In the Shadow of Tall Buildings

Valentine's Love Notes in felt envelopes

2012-02-15T07:56:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I showed my Husband a little extra love by leaving him 3 short "love notes" around the house in places he would find them before work. And I cooked his favorite meal that I make (Eggplant Parmesan) for dinner. Nothing big and extravagant, but just a couple of little things to make him feel special.

I found a tutorial to make felt envelopes on Pinterest. It looked really easy (until I realized the template link was broken. Making my own adding a little extra time but they are still pretty easy to whip up) so I headed for Hobby Lobby to get 6 sheets of felt and with the help of my 40% off one item coupon, I made the investment in pinking shears. (I actually made 3 envelopes but one was sent to AZ for a wife to surprise her husband with)

Instead of doing the zig zag lines where the address and return address go, I embroidered our initials. I thought that added a special personalized touch.

I wrote 2 short sweet notes for the envelopes and I left the first envelope in the bathroom by Husband's toothbrush. The second was left by the coffee pot. and the third note was funny and envelope-less. I taped that one to the steering wheel.

maybe one day the envelopes will get RTS with a note to me in them. ;-)

Dora Loves Boots and Daughter Loves Son

2012-02-14T07:26:00.002-06:00

After seeing how much the kids love story time at the library every Wednesday, I've been making the effort to make sure we're there. The downside of that is, I have to discuss things like Valentine's Day to my kids because they heard books about it for 3 weeks in a row. I'm not very big on Valentine's Day but really, in its simplest terms, what I told them about Valentine's Day is really what we should make it - It's just a special day when you make sure the people you love know it. flowers, candies, jewelry, big romantic gestures that aren't made on any other day of the year aren't really my thing but I do think it's important to make sure the people you love know it and create great memories they can carry with them about the importance of showing love.

Well, because we go to the library each week now, we also get library books each week. Last week, Daughter picked Dora Loves Boots. It's Valentine's themed. Dora loves her best friend, Boots, and wants to give him a surprise on Valentine's Day. So she picks strawberries for him because Boots loves strawberries. And Boots wants to surprise his best friend, Dora, so he goes to Chocolate Lake and gets some chocolate for her because Dora loves chocolate. Then, like with any Dora adventure, they arrive at their destination with the help of Backback and Map (while also stopping Swiper from swiping). At Rainbow Rock they reveal their surprises and decide to dip the strawberries in the chocolate for a super special treat.

The kids love Dora, Boots, chocolate and strawberries. So after reading the book about 17 times, we went to the store and bought out of season strawberries (Sorry, Barbara Kingsolver but they were delicious - at least they were from Florida and not California) and a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Son decided he wasn't going to combine his strawberries with the chocolate.

Daughter was a good dipper

and after all the strawberries were dipped or eaten, the messy fun began.

He didn't want to mix his strawberries and chocolate, but he sure enjoyed his fill of both.

And they enjoyed a bubble bath after and enjoyed the chocolate covered strawberries for days. It was a big hit. And the kids were both excited that they got to be like Dora and Boots.

Second Saturday Sunday: babies and furry friends.

2012-02-13T09:37:00.000-06:00

Saturday JSS mentioned how we've been meeting and sewing together for almost a year. And I've got lots of great things to show for it. And rather fittingly, while having this conversation I was working on a baby quilt using the same tutorial that I used on our very first meeting. And I wasn't the only one working on baby quilts.

JSS finished piecing the top to this AMAZING quilt for a soon to be arriving baby girl.

Marie quilted this quilt for a VERY soon to be arriving niece

Susan wasn't working on a baby quilt. no. She was making dog collars. Seriously. And they are really great. And inexpensive enough that if you'd like your pup to have a special holiday collar or just a collar that doesn't look like every other one in the pet super store and don't want to spend a ridiculous amount of money you can order from her etsy shop and know you've got a great deal and a very special collar.

houndstooth for your hound.

