The Drew Family

Button Necklace Tutuorial

2011-08-31T09:47:00.000-07:00

I saw this picture on Pinterest last week and thought it would be fun to make one. But there was no tutorial, so I figured it out and now I'm tell you all how to make it :)

Make your own

you need embroidery floss... (I already had some) You'll need a piece about 4 feet long

Line up all your buttons in the order you want them

Separate your embroidery floss into 2 even sections

Thread into 2 sewing needles, then with both strands together, go to the other end, come up 5 inches and tie a knot.

Thread one needle through a button,

then the second needle through the other side of the button.

Tie 4 knots and you're ready to thread the next button.

Make sure when you tie the knots that they are on the side of the button...

not on top/bottom.

when you have threaded every button, tie the ends together anyway you like!

more flowers...

2011-08-30T17:33:00.000-07:00

I'm definitely an armature at this. but it's fun to make them!

flowers for headbands

2011-08-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

While Evy was sleeping on saturday, I got to have fun making these lovelies...

She wore the green one to church yesterday! She was darling :)

The Birth of Evalynn Kate

2011-08-15T17:25:00.000-07:00

It was July 24^th, 2011, a little before 1AM. I got up to go to the bathroom like I do every night, and I felt a gush of fluid and thought, “did my water break?” I couldn’t believe something was actually happening. I went to the restroom and fluid continued to leak out. I knew for sure that my water broke.

I remember my Midwife telling me that I should sleep if this were to happen late at night. So that’s what I did. Well, I tried to sleep. I could have slept through those first contractions, but my mind wouldn’t let me sleep. I kept thinking, “She’s finally going to come!!!”

I sent a text message to my Midwife giving her a heads up. She was glad that it was finally happening…naturally. I didn’t wake Spencer to tell him because I wanted him to get some rest. He woke up about an hour later to go to the bathroom and noticed I was awake. He then asked me in a somewhat excited voice, “Did your water break?” I wanted him to sleep the rest of the night, but I didn’t want to lie, so I said, “YEP!”

Of course we both lie there in bed trying to sleep but not getting anywhere close to that. I could feel the contractions getting stronger as the hours passed and they just felt like those lovely cramps us ladies get once a month. By 5 or 6AM, they were getting to be more painful, so I sat on a birth ball (exercise ball) and rolled my hips around when a contraction came. Let me tell you that the birth ball helped with the pain sooooooo much!

At about 6AM, I was getting really queasy, so I ran to the bathroom and threw up. I told the Midwife and we’re pretty sure that it meant that I went through my first transition. I felt better and went back to labor on the birth ball.

I had Spencer call the Midwife and tell her to head on over because we thought that I was progressing pretty quickly. She got to our house around 7 or 7:30AM. She then unloaded all of her equipment from the car. Her student/assistant arrived shortly after. I had moved into the living room (where the birth was going to be) and was lying on the couch and not moving through the contractions. I could definitely tell that it was not working as well as sitting on the birth ball. So, I got back on the ball. I knew that I was going to be getting in the water soon, so they started to fill up the birth pool. They put the tarp on the carpet in the living room, filled the kiddie pool with air, put the pool liner in, and connected the brand new garden hose to the faucet in the bathroom. Then filled the pool with warm water.

I went through my next transition and went to the bathroom to throw up. Lovely isn’t it?

My Mom, sister, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law got to our house around 8:30 or 9AM. I am so glad they all got to make it. Amy, my sister-in-law, had the video camera (I wanted to watch the birth later), and Brianna, my sister, had the camera to take pictures. I was so glad she was able to do that because those pictures turned out wonderfully.

The baby’s heart rate was checked periodically to make sure everything was good (even while I was in the water). Her heart rate was always great, which made me happy to know everything was going well. My blood pressure was also checked, and again, everything was great.

I was also eating and drinking Gatorade to keep myself hydrated. Much better than having an IV stuck in my arm, I must say.

While all this is happening, I had a playlist from my iPod playing soft, serene music. 7.5 hours worth. It took forever to put the playlist together since I looked through all of my music I had.

Around 9:30AM my contractions were getting pretty unbearable so I said, “I can’t take this anymore…” The Midwife said, “I think you need to get in the pool then.” So I hopped off of the birth ball and straight into the pool. I didn’t want to be basically half naked with everyone watching me, so I wore a swimsuit cover up around my waist. That way, they could keep an eye on where the baby was and I was still covered up. Anyway, the moment I sat in the water I felt so much relief. It was unbelievable!!! I labored there until she was born. I think that if I was forced to get out of the water for the delivery (like they do in some hospitals) I would have punched someone. Haha :)

I rested on the side of the pool through my contractions (which were minutes apart). It helped to have someone hold my hand or press on my back for comfort. I also told everyone to tell me I was doing a really good job. That helped me so much. It kept my mind on the prize! They said supportive things to me so much that every time I thought, “I can’t do this”, someone would say, “You’re doing it, Jessica! She’s almost here! You will be holding her soon!” Then I would get the strength to keep going.

At one point, I had Spencer count when I had contractions because then I knew time, indeed, was moving forward. I also knew that they only lasted about a minute long, so I knew how much longer I had to wait until it was over.

One quick fact: Contractions induced by Pitocin are much stronger and are very hard from the moment they start to the moment they end. Natural contractions come like a wave. Very weak, then strong for a little while, then getting weaker by the second until you can’t feel it anymore.

Around 10AM I started to feel the urge to push. I was floating on my side so I pushed during the contractions for about 5-10 minutes. I thought That I needed to change positions because I felt like it wasn’t working as well as it could be. So I got on my hands and knees, still being covered with water. With the first contraction/push I did in this position I made huge progress. My Midwife was so excited. She could see this happening real soon.

I kept this going and after a contraction I asked her, “If I push harder and longer will she come faster?” And she answered, yes. So I was incredibly motivated to get her out of there. I knew that I was going to give it all I got, even if it meant sweat would be dripping down my face (they don’t call it labor for nothing). My face was cooled with a cold towel very often.

Each contraction I could feel her move down more and more each time. I was on a roll. I was cheering myself on along with everyone else. I knew she was going to be here VERY soon.

