Lullaby and Good Night

Our boy is getting bigger everyday. A day has not gone by recently without me saying "Right on Bubba." He is learning so much and doing so much. Since he will be a Big Boy soon (if he isn't already) he needs a big boy bed. Not just any run of the mill toddler bed will do though. He needs something cool and stylish. Here comes my confession... I spent most of yesterday's naptime looking at toddler & platform beds. I knew going in that I wouldn't buy something but was looking for something to inspire our own creation. I will be working with my dad over the next several weeks to build this bed (and chair).
These are my inspiration photos:

This is an amazing bed for a growing boy. It will allow for a little underbed storage. I love the bench feature. I think it will help when he wants to start dressing himself. Plus the low profile of it will be great for his use for the next few (4?) years. Here is the manufacturer website.

The lime green & grey are the colors we are going to paint the bed, chair and the art easel (that my dad is making).
I am also going to make this chair at the same time. Since I'll have the material and be doing all the same processes it just makes sense to make it all together. 3 benefits. 1) It will match the other furniture. 2) It will cost far less to make than to buy. 3) This is exactly what I want.

These are others I found while looking. I like the modern aesthetic. Spot on Square is the designer.
Plus this one folds up like a chair. How cool is that? Go check it out here.

Feeling blah

I am depressed. I have been here before and I am sure this isn't the last time. My depression seems to mostly be seasonal. So I think I have Seasonal Affective Disorder. I am also exhibiting symptoms of major depression. So I have decided that I am going to do something about it. I will be going for an orientation/evaluation on Monday afternoon. I feel better that I am doing something about it. Since I am sans insurance I will be going to a place that works on a sliding scale. This also means that they have a waiting list for treatment.
Cheers to getting myself back to normal in the new year.

Only 364 days left to do it again.

I enjoy christmas. It is a great reason to get together with family that is not often seen together.
Next year I'd like to continue these traditions:
- visiting Santa with pictures
- baking cookies and making candies
- handmade gifts (even though this year I kinda lost momentum)
- decorating the house
- new ornaments for the felt tree

I want to institute these traditions:
- advent calendar with activities relating to the season
- making a few kid friendly crafts for A to give as gifts
- make the month more about seeing friends & family (all year long)

Bliss & Baking

I love to bake but only seem to do it around the holidays. Maybe that will be another resolution for 2009. Baking with Bubba once a week.
I'll be doing more of this today. See ya around.

We love visitors

We got special visitors today. Hubs brother & sister in law brought the newest member of the family over. Little L is only 5 weeks old. It must have been serendipity because just yesterday I was missing the brand new little stage with Bubba. Good stuff.
Bubba provided great entertainment after our meal. It was pretty good if I do say so myself. Parmesan crusted mahi mahi, creamed spinach and rice with tomatoes. Our guy had a good time as you can see above. He was rockin' the air guitar (his latest musical thing) like the rock star he is. Who knows maybe someday he will have a real guitar.

We are gearing up to the final days before the holiday. I have lots of cookie making and baking to do. Since we had visitors today and we will be visitors tomorrow I forsee a late night coming up.

What we've been up to

Christmas is the perfect time to make candies. Here are my salted chocolate caramels. I am going to attempt True Love Truffles tomorrow. And if all turns out I may even make Microwave Peanut Brittle too. (That one requires littles to be in bed.)

Bass Pro Shops put on a great Winter Wonderland. My boy did good with Santa (as expected since the kid has never met a stranger). His favorite part of the display was the train. He also loved the giant catfish in the tank. I think this was the first time we have been to Bass Pro that he has responded to the fish. He was really telling them what for. Thanks Granny for going with us. We had a great time.

I have wanted to try my hand at knitting for a while. I decided to take the plunge. While I am no where near the end of my first project, a gray wool scarf, I am pleased with the progress I am making. I certainly think this is another piece to the Liz puzzle.

Aside from the above we have been fighting off the tail end of the illness. I am happy to report that I am feeling better and the Boy is on the mend as well. Guess that means we need to get back to the usual tomorrow. I have a date with the bathroom and the mop. Good times.

I am such a follower

Mary changed up her blog and linked Izzie Grace who made the background. I liked it so I had to do mine too. What do you think? Me likey.

Obsession is not just a parfume

I get a little obsessive at times. Ok, so whenever some silly little idea pops into my head and I like it, I tend to obsess. Take today for example. It was/is SuperFreezing so we were NOT going outside unless mandatory. (sidebar: which was good to limit smoking to a single one today.) So I sat myself in front of my computer for hours! I was on a mission to find coupons. I did. Time well spent? I guess we'll see when we thaw out and go grocery shopping.
What I should have been doing? Making banana nut bread. Melting chocolate. Deciding on final food gifts. I guess those are priority tomorrow.