I had super big plans. I was going to finish THREE baby quilt tops. silly, silly. I know. I planned to, in 3 hours, put together 3 baby quilt tops all while managing my daughter, eating lunch, fielding calls and photos Husband kept sending about how much fun Son was having at an indoor bouncy house place AND catch up on all the latest goings on with the other 3 ladies. Well, I ended up completely one. And almost finishing a second. Not too bad.

This one is for a special girl who's initials will be/are ACT. And thanks to the SBS Applique month, I actually have the courage and knowledge to applique her initials on the back! The back will be the same green as the border and the binding will be the reddish/pink that's the same as the first block on the left hand side. I still haven't decided with the letters on the back will be done in. But something that will POP with the back.

I have the other two to work on and they are for sisters. Big Sister is almost 2 and Baby Sister will be born in June. All 3 quilts are surprises. But I don't think their moms (or dads) read my blog. So we're mostly safe.

I'm so pleased with this fabric it's on clearance at Connecting Threads which was great for my wallet. But more importantly, I love it. I'd actually picked out this collection to use months ago and it just go happens that when I got the funds to buy, it was on clearance!

Also, I haven't forgotten a t-shirt quilt update. I'll scan my back plan soon.

Another Crayon Adventure

2012-02-09T07:40:00.004-06:00

Remember those giant super crayons I made? Well, turns out the kids think those crayons are too big for their tastes. So, I decided to get a box of those small bathroom cups and do a remelt. PLUS, we have recently switched from bottle glue to glue sticks in our home. And I've been saving the empty ones for just this purpose.

Off I went.

This time I melted them in the microwave. At about 30 seconds a time. Stirring in between.

The key to the cups was to get the crayons in SMALL SMALL pieces so they'd melt faster. I was using wax lined cups and some of my cups almost melted away before the crayons did!

one of the cups I poured into the glue sticks. It doesn't take much melted crayon to fill up a glue stick. the paper cup was perfect for pouring. Just pinch it a little to form a mini funnel.

Son sat down at his make shift craft table and started to get to work. He definitely seemed to enjoy the glue stick crayons and the smaller giant crayons.

Wordless Wednesday: Little Chef

2012-02-08T08:28:00.000-06:00

Attack of the Poochie

2012-02-06T11:37:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, I was in a sewing mood. But I was without a project to work on. Luckily, Tina gladly provided me with the link to the POOCHIE tutorial.

Seriously, it's a cute little bag. And it can be done with 3 fat quarters. Catch a deal or have a coupon, you can make this little bag for about $3. Not too bad. Even better for me, I had a little stockpile of fat quarters and other scraps large enough to fit the bill. So I got to work and didn't even have to go to the store.

I made 4 in two days. um, yes, I do have an addictive personality.

my first one.

It took me a little while (and emailing with Tina) to understand the instructions on the first one but I was really happy with the finished product. I love that little pocket on the front (there's one on the back too).

The only deviations I made from the tutorial was to top stitch the pocket AND the opening of the bag. I'm so used to doing it on my other bags, I thought they'd look a little naked un-top stitched.

the full collection.

Of course, I had to make one with my beloved yellow/grey/white/black walmart fabric. (I've actually got plans to make another larger one, because the pattern is a little small for most of my bag needs but I need to go to walmart and get more fabric).

I love the blue fabric on the far right. Tena H. picked it out at Jo-ann for me to make her (and I) drawstring bags for the cheap yoga mats we'd just scored. This is the one that I carry around the most. It's a favorite.

Oh, and POOCHIE has its own flickr group. It's fun to see all the other interpretations of the bag. So far, I've only added the first one I made because I didn't take individual pictures of the other 3.

Many thanks to Tina for providing me with something fun and easy to do to quench my sewing thirst.

SBS Blocks: 22, 23, 24

2012-02-03T07:42:00.001-06:00

January was the month of CURVES. A new skill for me and a fun one to learn. My biggest concern about these blocks are the templates and making sure I make them accurately on the card stock and then trace them out accurately on to the fabric. THEN cut them out with scissors. See? Lots of room for error. I definitely took my time and was extra careful.

