Little White Schoolhouse

fort kits

2012-02-14T11:06:00.001-05:00

I finished up the fort kits over the weekend. The first one was given on Saturday and was a hit (yay!) The next is for a party on Friday. So here is the final product...

Supplies:
Two sheets with ties sew on the corners and in the middle of the long sides of the sheets.
clothes pins
clamps
rope

I made a small drawstring bag to store the rope, clamps and clothes pins...

and a larger bag to hold everything.

This bag is also a drawstring bag, but I added straps to make it easier to carry. I also make the bags plenty big so that the kids will have no problem just shoving the sheets and supplies back in the bag, because lets face it, you know they are not going to take the time to fold them all nicely like I did when its time to clean up :)

Next up? Making one for my kids :)

handmade gifts for boys

2012-02-10T13:14:00.000-05:00

The boys both have birthday parties to attend this week. I have been putting off shopping for presents because I just hate going to the toy store and wandering the isles hoping that something will jump out at us that does not cost a fortune and that the child will like and that they do not already have. My favorite gifts are handmade, but handmade birthday gifts for 9 year old boys are not the easiest to come up with. Then I remembered my handmade gifts for kids board on Pinterest. I knew there wasn't much in their and I was not too hopeful that there was anything "boy" in there and then I saw the pins for fort kits. That was it! I showed Micah the links and he liked the idea so we headed out to the thrift store and Dollar tree for the supplies.

I dug through my stash for some boy fabric to make the bags to store it all in and this afternoon I will get to work sewing on ties to the sheets and stitching up bags!

I'll post pictures when they are both done.

update!

2012-02-08T21:01:00.001-05:00

STOP WHAT EVER YOU ARE DOING AND GO MAKE THESE N.O.W.!!! They are that good.
*I used semi sweet chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate.

another random post

2012-02-08T11:42:00.000-05:00

(A fun little stack of fabric that came in the mail last week.)

Seems we've finally made a turn for the better over hear. Mo more aching ears, soar throats or wheezy coughs. So in celebration we are heading to the store after P.E. to get the ingredients to make these and this. Yum! I love the guiltless pleasure of pregnant indulgence :) Don't worry, I do plan to at least share the cheese cake with our friends on Friday night.

We got through school pretty quickly this morning and the kids are now sitting in the kitchen reading Matilda aloud to each other. It is the first book of their newly formed book club :)

I laughed aloud last night when I read my hubby's Facebook post. Something about how at the dinner table Max (our 7 year old) started talking about William Seward as he mimicked stabbing himself in the face (with his hand, no weapons). Only a homeschooler.

You know the game you play with a two year old where you point to an object and say "what's this?" encouraging their correct reply? Well, Addie played that game with me this morning. She held up a (clean) diaper to me, showing me the picture, and said "Mom, what dis? I replied "Monkey" to which she replied "wight, m m m monkey!" She says a lot of her words repeating the beginning sound, not like a stutter, but like she's already working on her phonics. :)

I can't wait to start stitching something fun with all that fabric up their! But I still have that painting to work on (I ended up finishing the Gregor book and then watching NCIS LA and Parenthood instead of painting last night) and my March embroidery pattern to begin. Plus I still have a few Christmas PJ's to finish up (hopefully before the kids grow out of them!)... I am sure I am forgetting another pressing project :)

Guess I should get off the computer and get busy!

is it tuesday already?

2012-02-07T15:01:00.000-05:00

Seems like I go in spurts of too much to blog and then nothing... Not much to share today, but thought I would pop in anyway and share a bit of our uneventful Tuesday.

I have seen this painting around on the web and love it, but have no idea where it came from, so the other day I decided I would just have to paint my own version of it! I sketched it out on a canvas the other day, but have not had time to start painting yet. Maybe tonight once the kids are in bed.

Earlier Regan and I tried a new way to curl her hair, not sure about today's results, but it definitely has potential.

Right now I am trying to fix this hat that Regan was making, somehow she misunderstood my instructions on how to use the loom. That pile of yarn on the floor is what I frogged earlier while Tallulah read to me.

