Wool Gathering

2012-01-19T21:16:00.000-08:00

Sleeping on the Job.

(that's MY bed, by the way. How they all 3 managed to be in it that early in the morning, and me out of it, I do not recall. It was a few months ago)

I realize that blog hiatuses (what IS the plural of hiatus?) are lame. But this baby growing business is taxing and I'm not feeling much of anything interesting lately. We are all good, things are going well, I'll try to post pics of the kids for grandparents frequently. :)

See you soon.

2011-12-23T07:37:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!

wishing you and yours a merry and bright holiday season!

2011-12-15T16:11:00.000-08:00

Not Really A Tutorial...

My middle son asked for THIS for Christmas - a Venom, full zip, hoodie. It was only made in men's sizes, as far as we can tell, and it's been out of stock for years, as far as we can tell - but he saw it on someone and that was that. I told him we could not find one. The face crumpled.

and then I said it.

"Well, we could try to make one..."

oh boy.

So. I used McCalls pattern 6158 (don't tell him it's a girl pattern) because it has the thumb hole that the other sweater has. Anti-pill fleece was on sale, so I used that.

First, I made the template for the Spider front.

I laid it on the fold of the white fleece and cut it, then cut the fleece in half on the fold. Then I pinned it to the front of the sweater, leaving a little room for the seam.

I drew a shape for the mouth and cut out the tongue, then the little bitty annoying teeth.

I sewed those on to the lower part of the hood.

I had to fudge the instructions just a little - the hood is supposed to go on after the zipper but since this is a full-zip hoodie the zipper needed to go on later.
I also cut out eye holes and sewed a thick tulle in their place.

The instructions said to sew the zipper on to the front, right sides together. It was later turned to the inside, and a facing applied to the other side. The fleece was bulky for that - I would use a different fabric if I were to do this again (which, I won't).

You can see I managed to make the mouth uneven. Am I going to fix it, you ask?

hahahaha.

funny.

I DID have to add about 4 inches of width to the center back of the hood, narrowing at forehead and neck, so it would wrap around his face without suffocating him.

After sewing on the waistband and cuffs, the last step was to sew the spider leg shapes into the white front.
Ta Da! It's definitely not perfect, and I used the longest zipper I could find that was open on both ends - without using a 36 incher, you know. The zipper was still a couple of inches short and the zip ends right as the waistband starts. So it's open at the bottom.

Still, I'm fairly certain he's going to love it.

.....he'd better.

Update - he loves it. Success. :)

2011-12-12T10:57:00.000-08:00

The Evite dreaded by every crafter, ever.

Several weeks ago, I received an evite for a "Handmade Christmas Party" which was hosted by 4 ladies up in the Santa Clarita area. One of them I have known since college, and rarely get an opportunity to see. The invitation informed me that there would be lots of food and a White Elephant style gift exchange - with the catch being that the gift each person brought had to be handmade. By them.

Enter Stress. Enter dozens of ideas being thought up and then discarded as lame or "too easy". Then I thought - I've never made a purse. It would be fun to try to make a purse. And lots of late nights on Pinterest ensued. I bought a book; The Bag Making Bible, and figured I would make something smallish from the patterns inside.

The bag I ended up making is not small. It is a carry-on sized weekend bag. How could I not? It was the cutest one in the book! I spent one day cutting the fabrics and then fusing them to the interfacings - the outside fabric to a woven interfacing and the lining fabric to a wool/fleece interfacing.
There is an outside flat pocket with a magnetic snap closure. That snap was incredibly easy to install. I'm addicted.

A flat zip pocket on one side of the inside. This was one of the more difficult things to put in. My fabric didn't want to press flat so there was a lot of pinning to be done. I broke 3 needles on this project!

3 row pockets on the other side. The bottom is hard - made so by inserting a plastic grid base which I bought at JoAnns. (I got all of the materials there. I had wanted so badly to make it out of oilcloth but the fabric is just too darn expensive and as it was this was not a cheap project by any stretch of the imagination)

In the end, I get so say, "I made a bag!!" and I didn't even have any major catastrophes during the construction! I omitted the long shoulder strap because I did not like the way it was attached to the bag (looked lazy) AND I could not find a sliding strap ring to save my life.

I came home with something which I will say was definitely equally awesome. My children think I more than came home with the better deal! Behold:

3 giant pillows. You can guess who they are. :)

2011-11-29T18:29:00.000-08:00

A Kids' Thanksgiving

This year, Hannah and Tyler hosted Thanksgiving at their new diggs, and she set up an awesome table for the kids! There was playdough for everyone, and a game on each plate, and they could draw on the tablecloth with provided crayons. Also, props for the plates being big enough for foods to "not touch". :)

The Harveys were here for a week, as per usual; and I planned a few fun activities for the big kids to do while there was some down time. The most popular (although NOT the most successful - teach me to buy the most expensive plaster gauze thinking it will be the best - ) was mask making. The kids had tons of fun taking pictures of each other being "mummified".

2011-11-11T13:31:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday I had my 20 week ultrasound. We found out the sex of our little bean! Would you like to guess what we're having?

Just a few clues. :)

2011-11-11T13:17:00.000-08:00

Big, puffy pillows

My mother in law snagged some green fur from another lady in her building, and held on to it for me. She suggested some big pillows for the boys room (this was back in July) and I finally got around to it. They love them, of course - and I need to get another zipper so I can make one more.

They have a cow-skin rug in their room, so these pillows add some welcome softy-softness to a relatively hard floor.

2011-11-02T14:56:00.000-07:00

Death eaters trick-or-treat on trikes.

the bubbles were back again this year, and just as popular

the front walk
mr. death eater
mrs. death eater

2011-10-31T13:40:00.000-07:00

3 Dark Marks

10 acrylic nails

2 cans of black hair paint

1 tube of black and of white face paint

37 yards of polyester, suede cloth, gauze, tulle, chiffon, and lace

1 pair dementor hands

Death Eater, Harry Potter, Dementor

I'm going to do my best to get some pics tonight of just craig and I. We looked fairly awesome!
smallest one, of course, will not wear his mask or face paint; and will not keep his robes on for more than an hour.

2011-10-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

Finger Puppets, in progress.