22, 23, 24: curves galore

The flowering snowball was pretty easy to make but what I love about it is how it "flowers." Each block builds on the next making an amazing effect when used for an entire quilt. Seriously, scroll down to the bottom of this link and see how Molly Flanders fleshes this out.

The Drunkard's Path. The construction and sewing of this one was pretty easy too . I like the contrast between the light and dark orange. Plus, I like the placement of the curves. If I had to do this one again, I'd make the orange a little bigger and the green center a little smaller. But overall, I'm satisfied. This is the first time I actually made my own template, based on Leila's instructions as opposed to just printing an already made one off. That was an exercise in math and understanding. But it's a nice skill to have now instead of having to rely on premade templates, I have a better understanding of how to make my own.

Curved 9-Patch. Or maybe "stretched" would be a better word. It looks like someone grabbed the four corners and pulled. This tutorial came from Connectingthreads.com. I seriously, love them. JSS introduced me to their great website. And I've never been disappointment in any fabric I've purchased there. Remember the collection I'm using for all these blocks came from Connecting Threads. Plus, I just bought fabric for THREE baby girl quilts for expecting friends.

It was a fun month of curves. I'm ready for what's next.

Three Cheers for Bike Riding

2012-02-02T08:11:00.044-06:00

Since the kids got their bikes at Christmas, I've been growing more and more ~~envious~~ nostalgic of my bike adventures.

In late elementary school and middle school, I rode and rode and rode and rode with LMRP. All over town. The only rule my mom gave me when it came to riding (without a helmet) was that I couldn't ride on or across any main streets. Even with this restriction we were able to go miles and miles and miles. And more importantly, to a cheap gas station for snacks and to the local Sno Biz. Fun times. And later, during my senior year at The Judson, my physical education class was Walking, Jogging and Cycling. And well, I pretty much only cycled. (again without a helmet). I didn't stick to the 'stay off main roads' rule of my childhood so JSS and I were able to go miles and miles.

Now that the kids have bikes and helmets, I want to ride again. But well, Mommy riding without a helmet when the kids have to wear a helmet didn't seem quite fair. (or safe now that I think about it) So, Husband aired up my bike tires and I picked out a helmet. And we were off to the school to ride.

It's fun to watch the kids enjoy their bikes so much.

It's even more fun to get to join in on the fun.

And we're off.

After about an hour of riding, then walking around with the kids while they rode, I decided to ride my bike home. (here's a little perspective: from our driveway to the very far end of the elementary school parking lot and back is a 5k, so it's not far. At all. plus, it's all sidewalk until our street) BUT, WOW. It was tough. And I realized I need an upgraded, better cushioned bike seat! Maybe for my birthday.

My helmet review: It is much more comfortable than I ever thought. $20 well spent. Now I'm safe AND setting a good example for my kids.

Wordless Wednesday: back in the days of hot hair, good eye brows and lots of mexican food

2012-02-01T07:21:00.000-06:00

Repouring Old Candles for NEW Candles

2012-01-30T08:11:00.000-06:00

It's a common household theme: You have 13 almost completely used candles at your house. I have 13 almost completely used candles at my house (and I don't even think I'm a "candle person" all mine have been gifts) ... I actually keep them in a box in my closet. Apparently, I've been preparing for this candle project for years and didn't even know it.

What I used for my first new SUPER candle

these are all the candles I used, the wick (I got a pack of 5 from Hobby Lobby for a couple of bucks) I used the pliers to reach into the hot wax and pull out the old wick. and I used a pair of Husband's thick (never used before) fishing gloves to handle the hot glass containers. The tall container with the pink candle in it is what I used to be my new holder. It was a Home Interiors Candle my mom gave me years ago and I really like the shape and weight of the holder.

btw, I've permanently taken ownership of those gloves. They are fantastic! Great for handling hot things. And I may or may not have used them to reach into the oven and pull of a tray of chicken nuggets during the candle making process.

