jump up and down

happy halloween

 

Hello!  I hope you all had a fabulous Halloween and before it gets too much past, I wanted to share our costumes.  I know I said earlier that I wasn't making anything for the boys, but after waking up in the middle of the night early last week and having the thought that I wasn't making their costumes be the first thing that came to me, I changed my mind and made an emergency trip into to town for fabric and accessories.  I convinced myself to buy pleather for the first time to make Batman costumes for both of the boys - one in black and one in silver.  You won't be seeing the black one here, because when it came down to it, Ned was still pretty set on being the "green dinosaur" that he had picked out of Grandma's costume box, so now I suppose I have something for next year if he wants, or just for dress-up. 

The pleather was actually pretty easy to work with and I loved using it for the appliques because there weren't any raw edges that had to be sewed over.  I just used a straight stitch to attach those bats.  I did have to be a bit careful about not pinning too much and pinning in inconspicuous locations because the pleather isn't very forgiving when it comes to pinholes.  Other than that, it really wasn't that difficult to work with.  And he didn't actually end up wearing the mask even though that was the only part of the costume he wanted to wear to school for his party (and the only part I really thought he should leave out for school).  

And my costume - it has been a really long time since I have dressed up for Halloween and I really wanted to this year, so here I am - the fairly friendly witch.  I made my skirt from a $4 piece of vintage grey and black woven plaid and then added some vintage trim on top of grosgrain ribbon to the hem.  I did have to make a tulle underskirt (with some help from my mom) to add a little volume to all of that skirt.  You can't see my shoes very well, but they were incredibly pointy and thrifted for $4.  I added some rick rack and ribbon to a $2 shirt.  I actually tried to reconstruct another $2 shirt first, but that turned out to be a disaster, so I got a shirt that fit the second time around and just embellished!  My Mom gave me the hat from her costume box (the one that I remember from my childhood, although I don't think I've been a witch before) and I also embellished that.  I made some of my first Wisecraft Fabric Flowers and added one to the hat and one as a brooch at the top of the cape.  I had a lot of fun with this - I just might have to make another one next year!

And our little green dinosaur.  My Mom made this costume for my younger brother about 20 years ago.  It was a little big for Ned, but that made it easy to put his jacket under it.  He also wouldn't wear the headpiece that went with it.  He actually didn't even want to go trick or treating.  I was convinced that he wouldn't be too happy with that decision when his brother brought home a big bagful of candy, so we finally got him to tell us that he thought there would be scary monsters there.  Once we assured him that there wouldn't be any and that if there were, Dad would be there to keep him safe, he put on a smile and his costume and we made it out the door.  Now I just need to figure out the best way to deal with all that candy.  This is the first year that they are both begging for it constantly and the first year that I think they might notice if some accidentally went missing.  What do you do with it?

celebrating with frozen bananas

Thanks to Sandi for the pic (taken last year).

Yesterday we celebrated nine years of marriage with frozen bananas - romantic, aren't we?  We aren't much for making a big deal about anniversaries - maybe we will next year when we hit ten, but I actually thought it was perfect to celebrate with our kids.  They are, of course, one of the reasons why we got married!  And here's an anniversary countdown - a little summary of our nine years. 

    9 great years
    8 the date our youngest was born
    7 the date our oldest was born
    6 years of graduate school
    5 houses or apartments
    4 kitchen chairs - we fill them all now
    3 states
    2 requests - Wednesday and eclairs for our wedding
    1 day at a time

The frozen bananas were delicious - I really love these and haven't had one for a long time.  I have been seeing them around the blogosphere all summer and have been longing to make some.  I've seen several versions of how to do these - I just covered the bottom of a glass pie dish with semi-sweet chocolate chips, microwaved for 30 seconds at a time to melt, and added 1-2 tbsp of canola oil when I started stirring the chocolate.  I cut the bananas in half and put the popsicle sticks in while the peel was still on.  I did have to help the chocolate onto the banana with a spoon and then I shook on the sprinkles.  After a few hours in freezer, enjoy a delicious treat.

And on a side note - I finally captured the reason why Ned is going to have surgery in a week and a half.  He's been a bit uncooperative and cross-eye is intermittent, but there it is.  I think it makes him look adorable, but he's got double vision because of it, which obviously can't be good!

small town summer day

A free pancake breakfast,

A row of classic cars for your viewing pleasure,

A parade consisting of everyone driving their cool car or truck down main street and throwing candy,

and a 5K in which I place dead last because their are only about 20 participants and let's face it, I'm a slow runner (and sorry, no pictures of my somewhat humiliating defeat), can only mean one thing...it was our small town's annual summer celebration.  We had a great time...I think I'll like this place.

three

This little guy turned three on Friday.  He's done a lot of growing up in the last year - potty training,  giving up the binky, and growing out of those terrible twos.  He's still full of sass, which we love, it just includes a little more reason now.  I'm so glad that three years ago, this little guy became a part of our family.

