2.for.Tuesday

I have been on a sewing kick lately. I don't know what it is. I'm not even that great at it. Maybe it's all of the amazing fabrics floating around out there. I just can't seem to get enough. Last week I made a sleep mask [as a sample for our girls camp/ward I.D. Melissa was looking for something cheaper than t-shirts. I'm always ready to oblige with a crazy idea...]. I made a scripture bag and have another in the works [sorry ladies... I stink at taking photos + I just remembered that I keep forgetting to keep my promise of the great pirate tutorials. It's so much easier to direct you to someone else's handy work/steal their photo]. And I intended to make the girl some cute summer dresses but, well... I'm starting to wonder if summer will be over before I get her cute summer dresses made! So basically, I've been wanting to sew...

one: picnic placemat. This is designed/made by Ella of Little Red Caboose. I think it's brilliance. Better than carting around a big huge blanket. Better than ruining all of your baby blankets. I've been thinking of having a summer camp type summer with the little men. Having special outings/projects/assignments to keep them doing things that require thought but are also fun. I probably won't get around to making something like these placemats [and you know I'm too cheap to buy them], but I love the concept. They would be especially good for fishing at the pond/hiking on the red hill. Did I mention brilliance?

two: I keep seeing adoreable fabric toys that I want to make for the girl... Pottery Barn kids has a sweet tea set and a cute little mouse house [well, they had a cute little mouse house. Now it's just this doll house that isn't quite as cute but it doesn't matter because I wasn't going to buy it anyway. I like to make life hard and try to do these things myself. The tea set seems to be gone too]. My cousin's wife Liz is making felt food for her daughter's play kitchen. And look at this rabbit! I made a tiny little rabbit when I was in high school and loved it. I love this more. And these dolls [both are made/designed by Fiona of Hop Skip Jump. The photos are hers too of course]! Barbie who? Polly Pocket...? Ah... I think the girl is going to need some friends.

I know... I need serious help. Does anyone want to trade house cleaning for cute stuff? I could totally do that.

Enjoy the Journey!

#2 [cheap thrills]

Today I picked up a few things I hope to finish soon so I can share them as cheap thrills because I am very much excited about them. I only ended up making it to the D.I. the girl isn't the greatest shopper in the world. Oh well. I did find a few things to work on...

As I was grocery shopping the other day [something I never do anymore by the way... it is *B's* assignment now] I got a little lost + overwhelmed in the store and ended up wandering the aisles thinking, "am I missing something?" I felt like I had to see everything to make sure I got what we needed. While I was picking up some Chow Mein [I know... gross! It is a cheap + easy meal and we keep it on hand] I noticed the fortune cookies there. I have been trying to make things more special and, honestly, what needs to be spiffed up more than Chow Mein?

We ate it Thursday night and the boys loved that the cookies had fortunes. At first they didn't quite get it, but later *I* started asking more questions and now he his waiting [not so patiently] for this to happen: "happy news is on it's way to you." He asked yesterday morning, "any happy news for me?" and again this afternoon when they got home, ""any happy news yet?" I keep giving him happy news, but it's not what he's looking for. I'm not sure what he expects...

*B's* rough times are behind him.

*A* has many unexpected and thrilling surprises in store for him.

and I will be called in to fulfill a position of high honour and responsibility [oh yay. I'm really looking forward to finding out what that one could be...].

So, I've always known that I love fortune cookies. I get a huge kick out of them and when *B* stuck my engagement ring inside of one that said [and he promises he didn't even look at the fortune... it just happened to be the one that didn't break apart when he wedged the ring in]: "you and your spouse will be very happy together." It just tied my infatuation up into a neat little package.

Yeah, I like fortune cookies + now my kids do too.

enjoy the journey!

Girl Friday [cont.]