The kids are watching Strawberry Shortcake and think I am going to sneak off to my room to read a bit more of this. Micah and I are both reading the series right now. It's the first time we have done this. It's fun to be able to talk about what we've read, kinda like a book club. I am definitely planning to pick a book or series to read with Regan next!

thursday breakfast

2012-02-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

Thursday is our CC day, so we are up early and going all day long. I am constantly looking for breakfast options that will stick with the kids through the morning, but that don't take a lot of effort and time to make. Well, a couple of weeks ago Meg blogged about finding this at Walmart and I knew I had to try it out. So next time we were at The Mart we picked one up, and all the fixing for sausage and egg bagels, and guess what? The kids loved it! This will definitely be our go to Thursday morning breakfast for the rest of CC.

i could stand in no longer

2012-02-01T09:06:00.000-05:00

My little sewing corner had gotten out of control. I did not take a before picture, but you can see it back there in the right corner (piled high with craft supplies and sewing projects) of this photo I took last week while I was moving my book shelf.

Last night I pulled everything off the desk and sorted and cleaned. I put all my projects in bags and then into my new Project Box...

They are labeled and ready to by pulled out and worked on when ever I have a few moments to spare.

This was my fun thrift store find last week.

I am quickly filling up all those drawers with notions and such.

And here is my little corner, all nice and clean- ready and waiting for me to come and sew something :)

Only problem? I still have 3 boxes of goodies with no place to go!

a beauitiful january day

2012-01-31T14:29:00.000-05:00

It was such a gorgeous day today, we decided it was the perfect day to redeem our Pizza Hut Book-It rewards and have a picnic in the back yard. The kids asked if I was going to come outside with them, because apparently I never go outside (except to get in the car, according to Regan).

So, outside we all went for a lovely picnic in the sunshine... that coke down there is your proof that I actually ate outside :)

And stayed outside long after the other kids had abandoned their picnic and most had headed back inside.

I cozied up in my furry blanket and played some Words With Friends...

And eventually Regan came back out to finish up her Essentials work for the day.

free february embroidery pattern

2012-01-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

I finished stitching up my February embroidery piece over the weekend. I am hoping to get started on March soon, but I've promised Max that I won't sew anything else until I finish his robe :)

In case you are curious about the details, I am sewing on an 8" square of white Kona Cotton and using wool-felt bought from this etsy shop and DMC embroidery floss (so far mostly 3 strands, but that will vary more in the next pattern). I plan to border them in some fun cotton prints and possibly add some other embellishments when I've finished all the squares and can see the project all together.
February Pattern
Don't forget, if you stitch up your own version of my pattern I would LOVE to see it! Please share pictures in my Flickr group!

random monday

2012-01-30T15:26:00.001-05:00

Thanks so much for all your congratulations last week! We are all really excited about adding another brother or sister to the pack :)

So, since I found out I was pregnant I have been trying really hard to keep up with life around here, but lots of things have fallen through the cracks... like I have not checked my etsy shop since before Christmas, I don't even know if there is even anything in it anymore! And I still have not finished the kids Christmas pajamas! I did get two robes sew on Saturday, but still have another robe and the boys shirts left to sew... at this rate they will get them just in time for it to be too warm to wear flannel... who am I kidding, this winter has been so warm they have not needed their flannel jammies yet!

I also realized the other day, when thinking about things I have not blogged yet, that I have not mentioned anything about the new church plant we have joined, and that's a pretty major life change for us! Long story short, we were approached last fall with an opportunity to serve with a new PCA (Presbyterian Church of America) church in our area. After much prayer we decided to join the plant. It was bitter sweet leaving our old church- they were (still are) like family to us and we loved the 6 years that we served with them, but we are super excited about this new direction that God is leading us in. We started meeting as a core team this month and will "go public" in late March.

Just to add to the randomness, here are some picture I took the other night at dinner. The hubby was reading to the kids and I was trying to catch this sweet moment of Lulu on her dad's shoulders and the other kids leaning in the see picture on the page (He's reading Little House in the Big Woods) but you know as soon as they see the camera everything changes and they all started hamming it up. This is what I got instead...

I'll be back tomorrow with my February pattern. Happy Monday!

i've been keeping something from you...

2012-01-27T08:25:00.000-05:00

We found out just after Thanksgiving that I was expecting! I really wanted to be excited, but if I am completely honest I have to tell you that, after my miscarriage last spring, I was mostly worried. I was happy to see the baby's little heart beating in a sono at about 6 weeks, and then again at 8.5 weeks. I had made it past the point of my last miscarriage and finally started to allow myself to get excited. We told the kids on Christmas but decided to wait to share the news with everyone one else until after my 12 week appointment.

I had my appointment last week and not only got to see my little baby wiggling around but also got a sound recording of the heart beat! (Now if I could only figure out how to get it out of my text messages and onto my computer!) We are beyond excited around here :)

got any painting advise?

