glass half full

The great facebook break of 2011

2011-03-17T13:16:00.000-04:00

Holla, peeps!

It's been a while! Things are good here. Still creating, still mommying, still singing.

I decided last night it was time for a break from facebook, like a real break, like a don't-even-look-at-it-for-a-number-of-days break. It feels weird.

I love facebook for many reasons, first among them is the fantastic opportunity to be in touch with people I care for. On more than one occasion, I have gotten to know people from different facets of my life better than I have ever known them before and realized how very much we have in common. I love that.

What I hate about facebook is how addictive it is. I've gotten to the point that I check it whenever I'm bored, which, apparently, is a lot, because I check it all the time.

I also hate getting hurt feelings because of facebook. It's so strange to be a party to people's conversations, and I find myself wondering why they choose not to involve me in their plans or their inside jokes quite often. It's sooooo easy to be passive aggressive on facebook. I guess I'm still a self-conscious teenager inside sometimes.

This break will be good because I can concentrate on other things (among them my blog, obviously). I hope I won't just replace fb time with blogging, though, or some other equally-as-distracting activity.

On another note, I'd love it if you looked at (and followed!) my other scary and embarrassing blog, This Fat Lady Sings. I'm done being fat and am sharing my weight-loss journey with posterity. Eeek!

more pattern testing

2010-07-14T22:15:00.000-04:00

I jumped on the chance to do another pattern test for Whimsy Couture; seriously, people sign up so dang fast that you basically have to be online right when the designer posts a need for testers. Luckily, this time I was. :)

This is a shirred skirt in ladies' sizes (though I think she also has a pattern for girls). I made a skirt in my very own size, which is weird, because I've never sewn anything for myself. Ever. But it was fun and I was pleased with the result!

Here are some pics. (Click on the pic to see a larger view.)

Write it Out!

2010-07-05T01:07:00.000-04:00

One day, as I was perusing blogs (which I do regularly), I stumbled upon Service Boot Camp on a blog called We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ. I'm always looking for service opportunities, and since sewing for others is my favorite pastime (lately), this looked like it was right up my alley.

I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the Write it Out project. Alida, who designed this project, is an Iraq war widow. Her first husband was killed in 2007. As the three year anniversary of his death approached, Alida wanted to do something to commemorate it, so she decided to help other grieving war widows.

Seeing the need for newly widowed women to have a place to express their feelings of loss, Alida designed a beautiful, handmade journal that costs very little to make but can make a huge difference to a mourning wife. The tutorial is found on the link above, and I'm sure more journals are always needed, so check it out if you're interested in helping!

I pledged 10 journals, but didn't realize that the deadline for the Service Boot Camp challenge (which had PRIZES!) was two or three days later. Thankfully I had most of what I needed to complete all 10 journals. It meant a lot to me to be able to work on these. When I make things for people, I think about them. This fact made this project a little tough, because I can't imagine the pain of the women these journals will go to. I cried a lot (which brought extra hugs from the kids) and pondered the service of these great men who gave their lives serving their country. It was a wonderful experience, and though it took me a whole month to actually mail the journals to Alida, they should be in her hands by now.

(While I was making these, Peter, Lily and Will all mentioned they would LOVE one, so I made 3 extra. They use them to draw pictures, make plans and write down their feelings. I love it!)

Here are some pics:

I LOVE this fabric! I bought it to make something for Sophia, but this is just as good. :)

This was the perfect opportunity to use the Amy Butler fabric

I had sitting around waiting for the perfect home.

(my second favorite):

(the one I thought I would like least but ended up being my favorite):

This project also gave me the chance to use some of the amazing antique buttons

my grandma gave me. We decided buttons would be a fun thing to collect

from grandmas, and Nana Kelley had quite a collection!

Thanks, Alida for the opportunity to help grieving war widows. I loved it.

pillows pillows pillows

2010-05-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

I made my inaugural trip to Ikea a couple of months ago. It was fun! Well, it was as fun as it can be for someone who isn't in the market for furniture but doesn't enjoy window shopping.

The one thing I *was* in the market for was a duvet and a duvet cover for our bed. We found the perfect one (on sale!) and so my mind was spinning with ideas for pillows. In the clearance section, we found some couch cushion covers and my plans started to take form!

Here's what we started with:

(I also had one yard of red, white and black heart fabric on clearance, also from Ikea.)

And here's what we came up with!

I put in my first hidden zippers, so of course I have to show you a picture! They would have been more hidden if they matched, but oh well. :)

Now I can take adorable pics on the bed, like this:

And Sophia can sit there with a chunk of ham in her mouth not smiling. Then, of course, I call in reinforcements. But all she tries to do then is climb off the bed. Stopped by some tickling, but not for long.

Then finally mean Mommy let her off the bed and she ran into Daddy's arms.

How sweet is that? I'm one lucky mom. With cute pillows.

whimsy couture

2010-04-30T21:40:00.000-04:00

So, it's been a while!

Please don't think that means I haven't been sewing, though.

