Monday, December 19, 2011

Custom Bridesmaid Clutches


I was SO elated to see these pictures today of a sweet friend's wedding, showing off her My Little Sunshine swag!  Each bridesmaid had a custom burlap & lace clutch with an different interior fabrics to fit each of their cute personalities! 

I do a lot of bridesmaid orders, but this was probably my favorite.  And what a cute photo op!  Love it!

Thanks, Kel, for letting me be a part of your special day :)

((photos courtesy of Half Orange Photography))

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Cold Hands Warm Hearts Swap 2011

I was SO thrilled this year to participate in Sandy & Ilene's Cold Hands Warm Hearts Swap this year!



And was even more thrilled to get to know my partner, Mandy a little bit! 
She seems like such a sweetheart & this girl has great taste & mad talent with a crochet hook!

Here's a little peek into what I received in the mail from Mandy...

 Adorable Texas print (with a heart just where it belongs), vintage mustard coffee mug, & some sweet treats.  Tucked away in the blue tissue paper, I found these:

Purple fingerless gloves!  And the best part?  They were made by Mandy!  I am loving these little hand warmers & have been wearing them almost constantly :)  


I think I'm all set for the winter season, what do ya think?

Check out more of Mandy's super cute crocheted gloves at her etsy shop, here.  Thanks, Mandy!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Our Pregnancy Story


I know, it's not much of a bump yet, but give us a little time...it'll get there!

I wanted to share a little bit (or maybe a lot) of our pregnancy story today.  Each & every person has a unique story, written by God.  For some, pregnancy comes as a surprise, for others, they hope expectantly each month for those two pink lines & for some, you've been trying so long--you've just given up even buying a stick each month.

Well, that last one was me.  Ben & I were trying almost 1.5 years before God chose to make my womb fruitful.  It was definitely a roller coaster trip of emotions--hopefulness, expectancy, disappointment, sadness, jealousy, hopefulness again, but each month seemed to end with disappointment.  I knew in my heart, that the Lord had our future & the future of our children in his hands, but I still couldn't help feeling disappointed.  I wanted Him to work on my timeline.   

I think it was about 6-8 months into our journey of trying to get pregnant, that I finally even voiced to a few people that we were trying to have children.  I guess, I didn't want to get people all excited & have them waiting for me to share with them the good news, when I wasn't sure if we were even going to be able to get pregnant.  When I finally did share with those few people, that yes, we were trying, but also that we were struggling, it was such a relief.  Ben & I felt that the burden was no longer solely resting on our shoulders, but that we had a little army of warriors carrying it with us, and praying for us.

Slowly, Ben & I were able to open up & share with more people about our difficulty getting pregnant & some of that disappointment & sadness was healed by encouragement & prayers from those dear to us.

Once, we finally reached the year mark, we were able to start seeing the doctor, to explore the world of infertility. A little scary, but we were ready to find out what or if there was anything wrong.  I think one of the hardest parts of that whole year beforehand, was just the unknown.  It's easy to fear what we do not know.  And I know that I definitely fell into that trap more than once.  I was actually looking forward to these tests in a way, as they might lead us to some answers.  All the while, I knew in my heart, that infertility or not, God could work a miracle in my body whenever & however he wanted--despite what any testing may prove.

The fertility testing took a few months to get to the part where we actually were having some testing done.  I had blood work done here & there to test for different signs of infertility.  About a  month or so later, I had results from some of the blood work that showed I probably didn't ovulate.  However, they still had more tests to run before we explored that road more.

In one test, they actually told me that I did not ovulate that month...so I thought to myself, well, at least I know not to get my hopes up this month about being pregnant!

But some strange things happened that month, that were actually making it difficult for me to remember what the doctor had said.  My mom, who had been praying for our infertility for a very long time, was praying for us one day & just uncontrollably, spouted out the words, "Lord, protect those babies!" (She really wanted twins.)...She told me the story and I thought.....that's weird....what if....no, impossible.

Then, my next door neighbor, shared with me a dream she had, where I was pregnant.  I joked with her and said, "maybe you're prophetic" and she looked at me seriously, and said, "it wouldn't be the first time".  Again, I thought....what if, maybe?  And then I shook it out of my head.
And of course, just like the Lord, I felt a small tugging on my heart all month long, that I was pregnant.  He even gave me some scripture that I felt in my heart was for us & our baby, but I kept remembering the disappointment I had felt each time I had gotten to hopeful about being pregnant, and would always dismiss what I now know that He was placing on my heart.
On September 27th, I was scheduled for another round of tests, in which they required me to take a pregnancy test before hand because of the x-rays I would be exposed to.  Since, I had been having all these crazy feelings all month & interesting encounters, I decided I would take one at home before I went to the doctor....just in case.

I took the test, and waited.  and waited.