2012-01-25T17:20:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I did a little rearranging to the school area of our great room which has had me all mixed up trying to find books and put them away today :) That book case used to be on the other side of the room- near the TV, and my cabinet with all my fabric in it was there instead, but I decided that the cabinet will work better in the living area- even if it means I have to walk across the room to fetch my fabric. I think I like the switch so far.

And just to keep it real... this is what it looks like when you pan out... still quite a bit of work to do before I am done with this little room re-do :)

I posted this dark and depressing photo on Facebook the other day asking for input on a new color scheme and weather to keep the chair rail or tear it out (the general consensus was to keep it). I am pretty sure I want at least half of the wall to be white (Sweet Vanilla by Behr to be exact- its the color that is in our kitchen) and the other half ?. It is a big and busy room, so I don't want anything too overwhelming. I actually really love the whole cottage look- white walls, brightly colored accessories, but am not sure about painting the walls all white with the chair rail. The truth is, we have so much crammed into this space that you barely see the lower part of the walls except in a few spaces.

We are in the (slow) process of tearing out all the carpet and painting the sub floors (until we can afford the hard wood we really want). Right now the plan is to paint the floors Slate Pebble (another Behr color) which is a taupe color (a shade grayer than the upper walls in the kitchen). I'd love to hear your ideas!

because we can't just have a normal week around here...

2012-01-24T10:59:00.000-05:00

We started pulling up the rest of the carpet in our living room at 4:30pm on Sunday. Now I am patching cracks, picking out paint colors, moving furniture, and trying to catch up on the school we missed while we were sick last week!

needle book

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to make a new needle book for awhile, so the other day when I still was not quite up to moving around too much I sat at the table and stitched up this little needle book using Amy's tutorial (yay for actually making something I pinned on Pinterest!)

I love the way it turned out. I have always loved the look of postage stamp quilting, but have been too intimidated to try it. I really was not that hard, I think I might actually try it again sometime.

I only did a couple of things different from the tutorial, like using the patchwork for the front and back and not doing any applique. I also machine stitched everything, no hand stitching. I have not done any decorations to the pages either, I might add something later, but for now it is working just fine sans decoration :)

Here is the back.

What have you been stitching up these days?

adelaide is 2!

2012-01-22T09:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Addie's 2nd birthday. For the life of me I can not figure out how two years have passed since she was born!

As is our usual tradition, we started the day with presents.

She had something from everyone. This tea set from her brothers...

A crayon box of her very own and a homemade coloring book from Tallulah...

And of course something handmade from Regan...

two birdies and little tree's for them to perch on.

By far her favorite gift was her etch a sketch. Before she erases her scribbles she says "Say bye bye!" Too cute!

And of course you've already seen a peek of Ellie the Elephant.

Unfortunately our celebration did not make it any further than this as she started throwing up shortly after breakfast :( Things are looking up today though and maybe we will even get some cake and ice cream before the day is through!

Happy Birthday, Adelaide!

today i am...

2012-01-19T13:22:00.000-05:00

-Making a slow recovery from the stomach bug I thought I had avoided.
-Catching up on missed school.
-Washing a TON of laundry.
-Menu planning and grocery list making.
-Enjoying watching my oldest help her sister clean her room, especially when there's been so much animosity between them recently!
Doing a little stitching on my February design.

-Wishing you a fabulous Thursday!

free embroidery/applique pattern

2012-01-16T10:58:00.000-05:00

I am super excited to have finally started this project! I've had the sketches for an embroidered/appliqued calendar in my notebook for at least a year. I still have not decided what the finished project will be, possibly of quilt with a square for each month or maybe a banner. Anyway, this is my first square. This one is pretty simple. The other sketches I have are a mix of simple and more complex and I am excited to see them all come together :)

I thought it might be fun to share my patterns with you as I go. I would LOVE to see someone else's take on my designs. So, if you stitch up any of my patterns please add a picture to my flickr group!
January Pattern

sunday sewing

2012-01-15T19:08:00.000-05:00

While half the family spent the day laid out because of a stomach bug I decided to use the relative quite for a little sewing. There are so many projects in this book that I want to do, I chose the Elephant for Adelaide's birthday present (her birthday is on Saturday). It is looking like I will be making at least one more if these, as Tallulah will not leave it alone! I think I will make the next one with a printed fabric, just for fun.

I have another project that I have been working on that I hope to have ready to reveal in the next couple of days. So I'm washing my hands a lot and praying that I don't catch the bug so I can get it all ready!

right now...

2012-01-13T14:30:00.001-05:00

Tallulah is sitting across the room from me playing with American Girl dolls...

