Wednesday, November 25, 2009

A Handmade Christmas

I know, I know. It's the day before Thanksgiving & I should be respecting the turkey. But, like most moms (& dads), I have to start thinking and working on Christmas long before the man in the red suit makes his first appearance and churches light the first Advent candle.
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Like many of my friends, online and in real life, we are attempting a mostly handmade Christmas morning. Some things will be bought. It would be too much on myself & J if we were to try to make everything.
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To help others who are attempting the same idea, I thought I'd post a sampling of what has been/will be made with love to sit under the tree
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Sewn:
*Napkins for lunchboxes
*Children's clothes
*Barbie clothes
*Alterations from thrift store found prom dresses to dress-up clothes
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Knit:
*Socks
*Sweater
*Ornaments
*Hats, scarves & mittens
*Barbie & Ken sweaters
*Cotton washcloths
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Crafted:
*Hairbows
*Ornaments
*Candles
*Raw sugar body scrubs
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Canned & Cooked:
*Jellies
*Salsas
*Pickles
*Candies & cookies
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It's a lot of work, I won't lie, but I started working on things this summer, and am excited about every item as I put it in the chest at the foot of our bed. It's quickly filling up!
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Sunday, November 15, 2009

I am No Longer Scared to Have People Ask to Use the Restroom

It wasn't so much that I was scared "scared" per say, but partially embarrassed. The room was a pale disaster that showed dirt horribly and was in all together shabby condition. And this is the one room of my house where my house guests can be 100% alone.
:::shudder:::
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I give you, the before pictures:
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It was the rugs that did me in.
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I bought them 3 years ago, and after many, many, many, many, many, many washings, they had lost their grip. To step on one was to risk your life. One wrong step, and Slip! out the window you would go.
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Okay, not really, but you could slip and fall.
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Their edges were frayed and separating.
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Such a sad, sad sight.
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So I thought to myself, Hmmmmmm...
I should buy new rugs. But what color to get? What really goes with this nasty seafoam wall color?
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Nothing.
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But if I painted the walls, too...
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And so it began.
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I've wanted to do a chocolate room for awhile now, but J always vetoed me. His reasoning? Dark walls make a room feel small and closed in. I, of course, have always diagreed. Which led to a sign on the door, and only myself allowed admittance while I worked.
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The sign also kept my children out. Little fingers like to touch wet walls. It's a hardship.
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I baracaded the door with a couple laundry baskets of folded laundry as well, to ensure everyone stayed out.
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It took about 2.5 coats to paint the walls choclate brown, also known as plymouth brown (benjamin moore).
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Have you ever painted around a toilet? It's not fun.
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I opted to treat the cabinets like furniture, and paint them a bit different than the trim. I painted them bright white (with teflon!), and then rag glazed stone colored streaks on the surface area and doors. It's subtly nice!
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Once the doors were returned to their rightful positions, I started putting the space back together. I put up the freshly laundered lace curtains,
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Hung the shower curtains on their new hooks,
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Hung my 5.5 year old Home Interior's mirrors that have lived their foam box since the day I got them (loved them, but never could figure out where to put them)
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Returned the toiletories to the counter space,
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Placed the toothbrushes in the new tumbler I found on sale at K-Mart,
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Spread the new rugs on the floor,
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And called J in to take his first look. He, of course, was awed by how the brown DIDN'T shrink the room. He is quite impressed to say the least. His kiss said so.
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After showing the fresh space to J & the kids, we put the 3 urchins to bed, and I set about finishing the room.
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The last thing on my list: stenciling a gold design around the top of the room.
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I used my Cutterpead, cut the design I desired out of cardstock, and pounced some acrylic pure gold paint into the template.
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LOVE IT.
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Don't you?
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The completed space:
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It's soooo very, very different now!
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And finally, the cost breakdown:
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Paint, $20.53
Rugs, $26.98
Curtain Hooks, $7.49
Tumbler, $7.19
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Grand Total, $62.19
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Of course, now I want the matching liquid soap dispenser, 2 matchy matchy soap dishes, and the trashcan, plus new towels, and possibly some new tiles for the floor....
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Saturday, November 14, 2009

Because I Love You

When you wake to this:
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And this:
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And then you see this:
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You melt into a puddle of warm goo
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Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Meet: Mo(w)

