My Crafty Mama Life

Valentine's Day Hair Bow

2011-01-24T11:32:00.000-08:00

I am finally back on the hairbow bandwagon since my poor little girl only has about 100 mama made ones! Really, the ones she has are starting to look a little worn, so I'm trying to expand upon my bow making capabilities. Enter..........spikes!! I followed this tutorial on youtube. I like the way it turned out for this bow, but I think I want to try to make some flatter spikes the next time (these are folded in half). Next I want to make a bow with those little loopy surround bow thingies (yes, that's the technical name).

Just have to learn how first!

Linking this up to Made by You Monday on skiptomylou.org!

Crafty Goodness Completed!

2011-01-17T06:02:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm able to cross a thing or two off my crafty to do list, but, of course, I've found more projects that I need to add. I'm hoping that the kids will entertain themselves a bit today so that I can get in some crafty time, when in reality, I should be cleaning!

The first is the hook case for my all my crochet tools. I used some fabric I bought last year from an online shop (I think it was superbuzzy) that specializes in Japanese fabrics. I only bought a small bit, so this was the perfect project for it. I teamed it with some tan linen and a pink ribbon closure. I'm not crazy about the ribbon I chose, but it works!

The next project I finished wasn't on my list, but I love it so much! I crocheted a cape for Mallory over New Years out of pink Cotton Tots yarn - I won't even show it to you now it looks so awful! The yarn is so soft and pretty when you start, but before you are even done with a project it looks dirty and worn. Also, I used a pattern I found on Ravelry, but it was done in the treble stitch, which I am not in love with.

After searching for a new pattern and not finding exactly what I wanted, I decided to make my own pattern and the results are exactly what I was looking for! Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures yet of her wearing it, but I will get some soon!

And last, but not least, my in progress scarf that I am attempting to knit! It only has one dropped stitch (so far), but is curling terribly on the ends. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, as I am following the pattern, but I think I will just go with it for now. I'm hoping to finish and wear it at least once before it gets hot again here in Florida!

I linked up my cape to Made By You Mondays on Skip to my Lou! Check it out Here!

Projects I want to try in 2011....

2011-01-08T07:10:00.000-08:00

Instead of making resolutions for the new year, which I've never been very good at keeping, I think I will use this post to keep track of craft projects I want to make in 2011. In my spare time spent surfing the web, I come across so many ideas and projects that I want to try, but as quick as I find them, I move on and they are lost to me on the vast internet. This way I can keep a running list and cross of the ones I succeed in making.

Today is the perfect day to start, as my dear husband took my two lovely children to my in-laws for the day, leaving me with 8 hours of free time to start crossing things off my list. I will keep adding things as I find them.

~~Learn to knit - I'm taking a one hour private lesson today at 2:00 p.m. - that's a great start!~~ I'm still learning, but at least I've started!
Make these for Mallory's room and finish hooping all the other embroidery work I did for her room. I think I will embroider words like "sweet" "playful" "sassy", or do action words like "play", "smile", "pretend". Embroidered words
~~Crochet Hook Case, similar to this: Hook Case~~ See results here!
Valentine Heart Garland on Two Shades of Pink Heart Garland

Best Friends

2010-10-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

I don't suspect times will always be so peaceful, but for now these two kids get along famously. I have been worried about the age gap between them since before Mallory was conceived, but it has actually been great.

Mallory has become quite a busy toddler. I can't remember anything that Spencer ever climbed, but put a mountain in front of Mallory and she will make it look like a mole hill. Today she climbed on the kitchen table and was standing in the middle of it in a matter of seconds. Then the coffee table. Then to the top of our large playground while I turned my back for about 10 seconds. If I had a 3 year old to deal with all day too, I'm not sure if I could handle it! So in that regard, the age gap has been fabulous. I was able to spend tons of time with Spencer before Mallory arrived, and now I get to spend tons of time with Mallory while Spencer is in school.