She started to crown. Yep, I felt the burn. The water made it a ton better than what it could have been though. After each contraction it was nice to know I was making progress. I loved how my family was shouting with excitement when they could see more of her head coming. My belly was a funny shape during this period.

I said a lot of funny things during my labor (see bottom of post) but I loved how my Midwife would reply to some of my comments.

Me: wow, that doesn’t feel very good.

Her: Yep.

Me: It’s starting to burn.

Her: Yep, it’s gunna do that.

She wasn’t there to baby me, she was there to help me. Reassure me that what I was feeling was normal. I loved that.

At one point I felt her head as it was crowning and I cried because I knew she was so close to being in my arms.

I was told that I needed one more push to get her head out. So I PUSHED with all my might. Her head came out. I remember saying, “Oh that feels…relief.” Everyone was ecstatic! It was all happening so fast. My Midwife checked for cord around her neck, everything looked fine so before the next contraction, Spencer got right next to the Midwife getting ready to catch the baby and bring her up to me. With the next contraction I pushed so hard to get her body out. She was borderline shoulder dystocia so she rotated the baby’s shoulders so she could come right out. My contraction had ended right after her shoulders were rotated. So I decided to rest. My Midwife said, “NO, you have got to push right now. You’ve got to do this.” I knew by the sound of her voice that I didn’t have a choice.

Do you know how hard it is to push a baby out WITHOUT having a contraction? Imagine trying to do sit ups without having any strength in your abs. With a few months of your stomach muscles being stretched out, that’s exactly what it’s like. So I took a humongous breath and pushed with every ounce of strength I had. With my mind being focused on only pushing, I slowly notice that everyone was shouting, “She’s here! She’s here, Jessica!”

11:20AM, I opened my eyes and saw a baby, a REAL baby being handed to me! My jaw dropped. I was in shock. What just happened? Is this real? How did I do that? I started to cry. Everyone started to cry.

She was so calm. Everything was perfect. Her arms stretched out, her puckered lips, and her tiny body. She wasn’t even crying. She was breathing but not crying. She was already so clean because she came through the water.

A warm towel was put over us, and they began to suck the fluid from her nose and mouth.

They listened to her lungs and there was some fluid still in there. We were rubbing her back to make her cry it out.

They also gave her some oxygen to make sure she was getting enough. Again, she was doing fine but all this was to help her even more.

The fluid cleared out after we got her mad enough to cry. I just sat there holding her for about 5-10 until her cord stopped pulsing.

Spencer cut the cord and they picked her up, wrapped a warm towel around her and handed her to Spencer. His face was priceless. He had so much love for her already. He was a happy Dad.

I felt some light cramping and with one push, I delivered the placenta. I was helped out of the pool and we walked into my room. And sat on my bed. I had previously bought used sheets from Goodwill so I wasn’t worried about getting them dirty. After Evalynn had all the fluid from her lungs cleared, she was brought to me. I nursed her for the first time and it took about a half hour to really get her to latch on right. She nursed really well after that. She nursed for a while, then we let our family finally hold her. It was about 2 hours after she was born by the time they got to hold her.

While the family was taking turns holding Evalynn, I got to take a shower. It was lovely. First “hot” shower I’ve had since I was pregnant. I changed into new clothes and sat back on my bed. My mom made me a sandwich because I was soooo hungry. They began doing her newborn “check up”. She weighed in at 7lbs 4.2oz. And was 20 inches long. Measured her head, it was 14 inches. They went through their checklist of things to do as I just sat there in awe of my new baby girl.

My mom put Evalynn’s diaper and first outfit on. She was adorable. My Dad, step Mom and brother (as well as some of my cousins) came by and got to hold her. They were so excited to finally meet her.

She saw the pediatrician a day later and everything looked great.

We had a wonderful day and everything went like we hoped it would be. She and I are both healthy and I can’t wait to watch her as she grows.

Funny things I said while in Labor:

“ I can’t believe there is going to be a baby coming out of my crotch.”

“Do you think this baby is gunna come out?”

“Can it just come out now? Already!”

I was in a certain stage of labor when the Midwifes Student said, “This is my favorite part…” and I said very sternly, “My favorite part is when it’s out!”

“Feel the burn!” said as if I were a jazzercise instructor.

While music was playing, Spencer said, “This was our first dance.” I quickly said, No it’s not!” ( it was our “song” but not our “first dance”. It was in spanish, that’s why it wasn’t our first dance.)

If you have any questions about home births feel free to ask me!

Also, my Midwife is Alison Haasch and you can view her website here.

She's here!!!

2011-08-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

I am beyond excited for Evalynn's arrival! She is now a week old and it has been a great week! I want to post pictures of her birth, but there are too many, so click HERE to see the album on facebook!

I will post about the birth soon!

Still Waiting...

2011-07-23T09:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, first of all, let's just look at the fact that I am BIGGER than sunday:

This is yesterday, the 22nd:

and this is Sunday, the 17th:

you see it? don't you? ya, that's 5 days of belly growth right there!

Anyway, my lovely sister came over and helped me with the vinyl art for Evalynn's wall.

Here is the nasty plain wall:

We first put up the branches:

Then we started applying the flowers:

Here is the finished wall!!! I am in love :) My husband said it looked nice, but I need to get over the fact that he is a guy and doesn't really care about decorations!!!!

Waiting for baby :)

2011-07-21T08:45:00.000-07:00

So what did I do on my due date? went to Moreno's Mexican Grill and got some Thrifty ice cream!!!! Doesn't everyone do that?

haha, just noticed in the windows, tons of "beer" logos!

by the way i'm 3 days overdue, so we'll see how much longer she takes!!!!

I'm DUE!!!!

2011-07-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

yep! that's right! I am 40 weeks!!!!!! So it's really any day now. I do hope it's sooner than later though.