What I did:
-Put about 3 inches of water in a saucepan on the stove. Towards the end of the project, I had to refill the water due to evaporation.
-I started by melting the one in the big container that I was going to use again. When it was all melted, I pulled out the old wick, put in the new one and set it aside for the pink bottom layer to harden.
-And moved on to melting the white ones next. (I added one of my mason jar lid rings around one of the jars so they wouldn't bump into each other while they were shaking/melting in the boiling water. I was a little afraid they would shatter)
- I pulled out those wicks and after the pink had hardened completely, I poured the white on top of it.
-and continued adding layers until I was finished.

For the small pink candle, I melted it in one of the jars the white ones was in after they had been poured.

this is the first two layers after the white had hardened

And this is the finished result of my first candle. I really , really love it. And besides the $2 for the 5 wicks, it was completely free. score.

The night after I finished the first one, I was browsing at walmart and found IDENTICAL jars for $1.67 each. So, of course, I gathered a few more used candles and made two more.

1, 2, and 3

From this process, I learned that I pretty much only have white, pink and red candles. (there's one purple one that's still in the box with lots more white ones!)

Also, you don't have to do layers like I did. You could mix them all together at once. It's a great way to get some more use out of your old candles for mostly free.

Christmas Bicycles

2012-01-26T09:10:00.000-06:00

Christmas morning, the kids woke up to see the things they'd been talking about for weeks in their living room. Bicycles (and helmets) Seriously, I cannot even tell you how excited they were.

Because of the layout of our house and the fact that it rained and rained (and was cold) on Christmas and the week after, they rode in the house. They'd start in the dining room, go through the living room, down the hall and back into the dining room.

By the time they finally got to ride outside, they were pros.

Daughter, minutes after discovering her new bike

Son, taking a break from the action

About a week after Christmas, it warmed up enough that I loaded the kids, a picnic and their bikes and helmets in the car and we met Husband at The Railroad Park for a long lunch. They loved it. And because it was a weekday, not crowded. Perfect for a 4 year old and a 2 year old who have only ridden their bikes inside their house. And they did great. We went around 3 times and stopped a lot to run and play.

Just starting off. She turned around and said, "snap my picture, please."

This little boy did GREAT. I was so proud of how be managed his bike and how fast he could go!

Also, they both have bells on their bikes that they are oh so in love with.

A Crayon Melting and Molding Adventure

2012-01-23T11:00:00.000-06:00

Pinterest strikes again. I'm excited about finally making and doing the things I've been pinning for months. Makes me feel like all those hours on pinterest weren't a total waste!

We (well, mostly me ... and actually, technically, the oven) melted down all the kids' broken crayons into new "super crayons" (don't you love pins that tell you everything you need to know without having to go to the website? I do.

The kids loved the ideas of new super crayons and were eager to help me peel all the remaining paper off (something they love to do anyway)

all our busted crayons.
Notice Daughter has started to "fill" the mold. That's kind of how she thought the process would go. One old crayon turns into one new crayon.

I filled the little leaf molds with solid rainbow colors and then went about dividing the rest of the colors in ways that made sense to me in silicon muffin molds.

my helpers. They also helped test colors during the sorting process so I wouldn't get the purples, dark blues and blacks mixed up.

the leaf mold stayed in for 15 minutes on 230 degrees. And you can tell the mold is a little warped. next time, I'll check on them sooner.

the biggers ones needed more time. they stayed in for 22 minutes at 230.

All cooled off and popped out of their molds.
I saw other pins that used paper cups and I think that would be as easy as the silicon molds. especially cleanup wise. This was a cinch.

My only complaint: the new super crayons definitely do NOT fit in our crayon box. The crayon box has now been upgraded to the same shoe box size rubbermaid containers used for race cars, potato head body parts and play-doh accessories.

All in all, it was fun for the kids and I. Plus, now instead of hundreds of crayons pieces, we have less than a dozen super crayons. And after Daughter got used to the fact that her crayons don't have much of a point anymore, they both love using them.