The celebration was pretty low key because of our impending move. 

We enjoyed our favorite chocolate cake,

and a new bicycle.

Happy Birthday Ned! 

celebrating

We took a trip to see our family this weekend and do a little birthday celebrating for our boys.  Ned's birthday is in a couple of weeks and since we probably won't make it down again until after our move, we took advantage of the holiday weekend and packed in a lot of fun!

We ate ice cream.


We played in the fountain.

We had a party and were happy that everyone was willing to be outside with us in the slightly chilly weather and all those who helped out.  We were also grateful that the rain held off until after our party. 


At the party, we flew kites.


We blew bubbles.


And ate cupcakes.

I was so happy to see Missy (more pictures here) and Cayenne and have their cute kids join us.  We got to see our new niece and visit with family.  We all had so much fun (except for Ned who was a little tired and grumpy)!  Thanks for coming to join in the fun everyone and a special thanks to my Mom who really did most of the work! 

five

Five years ago, this little guy came to our family.  Please indulge me while I wax nostalgic...His constant need for cuddling and swaying (and I mean constant - if he wasn't on someone 24 hours a day, he was not a happy camper) initiated me into motherhood in a way that I never thought possible.  Who knew babies could be so much work?    Real and serious contemplation of giving up was my constant companion.  But, we made it, and as he grew into toddler hood, we could see that all of that cuddling had turned him into a sweet and sensitive soul.  Even though speech did not come easy, his first few words included please and thank you. He is always willing to give a hug or a kiss or to share.  This boy has heart.

Because of his verbal delay, this year is the first time that Peter has understood the full meaning of today being his birthday.  Last year he knew it was his birthday, but I don't think he really knew that it meant he'd be turning a year older, that it would be his day, and all of that special birthday stuff.  Today he kept patiently asking me, "Mom, where's my present?"  He had all sorts of special instructions for me about the frosting on his cake, what specific kind of ice cream he wanted (the small one, Mom!!! - Ben & Jerry's single serve...yes, I gave in - he really has asked for so little so far...I think that's about to change), where to put the candles, and he did not hesitate to let me know that he would not be wearing the shirt I made for him with and appliqued five.  "I don't like that shirt - I want a different one, Mom!"   Last week, when we had his yearly doctor visit, he answered all the doctor's questions about what he wanted for his birthday, what kind of cake, and what song we would sing to him.  I was elated - this is the first time he has answered even one of the doctor's questions!  His growing verbal ability made today such a fun day with all the talk of birthday and all of the special instructions - Peter knew it was his special day and he wanted to make sure that I followed through on all of his wishes!

So, we had candles in our muffins for breakfast.  Ned ate the top off of his and then decided he needed  one too.  After breakfast, I let Peter play hooky from morning preschool.  He even said, "It's my birthday - I don't want to go to preschool!  I want to play!"  Ask my mother who had to bribe me to skip school in high school occasionally and she will tell you this is not my style.  I'm glad I did it though - we had such a fun morning together buying that fab couch, finding 25 cent motorcycle toys at the thrift and then getting balloons.  We came home and had peanut butter sandwiches and strawberries for lunch.  He did go to his afternoon preschool and then after that, the weather was so nice that I let the kids just run around outside for a while.  We stopped by the store on our way home for that small ice cream and then enjoyed Peter's favorite dinner of sweet and sour chicken and  his favorite chocolate cake.  He loves his new bike and I can't wait for our move - our driveway is big enough that he will have a pretty large practice area there.  Happy Birthday to my sweet boy Peter!!

   

flower power

If you are wondering how I used those crochet flowers I made last week, here it is - my flower garland that I made for spring/Easter!  I have done at least one of those projects I wanted to for Easter.  It might be the only one - I always forget how close Easter can be to Peter's birthday, and since they are just five days apart this year, we'll be doing some partying this week and not too much more crafting before Easter. Now I'm just hoping that this garland's flower power can actually get a little bit of spring here!  I am itching to wear skirts and go outside without a coat on.

These are fairly simple to make - I wanted to do a tutorial, and probably will at some point, but it's just not going to happen for a little while with the moving to-do list and birthday partying that I have now.  I think they would make a great pin on a purse, jacket, shirt, etc. too.  I might have to make a few more for my spring and summer wardrobe.

I am heartened that you all feel that my to-be home is not nearly as bad as I had first described.  I forgot to mention that when we first looked at the place, the blinds were not open so the wood look a lot darker and foreboding!  I should also have noted that I do actually like the kitchen, the cabinets at least, and the amount of them.  The countertops are pretty beat up and the linoleum has a couple of rips (will be covering these with rugs), but the cabinets are totally vintage cute.  Did you see this?  (See the whole house here).  If I had the budget to replace all of my furniture and decor, I would totally do it and be incredibly trendy, at least for a year.  Alas, I do not have that sort of a budget, but I do have some good ideas and projects already going.  Thanks so much for all of your suggestions and advice - it has sparked some great inspiration on my part!  It looks like moving day will be May 22...we'll be counting down the days!

planning: easter

These are last year's eggs - complete with the stained hands that helped dye them.