Spencer has agreed to paint my toe nails for me because the paint is all chipped off of them!!! he's so sweet! I love him :)

I also can't wait for my sister to take photos of my home waterbirth! here's a site that will get you hooked on birth photography: http://www.dfwbirthphotographer.com/home/?cat=6

38 weeks

2011-07-03T16:18:00.000-07:00

haha, here is my 38 week belly! let's compare it to my 18 week belly!!! hahaha! this shirt barely fits now!!!

sorry if my weird face freaks you out :) I can't help it!!!

hahaha, that shirt was pretty big on me :)

Maternity Shoot!!!

2011-06-23T15:53:00.000-07:00

Oh man! I was so excited for this!! A big THANKS to my sister, brianna, for taking them. She's such a great photographer. I cannot WAIT to take pics of my little Eva!! (haha, yes I think I keep changing her nickname every week).

36 week Belly

2011-06-20T09:21:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it????? I'm 36 weeks!!!! I can't wait until I get to hold my sweet little Evy! WE'RE READY FOR YOU NOW!!!!

Baby Shower { 34 weeks }

2011-06-13T08:48:00.001-07:00

I had so much fun at the shower! Thanks to all who came and brought gifts! I seriously loved everything!!!! Check out all the pics here!

The Whaley Ghost House

2011-06-03T07:33:00.000-07:00

Watch this TV episode about my long long far away relative Thomas Whaley and His home!!!!!

31 week belly

2011-05-22T10:04:00.000-07:00

i know i'm 32 weeks tomorrow, but it took me forever to actually get this picture loaded on my computer!!! I am soooooo excited for the day that I get to hold my little Evy!

crib bedding!

2011-05-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

check out this super cute crib bedding that my friend, Rebecca Greer made!!!! I love the bright colors and the soft minky on the inside!!!!!

The MATTRESS doesn't have a sheet yet so if it looks weird, that's why...

Thanks Rebecca!!! I love it!

I'm 30 weeks now! can you believe it???? here's a pic we took at my mom's house on mother's day...

hahaha, i love how the boys are staring at me, they're probably thinking I take too many pictures...

28 week belly

2011-05-07T08:50:00.000-07:00

i'm getting bigger!!! I'm 29 weeks now, so we'll see what my 30 week picture looks like! I feel like i'm growing everyday!

new swimsuit!

2011-05-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

yay! i just bought this suit from target...$25! I already have black bottoms from another suit and a brown swim skirt...I can't wait to go swimming now!

Ultrasound 25 wks

2011-04-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

hahaha, I'm getting things on here out of order, here is a pic from the ultrasound we had when I was almost 26 weeks. I'm afraid that I'm looking huge already...

My mom is going to kill me for putting this next picture up! She was pregnant with Josh and he was a 9 1/2 pounder! this is the biggest belly she got! I'm afraid that I too will look like this...only time will tell.

We got some 3D pictures, but one of them made her look like an alien, so I'm just going to show you the one I like...

26 weeks!

2011-04-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

hey ya'll! I'm 26 weeks, and proud of it!

Everything is going great and I'm on my way to see my midwife for my next appointment!

Baby count down Chain!!!

2011-04-06T09:33:00.001-07:00

Watching the office on HULU.com while making the COUNT DOWN CHAIN!!!!! 101 days to go!!!!

Here is the finished product! I get so excited every time I tear off a chain!!!

Dinner from the Garden

2011-04-06T09:33:00.000-07:00

I know Spencer wishes we could say, "we raised the chicken, killed it and cooked it, and also grew the potatoes"......

Well, soon we will have potatoes...

Spencer grew Collard Greens, I know it sounds kinda weird, but when you cook the chicken and steam the collard greens with them, it's REALLY GOOD!!! don't even ask what spices are in there, I'd have to ask Spencer because he was just grabbing random ones and throwing them in!!!

mashed potatoes...no we bought these potatoes...there are some growing in Spencer's garden though!

Snow peas from the garden

All I can say is when some food comes from the garden, it makes the whole meal so much more amazing!!! Thanks to Spencer because I don't even do anything in the garden!!!

Yummy Garden veggies!

2011-04-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

Sugar Snap Peas!!

And Romaine Lettuce!

Guess what, he harvested MORE sugar snap peas yesterday. We have peas coming out of our EARS!!!

Conference!

2011-04-04T09:32:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you guys, but I thought conference was great! I didn't get to watch on saturday because I was busy, but sunday I did watch, and it was FANTASTIC!!!!

I can't remember which speaker it was, but they spoke about going through trials and they referenced a mother giving birth to her child...hmmm....that's going to definitely be hard but the outcome is sooooooo great! I hope most of you know I will be giving birth at home in a small pool in my living room! I am so excited about this. I have the most amazing midwife, Alison Haasch. If anyone is thinking about a home birth, then you need to meet with her! Here's her website: http://lifespringmidwifery.com/wordpress/

New Crib and Changing Table!

2011-03-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

Man oh man! This took a while, well actually only 3 days to Sand, prime and put two coats of white paint on these! I am so glad that I did it, I just love the white baby furniture!!!

I had a lot of help from my sister-in-law and my other two sisters! thanks guys!!!! oh. and spencer helped a little bit. He wanted this to be MY project....so he let me do most of it! but I kind of liked that, I didn't let anyone help me with the last white paint coat because I wanted it to be perfect!

Yes, the changing table has drawers, I just took them out to be sanded!

This is everything primed! It looked awful, but I knew that it would because it's just PRIMER!

Finally finished after two coats of white paint. The sheet that's in there isn't going to be there....my friend is making the crib bedding for me! It's going to be sooooo cute!

I have some nobs picked out at hobby lobby, they are toooooooo cute! I'll post a pic when I get them on!

haha, this is what the room looked like before....it's an absolute mess! I'll have to post an after pic after the bedding comes!

And spencer's step-mom sent us these adorable dresses in the mail! I am in love with them!

Alyssa's School Carnival!

2011-03-21T07:05:00.000-07:00

I love my baby sister!!!! She's going to be such a great aunt! she can't wait for evalynn to get here!

The burgers were soooooooo yummy!!!!

Churros too! baby's happy!

Hahahahaha! we rode the kid train ride and we were definitely the oldest ones on there! but it was fun! the driver was crazy!

we won stick on earrings!

hahaha, she put two on each ear!