I hope to be back in the next day or too with some of the crafty things I've been up to.........until then I will leave you with a picture of Mallory talking to the birds at the zoo............

and Spencer posing with his wax Florida Panther in front of the Manatees (excuse his drowned rat look - he went on the log flume twice!)

Oh What A Busy Day!

2010-04-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

That is how I have felt a lot lately, but in a good way! Meanwhile, my poor blog has been lonely and calling out for a new post.

I was initially derailed by our trip to Disney - 5 nights/6 days at the happiest place on earth! Weather was beautiful, kids were troopers, and my drill seargent travel companion (aka, my wonderful husband)was fairly reserved in his tactical approach to the World. Usually he drags us out first thing in the morning and won't hear of leaving before dark - not an easy thing to do with a 10 month old!

Other than that, we have been busy with all kinds of activities. I belong to the best Mom's group on the planet, I swear! This group is so active and friendly, and on any given week, we have multiple activities to choose from. Most of the kids are younger than Spencer, but he doesn't mind. And it will be great for Mallory and I when he goes to K next year. There must be 8 other babies that are right around a year old!

Just this week we hosted a pretzel making play date at our house, had a beach day with our group, and went to a play date at another Mom's house where the kids listened to a story, did a craft, and had a snack! We also managed to squeeze in a trip to the park and baby time at the library on our own.

Another great thing about this group is that I'm discovering new activities and places that I never knew about, like the beach we went to the other day. It's 35 min. from our house and is a super short walk from the car to the beach, which makes it easy for me to take the kids on my own. Yeah!

This is the only Mom's group I've belonged to, but I feel like it must be more active than most. Do you belong to a Mom's group? What is yours like?

Follow Me Fridays @ Trendy Treehouse

2010-04-09T05:13:00.000-07:00

I am participating in Follow Me Fridays @ Trendy Treehouse this week.......go link up and join the fun!

Easter Overload!

2010-04-06T19:12:00.000-07:00

We had a busy week here. We spent Thursday making Resurrection Eggs, which Spencer really enjoyed. I didn't manage to take a picture yet, but it was a fun, worthwhile activity which gave him a better understanding of the story of Easter.

Friday morning our playgroup had an Easter party at a local park. They had egg hunts for different age groups, including the babies (there are probably 10 babies under the age of 1!). What does an egg hunt for a group of babies look like? You place all the babies on a blanket, then dump about 100 plastic Easter eggs in the middle - they had a blast!

I realized VERY late in the game (like on Saturday afternoon) that Mallory didn't have a cute Easter shirt. So I quickly surveyed her closet and found this shirt, which she has almost outgrown. I freehanded a bunny outline, traced it onto Heat & Bond, ironed it onto chenille, cut out the bunny, ironed it to the shirt, and stitched around it. Total time = 15 minutes. It would have taken me 5, but I spent 10 minutes trying to find my heat & bond! I didn't get a great picture, but here is one I shot at our family Easter gathering.

Saturday evening we dyed Easter eggs on the patio. I attempted to use stickers on a few before dyeing them, but the results were less than perfect!

And of course the Easter Bunny visited overnight and left lots of goodies!

Then it was on to our celebrate at my sister's house with most of my family. Mallory had fun hanging out in the shade....

....while the rest of the kids hunted Easter eggs!

Spencer made out like a bandit. We dumped out all his eggs today - he managed to score 2 huge plastic cups full of candy and $9.69 in change! Daddy took him to buy a new Lego set tonight - he is not much of a saver!

I hope everyone had a nice Easter!

Time to make new friends!

2010-04-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

Hop like a bunny over to The Girl Creative and find some great new blogs to follow! If you are visiting from there, be sure to leave me a comment so I can check out your blog. I hope you will stay a while and check out what I've been up to!

Amigurumi & other fun stuff

2010-04-02T06:15:00.000-07:00

I've taken my crochet addiction to another level and have started making some Amigurumi. Because if there is one thing this house needs, it is more stuffed toys! We actually had to fill a basket with stuffed animals to sleep next to my son's bed, because he could no longer fit in it with all of his furry friends!