Kit and Emily have been talking a lot about the 14th amendment :) I love it when what we learn in school pops up in their playing.

things you did not know

2012-01-12T18:04:00.000-05:00

Okay, so my friend Joanna included me in her "Tell Me About Yourself Award" post today. I am supposed to tell you 7 things about myself you don't already know and pass the award on to 15ish other people. I think I will start with saying:

(1) I am not one to always play by the rules- but telling you 7 things you don't know about me sounded like fun- so I will do that, but I am not passing the "award" on (Sorry Joanna!)

(2) I laughed when Joanna listed this as her #1 thing, but I too am not a "kid person". At least not other peoples kids :)

(3) I have taken a number of Spiritual Gifts tests over the years and have scored a 0 for the gift of teaching every time (and yet here I am homeschooling my 5 children! Doesn't God have a great sense of humor?).

(4) During High School and College I traveled extensively (like to 15 different counties) doing short term mission.

(5) Despite all that travel 15-20 years ago, it has been nearly 10 years since I last left the country or even boarded a plane!

(6) I sooo wanted to bungee jump off of this bridge while I was at Victoria Falls in 1996, but did not have enough $. Several of my friends did get to jump though :)

(7)When I was 3 years old I was diagnosed with Scoliosis. I wore a back brace for 10 years. The Dr's said surgery (when I got older) was the only solution. God healed my back (the curve went from 40 degrees to 18 degrees in 5 months and my back now has a normal 10 degree curve). God is good.

i love this age

2012-01-11T11:12:00.001-05:00

Adelaide will be 2 in just over a week. I think this is one of my favorite ages.

She is happy to join us at the table with a few of her own activities during school time, even if only for a few minutes. She is getting better at communicate her feelings with words instead of cries, and so often the things she says are followed by our surprised "did she just say...?". Like yesterday, when I stepped in a box of crayons that had been left on the floor. As they scattered across the floor, Addie looked up from across the room and said "Mom make a mess!" I am trying to hold on to these moments. Live each day fully here, because the time passes so quickly, and I can hardly remember the other children at this age and all the cute and wonderful things they did. That is why I started this blog 4 years ago- as an attempt to capture just a bit if the wonder. A way to hold on and remember. Sometimes I get caught up in the projects and things crossed off my to do list and forget to capture our lives here too. That is something I want to more of.

semi-finished bathroom

2012-01-10T16:46:00.000-05:00

I promised picture of my finished bathroom this week... well, it is not exactly finished- we still have to install the baseboards and we are having a paint issue that may result in us having to sand down the walls, prime and paint all over again (boo). But my vanity is installed, mirror hung and new shower curtain made :) So here is a little peek...

And here is the platform my dad built for the zip line!

If you want to come try it out I will have waivers waiting :)

today, in bullet points.

2012-01-09T10:54:00.000-05:00

We started school today.
I yelled a lot.
I really hate whining.
But we finished everything before lunch.
7 weeks is too long of a break from school.
I have two fully functioning bathrooms for the first time in nearly a month!
Yay!
Have I mentioned how awesome my dad is?
He (and my mom) came down last week and finished all the plumbing.
He also built a platform for the zipline.
Now I am drafting a waver to be signed by all visiting children's parents before they can ride.
Just kidding, but I do have a firm "must have your parents permission to ride" policy.
The hubs has got the boys cleaning the kitchen after dinner every night.
I love it.
Even if it means I have to re-wash the pots and pans before I use them again :)
I hate having to clean up my messes.
Seems I've passed that on to my daughter.
Only she has exceeded me in her skill at moving from one unfinished project to another.
Speaking of unfinished projects, I've got a few I better attend to right now.
Happy Monday!

just popping in

2012-01-06T17:48:00.002-05:00

I know I've been MIA this week. We are enjoying a quick visit from my parents and gearing up for school next week.

Hopefully I will be back here soon with pictures of my finished (mostly) bathroom(s). Enjoy your weekend!

happy new year!

2012-01-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

From our family, to yours!

happy end of 2011

2011-12-30T12:08:00.002-05:00

Last night I packed up Christmas. I LOVE having a live tree for Christmas, but after almost 5 weeks of being in our house there really wasn't anything "live" about that tree. It stopped drinking water two weeks ago and the smell of old dying tree was starting to get to me. Not to mention the feeling that the walls were closing in on me from all the extra decorations, presents and bathroom remodel overflow that has been apart of our home the last few weeks. All that to say, I was a bit sad when taking the lights off the tree last night, but once it was all said and done I looked around our living room/dining room and felt like I could breath again. I am ready for a fresh start. 2012 is looking like a pretty exciting year for us and I am ready :)

Wishing you a happy end to 2011 this weekend!

random

2011-12-29T09:00:00.000-05:00

My Christmas* puzzle (Christmas because I put it together on Christmas Day) is still sitting on my dining room table... it is too pretty to take apart!