Overall, it was hot, but so much FUN!

watch evalynn kate grow! 22 weeks

2011-03-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

I sometimes think there is still a baby the size of a bean in me, until I look at this! she's definitely growing! 22 weeks!

New picture frames!

2011-03-07T12:18:00.000-08:00

So, my grandma was so excited the other day to give me a picture frame! I wondered why she was giving me something, and she said it was for my BIRTHDAY! which is in MAY! she couldn't wait :)

Here is the hallway before I put up the frame...

Blank left side of the hallway...

new black iron tree...

Frames that hang on the tree...

I can't wait to fill these picture frames of baby Evalynn

New hallway!!!!!

the right side of the hallway...if you were wondering what it looks like!

21 weeks!

2011-03-06T15:31:00.000-08:00

hahaha, here is my excited face!!!

Do you think there's a difference between my 16th week and now?

BABY GIRL!

2011-02-25T20:12:00.000-08:00

Oh we are so excited to announce that we are having a baby GIRL! Her name will be Evalynn Kate! I love it so! I can't wait til I get a 3D ultrasound in 5 weeks!!!

Here is her profile!

and her arm to the left, and her hand..... and her legs on the right!

and here is her leg on the right and you can kinda see her foot.

Click on the pictures if you want to see them close up/bigger!

Valentine's Day!

2011-02-15T08:36:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day was great! I made a card from a free template from the Florabella Collection. It's so cute!

Last week I went to my sister, Brianna's, house to make chocolate roses. That was an adventure. We tried to let them dry at room temp. but they came out crusty and disgusting!!! so then we tried to put them straight in the fridge and it worked! they came out beautiful and shiny!!!!

I came home to flowers!!!!!! I love these kind of flowers, NOT ROSES! I'm not a roses kind of girl. To me, these are more beautiful! My man totally knows me!

Then we went to Olive Garden and right when we went to reserve our seats, they said two seats just opened at the bar, so we took them! it was that, or an hour and 15 min. wait.

and NO, THIS IS NOT ALCOHOL! It's a mango/strawberry lemonade with sprite on top! it was yummy!!!!

And here is my pregnant belly at week 18...not much different than 2 weeks ago!

16 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-02-02T13:33:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it! I'm 16 weeks! my baby is the size of an avacado!!!

Posh Blvd. Giveaway!!

2011-01-31T10:57:00.000-08:00

http://posh-blvd.blogspot.com/2011/01/giveaway.html?showComment=1296499770649#c762993295856829642

Check out this giveaway my friend Tawny is doing! you can win a free handmade hair piece!

Blankets { for mom and alyssa }

2011-01-27T10:46:00.000-08:00

there are 3 family birthday's in january! My mom's, spencer's, and Alyssa's. I decided to make my mom and alyssa blankets for their birthdays. It took a lot of work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought that alyssa's blanket wouldn't take that long, but it actually did!!! I was up almost all night for like 3 days to finish it in time for her birthday dinner at my mom's house!

anyway, here is alyssa's patchwork quilt and my mom's crocheted black cuddle blanket.

13 weeks

2011-01-12T07:56:00.000-08:00

barely a baby bump...

2011-01-05T16:44:00.000-08:00

this is when I was 7 weeks (now I'm 12), I know that I'm just bloated, so we'll call this my "before" picture!

Temple Lights

2011-01-04T09:22:00.000-08:00

this day was a day of bad morning sickness. Can't wait till it's over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GUESS WHAT?????

2010-11-17T09:45:00.000-08:00

oh man oh man am I excited!!!

Bell Peppers and Green Beans!

2010-11-11T08:10:00.000-08:00

Spencer has been using our entire backyard for a garden! It's great! This green bell pepper was "deformed" in his eyes, so he chopped it off and let me eat it! IT WAS SOOOOOO good! I absolutely love bell peppers, I could eat it like an apple.

I's small, but still so good!

and these are a TON of green beans spencer just picked. We are going to freeze them cuz there are so many, and have them with dinners! yum!

he is so so so so so so so happy!

Halloween

2010-11-04T10:03:00.000-07:00

The Saturday before halloween, I went over to my mom's house to do josh and alyssa'a hair and makeup for their ward trunk-or-treat party.

Here is alyssa before...

and alyssa after!

She wanted to be a dead/sad bride.

she found the wedding dress at goodwill on half off day!

she drew stitches on her arm...

here's josh before...

and after!

he wanted to be a skeleton, I tried.... i didn't have white paint though...

And for OUR trick-or-treat party!

farmer drew and his pregnant wife!

(relax it's just a pillow, although a lot of people thought I was really pregnant!!!)

then, on Halloween Sunday, we went to my aunt carla's house for bread bowls and amazing soup!!!

check out these cute pumpkin bread bowls!

Thanks Aunt Carla for starting a new family tradition!!!

Vertuccio Farms

2010-11-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

http://www.vertucciofarms.com/

I don't think they liked me taking a pic of them...

Spencer the farmer!

Spencer was fascinated by the chicken coupe!

haha, all the chickens turned around when I took this!

again, spencer was fascinated by all of the farm elements! he wants to by a huge lot, and live in a trailer while we build our dream house on the farm!

we also walked through the corn maze!

Thanksgiving wreath & front entrance makeover

2010-10-28T09:46:00.000-07:00

Last week I noticed my walls were white, bare, and boring. So, I decided to go to hobby lobby (when spencer was out on a young men's campout) and got an open back frame for 50% off! so i decided to make a wreath to go in the center of it on my wall! I was too excited.

I got these pine cones off the ground under a tree! OH YA! $0

Here is a close up of a pine cone without glitter glue on it:

Glitter glue: WALMART $2.50

Fake mini pumpkin from WALMART: $1.00

3 grape vines off my mom's dead grape vine in the back yard... $0

it's good to pick the vines when they are still green and bendy, so you can shape the wreath easily.

if they aren't bendy, soak in water and they will be in a few hours...

random decor for the wreath from WALMART: $2.00

$5.00

Shape the wreath as big as you want. Use green floral wire from WALMART to hold the vines together. WIRE: $3.00...i think.

take off all the leaves, or leave them on and let them get dry and crispy...that could look neat too...

now arrange all the fun florals around the wreath and use got glue or the green wire to hold it all together...

here is my empty wall before the wreath was up...

and after!!!

