Felt Barrettes for Dee's Birthday (78:365)

She already had a big party, but tomorrow is the actual Big Day.

Sweet little Dee is gonna be 3!

I can't believe my baby is so old. 

Sniff.

So, as a little gift, I made her a sweet little monogrammed felt barrette (which I lazily took a picture of with iPhoto and now it looks like I'm a dummy and can't do a "J" correctly. It's iPhoto, not me.)...

And this adorable little bird which I might steal sometimes.

A little shout out to one of my new favorite inspiration blogs MADE for some inspiration.

Update: Here is Jane wearing her cute J.

Baby Bib from Fused Plastic Bags (77:365)

This is what I made from the fused plastic bags I did yesterday.

Stinkin' cute!

I found the idea off of an Etsy tutorial page on fusing plastic. 

I saw the ones they had done and knew I could totally do it too! 

I'm loving it.

This side is made from some vintage fabric scraps, 

rick rack, and single fold binder's tape I found at an estate sale a couple of weeks ago.

And this side is made from the fused plastic bags, the little bird too.

I machine appliqued the birds and sewed around the edges of the rick rack because, as a mom, I know that some grody stuff can show up in tiny cracks near babies, so I wanted those suckers closed.

Now, I'm not going to lie and say it was easy, 

but nothing ever is the first time (at least not for me!).

I trouble shot a bit and played around with the design for a while, but in the end, it really was pretty simple and fun to do! Next time will be much faster. 

Look at this little peanut. She is a dolly.

We'll just pretend she is smiling because she loves the bib.

I imagine that this can machine wash, but then it will need to air dry because of the plastic...

Fusing Plastic Bags (76:365)

Did you know that you can make a usable "fabric" out of old plastic bags? We have tons of them (over shopping + never remembering to bring my reusable bags...) and this is such a great way to use them. I've been googling all afternoon about it and am really excited to try it out! This blog was the absolute best one with great tips and warnings about it.

 You will need to layer 6-8 pieces of plastic in the end. 

Some say to melt all at once together, but that blog I listed above said to do 2 layers at a time, which worked best for me.

First I cut off the handles and base of the bag.

Then I sandwiched it in between freezer paper 

because one website said I could.

Don't do it! 

It became one solid freezer paper lump.

Then I sandwiched a new 2 layers (with printed sides of the bags inside out because the ink can bleed) between 2 pieces of parchment paper and ironed, constantly moving the iron all around, for 10-15 seconds, then flipped it all over and did the same on the other side. 

It took probably 6 tries before I was able to figure out a good temperature for my iron that didn't shrink my plastic and allowed it to all fuse well without too many lumps.

I kept expecting the plastic to be super smooth, this does not happen.

It is a little bumpy. The main thing to worry about it that the layers are fusing together properly. 

Stop after ironing and feel the plastic between your fingers to make sure they are fused well. If they aren't, go over with the iron again, moving around quickly, until well fused 

(or you'll end up with weaker "fabric").

Lesson's Learned:

-Make sure you have good ventilation when doing this.

-Remember, the bags are hot after being ironed.

-Practice different temperatures to find the best for your iron.

(My perfect temperature is right in between acrylic and nylon.)

-Keep that iron moving or you'll shrink your plastic.

Tomorrow I'll post a project I'm making with the plastic "fabric".

Brown Petal Flower Barrette (75:365)

My friend gave me a much more elegant version of this barrette for my birthday (which I LOVE) and I decided to try and replicate it. I'm really not that happy with it to wear myself, but I think it will look cute on Dee. 

This is a terrible picture of it, but I guess it represents how I feel about it, drab.

Oh well. At least I tried, I guess.

Here's to tomorrows project turning out better!

Feeling overwhelmed today and wishing I had a serger so I could make these darling little bows. I tried them on my sewing machine and it was a sad mess. 

Sigh.

I shall not covet my neighbors serger...

Chaos into Organized Matter (74:365)

With the party over, Scott's Comprehensive Exams done, and my problem with bringing too much into our home and taking nothing out...our house has turned into a chaotic disaster this week.

Today's project was to clean the pantry and cupboards and toss expired stuff and organize the good stuff. 

It probably took an hour or two (in mommy time, so I don't really remember how long I was working on it), but it was well worth it. I now know where everything is and what we have so I can plan dinner for the week and know what foods we need to use up asap before they go bad. 

That's one thing that really steams me up. 

When food goes bad before it gets eaten. 

I know that as the homemaker it is mostly my fault, but there are other people who live here too that could find food if they tried. 

Ahem.

But I digress...