January Sewing: t-shirt quilts, etc.

2012-01-19T08:01:00.054-06:00

Months and months ago, BBWP and I started talking about all of our Judson shirts and how we never wear them and I decided we should turn them into a quilt. For weeks, we were looking at fabric online, pricing interfacing, gathering shirts. And well, that was about it. We decided to put the idea on hold, think about it and slowly put aside money for it.

Recently, Jennifer decided making Judson t-shirt quilts should be our January project. Yes, fabulous. Great idea. In preparation for Second Saturday Sewing, I cut my shirts and interfaced them. I also decided I would make mine twin sized and finalized a layout. (btw, TWIN is HUGE. This is definitely the biggest quilt I've ever attempted)

I used 21 shirts (I used the fronts and backs of my 3 Parent's Day jerseys). The big blocks are 15inch squares. And the small blocks that are made from the front pockets (and some blank shirt squares to have enough) are 6.5in blocks.

This is the layout

On Saturday, I got all all 24 of the big blocks put together, and the two side strips put together. Then Sunday night, I added the strips to each side and completed the front. And soon I will take a picture of the entire front.

My favorite shirt of Jennifer's

Jennifer cutting and decided on her block sizes

Marie cut fabric for a quilt for a soon to be arriving niece.

Mandy won the prize for being the only one to finish a project on Saturday:

working on a pleated scarf.

It's hard to tell in the picture because my camera was malfunctioning but this scarf is really cool. I like the design AND the fabric. (and the baby bump)

I'm pretty much at a standstill on my t-shirt quilt until I can find the material I want to use for the back. When I finally take a picture of the front, I'll post it and include a drawing I've made of how I want the back to look.

I'm excited for everyone else to get going on their quilts. Since we were all at The Judson at the same time, give or take a year, we have mostly the same shirts. But we all have different ideas on how we want our quilts to look. It's going to be fun to see 3, 4 or 5, (or 6 more) Judson t-shirt quilts finished.

Wordless Wednesday: They like me more than Santa

2012-01-18T07:03:00.000-06:00

Daughter's Trip to See The Nutcracker

2012-01-17T07:50:00.016-06:00

Before Christmas Daughter and C went on their annual trip to see The Nutcracker. (Last year one or both of them fell asleep before intermission and we had a little higher hopes for this year.)

Daughter was SO excited. Excited to see C. Excited to see the ballerinas. And excited to see a story she was more familiar with this year than she was last year.

(mostly) patiently waiting for the show to start

waiting, waiting, waiting (we really had FANTASTIC seats)

reenacting her favorite part - When Clara throws her shoe at the Mice King. The people behind us were pretty certain she was actually about to launch the shoe at them. Luckily, she's an excellent pretender.

The girls (who are 4 and 3.5, btw) did excellent. Especially considering they aren't 10, but, ya know, 4 and 3.5. We ended up making it through intermission and almost all of the second half. It was a fun time. Next year we're pretty sure they'll make it to the end ... with their dads.

Food Day Friday: Buffalo Chicken Wraps (BAKED)

2012-01-13T08:46:00.005-06:00

It's been almost 2 years since my Egg Roll post. and wouldn't you know, this is pretty much like egg rolls ... except, well ... it's close.

This is a pinterest recipe I found and the original blog post it came from woman's blog who started eating healthier and exercising and lost a lot of weight. (everything I want to do, but I seem to be doing it much slower than she did!) Visit her blog for lots more healthy recipes.

She actually had these listed under the appetizer section, but we eat about 4 or 5 of them and call it dinner.

what you need:

we use 4 chicken breasts (cooked and shredded) a bag of cole slaw, Blue or Gorgonzola cheese (we actually mixed both kinds with this batch), buffalo sauce (we use Texas Pete Regular (and mild) and of course the egg roll wrappers. (Also, to make it more kid friendly, I reserved one chicken breast for the kids and used ranch dressing for it instead of buffalo sauce)

What you do:

preheat the oven to 400 (that's right, BAKED not fried)

Coat the shredded chicken with buffalo sauce (or ranch)

Fill the wrappers to taste. Husband prefers chicken heavy, I prefer slaw heavy. But he's the better wrapper so we eat chicken heavy ones.

spray the pan so your wraps won't stick (I also like to spray the tops before I put them in for a crispier browner wrapper)

cook for 16 minutes at 400.

