Drawing

This lovely daughter of mine spends hours doing just this.

We got this Disney kit where they put your picture in a princess photograph but you have to print all the pages at once and so she only got this one page total bummer but she enjoyed it none the less and she took it in stride. 

Knitted Bowls

Here is the final project.  I made several of these for Christmas and as I said before loved them so much I wanted some for myself.

What?  Icy dripping glass on your coffee table no more.  Mason Jar cozy to the rescue.

Place for rings over your sink.

Treasure holder... yep yep all kinds of uses.

Birds

We have a heap of birds in our area and the kids love to watch them.  On a cold afternoon we went for a walk and found pine cones.  Added bird seed and peanut butter and tada instant Bird attractors. (Squirrels like them too.

Knitted Bowls

I made knitted bowls fro Christmas this year and loved them so much that I just made myself two of them!

Here it is ready to get felted.

It's stretched over a bowl so you can see it better.

Then magically they both vanished only to be found yesterday as a doll hat :(... I will get you a new picture when I can steal it back and throw it in the washer to felt it.

Lists

Looking at a new year is always so appealing to me.  With library books and some birthday books on hand I started my list of things I would like to take a crack at this year. 

Vegan

Sewing

Blog

Crafting with kids

Writing

Home projects

Art

I could go on and on.... I read a book over Christmas break that really helped me get it all organized.

"Getting Things Done" by David Allen

One of his tips is to get it all down on paper so it's not all floating around in your head.

I got this awesome journal for my birthday from a dear friend and I put it to use.  I added tabs with categories and I started writing things down as they came up.  I added a sticky note to the back for work items (then I can just take the sticky out and add it to my work list and put in a new sticky.

Wow has it made a difference.  I am noticing that as I have written things down when I see something that relates I know just where to put it.  I also have a few projects started.  The next thing he recommended was putting down the next action step.  For example I always have clean house.  No no no... now I have sweep front porch. (which I did today and got to check off)  So as I did this I started noticing themes of things I need to do and those I want to do.  Blogging more would be on the want side.  So I started a plan in that little notebook.  From those next action steps I needed to do some research so off to the library I went.  Here is what I came back with.  There are also a few Christmas books in there.

I must say armed with information and next action steps I actually feel empowered and not overwhelmed.

So let's just see how far Mr. David Allen can get me this year.

Crafty Wonderland

Before Christmas we went to Crafty Wonderland in Portland in the Oregon Convention Center.  It was amazing and this picture does not do it justice.  250 vendors selling homemade wonderfulness!  We took the kids and it was a bit too much for them.  Next year I will be attending if anyone is up for it let me know!

Paper Mache'

We are making some bowls  hmmmm or maybe...

Hats??

Happy Valentines Day!

Yep it's true I am cheesy!  My Grandmother aptly named Valentine was born today.  David and I had our first date and later married on Valentines Day!  Yes it's commercial and I love it!  Sophia needed Valentines and so we made them.

She wrote her name with some assistance on foam.  I copied it onto the wrong side and she glued it onto cardboard.  She tore some hear shaped paper and glued it onto card stock. Then we stamped it over the top and glued on some chocolates.

Fabric Printing

We did a little fabric painting and printing. 

The final project to come a bit later. Fun and easy for the kids to paticipate in.  Beware this paint stains!

Fairy Stairs

Sophia thread these little balls on thread and we intend to hang them in her window.  She is calling them her fairy stairs.  "You know the fairies use them when their wings get tired and they want to walk."

This was a great first real needle project easy to manipulate the pieces.

Simple yet fun!

Saw this idea on Soule Mama!  If you haven't checked her out you should!

Christmas Making

Knit these up for my sister in law, now I want a pair.  She already has them since they are heading to Europe for the holidays.

Here is a little something else I am working on.  This one is top secret though hope I finish it in time.

Decorating

A little wrapper paper decorating session for GAB and GUR!  This was good fun!  Stickers, pens and crayons!

Sewing Sadness

Sew excited! ;) Got a free pattern from Sew Liberated.  Love her patterns! A Pilot cap.  So I sliced up one of my husbands old favorite shirts.
He was tickeled with the result as he has renamed the cap the wrestling cap. He was quite the wrestler in High School, 4th in State!

Turned out very cool.  Then the sadness.  TOOOOOOO SMALL!

Not even close to fitting over his big noggin! I had the same problem with the shirt pattern I got from her.  She writes an excellent pattern, lots of tips for peeps like me who are not seamstresses.  The patterns as super cute but they seem to not fit.  In this case I did check the measurement before I cut the pattern (Thanks Mary)  I also checked the fabric to make sure I got the type correct (again thanks Mary). 

Why 2 you ask? Well I don't sew until the kiddos are asleep and I was so excited how the first one turned out I just thought I would whip out a second. 

 I have two theories on this.  One the printing made them not stretchy enough or two I don't have the stretch running the right direction even though I did think I checked before I cut.  Either way I will be sewing up another one.  David's closet is getting smaller :) Meg is still awesome and I would still recommend checking out her book and blog.

On happy news spent time painting a birthday gift with Phia today.  She did AWESOME!  I did a little touch up (couldn't help myself I love to paint)

3 is amazing!

A Little Sick and a Little Celebration

Well yesterday was splendid.  A nice walk and a shopping trip for goodies for Daddy for Valentine's Day. Got a new floor steamer/cleaner from my mom for our anniversary. Used it yesterday, works splendidly!

Then today we woke up to a sick one.  We got the cookie dough made got already to go out and the puking started. All you mothers know when the sickness takes hold the world as we know it stops.  There is no going, no resting, and no schedules.  It all goes to pot and you spend the day in a constant state of jump and run.  I did not finish the Valentine bags yet... this is how far I got...

I will finish them by tommorrow come hell or high water!

I will get back to you with the finished picture tommorrow.

Memory Book

At my recent candy making marathon where we made these...

Which I took to work today and they miraculously disappeared so I don't have to eat them.

Maggie our fearless leader gave us each a memory book of our adventures that began in 2002.

You must know also that Maggie is a scraper extraordinaire and my pictures are terrible and don't show how amazingly awesome it is in person but here goes.

The Great Candy-Making Extravaganza

Christiane, Maggie, Me and Gini with the nut clusters recipe below.

Jo holding a one month old sleeping Phia.

Before marriage and kids look how thin I was. Ha a lot has changed in 6 years I guess this is going to be my goal picture :0

I LOVE this pic.  Here is Christiane, always a kick in the pants.  Check out the Grinch shirt! She is a superstar caught in the act eating a spoonful of something nummy!

This book is seriously a trip down memory lane of the best kind. It has absolutely foolproof recipes. Especially if I can make them with a minimum of incident. 

We do yearly burn a batch of dipping chocolate, ruin some Almond Rocha, and we have all but given up making divinity (Gini does it) but we always have a mighty good time and we leave with more goodies then you can shake a stick at.  Thanks Maggie for corralling us yearly and Gini for hosting us and buying all the supplies. A yearly tradition that I truly enjoy! (after the sugar headache subsides)