Somehow, the whole month of April went by and I did not write a single thing for my blog. How sad, but not really surprising. I am still trying to make this a habit and life is trying to get in my way. I have been totally slacking off in the craft department. I am just not feeling "it." Really, mostly, I just want to sleep. 6 weeks of pregnancy to go and I am beat. I don't remember feeling this way with the first two, but I do recognize that I could sleep and slack off as much as I wanted with them. I didn't have a 2 1/2 and 4 year old to take care of. This time around my morning, noon and night is filled with a little boy and little girl who LOVE their mommy.
April was busy, even if I don't have much to write about. We moved the older two to the basement. They love their new room and their new bunk beds. They are doing fantastically. I am the one who is having a little trouble with the move. It is hard for me to have them in the basement, when they used to sleep write across from my room. We wanted to get them moved before the new baby came. I didn't want them to deal with ALL of that change at once. Also, trying to get the babies room set up, but I can't decide on a new theme or whatever you want to call it AND I am waiting for my husband to paint the walls. I would just do it, but he doesn't think a pregnant woman should be painting. I don't know how much longer I am going to wait before I start freaking out. Another slight problem is that my sister and Baby Ducky have my baby clothes. Of course, I don't care if they are using them, but I am starting to get ants in my pants about putting things in the dresser. I know it will eventually get done. I just need Ducky to grow a little faster and get out of the 0-3 month clothes so I can have them.
I became the Treasurer for our local TOPS Club. I have been a member of Taking Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) for 1 1/2 years. I joined because I wanted/needed to and was able to lose 28.5 pounds. Of course, I am now heavier then when I joined TOPS and kind of hate the idea of starting all over again in the weight-loss department. I am pregnant so i guess I have a decent excuse, for now. I love the group and have made some great friends. I plan on being a member for a VERY long time. Downside, my first official act as Treasurer was to audit the club. It took me almost 2 weeks to get the money to balance out. ANNOYING!!!
Kiki really starting potty training and is doing a fantastic job. I would say she is almost there. She can stay dry and clean during the day and most nights. However, she is having trouble getting on and off the potty by herself. She is too little, even with a stool, and she refuses to use the little training potty.
Wa is coming to the end of his first year of preschool. I know he loves going and I think he is going to miss it when we are done. He is signed up to attend 5 half days a week for the next school year. I think he is going to really enjoy himself. Not going to lie, I think I might enjoy some time with just the younger two as well! We have his IEP meeting in a couple of weeks to go over the plan for his Speech Therapy for the summer and next school year. He is making REAL progress and it feels like he will really be able to catch up with the kids in his class by the time he starts 1st grade or so. I am very proud of him. He is doing so well. I just hate that I have to remind myself of that when I am getting frustrated with him.
Farmer Stone is getting ready for planting. The machines are all ready and now we just need the weather to cooperate. Last year, by this time, planting was well underway. This year, they haven't started and that makes for some stressful times around here. Hubby is a wee bit cranky and frustrated. I know that when planting REALLY starts we are not going to be seeing much of Daddy. That is going to be hard on Mommy and the kids. I really just want planting done before the baby is born. REALLY, REALLY want planting done before the baby comes. As it is, there will be hay to cut, cows to take care of, spraying and mowing to do. They take up plenty of time, but planting and harvest are harsh.
Okay, so that is it for now. I am going to try and finish some of the quite book pages for my kids and I will post them as I get around to that. I am going to make myself work on them everyday. Along with the obsessive pregnant lady cleaning and organizing and setting up that I feel I must do.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Magic Wands
The tutus I made just didn't seem to be enough of a gift for the girls. They are crazy cute and maybe if I had made a couple for each girl I wouldn't have felt like it wasn't enough, but as it is I felt like each little girl could use something else to go with their Tutu. So, I decided to make them wands. Sadly, I had no clue what I was doing or any idea of what I was going to do, until I found these cute little butterfly things in Hobby Lobby. Two cheers for cute Spring things finally making an appearance!
Once I found the butterflys I just figured it out. I used 1 butterfly, one 12 inch section of dowel, matching colored ribbon and a hot glue gun. Here is a picture of the stuff, except for the glue gun. He didn't make it in time.
I have no idea why this picture decided to be upside down. I guess it is happy that way and I don't know how to change it unless I delete it and re-download it and I am way to lazy for that. (Oh yeah! Super sorry for the pictures. They are horrible, but I really just don't have light for good pictures. Maybe I will have to start taking things outside to photograph.)