This owl was my first effort - I'm not happy with the way the stuffing shows through the yarn, but I think I've found a way to resolve that. Something I read said to only crochet through the back loop, so I'm trying that with my current project. Spencer happily took this off of my hands as soon as I was done with it. Presenting.........Hoo Hoo! (named by my 5 year old!)

I also made a doll for Mallory - the first doll I made especially for her! It is from the book Amigurumi Two and it was pretty easy to put together.

I also managed to crochet a large flower to put on this headband I made Mallory - I took a couple of patterns I had, put them together, made some adjustments, and voila - I finally have a big enough flower! Most of the patterns I found were for fairly small pieces. Now, if I just would have written it down so that I could make more!

We went over to my sister's for our first swim of the season! I only got in the hot tub, but the kids had fun in the pool. Here is Mallory wearing her new swimsuit and her ruffle butt bloomers on her head!

And last week I finally managed to drag some of the baby/toddler toys out of the garage. She LOVES the Little Tikes Activity Garden, which I managed to score at a yard sale a couple of years ago for $9! I coveted it for a long time before I finally found one cheap.

Does your baby have a favorite toy?

New Friend Friday!

2010-03-26T06:12:00.000-07:00

I thought I would try something different this week, so I am linking up at The Girl Creative to make some new friends. Hop on over & check it out!

Welcome to all my new visitors........I hope you stay a while and take a look around! Leave me a comment to let me know you were here!

Dear .......

2010-03-25T15:28:00.000-07:00

Dear God,

Are you serious? Did my handsome 5 year old really get hit with strep throat and pink eye in one week? Right on the heels of a sinus infection for him, ear infection for Mallory, vertigo & the stomach flu for me? Will we ever be well? Send sign of hope soon.

Amen

Dear nurse at the doctor's office,

When my son was in for strep throat on Monday, did you know you had pink eye? Okay, maybe you didn't, but when I came in today and your eyes were red & puffy and you were wearing your glasses (which I had never seen you in), did you think it at all odd that my son was there for pink eye? Not that it's your fault or anything - I'm sure that you catch more things than we ever could. I just hope your not brewing rotovirus right now or something. Feel better soon!

Sincerely,
Mother of son who has been to your office 10 times since the first of the year

Summer Dresses

2010-03-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

Well, we have officially been hit with Sick Kids Syndrome. You know how it goes, don't you?

One gets better/the other gets sick/then mommy gets it...repeat....repeat....repeat...

5 doctor visits and $150 later, you might all be well. At least until the next round hits, that is! At least Daddy has stayed healthy! The latest caused us to cancel our trip to Busch Gardens today with Aunti Di, cousin Trey, Nena & Papa. Spencer has strep throat! Hopefully we can make it there next weekend!

I have managed to squeeze in some sewing time. My baby has hardly any 12 to 18 month clothing, so I need to get started on her summer wardrobe.

The first outfit was started several weeks ago. While making your own bias tape to match your outfit looks great, it can be very time consuming. Especially when you cut the wrong width bias strips the first time around! This outfit actually drove me to finally take my machine in to be serviced, which it sorely needed. I found out the bobbin case had a huge nick in it. Now it is working much better - no more thread nests underneath my fabric!

On the second outfit, I learned that gathering fabric can be quite tricky if you aren't doing it properly (I guess that can be said of anything!). I finally found great instructions here on Wikihow of all places. I didn't cut the skirt quite wide enough, but I'm still happy with it. I used a cute white t-shirt I bought for $1 at Target, cut off a few inches, gathered the skirt, and attached it to the shirt. Voila - new dress!

And matching baby legs, made from a pair of women's knee high socks that I also bought on clearance at Target. Total outfit cost: about $4.00! I may add a ruffled flower to the top of the dress.

Next up, I'm going to try another t-shirt dress like this, but I want to add a sash to tie at the back. I also have some projects from the One-Yard Wonders that I am wanting to try. Stay tuned!