GERMS!

Yesterday was the first official day that our household has not been sick all week. The week started out with a super productive Sunday that included mopping, bathroom cleaning and LAUNDRY! I felt oh so good about these accomplishments.
Then germs struck. I woke up early feeling like I was in the early stages of pregnancy (i'm SO not!), ya know the sick-to-my-stomach-think-i'm-gonna-hurl deal. I though well maybe if I don't move the feeling will pass. Yeah right. Thank goodness the bathroom is right around the corner. Shortly thereafter I heard hubby with our boy. He makes sad little whimpers when he's nauseated. Poor kiddo. I felt so bad for him all day. That is when I wasn't taking care of my own issues.
Fortunately we have a good Daddy/Hubs in our world. He got us some takeout soup and Gatorade. It was so nice to not have to worry about making dinner. Thanks Hubs.
Then of course Hubs comes down with a flu like sickness on Tuesday. So all three of us were feeling pretty miserable. It would have been a wonderful day to have a tv in our room where we could all watch videos and sleep the day away. Guess the living room sofa & tv will have to suffice.
Unfortunately it took until yesterday for A & I to feel better. Hubs is fully recovered today. Now if we can only keep the germs away from us we will all be better for a while.
Between catching up the laundry pile, the housework that was neglected and a couple of friendships our time has been exhausted. We did make something for the christmas goodie boxes today. I share more about that next time. I promise it is worth coming back for. Until then, Happy Holidays!

There's a birthday coming

and I'm not ready. My nephew, J, is turning 7 on Tuesday. (Yes, Mom I still have the card you sent up here.) I am not ready because I need to make a rag quilt for his present and cupcakes decorated like bowling balls & pins for the party. Fortunately Col is coming over tomorrow to help with baking & decorating. I can guarantee it will be fun based on our cookie expedition last Friday. The party should be fun too since we were just talking about wanting to go bowling.

In other news: I have finally taken a huge chunk out of Mt Washmore (my laundry for the non-flybabies) and feel really good about it. As I was telling Mom on the phone today, I really like doing my laundry but only when I have it under control. I HATE doing it and avoid it as much as possible when the piles just keep building!

Also I signed up at Juicy Juice a while back and got a sippy cup in the mail yesterday. That was a nice surprise. I also got a Huggies #3 sample diaper. There was also a recipe book from Ragu. I just love surprises in the mail. Don't you?

In the spirit of the holiday

Today our friends came over and we made:
I got the recipe here. This is a wonderful gingerbread if you like less spice and lots of good flavor. They are okay when eaten without icing but so much better with it. This icing was very runny so we used a TON of sugar to make it thicker. We also set the icing in the freezer for 10 minutes or so to firm up as well.

This one is my favorite:
We didn't get to ice all of them so we will be doing more tomorrow.

Here is a picture taken my Hubs. We all laughed hard when we saw it.

When you wish upon a star...

I know our gift giving/receiving this year will be extremely limited but hey a girl can dream right?
In the Kitchen...
* I have been frying up a storm lately with all that Perfect Sesame Chicken and frozen mozzarella sticks. So I'd like one of these. But I'd settle for this one.
* Another kitchen helper would be a wok like this one.
* I would love to have a stack of cookbooks like Mary. That would take some doing. I'll settle for Domestic Goddess, Feast, Entertaining Simple, Grill Everyday or Back To Basics.
In my craft area...
* I have grand plans for sewing in the new year. One of those plans is to make a garment for myself each month. So I'd really like a gift card to Hobby Lobby, JoAnn's or Fabritopia.
Around the house...
* Since I ripped the sheet while making the bed the other day I'd like a new set of these beautiful sheets for winter and these for the rest of the year.

There is certainly more that I could/do lust after but this is a good enough list for now.

Did I miss it?

How on earth did I ever get to 100 posts? I knew it would happen but I figured it would take me FOR.EV.ER! since I am not a regular poster. Ah, well, here we are. Cool.

Moving On. I have a teaser shot for you from my decorations. I would have shared more tonight BUT my camera battery died. (Part of me did the happy dance because I am just not sure about the BIG decoration project yet. More on that tomorrow.) So here is what you do get to see.


Red, Silver & Blue is not my theme. I am using what I had along with a few bits from the dollar store. I think it is going to be arranged in a way that the blue & white goes into the bedrooms and the red & silver stay in the living room/kitchen. We'll see what happens.

Moving On again. The theme for NaBloPoMo (NBPM) is Thanks. So in the spirit of that I am feeling thankful for my Hubs today. He makes me smile LOTS. He also is a really fantastic Daddy. I can't imagine my life without this amazing man.

