Birthday Girls, and the cakes that they love...

July is a very busy month. Kate has a birthday on the 15th and Sydney's is on the 30th. Luckily my daughters are loved!!! My friend Charlene, loves any excuse to have a "Party". (Paige has even been trained to say,"It's a Party." Over and over again.) What my girls didn't know before this month is that Charlene also has rockin cake making skills. Luckily Charlene is available for a party three times this month.
Kate with her butterfly masterpiece two weeks ago. We have a caterpillar named...Jonas living with us. We share custody of this caterpillar with Kate's friend Faith, the co discoverer/parent. After shedding his skin a few times, (I DID NOT KNOW THEY DID THIS!), he is now in his cocoon. He won't be this beautiful since he is only a moth but you get the picture.

Last Friday, we had a campout sleep over as a combined birthday party. (More fun stories will be posted about this grand event in the future.) This is our S'more cake, YUMMY!

Sydney couldn't have a preying mantis or caterpillar cake...tooo gross. So she asked for a ladybug and Charlene DELIVERED!!! Literally. Sydney did say that this was her "best day ever." The best part is my girls loved their birthdays.

Just a little note...Charlene is now on a cake making break until the end of August. I'm sure she's relieved!

Happy Day!

My niece Lindsey came over last week. The day was anticipated, postponed, and then "Finally here!"according to Kate. They played in our "lake"(cause of much laughter and silliness), swam in the pool, and John took them all to the Zoo. Which meant I had time alone! What that really meant was that I could finish working on my niece's half finished birthday present. (I have been working on my procrastination problem.....old habits die hard.)

Children back and exhausted, gift done, and a great day had by all.

Happy Sweet 16 Lindsey! You rock!!!

Who knew rain could be so much fun?

Paige doesn't like baths. She will not sit down in the tub and so bath time is a little precarious since she also can't stand still. We have discovered(quite accidentally) that Paige doesn't mind being wet, in fact she loves to be wet. This is a first for a Rappling. Some siblings whose name we can't mention cannot even have a drop of water on their faces without calling for a towel. We have had a lot of rain recently and I have been leaving the studio door open, never thinking that my baby would love water! Paige is mesmerized. This rain stuff is the obviously best thing ever. Dunking her little head in the drips and saying, "Rain! Rain! Cole! Cole !" I guess a little water never hurt.

Two weeks after the making of this amazing footage I gave Paige her first shower. My older daughters obviously took a while to get used to the torture that is a shower. Paige couldn't believe her eyes! "Rain! Rain! Hot! Hot!" As she promptly dunked her head into the shower and giggled a little crazily. Never knew bath time could be so much fun.

Kate's so very very funny.

I discovered six or seven of these "movies" that she took over the last couple of weeks. This one made me laugh the most. Thought everyone might enjoy. ~Susan

Rain, Rain and more Rain!

So cute aren't they? Kate and Syd are spending a night at their friend's house. So the time I usually spend negotiating, cajoling, and reading bed time stories is now all mine. (Insert diabolical laughter here.) So I have time to organize and backup photos, blog, and my favorites laundry and dishes. This may sound like too much fun for one girl but believe me I can handle it! (I sound optimistic about my to do list because it is now a DONE list except for the laundry. Which WILL WAIT until morning.)

Last week John and I took a little time to appreciate the amazingly perfect weather by sitting in our lawn chairs. John was studying and I was "on break," which is what John and I say when we're going to ignore the Rapplings for a few minutes unless there are visible wounds that really "NEED" a band aid. After I went to bed that night it rained and rained and rained. I woke up to our little lake again. Paige wanted to "IM" but not in the pool, in our yard. What a difference a night can make.

John took these out of the back yard Saturday Night. That's when all the water came flooding out of the legs of the chairs onto the drive way.

Nice shot of the fog coming off of the ground.

I remember it was almost two years ago exactly when I sat on the couch with a newborn and waited to see how much flooding we would have at Skrappaper. I was exhausted and worried. How could I help John , manage a new baby, a cranky two year old and bail water. I knew I was loved when Melly, Ken, Lisa and Harvey came to our rescue.

Lisa's off in Mexico right now and Melly's in Indiana but I am so thankful that they were here for me when I needed them. Love you, thanks friends!

The CREATION of a MESSENGER BAG

THE FIRST BOOK OF SUSAN
CALLED The CREATION of a MESSENGER BAG

CHAPTER 1

In which Susan creates a bag and all of it's pockets in six days

—The creative acts of each day set forth.