A few months ago my 11 year old started talking about how he wanted to make some puppets similar to the Harry Potter Puppet Pals guys, only with Zelda characters. I said sure, we could do that. And then I forgot about it.

But then the other day he came to me with a drawing and also a bunch of felt that he had found in my stash, said he'd decided he wanted finger puppets instead, and asked me to get to work.

Just as I finished cutting out all of the pieces for Link, my 7 year old walked by and said, "Oh, are you making our Link puppets now?"

wait...

"our?"

As in, "I want my own set?"

yep. Of course. OF COURSE! duh, mom.

So I'm hand stitching TWO Link finger puppets. Then we move on to Princess Zelda herself. Then, I get to do 6 more Link characters (two each, mind you) in red, blue and purple. From some game called Four Swords. (4 swords, 4 costumes. Naturally)

And though I'm feeling all, "I'm such a nice mom" about the whole thing, it really is nice to be crafting again after a crazy long hiatus. The last thing I did was my comic con dress in July. ... just before I found out I was pregnant and started spending my days on the couch and bathroom floor. So yes, lots of reasons to be glad that is over!

2011-10-05T18:16:00.000-07:00

Keeping up with the neighbors.

The other day my kids asked me why we didn't have any Halloween decorations up, since our neighbor does. (her son and my middle son are attached at the hip). She, let it be known, has a LOT of decorations up.

We don't really have many, because of living the apartment life for so long.

Hence, a quick trip to Michaels to drop a few bucks. Happily, this fantastic wreath which I saw last month was there for half price, and I snagged it. Love that wreath!

Happy October!

2011-09-27T17:18:00.000-07:00

CSA

So no, this is not my CSA box, because I was mostly through organizing mine before I thought "oh, I should have taken a photo."

lame.

We got our first box this week from our new CSA folks (it's been just over a year since we've done it) and we got green beans, bok choy, basil, tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, potatoes, radishes, grapes, honey dew, squash, and eggplant (that last one is considered the devil by my dh, so we ever so kindly gave them to friends).

I am excited to 1) begin to actually learn what grows in what seasons, and eat appropriately, 2) eat fruits and veggies that I know are local and organic and 3) introduce my children to things they may not otherwise eat and find with them fun recipes to use.

I have already cut up the basket of cherry tomatoes and roasted them slowly with olive oil and salt. (smell. so. good.) They are in the fridge awaiting a tomato/basil/pasta dish that will be made this week!

And tonight - we make SALSA! yay!

2011-09-15T12:25:00.000-07:00

I don't think it's cravings, I think it's just that it's September and I love Autumn (I really insist that we change the rules of grammar so that the seasons get capitalized. Who's with me?!) so much - I cannot seem to think about ANYTHING ELSE right now...

And I keep reading blogs where people are so close to farms and orchards

( http://soulemama.com/ ; http://www.embers.typepad.com/ ) and I'm heinously jealous because our Pick Your Own farms here are a little bit pathetic and I haven't been blackberry picking since I left my hometown in 1997!

Anyway, Apple Pie.

Yes.

2011-09-07T15:44:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't it be nice if I updated my blog more often than once a month? Yeah, I think so too. However, it is difficult to

1) think of anything interesting or profound

2) craft anything fun or creative

When all you feel like doing is camping out in the bathroom with a towel on the floor in case you can't make it to the toilet in time.

Now, that isn't how it's BEEN, just how I've FELT. And thankfully, the sickness seems to be abating rapidly at this point. I'm still tired a lot, and I can't eat much. But I'm not clutching my stomach while I moan in bed any more so that's a plus!

My due date is April 4 - which means we're looking at around March 21 unless this baby is The Great Anomaly. We probably won't find out what it is (a baby!) until Thanksgiving.

So please put up with my absence for a couple more weeks! In the mean time, I thank Dream Dinners for allowing my family to be fed more than cereal and ice cream while I am busy with food aversions. Also my husband, who has stepped up to the plate while also teaching early morning Seminary classes at 5:50 a.m. He's the best.

2011-08-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

still decorating.

when we moved in, the plan was that Craig would paint a birch forest silhouette on this wall of our living room. Eight months later it was still not started, with no available weekend in sight. So I found some vinyl stencils online and approached him with the idea and voila! .... except then it took us another 4 months to actually Put Them Up. Now, a year after moving in, we have got it done!

I'm already looking forward to sticking paper ornaments on them at Christmas time... heh

2011-08-14T20:02:00.000-07:00

Eleven

Cards from family and teachers, cash, candy and balloons from neighbors, presents, ice cream cake, packages from friends far away. He had a pretty fabulous birthday! Middle school starts tomorrow. He's been put into the GATE core classes even though he is not in the program. Hopefully it will be a good fit and he will be happy and comfortable. Locker combinations have been memorized, school clothes have been picked out, backpacks stand at the ready.

Here goes nothing.

2011-08-06T09:31:00.000-07:00

Huntington Gardens: the Desert section looks like something out of an old Star Trek episode

2011-08-05T21:09:00.000-07:00

Summer

At the Auburn Farmer's Market, inexplicably, there was an emu..

While my niece visited, she and the boys got surfing lessons. They did great!

The Nucleus Gallery in Alhambra had a fantastic Harry Potter fan art display until August 1st.

We went to Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens a couple of times. Both times I managed to forget a change of clothes for Van...

This does not illustrate what my big huge growing almost grown up kid has been doing all summer, it just really seems to display how stinking old he is now... SIGH!
It's been hot. Lots of ice cream cones.

My 7 year old defied death and rode the high wire bike at the California Science Center. His older brother and I were so scared of the heights that we could hardly stand against the railing to watch him. He did great - considering he was 3 inches below the height requirement and had to convince the guy running it to let him try it. He couldn't reach the pedals at their furthest; so he had to kick them hard so they'd come back toward his other foot. Afterward, he was shaking with adrenaline but very proud of himself for doing it!
I used the remaining Dalek fabric from Comic Con to make a baby blanket for some friends who are expecting. It was a hit!

2011-07-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

More dress deets:

I used a (very easy) Vogue Pattern, #8615. The neckline is super wide, so I added a couple of inches to the front and the back (which has a fairly deep V) of the shoulder seams. That polka dot fabric is the lining I used - which showed through the red/orange of the dalek fabric more than I expected.

Polka-Daleks? Anyone? Hello?