Our last topic for today is: My Oh-crap-christmas-is-just-around-the-corner-and-I-have-to-make-a-million-presents list.
I have really pared down my initally planned list to the following:
Hubs - Another hat? Who knows what I'll make.
Bug - A finished quilt
Papasan - Several photos of the kidlets framed. Some from our childhood too.
Sisterness - a skirt of our design
Mr Kitty - blanket
Princess - blanket
Gomer - blanket
Bestest Aunt & Uncle - that embroidered bit I finished forever ago.
BFF - that darned handbag that I have set aside for weeks
BFF's Hubby - wool beanie & scarf
GG (also known as The First Gilrfriend) - The doll that is already done.

The rest will be duplicate gifts: Silhouettes, banana bread, jam, and homemade candies & cookies.

Send me to bed before the weirdness that was this post infects the rest.

While the men were out

Today (as with the rest of the days this week) Hubby was home due to lack of real work. He did however venture out into the world to pick up and drop off samples for a customer. On his way out the door Little Man "ooh, ooh, oohed" his way into an invitation for the ride. So I was without men in the house for a whole 2.5 hours this morning. What does a sick chick do with this kind of time? Well, a regular sick chick would haul herself off to bed and rest. But that is NOT what I did. I decorated for christmas. I know I am strange but the sense of accomplishment it gave me made up for the constant need to use a tissue.
I am trying something new to go with the kid that gets into ev.er.y.th.i.ng. I need it to settle in before I share photos. I am thinking about tweaking it tomorrow anyway.

In the year twenty oh nine

So I am already thinking about the start of the new year. Personally I want to decide on a few goals and make meaningful and do able resolutions. Parentally (That is a word. I looked it up in the dictionary.) I want to have a plan so on January 1 I am not freaking out thinking "Where did all the time go? What am I going to present A?" There is a ton more that I am sure will be boring to everyone but me.
So what is my purpose for this particular post? It is a rough draft gathering of the many projects I want to tackle next year. Including but not limited to clothing patterns, crafting projects, sewing and paper projects. I find many times that by bookmarking a particular sight that lose interest in the project long before I have time to review and complete it. So here I will be able to give myself a little pep talk before each link and remind myself what I had in mind.
LoveBug is going to need a place special to put his artwork and other triumphs so I need to make a message/art board for him. I love this idea for our bedroom as well.
I really want to make a quilt this upcoming year. This one seems even simpler than the rag quilt I made GG. This may be a great top for our bed.
I have had my eye on fabric bins for the living room and Love Bug's room. These are the perfect solution.
These little pouches would make great little gifts for the travelers in my life.
Another (simple) quilt. This would be great for a couch throw as well as a baby blanket.
I can't get enough of shoes & handbags. I love this pattern and think it would be a nice bag.

NaBloPoMo

I decided to join NaBloPoMo and challenge myself to a post a day for December.

The theme is THANKS.

Yesterday I was thankful we were able to pay rent.
Today I am thankful for the food in our refrigerator.

A Choo! Excuse me.

On Thanksgiving night after the festivities I started really coming down with icky illness. Headache, sneezes, either a runny nose or congestion (my nose cannot decide which to be), just general blah. So I have done little more than the minimum for the last 2 days. I did get to the grocery store tonight but that short trip drained me. Thankfully Hubs put away the groceries for me and Little Man went to bed nice and easy. I did make some cocoa for me and Hubs but now I am beat. I am considering just going to bed and dealing with the kitchen and laundry tomorrow. I know full well that I will take care of the kitchen even if I don't get to the laundry tonight.
**Sharleen I promise to get your wallet in the works just as soon as I can.**
Well my cocoa is gone so I can't avoid my kitchen any longer. Good Night All.

Pie. Oh my!

We had a great Thanksgiving. I made 3 pies and green bean casserole. One of the pecan pies was commandeered by Hubs. I found this great recipe on allrecipes.com. I have to say that this was the easiest and prettiest pie I have ever made. Hubs ate a whole pie by himself (over 3 days) so I think it gets his seal of approval.

I also made a Pumpkin Pie from this recipe. (Also from allrecipes.com.) It was simple and since I had a premade crust it was easy too.

Giveaway winner.

I had 7 comments for the giveaway. Thanks ladies. It made me feel good to know that this wallet is something others might like. So are you curious who the winner is?

sharleen.2cupsofcoffee said...

I love everything green and some brown too. Great giveaway. I love the new look and can't wait to check out the montessori blog.

Congratulations! I will be following up with an email to verify colors and decoration.

PS. I think I may be getting a cold. ICK! Does anyone have any really good immune boosters that I can take to feel better before the holiday?

