July 7, 2009

homemade gifts

I wanted to share my latest hooded towel because I think it turned out to be one of the cutest by far and this one will definitely get duplicated. Do not give me credit for the design. I'm telling you that nursery bedding and specifically Carter's clothing has great simplified characters and I saw this little guy online and then sketched him out. They translate well into felt or even cut paper if you are into making cards.

I'm interested to see how the eye holes which I punched out will wash up. I might be going back and adding french knots where the eyes go if it pills over, but it was worth a shot.
There are other shots in my flickr account that show how I layered the pieces. Doesn't anyone else get super excited when the idea in their head actually turns out? :)
I think I have like 3 other hooded towels to make, I better get to it!

For this same friend I wanted to make something for the siblings of the new baby to play with on a day they needed that something new to occupy them. I pulled out the felt food patterns and made them some "shushi" as Lizzie called it. The spring rolls were SO easy, essentially a strip of felt an inch wide and a few different lengths all rolled up. I really continue to enjoy these patterns. Creatively I can appreciate how she has executed her ideas to mimic such amazing look-a-likes. Fortunately these kids know what sushi is so it works out well, my kids do not, obviously. Although Lizzie is still asking me to make her some "shushi" so I probably will. I still highly recommend these pattern books, they are awesome. But if you don't want to purchase I am always up for a night of sewing with felt. :) I'm hoping to make a few pieces while we're on vacation so I can have some finished gifts done for future needs.

I ordered the 6.5 x 4.5 sushi trays here. I got 50 of them, bit of an over kill, but I was thinking that I could use it as packaging for other gifts. They are too cute!

| By JennR | 4:39 PM | Comments (0)

June 23, 2009

Lizzie's 6th birthday has Barbie on the brain

With Lizzie's 6th birthday just around the corner we are trying to make plans and thinking about presents. She for sure is thinking about presents. :)
Her list includes:
I want a pet dog. (a small one to hold in her hands, not happening)
I want an American girl doll. (what little girl doesn't?)
I want presents. (way to cover all your bases)
I want whatever I want. (HEY, me too!!!)
I want a barbie.

We plan to get her roller skates, but the rest are a toss up. I've been thinking a lot lately about the barbie request.
In the past I haven't really wanted the girls to have barbies and I suppose I'm revisiting why that is. It's not necessarily how they are dressed or proportioned, although I am a proponent for modesty on girls and wouldn't be excited for them to receive one with short shorts and crop top.

Malibu barbie in my day, anniversary barbie with revised swim suit to be more current, model series barbie which I would throw out if you sent my daughter. :)

I think my issue with "graduating" to barbies has more to do with keeping toys appropriate for the girls' ages and helping them grow up slowly which is against cultural messages IMO. Lizzie received a barbie at 3 and I had opened the box of gifts before her so I took it out and she never saw it or played with it. She was still into Little People and just getting into dolls and I wanted to wait longer till she got barbies. I like to keep their world as simple as possible for as long as possible so there are still exciting things waiting for them when they turn 8 and we don't have to get them a laptop to make them happy. Maybe a better example would be my hang up with chapstick. (for the record- I have numerous silly hang ups and just want you to know I recognize that) My girls have received little sets of chapstick for several years now, as well as lip gloss. This really does irritate me to no end. My biggest complaint with it is that I wanted to save chapstick or even lip gloss for when they are 11 or 12 and begging me to wear makeup. Because something has been given to them before they are age appropriate, I now don't have the option of offering it to them as a compromise. See, it won't be new and exciting- because they received it at a young age. Don't you think we are giving more to our kids, faster, than ever before?
My other issue with chapstick, is that they aren't old enough to use it properly. They put this wax based product on (making sure to cover the half inch around their lips as well) and then they climb up on the couch face first, like little kids do. I realize this is starting to sound super controlling (I believe I've admitted to those issues in the past) but I don't like my 3 or 4 yr old to have chapstick in her play purse that she can smear on whenever she wants to.
So back to the issue at hand, barbies.
A great alternative would be the Only Hearts Club.