Oh, no. In the time since I've written, I made three huge (like Ikea bag huge) completely lined denim bags for carrying music stands (for my choir) and embellished (read: bleached, dyed, ruffled, flowered) upwards of 10 tee shirts for friends. I've been so swamped with projects that I haven't even taken pictures or blogged about them.

But this one is different!

One of the blogs I follow is Whimsy Couture. I love her patterns (found in her Etsy shop -- um, 4500 sales!) but haven't yet bought any. Imagine my delight when I happened to check my Google Reader just a few minutes after Whimsy posted a need for pattern-testers! I jumped on the chance to test her pattern for Knot Overalls, and here is the result. I love them, and Sophia does, too! Even after I took them off her, she carried them around.

Front:

Back:

Knots:

Ruffle:

Sophia's back (complete with diaper melvin):

Sophia looking at a worm (just for fun):

I LOVE this pattern. It is so simple, takes very little fabric (I paid $8 for this, and I could make 1, maybe 2 more) and looks adorable. I'll be sure to let you know when it gets published, so you can make them, too!

the great apron swap

2010-04-20T22:11:00.000-04:00

My awesome friend, Paige makes beauuuuutiful aprons. I've always wanted an apron of my very own. The only apron in our household is M.'s, and he got it from a friend who is a flight attendant for Continental. It's a flight attendant apron. I wear it once in a while, but it's neither cute nor comfortable. I toyed with making one for myself, but then I realized, I HATE making stuff for myself; sewing is only fun when I'm doing it for someone else.

Then Paige suggested the Flirty Apron Swap! I was so excited to get my partner assigned so I could buy a pattern and start working on it!

Here's the finished product. I sent it off today!

First, my favorite parts: the pocket

And the bodice and tie

Here's the whole thing (almost. It was 3 am when I finished it and I couldn't fit the corners in.)

Oh, did I tell you it's reversible? I might like side 2 even more than side 1.

I really hope my partner likes it!

(Apron pattern is Pretty Ditty Apron by Jamie Christina)

frantic Easter sewing complete!

2010-04-11T00:06:00.001-04:00

I think this is the biggest sewing project I've taken on, except for maybe Halloween of 2008, after which I didn't sew for at least a year. That was traumatic. And I do need a little break after finishing this one, but then it's on to another project!

I love love LOVE this bubble skirt. It's reversible and so easy! It took me two nights to finish two of them from start to finish. Bravo, Tanya, on a great pattern and a fabulous tutorial!

I LOVED this fabric. Here is a close-up:

And here's the other side, along with a close-up:

And here's the top (aka the bane of my existence for the last two weeks:)

It's Simplicity 2429, and a lot of work. But maybe I'm just not good at working with these kinds of patterns. It's done, and I do love how it turned out.

And this post would not be complete without some pictures of my lovely ladies in their outfits! (Monogrammed posy clips by my awesome friend Kerryanne)

(I <3 this one because Will is playing the harmonica so intently. )

My GOODNESS, I love these girls. I love my boys, too; they're just harder to sew for. :) Yay for Easter outfits!

we interrupt this frantic Easter sewing...

2010-04-08T18:53:00.001-04:00

(and yes, I'm still working on Easter sewing, which is one of the perks of having General Conference on Easter: I have more time to finish it)

to show some pictures of a scripture case I decided to make for Peter two days before his birthday. I followed Melissa's tutorial (which is found here on The Polkadot Chair) pretty much exactly, and am happy with the result! I had some major issues with top stitching, which you'll notice if you look closely, and couldn't find the right snap enclosure, but it works, and

I made some "Made with Love"tags because I've been making so many gifts lately!

sienna, sienna, sienna!

2010-03-28T21:47:00.000-04:00

I've visited Goodwill FAR too many times in the past couple of months, and ever since I found the Sienna pattern at Lil Blue Boo, I've bought FAR too many t-shirts! M. laughs when I go to a store (any store) that carries clothes because I check the clearance section for knits every single time.

This week I spent an entire evening organizing what I have and choosing combinations for dresses. I finished three for Lily this week! She's elated, and refuses to wear anything else. Thank heavens she has 4 now, so I can launder without leaving her naked for the couple of hours it takes to wash. :)

First, here is New Orleans:

(We like the trumpets.)

Here is what Lily calls the "Superstar":

And here is her favorite (and mine), Spiders!

Front

Back

Detail (just two spiders I cut from the excess and sewed on)

Oh, and for good measure, here's a picture of my lovely model with the bunny face she had painted on earlier in the day:

Isn't she pretty? Sigh. I love that girl.

to boldly go... (heh heh, split infinitive!)

2010-03-18T22:11:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I think I'm cool, and then I write a title like that and realize what a complete and utter geek I am. Not only did I quote Star Trek, I commented on its grammar. Oh well.

We got a notice months back that March 18th would be the 1st grade musical program. I put it right on my calendar.

A week ago we got a note from the music teacher that the theme of the program was "Free to be Me," and she wanted the kids to dress up as what they hope to to be when they grow up.

A week, not so great, but ok. Then I asked Peter what he wanted to be.