Anyway, first, FarmerStone wrapped the thin wire that supported the butterfly around the dowel. He wrapped it fairly tight and then used a pair of pliers to dink around with the end so it wouldn't be sharp and was held on pretty tight. Smart of him. He was helping me because it was late at night and we were watching MacGyver at the same time!
After that, all I did was wrap ribbon around the dowel handle until it looked nice, hot gluing a little as I went. I then just tied on some ribbon to dangle around the handle. I think all three turned out adorable. I really wish the colors showed up better. They are very sparkly and fun!
So far, the little girls who have gotten their wands have really liked them. I don't know how they will stand up to serious abuse, but I can't predict how harsh other little kids are going to be on them. Wa and Kiki would probably use them to hit each other, so we don't have any at our house right now. I will probably make one soon though, because they are super cute and really fast to make. Plus, Kiki could really use some girly stuff of her own. She is perfectly okay with her brother's stuff, but I feel like she could use SOMETHING that screams little girl!
Once I found the butterflys I just figured it out. I used 1 butterfly, one 12 inch section of dowel, matching colored ribbon and a hot glue gun. Here is a picture of the stuff, except for the glue gun. He didn't make it in time.
I have no idea why this picture decided to be upside down. I guess it is happy that way and I don't know how to change it unless I delete it and re-download it and I am way to lazy for that. (Oh yeah! Super sorry for the pictures. They are horrible, but I really just don't have light for good pictures. Maybe I will have to start taking things outside to photograph.)
Anyway, first, FarmerStone wrapped the thin wire that supported the butterfly around the dowel. He wrapped it fairly tight and then used a pair of pliers to dink around with the end so it wouldn't be sharp and was held on pretty tight. Smart of him. He was helping me because it was late at night and we were watching MacGyver at the same time!
After that, all I did was wrap ribbon around the dowel handle until it looked nice, hot gluing a little as I went. I then just tied on some ribbon to dangle around the handle. I think all three turned out adorable. I really wish the colors showed up better. They are very sparkly and fun!
So far, the little girls who have gotten their wands have really liked them. I don't know how they will stand up to serious abuse, but I can't predict how harsh other little kids are going to be on them. Wa and Kiki would probably use them to hit each other, so we don't have any at our house right now. I will probably make one soon though, because they are super cute and really fast to make. Plus, Kiki could really use some girly stuff of her own. She is perfectly okay with her brother's stuff, but I feel like she could use SOMETHING that screams little girl!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Making Tutus
I always have BIG plans for making homemade gifts for all Holidays and other gift giving opportunities. I buy all of the "stuff," start and then never finish a single project. There are blankets, quilts, soaps, quiet books, felt food and probably a million other projects lying around just waiting for me to get back to them. Well, not today my friends! BA HA HA HA HA! I have finally finished something. (Yes, the evil laugh is necessary, don' ask me why.)
There are lots of kids in our life. Both family and friends are at the perfect baby making age. It just so happens that three little girls all have their Birthdays at the end of March and early April. So, I decided that this WAS the year they were getting homemade gifts. Of course, I had to figure out what to make. YIKES!
While blog stalking, I came across Feels Like Home, which is an amazing blog! I love the set-up and the content. I could spend all day looking at that blog! Anyway, I saw How to Make a Tutu: A Tutorial and decided they were exactly what I was looking for. Little girls turning two and three NEED tutus! GIRLY, FRILLY, CUTENESS! How could I possibly go wrong? They were really cheap to make, fairly fast and easy!
I would like to apologize for the quality of the pictures. I have yet to figure out a good spot with good lighting to take pictures. I also had the added trouble of a little girl trying desperately to get her little hands, which you can see in the top two pictures, on those Tutus. So, they were a little rumpled instead of looking all pretty for the pictures!
I followed the tutorial pretty closely. However, I only used 2 yards of tulle per tutu. Instead of stacking three strips of tulle and then tying the knot, I only used two strips and the skirts were plenty full. I imagine, as the girls get older, I would need or want more layers. I haven't made one for Kiki yet, but I have some plans and some cool color ideas. I am looking forward to making her one as soon as I get to Hobby Lobby to pick up some more Tulle! I promise to put pictures up of her showing them off as soon as I get one or two done!
There are lots of kids in our life. Both family and friends are at the perfect baby making age. It just so happens that three little girls all have their Birthdays at the end of March and early April. So, I decided that this WAS the year they were getting homemade gifts. Of course, I had to figure out what to make. YIKES!
