A Bad Choice

 

"Mess, Mommy!" said the tiny girl.

"Horrible mess." I said "Horrible."

"Howwible. Yeah.  Mmm-hmm.  Bad choice."

"Very." I said soberly. "Please don't do this again,"

"Okay, Mommy.  I weew."

Creepy, Creepy

 

Welcome to our Haunted House!  I went a little creepier than usual this year.  What with a bunch of skulls and all. At least I'm not to bloody zombie level yet, right?

 

Most of it is black, white and grey.   I threw just a couple shots of color in with the orange wreath, and the bottle of vampire blood.

 

I thought it fit appropriately between a couple 'Twilight' books.

 

All kinds of free printable labes HERE.

 

Buddy found this branch on a walk and I spray painted it black, even though it doesn't look like it in the picture.  Black paper bats hang from it now, but I took these pics a couple weeks ago.  We're actually tons creepier now. ;)

 

LOVE the creepy cloth from Dollar Tree.  I pretty much draped it over my whole house.

 

Happy Halloween!!

EAT. Like I need reminding.

So with all my spare time, I thought I'd do a little kitchen project. In case you don't know, I am weird and have a 'winter kitchen' and a 'summer kitchen'. My winter kitchen is lots of black and white and it a little more fancy~schmancy; summer kitchen is colorful and vintage-y. I thought the perfect addition to Summer Kitchen would be an EAT above my pantry, in case anyone needed instructions.

 

 

 

My favorite look is 'torn from an old building'.  Didn't have time to look for old buildings to tear down, didn't want to pay for chunky wooden letters.  So....I did a little 'reverse distressing' technique on some paper mache letters from Joann Fabrics.

 

 

 

I didn't think that paper mache would hold up to a lot of painting and sanding, so I used a sponge brush with black paint, and DIDN'T paint where I would normally sand.  I had to be careful to make it look properly 'worn', by leaving streaks of bare paper mache.

 

Like this.

 

 

The picture isn't very good, but it really does look like old wood. 

Now, let's eat!

I think he's going to be surprised...

Because when J went to work this morning our bedroom looked like this...

and now it looks like this...

Think he'll like it?

A Tiny Party

So, yes, her party was in May, but I'm a tad behind (chronologically speaking).  So here are a few pics from Girlie's Tiny/American Girl party.  She had so much fun with all her friends and their dolls.  Above, I baked her cakes in tin cans and presented them on cupcake stands.

Tiny fruit kabobs on toothpicks

The tiny buffet.  Bite-sized sub sandwiches made with breadstick 'hoagies', tiny lunchmeats and cheeses, lettuce, pearl onions and grape tomatoes.  Also on the menu: tiny tacos, small cinnamon rolls, petite cupcakes, tiny milkshakes.

The cinnamon rolls were made from crescent roll dough. Who doesn't love a guilt-free cinnamon roll?

Slices of personal-sized watermelon, anyone?

Tiny drinks in bathroom-sized cups and half straws.

The photo booth was a big hit.  These girls like to put on a show. :) The backdrop was a striped sheet.

The birthday girl with a good friend from school.

They made doll bracelets from tiny beads, and paper flowers (from an American Girl Crafts kit).

I forgot to take a picture of the goodie bags, but they were tiny tote bags with a tiny paint set, erasers that look like little food (Target), miniature composition books, pencils, ...I can't remember what else.  It's been too long...)

J made miniature ice cream cones with caramel Bugles "cones" and tiny cartons of ice cream (we had big ones for back up).

"Just my size!" she thinks.

Happy Birthday (in May) to my own sweet American Girl!  The loveliest person I know.

The last to know

Okay, taking a break in My Favorite Summer Ever, to tell you what we did for family home evening this week.  My cousin Kimberly introduced us to homemade donut making.  Apparently everyone else in the world already knew about this, but it was news to me.  Really good news.

All we needed was some cheapo refrigerated biscuits, canola oil, powdered sugar and cinnamon sugar.

We popped the biscuit can open (that moment when it finally pops open! Ugh!) and made holes in the middle of the biscuits with our thumbs.  I heated about an inch of oil (I used canola, because that's a 'good fat' right?  I'm pretty sure it actually makes donuts a health food.) in a pot and J did the frying honors.

The kids were on hand to shake up the donuts in a plastic Ziploc with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar.  I actually preferred the powdered sugar because the cinnamon sugar was, dare I say, a little too sugary for me.  Gasp.  I know.

When I explained the whole idea to J in the first place he was skeptical that it could be that easy.  Half way though, he looked at me very seriously and said "This opens a whole new world."

The kids said it was the best 'treativity' yet. (Treat+activity)

Okay, tell me this is news to you too.  Please.

To the Man of My Dreams

12 Long, short, blissful, eventful, growing, fun years, if you can believe it.  I can't, because it seems like we just got married.  I look at our 'young' pictures and feel like it was yesterday, then I look up and wonder where in the world all these kids came from. 