An astronaut. An astronaut costume? In a week? Gah!

I think we worked it out, though. :)

For the costume: a painter's suit from Lowe's ($4.99); an entire evening taking apart said painter's suit maid for a 6-foot burly man and resewing it based on a pair of Peter's jeans and a tee shirt, since he was asleep (this task would have been considerably easier if I hadn't insisted on keeping the zipper intact and using the elastic already on the arms and legs. I ended up cutting the top of the zipper off and using the arm elastic but sewing in my own leg elastic); red bias tape found in a box of sewing goodies my grandma gave me last time I visited (I could have used red thread to sew it on but come on, we all know I'm way to lazy to rethread).

(the elastic on one of the legs got caught -- I promise they're both the same length!)

For the patches I printed images from nasa.gov onto iron-on paper ($9.99 for 12 sheets, I used one), which I ironed on to knit cotton and then sewed onto the suit.

For the helmet: papier maché balloon; white duct tape; 4 pens; yellow paper for lights; Sharpie.

So for less than $15, we ended up with a great costume that Peter was proud to wear. And I'm not going to lie, I'm proud, too! Plus, guess what? 1/4 way done with Halloween already! :)

defeat.

2010-03-17T21:27:00.000-04:00

I grew up thinking that it was important to follow my dreams.

Music was my dream. It was my passion, my heart, my desire; music was everything.

It still is in a lot of ways. The only thing that I have ever felt that trumps music (or even simply measures up) is motherhood.

In college, where I majored in Voice, I knew that I didn't want to be a professional opera singer. I just don't LOVE opera like some of the people I knew there did. I wanted to be a studio singer, a choral singer and a recital singer.

And I am. First and foremost I am mother to 4 amazing kids. Second I am singer. I get paid to do what I love.

But right now all I feel is defeat.

I'm not sad that we haven't managed to afford piano lessons for Peter yet, or violin lessons for Lily. In fact, at the moment I'm a bit determined to steer them away from the arts and music in general.

I wouldn't be able to sing if it weren't for M, who provides for our family. M is a music professor, currently looking for work, and things don't look good.

Thankfully, M has other skills. But the thought of leaving music altogether is heartbreaking to both of us. And defeating.

What about all the years of practice? What about the gobs (and gobs and gobs) of money spent on advanced degrees? It just feels like such a waste.

Nothing is certain yet, but other options are being explored. (blah blah blah passive tense I don't giveacrap Dr. Johnson from Music 304)

Heart is broken; stomach hurts; have no idea where we'll be moving this summer.

Beyond anything else, though, I'm praying my guts out that I'll be able to amend this entry in a few days saying that I was wrong and that everything is coming up roses.

I think I'll title that post "triumph."

gifts!

2010-03-05T22:59:00.000-05:00

I think my favorite thing about making stuff for people is that I think about them while I'm working. And I know some AMAZING people, so I'll have an endless supply of projects!

Here are some things I made for my friend Sarah's kids. Sarah is a true gem.

For her eldest, a simple skirt found HERE and a tee shirt with yo yo's and buttons.

For her middle child, Trinket Keepers (including one big enough to fit a DS) found HERE and some quilted letters.

And for her baby, and Itty Bitty Dress found HERE and some tiny shoes found HERE.

Sigh. I'm showing, now, how good I am at following other people's patterns. Maybe at some point I'll branch out and design some of my own, but for now, I'm perfectly content copying masters! Thanks to all the wonderful designers out there who freely share their ideas! I probably wouldn't have started this sewing craze if it weren't for all of you!

I hope all the kiddos are happy with their goodies. I had a blast making them!

thanks

2010-03-04T20:34:00.000-05:00

The other night, as I rocked Sophia to sleep for the third time since I'd put her to bed a just 2 hours earlier, I wished someone were there to pat me on the back.

Did I need a pat on the back? No. Would it have been nice? Definitely.

Now, you might think, "Why in the world would this chick who professes to love motherhood want a pat on the back just for rocking her baby to sleep? I mean, that's what she's supposed to do; she's a mom." Well, you're right--I do love motherhood. I wouldn't trade it for a kazillion dollars or the keys to life's problems or even for a size 0 body.

I'll give you the answer I give to Will after he's asked me "Why?" for the hundredth time inside of an hour: Oh, just because. (And don't even think of asking me, "Because why?" because I know kung fu. Actually I don't, but I have some wicked crazy fake kung fu moves that will make you quiver in your boots.)

There's lots of stuff I'm supposed to do. Then there's lots of other stuff I want to do. When those two intersect on the Venn diagram, great! When they don't, I have to make choices.

Just like every mom in the world, I make choices. I can spend all day wishing that I loved to clean or iron or do laundry (and believe me, I've tried. I've probably spent more time wishing I loved ironing than I've actually spent ironing in the nearly 10 years of my marriage). Some days I do find joy in it. Most days I just do it. Some days I don't do it at all.

And some days, like the other day, I wish someone would say, "You are so freaking good at laundry. I've never seen anyone do laundry like you," and I'd bow and accept a bouquet huger than my head from one of my adoring fans.