While blog stalking, I came across Feels Like Home, which is an amazing blog! I love the set-up and the content. I could spend all day looking at that blog! Anyway, I saw How to Make a Tutu: A Tutorial and decided they were exactly what I was looking for. Little girls turning two and three NEED tutus! GIRLY, FRILLY, CUTENESS! How could I possibly go wrong? They were really cheap to make, fairly fast and easy!
I would like to apologize for the quality of the pictures. I have yet to figure out a good spot with good lighting to take pictures. I also had the added trouble of a little girl trying desperately to get her little hands, which you can see in the top two pictures, on those Tutus. So, they were a little rumpled instead of looking all pretty for the pictures!
I followed the tutorial pretty closely. However, I only used 2 yards of tulle per tutu. Instead of stacking three strips of tulle and then tying the knot, I only used two strips and the skirts were plenty full. I imagine, as the girls get older, I would need or want more layers. I haven't made one for Kiki yet, but I have some plans and some cool color ideas. I am looking forward to making her one as soon as I get to Hobby Lobby to pick up some more Tulle! I promise to put pictures up of her showing them off as soon as I get one or two done!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Ducky's Baby Quilt
As previously mentioned, my baby sister had a baby boy. (FYI, my Baby Sister isn't a baby anymore, but I think a part of me will always see her as "My Baby!") Little Ducky is the cutest little fella and my kids LOVE him. Of course, this post is not about how cute my nephew is or how nice it is to see my children loving him up! Although, I think I should share a couple of pictures :)
I made a quilt for my sister and her little Duckling and it is actually FINISHED! The pattern is from McCall's Quick Quilts Magazine, the July 2008 issue. It is called Wiggle Worms, but my babies call it The Snakes. It isn't really a baby quilt, but is more a toddler/playtime quilt as it is pretty big. It was fast and pretty easy to make. I cheated and tied it instead of hand quilting it because I may or may not have waited a wee bit to long to start it. Actually, I started during the last week of January, finished on February 19th and that little guy came right on his due date, March 4th. I know I cut it a bit close, but that is how i roll!
I hope they both like it and actually get some use out of it!
I made a quilt for my sister and her little Duckling and it is actually FINISHED! The pattern is from McCall's Quick Quilts Magazine, the July 2008 issue. It is called Wiggle Worms, but my babies call it The Snakes. It isn't really a baby quilt, but is more a toddler/playtime quilt as it is pretty big. It was fast and pretty easy to make. I cheated and tied it instead of hand quilting it because I may or may not have waited a wee bit to long to start it. Actually, I started during the last week of January, finished on February 19th and that little guy came right on his due date, March 4th. I know I cut it a bit close, but that is how i roll!
I hope they both like it and actually get some use out of it!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Play-Dough
The office is coming along. I think it will still take a few more days to put back in order. The work might be faster if I didn't get distracted by little people wanting to play! They have a crazy power over me, some of the time! Today we made Kool-Aid play dough!! The recipe followed can be found HERE. It is a lot like the recipe my Grandma used, but it makes a smaller batch and uses kool-aid as the coloring instead of whatever dye she had around! The kids LOVED picking out their colors and I think it smells pretty darn good.
Wa picked out Berry Blue Kool-Aid and Kiki wanted red, so we made Strawberry, which turned out an odd red shade. We might try Cherry for red and see what that turns into. Of course, I only had enough salt to make one batch, so Farmer Stone had to run to his mom's house and borrow 1/2 cup of salt so we could make two batches and keep peace in the house! Next time we make play dough I plan to have several more color options. I have a feeling the yellow and green are going to be very bright!
The dough isn't quite as smooth as my old recipe, but the kids don't seem to care so I am not going to worry about it! They both had a crazy good time playing with it!
This is Kiki showing off the play dough for mommy. By the time I thought of taking a picture Wa was done playing and had no time for posing in a picture! (Please ignore the plastic storage tubs in the background. We are trying to make room in the basement for the kids to have a room and that means I have to move, sort and give away all of my baby girl clothes. Sad times.)
P.S. The recipe site says, "This recipe is 100% edible and can be eaten immediately." I tried it and it tastes horrible. I am glad it is safe for them, but I can't imagine anyone liking the taste.