The pattern also has a seam down the center front - so I cut the pattern as carefully as I could to make sure the yellow border was centered at the front and waist seams. You can see it's not perfect; thinner in some spots.
Purchased a crinoline at Unique Vintage, and all set!

2011-07-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

Comic Con Dress, 2011

So, WOW! I thought since this years dress was specific to ONE show, and not as general as the last one, I'd be less popular this year.

So wrong.

I fully counted how many people complimented my dress last time. Yeah, I'm not above that. This year, I stopped counting after the first 30 minutes. I was getting stopped for pictures so frequently I could hardly see straight!

The really horrible bad news though? I missed out on the panel that afternoon that had Matt Smith in it. *sigh* Destiny, interrupted.

Maybe next time. :)

2011-07-14T14:48:00.000-07:00

FABRIC ordered

PATTERN picked out

Friday begins the cutting! The hard part, is going to be matching that seam down the center front of the dress.... yikes! I'm planning on making it on the cream border between squares. Wish me luck!!

2011-07-14T07:57:00.000-07:00

The Middle Baby Sister got married on July 1. Which was a slightly surreal experience for me. They're always supposed to be little kids, you know. I'm so much older than all of them and they were 9, 8, and 2 when I got married.

sigh.

mom and dad

a family photo in which we are not all wearing halloween costumes!

awwww

2011-07-10T22:40:00.000-07:00

We're home from vacation! Hooray! I have a ton of photos to upload and entries to write, but let's start here shall we?

Neville Longbottom grew up and got handsome, folks.

2011-06-22T00:16:00.000-07:00

It feels like summer! Which I suppose is appropriate, this being the first official day and all. We hit the beach today, where one stayed in the water for hours,

And another got buried

Because he'd gotten so cold. (kid has NO body fat)

The last one stayed mostly in the sand, but would brave the waves if he was attached to me above the waist.

We tried out the Kidspace Museum, which had a trike track, and trails for the kids to run and explore - I don't think Van's ever run so much in his life. Or felt so much like one of the big boys.... to a fault in fact...

After much begging and pleading I consented to allowing quilts and comforters on the front lawn - and this is where I found my boys for most of the first week of summer break:

...and, a couple random pics of boy scouts! Phew. All caught up.

2011-06-09T20:03:00.000-07:00

Geekery

HERE is a pic of our *totally awesome* family last year at Halloween.

HERE is a new costume pattern this year from Simplicity!

It's catching like wildfire - in no way were we some of the first to jump on the wagon but I fell deeply for the styles and tinkery of Steam Punk so I'm very happy that it's catching some mainstream attention.

HERE and HERE are the fabrics I am considering for Comic Con this year. I'll make it up in a vintage 50's or 60's pattern, naturally. Do you have an opinion? Care to share it?

THIS is probably the pattern I'll use this year for Halloween - with a different headpiece. And I'll make the over-sleeves sheer. And THIS for Craig. I hope I don't have to figure out my own for the boys. Pattern drafting is one of those things I'd dearly love to take a class for!

2011-06-09T08:38:00.000-07:00

Summer window shopping

ran across a blogger the other day who makes moccasins by hand - I've been thinking about the need to find a more casual shoe and for slipons I like these tons better than loafers.

Free People: I love scarves, and this one is almost as necessary for summer as sunscreen, no?

Hooray that wide leg pants are coming back in! HOORAY!

Anthropologie:

Also, longer skirts. Not only are the maxi skirts back with a vengeance this year, but the knee length skirt is popping up more as well- so not everything is a micro mini anymore.

And there was much joy and rejoicing in the land.

2011-06-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

I grew up with the word "spinning" in my vocabulary. My mom started doing it when I was young, and while I am not very good at it, I also learned the craft during my growing up years.

However, much clarification is needed when I say something like that nowadays. Because the spinning I am referring to is this kind:

Today, for the first time, I went to a class at the YMCA of the other kind of spinning. The kind that involves going nowhere very, very fast.

I woke up at 5:30, which has been fairly normal for me lately, and headed in. I was excited and a little nervous. Craig didn't help things by mentioning last night that he thought spin instructers were supposed to be horrifyingly brutal.

I found a bike, and by watching the people around me I figured out how to put the handle bars on and adjust the seat. Then I noticed everyone changeing their shoes and realized that I had to move to a bike with shoe baskets on it - so I did, and set up all over again. The instructor was nice, and announced amid groans of dismay that this would be her last class and that the Y was looking for another 6 a.m instructor. Bummer!

The lights went out, the music went up, and off we went!

Five minutes into the class I knew I was in trouble.

No matter that last week I ran the better part of 13.1 miles. No matter that I have birthed 3 children without an epidural.

I knew I wouldn't even be able to stay on the bike for the next 50 minutes, much less pedal as fast as they were going or STAND UP as long as they were standing. The two ladies in front of me were superhuman. The middle aged men were making me look like a wet noodle.

Part way through the class, the instructor said, "You ladies who are new, and still getting used to the bike - if you're backs are starting to hurt... SUCK IT UP!" A few minutes later, I leaned back to look at Hannah two bikes over. I did the finger-guns-to-my-head. I tried to suck it up, but mostly, I sucked.

It is now 1:30 in the afternoon. My guts have felt like jelly all day, and I cannot sit comfortably on any surface. (How are we supposed to get used to those seats? Callouses?! Down THERE?!) The only points to my favor are these:

1. I did not cry

2. I did not throw up

I wanted to do both.

2011-06-01T07:21:00.000-07:00

It's OVER!

We crossed the finish line, and we even made it home without careening into another car. Which I have to say is rather impressive. Thanks to Hannah for driving!

Stumped around like I was crippled for the rest of Monday and most of yesterday; then dragged myself out of bed this morning to go to the YMCA and use the stationery bike a bit and back home for free weights. Can I just say that I hate exercising? It is really, really boring.

My middle bean got his yellow belt last night. (up from yellow-with-white-stripe) He is enjoying karate immensely, and he practices almost every day at home.

Tonight there are swim team tryouts for my oldest , and I get to try to get the others into swim lessons. Good times!

2011-05-28T23:22:00.000-07:00

Halloween has a tendency to sneak up on us (last year was pretty fabulous, though, I must say) so I convinced my kids to pick a theme early and they went with one that I've been trying to push through for YEARS.