I don't know if anyone other than a mom can fully understand this sentiment. I can't think of another time (except for maybe my mission) when I was required to do so much for so many other people before I could do anything for myself. That's the intention, I think. Once in a while, though, it would be so cool to get a high five or a fist bump for putting on a bra before I stepped out of the house.

And so I say to all the moms out there, thanks for making lunch today. Thanks for helping your kid with his homework. Thanks for wiping that bum for the 5th time. Thanks for breaking up that argument. You friggin' rock. No one can wipe a bum like you can.

To my own mom, just thanks. For everything. I get it now.

sophia loves chocolate!

2010-03-03T20:46:00.002-05:00

I finished Sophia's Lil Blue Boo Sienna dress a while ago, but then the poor baby got RSV. It. Was. AWFUL. She was sick, sick, sick for two whole weeks, and then it took another week for her to feel completely better.

Lily was so excited that Sophia had a dress like hers! She made sure they both were wearing the dresses, and then she followed her around all morning. It was very sweet. Here are some pics.

Oh, first the stats: The sleeves came from a size 14 knit halter top that I got for $1; the "I <3 Chocolate" portion from a kids' tee shirt; the ruffle on the bottom from an Old Navy flag shirt circa 2001.

You'd think I would have thought of letting her eat actual chocolate in her Chocolate Dress, but no, they're craisins. She was all glassy-eyed and sick, so I was glad to get any pics!

Isn't she gorgeous, even though she's sick?

I included this one because you can see Lily behind her in HER LBB dress!

And here's the full view! I love that belly so much.

More tomorrow! You can't wait, can you? :)

Must catch up!

2010-03-02T23:22:00.000-05:00

I have so many things to show you! I've been lazy about posting, but also I've been so busy making stuff!

In my pursuits, I've learned a few things about myself.

Sewing is my new love. Clothes for my kids, gifts, odds and ends, anything I can come up with. I have so many projects in my head that I can't even keep straight what comes next. But I have a huge folder of bookmarks on my computer where they're all saved!
Crafting is also fun, but not my favorite. You'll hear more about that in a bit.
I enjoy projects that I can finish in one night.
Sewing projects usually take longer than that, so I prefer to do the planning/fabric cutting one night and then sew the next night.
Sewing projects that I can do start to finish in one night are the BEST.

And now for some pics!

First, the Valentine's wreath (aka the bane of my existence):

To see the inspiration, click here.

I saw that wreath and thought, "Hey, I have satin leftover from Lily's Halloween costume two YEARS ago, I can make this work."

Not so much. First of all, I couldn't find a foam heart. I used cardboard. Cut it WAY too big, so I had WAY more area to cover than the original. It took me 3 hours!

Second, what is it with me and glue guns? Seriously, I even pick the thing up without burning myself. I burned my thumb twice in the same spot, which resulted in a big old blister. Being without the use of a thumb for a few days made me hesitant to pick up the dumb thing ever again.

Now, with all the grumpies about it out of the way, isn't it cute? I did rather enjoy looking at it every time I went out (or in) the door. :)

Next, here are pics of the kids' valentines. Oh, goodness, I tried another idea first. Tried and tried and tried and it didn't work. So I went back to this idea, which had been rattling around in my head for a while, apparently since I saw THIS post.

I knew I could do this. I mean, how much do Dum Dums cost? And 4x6 prints? like 29 cents each? So I made each kid stand out in the freezing cold while I snapped away. Here's what we came up with!

That's all I can manage for tonight. But there is much more to come! I can't wait to show you Sophia in her t-shirt dress, the spring wreath I managed to make and some gifts I just shipped off yesterday!

so. freaking. excited.

2010-02-02T10:35:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite crafty blogs is Lil Blue Boo. I kept seeing pictures of these pieced together knit dresses and thought they were adorable, and then I found out they're made from old tee-shirts. Old. Tee. Shirts. Who doesn't have tons of old tee shirts? And if not, aren't they like $1 at Goodwill? I bought the pattern from Ashley's Etsy shop and let it sit for a while so I could figure out exactly what I wanted to do. In the meantime I gathered all the old tee-shirts I could find and looked in clearance sections of the stores I frequent. Here is my first recycled (or upcycled, as Ashley calls it) T-Shirt Dress! I'm so excited about it. Here are some of the details:

The sleeves are from one of Lily's old shirts that she outgrew. I wanted to make them longer but couldn't get enough fabric out of a size 5 shirt for long sleeves. I think this length is cute. :)

The collar, top portion (with the record graphic) and the bottom are all from a tee-shirt I found on clearance for $3. I totally dig the record.

The flower print is from a knit halter style top I found on clearance for $1. I bought about 6 of those in one trip because I thought they'd add so much to these types of dresses!

And here is my Lilybug all smiles, so excited about her new dress! I can't wait to make more!

Ashley has so many cool techniques on her blog, including a tutorial for photo emulsion screen printing. I think I'll get some plain knit yardage and print some cool pictures for more dresses! Also, I can't wait to get my $35 steal of a serger out and try some reverse seams.