O Christmas Tree To Be, Part 3

Can I just gush about my ornament project? I love them. They are certainly talking a bit to do but are well worth it. What do you think?
Do you have a favorite ornament? I'd love to see them.

Practicing for Santa

Hubs has been requesting cookies for the last (maybe longer?) so tonight I made these. I found the recipe here on AllRecipes.com. They are just right. Not too chewy or crunchy. I am a cookie batter fiend so I think I did good to get the full 3 dozen out of the recipe.
It did me good to get a little practice for Santa.

Words that speak to me

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."
-- John Lennon

Yes. I am a serial planner. I like my lists. I like to know what my options are. I hate the feeling of mid morning and not knowing what I am going to do for the day. But these words must be pondered. Do I quit making my lists and stop my minor plans to let life happen? Am I not enjoying my life to the fullest because I am too busy making plans?

Ahh Shucks

Mary gave me my first blog award. Blush. Thanks Mary. I love your blog too.


1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Where is your significant other? sleeping
3. Your hair color? blah
4. Your mother? crazy
5. Your father? crazy
6. Your favorite thing? sewing machine
7. Your dream last night? boring
8. Your dream/goal? home
9. The room you're in? living
10. Your hobby? sewing
11. Your fear? being alone
12. Where do you want to be in six years? PTA president
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you're not? thin
15. One of your wish list items? spa day
16. Where you grew up? Denver
17. The last thing you did? ornaments
18. What are you wearing? jammies
19. Your T.V.? behind closed doors
20. Your pets? large!
21. Your computer? tiny
22. Your mood? loving
23. Missing someone? nah.
24. Your car? dying
25. Something you're not wearing? watch
26. Favorite store? Target
27. Your Summer? unfulfilled
28. Love someone? lots
29. Your favorite color? red
30. When is the last time you laughed? minutes
31. Last time you cried? days

I am passing this on to Lynn Michelle for her amazing, fantastic, wonderful photography and personality. If I ever get to Texas I am going to your studio! Also to Emily because every post is filled with fun pictures and excitement. And last but not least to Steph for the inspiration to teach A at home. I love all your blogs!

O Christmas Tree To Be, Part 2

Last night I finally sat down to my sewing machine and got the felt for the tree sewn. It did not take long so I wonder why I was procrastinating about it?
Today I stuffed the 4 boughs. I used embroidery floss and a blanket stitch to close them up and add a little character. They are currently safety pinned together for pictures but I want to come up with a kid friendly method of putting them together. Velcro seems to be the first choice but what keeps kiddos from completely tearing apart the tree instead of just re-arranging the ornaments? Safety pins may work out once it is attached to the wall.


Next step is adding the trunk. Once that is attached and installed on the wall then we can begin to decorate. (Although I will not be putting the tree up until after Thanksgiving. There is just something that irks me about too much christmas too soon. It's one thing to have a few songs or a little decor early but when the mall looks like Santa is there the day after Halloween I get a little cranky.)

Also, seeing this finished size I think I may be making too many ornaments. What am I going to do with the extras you ask. Why, I am going to make them into a garland for the space between the kitchen and living room of course.

Sorry about the lack of process pictures. It seems that if I don't format my card semi regularly then my card eats my images. GRRR!

I love the idea of fabric bags.

SimpleMom is having a giveaway that I am excited about. She and 6 companies are giving away 17 bags, a reusable bottle and a lunchbag. So go check it out and enter to win.
I am using fabric bags to wrap christmas presents in this year. If you (or I) don't win the giveaway then we can always get the red ones from Target. They are selling the envelope bags for 2/$1.00 this week. I picked up 6 yesterday and will probably go back for more before the end of the week.

3 Little Snow People

Felt Tree Update:
The material has been cut (for 3 days). All that is left to do is sew and stuff the tree.
Ornaments Update:
I have completed 1 set (3) ornaments with only 10 more sets to go. Want to see what I have done?


I am quite giddy over these little artworks. (Ok, so maybe I am exagerating by calling them artwork but I really love them.) I think this is a must have for every family. Next year I am going to make an ornament for each family in the extended fam.

I am falling asleep at the keyboard so it is bedtime. Night.

Giveaway! I love a giveaway.

**comments closed and giveaway announced here.**
After much deliberation (especially I didn't think I would get the 5 comments) about what would make a good giveaway prize I have the answer. This giveaway is something I created from concept and research to paper prototype and final product. So I am extremely proud of it.