*******************************************************

here is my basket that was on my coffee table in my front room...I wanted to make it fit into my thanksgiving decor theme...

so I added a bunch of leftover florals I bought from walmart. I didn't glue anything, I just started stuffing it all in there :)

*******************************************************

now for my front entry way... it looks very BLAH if you ask me...

I went to GOODWILL on half off day and got this chair... $15 and put a pillow I had previously make on it...

and...

a curtain I got at WALMART for $7 don't you love a great bargain!

(curtain rod $4 at walmart)

that's all for now...I'll have more soon, I'm feeling in the crafty mood!

Finally a NEW POST!

2010-10-27T07:22:00.000-07:00

hahaha, it's been a while since I posted!

I am having such a fun time crafting! I know I'm busy and think, "how can I even have time to craft?" but I find a way some how!

Here is a fancy cork board I found at goodwill...it used to have a coffee picture in it, so I changed it.

I bought an old book at goodwill and mod podge'd it to the board. then cut out scrapbook paper in the flower and bowl shapes and mod podge'd it to the board as well.

I went to Melissa Miller's house and had a craft day...we made these Boo Blocks...

NEXT: I wanted to vamp up this old picture frame and mat. So, like everything lately....I covered it in torn book pages and mod podge. I didn't get a before picture before I started, so this will have to do.

Turn all the edges under as you go...

back of the mat:

the circular opening:

back:

Halfway done:

all done with the mat!

now to rough up the edges with sandpaper:

photo bag giveaway!

2010-09-11T06:21:00.000-07:00

Click here!

Spencer's Garden

2010-07-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

This is so not my garden, I do absolutely nothing except take the pictures of it when he wants me to!!

Oh I also hate how the blog sucks all the color out of these photos!!!!

These are honeydew:

These are watermelons:

This is a banana squash: we've already eaten 3 yum!

And Corn: there's a lot growing out there!!!

our squash!

4th of july!!!

2010-07-18T08:46:00.000-07:00

here is a video of Brianna, Alysaa and I singing the National Anthem at Schnepf Farms. You can't see us at all because it's so dark, but you can see us when the fireworks go off in the middle of the song on "And the rockets red glare...." haha

win a mini shoot!

2010-07-01T08:12:00.000-07:00

hey guys! if you are in the valley and want to win free mini shoot, here's how:

post a link to my website, http://www.jessicadrewphotography.com/
on your wall, and once you have done that, let me know on my Facebook page: Jessica Drew Photography that you already posted it!

...then you will be
entered into a random drawing!!!ENDS July 3rd at ...11:59pm!!!!

The Adam's Visit to AZ

2010-06-28T16:20:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun with my cousins from Utah!! They came down for brianna's wedding for a couple weeks. They love Bahama Buck's, so we went there first!!!

This is Wesley cutie pie! he took my flag and his sisters and put it in his shaved ice, he said it made it taste better!

I hope my kids look as cute as he does!
this is the only picture of me i got because I couldn't wear makeup for a while (lasik) and i didn't like how wacky I looked!

This is me and Max
This is Josh, my brother! he is a crazy guy!
I put my hand through his hair like 3 times, and it did this!

I told him to give me a model pose!
A few days later:

We went to Harkin's to see...

It was such a good movie!!!!

This is on the way home, wesley stole spencer's sunglasses because he wanted to be cool too.
At the store:
yes, he is sitting on a block of cheese :)

playing Guess Who at grandma's house with spencer
Wesley's hair is a lot like josh's, it stands straight up if i run my hand through it!!!!

Trying to take a nap in grandma's bed!

Spencer and wesley watching thomas the tank engine on youtube (6am)
Playing wii!!!!

There are more videos that I took instead of pictures, because I like to make their trip here into a movie on DVD! anyway, it was so fun!

LASIK eye surgery!

2010-06-10T12:41:00.001-07:00

Yes, I finally did it!

This is the day of my pre-operation exam!
they dilated my eyes!!! freaky!
since my eyes were so dilated, i had to wear my regular glasses, sunglasses and those retarded things under my sunglasses!
The day of surgery, right after:
notice, no glasses under my sunglasses!!!!
Spencer had to drive! thanks babe!
now i have to look like this for 2 weeks! NO MAKEUP! I can't believe that i'm posting this on here!
I know my eye is open really huge, but I had to do that so you could see the bruises on my eye!
Eye meds.......a lot of them!

happy birthday to me! 22

2010-05-25T08:40:00.000-07:00

our new desk!

2010-05-16T08:30:00.001-07:00

so, here is our new DESK! I am so excited!!!!! Once in a while when you go to GOODWILL, you will find something like this: (not the decorations, those were already mine).
This is a WHALEN desk, worth $1,500!!!! and I got it for: $100, because it was 50% off day at goodwill. I am a lucky gal!
The only problem is that it is too big to fit through our doors to any of the rooms in the house. It's going to have to stay in the front room. I guess our house isn't like "rich" people's houses with giant doors to every room :)

here is spencer modeling how you would type at the desk :)

I love it :)

Our "business" Trip to Mexico

2010-05-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

We loved our trip to mexico! It was my first wedding outside the US! it was so fun, but I was on my feet for about 7 hours! I was so tired! Spencer was so brave to do all the driving. it took 4 hours to get there and then 7 hours of shooting, and 4 more hours of driving...so we got home at 6am, and we were wiped out!

Head on over to my photo blog to check out there pictures! CLICK HERE

Nie Nie Dialogues Video

2010-05-06T08:11:00.000-07:00

PLEASE WATCH!

This is a video of Stephanie Nielson (Nie Nie Dialogues) talking about her plane crash in 2008.

Unexpected Flowers!

2010-04-26T09:24:00.001-07:00

I was talking to my hubby on his way home from work the other day and I was just in a really good mood, and all of the sudden he walked through the door with this bunch of flowers!!! they looked so gorgeous!!!! I don't know why but these pictures aren't as colorful as the ones on my computer! oh well...