Plus, they are making another movie of it - due out this fall(?). Can you guess?

Need a little help?

According to my dh, this story has been made into a movie about once a decade, since film began. I guess we love us some Musketeers. Time to start designing!

2011-05-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

There he is, just right of middle in the white shirt and black tie. They sang their hearts out for the program and sounded really good. There were bits of several Disney songs, a couple of classics, and they ended with "I will Survive".

The crew.

2011-05-16T20:31:00.000-07:00

Just some pictures.

2011-05-16T20:25:00.000-07:00

My cellist.

Doesn't he look excited?

So lessons have ended for the school year and we were surprised to find out that middle schools here don't do strings instruments. *sigh* So he can either choose a brass instrument or get private cello lessons...

In the meantime he is preparing to try out for swim team on June 1 and we have been going to the Y a couple of times a week in the wee hours of the morning to swim laps. I feel like I'm emanating chlorine, but I'm proud of his perseverance.

And I suppose the swimming is doing me good on the weight loss front. I've finally found a routine that I can stick to and an eating program that works for me. I've lost 9 lbs (woo. toss the confetti) and gained some muscle tone. 1/3 of the way there!

2011-05-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

All about the middle child:

The other day he was literally crawling all over his older brother, looking for attention, and was asked to leave him alone. So he went to his room to play. After a loooong silence, I asked said older brother to find him.

He couldn't at first.

Then he looked UNDER the bunk beds...

He used to do that when he was a toddler- the first time it took me several frantic minutes to find him. I guess he likes the secure feeling of tight spaces? *shudder*

We went to the Natural History Museum with Maxine and they have the butterfly pavilion open right now:

He wanted to stay there forever, accumulating butterflies.

2011-05-14T07:17:00.000-07:00

Somebody has a new favorite pastime. Usually he asks me to grab onto his shirt and swing him across as hard as I can.

The other week; the handle was too far for him to reach and he asked me to come over and push it to him. I told him to jump, and to grab on and swing across. Never did I think he'd actually try it - He did. And he ALMOST got it! It was great!

until his hands slipped and he fell flat on his back and cried and lectured me for the next three hours.

2011-05-04T19:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Star Wars Day!

May the 4th be with you...

2011-04-23T11:19:00.001-07:00

I didn't write this, but it's funny. And funny is important:

Random Thoughts of the Day

More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me.

Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.

Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

There is a great need for sarcasm font.

Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

Was learning cursive really necessary?

Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent an aggressive driver from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?

Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from; this shouldn't be a problem....

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren’t doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

When I meet a new person, I'm terrified of mentioning something they haven’t already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

I wonder if cops ever get annoyed at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

2011-04-17T21:46:00.000-07:00

We are very slowly introducing Van to the idea of potty training. The other day he asked me to put a diaper on his Buzz Lightyear - and then proceeded to give the toy a lecture on going potty in "the frog" (his little training toilet). In the end, Buzz was placed into the little potty, and left for several minutes, before being subjected to another lecture.

The moment Van lost interest, Fletch took the diaper off and tossed it out. He could not stand the disgrace! :)

2011-04-17T21:35:00.000-07:00

Craig's brother and family came down to visit and do the Disneyland thing last week. The boys LOVED seeing their cousins (this morning Van put on his fake cry when I told him they were gone).

In backwards order, we hit the beach! This happens to be the same beach we went to the last (and only other) time we went to Malibu instead of Ocean Park. The parking was crazy and it was very crowded, but the kids had a fabulous time.

It's all about the snacks.
Con pretty much didn't come out of the water the whole time, even though the waves were pathetic.
8 years in Los Angeles and this was the first time we hit Universal Studios! It was a mixed bag (hot day, lost sunglasses, the normal theme park issues) but in the end it was great and we're glad we did it.

2011-04-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

Just in case, Mom, you are still trying to imagine me with blonde hair. :)

In an attempt to motivate my weight loss, (no, I have not managed to lose any weight since that one magical week) I asked my 7 year old to snap a couple of "before" photos.

Then I saw them.

And I cried just a little.

(ha - ya right! NOT posting them! nice try tho)

I haven't had a full length mirror in the house for a few months, and it's a bad bad thing! I look great from the shoulders up! My bathroom mirror has been luring me into making more and more sweets.

Who was it that said a woman's best accessory is a full length mirror? Dior? It was somebody of that persuasion...

2011-04-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

I purchased this top at Anthropologie in the fall, and I love it. The fabric is very thin, so I can comfortably layer it and the long sleeves keep me warm when it's just slightly cool out.

But it got a hole, due to the mutliple washings and the delicacy of the fabric - right there on the right side, just a few inches from the hem - can you see it? Well, it felt very conspicuous to me and I decided I had to do something about it.

I dug through my "take to Goodwill" bag, and found a cream colored knit top that I cut up, and pinned to the top, covering the hole. My machine isn't awesome with knits, but it worked out just fine and looks great!

Feeling very crafty and productive lately - painted the hallway on a whim this morning. I guess I have the Spring bug!

2011-04-01T15:39:00.000-07:00

I would say, "Spring has sprung" but the last two days have felt decidedly more like summer, with temperatures in the 80's and 90's. We've got several blooms in our back yard right now, which makes me want to be out in it.

However, after just a few seconds, I end up retreating back into the air conditioned house. It is supposed to cool dramatically for the weekend and next week - maybe I'll get in some more gardening time then!

2011-03-31T09:21:00.000-07:00

After a wonderful breakfast with Hannah and Maxine, I had a leisurely day of chick flick watching and doing the necessary home things - then Maxine brought her family over for dinner - fish and bok choy en papillon, red potatoes with gruyere, spring salad, and THIS:

I made the dinner, she made the cake.

Then they taught us how to play Dominion, which was really fun. We had a very long and involved discussion on the beauties and ills of various card and board games last night. Lately we've been playing a lot of them with the big boys, and we all have a really good time with it.

2011-03-30T15:06:00.000-07:00

They say it's your birthday....

Well, okay, today is MY birthday, but last week was my baby's birthday. He is a sucker for stars, and doesn't really love cake, so we made sugar cookies for him.

also, I just discovered the Instagram app on the iPhone and I'm having a lot of fun with it!

