Dreaming of Windows

I just got an offer from a great company.

 

 

 

Thank You!

A Little Foal All Tucked In

Whipped up an ornament/tag/gift card holder for Taylor.

 

 

I had every intention of making a mouse king after I saw this cute mouse.

 

But I want everything that lady makes.  I have to remind myself who I'm making all of this stuff for and it's rarely me!  Taylor loves horses and wearing her new red starry hat to bed. And so there it is, a Christmas foal, in bed, in a red hat.

 

 



Christmas Blanket

Taylor's blanket is almost too small.

 

 

But I love it so much.

 

 

Not sure I'm ready to embark on another one!



Bows, Bows, Bows

Taylor wanted "present bows" to put on her gifts.  I dug out the prettiest I had.

 

 

 

 

She put them on the presents.

 

 

 

 

And she put them back under our sweet tree.

 

 

 

Our upstairs tree are all candy colors. The ornaments are from Sam's a long time ago with some homemade ones thrown in.   And love this free printable at the website below.

http://www.eyecandycreativestudio.com/2011/12/free-christmas-subway-art-print-for.html

All Aboard

I waited til the last minute to create a "family ornament" for Chris' school tree.

 

I already knew that I wanted it to reflect his love for trains, chocolate, shapes and Daddy.

 

Luckily, I work well under pressure.  Except for a few oopsies, his ornament came out well in record time.

 

 

 

All of these felt pieces, I made on the fly.  I used fabric glue to adhere them together but sewed the envelope.

Clearly, I could use some lessons on sewing felt.

 

I added the title using white cardstock and a pen.

 

Super fast, super cute.

 

I'm thinking about trying this again with more time, more patience, hand stitches and embroidery.

 

 



Helping Hands

Keeping with tradition and because we love it, we made care packages for basically anyone who needs it.

 

 

 

We use a gallon zip lock bag for easy transport, easy hand out, lots can fit inside and it's reusable.  Most items you may acquire on travel at hotels, throughout the year or in samples.  Typical items might include:

1. tooth brush - new, best in bulk at discount stores
2. toothpaste - new, best at discount stores
3. deodorant - new
4. socks - gently used, especially if your husband or son gets new ones all the time
5. soap - new bar (lasts longer than gel)
6. shampoo - by big size and put in recycled containers or buy at discount stores
7. baby wipes
8. tissues
9. a hand towel - gently used
10. gloves, hat, scarf - gently used
11. disposable razor - bulk at discount stores
12. Halloween treats
13. granola bar
14. raisins or peanuts
15. pre-made fixings in small cans or pouches like tuna, pork-n-beans, weenies, crackers
16. napkins, fork, spoon - just one goes a long way
17. girls' hygiene products -  a few pads, tampons, scented spray
18. address book or notepad
19. a list of local places/pantries to get free/discounted foods

 You run into one or two who doesn't want it.  A few will say, "give it to the other guy".  But most will take it and thank you... twice or more.  Either way, be respectful and keep it moving.

 

Every religious doctrine will tell you of the goodness within us, in the Earth and beyond.  There is always hope.

 

The note we included this year says enough...

Revelation 21:3, 4 -3 With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: "Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. And He will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away."

 

xoxo

What are some other ideas that would fit in a gallon zip lock bag?

Sweet Dreams

Some one's been having "unsweet" dreams. Oh, dear.

 

 

 

Can you tell I'm dreaming of a white Christmas?

 

xoxo

 



Fall Things

One fine fall day, we played in the dirt quite a bit.  We picked leaves and autumn things and decorated some potted bulbs.

 

I like potting bulbs in the fall because I strategically plant them in the Spring when all of the other landscape is sprouted.

We repotted some houseplants.

 

 

I'm thankful for a day in which some Fall tasks didn't seem like work at all.

 

 

http://thepleatedpoppy.com/2013/11/thankful-printable-and-something-for-our-military/

Christmas Postage

If you think it's too early to start celebrating Christmas, then I agree, it kind of is.