I've been thinking about Easter - luckily, it is fairly late this year (April 12th), so I've got time to get a few things made before then.  Here are some things that might be in the works in the next couple of weeks (yes, I am probably being way too ambitious, but a girl can dream, right?)

Toys for the Boys
    Definitely a Rocket Man Ship for each of them via the Long Thread
    Maybe some Felt/Play Food, inspiration courtesy of Flickr

Decorations
    A Flower Garland via Creature Comforts
    An Egg Garland via Martha
    An Easter Birdy via Molly Chicken   
    Pinwheels via Allsorts

Egg Decorating
    With Tissue Paper via Family Fun
    Maybe some Natural Dyes?

What are your crafty Easter plans?

another year older

Yes, today is my birthday.  And here is my birthday present to you - a few self portraits.  There are far too few shots of actual bloggers on blogs.  So, this is what I look like today - I even did my hair. 

I'm 32 today and I am totally OK with it.  I have had a good year overall.  I don't think I have ever overtly said this, but last year around this same time I was struggling with some fairly serious depression.  I'd been dealing with it for about a year before that and had figured out at that point that it wasn't going to go away on its own.  So, I set some goals, I got some counseling , I decided I would go back to school, and I accomplished the biggest one of those goals.  I know I've never mentioned getting counseling before, but I wanted to be honest here and let people know how much it helped.  If you've ever thought that it might be helpful to you, I would recommend it.  I've had some longstanding issues from my childhood and I resisted going  for a long time because I think I can do everything by myself, but really a third party perspective was so helpful.   I'm happy to report that the depression has lifted - I still fight it occasionally, but it's not a daily battle anymore.  I'm so glad that I'm enjoying the journey more and I have hope that it's just going to keep getting better.

 And my big goal to tackle this next year is my eating habits - up until about a week ago they had gotten progressively worse.  I'm not feeling guilty about it - truthfully, it's just been in the last few weeks that I have finally felt well enough emotionally to feel like I had a fighting chance at changing my eating habits.  And so far, it's going fairly well and here is the proof - a cut grapefruit.  The last two years I have bought two grapefruits when they go on sale in the winter.  They come home and go in the fridge and stay there until about June when I decide to finally throw them out.  In the last week, I have eaten, yes, count them, FOUR, grapefruits.  Here's to more...

UPDATE:  I want to thank Karen for a) remembering my birthday (she has dial-up right now and understandably hadn't checked my blog yet) and b) bringing me this delicious little cake.  I feel so loved!  Plus, I needed a birthday treat as I have been a little too good at getting the food I shouldn't be eating out of the house! 

And to Kellie for organizing a little GNO tomorrow night (yeah, I didn't mention that I have lab tonight - oh well, it gives me a good excuse to extend the celebration) - if you're here in town and want to come, let me know and I'll give you the details.

i heart handmade

When it comes to gifts, I definitely prefer those of the handmade variety, both in the giving and receiving departments.  I do especially try to give handmade, although occasionally it doesn't happen.  But, during my blog break, I was able to make two handmade gifts - one for Peter's best buddy's birthday (sorry, I couldn't help myself - all that alliteration was too tempting) and one for Ryan's cousin for her wedding.

For the birthday boy, I used the serger one last time to whip up an all purpose tote made from red corduroy and a fun sea faring print I got from JoAnn about a year ago.  I filled it with a notebook and box full of fun things - a crayon roll (also handmade - this was my first attempt at making one of these), pencil, scissors, and glue.  I thought the bag can be used to carry all sorts of things to all sorts of places - quiet activities to church, toys to the doctor's office, pajamas to grandma's house, etc.  This was definitely easy to put together - I did it the night before in a couple of hours and the birthday boy seemed pleased. 

 When we got married, I vowed that I would never give any couple a gift from the clearance table.  I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but we had four hand mixers and none of them could be returned - and believe me we tried at about ten stores!  So, we kept them and when we would hear that someone didn't have a hand mixer, we would give one away.  I think it took us about five years to get rid of them all.  Anyway, from then on I decided I would either buy something off of the couple's registry or give something that you could not have too many of - like towels!  Incidentally, we did get about a bazillion towels for our wedding and I couldn't be happier - eight years later and I still haven't bought a single bath towel and probably won't have to for at least another ten!

So, my handmade gift to Ryan's cousin of appliqued towels and crochet dish cloths definitely fits into the can't have too many of category.  I took some of my Amy Butler scraps, cut some pears and apples out of Heat and Bond and put them right on those cotton dish towels.  Then with a little zig zag around the edge, they were ready to go.  This was such a great way to use scraps.  I think I see Christmas gifts in the future and possibly some for the shop.