Please vote!!!

2010-04-23T09:39:00.001-07:00

Please head over to my photoblog to vote for your favorite "cute kid"!!!!!

http://www.jessicadrewphotoblog.com/?p=166

Enter my "cutest kid contest"

2010-04-02T20:41:00.000-07:00

Head on over to my Photo Blog to enter my cutest kid contest! Ends April 30th!

Click Here for details :)

My New Curtains! {sewing project}

2010-03-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

I am so excited that I finally got these done! I was busy sewing them for like a week!!!! but now they're up! yay!

now I gotta finish all the pillows, I have a couple done, but not all of them.....work.....work.....work!!!!!

the pattern:
the fun tassels:

WEEDS!!!!!!

2010-03-26T09:47:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how many weeds have grown in my backyard!!!!! It used to be just dirt for cryin' out loud!!!!!!! we have got some work to do! actually, I might keep it....I wonder how it will look for a backdrop.....we'll see!

I love what I do!

2010-03-16T15:35:00.001-07:00

I just love taking pictures! I am addicted to it! I was waiting around for a family arrive to their on location shoot, and couldn't resist taking some neat shots of the flowers and trees :)

These are all straight from my camera...no editing at all...except for my logo :)

I love this one!

What are we really eating???????

2010-02-23T07:28:00.000-08:00

Watch this! it'll really open your eyes to what we are eating everyday!

sorry it's kind of cut off, you get the idea though...

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-15T14:08:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

My wonderful Hubby gave me real salt water pearls for our V-day. I will wear them all the time!

He got these because I wore pearls on our wedding day, but they weren't real, so that's why he wanted to get me real ones :)

mystery photo...

2010-02-02T09:22:00.001-08:00

Can you guess what this is?????

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

If you guessed the MOON, then you're RIGHT!

This is the same night with the sutter speed decreasing every photo...

and no, those aren't clouds...

these aren't clouds either...

its the amount of light coming into my camera....

Alyssa turns 11 {my youngest sister}

2010-01-25T07:38:00.000-08:00

it was alyssa's birthday on the 23rd! to see the rest of her portraits, click HERE.

The writing on the picture says, "true beauty is found within your heart".

I made two of these prints for her to put one up at our dads house and one up at our moms house! She loves to model!!!!

I LOVE THE RAIN!

2010-01-21T16:54:00.001-08:00

These were taken outside in my backyard! there is just dirt and some random rocks back there so there were some major puddles forming! it's turning into a lake!!! haha, anyway here are some pretty cool pics I took back there and I am thinking of which one I want to put up in my bathroom on canvas.

Ashley's First Dance :)

2010-01-18T10:13:00.000-08:00

I got to do my cousin's hair and makeup for her first dance! it was sooooooo fun! and on my my way, I thought should I bring my camera? why not????

Her hair is so thick and gorgeous!

I loved the top of her hair!

The detail on her dress was beautiful!

NEW CAMERA {canon 7D}

2010-01-15T14:31:00.000-08:00

photo courtesy of Spencer Drew

I got a new camera! I love it so much! It's a Canon 7D! and It's amazing! It shoots pictures with 18 megapixels and it also shoots HD video! Cool huh? I am so excited, I am working on several projects right now with my family.

Josh's football game!

2010-01-11T12:26:00.001-08:00

Josh in his "i'm gonna git you" stance:

Best action shot of the day:

josh in action:

look at that boy go!

before I went to shoot a wedding on saturday at the temple, I went to my brother, Josh's, football game! it was so fun to see him kick butt out there on the field! here are a few shots of him!

Almost in Bloom

2010-01-05T19:05:00.000-08:00

{ Click to view larger }

I saw these outside the temple a few weeks ago and thought they were soooo pretty! I might just print this up on a canvas and put it up in my house!

Christmas Time!

2009-12-31T09:12:00.000-08:00

We only had one strand of lights, so I made a star in the window! haha

our second annual family christmas pic on christmas eve in front of the christmas tree.

BRIANNA'S ENGAGEMENT!!!!

Trent gave 3 presents to give to my mom,

Josh opened a Wheel:

Alyssa opened a ewe (lamb):

and Brianna opened a ceramic MARY:

A WHEEL,
A EWE,
A MARY??????????

The HAPPY COUPLE!

her ring is absolutely gorgeous!

I was in on this the whole time! that's how I got absolutely fab pictures of the whole thing!!!

Josh's ripstik!

josh serenading us with the piano

My silly mommy:

My silly mommy's homemade breakfast:

Merry Christmas!

Parker/Drew Family Pictures

2009-12-29T08:02:00.000-08:00

We took our Family Pictures just after thanksgiving weekend. It's so fun to finally be IN THE PICTURES!!!!

you can check more out by clicking here: http://jessicadrewphotography.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-family-pictures-different-family.html

California Christmas Trip

2009-12-28T13:13:00.000-08:00

Click the link to view all the photos from our California Christmas Trip!!!!!!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=167633&id=668332904&l=ca544fc8a6

Brunswick Bowling/Arcade

2009-12-28T11:36:00.000-08:00

Spencer and I had so much fun at his holiday work party at Brunswick's!!!! Can't Talk! got to go! haha busy busy!

I'm a tree huger :)

2009-11-12T14:15:00.000-08:00

haha, no i'm not, but I liked taking pics of this one outside my house. Other people might think that it's a dead ugly tree, but when you put the sunset behind it, it's beautiful!

http://www.jessicadrewphotography.com

Christmas Cards

2009-11-02T21:50:00.000-08:00

Here are some christmas cards I designed this year. Let me know if you are interested in ordering some :)

{ Click to view Larger }

My fun time in Utah!

2009-10-29T09:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I am back in AZ, and I miss Utah A LOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here are some fun pictures I took of Mia in their backyard! {click on the picture to view all photos}

I also got to play with baby Wesley a lot! he is so cute and I can't get over how much he loves his Thomas the train! he goes everywhere with it! he even eats with it!

I thought this one was so funny! I got it just as he was getting off his chair:

Utah with the best family!!!!