This is my personal wallet but the lucky winner is going to get to choose 2 colors. I will choose the material based on color selection at my local fabric store. The bonus will be custom embroidery on it in either a paisley, initial, scroll or floral design.
Want a chance to win? Leave me a comment with your color combo and design choice. I will have my son choose from his magnet numbers to pick a winner. I will close comments midnight (MST) Monday, Nov 24 and I will announce a winner on Tuesday, Nov 25 . Good Luck.

Snow has fallen

and I didn't think to take a picture. I am so not blogger material. I think about taking pics after the fact or days later when I am blogging about my day(s) past. So in order to challenge myself this week I am going to post pics of our day. (Of course this starts tomorrow since I left the camera behind today.)
I have 2 projects in the middle stages. I hope to have the christmas tree done tomorrow. The silhouettes are a little time consuming but Col is coming over tomorrow and we are going to work on them together. We are also going to create the ornaments for our tree too.
More on the giveaway in the morning when I can catch the prize in some pretty morning light. Hint? It is slim, colorful and if you are anything like me you will use it everyday.

Better Late Than Never

While my beautiful child slept one afternoon last week I was able to create my autumn wreath. I am very happy about how it turned out. The best part is that I didn't need to glue anything so I will be able to transition the wreath to other seasons.

Our boy's favorite part is the berries. It's mine too.

quickie

I got the 5+ comments to a post so I will be doing a giveaway. I will announce it in a couple of days. Anyone interested should stay tuned.

Gimme. Gimme.

Who doesn't love free stuff? I don't know a soul. So I went to Freebies 4 Mom today and I found a great freebie or fifty.
Dunkin Donuts also spoke to my blogger self and gave me this cool button that will let you get a free sample. How nifty is that?


Go. Find some freebies that you can receive in just 6-10 weeks.

O Christmas Tree To Be, Part 1

Today I decided on making our christmas tree. Since we don't have a lot of room in our rental I threw out the old tree when the baby was on his way. So out with the old and in with the new. We still don't have much room (haven't moved yet) so I must do something small or 2-D.
After much searching of Flickr & Google images I found my pattern. My mind has transitioned through many internal rough drafts in a short time. Quite exhausting work ya know.
I am thinking the tree should be about 4' tall and no more than 3' wide. It will be made of either felt or fleece. I will also be making ornaments with velcro on the back so Little can rearrange them at will.

I think I am going to try to take photos along the way and share the trials and outcome with you. For now though I am on my way to bed. An early trip to WalMart or Hobby Lobby requires it.

Housekeeping and new stuff

I spent some (ok, a lot) time this morning prettying up this blog. Good thing too since I have had several visitors from the I Can Make That party hosted by Chris at Just a Girl. Please go to the party. There have been several ideas that I already bookmarked for review next time I need to make gifts.
The new look is a free one from Lena at Simply Fabulous Blogger Templates. She has lots of great templates. Including some lovely holiday themes.
I also started a couple of new blogs. The first one is to showcase the beautiful work my Hubs does. He does such a great job with his masonry I just had to put together a blog to brag about it. Please come in and take a look.
The second blog I started is Mile High Montessori. This is where I will be recording our preschool adventure beginning in January. In the mean time I will be sharing my preparation work.
Well it looks like naptime is upon us. Bye.

A little progress

**Thanks for all the comments. Please go here to enter the giveaway because of all the comment love.**

I have almost finished this project. When I get a chance to go to Hobby Lobby again I will get a wood embroidery hoop to frame it. I was inspired by a few cakes on Flickr. The yellow is not as pronounced as I was hoping for but I think it does the job of highlighting the pattern.

This project is complete. It turned out a bit longer than necessary but I like the ruffle at the bottom. This may be something I keep for myself. We shall see. (Sorry for the blurry photo. I should have retaken it but it's late.)

So I have a couple of things to show for last week. Mind you they are not the things I told myself needed to be done. Ahhh, such is the to do list when one project is bugging me.

Col's bag is giving me headaches since it has been on my TO DO list for weeks. I did get a couple of steps done last week but I still have several to go before the bag is done. The light at the end of the tunnel is that of all the people I am creating for this year I think she will appreciate it most.

Instead of the calendars I may be making lots of ornaments for the fam. The calendars (a great idea) are going to be quite expensive and time consuming. Kimba did these and I fell in love. I am seriously considering taking on this project because while it will still be time consuming I think the cost will be LOTS less. I will have a verdict by tomorrow night.

O.Ba.Ma. O!Ba!Ma!

He did it! We did it! Wow. Part of me didn't think it could happen. All of me hoped it would. Now I can breathe a sigh of relief. And cross my fingers that W doesn't F it up in the next couple of months.
Excuse me please. I need to continue my happy dance. I am sure I will have more thoughts on this tomorrow.
This is my girlfriend and her precious little Gracie. When Obama came to Colorado he stopped in the Brighton field office. So my "niece" has met the next President of the United States.