 

But, it's not too early to start planning. 

 

I start creating my "lists" the first week of November.  Goals, ideas, and budgets. Surprisingly, one advantage to planning I found was that I had a lot to be thankful for well before Thanksgiving because I had thought so much about my friends and family all month long.  The first list up is your  

 

1. Decide who will receive Christmas cards, photos and gifts by creating a list. I create a list of names with spaces to check mark whether they should get a gift, photo and/or card and a little space to annotate a gift, photo size or special card.  By determining who you will send cards to, you can determine how many cards, stamps and/or photos to purchase.  Remember, always have 5-10 more than what you need.  Don't forget teachers, babysitters, doctors and your regular service folks. I always get a little something for the UPS guy because we give him plenty of exercise walking up our hill and porch stairs to deliver us happy mail.

 

2. Update your addresses. I keep all of my address in Microsoft Outlook.  I call around and put a notice on Facebook to send me their new addresses if they've changed or if they want to be added to my list.

 

3. Choose coordinated stamps and cards.  Some folks on your list will only receive a card so why not make it as special as possible. 

 

I usually take a look at the freshly setup Christmas displays at my "every week" stores to check out any cards or stickers that I like.  It allows me to get in the spirit without buying anything... except stamps. 

 

Happy Halloween

We had a really sweet Halloween. I got happy mail.

 

 

My husband must have noticed how I was utterly defeated last year attempting to carve a pumpkin.  I did not even attempt it this year and we didn't even got to the big pumpkin patch.  So that little cutie showed up just in time!

 

The Pea was not feeling the hat.  And the Princess was a peacock of course and to her delight, she won the costume contest at the Jellybeans in Cameron, NC.  She won a whopping gift card for some delicious froyo and a cute little t-shirt.

 

xo

Halloween Party

The Princess is all about masquerading this year and a costume is not just a costume but a disguise.

 

She is being disguised a pretty little peacock.. again. I wanted to fancy it up a little more than her birthday. The extra feathers came just in time for me to adhere them to the Princess's ensemble right before the big party. I had not started the Pea's outfit at all and was a bit in a hurry. Affixing the feathers so quickly left me with only one severe burn this time around.

 

Then I turned my attention for the 100th time that morning to the Pea. What should he be, oh, what should he be? I had purchased a get up of their favorite pooch, the Scoobs, but it really didn't seem just right. I thought I should at least busy myself instead of standing still, so I looked for the peacock gift bags leftover from the Princess's birthday party. That's when I saw a very cute pair of socks that I couldn't wait to put on the Pea's piggies. I found some other goodies, too.

 

 

Did you know that, at bedtime, we often have a little snack? We might eat berries or dried cereals. We don't mean to eat them in a hurry but it's hard to read aloud with a mouth full of grapes. Even though it's an awful good time stuffing our faces, the Princess and I are anxious to read. But too much of a good thing is never enough for the Pea. As we started to read, he yells "cheeseburger, popcorn, juice". To say the least, this disguise is not hardly a disguise at all.

 

At first, I made his hat from an old cap but it was too small. Then I made it from felt. It was too itchy. Then I cut up one of his t-shirts and that one was just right. Very Hungry Caterpillars also eat boogers. I purchased the shirt and pants believing that it could be so versatile but I had not thought of this at the time. I thought, well, he could be a frog and showcase his hopping skills. (That's actually all of the thought that I put into that.) It would so make a great Brobee costume and they have crocheted hats at Party City. And best of all, he could be Freddy Kruger. I will store those ideas away for now. Today, he is the very cute and hungry little... 

 

bugger

 

 

At the party, there was a magic show. The Pea immediately recognized the magician from Umi Zoomi and went to greet him. Instead of thinking the Pea rude, the magician made him part of the show.

 

We played games, danced and laughed with our friends from work and school. The Pea kept eating his prizes.

 

The Princess received many compliments on her disguise. So did the Pea! Who knew that we were so original. So we went to a costume contest that just happened to have our fave... froyo.