What you get:

We cook ours in two batches and this is batch number 1.

I think 21 wrappers come in a pack and depending on your chicken/cheese/slaw ratio, you can make 21 wraps out of this.

We cooked these Tuesday night (after Husband for back from NOLA for the BCS National Championship game) and the kids both ate one each, I had 6, Husband had 7 or 8 and then there were 3 leftover for Husband to take the lunch. They're a big hit with us. We make them almost every week. And since they really do crisp up well in the oven, we've decided to start making our eggrolls like this too, instead of frying them.

Also, my spice love husband dips his in Regular Texas Pete. I dip mine in a mixture of ranch dressing and the mild Texas Pete

SBS Blocks 19, 20 & 21

2012-01-12T08:08:00.007-06:00

December was the month of applique. WOW, lots of applique. This is my first time to do applique "for real" I played around with it a little when I first got my new machine. But I wasn't entirely sure what I was doing was "right" or even how to make my poor attempt better. So, this really was a fun month of learning for me.

For these blocks, I decided to make the backgrounds cream, so the applique would stand out better. But I still wanted my "main green" to be the focal feature of each block. I'm not an expert yet, but I'm a lot better and I'm pretty pleased with how the blocks turned out.

Blocks 19, 20 & 21

Block 19: Orange Windows

this is my new FAVORITE block (yea, yea I know. I say that a lot.) I'm just really pleased with how my color placement worked out. I love the green petals in the middle. We used raw edge applique on this one with Heat N Bond. This is my first time to ever use Heat N Bond. And let me tell you, I'm hooked. LOVE IT. After I finished this block, I actually sat down with some graph paper and drew out a couple of patterns of how to turn this one block into an entire quilt. fun times.

Block 20: Circles

With this block the edges are finished or turned under. Harder than the simple raw edge method. I chose Cheater Needle Point Applique as my method to turn my edges under. Mainly, because I thought it would be the easiest method for me to do. And it was pretty easy. I liked it. But I definitely think that in the future, when the situation arises that I need/want to applique something, it's RAW EDGE with Heat N Bond all the way!

Block 21: Applique Pattern of Choice. I chose Tulip Trees

With a list of blocks to choose from, I chose Tulip Trees. It just so happened that the block that I thought was the prettiest, also looked the easiest. Sheer coincidence on that one! I really like the way it turned out, color choices and such. BUT I used an orange washable crayola marker to mark my fabric ... and I'm less than thrilled at how it looks after my attempt to hand wash it. yes, I know I could serge the edges and throw it in the washing machine. But I decided not to mess with it anymore. It'll have to wait until it's quilted and washed before it's orange free. I did go to walmart later that night to get an invisible ink marker. I'm finished with the orange mess.

So, this month I not only learned how to applique, but I also learned the important of disappearing ink!

Wordless Wednesday: The USS Alabama, investigating

2012-01-11T07:51:00.003-06:00

Travel Pillow turned Rice Pack

2012-01-10T08:11:00.000-06:00

When I made my scented rice pack, I also made one for Tina and Tena H. (my mom). My mother said when my brother saw hers, he expressed something like disbelief that I could make something like that and also a suggestion that I should make one in a U shape specifically for neck use.

Well

1. Thanks, Bro. 'Preciate ya.

2. hmm, yes. That's a pretty good idea.

And, as always, Pinterest came through for me. I found a tutorial for a U shaped travel pillow. And figured, sure, I could fill it with rice instead of stuffing.

The tutorial was really easy to follow. In fact, sewing it was the fastest part. Cutting out all the little squares is what took so long!