Anyway, the cupboards are (mostly) organized and ready for efficient use.

Bravo.

Next it's on to organizing fabric and sewing projects.

Sigh. 

P.S. Does anyone from here know where the local food bank is and their policy on donations?

Rainbow Cake for Dee: Part 2 (73:365)

Dee's party was a smashing success!

For more on that, click here.

The cake went very well.

It looked so pretty up on it's pedestal. 

Dee LOVED it to bits.

And that's all that really matters.

After baking and cooling the cake layers, I then layered them on the cake pedestal, according to Roy G. Biv, and put a layer of frosting in between each one.

Then I frosted the outside. 

Since I'd refrigerated it for a while before decorating it, the frosting was hard and did not want to accept the skittles onto it's sweet frosting coating...have no fear, flaming torch is here! 

Yes, I used a torch to melt the frosting a bit so that I could get the skittles to stick. 

I like to think of myself as resourceful, not insane. 

Thank you.

So, then I decorated it with a skittle rainbow and a number 3.

Doesn't look like a 3. 

I know. 

I was nervous making the rainbow, so I made it too small, it ended up really tight and smushed, and then the 3 just looks weird. My friend Julie told me she thought it was all a cute rainbow umbrella.
She's very sweet.
Let's just pretend that's what it is.

The pretty insides.

The remains of the day.

Here are the steps for making this lovely cake.

1. Prepare two White cake mixes.

2. Evenly pour batter into six bowls.

3. Add food coloring until desired colors are achieved (I prefer the gel type that you can buy at a craft or specialty store, or sometimes Wally-World).

4. Bake each layer according to directions on box, only, more like for 12-15 minutes since the layers are smaller than the box says to do.

5. Let cool completely.

6. Begin to layer the cake on desired serving platter, adding a layer of frosting between each colored layer. (Baker's tip - add a thin layer of frosting between bottom cake layer and the serving platter to help stabilize the cake. Thanks mom!)

7. Frost the outside.

8. Decorate

9. Enjoy!

Recycling Old Crayons (72:365)

For Jane's party tomorrow, I decided to make some rainbow crayons to put into the treat bags. I found this quick little tutorial at one of my favorite blogs, indietutes.

 It's a very easy process that even Jane enjoyed,
helping me the entire time (that is a FEAT I tell you!).

Step 1: Gather all old and broken crayons.
(I am a collector of restaurant crayons, merely for this project.)

Step 2: Tear off paper.

Step 3: Sort crayon pieces by color and break into tiny bits.

Jane really enjoyed this step. Breaking them is the best part!

Step 4 (optional): Take a picture of a cute baby.

If you don't have a baby, you can borrow mine when I need a nap.

Step 5: Spray mini muffin tin with oil.

Step 6: Put broken pieces into muffin tin, layering how you want it to turn out.

Step 7: Bake at 200 degrees until they are melty.

Tip: I'm pretty sure I cooked my for too long because they started to separate, the tops got all oily and they don't work to color from the oily part. I kept waiting for all the chunks to melt down, but I don't think that is really necessary. As long as most of it is melty, they will all harden back up together anyway.

Step 8: Let it cool for a while, then put into fridge or freezer to harden them back up.

Step 9: Tip muffin pan, and they should pop right out!

Stop taking pictures, mom!

Rainbow Cake for Dee: Part 1 (71:365)

Dee will be 3 soon and has been asking for a rainbow cake for MONTHS. I showed her a picture of a rainbow cake here and ever since she has been talking about it, and talking about it, and talking about it...

She even tells strangers about it.

While on our summer vacation she actually picked up the phone in our hotel room and "called" the rainbow cake lady and talked to her about her cake. I later told her that I was the rainbow cake lady (since I'm the one making the cake, not some cake fairy) and that confused her a bit.

So, Phase One occurred tonight. 

Mixing colors.

And baking. 

I'll frost it tomorrow and put skittles on it on Saturday for her little party. I think I'm probably as excited about it as she is!

"Easy" Hem for Pants (70:365)

I say "easy" because to my friends Sara and Jessicah who showed me this quick way, it probably is quicker for them than it was for me. However it is quicker than any other way I've tried and it looks better too.

Take your pants that you bought while believing that you had long legs...

Measure the length you want to hem up...(mine will look a little high because I was torn between measuring for the black shoes in the pictures and tennis shoes, which are lower.) and mark your pants.

Measure the length of the cuff, from the inside. 

Add that length to the original measurement so that you are shortening it even more (trust me...).

Take that measurement and divide it in half.

Fold your pants, from the top of the original hem, inside the pants, up the half measurement, and then iron to keep that in place.