Inside an old train at the train museum at Griffith park. Trains + Stars = Happy 2 year old!

2011-03-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

It is raining here. The winds are so strong and there is so much water pouring down - it is as if all the tears from Japan have finally made it across the ocean. Like they are telling their story, giving us their sorrows. I want to stretch my arms over the sea and wrap the suffering people in a warm and comforting hug. I want to wipe the tears from a dirty and downtrodden face and make everything better.

There are many, many ways to give. And it costs nothing to pray.

I logged on this afternoon to blog a funny story about one of my kids. The rain has just gotten to me today. It feels deeper than a "normal" rain. Melancholy and cleansing and just, soaking in. Soaking deep.

There have been so many catastrophes in recent years. Katrina, Haiti, now Japan. Troubles in Australia and China. Not to mention the war. And we haven't had enough time to heal one wound before another one is gaping open. I am so grateful for the people who have altered their lives to go to those places and make a difference at ground zero; to work with and among the people in need. My heart and my love go out to them. They are doing the Lord's work, and I know they are being blessed for it. I hope our prayers for them can lend them the strength and the help that they need to carry on. I hope that the money that is given for these causes is used to its full effect. If many people do a little bit to help, all together we can make a great change in the world.

2011-03-12T16:34:00.000-08:00

Week in Review:

1. Just got back from a 4 mile run. Normally we (Hannah and I) go in the early morning but today we hit mid-day and it was slightly brutal. By mile 3 I was wishing running had never been invented. I had to push the jogger because Craig had to be at work and my hands got all sticky when I had some juice drink...you get the picture.

Not helping was the knowledge that in just over two months' time, I plan on running 9 miles longer than I ran today; and some part of my brain is still trying to convince me that I'm going to enjoy the experience.

While I didn't have any particular aches or pains, I was walking like a newly born zombie when I got home so I made the decision to take an ice bath and make sure my legs got the TLC they needed.

Let me tell you, lowering myself into that frigid water was very nearly the hardest thing I have ever done! It is not unlike natural childbirth! I KID YOU NOT. Of course, the gasping horrifying pain only lasts a few minutes until you get used to it - where childbirth lasts considerably longer than that - but it is an eye-bugging few minutes.

2. A new thrift store opened up very near to my house recently and while the inside is largely uninspiring, there is a rack outside that says 99 cents on it and I've been itching to go through that rack and see if I can find anything to upcycle.

So I did. And, I did!

For myself, I found a great brown knit skirt that will be perfect for the warmer weather until I shed these pounds (damn the scale! I've gained back all 5 pounds I lost, PLUS TWO MORE!). And for the boys, I picked up 7 different tops and sweaters in various adult sizes, that I will take apart and make into two hoodies. Behold:

The orange and cream ones on top are the ones that will be the base - I've got them cut and pinned for re-sizing and then I'll be adding stripes and skulls and hoods with the fabric from the shirts along the bottom.

3. Maxine recently got a "cease and desist" order from me; referring to the twenty pounds I have gained since she moved back to the States. She, being a foodie, is really the perfect scapegoat. While I wash dishes, I daydream about lovely dresses and gothy designs and adventure/love stories. While she washes dishes, she daydreams about menus and food and shopping for food or kitchen utensils and parties (namely, the food that would be served at said party).

To be fair (I am always fair) I have always eaten a lot of sweets. But my propensity for having sweets in the house already, combined with her desire to bake things, has equaled a dirty bomb of jiggly proportions to my physique. The self control must be got!

However, on the flip side of this coin is the fact that she is also an amazing cook and very savvy with her food budget. So, I have gotten fat, but I have also learned to make some really yummy foods for dinner.

Like last weeks Bolognese. *eyes roll back into head*

And this weeks' homemade gnocchi! :

cooked and crumbled potatoes, flour, salt, egg (that's my photo - I was v proud of my potato mountain).

kneaded 4 minutes, makes a dough (my fingers had like an inch layer of goo on them), separate that into 8 sections, roll them, cut them, and make the fork shapey things:

Boil 2 minutes! voila! I used a recipe from Everyday Food - bacon and roasted tomatoes and garlic! parsley and fresh parmesan!

my family was all in heaven.

So, thanks Maxine! Thanks for daydreaming about food and food shopping and food things. A little bit of the good stuff is rubbing off on me!

2011-03-09T10:48:00.001-08:00

as a side note - while I have not been blogging a ton it is mostly because I have been spending hours, hours people, gazing at the crafty awesomeness that has been popping up for this year's "Celebrate the Boy".

here are some links:

enjoy!

2011-03-09T10:42:00.000-08:00

I don't often share recipes but this one, I could not not share.

(image via Taste of Home)

Maxine was talking for DAYS about this great bolognese sauce recipe and how wonderful it was and then she brought over some leftovers for lunch and I almost died, it was that good. Emeril uses cinnamon and nutmeg in his recipe and it's like eating Christmas Bolognese and it is so, so good.

You can find his recipe for it HERE. It takes some time, and has a lot of ingredients, but I tell you it is worth it! My oldest son raved (he is our resident spaghetti lover) and I was daydreaming about it for days afterward.

2011-03-05T11:00:00.000-08:00

Some of you might know these people:

they came to visit us the week after Christmas (late posting? guilty.) just before their Epic Disneyland Vacation. Our boys and their girls hadn't seen each other for three years, and they were so excited to reunite.

We took them to the train museum when it was discovered that the zoo was a mad house.

And, we discovered what happens when Craig tries to be the Fun Person for 6 children...

He was on the ground for at least 5 minutes, trying to "win", before we had mercy on him and called off the hounds.

2011-02-19T11:26:00.000-08:00

Catching up - some quick images from The Day He Turned 7

The cake - first layer of frosting, under the fondant

The banner was up all week

2011-02-19T11:22:00.000-08:00

I decided to be brave and do this thing that I have been wanting to do for some time now. Maxine's reaction when I asked what color I should try was REDNOBLACK! And my middle child had pretty much the same reaction. My oldest, and my husband, thought that green or blue would be fun. (really?)

so here it is:

it's taken me almost the whole week (I did it last Saturday) to not get a shock when I look in the mirror. The color doesn't stick super well to my hair, so it will require some upkeep, but it's really fun!