2010-03-13T12:40:00.000-08:00

Happy Saturday! I'm excited because my chauffeur (otherwise known as husband) is off work. That means I got to leave the house today for the first time in a week!

Being stuck at home for a week straight lead me to introduce new activities to Mallory, so I dug out our huge collection of puppets from the garage, and she loved them!! She was totally cracking up at all the different animals.

Then her big brother decided to put on a puppet show with the puppet theater I made for him last Christmas. She enjoyed it, but was a little tired by that point. We will have to try again soon!

My big boy, who is suddenly into anything related to fighting enemies (thank you Lego Space Police!) spotted this fighting ring in the new toy catalog from Target.

Since when do they put out toy catalogs for Easter??? Isn't that a bit much?

Anyway, Target version:

And our version:

Spencer requested I take a close up so that everyone could see the Sheriff attacking the cow - wacko!

That's what our week looked like, being stuck inside for a week straight. Oh, except for the part where we were stuck OUTSIDE for 2 hours on Wednesday because the door to our sunroom was jammed shut and wouldn't open. Luckily it was 70, sunny, and we had crayons and paper with us. And of course Mallory had her traveling milk dispenser (me!). It could have been worse!

So, what types of things do you do when you are stuck inside all week due to illness or bad weather?

How do you keep those kiddos entertained?

Time for Friday Follow again!

2010-03-12T05:09:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all my new followers from last week! I also found some great new blogs to read! Hosted by Rita @ One 2 Try Tami @ Hearts Make Families and Lynn @ Midday Escapades. Head on over to participate!

Mom of they Year

2010-03-11T16:38:00.000-08:00

What's a mommy have to do to get a little computer time? Give the baby a ball of yarn of course!

Disclaimer: I never give her yarn unless I am directly supervising! : )

Life Interrupted

2010-03-09T05:25:00.000-08:00

Things around here have been turned upside down lately (literally, for me!). I woke up Saturday morning with a horrible case of vertigo. I ended up in the ER for several hours, where my friend's husband, who happens to be an ER doctor, took good care of me. I was in bed all day Saturday and the better part of Sunday. We all know what can happen when Mommy is out of commission, but luckily, my awesome husband and his parents stepped up to take care of the kids, go to the grocery store, and basically keep things running somewhat smoothly!

I'm feeling better, although I'm still dizzy and can't drive yet. I can't wait to get out of this house!

Since there hasn't been any crafting going on here lately (except for a pair of unexciting slippers I'm crocheting for myself right now), I thought I would share pictures of a couple of cute kids I know. Enjoy!

Friday Follow

2010-03-05T11:24:00.000-08:00

My first Friday Follow celebration hosted by One 2 Try, Hearts Make Families and Midday Escapades! I hope to meet lots of new bloggers!

Five Question Friday

2010-03-05T09:07:00.000-08:00

I thought I would join the fun over at Mama M's blog for Five Question Friday, so here you go!

1. What's your guilty pleasure? Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I just finished a bowl for lunch. Acutally, all cereal - I usually have at least 5 varieties to choose from, and often have a bowl for dessert.

2. What is your favorite TV series? My favorite, as in just 1?? Hmmmm, probably Top Chef.

3. Can you speak any foreign languages? I can speak a little Spanish, which actually helped me out while visiting Italy as well.

4. How many pairs of shoes do you own? I am so NOT a shoe girl! I probably own 12 pairs, but only wear maybe 5. I wish I liked shoes, they just all hurt my feet. My favorites by far are my Birkenstocks!

5. What's your favorite kind of M&M's...peanut, almond, straight up regular, etc.? Definitely peanut, hands down, no contest. I love chocolate covered peanuts too, so go figure.

More Hats & Hair Clips!

2010-03-04T17:28:00.000-08:00

I took my sewing machine in on Monday because it has been giving me all sorts of trouble lately. So I haven't been able to sew anything, although I do have a half finished dress on my sewing table, awaiting a repaired sewing machine.

I thought I would add some other things to my blog that I've been working on:

Hats (please ignore the non-matching clothing.....little miss baby will not stand for several clothing changes during an impromptu photo shoot!)