I used the black/grey/white/yellow wal-mart fabric that I already had scraps of at home. (seriously, if you ever want to do something nice for me, buy me more of this fabric. I love having it on hand for impromptu jobs!) In fact, if we weren't out of rice, I could have done the entire project in under an hour and not had to go to the store.

the front before I added the rice

the back

filled with rice. I have no clue how much rice I put in. I just kept adding it until I felt like I should stop so I'd have enough free space to sew the whole up.

The only thing I did differently from the tutorial was top stitch around the edges. I figured since I was using rice instead of poly-fil, the more reinforcements the better.

While I wouldn't call this a gender neutral fabric choice, I don't think it's overly feminine. It should be something he and his wife would feel comfortable using. Also, I added lavender to the rice ... and, well, that part may have made it feminine. ;-)

Our Homemade Christmas gifts

2012-01-05T08:53:00.001-06:00

For the past two (or three, I don't even remember) Husband and I have made "goodie bags" for our families for Christmas. This year, since I actually know how to sew, I decided to make a reusable tote for the goodies to go in. We were giving 6 bags total. One for my parents, my sister's family unit, my bothers's family unit, Husband's parents, his sister's family unit and "Cousin Jessie" as Son loves to call her now, got her own. That's right, no sharing for her. Unless she takes pity on her parents. :-)

This might have been my favorite bag. But really, I liked all the fabric a lot. So, it was hard to pick. All six bags were different. Since "tacky sweaters" were all the rage this year, I think there's a bit of tongue and cheek irony to this one. I think the name of the pattern was "tree and rabbit sweater" I also got it in blue.

inside the bag: homemade chex mix, homemade fudge, homemade butterfinger bars and homemade gingerbread men

Chex mix: I mostly follow the directions on the box. More pretzels, more nuts, more spices ... but mostly the same.

The Fudge: I promised my mom I wouldn't give out this recipe until after the died.

The homemade butterfinger bars: oh. my. Mandy told me about these last year and I've been thinking about them ever since. I used this "recipe" She recommends waiting a day or two to let the bars "set" before you dip them in chocolate. I left mine uncut for a day. Cut them and then let them set for another day. seriously fabulous and really easy ... except for the whole waiting two days thing.

The gingerbread men: Husband and the kids made these (gingerbread isn't really my thing). I'm pretty sure he just used a recipe he found online. The kids decorated the cookies with milk chocolate.

I wanted to add buttered pecans as a 5th container, but our pecan tree was pitiful this year. We barely collected enough pecans for 1 pie! eh, maybe next year.

Wordless Wednesday: A J-Day remembered (2004)

2012-01-04T07:50:00.001-06:00

the 2011 Nativity Scene Additions

2012-01-03T10:49:00.000-06:00

This year, I added 3 new nativity scenes to my collection. I'm to the point where most of the nativity scenes I see look a lot like ones I already have. I'm always on the lookout for interesting/nontraditional ones. Maybe even something that would wind up on The list of worst nativity scenes (thanks, KVS) mainly for conversation purposes.

Anyway, here are the 3 newest ones. In no particular order:

Mom picked up this one for me at a discount store called Garden Ridge. One of the wise men 's arms fell off and are hot glued back on AND a smurf joined the celebration to present baby Jesus with a wreath. I really like the "vintage" paint style on these.

This one was a prize from JSS months and months ago. After Thanksgiving, I pulled it out with big plans that each member of our family would paint 3 pieces of the 12 piece set. I told Husband that I called dibs on baby Jesus. He was the only one I wanted to paint ...

(also notice the kids' picture with Santa in the background. Apparently, much like Jesus, Santa is always watching. ;-))

dibs does not count with 4 year olds. Daughter pleaded her case that because she loves baby Jesus so much she should be the one who got to paint him. She won.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I will admit that what I pictured in my head as being a lovely family moment of painting and talking about Jesus's birth and just enjoying each other, turned into me losing my patience and yelling something I don't even remember but I do remember it wasn't Christ-like and it definitely wasn't a shiny example of how to parent toddlers. (sigh) I think I let my resentment about having to settle for painting a shepherd, Mary and a sheep cloud my judgement on that one.

this final one I picked up at Jo-ann when I was yarn shopping right before Thanksgiving.