(This is sounding so confusing. I should have taken more pictures.)

Stitch from the inside, as close to the top of the original hem, all around the cuff.

Now turn that right side out and press. 

Ta-Da!
You have hemmed pants that you didn't cut or traumatize (in case you want them longer again or you messed up the length and need to fix it like I did).

(And yes, these are the same pants as before, just couldn't get the color to look the same.)

Easy Peasy Headband for Dee (69:365)

I saw this idea somewhere online recently and decided to give it a try. Take two elastics and loop them together, then measure the ribbon around your head, taking into account the elastic length, and cut to size. Fold over the ribbon so the cut edge will be enclosed and do a quick stitch back and forth a couple of time to secure the ribbon to the elastics.
Viola! Enjoy your new hadband.

Jane's first Caterpillar Sighting and my first BOB Jog (68:365)

I'm too tired to actually do anything else today, so this is going to be it.

Lucy has had a stuffy cold for a week or so now and we haven't been able to go to the YMCA daycare lately, so instead we went for a little jog this morning, both girls in my lovely BOB.

We've had the stroller for a while now, but this was the first time I'd really jogged with it (by that I mean for longer than 1 minute. More like 5 minutes, walk, then 3 more, walk.)

It was a good jog, so long as the wind was not pushing against me. When it is super windy and blowing against me, the BOB is like a beast to push. When there is no wind, it is like a dream. I can jog, holding on one-handed without any problem. So, for me, this first official jog went well and I hope to do it again soon.

After the jog, we stopped at a nearby pond where Jane saw her first caterpillar. She was very fascinated and kept crouching down and looking at it.

I also taught her how to make "butter" on a rock by smashing a dandelion, just like my sister and I used to do when we were little. It was a fun memory and it was really cool to share that with Jane and have her enjoy some make believe with me. I can't believe how big she is getting.

Creamy Corn Chowder (67:365)

It was a chili day out today, so I decided to make some soup!

This little number suited me best.

We had not a single potato on hand, so I substituted turnips for

potatoes again. The smell literally had Scott acting giddy (I think it really was the smell  of bacon that did it more so than the soup. Doesn't bacon make you giddy?)

After eating it for a little while, I told Scott that I used turnips in place of potatoes. He response was, 

"I think the turnips have worn out their welcome."

Note taken.

They sure do last forever though and, I think, they work in a pinch

when no potatoes are on hand.

Oh well, soup turned out pretty good, but would be better with fresh  sweet corn and potatoes. We also added a little cheese (yes, Scott DID have about a tablespoon of cheese on his, perhaps just for show for Jane. Whatever, it suits me just fine.
He will become a cheese convert...)

Lucy's First Applejack Festival (66:365)

Lovin' it!

Jane's first pony ride, ever!

 

For more pictures, come visit our family blog here.

Refashioned T-Shirt into a Dress for Dee (65:365)

I found this medium sized adult woman's t-shirt at Goodwill and decided it had potential for a really cute little fall dress for Jane, if it didn't fit me (and I was too lazy to try it on). Well, it didn't fit me, therefore, it is now a preschooler dress.

In all my haste, I forgot to take a before picture...

When I gave Dee (Jane) the completed dress, she looked at it for a minute then looked at me and exclaimed, "I love it!". 

Now that is satisfying.

WARNING: New Dress May Induce Giddiness.

Fish in a Pouch (64:365)

I got this new recipe from Emeril on the Food Network, and some frozen cod (not as good as fresh, I'm a Northwest girl!) and whipped it up for dinner (I forgot to take a picture before we ate it). Scott said he liked it, and Jane wouldn't try it. She did try it the other day when I made Panko crusted fish. 

Jane is learning to like more things, seeming to eat more, and is moving up in her weight class. Today she measured at 50% for her weight! From the time she was a baby she's been as low as 3% and as high as 25%, so today was a big step!

Lucy is currently about 16 lbs. She is getting so big! She follows us around the house all day doing an army crawl. It is so darling.

I'm still working on that little sweater dress for Lucy. It fits her, but is pretty tight. Oh well, I think it will still be cute-ish. Hopefully I can post some pictures of a completed dress tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sweater Refashion into a Dress for the Goose Part 1 (63:365)

I saw people doing these all over the internet and decided to try it out. Taking ideas from many places, I'm working with a sweater that didn't have the exact kind of neck or
length that I needed for a baby dress. 

So, I've been having some technical difficulties, as usual,
and the dress is NOT complete. 

Here are the steps I've completed so far.

Problem #1: The bottom edges were a bit pointy, 

so I cut and sewed them straighter.

