Design - McKenzie Sue Makes

The air is fresh and the cardigan I knit a year ag

The air is fresh and the cardigan I knit a year ago is pulled back out. Fits her quite nicely now 🥰. We grab her acorn treasure basket and before we walk out the door she has to decide which one of the three stuffed puppies in her arms can come along for the adventure. We trek up the muddy trail, make our way through the tiny opening hidden between shrubbery, and stop at the usual spot - the red berry bush. She chooses to reach as far back as she can for the hardest to reach berries. I unstrap the baby and he scoots viciously across the grass to catch up to his sister and squeeze as many of the low berries he can before she makes him stop because she knows they’re not for eating. My little protective mini mommy by my side. She giggles at the wind and trips on the rocks. We take a new route down a trail and meet a nice man cleaning out his yard. He lets his dog lick my puppy-loving daughter and treats us with a bag of banana peppers straight from the garden. Tears are shed when I pull her away from her new animal friend and the baby mimics her cries as we struggle back up to the house. She looks over her shoulder all the way back home and we sip on hot cocoa to warm up our bellies. It’s the best kind of chilly day. #exhalecreativity

Yesterday we went on a leaf hunt and with just a l

Yesterday we went on a leaf hunt and with just a little contact paper we’ve got the prettiest Autumn window! Can you see which corner Hazel did? 😉 Now before you think this was all dreamy and wonderful, at one moment of our leaf hunt, I lost Hazel for a few minutes and when she was finally found, she was screaming and trying to scramble away from me so intensely that the woman who found her wandering literally asked me if I was actually her mom 😅. I dragged her home and she hooked her toes on the front door ledge while the next door neighbors walked out of theirs and I’m sure it most definitely looked like a kidnapping scene. But we survived, Daddy coming home turned it into a wonderful night, and today’s another beautiful day!

Nothing is cuter than a baby with a tie 🥰😍 A

Nothing is cuter than a baby with a tie 🥰😍 Another one done from the pile of projects that have sat in a box! This one was reusing Ryan’s old mission ties to create some for James and any other future boys we may add to the family. I’ve made two and I’ve got three more to do! Go to my stories to see how easy they are to make (or Google a YouTube video that explains it better since that’s exactly what I did 😉). The next one I make I can take step by step videos if anyone is interested! #100daystofinish #mckenziesuesews

I made a rainbow jellyroll quilt for a friend (swi

I made a rainbow jellyroll quilt for a friend (swipe to see my first go at a rainbow quilt! 👉🏼) and while deciding the colors, I chose to leave a few out. It ended up making a pretty gradient and I decided to eventually use them to make a dress for the baby girl I was carrying. Now almost 3 years later to the date, I’ve finally made one! It’s pretty primitive and I jimmy-rigged my way through it. And although at first Hazel screamed and refused to wear it (I should have observed and realized the timing on that wasn’t great), she now likes her “princess” dress but we’ll have to wait til spring to wear it with winter coming in. #100daystofinish #mckenziesuesews

My day starts and ends just like every other in my

My day starts and ends just like every other in my current season of life - wiping faces and bums, kissing owies, and strapping carseat belts. It isn’t until after the kids are in bed and I see the numerous posts here on Instagram that I remember today is #infantandpregnancyloss day. It wasn’t that long ago. I was that woman. Sitting in a waiting room waiting for a D&C. Holding the nurses hand because my husband’s wasn’t allowed in. Coming home empty-handed while Christmas tunes mocked me on every radio station. I was enveloped in this longing for a child that was no longer mine. I didn’t ever question God’s will, yet that didn’t make the heartache or the friend’s baby showers any easier. I kept my hands busy making kintsugi — sending my work to others began to mend my shattered heart. And now that all feels like a distant memory. My two little rainbow babies in tow keep my hands and my mind busy. And there are much harder things that have transpired since then. But I don’t want to forget that longing, that hoping, that aching, because it grows you to pull others in, to empathize and mourn with them. To those who are a 1 in 4, no matter how insignificant you may feel your loss is, you are seen and loved and very much not alone. ❤️ #infantandpregnancylossawareness #exhalecreativity

Still checking off parks on our St. Louis list and

Still checking off parks on our St. Louis list and #laumeiersculpturepark felt like a good one to check out during Halloween season 👁

I took two of my favorite things - @elisejoy’s r

I took two of my favorite things - @elisejoy’s rainbow quilt and @sarahshermansamuel’s amazing tile and turned them into my own version of #thatrainbowquilt! This is one of those projects that has been on my mind for YEARS and I finally have it! I couldn’t stop smiling as I was doing the top stitching and Hazel is currently have a ball with the new family quilt 🥰 #mckenziesuesews #thatrainbowquiltkit