And hair clips......although there is not much hair to clip! I can't wait until I can get her hair to lay down - right now it is a lost cause!

Tacky Scrapbook Paper + Legos + Playmobil = Awesome

2010-03-04T17:04:00.000-08:00

So what is a girl to do with that tacky photo paper she bought when she first started scrapbooking? Why, turn it into backdrops for Lego & Playmobil scenes, of course!!!

Can you tell how productive my day was yesterday? But Spencer & I sure did have fun!

Trip to the State Fair

2010-03-01T06:40:00.000-08:00

We recently took a trip to the Florida State Fair. Michael took the day off of work so that we could go on a Monday, because going on the weekends is a nightmare.

Let's just say that most of the fair is a little too state fair-ie for me. I grew up in a small town and belonged to 4-H. We always entered different competitions, such as cooking, sewing (the first time I ever sewed!), cat show, etc, and every year we went to the 4-H fair. We would often spend the whole day there while my mom & dad were at work. Maybe it's nostalgia talking, but I remember really enjoying the small town feel of our local fair. I would give up all of my fabric (okay, maybe not) for a taste of the homemade ice cream and a meal from Pork Producers right now!

The fair from my youth is a planet away from the Florida State Fair. We had our bags checked on the way in and I had to dump my water, just in case it was actually vodka. The security worker shared with me that one lady brought in a 12 pack in her diaper bag. eek.

At the 4-H fair in my hometown, the midway took up about 1/4 to 1/3 of the fair grounds, and it was never the main attraction in my mind. At the Florida State Fair, at least 50% of the grounds are dedicated to ride after tacky midway ride, carnies calling out to you every 5 steps, and all kinds of nasty foods that I wouldn't even feed to the pigs in the (small) livestock barn. Is it truly necessary that we offer deep fried butter balls to the already grossly overweight general population?? And that there is not only one, but two locations at the fair to buy said butter balls? And how about a burger sandwiched between 2 Krispy Kreme donuts? Is your mouth watering yet?

I say we need less midway and more fair, but that is just from this country girl's perspective. Now there is one very bright spot in this otherwise abysmal waste of time & money - Cracker Country!! I love this part of the fair and it's the only reason I wanted to go. And I actually learned that they are open the first Saturday of the month, which means we can go next year and skip the fair!

Cracker Country is a collection of old log buildings moved from their original locations to this area of the fairgrounds. There is an old schoolhouse, general store, a couple of homes, a church, an outdoor kitchen, and some other buildings. Our trip coincided perfectly with our recent listening of the Little House on the Prairie book on CD. It was great for Spencer that we could translate what we learned to a real setting. The first thing we saw was two young men making real life Lincoln Logs!

Spencer & I played a quick game of corn cob checkers in the mercantile!

Cracker Country is the best value at the fair too. While each ride on the midway costs $4-6 dollars and lasts about 30 seconds, in Cracker Country, you can hand dip a candle for $1.00.

You can also make a rope for $1.00.

And you get to take both home - awesome!! All you get to take home from the Midway is an empty wallet and a tummy ache from eating too much deep fried butter. Although I will say Spencer looks pretty cool driving his boat!

My other favorite part of the fair is the livestock barn and the small animal building, where the bunnies and chickens stay. We were able to see a lady spinning yarn from rabbit fur, which was super cool for me as yarn is my new favorite. And the kids even got to pet the bunnies!

And on the way out Spencer spent the rest of his tickets to take Daddy on the skyride! Of course they couldn't take the round trip ride because his $8 worth of tickets would only buy them each a one way ticket!

So if you head to the Florida State Fair next year, bring your (fat) wallet, butter starved arteries,

and your pioneer spirit!

Booties & Hair Clips!

2010-02-27T06:43:00.000-08:00

I've been patiently awaiting the day when my baby would have enough hair for a hair clip! Anyone who has seen her in person knows that she has some crazy hair!! So today I finally discovered that a hair clip will stay in her hair! Yeah!