2009-10-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

I have been in utah for 3 days now and it has been a blast!!!! I will be posting more photos of the fun stuff we have been doing!

last night we just decided to put lipstick on maggie and then it turned into me and dianne as well! Crazy fun!

Grandpa's birthday dinner!!

2009-09-29T13:02:00.001-07:00

My granpa turned 70 a couple days ago and we all had a blast at my dad's house with swimming and lots of eating! we had burgers, hot dogs and AMAZING ANTIPASTO (italian apitizer) that my grandma made! it was so beautiful I just had to get a picture of it! { click to see bigger }

wedding dress for sale! $500

2009-09-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

I am selling my dress that I bought for $700. I am only selling it for $500 so if you know anyone that would like to see it, please let me know!

Jessica-

480-254-8019
jessydrew@yahoo.com

Here is a link to pictures of my dress:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=52306&id=668332904&l=a3e4a22e74

paid vacation!

2009-09-24T18:57:00.000-07:00

I am so excited! I am missing my lovely cousins in Utah so I thought I would go visit them! BUT, the problem is....I don't have money to visit them!!!!!

So I was thinking, "why don't I pay for my trip by doing photo shoots in Utah?" Well, it turns out that it was a pretty good idea. I already have two full shoots booked, and more are on their way!!!

I am not only going to pay for my trip, I am coming back with CA$H!!! yay! I am so excited to see them!

{ Check out my new shoots I've been doing :) }

www.jessicadrewphotography.blogspot.com

Finding Hope {mormon messages}

2009-09-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

This is a video from YouTube called Finding Hope. I watched it and since 9-11 is coming up, it meant more to me. Please watch it, it's only about 8 min.

Our new house!

2009-08-04T11:13:00.000-07:00

Most of you know that we just moved into the ASU east student housing. well, it's not quite pretty to look at, so Brianna helped me make some decor to go in the house. I will post more later, but here are a few pictures of the wall piece that we made. ALL the items were bought at GOODWILL! I love that store :)

{ Click to view larger }

How Do I Love Thee?

2009-07-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

MY NEW WEBSITE!!!

2009-07-21T11:52:00.000-07:00

Man, I am way too excited! I just go a photography WEBSITE! I can't believe it, it's finally here. This passion of mine is really taking off. Check it out and let me know what you think!!!!

www.jessicadrewphotography.com

4th of July - Schnepf Farms

2009-07-17T12:50:00.000-07:00

This year, Brianna and I got to sing the national anthem at Schnepf Farms. it wasn't bad at all, we were kind of nervous, but not too bad. I am glad that we got to do it! It was such an awesome experience! We would totally do it again!

Here is a recording of my arangement I wrote for Brianna and I:

(spencer didn't record the first part of it, sorry)

There were tons of people there, about 20,000

{ ~ Mini Shoots ~ }

2009-07-08T12:09:00.000-07:00

Right now, I am offering "mini shoots" for only $40. That's less than half my normal price.

It's a 1/2 hour shoot, and you receive all the images on a high resolution disc.

* babies
* children
* family
* engagements
* head shots
* Senior pics
* anything you can think of...

Please Contact me because spots are limited.

480-254-8019
jessydrew@yahoo.com

www.jessicadrewphotography.blogspot.com

My new Hair Cut!

2009-06-29T13:16:00.001-07:00

I just donated my hair to locks of love. I gave them 11 inches of hair (well, I could have givin them 12, but I didn't want my hair too short).

Spencer's aunt, Bev, cut it for me. She did a great job, thanks so much Bev!!!

So here are the before and after pictures, enjoy!

My Grandparent's quick photo shoot

2009-06-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

{in my dad's backyard }

I *Love* my Grandparents so much. There is nothing more beautiful than the love of these two!

This was a little impromptu photo shoot at my Dad's house in the backyard. Now these pictures came out great because my sister, Brianna, was there to shade their faces from the hot, bright sun. Without it, these pictures would have been a disaster.

So, thanks, Brianna for your much needed help.

Click HERE to see some more photos at Jessicadrewphotography.blogspot.com :)

SLEEP OVER at my house!

2009-06-22T13:30:00.000-07:00

So I got a call yesterday (Sunday) from Josh saying, "Can Alyssa and I come spend the night and have fun at your house?" And of course I said, "Sure" because I didn't want to break their little hearts. So I thought what in the world are they going to do in our tiny place? where are they going to sleep? what are we going to eat? But everything turned out fantastic, no need to worry.

They brought 2 sleeping bags from my Dad's house and we used a mattress pad that we had at the house to put under the sleeping bags. they loved it.

They brought E.T. over to watch. Josh is so silly! he's imitating E.T. if you can't tell...

Our T.V. room upstairs was too hot, so Spencer set up the laptop and the display from his other computer to serve as a T.V. He is soooooo smart!

Here it is all ready to go...

They were mesmerized. We turned off the lights after I was done taking pictures! haha, I can't help it.

For movie snacks, we had apple slices and animal crackers!

We had so much fun that night. And in the morning, we woke up at 7:15 and made pancakes and eggs for breakfast. YUM! Then we played some games and I took them home before noon.

Hope you had a great Father's Day!

2009-06-22T11:03:00.000-07:00

This is the Father's Day card I made for my dad!

The Adam's Visit to AZ

2009-06-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun when Mark, Dianne, Mia, Marty, Max, Maggie, and Mark Wesley came to visit us. We all had such a blast! Here are some fun pictures during their visit.

Grandpa Whaley and baby Mark Wesley (he's camera shy). They just arrived from Utah, they just had gotten out of the car. At this time Wesley doesn't remember me, even though I was with him a lot when he was a baby.

Max, Jessica, and Maggie. These guys remember me :)

Aunt Dianne and Mark Wesley

Aunt Dianne and my Dad

Cousin Mia and I

This is little Maggie after taking a wonderful bath. She put her hair up in the towel all by herself!

Mark Welsey's Funny Face

I am glad that by the end of the 2 weeks they were here, baby Welsey warmed up to me and now he doesn't run away from me :) I love that family!

I love this story!

2009-06-09T12:41:00.000-07:00

Great Deals!

2009-05-28T15:58:00.000-07:00

Look at all that delicious bread!!!!! guess how much it co$t?