 

When we got home we had a supper of rice, broccoli and chicken. But unfortunately, so much sugar had already stirred up trouble in the Pea's stomach and all of it's keeps came flying out with some serious projectile. The Princess was troubled by my soiled clothes. A hot bath for all, movies and cuddles squared the night away.

 

xo 

A Little Batty

 

Ying's finished placemat.

 

 

 

I got to use these iron on letters I've been trying to purge.  I really like how the colors turned out.  The mitered corners were being particular. And it doesn't REALLY match the previous years' one....

 

 

 

I still like it though.

 

 

xo

 

First Fun Run

You are greedy when fun run sounds like funyun.

 

I forgot all about this. Ying told me about it and I wrote it down but not in my planner.

 

She had the jitters the night before.  So did I, because I knew I'd have an unplanned day.  But I ran 2 miles on the treadmill then we ate pineapple chicken and rice, tostitos and cookies for dinner.  I also made our breakfast and packed some swedish fish for her to eat as "running gels".  She wanted to run around the house for practice and I let her to get the wiggles out and boy, did she have the wiggles.

 

She had a decent breakfast the day of the run (eggs, strawberries and yogurt juice).

 

I really wanted to make us running shirts but it was just too late.  Plus, it was at the school where apparently everyone knows her name because she is a pretty popular girl.

 

I liked how the let the lowest grades run first... the bigger kids coming after would give them company.

 

She finished .75 miles in 8 minutes and 19 seconds.

 

 

 I brought chocolate milk for her "recovery" and she had a better idea.

 

I couldn't get past the whole "funyun" thing so I had a water, wrap, onion rings and ... 

 

 

 

a pumpkin pie blizzard.  It packed more pumpkin pie taste than I expected... cinnamon and crust cookie bits made it pie-ish.

 

 OK, I've got sewing to do.

 

 

 

 

More Placemats Please

I really need to make more placemats.  I created this placemat two years ago.

 

My favorite parts... 

 ...Ying's skull and bows pajama shirt. 

...three little pockets for cutlery... or popsicle puppets

...the dreamcicle stripes

So I really wanted to make a matching, personalized one  with leftovers from

my banner.

 

You ever have something you want to get rid of but don't want to throw it

away?  That's how I am with these iron on letters I have.  So, as much as I love to

applique with Japanese fabric and intricate embroidery...

a placemat in this house has to be spaghettifiable. 

TGIF: Scooby

 

Scooby Loves Burgers

 

 

burger kabob {toast, burger, lettuce, tomato, cheese, bacon)

apple fries

groovy sun chips

Scooby gummy snacks

 

Scooby Loves Hotdogs

 

 

hot dog

grapes

corn on the cob

Scooby gummy snacks

 

No picture of the spaghetti because as we all know, Scooby also loves Spaghetti.

She had spaghetti and meatballs in a thermos, applesauce and more groovy chip.

 

Scooby Parties

 

 

grape kabobs

peanut butter and grape jelly dog

juice

Scooby gummy snacks

Scooby cereal (they tasted like King Vitamins)

 

Haunted House

Ying made her on lunch!

 

 

Cheetos

cantaloupe pumpkins

apple jelly and peanut butter haunted house

Franklin Street

 Is the weekend ever long enough?  There was a persistent drizzle all weekend
so it made for some frustrating, sleepy and cozy moments.

The highlight of our weekend was obviously the planetarium.  We ate at the the Loop.

Sorry no pictures since pushing a double stroller, with an umbrella, and taking a picture
 with the oversized iPhone in my undersized hands are, in fact, impossible.  Anyway,
 the pizza was so good...  Ying said so.  When I ordered the medium, the waitress was compelled
to tell me  that it was a pretty decent sized "New York style" pizza.  She obviously
doesn't know the appetite of this clan because scoping out the pizzas around
us, I was doubtful the medium would be enough.

It was... we ate all of it.  Yang outdid himself.  I know he's getting full
when he starts to act slightly drunk.  He even looked in the mirror to
admire his pepperoni eating skills.  And I'm way to excited when there are
no leftovers.