So of course I had to make her one. The only thing I had time to do, while simultaneously teaching my 5 year old son how to use a needle & thread, was make a monogram clip. It turned out pretty well for my first try! I tried to make an owl later out of felt, but it was so time consuming! Maybe I will finish it later tonight.

And here are the booties that I made several weeks ago and have been wanting to share. I purchased the pattern on Etsy, but they would not stay on her feet. So I decided to sew elastic along the inside of the bootie - I just ran it under the crochet stitches and tied it off in a knot. They have not fallen off since!

They have been used A LOT this winter here in Florida, as we have had weeks & weeks of cold weather this year, so they are starting to look a little worn. I just made her a white pair too - now I just need to get the elastic & buttons sewn on before it warms up!

Service project for Miliatry Widows

2010-02-25T11:02:00.000-08:00

I just read this on another blog and it touched my heart. I think I will make one to donate. Anyone want to join me?

Write It Out Project

Sick Sick Sick!!

2010-02-25T07:29:00.000-08:00

The title says it all. We have been fighting colds, coughs, and ear infections around here for weeks! It is hard to find energy to create anything when everyone is sick, but I've managed a few projects this month.

I found a tutorial online for creating the flowery piece on this headband (can't remember where!). For my headbands, I used little girls tights, then just sew them together to fit Mallory's head. Then I added the flower on the seam. I really like the way it turned out, so I decided to make a matching shirt for Valentine's Day.

This week I finished up a LONG overdue baby gift: 2 burp clothes with matching bibs, and a diaper/wipes case with built in changing pad. I followed the tutorial on http://cluckclucksew.com, but added a handle and snaps to close. I made one for myself before Mallory was born, but didn't add a handle, and I always thought it would be nice to have. This is a great thing for all new moms to have - this way I don't have to lug the whole diaper bag into the bathroom if we are all out at a restaurant or something. I love it and I hope my friend does too!

I have been crocheting quite a bit lately, and have finished several more hats & shoes. I will be back to share later!

Menu Plan Monday

2010-02-15T15:29:00.001-08:00

Monday: Frozen Pizza (bought some Digiorno on sale at Publix), green beans

Tuesday: Shrimp Scampi, homemade bread, salad, corn

Wednesday: Asian Pork Tenderloin (stole this recipe from Orgjunkie herself!), teriyaki rice, broccoli

Thursday: Chili, cornbread, veggie

Friday: Baked Tilapia, rice, veggie

Saturday: Burgers, oven fries, veggie

Sunday: Some sort of Chicken, mashed potatoes, veggie

For more menu plan ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com!

Outdoor Crochet & A Reconstruction Project

2010-01-19T05:45:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to do in the not-to-hot, not-to-cold weather is to sit outside with the kiddos on a blanket and do some hand stitching, like crochet or embroidery. Mallory has become quite the crochet assistant and can amuse herself for a long time with a ball of cotton yarn! And Spencer loves to ride his scooter up and down the sidewalk. There is something about a quilt, some yarn, my kids, and the outdoors that makes me feel very peaceful.

Speaking of crochet, here is the second hat I've crocheted for Mallory. I'm really happy with it, but I've since swapped out the flower for a pink one. It's a little big, but I figure she will grow into it!

Here is a dress/shirt I recently made for Mallory. In a former life it existed as one of my comfy sweatshirts. I loosely based the pattern off another dress, and then just sort of free handed the pattern from there. My one mistake was making the front and back pieces identical. Next time I will cut the front piece so that the neck scoops a little bit more. I used an old pair of pink corduroy baby pants to make the applique circle. I think it all turned out very cute!

I have more reconstruction projects to tackle, if only I could find the time/energy! I will hopefully be back to share an adorable black & pink tweed style skirt for Mallory soon!