We had a great Christmas. Lots of fun, food and family time. We talked a lot about Mr. Scrooge and the Christmas spirit and, of course, about Baby Jesus.

The Kids' Christmas Trees

2011-12-27T13:27:00.000-06:00

*I just realized that Christmas has come and gone and I never published this post I started over a month ago!!

After Thanksgiving both kids were excited to get their little trees out and decorate them for their rooms. Last year I had a problem when ornaments all over the house. And I was sick of it. So after we Husband helped Son and I helped Daughter decorate, I had a one on one talk with each child about my expectations.

If I see an ornament on the floor, it goes back in the ornament box and we'll try again next year. "Keep your hands off your Christmas tree."

Daughter's tree the day after decorating.

a closeup. Even the topper got covered in ornaments.

Son's tree the day after. Completely bare except for the prelit lights. Notice the wrestlers standing vigil.

Some of Son's ornaments in "the box"

sigh.

Daughter did great. She loves her tree and did a great job of admiring it from afar AND keeping Son away from it.

Son, well, he's two year's old. And even after he took all his ornaments off, he still loved his tree. About every 3 or 4 days he'd ask to look at his ornaments in the box. That was good enough for him. And I'm sure next year he'll have a more decorated tree.

The Grey Cats, together.

2011-12-19T08:50:00.000-06:00

Remember the Wordless Wednesday I posted this summer of the two grey cats? Well, they are no longer separated. In fact, now anytime the temperature drops below 45 degrees, the fat short tailed grey cat is invited in the house. And he's probably the best house guest we've ever had. He keeps to himself and doesn't care if the kids pick him up and carry him around.

Short Tail is the name we gave him when he started hanging around out house over a year and a half ago. He's such a big cuddle bug (which I love because my grey cat, Gracie, tries to kill me on a daily basis).

This summer, I met Short Tail's previous owner. He's a neighbor who told me Smokey ran away from home after he wasn't allowed to live in the house anymore and didn't get along with the other outside cat. He loves Smokey and wants him back (which I could understand) so for awhile, I'd walk Short Tail back to their house and couple of times, and they'd come to our house and get him, but it never failed, a day or two later, he'd be back on the porch begging for cuddles. After a while I decided, ya know, I'm not going to keep taking this cat back to a place he clearly doesn't want to be. He's a good cat and as long as he wants to be here, we'll feed him and take care of him. The best part, he's already been neutered.

But the clencher as to whether he'd actually be able to stay in the house during bad weather, was if he could get along with Gracie. And he couldn't be more oblivious to her if he tried. For the first couple of times inside, she stalked around him, sniffing and deciding. And she's decided she likes him more than she likes me. So that's good.

Poor Son, he has a hard time telling them apart.

enjoying the view. together.

My favorite thing about Short Tail, is his short tail. When he gets excited, he wags it like a dog. It's pretty cute. And he purrs like a maniac. Something Gracie doesn't do. ever. I'm glad he has a warm safe place to go now that it's starting to get cold. Right now, he's asleep upside down in one of the dining room chairs.

December Sewing: Homemade Gifts Galore

2011-12-12T11:41:00.000-06:00

Another Second Saturday Sewing and another very productive day for me. Also, Daughter came along with her dinosaur bag loaded with crafts stuff and had a fantastic time playing, crafting, eating, playing, making messes, playing, etc.

JSS finishing up a block from the Birdie Stitches BOM

I finished up the sewing portion of my homemade Christmas gifts (now Husband and I just have to fill them with homemade baked goodies and play food for the bag for Son and Daughter)

Marie (with her NEW SEWING MACHINE) worked on this rice pack that at least 3 of us have made.

Daughter in a fit of excitement, showing off one of her "signs" she made.

Fun times, as usual.