Thanks.  I mean it, and not just for all those kids.

Thanks for letting me yell out my movie predictions of what is going to happen next.

Thanks for liking me better with no makeup.

Thanks for working hard to support our rock and roll lifestyle.

Thanks for being so even keel, to offset my crazy.

Thanks for muttering about the 'captive pricing model' at the Tulip Festival, because you know your finance nerd things always make me laugh.

Thanks for thinking I'm funny, because even if I'm not really, I am to you and that is enough.

Thanks for talking me through the births of our four kids.  I couldn't have done it without you.  Well, technically the baby probably would have still come out, but it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun.

Thanks for letting me dress you up in "that ridiculous outfit" (above) and suffering through another grueling round of family pictures.

Thanks for going along with most of my design ideas, even though they are "weird, so weird."

Thanks for teaching our kids ninja moves, using my furniture and sofa pillows.  Thanks a lot.

Thanks for being my absolute favorite, ever.

Thanks for loving me, despite me.  You're the best, my darling husband. I love you, forever.

Happy Anniversary.

{Sock Monkey Tutorial}

Sometimes I make myself crazy.  Okay, a lot.  I don't know how my husband puts up with me.  I try to load my plate much too full and it ends in minor disaster.  Well, that's why this year--this year of "homemade Christmas"--I am starting now.  I'm making rag dolls for my girls and sock monkeys for my boys.  Today's project? Sock monkeys.  I know I could buy them, but I don't think those kind come with love included.  I want my kids to have heirloom toys and quilts that I made for them.  Things I put my heart and soul into.  Maybe they won't appreciate them now, but hopefully when someday they pull out a much-loved monkey, doll, quilt, etc, they'll realize that their mother's hands created this just for them and realize how special they are to me.  Before I start crying over my grown kids, here's how I made the monkeys. 

You will need:

A pair of socks (This monkey was made with the extra large size, and makes a 21" monkey)

Fabric marker

Scissors

Needle and coordinating thread

Stuffing

2 black buttons

I looked all over online and the cheapest place I found the 'original' socks were HERE.  The socks actually come with sock monkey directions printed on the back of the label.  But in case you are more of a visual person, like me, you'll appreciate a more step by step illustration.  Cue pictures.

Turn the socks inside out.  I used a fabric marker to draw my sewing and cutting lines.

LEFT SOCK: arms on top, heel mouth, tail on lower left and ears on lower right.

RIGHT SOCK:  monkey body, legs are on the lower part. (Leave a hole between the legs--you will turn it right side out and stuff it through the crotch)

I sewed on all of the lines before I cut anything apart.  I actually sewed my seams twice because my boys are a little rough and tumble.  Trying to save myself repair work now.

These are the socks sewn on the lines and cut apart. 

Turn the pieces right side out.

Stuff the monkey. I used regular polyester fiberfill.

Then sew the monkey together.  This is the most time-consuming part. I started with the crotch, because I didn't want it to fray. With the detached (arms, mouth, tail, ears) parts, you have to simultaneously hold the part on, turn the raw edge of the sock under, and whip stitch it together.  I knotted my thread and sewed a couple loops into the body to secure it before I started stitching.

A note about the eyes:  I did a loop into the body to secure the thread before I sewed the buttons on, then loosely sewed the buttons on, pulled it tight when I was finished, and then came out behind the ear to knot.  If you know a better way, please share!!

Just test driving the monkey. Won't it look cute on their beds?

One down, one to go!!

{Easy Father's Day Card}

In case you haven't already made your Father's Day card (surely not you?), I thought I'd share my simple card idea.  All you need is a few coordinating papers and about 5 minutes.  The card is quarter-sheet size (so slice a reg 8.5x11 in half and fold it).  I made a little template of a tie, cut three out, and glue sticked the whole thing together!

Summer To Do list

Last night over dinner we compiled a list of things we wanted to do this summer.  Whenever summer finally decides to show up, of course.  I tried my best not to edit.

TO DO

• Go to Australia
• Get a boomerang in Australia
• go to Jump planet
• go to Walmart to use my gift card
• play baseball in Hawaii
• build a castle
• build a tree house
• buy a bigger house with a bigger yard and bigger trees, then build a tree house
• go to Canada
• go to the splash pad and bring our dog
• get a dog, first
• go to the King Tut exhibit (we will do that one)
• walk dogs
• learn how to draw Mickey Mouse (now, where could we go to do that one...)
• eat fish and chips in Seattle
• Space Needle
• Seattle Ducks
• buy a police car (craigslist, perhaps?)
• buy strawberry gum
• popcorn (that was what Sweetie said when we asked her opinion)

Should be a fantastic summer.

What fun stuff are YOU doing this summer?