I guess I will have to put it away before we start back to school next week!

2011 - the year of home improvements

2011-12-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

The year started with ripping out our kitchen floor...

and laying new sheet vinyl.

Next we moved up to the walls, faux board and batten,

and a fresh coat of paint.

There were new back doors...

And trees removed.

A new roof!

And finally finishing up the kitchen...

with a fresh coat of paint for the cabinets,

the plate rail hung, and a chalk board door.

Then there was the unexpected, and still in progress removing of carpet and painting of sub floors...

And last but not least remodel of not one, but two bathrooms!

Whew! I am tired just looking at all these projects! Maybe next year will be a little less eventful in the home improvement area!

bathroom update

2011-12-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

After 4 days of schedule issues, plumbing problems, and structural deficiencies we have two tiled bathrooms! yay!

I will spare you all the crazy details and just share pictures of one sort-of finished bathroom (just need to hang the mirror and install trim). We are loving how this new smaller vanity makes this tiny bathroom feel so much bigger!

And the master bath... it's tiled and has a working toilet (yay!) but still has a way to go. Next step is to paint and then put the vanity back. I will be so glad when this is all done with!

merry chirstmas!

2011-12-26T16:41:00.002-05:00

We had a wonderful and relaxing christmas here... which was much needed after a crazy week of plumbers and tile guys in and out too many times, but that is another post all together :)

I laughed when I went to take pictures of the tree surrounded with presents... look closely...

and this is what you find decorating your tree when you've got 7 and 9 year old boys in your house :)

In all the craziness of remodeling 2 (I don't think I ever told you we were doing both!) bathrooms I did not quite finish the kids pjs, but they were gracious about it- I put the finishing snaps on the girl's shirts after they opened them and the boys just got their pants, not the shirts. Phil even surprised me with a pair of Wonder Woman pjs! In case you did not know, I heart Wonder Woman :)

Regan made this adorable Little Red Ridinghood doll for Addie. She's really getting good at doll making!

But by far the best gift of the day was this...

FYI, we are working on a safer, more permanent starting platform and until then, they won't be riding without adult supervision :)

lalaloopsy house

2011-12-20T13:26:00.000-05:00

Regan is going to a birthday party this week and one of the things the birthday girl asked for was a mini Lalaloopsy doll. We were lucky to be able to get two of the last ones on sale at Target (yeah for Christmas sales)!

Before we left we decided to check out the dollar section and see what other fun little things we could throw in the bag. Regan found this stable (Sorry no before pictures, imagine it unpainted wood and just the slates- no solid walls.) and said "Mom, can I get this and make it into a Lalaloopsy house?"

So, with a little paint, Mod Podge, cardboard, and scrapbook paper we transformed the stable into the perfect Lalaloopsy house!

Hopefully Pepper and Peanut Lalaloopsy will be happy in their new home :)

progress

2011-12-16T15:56:00.001-05:00

We are making slow progress on our bathroom remodel. Most of my week has been spent running here and there to pick up this or that for the job. As of this morning the bathroom is gutted...

tile pick out and instillation scheduled...

And a new vanity and mirror purchased (the kids say the mirror is "old ladyish" so we may end up exchanging it for another- to be decided once the bathroom is all finished). Today I am spackling the walls and prepping to paint. I can only handle so much in the way of house projects a week before Christmas, so we are sticking with the same color and I am hoping that I still have enough left to put a fresh coat on the whole bathroom!

right now...

2011-12-13T16:18:00.000-05:00

I am wondering when my 10 year old became such a fashion diva (don't you love her cute new outfit? She's only been begging me for those jeggings for 3 months- they finally went on sale at target this week).

Wishing I could go crawl in bed instead of cleaning my house for bible study...I stayed up way too late last night crafting with some girlfriends, it was worth it though :)

Excited to go wrap up all the goodies we got at Target today for a family who is struggling this Christmas.

Even more excited to drop them at their house, ring the doorbell, and run :)

Looking forward to gathering with friends tonight to sing carols, eat yummy treats and fellowship one last time in 2011.

breakfast

2011-12-12T09:35:00.002-05:00

I was checking email and catching up on blog reading while the kids ate breakfast this morning. I love that as my kids get older they are able to fix their own breakfast... even Addie helps herself to the cereal :)

in the mail

2011-12-09T14:51:00.001-05:00

look at what arrived on my doorstep today!

