Sunday, February 28, 2010

lots and lots of snow!

we got dumped on thursday and friday!  total is about 28"...yuck.  ok, ok, so it wasn't all bad!  i'll just show you!


he wasn't totally thrilled with getting bundled up at first
poor kid
he was OK once he got out there!
emily had a sleepover @ grandma and grandpa's, so she enjoyed it there


time for adult sledding(which means the boys made the starting point higher, and the track was faster!)





last night was hubby's chief's dinner.  i got to be all purdy n stuff!


hope you're all having a great weekend!

Friday, February 26, 2010

birthday shirt tutorial/surgery

i've been working on emily's birthday shirt for far too long now!  it was getting frustrating because i was putting too much pressure on myself.  I got my inspiration from lil blue boo

supplies:
shirt
cupcake template
heat n bond lite
scrap fabric
fray check
needle
thread
tulle
pencil
scissors
sewing machine
iron




trace(or freehand) the bottom of the cupcake onto heat n bond
iron onto a piece of scrap fabric; cut out and place it onto your shirt-iron into place
cut 1/2 inch strips from your other piece of scrap, stich up the middle with longest stich and gently pull to create a gather--apply some fray check to the raw edges.

fold ends of ruffle under and hand stitch onto the cupcake base.  continue with remaining strips, using a shorter piece each time
       
next, add the tulle to the base of the "frosting"(if desired)

*after this was finished i attempted to add ruffles to the sleeves.  i again, will blame my difficulties on my sausage fingers.  i totally ruined the sleeves, and therefore, needed to do some surgery.*

i removed the cupcake from ruined shirt, attached a piece of heat n bond to the back, and set it in place on a new shirt.(thank goodness i thought ahead a bought a couple of shirts on sale!!)

ta daaa-birthday outfit is finally complete!


i'm sure a more experienced sewer would not have had problems putting ruffles on the sleeves...so if you want to-go for it!!  lol  i've also been searching high and low for a red button to use for a cherry, but i have not found one yet!  i still have a couple of more places to look around the house before she wears this on monday!!





Wednesday, February 24, 2010

we're into it



i'm linking up over @ Hope Studios to share what my family and i are into at the moment!

1. sewing...laaaa-hoving it! 

2. moda charm packs

3. rold gold pretzels-thin

4. coloring

5. pretty night lights

6.  snow ice cream(we're getting another 18" tomorrow, so i'll be able to make another batch!

ok, so there's the short list!!

what are you into?!  click the button...link up...ya know ya wanna...


i think i found my chi

so after a pretty productive day, i wanted to take a crack at my sewing machine again.  i was ready for war, basically.  "tonight", i thought, "i WILL sew."  well, i was still having the same problem as the night before.  i was on the verge of tears.  hubs suggested that maybe i should buy a better machine--i got this one as a referb from overstock.com.  i quickly reminded him that a new machine would cost too much, and we just don't have the extra cash flow.  still almost in tears, i rolled my chair back over to my menacing machine.  this time, as i started sewing, i just gave the thread a little tug in the back..."holy crap, that worked?!?!" flew out of my mouth, and once again i was in my happy place. 

i've been a crafter for as long as i can remember, but nothing really holds my attention.  at one point i was crocheting--like the rest of my family--and all i could manage to turn out were some blankets for the kids.  meanwhile, my aunt and sissy could crank out these masterpieces that i could never dream of doing!  and my mom likes to make blankets for the kids, its kinda her thing.  so i moved on to knitting.  while i got the hang of it, it didn't seem to flow how i thought it should.  i'm just going to blame that on my sausage fingers though ;o) 

after i had the kids, my dream was to make them each a quilt out of old baby clothes and blankets.  well, i needed to learn to sew if i was ever going to do that.  just before christmas, i decided to bite it and i bought the machine with all the fixins!  i was hoping that it wouldn't be like other crafting kicks that i get on.  i buy up all the supplies, make a few, then completely lose interest(ie:scrabble tile pendants, beaded jewlery, scrapbooking--you get the idea)  since i have started, i've completely fallen in love.  i now describe myself as a "fabric whore".  i just can't stop looking @ fabric!!  i sit on etsy while david naps, and just scroll through the beautiful yards of colors and patterns. 

i think i was so upset the other night at the thought of not sewing!  it took me all this time to figure out what i love, and now i was going to have to give it up because of my stupid referb and lack of pocket change. 

after a big sigh of relief, i went on to finish the kids' tote bags(which will be birthday gifts).  i started these things a while ago, and was getting so aggrivated because i couldn't finish them.  first it took me three walmarts and a michaels to find interfacing(i refused to pay for shipping to by it online!), then i couldn't find magnetic snaps-so i scrapped the idea all together, then there was the whole "incedent" a couple of nights ago.  i was starting to imagine more crap that i wasn't using just sitting in the house!  after my "ah ha" moment last night, i zipped through the second tote bag, and got them finished.  it felt so good!

i used this tutorial from the moda bake shop.
i left off the crayon slots-the kids would NEVER use them, so really, what's the point?!

ok, moral of the story?  it may take a few tries(and supplies, and time, and money...) to figure out what you really love...but its so worth it in the end. 