Finally, I got up the nerve to look at the test & squinted & did a double take because it looked as though there was a faint second line there.  WHAT??!!  What does that mean?? Is that a MAYBE you're pregnant?  a YES?  I was clueless.  I ran down the stairs to Ben & just blurted out, "Ben, I think I'm pregnant."  
"What do you mean, you think?"  I showed him the stick & the questionable second line...we were both so hopeful, but didn't fully know what to make of it.
Good thing we had round two at the hospital, they would know.
So we did our thing, went to our appointment & took another pregnancy test while we waited to have the x-ray done.  The nurse called our name & took us into her office & told us, "Well, we can't do your test today because it turns out, you're PREGNANT!"  

You'd have thought we would have seen that coming, but really I think we were dumbstruck with awe, wonder, disbelief, & amazement.  It was all so much. And to think, we would find out that we had naturally conceived on our way to an infertility test.  Only God could orchestrate it in such a way!  

So that's our little story, the story God wrote for us.

All I have to say is that His timing is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT.




Tuesday, December 6, 2011

first snow...


woke up to a mini winter wonderland this morning :)  

helllooooo winter. now to hibernate all day with some hot tea & sewing. 

Monday, December 5, 2011

A Very Merry Christmas from...




Just wanted to give everyone the heads up that there are only 

8 days left

to shop My Little Sunshine for Christmas.

Orders need to be placed by Dec. 12th to ensure delivery by Christmas!  

During the Christmas season & through part of January we will be closed for a little shop revamping, but will be back with lots of fun new products (YAY!)

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Fa la la la, Pinterest!

This will be my first Christmas with my hubby that we have not decorated for Christmas.  I didn't realize how much I'd miss all the holiday craftiness & decor!  We are going to be spending the entire season elsewhere, and it just didn't make much sense to do the whole shebang, but oh how I will miss it so!  

I decided to do a little Pinterest therapy, to sooth my soul today---I didn't want to feel like too much of a scrooge.  So if I were decorating this year...here's some of what you might find lying around our house or hanging from the tree :)  















Links to each photo can be found at my pinterest page, here. 

Monday, November 28, 2011

CYBER MONDAY!!


Celebrate Cyber Monday with 20% OFF in the handmade shop!  

use code:  CYMONDAY at checkout



Monday, November 21, 2011

I've got a little somethin' toasting in my oven....


a little baby bun!! 

Our little cutie was about 9.5 weeks when this was taken & only a little over an inch!  Little Buttercup is growing like a little weed in there at 13 weeks & is about the size of a peach now!  Hard to believe!


Ben & I are beyond excited for this new little addition to make his/her debut into our little family sometime in late May.  This little one is quite an answered prayer & is a miracle in the making.

Brace yourself for pictures, updates & stories :)  It's just gonna happen.


Wednesday, November 16, 2011

DIY Wednesday {Bare Branch Tree Decor}


I've always loved bare branch trees in home decor.  I was contemplating getting one to hang Christmas ornaments on, when I thought "shoot, I can make that!"  

And so I did.  Thankfully, fall actually exists in our neck of the woods, so leaves and branches are falling every which way in my back yard.  I selected a few branchy branches that caught my eye, spray painted them off-white (with a touch of glitter over the white), and just had to find a vase or object to put them in.

So far, I've settled on this silver vase...we'll see if I end up changing it :)  My branches just happened to lay out really nicely without the need for any stabilizer in the vase to hold them up. However, in the past I've used things like glass marbles, pepples or foam to stabilize things like this, so any of those should work, depending on the look you are going for.

I like my little branches, ornament-less & all...they might just end up being a year-round piece in our home :)

Monday, November 14, 2011

Spiced Chai Tea Latte



Apparently, I am on a recipe rampage lately.  Hope you are enjoying experimenting with new things as much as I am :)  

A few days ago, I went to the local coffee shop on a mission:  to treat myself to a Chai Tea Latte.  You can imagine my disappointment and the teeny ounce of despair I felt when I arrived only to find out it was the one drink they were out of that day.  REALLY??  Well, this would not do.   I needed that Spiced Chai.  

I got home, found my friend, Google & started looking up Chai Latte recipes.

I never end up having exactly what a recipe calls for & well, there's just something in me that loves to tweak things, so off I went to make my own version of a Chai Tea Latte.

Here's what I used:

2 cups water
2 single serving bags of Chai Tea (black tea is also fine)
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. mulling spice mix (includes cloves, orange peel, cinnamon, coriander & allspice)
1/8 cup raw sugar (most recipes called for much more than this, but I found the latte to be perfectly sweet)
2 1/2 cups milk


And here's what you do:

In a saucepan, bring water, tea bags, ginger & spice mix to a boil.  Let simmer for 5 minutes until well steeped.  Add raw sugar, stirring until dissolved.  Pour in the milk & heat until teeny tiny bubbles form.  

Use a sieve to extract the mulling spices & tea bags from the Chai & pour yourself a nice warm mug of what I like to call, Christmas in Your Mouth.  
Top with whipped cream & cinnamon.  Heavenly.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Delicious Tomato Basil Soup





Tomato Basil Soup is one of my absolute favorite dishes to make when the weather starts getting chilly.  
Yesterday was a chilly, rainy day--perfect for making this yummy soup!