Mr. Obama, We have given you the opportunity. Keep our hope sacred.

Another gift done

**Thanks to those who have commented. Please go to the giveaway here and take part in the fun.**

I love these napkins. I certainly got better the more I did. Not that they are perfect. Maybe perfectly imperfect. Maybe perfectly handmade. The one in the front is my favorite. All those knots took a lot of time though.
On a side track I may do an art piece with millions of little french knots just because it would be so pretty. Maybe a mixture of stitches and knots just for appeal. We shall see.

Another side note. I voted. Did you? I don't want to open up my blog to all the politics but I am still girl-crushing on Saucy for her excellent blog yesterday.

I have noticed a little more traffic around here but I am not getting any comments. So if you read this or any other post can I ask you to please say "hi"? I promise not to bite and will visit your blog, and comment, if you have one. Is that enough of a bribe? No. Ok, so how's this if I get even 5 different commenters to any post in the next week I will do a giveaway. So please say "Hi."

Bittersweet

I put my resume out into the world today. I am feeling so mixed about it. It means that if I get this job then
1) we should be set for the winter season. Happy, happy, joy, joy.
2) I will be rejoining the workforce. Meh.
3) we may be able to actually get our own house before the market comes back. Sweet!
4) I won't get to spend as much time with my boy. Sad.
5) Hubs will have to start helping around the house again. Good and Bad.

We will see what happens. Should not be until next week sometime.

Post of the Year

I have been reading Bloggedy, Blog, Blog for a little while now. Today she had the POST OF THE YEAR! If i had an award I would give it to her because it was funny, insightful with a perfect ending. What are you waiting for? Go check it out.

Trick or Treat

Halloween was very exciting for us this year since Little is able to walk and point and enjoy getting a little scared. We dressed him as a Marshall/Cowboy. I made the vest and holster out of black felt and a couple of finds from Hobby Lobby. The hat, marshall star, and gun came from Wal-Mart. Anyone who knows Hubs knew that our boy would have a gun before too long. (I'm just happy that it's fake.) Granny found the boots at Famous Footwear. (More than I would have paid but we are thankful for the gift.)

In the morning I took him to my former workplace. It was nice to visit everyone for a while. (I also got a couple of job leads. But that is for another post.) Everyone said he was so adorable. What do you think?
We also did a little Trick Or Treating in the evening. There were so few houses lit up so we only got about 5 houses. More than enough candy to tide Hubs over. Little got his share from Granny since his mama is paranoid about things that might be in the candy.

We also went to Auntie's work for their family day. My Little loves being with the big kids. They were so cute. Too bad I left the camera in the car.

I am falling asleep at the keyboard so I should go. Don't want to wake up with space bar line across my forehead.

Simple Joys

Big Sigh. I just finished washing the dishes (from today and last night). While I will admit that washing dishes is one of my least favorite responsibilities, probably from doing them so often during the day, I have to add what a pleasure it is to wake up to a sparkling clean kitchen. My day seems to progress so much smoother when my kitchen is clean first thing in the morning. I think I resist getting out of bed when there are dishes to be done instead of making coffee.
Don't you agree that this makes a much better start to the day?
So my joy tonight is a clean kitchen first thing in the morning.

Working on it

I feel that this should be my new theme phrase. I am constantly telling myself and others that I am working on it. It has been a variety of things lately. Today IT included picking up a check from one of Hubs customers, talking to The Mama on the phone, visiting the library, chatting with Dad & Col. My favorite IT was working on the embroidered napkins for christmas. I have 2 & 1/2 done. The best one is the one I am working on right now. I found a little more inspiration at the library and love using french knots as a filler stitch. So cute. Time consuming. But cute. Pictures when I have all 4 done (tomorrow?)

Furniture Musical Chairs

In preparation for the Montessori Method being introduced into our home (in January) Hubs and I have made a few furniture decisions. A dresser was purchased recently at a yard sale for $20. This will allow our little guy to have access to his clothes and be able to start down the path to clothing independence. (Won't that be a joyous day?) I am also thinking of doing a little spray paint and drawer front decoupage. Anyone have any thoughts on painting veneer?This also freed up the armoire to become our new entertainment center. (Can you tell that I am jumping up and down with excitement?) Once the to do list becomes more manageable I will be giving this piece a little Rehab a la Kimba. I have some stain, hardware & fabric in mind. Just wait and see what happens to it next spring.