Nanny's Educational Zoo

2010-01-19T05:10:00.000-08:00

Last week the kiddos & I met up with our Mom's group for a trip to Nanny's Educational Zoo! Nanny was awesome - her zoo is an animal rescue for all types of animals. She had a pony that had spent 17 years walking kids around in a circle at the state fair : ( It makes me cringe to think of how many pony rides Spencer has gone on! We saw lots of animals, including goats, turkeys, a donkey (who actually hee hawed very loudly!), a raccoon, and bunny rabbits. But by far my favorite were the baby squirrels. I guess Nanny gets about 250 baby squirrels every spring. When people begin to trim their trees they find squirrel nests - who knew?? So they bring them to Nanny, who bottle feeds them until they are big enough to release - cool, huh? Here is Spencer holding the baby squirrel - he doesn't look impressed in this picture, but I promise that he loved it!

Mallory's first (and probably only!) pony ride. She was diggin' it!

Spencer with the goats!

2010-01-09T12:20:00.000-08:00

So what do you do with a sweater you bought at Salvation Army, that was supposed to be a dress, but then was ruined by over zealous cutting? Make a hat, of course! And living in Florida, we can never have too many hats.

I happened upon this pom pom hat tutorial from kojodesigns and got to work. I just free handed the general shape on the sweater and made my own pom poms a la 5th grade crafting. I managed to complete it during the latest 45 minute nap from the world's worst napper! Go Mommy!

P.S. Feel free to share any tried and true tips for getting the 45 minute napper to sleep longer!

I :heart: crochet!

2010-01-07T18:37:00.000-08:00

So after many attempts and half finished projects, I finally manged to crochet something wearable! And when it is worn by the most adorable baby girl in the world, it's even more satisfying! I purchased this pattern on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=38062370

And here is my finished product:

Now that I'm looking at the two side by side, the bottom of mine looks like it is turned up more than the original - not sure why. Hmmm...

I just purchased another hat pattern and am crocheting it now. I better hurry, as hat weather will only last for another few weeks here in Florida!

I took Little Man and Miss Mam to Salvation Army yesterday - they have 50% off clothing on Wednesdays. I bought some clothing to try to reconstruct into perfect little dresses and skirts for Mallory. I've already ruined and scrapped one piece. Oops. Hopefully I will have better luck with the rest!

Let's dust this thing off, shall we?

2010-01-04T05:09:00.000-08:00

The Christmas hoopla is (thankfully) over and we can get back to a semi-normal life around here. That is, after I take down the Christmas decorations! On a happy note, my Christmas cards finally went out in the mail today, just in time ; )

I haven't had much time for sewing or crafting around here, but I was able to whip up a red corduroy skirt for Miss Mam to match the sweater I purchased at Gymboree:

It's nice to be able to make a matching skirt for your child when the stores are all out because you waited until 3 days before Christmas to buy her an outfit! And it's even nicer when you happen to have a yard of matching fabric at home that you bought for another project that you never got around to making. Sometimes it's good to procrastinate - in doing so I saved myself a trip to JoAnn's!

I've been teaching myself to crochet with the help of a few library books - I will post a picture of my first completed project later on! Happy Monday!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-11-02T17:56:00.000-08:00

My menu last week kind of flopped, as I had a friend and her two very small children visiting. I was lucky if I could get into the kitchen at all!!! I think I only made one thing from last week's menu, so I will try it again this week! So this should look familiar!

Monday: Chicken Fajitas
Tuesday: Pork Tenderloin, oven fries, veggie, rolls
Wednesday: Meat Loaf, sweet potatoes, rolls
Thursday: Chicken Pot Pie, veggie
Friday: Sweet & Sour Pork, rice, veggie
Saturday: Eat out
Sunday: Pot Roast, potatoes, carrots, rolls

For more menu ideas, visit orgjunkie.com!

Halloween Cuteness

2009-10-28T17:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we decided to go to a pumpkin patch with our friends visiting from Indiana. Now, for those of you northerners or midwesterners out there, Florida pumpkin patches are nothing to write home about. My friends will not go home and wax poetic on the merits of our local pumpkin patch. If $9.00 rotted pumpkins are what your looking for, then I've found just the place for you. Add to that the 90 degree weather and we are not talking about a fun fall outing!