Ingredients:

1 TBSP butter
2-3 cloves garlic
14 vine ripened tomatoes, cut in half
2 tsp oregano
1 Shallot, minced
2 TBSP fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp each. salt & pepper
2 1/2 cups organic vegetable broth (lower sodium)
1/4 cup heavy cream
squeeze of lemon juice


To Prepare:

Preheat oven to 425*.  Place tomatoes, flesh side down on baking sheet, along with cloves of garlic.
Roast for 50 minutes, taking the garlic out after 30.

Heat butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, shallots, oregano, basil, salt & pepper.  Cook for about 3 minutes, or until garlic begins to turn brown & shallots are cooked through.
Add tomatoes & broth to the mixture & simmer, covered for 15 minutes.
Puree soup with either immersion blender or in batches with a regular blender until nice & smooth.
Pour in heavy cream & lemon juice.  Season with additional salt or pepper if needed.

Cook up some yummy grilled cheese sandwiches to go along with the meal and you have one delightful meal.

Enjoy!


Monday, November 7, 2011

Texas Happenings

Yes, we took our trip almost a month ago.  & yes, I am just now getting around to posting pictures.  

Just a few of my favorites from a visit to our favorite places in Texas.








Oh & some favorite friends had to make their way into the pictures ((of course!))



Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Boo.


We have a LOT of kids in our neighborhood, which on Halloween translates to a TON of trick or treaters.

Three of our neighborhood couple friends & ourselves decided to spend the evening together, enjoying each other's company while passing out the loot.  As the details of our little block party came together, well let's just say we got a little carried away.

Military people move a lot & tend to have a lot of boxes.  What's a better use for old boxes than to make a little Halloween maze?   
We were quite the neighborhood hit with the chillins ;) 

 The Flapper & the Mob Boss

Bob even made his first Halloween debut...as our mob pup.  He was not a fan of the mob hat. 

The Flapper, Lois Lane, a Hippie & a Fairy 

Clark Kent, the Mob Boss, Pirate & Luigi

Friday, October 28, 2011

Amy Butler's Lark Collection is now in stock!

On this lovely Friday, I am enjoying admiring some of the brand new fabrics to come to My Little Sunshine.

Can't wait to brainstorm all the fun things I can make with these!  

Check out these beauties here & in the shop! 

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Hello there...

It's good to see you again.

The Hubs, Bob & I have been gone for quite some time--about 10 days or so, for a little trip around Texas to see family and friends.


It was quite the whirlwind.  But definitely full of fun & lots of sweet memories.  

Really sweet ones, in fact...but more on those later.

While visiting the quaint little town of Blanco, Texas, Ben & I stumbled upon quite an interesting find.

One of the sets of True Grit.  Who knew?  Well, apparently my mom did.  

Ben could not in good conscience leave the little town before visiting a little piece of one of his favorite films.



so much happiness going on in this picture.

and here it is...the famous staircase.  anyone know what i'm talking about?  jeff bridges walks down from court, the little girl is waiting to hire him & rolls his cigarette for him at the bottom of the stairs.  (it's ok, i had to be told too)


Thursday, October 13, 2011

Fall Dish:: French Apple Tart

Beautiful, crisped apples on a warm buttery tart? Can you tell I'm in the fall mood?

I was craving a little something sweet (but not too sweet) with a fall flavor (other than pumpkin..no offense to pumpkin) and stumbled upon this recipe from the Barefoot Contessa...a few minor alterations (a little less butter & sugar, seriously--you'll never know the difference) and this dish was good to go!




For the pastry:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon raw sugar
  • 9 tablespoons (~1 1/4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
  • 1/2 cup ice water

For the apples:
  • 4 Granny Smith apples
  • 1/4 cup raw sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, small-diced
  • 1/2 cup apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam (see note)
  • 2 tablespoons Calvados, rum, or water


And in the Barefoot Contessa's words, here are the directions:


For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Roll the dough slightly larger than 10x14 inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.
Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baller. Slice the apples crosswise in 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. (I tend not to use the apple ends in order to make the arrangement beautiful.) Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup sugar and dot with the butter.
Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine! When the tart's done, heat the apricot jelly together with the Calvados and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.


Pumpkin Patch + Friends

Pumpkin Patches are fun.  Especially when friends are involved.

Last weekend we had some sweet friends in town for a little visit which consisted of campfires, s'mores, pumpkin picking, tractor riding & wii tournamenting.  With an event list like that, it's pretty obvious- we had a great time!

Hildi the horse

 love this family :)

Claiming his pumpkin...or maybe he just needs a break ;) 

 Our first real pumpkin patch.  All the pumpkins were grown right where we stood!

 I think we've found "the one"..just needs a little dusting off.

 tractor rides are fun when you're 3 years old...or 25.

 friendlies :)

the pumpkin patch has been conquered & pumpkins acquired. success.