy 1st birthday to Vera.

Church Christmas party

I got to sing "Winter Wonderland" with my dad and sister, too.

It warmed my soul to sing in harmony with them.

Genetics help make voices blend wonderfully.

Ponchatoula tradition: burgers at Bootsy's!

(Yes, Afton is nursing on a bottle of hot sauce.)

My Dad and his best bud, Daryl. He took the boys for a tractor ride and Ian later told his Paw-Paw that he didn't want him, he wanted the tractor Paw-Paw.

What?

I have to share a picture of Afton in her Christmas dress.

New Orleans

"Cool hand" Luke. His Uncle Markus gave him this nickname for an obvious reason;)

Pile on Josh

My gigantic lasagna with ground sirloin and my brother's deer sausage. YUM!

The whole crew that slept one night at The Myrtles Plantation.

Robin and Jessica watched our household of kids while my Aunt Videt had my brother and cousin's kids. Thank you again, you're awesome, ladies! My bro., Travis, is on the far left with his wife, Raegan. My cousins are to the left of me-both in black. Everyone says Dedra (standing right by me) and I look more like sisters than cousins. On the right is my sister TJ and her two kids. They came from Galveston. We were so happy to have them all visit for a few days. One big crazy bunch of Holloways.

The Myrtles

Josh, Dixie, Markus and I slept in the caretakers cottage b/c we were too chicken to sleep in the house. I'm glad we did b/c three of our group members had "encounters" during the night.

Seriously.

Notice two spooky apparitions in this picture?

Here's a close-up of one.

My mom and dad!

Christmas Eve dinner. Let me mention the young lady in the middle. Her name is Jessica, and she's Dixie's BFF. She came and joined in on all of the fun for a few days. We had a great time with her. Look HERE for her version of her trip. My Aunt Odie (my Dad's sister) is on the left. She is who coordinated the awesome night at the Myrtles.

Mmmm...gumbo for Christmas dinner.

This picture of Annie is HILARIOUS!

Afton loved her new pillow/sleeping bag from the Mangums.

Our attempt at reminding the kids of the reason for the season.

CHRISTMAS MORNING

We had these outside as a delayed surprise gift for the boys.

They've been riding non-stop-weather permitting.

We also had Christmas at my Aunt Videt's house AND with Josh's family in Hammond. Both times I didn't have my camera with me. If you look through Jessica's blog you'll see some documentation from Aunt Videt's. You'll have to use your imagination for Josh's family party. Here's a vision for you. Robin had everyone bring gloves and we played a game where we had to roll doubles to be able to try and open a gift. The gift box had about 12 layers and Josh tore through three or four of them like a rabid wolverine. It was hilarious.

Thanks to them for hosting some great parties! That's the best I can do with documenting a full three weeks with a countless amount of family fun.

Tada! Merry Christmas!!