The one upside to our trip is that I was able to dress up the kiddos in their Halloween attire and take pictures! Of course, Mallory was asleep at the pumpkin patch, but I snapped a cute picture of them at the park. She is wearing the black t-shirt I made for her and some leggings from the $ spot at Target. I made the headband for her yesterday morning too. The t-shirt Spencer is wearing is from Gymboree and was formerly long sleeved. I had to cut off the sleeves so that he didn't die of heat exhaustion. Gotta love fall in Florida!

New Shirts for Mallory

2009-10-26T05:11:00.000-07:00

I have been busy sewing lots of new shirts & dresses for Mallory using this pattern, which I love! I shortened it to make a shirt length tee out of black knit for Halloween.

I picked up these adorable pants at a yard sale last weekend for $1, then made the white shirt out of Kona cotton to match. Too cute, and the whole outfit was only $2!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-10-26T04:48:00.000-07:00

Well, I threw away my grocery list, which also happened to contain my menu plan for the week, so now I have to rely on my memory! What was that quote from Mad Men last week? Something like "even the fainest of ink is better than the best memory". I will have to remember that next time!

Monday: Spaghetti & turkey meatballs, veggie
Tuesday: Sour cream & salsa chicken, veggie
Wednesday: Pork Tenderloin, oven fries, veggie, rolls
Thursday: Meat Loaf, sweet potatoes, rolls
Friday: Chicken Pot Pie, veggie
Saturday: Sweet & Sour Pork, rice, veggie
Sunday: Free for all!

Check out more menus for inspiration at http://orgjunkie.com/

Menu Plan Monday (on Tuesday!)

2009-10-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I missed out on the Menu Plan Monday on Organizing Junkie, but I can still do it here!

Monday: Leftover Shepherd's Pie
Tuesday: Brocolli Chicken Divan
Wednesday: Pumpkin Turkey Chili, Cornbread
Thursday: Sweet & Sour Pork (crockpot), Rice, Veggies
Friday: Meatloaf, Sweet Potatoes, Veggie, homemade rolls
Saturday: Oktoberfest
Sunday: Sour Cream & Salsa Chicken
Monday: Braised Pork Tenderloin, Corn, Veggie, Bread

Menu Plan Monday

2009-09-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

This is my first post for Menu Plan Monday, although I've been menu planning to some degree for years! So here we go.....

Monday: Leftover Shepherd's Pie, Omelet in a bag for little man, veggies

Tuesday: Breaded Pork Tenderloin, Salad, Corn on the Cob

Wednesday: Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches, Homemade Hamburger Buns, Zesty Oven Fries

Thursday: Tacos or Taco Salad, Spanish Rice

Friday: Tilapia, steamed veggies, rice

Saturday: Greek Shrimp w/ rice or eat out

Sunday: Crockpot Bacon & Cheese Chicken, veggie

Check out more of this week's menu plans at I'm an organizing junkie!

Crafty or Creative?

2009-09-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

I consider myself a crafty person, but not necessarily creative. Does that make sense? Of course my sweet husband always disagrees with me and says that I am creative, but what else can he say?

So I made my 3 month old baby girl a "minnie mouse" dress for our recent trip to Disneyworld. I followed the pattern from Made by Petchy (you can find it here) and a coordinating diaper cover from a pattern I've used before. So again, crafting but not creating something new and different.

But what I didn't have was a headband. My sister gave me a cute pink headband, made with really wide stretchy fabric, that she had purchased at a high end baby boutique when her daughter was a baby. Here it is:

Upon inspecting it and wishing I could make more like it, I realized that it made from fabric that is similar to girls tights. So off to Target I went and found some tights on clearance. I tested out my theory, added a bow, and voila - a cute headband was born! So I guess I am slightly creative after all.

But my husband came up with the best idea - he suggested I make a black headband and attach a pair of mouse ears to it. So after only two attempts I made the perfect ears, added a red polka dot bow between them, and Minnie Mouse was born!

I guess he is the truly creative one!