I promised and now the movie is over so you're getting an update on the girl. It's seven minutes until Saturday. I'd better hurry! So, here you are... *E*. aka: the girl. aka: sissy. aka: silly millie [or mil for short]. She will be 11 months old in a week or so. She is silly and stubborn and naughty and we all love her. She puts anything and everything in her mouth. Except baby food. If we put baby food in her mouth she spits it back at us. In fact, if we put pretty much anything in her mouth she will spit it back at us... unless it comes from off our plate. She insists on feeding herself. She loves bread and noodles and peas and egg yolk and meat. Any kind of meat. I am planning on not giving her sugary snacks/drinks until she's two. I am still nursing her though it is getting less and less frequently as she eats more and more solids. She has eight teeth and she uses them well. So far she has been more physically advanced than either of the boys. She climbs the stairs and tries to climb over the barricades I put up to keep her from falling down the stairs. Sometimes I will find her on the other side and wonder how she got there. Thankfully she hasn't decided to try going down yet. She also is cruising around furniture and she loves to stand on the couch and look out the window. She is pretty pleased with herself that she can get down from the couch without falling. She has taken 6 consecutive steps and will walk a little but still prefers to crawl. She loves pushing things like *A's* stool, the wheat bucket, the shopping cart and rocking horse at the rec center. I think she's getting tired of crawling but isn't quite confident enough to take of on her own. She is very ticklish. I get a lot of comments about how much she looks like me... "umm girl. she look like you spit her right out your mouth!" and, "are you sure you didn't just have yourself cloned?" followed by questions about if we've compared our baby photos.

What do you think?

She says things like "taste" and "drink" and of course "mom" and "da". She will also imitate me when I holler for the boys. I call and then she calls. It's really very cute and she says *I's* name really well. I think it was one of her first words. She will go right to bed with minimal fussing [if any] after I sing/dance her around to the "I love you a bushel and a peck" song. She loves to dance and her favorites are polka/mexican music. If *B* has on the radio she will mess with the dial until she finds a mexican channel and the she will stand there bopping up and down grinning. We all get a pretty big kick out of her. I think we'll keep her. Even if she is a girl.

Girl Friday

Inspired by Cosmo Cricket's super cute paper. The boys are gone to Fathers & Sons. It's just me and the girl tonight and probably most of the day tomorrow. I had big plans for wandering the town, but the girl has other plans. She is very congested and not so happy. She did finally sleep the afternoon away and just a little while ago she woke up and ate. Now she is happy and has filled her drawers. I guess I should do something about that... 8:24 p.m. 8:28 p.m. - mission accomplished. Now I've also got to run and pick up my Cafe Rio. I ordered it online. Sometimes I really love the internet [I think I might also get myself a lemon concrete from Nielsen's]! 8:48 p.m. - Nielsen's was obnoxiously packed so I'm just going to have to eat the left over peanut butter panic ice cream in the freezer. I'm going to take a while to kick back and enjoy my chicken enchilada style burrito and watch Twilight. I've been thinking lately that I want to watch it again, but *B* won't have any of that. He doesn't watch movies twice. I wonder if I could get the girl to go back to sleep now... probably not. She's playing with some cute purple shoes right now + that equals happy so I'm good! Plans for this weekend [besides what I've already shared] include:

1. sewing.
2. thrifting.
3. shopping.
4. slushies.
5. photos.
6. crafting.

+ a promised update on the girl. Maybe later tonight.

enjoy the journey. I'm going to enjoy my dinner + twilight. Catch you later!

About A Boy

This is the story of my #2 aka: *A* . aka: Bigs.

This one is best described as impish. Really. From his round pixie, sunkissed face to his naughty little giggle. He is trouble and silliness and love all rolled into one very dirty and wiggly and loud little boy. His primary teacher tells me she doesn't know what child she will get on any given Sunday. Sometimes he's an angel and sometimes she wants to box his ears. Hmm... I think she'll have to get in line on that one.

Mostly he spends his days riding his bike around the neighborhood and can be found bare foot and wearing an odd assortment of superhero/karate/jedi/pirate costumes + pajamas and singing a theme song composed of various tunes and made up in betweens.

He enjoys visiting our older ward members and will just knock and ask if he can come in. Usually he walks away with some treat or another and that's just fine with him and pretty much guarantees a return visit.

He wakes up around 7:00 a.m and, with his shoes and socks already on, asks if his face is clean. Aunt Lill will only give him a cookie [um... I mean a bag of cookies] if he has shoes and socks on and his face and hands are clean. I remind him that he can't have cookies before breakfast and he breaks into an insta-cry, "I need some breakfast!" It's incredibly irritating in the end but endearingly cute in the beginning.