I absolutely LOVE Geninne's artwork and was super excited when I saw this puzzle. Every year on Christmas, after all the presents have been opened and our bellies filled with Christmas treats, I pull out a puzzle and sit at the table working until it is done. You see, I love puzzles (a love I inherited from my mother) but I find it hard to justify the time and space it takes to do them on a regular basis, so Christmas day is my puzzle day, and this year I will be piecing together these beautiful birds!

In other news, I picked out tile for our bathroom(s) and the floor guy came today to measure for the job. Hoping that they can do the job soon so the kids can have their bathroom back... and I can have mine back :) But really I am just thankful we have two bathrooms so that when one is out of order we still have one that works!

yesterday...

2011-12-07T09:06:00.001-05:00

Regan said, "Mom, come here, we have to show you something bad!" Reluctantly I got up from the computer and came over to see what the problem was. Regan stepped onto the bathroom floor and it made a gurgling sound and water bubbled up between the boards! Not good. I called my dad (he's a plumber) and then went down into the crawl space to inspect- sure enough it looked like the seal on our toilet was bad- probably had been for a while.

So, last night at 9pm (after the kids were finally in bed and our company had left) we headed into the bathroom to see what the damage was. We started with pulling up some of the floor...

It was like a swimming pool under there!

The floors were pergo, so they acted like a sponge for all that water. What the previous owner was thinking when they put pergo in the bathrooms I do not know.

We even found mold growing in the corner behind the toilet, yuck!

Under the the pergo there were two more layers of flooring that we ripped out too. You can see the remnants under the edge of the vanity.

And we took out the toilet.

We scrubbed the floor with bleach and put the fan in there to help dry out the sub floors.

Today I am heading to Lowes to pick out tile for the bathroom and we will pull out the vanity tonight. We will also be replacing the vanity- you can see the water damage to the bottom of it on the second to last picture. I was not expecting a bathroom makeover for Christmas this year!

copics

2011-12-05T15:23:00.001-05:00

I discovered recently that Michael's is selling Copic Sketch markers. I have wanted some for awhile, but because they are so expensive, I had not bought any. But since Michael's sells them individually, and I can use 50% off coupons, I have been picking one up here and there over the past month or so.

I mostly have just been doodling with them so far, but I really love them! Hoping maybe Santa will bring me some more this Christmas :)

happy birthday micah!

2011-12-03T16:57:00.001-05:00

Micah turned 9 today.

We celebrated this morning with French toast (I think Micah ate 10 pieces!) and family gifts- these are a couple that Regan, Max and Tallulah made for him. An I-spy toy...

and mini-mini golf.

Then everybody helped to get ready for the Indiana Jones Party this afternoon.

We hit up the after Halloween sales for our decorations. You can't see them in the pictures, but there are bats hanging from the ceiling :)

I adapted some clues for a treasure hunt I found online and the kids had fun wrapping each other up as mummies...

wading through "Croc"odile creek searching from clues,

and crossing the snake pit.

For dessert we had eye ball punch (those are eye-ball bouncy ball floating in the punch bowl).

monkey brains (raspberry sorbet in monkey cups)...

and cupcakes covered in snakes...

All the boys got satchels with flashlights and toy compasses, a bag of candy coins (I found really cool ones at Trader Joe's) whips and hats- plus they took home all the little rats and snakes and spiders off the tables.

Happy Birthday Micah! We love you so much and are so proud of you!

tradition

2011-12-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

We are a live Christmas tree family. It is in my blood. For as long as I can remember my family has gone out the first Saturday of December and hunted the perfect tree. Rain or shine, snow or sleet... we've cut trees in them all. We've been to farms that were more like forests and ones with perfect rows. We've brought our saws and cut our own, hauling them from deep in the woods and we've even been to places where the employees drive around in tree-hauling golf carts and cut your tree for you with a chain saw. There is so much to love about cutting your own tree- the fresh air, the hunt, the long drive through the country, time with family and friends, the memories our children will take with them and hopefully carry on the tradition.

Things have changed over the years as families have grown and moved. Ten years ago we were still meeting for breakfast at my parents house on that first Saturday in December, and not just our family but our friends too. It was not unusual for the to be close to 100 people there. And after we had eaten and fellowshiped, most of us would pile into our cars and caravan out to the farm. My mom and sister spent countless hours hunting down the perfect farm each year, not to mention all the amazing food my mom would prepare! And after we all found the perfect tree? Well, we would gather again at the farm or a nearby park to toss the football and eat a lunch of Sloppy Joes, chips and homemade cookies. Those were fun time!