One week ago yesterday, I attened our district's Title 1 Parent Conference. Always informative and fun, this year proved to be the best yet. And I know. I've attended all 4 conferences they've put on.
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From learning about how to help our children become better readers to listening to motivational speakers talk about who we parents are the main defining part of our children's education to learning about how our children learn (it's not how you and I did!), I soak up every minute in hopes that I can help my children become the best students they can be.
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This year, we also had a class called Agriculture in the Classroom. It was extremely shocking to discover how many parents are clueless about farms! This is where our food, clothing, and Christmas trees come from people!
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Along with learning that Pennsylvania is the mushroom capital of the world and how our children are learning about farms, we did a few hands on projects to bring agriculture into the home. The pinecone feeder is hanging in a tree outside the kitchen windows, the kids ate the trailmix that explained what makes up a pig's food, and Mo(w), our illustrius grass seed catipillar, is living on the kitchen counter.
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Mo(w) is aptly named, because in one week he not only prouted his hair, but his "hair" is almost to the point of needing mowed.
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With a little water, some sunshine, and lot of love, Mo(w) will live with us for a long, long, loooooooooooong (to the point Mommy may have to make him disappear during the night) time.
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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Hawt.

One perfectly fitting dress under my belt, and I'm feeling confident! (I'll show off the dress once the hem is set. My 401A, with all it's many stitching glory is having a factory only part replaced)
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As my luck would have it, JoAnn's had one of their big pattern sales going on when I was there on 10/30. So I gave a peek.
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The first pattern I snagged, a Vintage Vogue, I've actually had my eye on. But the $25 price tag, even at JoAnn's usual 40% off was too pricey. The sale had them at $3.99, and I pounced!
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I think the lines of this dress are incredible. And hopefully a little, or a lot, slimming.
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While leafing thru the drawer for my first pattern (the patterns were a little mixed up), I ran accross my 2nd $3.99 bargain:
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Love this dress. J says to make it in a rich shade of a lighter green. I'm still trying to figure out what he meant. Maybe he means a richer shade of chartreuse?
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The Butterick patterns were $1.99, or was it 99c? Hrmmm. Oh well, doesn't matter. They were cheaper than normal.
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So I looked thru the book, hoping to find something with structure (a must with my figure), when I found this vintage wrap dress.
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This dress is so simple in design! Perfect for whipping out a couple to wear in the summer. I love a nice, light summer dress with good lines, and this is it!
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So there you have it folks. I bought 3 patterns that I can't touch until January, because I am a busy bee prepping for Christmas. Lots of Christmas presents to knit and sew. 2 rooms to paint in the next 2 weeks. 3 big meals to prep and cook. And a birthday party to prepare and throw.
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Craziness!
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Sunday, November 1, 2009

Uh-Oh!

The decorating bug has bit. Again.
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Le'Sigh.
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Or is it a SQUEEEEEEE! ?
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Hrrrmmmmmmm....
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Either way, it looks like the mudroom is to be painted pumpkin orange (a plan long in the works), and the batheroom will have milk chocolate coated walls. I'm going to paint the cabinetry in the bathe a fresh coat of white, dry brush on some antique white, and then rub on a gold gilt on the cabinet doors' edges. Maybe I'll treat the linen closet door and the inside of the batheroom door the same. We'll see. The trim is getting a fresh coat of white as well. I'm keeping the glass handles and knobs. I wonder what a handpainted gold border of scrollwork would look like at the hight of the walls...
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Of course, all be done by Thanksgiving, so as to not hinder my Christmas decorating the next weekend.
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Is there a support group for habits like this? Do they come and help you paint?
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At least the wall space is actually pretty small in both spaces. They just need something new. And to look like our home, not the former owners.
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I wonder if J & I can find money in the budget for new batheroom towels....
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Friday, October 30, 2009

Trick-Or-Treat!

Happy Halloween!
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We Trick-or-Treated last night, here in town.
J handed out candy & I took the kids around.
Alco guarded the 3rd floor, while Chessie watched from the shadows.
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Everyone dressed up but me. Someone has do have freedom of movement to choral those kids!
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Here's my Halloween Scene Bunch, hanging on our spiderweb covered front porch
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J was Shrek
Saxton was a chocolate lab puppy (so cute!)
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Wag that tail puppy dog!
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Korra was Barbie Mariposa
(my right thumb is still numb from doing all that cutting for those wings)
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Xavian was a Rootin' Tootin' Cowboy
Yeeeeee-Haw!
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Xavian showed off his cattleman skills by herding and laso'ing a runaway Saxton
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J had a blast passing out candy and joking with the grown-ups. I heard more than one kid say they saw Shrek, lol!
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This kids were very well behaved and had fun going door-to-door. Saxton never did say Trick-or_trick, but he did say NomNom a LOT. It worked.
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I got the biggest laugh, when we got home and discovered that, under the cover of darkness, Saxton had been pilfing his candy and eating it. He was shocked that we caught him!
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I hope everyone else is enjoying themselves and having a Spooktacular good time!
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Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Pumpkin Guts & Monster Faces