He still says things like, "Mom, I dot to dis end and I was lite 'hmm?' Isn't dat funny?" He is finally able to make the g + k sounds without a stick in his mouth if he is reminded. I asked him if it would be okay for me to tell his teacher [can't believe he'll be in Kindergarten] to correct him if she remembers. He said it's okay and now I just have to hope it doesn't lead to teasing from kids at school. Next up is the rrr sound .

I'll miss his happy-go-lucky attitude when he's in school, but I'm sure I'll get over it and be able to enjoy the quiet that will permeate the house until he gets home.

So, that's him in a nutshell, and also let it be known that he is very good at sharing whatever he has and he finds it silly when I stutter out his brothers name and for the life of me can't remember his. aka: argh... Whoeveryouare! He's a good boy.

Enjoy the Journey

No. 1 [cheap thrills]

So this is my newest project. To share the projects that I actually do [as opposed the ones I wish I was doing...] I promise they will be cheap and I promise they are just to make you happy [and occasionally to make someone you love happy, but mostly you]. I will include photos of said project and I will include instructions by me. Aren't you lucky! It won't be every week, but I will try to share everything I do that makes me smile when I look at it. As promised, here is installment no. 1: clearance mother's day flowers. yes, they are slightly worse for the wear. yes, I had to toss some. I've told *B* not to buy me fresh flowers. They just die. I didn't ever consider clearance flowers. I don't know how long they will last, but they're sure making me happy today. I bought 2 bunches and made 2 arrangements [if the girl hadn't interrupted my flow I could have made 3]. So... $10 for two vases [um... one vase + one wide mouthed mason jar] full of flowers. Definitely a cheap thrill in my book.

...so go to it + remember to enjoy the journey.

2.for.Tuesday

We've got some projects in the works at our house right now. *B* is working on refinishing the dining room table and I've got some fabric to recover Grandpa's old rocking chair [though *B* really likes the olive green pleather that is on it now... I think it's just because it's Grandpa's old rocking chair. I have no sympathy and I'm pretty much lacking in sentimentality at the moment so too bad for him]. I've also been trying to de-junk a little. It's a never ending battle, and I don't expect great results, but... at least I'm trying. Soooo. Today you get spiff it up ideas. I know you all wanted them anyways! one: studio spiff up ideas from Red Velvet Art* [but they work for any room... I'm loving them for my boy's bedroom. They need lots of paper hanging room so they'll stop gluing their art on the wall with elmer's]. I love the colors and the brilliant use of around the house items to display random pieces of happy things. The green ladder on the wall is the side of a thrifted crib and I love it! I especially love the pants hanger clipped on the quote. Speaking of the quote, it says, "You don't want a pony it will only eat your hat." Tell me, who doesn't need that hanging on their wall? I know I do. Such practicality. *As a side note, this post is specifically from Rachel. I'm currently taking an online home decor class and she is one of the teachers. I wish she was the only teacher. I feel like I'm wasting my money with the other ladies [not that it was a whole lot of money] I love her style and her use of color and girly and just outright fun ideas. two: this very interesting and random throw that I fell in love with and want to re-create for the girls room. I love the description they give of it: "hand-knit of multi-hued cotton into dozens of mismatched pinwheels, this cozy, quirky throw feels like a family heirloom." It's from Anthropologie so of course it only costs $198. That is so totally not do-able! I will make one myself. Not so hippie looking + more girly = perfection in my mind. I went searching for how to crochet flowers and there is definitely not a shortage of information out there. This video tutorial looked pretty easy to follow and the lady linked up her written instructions so it's the one I chose to share. If you're interested and don't like this lady just google "how to crochet flowers" and you will be in link heaven [also, in the right hand sidebar of the video page there are links to similar videos showing how to make different styles of flowers]. Enjoy the Journey! ps. today I did the grocery shopping for the first time in ... who knows how long... and I did something fun for myself. So now I've got something new in the works. Check back tomorrow for the first installment.