We moved away 6 years ago, and I tried to recreate this family tradition here in S VA only to find that Christmas trees don't grown here. So, after one year of attempting to cut a local tree (The farm we went to tried to pass off as Leland Cypress as a Christmas tree!) and two years of Home Depot trees we decided to start a new Christmas tree tradition. One in which we go all the way to N MD to cut our tree with my family and haul it back to S VA! Actually, we don't go just for the tree, we just make it apart of the post Thanksgiving weekend events :)

So that brings us to this years Christmas tree... We headed to the farm with just my parents this year.

Everyone got a chance to help cut down our tree.

It is impossible to get a shot where everyone is looking and no one is making a silly face!

We got home on Monday and the first thing we did was put the tree up. We decorated Tuesday and Wedesday...

The kids even made some of their own ornaments :)

What kind of Christmas traditions do you have?

while we were out...

2011-11-30T19:18:00.001-05:00

We spent the last week and a half in Maryland visiting family. The kids and I drove up first and the hubs joined us a few days later for Thanksgiving. But before he came up he was busy at home. He tore out most of our carpet, and patched, sanded and primed the sub floors. We are planning to paint them and buy a couple area rugs. We eventually want to put down hardwood, but are not quite ready, so this is our making due until that time come. So far I am enjoying it and it's only just primed!
Back later with pictures from our trip.

baby shower

2011-11-27T10:30:00.000-05:00

My husband's younger sister and her hubby are expecting their first baby in January (the day after Addie's birthday!) Anyway, I whipped up a couple of things for her shower. I love how these "Baprons" turned out. They were fun and easy to make. The front is a breathable, waterproof fabric I got from Joann's, and the back (you can see the green a blue checks peeking out at the top of the monster bib) is flannel.

I also made this bunting that I hope will match the colors in their nursery- it is hard to know for sure when you are trying to match colors via the Internet!

We are anxious to meet the newest addition to the family in just a couple months!

indiana jones party- prep

2011-11-15T13:40:00.001-05:00

Here are a few pictures of what I've been working on for Micah's Indiana Jones party. There are lots of great ideas out there in blog-land. For the invitations I printed the information onto scrap book paper with a map on it. Then I glued another piece of map paper to the back, cut the edges roughly and rubbed them on a brown ink pad. (Did you notice how I forgot to put the time for the party on the invitation and had to write it in?)

I am also making 7 of these satchels for all the guests. I got Micah's explorer hat at Michael's with a 50% off coupon but ended up buying cowboy hats at the Dollar Tree for the rest of the kids- I saw were someone else did the same thing and just trimmed a bit off the edge of the brim to make them more like the explorer hat.

Here is a close up of the bag...

And the lining. Although the construction of the bags is pretty simple, the pockets are a bit more time consuming than I anticipated... I am glad I started 3 weeks before the party and not 1 week before! Both the fabrics (which were perfect for our theme!) came off the clearance rack, one from Hancock and one from Joann's.

And these little books that fit into one of the inside pocket of the bags were quick and easy, just cut the paper to size and stitch down the middle with my sewing machine- then stamp on the "property of..."

I also plan to fill the bags with a flashlight and compass. We took advantage of the after Halloween sales and bought all sorts of rats, spiders, snakes and skulls for decoration. For activities we are going to have a scavenger hunt of sorts- a snake pit, turning a team member into a mummy, crocodile creek (all ideas I have scavenged from the Internet). I will post more pictures after the party.

tin whistle case

2011-11-14T15:56:00.001-05:00

The kids are learning to play the tin whistle at Classical Conversations. This morning Tallulah asked if I could make a "bed" for her whistle- some of the tutors have made simple felt cases with the students name on them, a place for them to "rest" while the teacher is speaking. Of course I had to go a step beyond in true Amy fashion :) so we dug through my scraps and found some fabric that Lulu approved and I got busy stitching up this little case.

She's gonna have the most stylish tin whistle case at CC now! I have a feeling I will be getting requests for more of these, at least from my own kids if not from others :)

I am busy planning and creating for Micah's birthday party in a few weeks. The theme is Indiana Jones. I will try and post some pictures this week of some of the things I am making for the party guests.

in the works

2011-11-09T08:03:00.000-05:00

I've been doing a little blog planning this last week. I am hoping to get a series going that will feature my ever growing collection of sewing books. I may even have my first post as early as next week, stay tuned!

giddy-up horsey!