{ $5.00 }

That's right! 10 loaves of bread :)

**go to the apline valley bread store on southern just west of country club! They are open early, so go stock up on bread, and freeze it!

Girls Camp with the Adobe ward!

2009-05-28T09:38:00.001-07:00

Click here to see our camp "skit/dance" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5BIrpnuDHE

Jessica Felsman and I

On the bus, on the way to Camp Lo-Mia, it was raining, so we knew it would be muddy there.

Tessa, Sis. Hammond and Sis. Davis on the way to the Lodge.

Adobe Ward picture, we were from the Wild, wild west era!

Dani, Jordan and I eating dinner. The food came late, so they just made us pancakes and eggs, still good though :)

In the woods, I love how green it is up there, especially when it's raining.

Tessa and I

Dressed up in our cowgirl attire. You can watch our dance that I choreographed on youtube by clicking here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5BIrpnuDHE

This is me on the 3rd year's hike. Tough, tough, tough!

Holli and I on the hike.

Yay! we made it to the top of the MOUNTAIN!!

This is Bro. Walter, he was tired...I guess...after eating lunch.

Photo Blog!!!

2009-05-14T17:12:00.000-07:00

My *love* for photography has grown so much!! I can't believe how much I am learning by just practicing. If anyone wants me to practice on you, just let me know, because I still could use some more practice. If you want to see the rest of Holly's Senior Pictures, just go to my photo blog: www.jessicadrewphotography.blogspot.com

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-11T22:15:00.003-07:00

{Click to view larger}

These are the cards I made for my 4 mommies! My mom, Spencer's mom, my step mom, and Spencer's step mom. I had a lot of fun making them because I normally don't get time to make things like this! Happy Mother's Day!

Come to the Grand Opening Celebration!!!!

2009-05-09T08:48:00.001-07:00

{Click on info page to see larger}

Going to the Temple

2009-05-02T11:29:00.001-07:00

I love, love, love going to the temple. We woke up at 5:30 am because today was a busy day. He had a meeting to go to at 9am, so that's why we woke up so early. It was all worth it though. I was going to bring my camera, but I forgot it, that's why we had to take it with my camera phone. Oh well, it's good enough. We did sealings, which is always fun to do because it reminds you what was said on the day that you were married in the temple. I love the gospel and everything that is taught and promised.

Brianna's Hair for Prom

2009-04-26T12:29:00.000-07:00

On Saturday April 25th, Brianna went to Mountain View's Prom. I got to go over to the house to do her hair. She picked out the look in a magazine, I thought it looked really good on her. I got there with an hour to do everything, so I was rushing to get it done! I hope it looks ok for sunday (she always sleeps on her hair so she can wear it the same way to church).

Mastermind Meeting!

2009-04-26T12:23:00.000-07:00

I love our company. Look at these stats! We are the only financial company that made a profit last year, all the other companies lost millions, while we were gaining millions! It's because we do what's right for people. I love what we do.

"Our time" to help families, is NOW!

Get 25% off!

2009-04-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

Get 25% off your photo shoot!!!!!!

*****Offer ends May 30th, 2009*****

Check it out @
www.jessicadrewphotography.blogspot.com

The Cooley Family Easter Party 2009

2009-04-14T11:17:00.000-07:00

Alicia and Annabell

Grandma Cooley and Brooke

"Who won the Golden Egg?"

Will did!!!!! He won the Prize!

Terri, Alicia and Annabell

Spencer and Grandma

This is one of the greatest Grandma's in the world! The other greatest grandma is Grandma Whaley! :)

The Drew Family

Button Necklace Tutuorial

more flowers...

flowers for headbands

The Birth of Evalynn Kate

She's here!!!

Still Waiting...

Waiting for baby :)

I'm DUE!!!!

38 weeks

Maternity Shoot!!!

36 week Belly

Baby Shower { 34 weeks }

The Whaley Ghost House

31 week belly

crib bedding!

28 week belly

new swimsuit!

Ultrasound 25 wks

26 weeks!

Baby count down Chain!!!

Dinner from the Garden

Yummy Garden veggies!

Conference!

New Crib and Changing Table!

Alyssa's School Carnival!

watch evalynn kate grow! 22 weeks

New picture frames!

21 weeks!

BABY GIRL!

Valentine's Day!

16 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posh Blvd. Giveaway!!

Blankets { for mom and alyssa }

13 weeks

barely a baby bump...

Temple Lights

GUESS WHAT?????

Bell Peppers and Green Beans!

Halloween

Vertuccio Farms

Thanksgiving wreath & front entrance makeover

Finally a NEW POST!

photo bag giveaway!

Spencer's Garden

4th of july!!!

win a mini shoot!

post a link to my website, http://www.jessicadrewphotography.com/on your wall, and once you have done that, let me know on my Facebook page: Jessica Drew Photography that you already posted it!

...then you will beentered into a random drawing!!!ENDS July 3rd at ...11:59pm!!!!

The Adam's Visit to AZ

LASIK eye surgery!

happy birthday to me! 22

our new desk!

Our "business" Trip to Mexico

Nie Nie Dialogues Video

Unexpected Flowers!

Please vote!!!

Enter my "cutest kid contest"

My New Curtains! {sewing project}

WEEDS!!!!!!

I love what I do!

What are we really eating???????

Happy Valentine's Day

mystery photo...

Alyssa turns 11 {my youngest sister}

I LOVE THE RAIN!

Ashley's First Dance :)

NEW CAMERA {canon 7D}

Josh's football game!

Almost in Bloom

Christmas Time!

Parker/Drew Family Pictures

California Christmas Trip

Brunswick Bowling/Arcade

I'm a tree huger :)

Christmas Cards

My fun time in Utah!

Utah with the best family!!!!

Grandpa's birthday dinner!!

wedding dress for sale! $500

post a link to my website, http://www.jessicadrewphotography.com/
on your wall, and once you have done that, let me know on my Facebook page: Jessica Drew Photography that you already posted it!

...then you will be
entered into a random drawing!!!ENDS July 3rd at ...11:59pm!!!!