Problem #2: The neck hole is too small.

I think I've worked a solution, although it is not pretty.

I'll post it tomorrow.

Problem #3: Figuring out the sleeves. 

I want them to be caps that are a little puffy. 

We'll see how that goes!

P.S. The Goose = Lucy (we call her Lucy Goose)

Pinkberry Style Frozen Yogurt (62:365)

My friend Heather came over today to make Pinkberry style frozen yogurt in my Cuisinart ice cream maker (it's the best! The frozen yogurt was ready in 20 minutes, if not faster, and we were able to do a second batch right after!).

We used a recipe found here. I've never had the real Pinkberry frozen yogurt, but my friend Heather has and she loves it. We used Greek yogurt and tried once with vanilla and once without. Honestly, I didn't notice a difference with or without the vanilla. It was good, but a little "goaty", if you know what I mean (you'll know what I mean if you've had Greek yogurt). I made this a long time ago using strained yogurt (see the recipe) and I think it tasted better that way, but it was sort of annoying to strain the yogurt. 

I noticed that Pinkberry has a seasonal Mango flavor, so I think next time I'll puree some frozen mango and add it to the yogurt before freezing. I bet that would be amazing! Also, raspberries on top of the plain flavor is a really good combo.

Enjoy!

Completed Felt Board Project and a Visit to the ER (61:365)

I finished the flannel board story for Family Night tonight and gave it as a lesson. Jane liked playing with it more than anything else, of course. 

Also, we had our first trip to the ER today. Check it out at our family blog.

Scott's First Comps and an FHE Activity (60:365)

Scott begins his comprehensive exams tomorrow. We spent the evening studying, which entailed my quizzing him and him answering with things I couldn't understand. I felt a little useless,
but he said it helped. 

Good Luck Honey! You are going to rock your tests!

Also, I'm working on another Personal Progress task, Faith Value Experience #6. Me and a couple of girls from church are all doing this tomorrow in our homes for our Family Home Evening lesson.

I printed off some pictures and some more pictures about the Plan of Salvation and cut them out. Tomorrow I am going to contact paper them and put felt on the back so I can use them on my new flannel board.

First Night Without a Binky(59:365)

Jane will be 3 soon. Therefore, we felt like it was time for her to send her Binky off with the Binky fairy. She goes to bed at 8pm. It is now 9:30pm and this is what has happened so far.

She cried and cried. 

We prayed together so that she wouldn't be so sad.

I sat by her in her room and sang her songs while she wept. (Made me want to cave.)

Scott went in to sit with her for a while.

Jane noticed that her fire alarm was blinking and couldn't sleep (so she says).

Scott decided to change the battery.

The battery compartment is stuck.

The alarm won't stop chirping.

Lucy woke up.

We have called maintenance and are now waiting for assistance...

Project: Dispose of Binky has had a productive start.

Sigh.
This too shall pass...

White Vinegar is my Pal (58:365)

Our washing machine stinketh. 

So I googled, and found these directions on how to clean it, which I never knew people actually did until recently. So, this was my first time cleaning my washing machine (a strange concept).

However, I didn't wipe it down as directed because I got busy and forgot, but it does smell better.

I think it's also a problem with our drain because sometimes a lovely odors wafts up at me from the drain while the washing machine is a washing.

Also, our drinking glasses have tons on spots on them from the hard water and our dishwasher, so I followed the manufacturers directions and ran a load of just glasses and hot water with 2 cups of distilled white vinegar and they came out like new!

White vinegar is my new cleaning pal.

Do you know of any other uses for white vinegar?

Mod Podge Shoes (57:365)

My friend Sara made the cutest shoes 

and wore them to church on Sunday. 

All the other ladies were jealous.

So, with Sara's help and this tutorial, 

we all decided to give it a try tonight.

Let me just say, it was not as quick 

and easy as that cute tutorial makes it seem. 

We'd all bought 3 or 4 pairs of shoes 

to cover and some of us completed 1 pair, 

someone completed 2 individual shoes (not a pair) 

and someone didn't complete any.

It was a daunting task.

Here are the worker bees in action...

Here are my shoes

BEFORE

 

AFTER

Shave and a Haircut, 2 Bits (56:365)

You know that tune. 

My dad used to sing that all the time when I was little.

As you may have guessed, I gave Scott a haircut tonight. 

I've been giving him haircuts for 6 years, 

but tonight was the first time I slipped a little.

I don't think it's too noticable, but it sure was funny. I was laughing so hard I was crying. Luckily, so was he. 

(The laughing part, not the crying part.)

Before

After