(Can you tell I'm a little excited? It's amazing how little it takes to make me giddy!)

fresh friday -- chicken soup and homemade pitas

2010-01-22T23:15:00.001-05:00

I'm so glad I read my Martha Stewart Living magazine yesterday. It's been sitting on the lamp table for days, and I was planning to make my sister's Chinese Chicken Salad for dinner, but wasn't quite in the mood. Then I came across this recipe for Chicken Soup, and it was so simple and good! My kids couldn't get enough of the soup or the bread. Next time I'll double both recipes!

Basic Chicken Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds), cut into pieces (including back)
8 cups water
Coarse salt
3 medium onions, thinly sliced (4 cups)
2 celery stalks, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
4 garlic cloves, crushed
6 medium carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick

Directions

Bring chicken, water, and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil in a large stockpot. Skim foam. Add onions, celery, and garlic. Reduce heat. Simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes.
Remove breast, and set aside. Add carrots. Simmer, partially covered, for 40 minutes.
Remove remaining chicken; discard back and wings. Let cool slightly. Remove meat from bones, and cut into bite-size pieces.
Stir in desired amount of chicken; reserve the rest for another use. Skim fat. Season with salt.

From Martha Stewart Living

Here's the recipe for the pita bread:

Homemade Pita Bread

Prep Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon of sugar
1/2 cup of warm water
4 cups of bread flour
2 teaspoons of salt
1 cup of warm water
1 tablespoon of olive oil

Preparation:

Dissolve in the yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup of warm water and set aside, covered, for 15 minutes. Dissolve salt in the remaining 1 cup of warm water.

In a large mixing bowl, add flour and make a well in the center. Add yeast mixure and salt water. Knead with hands for 10 minutes in the bowl. Add olive oil and continue to knead until all oil is absorbed. Shape into a ball in the bowl, cover, and place in a warm area to rise until doubled in volume, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Punch down the dough and knead for 5 minutes more.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C), and lightly oil baking sheets.

Take pieces of dough slightly larger than an egg and roll out on a floured surface to a thickness of 3/8 to 1/4 inch. (For larger or smaller pita bread pieces, take more or less dough). Prick the bread with a fork in several places.

Place on baking sheets and bake at 350°F (175°C) on the lowest oven rack for 2-3 minutes, then turn the pitas over and bake for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a tray covered with a clean dishtowel, with another clean towel on top. When thoroughly cooled, pitas can be stored in plastic bags in the refrigerator, or frozen.

Before using, brown in a lightly oiled frying pan for a few minutes until browned on both sides.

Click HERE to see the recipe on about.com.

odds and ends

2010-01-22T17:19:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to post a few pictures I had hanging around on my memory card. :)

First, my Peter, who was Star of the Week in his 1st Grade class this week. We were all invited to come today to talk about Peter and our family. M. played guitar, Peter narrated a slide show and we had a good time! I think Peter enjoys the limelight.

Next, Lily's cool hairstyle that I found on an awesome blog, The Story of a Princess and her Hair. So many great ideas there, now we just have to wait for Lily's hair to grow! Honestly, I can't believe I got her to sit still long enough to do this!

mr. real barf

2010-01-20T19:54:00.000-05:00

Ask me to tell you the story of Real Barf and I can't quite remember all the details. Here are some random facts I remember:

He's a plastic alligator, roughly a foot long
He came to our house when my sister Becca was in a play (I think it was A Christmas Carol or something similar)
He's named after the man who starred in the play, Neil Barth (or something similar)
He became a symbol of service for our family. When it was your turn, you did something nice for someone and left Real Barf nearby to let the recipient know that it was her turn to do something kind for someone else.

If anyone in the family remembers more, please share! I wish I remembered everything.

Now, to the point of this post. Becca turned 40 last week! Her husband, Chris asked members of the family to send 40 somethings to help her celebrate. As an overachiever, I couldn't just send 40 M&M's (which she loves) or something similar; I decided to make 40 Real Barfs. I tried fabric, but realized it would probably take to long and be too much work. Then I found this link for alligator valentines and figured I could do 40 of those with no problem.

Yeah, not so much. I even enlisted M. for backup and after we made 2 or 3 he said, "Could you just make 10?" So I made 10 and put some reminders of experiences with Becca inside the mouths. I was able to fit 4 pieces of Extra gum (which totally reminds me of Becca) inside each Real Barf so that she still got 40 of something from me.

Now you can't wait to see, can you? :) Ok, here you go!

Sort of cute, right? Incidentally, Becca used to take me to dance concerts in Salt Lake City all the time, and on the way home we'd talk about them, but when we hit Highway 89, without fail, we'd roll down the windows and sing "You Light Up My Life" at the top of our lungs. The best part is that we both forgot the words in the same spot every single time. Ahhhh, memories. :)

Happy 40th, Bec! Love you!

ruby lou doll

2010-01-20T18:41:00.000-05:00

This is Ruby Lou. At Grosgrain they're giving away one doll and one pattern! I would LOVE to win the pattern, and blogging about it gives me an extra entry! Isn't she cute? :)

Sew Much Ado Ruby Lou Doll AND Pattern GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

shirt dress

2010-01-17T21:52:00.005-05:00

I'm sooooo excited about this one. I saw the tutorial on MADE and knew I wanted to try it. I love MADE. There aren't enough words to tell you how much I love MADE. Click here for the actual post with the tutorial.