I'm wondering though if it will pass as a barbie in her mind or if it will even make a difference.
With our very busy schedule I haven't been able to talk to Andy about what he thinks, and more than likely he will bring a much more laid back attitude to the equation which will be good. :)
I just feel like we're on the threshold of opening the door to a whole new stage and I want to make sure we're all ready for it.
Once people hear we're playing with barbies we might get this one. :)
I'd appreciate feedback.

| By JennR | 12:38 PM | Comments (8)

June 16, 2009

Silliness

The first minute of this video is Caroline and Lizzie being goofy and the last 30 seconds is Lizzie and I trying to get Caroline to wave good bye to the camera. She was a bit confused, but now waves good bye anytime she hears this video played.
I love when our house is filled with silly giggles.

| By JennR | 7:51 AM | Comments (2)

May 22, 2009

weekend with JL

Last weekend Andy went down to Atlanta to playing zombie killing games, eat pizza, drink Gosey's home brewed beer and hang out sans kids while Joy Lynne and Truett came up here to be with us. It was a great weekend and so fun to see Joy Lynne and Truett after over 3 months.
The weekend wouldn't have been complete without a crafty project. :) I have been so busy with the house or freelance that I really haven't made anything in so long. I was having withdrawals.
Joy Lynne purchased these crochet patterns and we were going to try our hand at amigurumi.
The projects crocheted up fairly quickly. We each made the rocket and the alien and finished it in one or two nights. I did have to add the extras to them this week but for the most part it was a pretty easy project with cute results.
If you know how to crochet and want to make homemade toys then I highly recommend this set of patterns. You only need to know how to start a ring and increase and decrease.

On Saturday we had a showing and Joy Lynne graciously played with all 4 kids downstairs while I mopped and vacuumed and did some overall cleaning. It made for a busy Saturday but I am so glad she was there and so willing to help me. We had intentions of going to the museum but it was packed and we didn't even slow down to stop but went on to Clumpies and the park.

The girls with their sprinkles.

I have a picture of them sitting side by side and then a few of him in the process of trying to roll away and escape. LOL

JL and Truett (he's trying to escape again). :)

Thanks so much for coming to stay with us and being such a huge help during a weekend when I would have been flying solo!
It was so much fun and made me look forward to our beach trip in July even more!

| By JennR | 9:11 AM | Comments (0)

May 12, 2009

Caroline reading

Lately Caroline has been reading to herself and I was able to capture it on video the other day. We of course think its super cute, but it might be only family members who hang in there long enough to see the entire minute and a half video.
Sorry for the background noise, the girls were listening to OT devotionals and I was listening to the Sabrina soundtrack.

| By JennR | 9:58 AM | Comments (2)

May 7, 2009

click-click, click-click, click-click

I have a case of serious blog neglect. I was reading a friend's blog the other day and in her side bar it shows her friends' blog title and when they posted and mine said 3 weeks ago. Good grief.
I have 3 posts written in my head, does that count for anything? I'd like to post Easter, Julia's bday and the rest of my NY trip just to name a few. All in good time I guess.

So what's my excuse? We have worked for the last 2 months to get our house market ready. Andy and I were doing something every weekend and every spare evening after bedtime. We painted part of the exterior of the house, put up chair rail, painted said chair rail, caulked the basement molding, patched stucco, painted and hung shutters, rearranged furniture, took 1/3 of our stuff to storage, organized pretty much everything and then scrubbed the house from top to bottom. This all while trying to keep the tv from raising our girls and doing a little freelance along the way.

Its finally done, and we went on the market last Friday. You'd think I'd be super excited but I feel really unsettled. I feel like I'm heading up that first rise of a roller coaster ride and I just changed my mind and I want off. With the slow steady obnoxious clicking sounds where your mind is racing wondering if anyone has died on the ride and was that duck tape you just saw holding something together?! Thats the best way for me to explain the fear and dread. I wish I was one of those people who saw this whole moving thing as a new adventure, a journey for our family to bring us all together. Imagine our family walking hand in hand down a tree lined road with animated Disney birds tweeting around our heads and landing on our shoulders while we all sing a chorus of "Do-Re- Me". Yeah, thats just not me. This is one of those life situations for me that brings out and highlights all my weaknesses, fun! I do truly believe that God has a plan for us and I believe that He has His best in mind for us but I have a really hard time feeling it emotionally. When I am uncertain about the future and I have no control over it, I really struggle with anxiety. I sort of feel like we're in limbo here. We have had no interest in the house yet so I try to prepare myself to settle in for the long haul but I can't seem to. But I also don't want to look at houses because I don't want to get burned and disappointed. I'm having a hard time finding peace and contentment and am in need of it in order to be the mother and wife that I so desire to be.

So that's where we're at and why the long absence. Someone made a comment to me recently that I really shared some personal stuff on my blog and I guess my response to that would be- I don't really know how to be anything but honest. I also find that when you share what you're really feeling or what you're experiencing you find that you're not alone. It's a record of what is going on in our life at least through my eyes and I know I'll look back on it down the road and marvel at my over reaction of it all, at God's provisions and how we indeed manage to survive whatever drama I wrote about. (as I do now with previous dramas I've posted)

I'll try to write out the posts that are in my head and catch up on this whole blog thing, at least for my own record of things. Hopefully there will be more pictures, funny stories, craftiness and light hearted posts to come. :)

| By JennR | 9:52 AM | Comments (3)