2011-02-13T18:13:00.000-08:00

Window shopping at ETSY

I've been wanting a hanging fruit basket for awhile now. This one is more than I'd want to spend but I LOVE how it is something practical made into art. I mean, really? Gorgeous. HERE

Have you ever seen a cuter plush toy? I declare, I have not. And, it's called "Yeti of the Night", even a cute name!- HERE.

I know they are not practical for a mother of small children (torn earlobe, anyone?) but I'm loving these super long feather earrings - HERE.

2011-02-13T18:00:00.000-08:00

and then he was SEVEN.

Last Sunday was the middlest child's birthday, and he wanted everything to be lego themed. This is the cake - not the best photo, it's from my phone, I'll have other's up later along with the awesomeness that is Diagon Alley. This here concoction was my first time using fondant.

1. fondant wasn't as hard to dye as I feared it would be

2. fondant wasn't as easy to use as I thought it would be

3. ding dongs are the perfect shape for making the lego connectors on sheet cake

We told the kid that he could go to the Lego store and pick anything he wanted for his birthday present. I figured he'd go for a Ninjago castle, or the Burrow. He went for Diagon Alley. I tried to talk him out of it. He thought and thought. In the end, it was, "Mom, this one just looks like the MOST. FUN."

I couldn't argue with that.

So far we have gotten Gringotts bank and Borkin and Burkes put together. Next is Ollivanders! I'm really feeling the pull to read the series again - - so good!

2011-02-06T19:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my family was headed out to the zoo in the morning and I stopped to slap on some lipstick and mascara before I ran out the door. My oldest son stopped to talk to me:

Him: Why are you doing that? It's not like you have a date or something.

Me: I do it to avoid looking like a hag, dear. You don't want people to walk by and think, "That poor boy, his mother is such a HAG" now do you?

Him: Well, putting on too much lipstick can have that same effect, you know.

I Turned around and grabbed his face and planted one big shiny pink one on his cheek. Teach him to share his opinions...

2011-02-03T06:23:00.001-08:00

Be of Good Cheer

I've found myself spiraling into negative thoughts a bit lately - not emotional, depressive-type thoughts; just "this is annoying, this is stupid, people suck, why can't everyone just do what I want them to do" negative thoughts. I was reminded of THIS TALK by Elder Holland that always leaves me breathless after reading it. His words ring so true and inspire me to pay more attention to my words and my attitude, and how they affect the people around me.

I'm thinking I should read it every day for the next however-long-it-takes-to-really-sink-in.

Also hey! According to my own scale I'm 4 lbs down since last Saturday! It's CRAZY how much less I eat when I am 1.) Paying attention to whether or not I'm really hungry 2.) writing down my points and thinking about the food I'm putting in my body and 3.) eating 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day.

Cheerfulness! Kind words! Readysetgo!

2011-01-29T09:37:00.000-08:00

This space is turning into a forum for my weight loss (or lack thereof) tracking and that's really not at all what I meant this blog to be but since it is my current main focus - there you go.

I knew I wasn't going to show any shed pounds this week since I ate out twice and made brownies once - but I wasn't exactly expecting to show a +1.6 pounds this morning at weigh in. ALAS! Once again, reinforcement on "exercise is very good for you, but if you want to drop the pounds you HAVE to change the way you eat." Okay, okay! I get it!

So I pulled out my Points Plus tracker and started listing for today what I ate, and calculated the points, etc. I know that if I pay attention to what is written down I will eat less, esp. since I am not so much as a hungry eater as a bored eater.

Keeping busy and active and eating less stuff and more fruits and veggies is the goal for this week. Maybe all that time spent being busy and not eating will lead to some actual craftyness, which is what this blog was supposed to be about when I started it years ago... ha! probably I can count on my hands how many posts are actually about craftyness....

Just means I'm well rounded, right? ( looking down at the spare tire around my middle, I think I can say that I am, quite literally.)

2011-01-22T10:00:00.000-08:00

So I went ahead and joined Weight Watchers, at the prompting of a friend who is also doing the program and likes the point tracking and the weekly accountability it offers for her motivation. That was a week ago, and the scale there said 153.8.

Today it said....... 153.2

I have to admit, while I know 1-2 pounds a week is healthy and normal, I was hoping for 2-3 pounds. I did increase my exercise by a TON, after all! Okay, maybe just a LOT.

I ran Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday. For about 30 mins each time with walking in between so as not to jack my knee up right off the bat. I did yoga twice, and my weight training workout once. All in all, about 3.5 hours, Plus I walked a few miles this week too, between going to parks and walking around town.

I changed my eating habits but not a ton. I did great Sat-Tues, and then Aunt Flo came to visit with a vengeance and I disintegrated into a hormonal chocolate and muffin consuming automaton.

One thing I did notice with some surprise was how FULL I was the days I ate well. When I add more healthy fiber and protein to my diet, I feel considerably more satisfied than when I am stuffing my face with things that get used up real quick. So with that, and my meager .6 lbs down, I suppose week one was not a total loss.

Also, on my measurements, I lost an inch at the hip - which could mean that I will lose my bum weight before my belly weight; or it could mean I was wearing thicker pants that day. :)

2011-01-13T13:49:00.000-08:00

Fashion Crisis!

I am currently obsessing over clothes and fashion and style - not style in general but style as in, my own personal. Likely the dominant reason for this is that I can not fit into most of my clothes right now but at the same time I do not want to go shopping for a size that I hope/am determined to be out of in the next couple of weeks.

Observe:

These next 3 photos are from the Garnet Hill online catalog. I discovered GH when we moved to Burbank and the lady who lived here before us did not forward her mail.

I love these items! Pretty! Feminine! Simple! Neutral! You notice that they are all gray/black? Yes, well, I have this love, in the blackest corner of my heart. For things like this:

Things sassy, and ruffley and dark and vintage looking.

This black bustle-skirt? I long for it! Yes I know it isn't practical or even in the realm of stay-at-home-mormon-mom but it calls to me!

However, I also have this other and very opposite urge in fashion:

The bohemian, peasant-y, colorful things that hale back to when my mom was in her 20's. (lucky dog, mom)

Speaking of Mom, if she's told me once, she's told me a thousand times that I should not be wearing black because it makes me look dead. My response is just to wear more makeup.