Wa picked out Berry Blue Kool-Aid and Kiki wanted red, so we made Strawberry, which turned out an odd red shade. We might try Cherry for red and see what that turns into. Of course, I only had enough salt to make one batch, so Farmer Stone had to run to his mom's house and borrow 1/2 cup of salt so we could make two batches and keep peace in the house! Next time we make play dough I plan to have several more color options. I have a feeling the yellow and green are going to be very bright!
The dough isn't quite as smooth as my old recipe, but the kids don't seem to care so I am not going to worry about it! They both had a crazy good time playing with it!
This is Kiki showing off the play dough for mommy. By the time I thought of taking a picture Wa was done playing and had no time for posing in a picture! (Please ignore the plastic storage tubs in the background. We are trying to make room in the basement for the kids to have a room and that means I have to move, sort and give away all of my baby girl clothes. Sad times.)P.S. The recipe site says, "This recipe is 100% edible and can be eaten immediately." I tried it and it tastes horrible. I am glad it is safe for them, but I can't imagine anyone liking the taste.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Organizing the office
In my quest to finish projects, I may have lost my mind. Of course, it could have been some pregnant lady crazies that made me drag everything out of my office/sewing room including its very full closet. For 3 days it has been a disaster since I refuse to put anything back unless it has a permanent home to go to. I bought several plastic tubs for storage and have actually been able to clean out 4 tubs that were just holding a few random items. All of my started projects are front row and center in the closet, so if I open it up and can't ignore that they are all right there, ready and waiting. I need to figure out some storage ideas for a few items, like, say the 5 million rolls of ribbon I didn't realize I had! I will get this done. I will have an organized office and sewing/project room when this is finally over. It just might not happen this weekend. I am going to a 3-4-5 Birthday Party and I am going to enjoy myself!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
No New Projects
Tonight, while looking around my office/sewing room/storage room, I realized I have no space. Okay, so I have always known this, but I have gotten very good at ignoring that little fact. I couldn't use my sewing table if I wanted to. It is covered and stacked so high it looks like something off of the show Hoarders. I decided I should try to reorganize, because I am crazy. A startling and annoying fact has become VERY clear. I have WAY to many projects started and I just keep adding to my list of things I want to do.
As of right now, I have found and counted 35 projects that I have started and not finished. Some are little projects (make 3 fairy wands), some are big (make a quilt) and some are really on-going but would be best if I actually kept up to date on them (pictures).
I have at least 10 started, but not finished quilts. Some are piles of fabric, some are cut out, some need quilted and bound and a few I need to find more fabric to finish. WHY? What am I doing to myself? I started Quiet Books for my kids and have several pages done, but I didn't finish them. There is SO much more. My unfinished projects are taking up a LOT of room here.
I made a list of all of the projects and I now going to go through and see if I have the necessary items to finish the projects. If I don't have the "stuff," I am adding it to my shopping list. I am going to try and finish as many projects as I can over the rest of the year. My hope is that I can clear out some space and actually see the top of my sewing table. Magically, maybe even use it for its original purpose. The very idea makes me a little giddy!
Long story short, I am not going to allow myself to start another new project until I finish the projects that I already have. Well, except for the on-going ones. I am never going to finish pictures or make enough home-made cards to last a life-time. Of course, I will continue to Blog stalk other people and I am going to start keeping a file or list or something of all of their fantastic ideas, so I am all ready to go when I do get this STUFF done!
As of right now, I have found and counted 35 projects that I have started and not finished. Some are little projects (make 3 fairy wands), some are big (make a quilt) and some are really on-going but would be best if I actually kept up to date on them (pictures).
I have at least 10 started, but not finished quilts. Some are piles of fabric, some are cut out, some need quilted and bound and a few I need to find more fabric to finish. WHY? What am I doing to myself? I started Quiet Books for my kids and have several pages done, but I didn't finish them. There is SO much more. My unfinished projects are taking up a LOT of room here.
I made a list of all of the projects and I now going to go through and see if I have the necessary items to finish the projects. If I don't have the "stuff," I am adding it to my shopping list. I am going to try and finish as many projects as I can over the rest of the year. My hope is that I can clear out some space and actually see the top of my sewing table. Magically, maybe even use it for its original purpose. The very idea makes me a little giddy!
Long story short, I am not going to allow myself to start another new project until I finish the projects that I already have. Well, except for the on-going ones. I am never going to finish pictures or make enough home-made cards to last a life-time. Of course, I will continue to Blog stalk other people and I am going to start keeping a file or list or something of all of their fantastic ideas, so I am all ready to go when I do get this STUFF done!
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