Tuesday, February 23, 2010

when it rains it pours

ugh.  i have not been able to find my happy place for about a week now.  the kids have been super clingy and whiny--which makes me just want to run away...far away.  i went to kohls with my mom on saturday night to get out, but ended up spending more than i thought i would.  our microwave has died once--unplugging it then replugging it back in gave it a little more umph, but its about to use its second life.  how many do you think microwaves have?  i guess we'll find out.  hubby's glasses broke and of course they were unable to repar them, so he had to order new frames.  my iron crapped out the other night, leaving me unable to finish the tote bags i've been working on...for too long now.  iron is back in service(i guess its got a few lives like the microwave), but now my sewing machine is acting up.  the thread keeps getting knotted or breaking.  just can't figure out what's wrong with it.  i flew off the handle after that mess and went to bed at 9:30 last night.   my poor hubs didn't know if i was coming or going.  oh, and the PMS definetly doesn't help!  i have to go to emily's school today for her scout meeting.  they are doing a tribute to thomas jefferson and having their blue and gold ceremony.  usually i take someone with me to keep an eye on david so that i can participate with emily--but no one is available to help me today.  now i'm kind of dreading the whole thing.  don't like that feeling.  i should be excited to go.  ok, gonna go have another cup of coffee.  hopefully i'll be back to normal soon--i have too much to do to be down in the dumper. 

Thursday, February 18, 2010

sibling bliss

i actually got them to sit on the same couch together--at the same time!!  my heart flutters just thinking about it!

don't mind me...i look like who did it and ran!

i started emily's dolly quilt last night!!  i'll post more details when its finished!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

is it friday yet?

i'm sure you all know what it feels like to lose a day.  you know, like when you're sick for a few days, and you don't know what day it is.  well, today i just wish i could skip ahead a day--maybe two.  david had a sleepover at my aunt's house on monday night.  hubs picked him up last night around 4:30.  today, he's a whiny monster!  usually, he's just a monster after a sleepover...but the whining.  oh, for the love of god--does there have to be whining too?!   i just put him up for his nap.  i couldn't bare it anymore!  i go through the same thing after every sleepover.  things are a little looser at my aunt's house...i know that...i've had many a sleepover there when i was younger.  *sigh* i'll deal with it though for a night of quiet!  lol

emily and i had a fun day.  we just played and relaxed.  it was nice.  she's also my champion sleeper--so i got some stuff done--and started(then finished) her birthday skirt!
i can't wait to make her a shirt to go with it!

i'm hoping to start cutting fabric for her baby doll quilt tonight!

Monday, February 15, 2010

a breakthrough

yesterday was amazing.  for those of you that have been reading for a while, you know about emily's inability to deal with david.  while we were at emily's school on friday, she was TOTALLY fine with him.  and it hit me that every time i bring david to school, she doesn't have a fit-at all!  i was puzzled, and frankly a little annoyed.  for the last 7 or so months, we've been getting played by a toddler.  sometimes i let her disability sway me...i'm admittedly a little easier on her.  after friday, something shifted in me.  she should not be treated any differently than david when she's misbehaving.  so, on saturday, i had to show a little tough love.  it was hard...ok-it sucked.  i usually try to give david to her in small doses.  some days that works, others its a disaster.  saturday though, we were all going to start to play together.  emily pitched such a fit...i told her it was unacceptable.  when david throws a temper tantrum, i put him in bed until he cools off.   so i did the same thing with emily.  it happened to be her nap time...so she fell asleep.  we finished the night like any other...david had dinner, then i took him in the living room to play until bed...while emily ate alone with hubby.  i wasn't sure where i was going with this. 

sunday morning--a breakthrough.  emily walked into the kitchen for breakfast.  david was already there having a banana.  he offered her his other half--she accepted.  i could have just lost it right then!  we spent the next hour and 15 minutes having breakfast and coloring.  i didn't know if i should laugh or cry.  after naps, the same thing continued.  i was in a state of shock all day!--happy shock though.  i'm hoping this treand will continue now!!  lol  no flukes, please, i can't take it!


the kids enjoyed their valentines:


today i'm taking the kids down to my aunt's house.  its her birthday!  david is going to stay for a sleep over.  and since emily has tomorrow off of school, we'll have a girls day!

here is the cake a made for her birthday(peanut butter cake, whipped chocolate ganache filling, and peanut butter frosting)

i made her these from the kids:


they are polaroid ornaments(i still have to work on making straight lines, but they came out cute!)
found the tutorial here