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i am a few blog posts behind. i thought i'd nix them altogether, but i thought about it some more, and i don't want to. so your gonna get a compilation of the last few weeks of my goings on.

So, i want to learn how to sew. i blame my sister-in-law lindsey (check out her creativity at the pleated poppy). Lindsey has helped me sew a number of things. She makes it seem so effortless, and can whip up anything!
i do not feel confident to sew on my own. i need guidance.
My girls also want to learn to sew. i don't want to teach them. i want someone else to teach them (i teach them enough already with the home schooling and mommy gig).
Before beginning sewing lessons i asked the ladies who are going to teach us to sew, Joyce and Joanne, to travel with me to Joann's Fabric,and give me a Joann's Fabric 101 course.Being a non-sewer that store scares me. i walk in and have no idea where or what anything is. Once I purchased a spool of thread that cost $7.00 just to sew on a button. i was surprised that thread cost that much. i didn't know any better.
Joyce and Joann, were salivating when we walked into the store. They are master sewers, and feel at home surrounded by bobbins, bias, needles, a walking foot, a feed dog, and fabric (these are not made up words, but actual sewing terms we had a good laugh over). They really enjoyed being my teacher, and i enjoyed being their student.

We start lessons next week. Watch out Lindsey!

One thing i will never do is knit (well, maybe not never)! i can barely carry a conversaton with half of my friends because they are all so focused on their knitting! i have become a little jealous of yarn and needles.
Besides who needs to knit when they have a g-ma, who can whip up anything!Don't my girls look darling! (My g-ma made me a matcing set too).

Here is a picture of me holding the newest addition to my family, Ava Victoria Silva.
She is my cousin Sean's daughter. SHE IS BEAUTIFUL!
On Michael's side of the family there are 10 great grandchildren. But other than my children, Ava is the first baby born from my side of the family. She is a perfect portuguese baby.
It was such a blessing to get to see, and hold her. It was a great blessing to see my cousin Sean overwhelmed by God's goodness in His life.in other Denise news, i am a tia (aunt). My sister and her husband are adopting two darling little boys through the foster care program. They have been waiting a long time to be parents. These boys seem to be written for them, and they seem to be written for the boys.
it is something to see God's hand at work! We can see how "God works all things together for good." He has taken the brokenness of their childhoods, drawn them close to Him, and shaped and molded them for these children. it is a beautiful thing to see.

They had a shower this last weekend. it was fun to celebrate my little sister becoming a mommy!
i will get to meet my new nephews in a couple weeks. For now they are babymooning (like honeymooning, we did this when each of our babies was born), soaking up the boys, and establishing their new family.

After the shower we had an evening out with two of my favorite people in the whole world, Jeff and Kelly Hayes. Jeff and I have been friends since jr.high!

We ALWAYS LOVE being with them.
We had originally hoped to go to dinner and to tango lessons, but one of us was getting over the flu (me) and didn't have the energy. We took a rain check on the tango lessons, and
went to dinner, and then ventured off to a dessert place to play the game Loaded Questions.
Here were some of our questions:
What food do you wish was healthy?
How many push-ups can you do?
What t.v. sit-com family would you like to be a part of?
If you could change one thing from today what would it be?
Name a vehicle that shouldn't be allowed on the road?
How would you dispose of a dead body?

As you know Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday. i usually refer to it as "Super Eating Sunday,"
because it is the one day a year you can consume all the junk food you want!
unfortunately, i was still filling icky (from the flu), and couldn't stuff my face to my hearts desire. Which is really upsetting because my husband borrowed his mother's deep fryer, and her delicious onion ring recipe, and made onion rings for all of us. I LOVE onion rings (I wish they were a healthy food).Our friends Sheffie and Julie Hilliard hosted the Super Bowl Party. And this year i came prepared! i sported some team spirit, wearing my high school powder puff jersey. Go MUSTANGS! (btw- i wasn't athletic in high school, or ever. i was just on the powder puff team because i wanted a cool jersey).
i know little about football. i knew nothing about who was playing, or anything about the teams. So the week before Super Bowl i asked Sheffie to email me some questions that would make me look football smart!
I know the other guests were surprised at my inquirings about Kurt Warner, Big Ben , Coach Whis, Larry Fitzgerald, and Heinz Ward. The other guests were very impressed with my questions, that is until they saw the cheat sheet i was carrying with me (thanks Sheffie!).

And finally in Denise news, i had my first ever massage this week. My "besty" Kelli is taking classes to be a masseuse. So in order to support her i reluctantly signed up for a 1 hr massage. i have had many massages gifted to me in the past, but have always traded them in for hair, manicures, or pedicures. The idea of literal nakedness, and massage was NOT for me. But now i am a BELIEVER!
So if you are in the area, support Kelli!
For the month of February you can get a 1 hr massage on Tues. for $25.00, and 1hr massage on Wed. for 15.00! it's massage robbery!

Ahhh, and now i feel better not carrying all those blog posts around in my head.

Now, go answer one (or all) of the questions (in brown) above!