Now I only want to repurpose 1 nightstand (by the backdoor for a landing zone) and a printer stand (into a nightstand in A's room), another dresser that needs some gorilla glue, paint & decoupage and remove all traces of fans to our storage (this may be a battle as of yet since my guys have hot blood while mine must be ice water). Oops, I almost forgot that I would seriously love to make covers for the gun safe and filing cabinet. Something that would make me smile at having large metal boxes hanging around the house. Who knows, maybe the filing cabinet needs a coat of spray paint and drawer front decoupage too.

Another gift done

The Mama taught me how to make a doll while I was there visiting. I like the finished product but the tinyness of it made me very frustrated. Thank goodness The Mama was there to bail me out in my times of frustration otherwise Giggles would not have graced this world.

This little dolly is temporarily named Giggles until GG decides differently. Isn't she just as cute as can be? Too bad I will most likely not be making anymore of them. The only exception may be if I ever have a daughter of my own.

A little Collyer in them all

I see a little Collyer in each kid. It's mostly the eyes. Ok, so the ears too.

Cant. Get. Back. To. NORMAL.

My real life has been on vacation for the last month (at least). Now I am having the hardest time getting it to within reason.
Hubs has been home and wants A and I to go with him almost everywhere he goes. Most of the time I would be happy to accompany him but I am desperate to get my house back under control and get cracking on my crafting projects. Oh Hubby, please let me stay home so I can get back to my regular routine.
Well tomorrow may not be the best day to get back in the saddle. We (A & I) are supposed to help MIL cook a turkey tomorrow. AND we have his 18 mo WBV. Did I mention that I need to get some crafting done? Oh yea, my desk is covered in randomness that is seriously throwing me out of balance. Plus I haven't gotten around to my filing in about 3 months.
Maybe MIL will take A tomorrow morning and I can take him to our Ped and be home to serve up a crock pot dinner. Continental Chicken. Sounds interesting.
I am done ranting about the last several days. There would be no point since they are over.
Positive thoughts for tomorrow... 1) I will get things done. 2) We will have a peaceful day. 3) I will take a little time for myself too.

Planning for a homemade holiday

I have decided since we are getting close I need a plan of attack on this home made holiday.
Things I need to get in RED
Things I already have in YELLOW
Next Actions in GREEN

DH - wool beanie, if I still have time I may make a lap quilt Need material. Lots of material.
Little Man - rag quilt, (crayon roll, colored pencil roll, marker roll) if time permits I will do these (we are also going to get him a big boy bed so the quilt will need to be more substantial than I was going to make.) Need material: 2 yds x 3 colors, batting, thread. Need TIME!

Sister - handbag (3 compartment, small, black, zipper and snap) I have the material for this. Pattern Complete. Cut material.
Princess V - rag quilt need material: 1.5 yds x 2 colors, batting
Jay Bug - rag quilt need material: 1.5 yds x 2 colors, batting

Uncle Doug & Aunt Phyllis - Embroidered napkins (4-6) Done!

Crystal - handbag I have the material for this. Cut material.

The Mama - apron Need Emmeline pattern.

Scarlett - tutu Need material, 3 yds tulle, elastic, silk flowers. Need waist measurement.

Susan - apron & hipslinger if time allows Need Emmeline pattern.
Linda - hipslinger if I have time

Matt - wool beanie & scarf, , Need 3 skeins wool in grey.
Colleen - handbag IN PROGRESS!
GG - Doll

Logan - rag quilt Need material: 1 yd x 2 colors.

Silhouette Ornaments- get paper for background and black
Jam - (11)
Banana Bread - (18) Find my recipe. Thaw bananas.

Pretending

The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.
Socrates

I am a pretender. Well maybe not so much a pretender as much as hiding the warts & boils and only putting my best face forward. Is that pretending or only showing my good side?

I'd like to challenge myself to live with more honor by being more like the person I pretend to be. Thank you Socrates for such an inspiration.

Entertaining Simple

My morning wish...
Can I please win this giveaway from Restyled Home?

by this guy Matthew Mead

<- These look so yummy and would be a hit for a ladies night. -> If only I would have had a guide to suggest this when I was registering for our wedding.

If you want to preview the book go to his website here.



If I don't win this book is certainly on my Christmas Wish List. Anyone can buy it here. (Hint, hint.)