Can you believe I made this? And out of an old men's dress shirt? PS Isn't my one-year-old adorable??

Since M. wears his dress shirts every day and wasn't ready to get rid of any, I packed the kids up and went to the thrift store to pick up a few. Whenever I try a new project I do a practice version, and since Sophia is the smallest, she's the lucky recipient!

The fabric for the waistband is from my stash of stuff I meant to use on some project or other but never finished. Don't ask M. about that stuff. He gets grumpy when I buy materials and don't finish the project.

I spent one night figuring out how to adapt the pattern to her size, cutting out the pattern pieces and fabric. Then I did the main sewing in about an hour on one night, and the finishing with the waistband, elastic for neck and sleeves, and hem in two hours another night.

And I finished it just in time for her to wear it to church today!

Now I can't wait to make one for Lily! Here are a couple more pics of S. just because she's so darn cute. :)

Latest project - Ruffled Scarf

2010-01-12T16:47:00.001-05:00

Woohoo! So one of my sisters received her package, which means I can reveal it all to you (which, don't lie, I know you've been counting the seconds to see).

Have you checked out SYTYC? It was one of the blogs that got me started on all this crafty business. The first round is down to the final two, but they're auditioning 18 new crafters for the next contest, which will be cut down to 10 before it starts. Anyhow, this project is the winner from week 6, and I loved it from the moment I saw it!

Katie (the sis for whom I made the scarf) told me last night that I've been very domestic lately, and while I politely said, "Thanks!" I wondered whether that is a compliment or an insult. I'm sure she meant it as a compliment, but I think that the word "domestic" adopted a negative connotation with the women's movement. I'm glad that domesticity (and by that I mean sewing, cooking and homemaking among other things) is making a comeback. I've always felt an urge to create, but the feminist side of me thought that I was abandoning all that I *could* do by doing things I was expected to do or *should* do.

With that said, I should point out that no one ever taught me to do this stuff. The desire I feel to sew, knit, crochet and cook is so great that it pushed me to teach myself. I'm so glad I did, because seeing a project from beginning to end is unbelievably rewarding. And there's so much to learn (and I'm so low on the scale of education in some of these areas) that I'll be working on mastering techniques for the rest of my life!

Wow, what a tangent! Anyhow, here's the scarf! I love it, and I hope Katie does, too!

Now I just need a picture of Katie in the scarf to complete the post! Come on, Katie, you know you want to send me a picture! :)

Click here to see the scarf on SYTYC. There's also a link there to get the pattern.

waiting. waiting. waiting.

2010-01-09T21:21:00.000-05:00

I'm waiting, can you tell? Waiting until two of my sissies get the things I made them so I can blog about it. Because it's a surprise and stuff. I hate waiting. Did you know that? Patience? SOOOO not a virtue.

On the funny side, last night at dinner, Will made fists and a funny face and I asked him what he was doing. His answer? "I'm squishing out my heart gooies, Mommy." Absolutely no clue what he was talking about, but tonight we all decided to squish out our heart gooies at dinner. I think it worked, because I'm feeling a lot less gooey now. :)

Bourbon Chicken, sans Bourbon

2010-01-06T20:05:00.002-05:00

I came across this recipe today at Our Family Treat and decided to try it since I had most of the ingredients on hand already. Oh my goodness, it was wonderful. Easy, tasty and crowd-pleasing, for sure! Each of the kids asked for seconds. And thirds, now that I think about it. They said it tastes like the Chinese food samples we get when walking through the food court at the mall. :)

Blogchef actually has a picture tutorial, so instead of posting the recipe, I'll direct you there, with the warning that the first sentence of the post begins, "I have saw this recipe...." Eeeek! Just ignore that. You'll thank me, I promise!

Enjoy!

Doo, doo, doo, doo ROAR!

2010-01-05T23:33:00.000-05:00

I don't know how it started. Actually, now that I think about it, I do.

I was walking down the aisle of Food Lion in Carrboro, NC with baby Peter in the cart. We were browsing the produce section and happened upon the arugula. So, being me, I started to sing "Arugula" to the tune of the Hallelujah Chorus (or something that fits better, since we know I'm ALL about proper musical setting of lyrics, or names of vegetables, as the case may be). Peter was amused, which was, of course, my goal.

Unfortunately, his amusement wore off, and he returned to fussing, which was my worst fear in the grocery store as a new first-time mother. No, that's not redundant. I promise, it's not. You can be a new second- or third-time mother. Maybe I should have written that I was a first-time mother to a newborn. (Aren't you lucky? You just witnessed one side of my schizo conversation with the grammar nazi in my head. Consider yourself blessed not to have witnessed the other side; that biyatch is MEAN.)