1 In the beginning Susan created the front pleated pocket.
2 And the pockets were without form, and useless; and a great pile of fabric sat in Susan's studio ready to be attached. And Susan finally decided to start upon her project.....which had been cut out since October but had been stacked neatly in the sewing cabinet awaiting a lull in which she could start working.

3 And Susan said, let there be a pocket and there was a pocket..... Make it sound easy don't I? Did I forget to mention that I forgot to attach the tab with the Velcro on it, that belongs in between the layers to close the bag at the end before sewing all of the pieces shut?

4 And Susan saw the pocket, that it was good..... after making some minor seam ripping and swearing in her heart here a little and there a little, and then Susan divided the left side from the right side.

5 And Susan called the first pieces the front pocket, and the evening and the morning were the first day.

See there are two cute gathered pockets on the front! No REALLY there are.

6 ¶ And Susan said, Let there be a back zippered pocket, and let it hold all sorts of amazing things.

7 And Susan made the back zippered pocket, and divided the top from the bottom with a zipper and lining: and it was so.
8 And Susan called the back zippered pocket amazing.....After ripping out the zipper seams seven times! And the evening and the morning were the second day.

9 And Susan said, Let the side and bottom panels be gathered together unto one place, and let the form of a bag appear: and it was so.
10 And Susan called the outside of the bag beautiful; and the gathering together of all the pieces not to painful: and Susan saw that it was good.
11 And Susan said, Let their be a front flap, with a zippered pocket on the inside, to store all sorts of odds and ends in: and it was so.
12 And the front flap was lined and attached to the form of the bag: and Susan saw that it was good.....and also didn't have any complications.
13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

14 And Susan said, Let there be a strap on this bag; and let make it easier to carry. And make sure to not cut it out the correct length in the first place just to confuse the seamstress.
15 And let there also be a tool panel, to hold pencils and other necessities: and it was so.
16 And Susan made four small slots and a larger slot; the greater slot to hold notepads and the lesser slots to hold pens and pencils. And Susan saw that it was good.....but was too tired to take pictures.
17 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

18 And Susan said, Let the fabric bring forth another zippered pocket on top of the tool caddy.
19 And Susan created a pocket, and tried very hard to figure out which piece was which, since she had lost the paper templates and fabric seemed to be abundantly reproducing, after it's kind, and every piece seemed to almost fit and after much thinking, she said I'll make it work, and it was done: and Susan saw that it was good.
20 And Susan was thankful to be done, saying, Thank goodness. I could use a drink!.....except since I'm a devoted non drinking Mormon and let other people have all the fun I would like only ice water please. Okay maybe I'll have a Cream Soda but that's as wild as I can be tonight. Since I have to work on my creation tomorrow . Alas she had no energy to take more pictures leaving her friends and posterity disappointed again.
21 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

22 And Susan said, Let this be the last day, since I can't stand to do this without the correct pattern pieces and the second page of instructions anymore.....because I was raised by Paul Wibbeler and it is IMPORTANT, just ask my mom what happens when I sew without instructions: and it was so.
23 And Susan made the interior of the bag, she did it without the rest of the instructions since she lost the all important page two, and laughed at herself for, well being herself: and Susan saw that it was good.
24 And Susan said, Let me make the bag in the likeness of the photos on the pattern: and please let me do a halfway decent job so I don't have to rip out anymore seams, and I can finally show Melly the pattern and fabric she gave me last September created into something amazing or at least halfway decent.
25 So Susan created the bag in the image of the photos on the pattern, in the image of the photos on the pattern created she it, front, back, inside, and flap created she them.
26 And Susan was thankful to finally be done, and said unto the bag, be strong, and helpful, and hold many things, and help Susan carry everything she needs: and do it well.
27 And Susan saw every thing that she had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

28 Thus the messenger bag was finished, and all of Susan's children and her husband were thankful to have their wife and mother back, and made a joyful noise.....That's what I'll call the noise for the sake of this story anyway.

29 And on the seventh day Susan ended her work which she had made; went to church, taught Sunday School and rested on the seventh day from all her messenger bag sewing with which she had been very busy...while informing her friends and family that there was NO WAY she would be making another bag, while offering her partial pattern pieces and partial instructions for them to figure out, all the while laughing maniacally in her heart. Amen.

P.S. Just a quick note when I find the missing pattern pieces and elusive page two instructions I would be willing to create another bag since the pattern wasn't hard to follow and the drawings included were great.

P.S.S. Click here to see the pattern and more fabrics by Amy Butler .

P.S.S. If you want to buy from a friend, I'm sure Cami at Clementine's in Indiana.....Melly's new home away from home, would be willing to help you out. Hope that's okay Cami! Night all!!! ~Susan