Anyway, back to my crisis. See, I used to have this Gunne Sax skirt, made from a pattern (by my mom, natch, when she was young) that I would wear on hippie day during tourney week - and I would wear it with a yellow vintage greenpeace t-shirt and that was possibly my favorite outfit that I ever wore those 4 years of fake-soap-opera-life we like to call High School. I wore it just once or twice.

Mostly I wore jeans and girly tops or a mens shirt. In college I wore the mens shirt with slacks more often - like this:

Here are a couple of...compromises? Both kinda goth-y and kinda bohemian? What do you think?

Nordstrom Free People Dress. This one I couldn't copy the image on. Go ahead, click over. I'll wait. Isn't that cute?

image.image.image.image.image.image.image.

And then there is the whole obsession with Anthropology which is definitely colorful and bohemian rather than dark and vintage.

You see? After all this - hours of looking online and talking it out - I'm still not closer to figuring out what the heck to do with my wardrobe. I don't WANT to do both - that is impractical and expensive. And I DO wand to have a "look" that defines my style.

Argh!

2011-01-10T22:08:00.000-08:00

Motivation.

2011-01-07T20:24:00.000-08:00

The Great Plan of Greatness

Okay. Here goes.

For some time now I have wanted to shed 10 or 15 pounds to get down to a more, svelt-ier me. And since we moved to Burbank in August, there has been a 10-15 pound change in my physique.

It was just in the wrong direction.

So now that 10 pounds has turned into almost 30 pounds and in my last post I announced my intention of running a 1/2M to try to fight the effects of my eating and laziness.

My eating: yeah it's a problem. Today for instance, I had a banana and cereal, 2 cups of hot cocoa, almost an entire container of toffee from Trader Joes, and a large bowl of mint chip ice cream. And then Round Table.

and, okay, today is not perhaps the best example of how I eat but frankly it's not far off and There are certainly days where it's even worse. The thing is, if I looked appropriate compared to how I eat, I would look a darn sight worse than I do. And this is where I get into the nitty gritty:

I weigh in currently at 151 lbs. I am 5' 6" tall.

My measurements are:

38 (nursing! woo!)

For reference, in high school in my very-slender-with-no-muscle-tone days I was 118 lbs and my measurements were 32, 25, 35.

I'm putting this all out there so I can make myself accountable and hopefully somewhat motivated here. While I don't look disgusting, and mostly just like a mom of 3 kids, according to a recent health magazine I read I am firmly in the "overweight" category, and pushing "obese".

Yep. That's what they said. *shrug* Either way, it means I need to be more fit. My own personal goals:

EDIT: According to the Weight Watcher's weight guide, I am at the very upper end of "healthy" weight for my height. Who to believe??

firm up those things that should not wiggle

destroy that extra cushy roll that shows up over my waistband whenever I sit down

get my waist measurement out of the 30's (okay honestly? I'd LOVE to hit 25 again...)

Here is the Plan - the 1/2M training has running done 3 or 4 times a week, cross training 1 or 2 days, and one rest day, and one stretch day. My cross training is going to be a combination of walking, yoga, and strength training. It's a pretty hefty regimen, but it's going to be necessary. Most of the links I see has "beginner" as someone who runs 20-25 miles per week. Starting as of now, I could run probably 15 miles a week if I pushed it.

sigh.

So please! Wish me luck and root me on, and send me nasty messages if I mention chocolate or ice cream!

2010-12-31T18:34:00.000-08:00

(Bill Watterson is a genius. Is there anyone alive on the face of the earth who does not love his work?)

SO.

I am a big fan of resolutions. Making resolutions is like making lists to me, and boy do I love making lists! Checking those things off my to-do list! Wooo! I've never been particularly good at accomplishing my resolutions, but that is probably because I have never broken my resolutions down to daily or weekly to-do lists to keep me motivated and keep me going.

Enter 2011. This is the year! (yes, I say that every year).

I have wanted to do a really good budget for a long time. I've done it! I've made a budget! It's all ready for being adhered to.

I have wanted to lose these 25 pounds that crept up on me. (giant sized candy bar by giant sized candy bar. You'd think I was trying to die of a heart attack). Well, I've got 2 friends committed to train for a 1/2 marathon in June! Woo! I'm sure I can do it - I just have to train really carefully and not jack up my knee again.

We're starting with the Couch-to-5K program for the first 8 weeks; and then a "beginners" training program that is 12 weeks long for the 1/2 marathon. Starting Monday! I'm excited!

Happy New Years to you all - may 2011 be the best year you have had so far!

2010-12-28T08:54:00.000-08:00

Sigh; Christmas is over and now the New Year is almost upon us. I'm sure I'll make resolutions, like I do every year. And like every year, this will be the year I actually accomplish them. Mm-hmm. For sure.

The boys all got bikes this year - we were appropriately ashamed that our 10 year old did not know how to ride a bike. Apartment living had ruined his youth. I was all prepared for a morning of gritted teeth and frustration as I helped him figure it out. On top of that we got him a BMX bike, which rides differently (read: more awkwardly). I knew I was in for it. As we headed outside I repeated a mantra to myself of calm and patience.

And then he hiked himself up onto the seat, kicked off, and rode the bike.

Without any help.

I was a little bit ashamed of myself, and my lack of faith in a kid who can ride a scooter and a two-wheeled skateboard without any problems. While he went in to change from slippers to sneakers, I hopped on the bike and tried it out.

And I almost fell over. More than once.

2010-12-17T14:03:00.000-08:00

These pictures are taken from my phone, sorry for the blur:

It's all one house.

They've been decorating since 1987.

I'll tell you one thing about Burbank; they do Christmas lights like I have never seen!

It kind of makes up for the lack of snow. Christmas Cheer!

2010-12-15T15:09:00.000-08:00

We got our Christmas Cheer on.

Advent calendar made by my Nana:

Stockings made by her, too.

Yummy smells in the house and on the door.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-13T13:26:00.000-08:00

The Christmas festivities are fully underway in our household this season and our kids are having a blast. They helped us plan our 12 Days of Christmas venture for this year (for those of you who don't know, a knock-and-run daily gift that goes from the 13th to the 24th, usually treats and small gifts) while making gingerbread houses last night.

Connor discovered his ability to make icicles by accident.