At a loss as to what other vegetable to use to entertain the whiner baby, I decided to try something new. I looked up in the air and started saying, "Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo," then whipped my head around to look at Peter and said, "ROAR!" He laughed his head off! And you know what? He never got sick of it. The "ROAR" was different enough each time that he never expected it and was always caught off guard.

Wow, that turned into quite a story (or a saga, as Peter would say it).

The "doo, doo, ROAR" has stood the test of time (at least 6 years) and the test of land? (which, I know is not even a normal test, but dang, the thing works all over the U.S.) and the test of kids (yes, yet another fake test, but I figured since we're already in the la la land of tests, why not go all the way since all 4 of my kids have enjoyed the thing).

And today, my baby, my Sophia, my nearly-one-year-old-ball-of-chub looked at me and, in her nearly-one-year-old-ball-of-funny-chub way, said, "doo, doo, doo, doo, ROAR!"

My heart melted right then and there. Maybe someone will stand at my funeral and credit me with creating the famous "doo, doo, doo, doo, ROAR!" I should be so lucky.

Sigh

2010-01-04T20:57:00.000-05:00

Started today with such grand plans. Didn't end up accomplishing a whole lot, though I did accomplish some. Doesn't help that I have a nearly 1-year-old who whines and follows me all over the house holding her chubby little arms out wanting me to pick her up. Wish she weren't so darn cute; if she were, I could just let her fuss a bit. As it is, instead of a fussy baby I see my last baby who is just about ready to walk wanting to cuddle with her mom. How much longer am I going to be able to scoop her up and sniff her sweet baby smell and snuggle for a while? Dang, I'm making myself cry just writing about this!

Instead of throwing a pity party, I'm going to be content with what I *did* accomplish today, which includes lots of snuggling, dishes, laundry, finishing a sewing project and cleaning my room. Oh, and blogging. :)

Proud

2010-01-02T21:07:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm proud! I recently "procured" quite a bit of off-white felt and had no idea what I'd do with it. Then M. suggested I make a bag for will, since the one he carries to church is pink and falling apart. I thought that was a good idea, but worried that I'd have to make up my OWN pattern. My OWN. As I mentioned in my earlier craft post, I'm excellent at following directions and even better at copying what others do; making up my own stuff? No so good at that.

But I did it! And here's the result.

Sort of cute, eh? I did all the planning and cutting last night and the sewing today.

The lining is just some scrap material I had leftover from some project from some time ago. Isn't my memory good?

The thing that took the longest is the black hand stitching on the outside. It figures, since it's just decorative.

I figured, since I have so MUCH off-white felt, I'll make a bag for each kid, so I put a car on Will's because he's fond of cars and stuff.

And here's my Buff with his new church bag. At first he held it right in front of his face, but I told him I wanted to see his eyes and this is what I got.

Fresh Friday -- Care's Rolls

2010-01-01T19:31:00.003-05:00

I decided to follow my friend Jessica's lead and post a recipe today. Jessica lived in the same apartment complex we did in North Carolina, and I just recently found her blog! You should head over there and see her recipe for Seven Layer Supper. I think my kids would love it!

I made these rolls tonight to go with ham, funeral potatoes and tossed Greek salad. They are scrumptious! We usually eat wheat bread, so I don't make them very often, but they always end up light, fluffy and delicious. My sister-in-law Care is the one who introduced them to our family, hence the name.

4 1/2 c flour

2 T yeast

1/2 c sugar

1 t salt

1 1/4 c warm water

3 eggs, beaten

Dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar, salt and eggs. Slowly add flour. (I almost always use at least an extra cup of flour; I'm not sure if it's the altitude or the humidity, but the dough needs it.) Mix (or knead) 6-8 minutes until dough is firm. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled (about 1 hour). Punch down, cut in half and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll into circles and cut slices like you would a pizza. Roll each slice from the outside to form crescents. Cover and let rise again for 30 - 40 minutes. Bake at 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

resolutions

2009-12-31T21:37:00.001-05:00

It's the time of year for resolutions. I enjoy making goals because it gives me a chance to look back and think about what I can do better, and there's always plenty I can do better. For FHE on Monday, the kids made their goals for the new year. They made goals last year, too, so they got their old goal sheets (which had been posted on their walls) and read them aloud to see how they did. It was quite adorable, I have to admit. Though when M. looked at Lily's list, she had a little "bp" written beside several of her goals. When he asked her what they meant, she said, "It stands for 'broke promise.'" How sad is that? Needless to say, we did a little talking about goals and how we work to meet them, but everyone has bad days, and that's ok.

Here are my goals for 2010:

Personal

take better care of myself
take better care of M.
take better care of the kids

Home

work before play
set written daily goals
maintain instead of trying to catch up

Spiritual

finish the Book of Mormon
read one conference talk per week
remember

They may seem vague and general, and I know such goals are hard to reach, but let me reassure you that I have another page or two listing specifics about each goal. I'm excited to move forward, and hope to be a better Rach by the end of 2010.

too. many. crafts.