We always put off pumpkin carving until just a few days before trick-or-treating, because I fear the pumpkin smashing morons of the world & rotting pumpkins.
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We buy our pumpkins from a local pumpkin farm who charges 25c a pound. We always get big fat ones to carve, warty ones for interest, and white ones because they are cool. This year, it was pouring down rain when we got to the pumkin stand, so the kids stayed in the car, and my MIL & I got drenched picking out the best of the best. The kids then spent the next 20 days rolling them, carrying them, sitting on them, and dreaming up what to carve.
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Just a few benefits of buying same day picked local!
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The pumpkin stash, minus the 5 pie pumpkins that were gutted and tortured in the kitchen
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The kids decided who's was whose, and then I whipped out my trusty butcher knife
(Please ignore my concentrating face)
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The removing of the pumpkin guts took about an hour!
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The actual carving process was fairly quick.
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Korra had me draw the design on her's, while Xavian manned the marker himself.
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I carved mine & Saxton's
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J carved his and Korra's
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Xavian's took a joint effort and a lot of hand cramping.
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Finally, we lit our 2009 Jack-o-Lanterns!
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Can anyone guess which one belongs to each of us?
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It's beginning to feel a lot more like Halloween!
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Monday, October 26, 2009

Meet Heidi

Before I start the kids' Halloween costumes, I had a couple custom orders. My favorite is Heidi.
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Inspired by the Shirly Temple version's costuming, this is what I came up with:
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The apron is a piece cut out of a hand appliqued tablecloth. So sweet and perfect for this piece! The costume is one piece, plus a corset to blouse the top over and cinch the waist. We originaly decided on yellow trim on the red skirt, but the trim seemed to take away from the apron, so I kept it simple and made the corset ties yellow.
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Thank you for allowing me to dress your little princess for Halloween, Brianna!
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I can't wait to see pictures!
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Sunday, October 25, 2009

Does a 6 Year Anniversary Make You Old?

I hope not!
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We had a lovely anniversary weekend. Almost perfect.
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Saturday, my FIL & MIL came and picked up Xavian and Korra for the night, and took them to the Zoo Boo.
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Sans Thing 1 and Thing 2, J, Saxton & I went out for a late lunch and shopping for J a new pair of jeans. Then, our wonderful neighbors took Saxton for the evening, and J & I dressed up as a Midevil Lord & Lady and went to a really awsome Halloween party! Sorry, no pic of J & I. I thing everyone else got pictures of us on their cameras, but neither of us thought to make sure we were on ours.
:::blush:::
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The party was a blast! It was costume required, with wait-staff, and an open bar. A very open bar if you catch my drift! "Oh, was that a Jack & Coke? Let me splash some Coke into that for you."
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My FIL returned the kids around noon today, and seeing how the weather was sunny and warm-ish, we took the kids to a local corn maze.
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Someone should have warned us about the mud!
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Xavian did most of the navigating, with Korra chiming in
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And J was a good Daddy and husband by braving the muddiest of mud to punch our maps at a few of the checkpoints
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Saxton ran the haybale maze a couple times (yay! for toddler friendly activities too!)
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Xavian and Korra each took a try at milking the "cow" in the barn
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I *thought* I would get some really cute pictures of the kids with this monster of a pumpkin, but Saxton wanted NOTHING to do it! And so, we now have a picture of a very angry Saxton. Who seemed to just really dislike that particular pumpkin, because I tried to go back and try for a good picture about 15 minutes later, and he screamed the instant he was taken near it.
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I hope the pumpkin didn't take it personal.
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To finish out our weekend, we drove to the bridge where J asked me to marry him, and poked around.
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It's so nice that Xavian is old enough to hand a camera!
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I told J this morning, "If I knew everything we would go thru, the very worst of it, I'd still marry you. The good stuff makes it 100% worth it."
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He said, "Me too."
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Love you, J! Happy anniversary, honey!
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