2011-11-08T08:28:00.000-05:00

I got my old rocking horse down from the attic last week. Adelaide climbed up and was rocking away before I could even finish wiping it down!

think she likes it?

craft fair 2

2011-11-07T15:02:00.001-05:00

We had our second craft show on Saturday. This time we had two tables and still felt like there wasn't enough room!

My bed frames got lots of oohs and aahs... everyone was shocked when I told them I made them (with some help from my pops of course), too bad I am not still making children's tables- I think I might have sold a few!

They had a huge white elephant area and I scored 3 boxes of lace trim, zippers, and covered buttons for $5! Some of the trim was hand crocheted, it was definitely a steal. I found a few other treasures, but they are tucked away for another time :)

glass studio

2011-11-05T07:07:00.000-04:00

My parents came down for a quick visit this week and surprised us by bringing one of my nephews, Joseph, with them! Yesterday we decided to to check out the Chrysler Museum's new Glass Studio- they are having free demonstrations and performances all week for the grand opening.

The safety goggles were a big hit...

Even Adelaide kept hers on for awhile!

But the real attraction was Skitch Manion (a glass artist from Philly) and his team. They were making a replica of the Cape Henry lighthouse. We did not stay for the whole performance (it was really interesting but for the littles it was hot and slow moving) which lasted about 3 hours, I think, but what we did see was really neat. In the end the lighthouse was to be 36 inches tall- the largest thing that had ever been made in this studio, and really about the largest that could be made as "The Glory Hole" (the main furnace) is only 38 inches deep! Here are a few pictures of what we did see...

This last picture isn't that great, but if you look closely you can see how they have stretched out that black and white cylinder from the second picture to make the body of the light house. As we were leaving they were blowing it to make it larger!

They said that in the end, because this piece is so large, it would have to sit in a special cooling oven for a week or longer before it would be finished and ready to display! I totally wish we could have stayed and watched the whole thing- it was so fascinating! I just might have to save my penny's and go take a glass blowing class at the new Glass Studio!

I am off to another craft show... hope you have a wonderful weekend!

halloween

2011-11-01T10:02:00.000-04:00

Last night we trick or treated with some good friends in their neighborhood. It was a beautiful night and we brought home at least two years worth of candy per person! I've sorted out the good stuff (chocolate) and that filled my trifle bowl to the brim! There is another bowl full of skittles and starbursts and at least 3 gallons of nerds, dum-dums, sweet tarts and the like! Any body need some candy?

Regan went as Pippi Longstocking... we realized when we got home that we had been in such a rush we forgot her freckles! Oh, well, she looked pretty cute anyway!

Tallulah was Minnie Mouse.

This was the only costume I made- Mega Mind. The cape was from a Halloween costume I made a few years ago. I sewed the lightning bolt onto a shirt we already had and made the pants with the leftover fabric from the cape. The head is an old t-shirt-turned crazy skull cap, stuffed with poly-fil. His face is still blue today :)

Max was a rock-star- if I had been more organized I would have made him a cardboard guitar to carry, but that just did not happen.

I really wanted to make this costume for Adelaide, but I was not feeling well over the weekend and she looked pretty darn cute in this bunny costume... Regan wore this costume 8 years ago- crazy!

And just because I couldn't resist another picture of this cutie... She loved her first trick or treating experience- carried her bucket to every door, and smiled as we went from house to house :)

how is it possible...

2011-10-31T16:41:00.000-04:00

that Addie has gotten this big already? Painting with the big kids?!

Too cute!

dance recital

2011-10-27T17:18:00.002-04:00

Tallulah has been taking ballet at the YMCA this fall. Last Saturday they had a small recital at the mall. Her class danced to Halloween is Coming (sorry, I could not find a good link to the song). They were pretty cute. Here are a few pics for your enjoyment...

This experience has been so different (and much better for the current craziness of life) from our studio dance class experiences of the past. Very laid back, inexpensive and low key. Plus I get to work out while Lulu is in class! (before we started ballet and homeschool PE at the Y I was finding it hard to squeeze in a work out even a couple days a week- now we are there 3 afternoons and I can finally get in my workout guilt free!)

P.S. I am really trying to get back here more regularly, but I have been struggling to juggle everything life has been sending our way these past two months! I am hoping and praying that things are slowing down a bit... This week has been the closest thing to a "normal" week we've had since we stated school in September!