Finally feeling better

Oh boy am I glad to finally be feeling better. All I have now is a bit of a cough and the need to blow my nose more than usual (but not nearly as much as when I was sick.
Since A and I are flying to AZ on Thursday I made myself buckle down yesterday and get lots of laundry done as well as scrubbing the tub and parts of the kitchen. Today will include more laundry (I'd like to have it all done so when I get home I only have to deal with travel & hunting laundry), cleaning the rest of the bathroom, changing sheets in both bedrooms and general dusting. For relaxation I should work on the Pleated Beauty Bag. FYI: only 11 weeks left until X-mas. That means my 100% handmade christmas might only be about 70%. Not too bad for a first year and a lesson to really start sooner for next year.
So I was going to tell all about our CA vacation but there is really not much to tell. We stayed in the middle of the desert with no real distractions. Grandma Shirley and I went shopping in town (32 miles away) one day and got the boy a really cute Raiders warm up suit. The rest of the time was spent soaking up as much sun as I could. I really hate how cold they keep their house. I was able to crochet a wool beanie for Hubs and start one for a woman. It is out of the softest bamboo yarn. The color scheme is pink camo. I like it so much I may have to keep it for myself. We shall see.
I am going to revise my handmade holiday post so you might want to check it out.

Sick day, again.

It is a good thing that I don't have a paying job. I would have been calling in sick all week long.
Today I got my new glasses ordered. I got 2 pair at America's Best. The second pair was about half price so I couldn't pass up getting a backup/sassy pair. The main pair are a bronze color and the second/sassy pair are red! When I get them in I will post photos. (It may have to wait until I get back from AZ.)
I also picked up Teach Me To Do It Myself from Barnes & Noble. I am excited about this one. I already read the introduction and can't wait until I get some time to plan the "work" for Alex. Based on a few things I have noticed about him recently I think he is really ready to begin this kind of preschool.

Today was a major test of my patience and I know that I passed but I don't think I got a very good grade. After looking into it further I found a new tooth breaking through, realized that naptime was pushed back and have to concede that he may not have been feeling as good as I thought he was. So he had reason to have a short temper. I think I need to remember that pausing before reacting will really benefit us both in the long run. So noted.

Free Handbag? Sign me up.

I want to win a totally free handbag. Do you? Go to PlanetHandbag.com and register to win your own. There were lots of pretty bags. Go quickly and pick one out.

Thanks Sodeste for blogging about it and sharing.

Still sick

I am still feeling the crud in my sinus. It is times like this that I am so thankful that I rarely get sick. (Knocking on wood of course.) But then I think it makes me all the more pitiful when I do get sick.
A and I spent the morning on our errands that didn't get done yesterday. This included the RV store, the auto parts store, Hobby Lobby & Target. My favorite of course were the last two. Hobby Lobby provided some new Montessori materials to put away for later, some embroidery floss and bobbins to keep them (and the others) organized, lots of beautiful florals and a wreath base to make to celebrate fall. That last project will be put aside until I can recover my living room from the mass of stuff that was our vacation. (Only a little left to do.) Target was uber fun because I got to pick out my birthday presents from Hubs. I also got some new non-leaking sippy cups for our boy, a heat pad since our old one seems to be out on permanent loan, and I looked at the potty training tools that we will need to be purchasing soon. I am hopeful that the Montessori article I recently read is right when it suggests that a child is sensitive to toileting at around 18 months. Wouldn't that be grand? Target had some great eye candy for me and I was reluctant to leave the store. A was so tired that he fell asleep sitting up in the cart. As soon as I saw that he was going to stay asleep I scooped him up and laid him in the seat horizontally with his head proped on my purse for a pillow. It is amazing the places that kids can fall asleep.
Are you watching the ticker on the right side of the screen? My birthday is in just two days, well only one because there is only 30 minutes left to this day. Those who love me know that I certainly feel that my birthday should be a national holiday so I will be taking the day off of most of my domestic duties. I am thinking about taking A, Col & GG to the Art Museum to celebrate. We will see how I am feeling tomorrow to decide.
Well I need my rest so I am off to bed. Clinky with the NyQuil.

Back from vacation

We made it back from our first vacation ok. A got sick on Wednesday and stayed that way even through today. I picked it up on Saturday as we were preparing to leave. Hubs got it while driving home. So our house is a sick one right now. Hubs did go to work today but he is just good like that. I am miserable. A was pushing all of my buttons today. I am ready to call it a day and hope that tomorrow is much better.
As soon as I feel better I will make a real post about the vacation along with the crafts that I completed while there. Until then I'll leave you with a few photos from our vacation.These were taken on the way home at a beautiful rest / view area in Utah called Spotted Wolf. The signs were enlightening and the view was breathtaking.We don't know of any other place in the world that we could have let A run in the road. This is the canyon where Grandma Shirley & Grandpa Gene live.

These kids are getting so big. I remember when she was just a newborn baby.

Of course I feel like I gained 10 lbs from all of Grandma's homemade meals. A liked the spaghetti and garlic bread most of all. There was not a day out there that we didn't have 3 huge meals. Thanks Grandma it was delicious. Oh, I almost forgot to thank Grandpa for the delicious tri tip on Friday night. It was fantastic.

Now for some NyQuil and a good night's rest.