Feeling a little unstuffed, we headed to Sugarland.  Sounds like, home?

So, Ying had chocolate gelato. Easy day.  Yang ALMOST had the mango (because
it was yellow, his favorite color); HOWEVER, upon tasting it... ok he didn't
say it was gross but baby faces don't lie and that shribbled up prune face
flashed with a bright red that signaled "gross gross gross gross gross".
Just sayin.  After the waitress graciously allowed him to taste every single
color, he settled for cookies and cream but found Ying's dessert most
tasteful... not because it was chocolate but because it was hers.  And
that's why I chose not to even try.  I did get these to go.

I had macarons in Belgium in 1999 then again in Vegas in 2010.   I find them
expensive.  These were $2 per cookie.  Yep, you know what I said.  But, I
really felt like giving us the world and so there you have it.  (I'll have
to eat Chief's)  And that other thing is a sweet potato bacon cupcake.
Yeah, that's exactly what I said.

And what did I create?  Nothing except clean clothes, home cooked meals,
animal balloons and awesome snuggly movie time.  I did start this.

Just a little something for snacktime.

TGIF: Space

It's World Space week!

 

So, e had some "space-y" lunches to go with....

 

Earth

 

 

 

a sky of grapes, cheese moon and north star

corn on the cob sun

animal cookie constellations

a cup of asteroid peanuts, cashews and dried corn

Earth (blue tortilla, roast beef, swiss, mayo and lettuce)

 

 

Rocket Wrap

 

 

apple slice moons

hummus sun

rocket wrap {Gyro slices, swiss cheese, lettuce, peppers, cucumber spread}

baked chips

 

Man on the Moonburger

 

 

cheese dip sun

astronaut ice cream

black nachos

burger {toast, hamburger, swiss cheese, marshmallow man}

 

Pizza Planet

 

 

I was truly all out of ideas at this point.

 

{various deli meat, mozo cheese}

ranch dressing sun

gummy pizza

strawberries

 

To end our week, we took a trip to UNC Chapel Hill's planetarium. Great time!

 

Silly Yang is pretending type as I type this very moment... "Look, I'm puting" Yep, you sure are.

Trick or Treat Banner

This little banner is perfect my kitchen and kiddos.

 

 

I made the backing using matching fabrics from Jo Ann's and Moda.

 

 

Maybe some day, I will fuse some appliques to the back but for now, I'm happy to just hang it. Sometimes I do that... finish a craft just enough to be able to use it but go back and embellish it. I get quick gratification and in the future, I get quick wins.

 

 

 

 

I'm glad I hung it.  I desperately needed to dress up these doors. I love seeing it's playfulness as soon as I walk in.  And the kids the kids are enjoying spying all of the cute little illustrations in our new decorations.

Trick or Treat Street Wall Hanging

This weekend we ventured out to another country town in our area. Have you heard of Wal-Mart Express?  I hadn't either until I went to the town of Coats, NC.  We were on our way to Noah's Landing. By the way, there is a pizza shop there that has the most adorable staff and delicious pizza.  Then, we went to Cary for some crafty things and to PetSmart where it's kind of like the zoo only with pets. It was fun!

 

We also put up our Halloween decorations.

 

 

 I'm not big on Halloween; however, I was compelled to rent World War Z. It was scary!

 

I like cute and not so scary Halloween things... like this panel called Costume Clubhouse.

 

 

I bought it's predecessor, Trick or Treat Street, 3 or 4 years ago but it was just too cute to cut. After seeing this banner and how well it actually matches my kitchen, I gained the confidence to cut it.

 

 

 I love the colors in both panels. I made a panel from the center by zig zag stitching it to black felt. I just may scallop or pink around it but I'm going to let it hang for now. But, see how well it matches my rooster which I bought to match my countertops that I actually hate. Win!

 

 

Anyways, there are so many ideas running through my head for the rest of the panel. I think I'm going to start on these letters next.