2009-12-30T20:51:00.001-05:00

I have discovered the majesty of craft blogs. I can't quite remember where it started, but at some point I found one I liked and it has gone all downhill since then. I now have 52 subscriptions in my google reader and half of them are crafting blogs. People have the best ideas! And better yet, they post tutorials so that those of us who have little to no creativity in the craft department (ahem, me) can copy them and make cool stuff, too! I'm so excited to get started on some projects.

I have to admit, though, it can get a bit daunting. I stumbled upon a blog last night of a girl who seemed to have it all perfectly together. Her house is gorgeous; she decorated it. Her 5 daughters are beautiful, dressed in adorable clothes she made. She seems to have it all, and she's a Relief Society president, to boot! I have to just keep reminding myself that I need to start where I am, and work on things as I go. Methinks we'll soon have a post about goals, being the New Year and all! (Woohoo, aren't you excited?)

Here are a few things I'm excited to make, and the blogs from which I go the ideas:

All three of my bigger kids will flip for this house. Lily's will be a dollhouse, Will's maybe a garage and Peter's a barn. Tutorial at UK lass in US.

One of my favorite crafting blogs is MADE . So many things on that blog that I want to make. And guess what? I commented on one of her posts and SHE EMAILED ME! How cool is that? Here is one of the patterns I'd like to buy from her Etsy shop and make, since we are in the market for new stockings:

Aren't they adorable? And they're made from old sweaters! From MADE I found the SYTYC blog (So You Think You're Crafty), where they're doing a competition. It started with 10 fabulous crafters and gives them a challenge to complete each week. Readers vote and the lowest vote-getter gets eliminated. There are four left and the competition is getting FIERCE! Check it out. There are tutorials for all the winning crafts.

I think the one that started it all is somewhat simple. She has so many amazing ideas, and also posts recipes. She also has a weekly tradition called "Strut Your Stuff Thursday" where her readers can post links to their own craft projects. I vow to post there one day!

The first thing I'm going to make is a secret, though, because it's for my sister, Katie, who reads my blog. I'll post pics of it after I'm done. Maybe I'll even post a pic of her with it!

So many crafts, so little time! I feel the creativity bug circulating in my body and can't wait to get started. Wish me luck!

an oldie but a goodie

2009-12-29T13:49:00.002-05:00

I wrote this 3 years ago and forgot about it until today, but every word still rings true! I'm sure we could add a few more, with the addition of two additional kids. (Yes, I noticed my repetition of a word there; instead of fixing it, I decided to make it worse.) Do you have any additional additions to add? ;)

12 Signs You're a Music Geek
• Your children know more about Bach than Barney or Big Bird.
• Your 3-year-old plays a song on the piano for visiting friends; upon finishing, he tells them it was a pentatonic scale (and a glissando to boot).
• You can tell when the organ transposition button is pushed without looking at it. And you catch the eyes of other musicians in the chapel and exchange knowing winks and smirks.
• Your 2-year-old stands around waving her arms; she says she is “ducting” and asks, “Mommy, is this the ‘ctus?” (And, in fact, it was an effective ictus)
• Even as an adult, one of your favorite things to do with your sisters is sing chromatic scales in rounds. And you spend hours at it.
• You can tell when the organist at church is really playing a very slow version of Van Halen’s “Jump” instead of a hymn for postlude.
• Your husband calls you from work to play you a hilarious piece of avant-garde music and you ask to hear it twice.
• You practice solfege with your toddlers while making dinner.
• You suffer an uncontrollable fit of laughter when your husband (yes, the one with the PhD in Musicology) tries to convince you that “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” begins on “mi” and then sings it and still thinks he’s right.
• Your son (the 3-year-old) hears an R&B song on the radio and says, “Mommy, I want to play this song when I grow up.” You say, “Oh, really, honey, like on the drums and the guitar?” He replies, “No, on the cello and the flute.” And then you giggle trying to imagine “Smack Dat” with cellos and flutes.
And finally, to make matters worse, you bring science fiction geekdom into the mix:
• You and your husband spend an hour casting “The Magic Flute” with characters from science fiction movies, including Star Trek, Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Is it just me or would Lwaxana Troi make a fabulous Queen of the Night?
Oh, and…
• You’re up at 12:16 am writing a list of signs that prove you are a music geek.

a new home

2009-12-28T20:51:00.002-05:00

Welcome to my new blog! I'm actually pretty excited about it, and have been tweaking it to look the way I'd like (and learning quite a bit about HTML in the meantime).

My former home still exists, and probably always will, but at this point I feel like it has outlived its usefulness. It's a little too personal, a lot too pessimistic and, honestly, I'm done dealing with the issues that plagued me so over the last year. So here's to a new me!

I'm excited to post stories about my hilarious, brilliant kids, show off beautifully crafted homemade items, share my professional-level photography skills, and use my sharp wit to describe even the most mundane circumstances. Ok, I'll admit to only being able to do one of those four things; you have to be the one to discern which.

Thanks for joining me!