Fletcher's icing was thicker, and not icicle-tastic but he was happy to have the gummy characters in front. Mmmm, appetizing!

Our decorations are up and there are already a few gifts under the tree. We've been reading scriptures from the New Testament every night to try and keep the focus where it should be.

I do wish the weather would be, if not snowy, at least SEASONAL! Looking to be 85 degrees today! Autumn is going out with a flourish, I guess.

2010-12-10T09:38:00.000-08:00

So, we got a new bed....

HAHAHA! No, not that one! It's crazy, no? (found here) For several months Craig has been waking up kindof sore and achy and in the midst of reconciling himself to the idea of buying a new mattress (ours was 12 years old...) he ended up sleeping at a Marriott hotel in San Diego and declared that no other mattress would do for him!

However I could not reconcile myself to paying $1300 PLUS shipping from across the country to get a Marriott mattress. Happily, Costco carries a line that is similar (as far as I could tell - I'm sure Marriott would disagree) and it was on sale for nearly a third of the price (shipping included!)

My short story is getting long, and it's not even very interesting...

I ended up giving him his Christmas present early because he needs a good night's sleep, that man! Threw in some super-high thread count sheets, a down comforter and pillow, and Craig was all set for the best night's sleep ever last night.

Enter youngest son. Enter mild fever. Enter not sleeping in his own bed, and tossing and turning all night sniffling and coughing.

Yeah. You get the picture. Poor boys!

2010-12-06T22:06:00.000-08:00

Late posting much? Yeah, that's me. Hi. How have you been?

Thanksgiving was wonderful! Our dear friends came down from Seattle for a week and we had two other families over and there was way WAY too much food (and yet, insufficient pie leftovers...)

The menfolk did almost all of the cooking this year, as it turns out. Nan and I were not complaining!

Now that Craig has a tophat, he feels he must wear it upon occasion. It gives the moment that little extra something.

The big kids. Con and Elle have been friends since the dawn of time. Everyone jokes that they will get married some day. And my dapper little blonde man. He is suddenly growing so big!

2010-11-28T17:41:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a great family gathering on the 20th, and a wonderful gathering with friends here on the holiday. The Harveys are here visiting from Seattle until Tuesday! More pictures and posts to come soon!

2010-11-22T08:35:00.000-08:00

I took Fletch and Van to Travel Town museum on Thursday to celebrate Isaac's 3rd birthday. We hadn't been since Fletcher was about Van's age, so he really didn't remember it.

You can tell he's not very happy:

From the parking lot, Van saw all the big trains lined up and started pointing and saying, "Train, train, train, train!" and then once we started heading toward the entrance it was, "RUN! RUN! RUN!" He was so excited! They had two trains that could be climbed on and explored, and then we took the little mini-train ride around the park.
Good times had by all.

2010-11-12T13:42:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is 13 days away!

Last year we spatchcocked the turkey, using Martha Stewart's instructions. It was ideal for our situation - warmer weather and apartment living. The turkey cooked in half the time and we didn't have to keep our oven on so long it was too hot to stay inside for dinner!

This year we will probably do the same thing, even though we have more space. It was just so convenient and it tasted great. Maxine declares that the turkey must be brined, though, so brined it shall be.
Nan will make her traditional crescent rolls. She will make a quadruple batch so that we have enough for 4 families to snack on, have with dinner, and take for leftovers.

And there will be pie. Lots of pie! Pumpkin, apple, chocolate cream! And we're going to sneak in a pumpkin cheesecake just because.

Also this year I am going to make Pioneer Woman's recipe for green bean casserole. We tried her sweet potatoes last year and almost died from happiness, so I'm pretty sure we can't go wrong with her casserole. Plus, I'm the only one who really has to have the stuff on the menu, so I may as well experiment and see if I can't get any more followers, eh?

We'll have 8 adults (with a possible 10) and 7 children. We are hoping for mild weather so we can put the tables in the back yard and eat outside. I'd love to hear some fun and easy kid craft ideas! We have ages from 1 to 10....

2010-11-08T14:44:00.001-08:00

World Map Quilt

Craig gave me all of Saturday "off" to do whatever I wanted! Yay! After heading out for some shopping and lunch with Hannah, I came home and kicked them all out so I could finally work on my world map quilt that I have been wanting to make for several months now.

First, I laid the map out on my water fabric to make sure it would fit properly:

Then, I cut out each individual continent (I'm adding small islands- like Taiwan, Iceland, Tasmania - later) and placed it on the water fabric, and pinned it down.

I cut out the fabric in the continent shape, slid my "land color" fabric underneath, and pinned them together.

I will reverse applique them to the quilt, going around each continent two or three times with my thread.

This part is coming together faster than I thought it would - it's really exciting!

2010-11-06T00:27:00.000-07:00

I have a ten year old.

I have had a ten year old for nearly three months now and still, every time I say that sentence to myself I go "Huh....nawwwww". Because can it really possibly be true? Double digits? More than halfway to adulthood? I declare it impossible.

I mean, he still can't eat anything without getting evidence of it all over his face. Every day after school I tell him what he had for lunch. He droops his shoulders and makes this frown/smile and says, "sorry Mom" as I laugh and tousle his hair.

He spends 90% of his time living in his head. His imagination colors his perception heavily. There is consistently, (and unconsciously I suspect) a soundtrack sneaking out of his lungs to whatever thing is going on in his head. It's heavy on special effects sounds and anime-style drama. Oh, that anime. He loves it.

And, it must be someone else's kid who already has to wear deoderant and use anti-acne face wash. Right? Someone else's kid whose feet are bigger than mine and who is as tall as my chin. I noticed the other day that the little baby face hairs above his lip are starting to darken.

I am so proud of him. So proud I can hardly stand it, actually. This school year he has suddenly decided that he wants to work hard on reports and tests all on his own. He hasn't gotten a grade less than 95% all year. (man I hope he keeps that up)

Every single adult who meets him ends up seeking me out to tell me how nice he is, and how sweet, and how impressed they are.

And every single day I wonder if I'm giving him the right opportunities and advice, teaching him the right skills. I wonder what he will end up doing for a profession, where he will live and if it will be close to us, or far away. We are far away from our own parents, so it's not like we've set a precedence of "don't EVER leave" here. Well, there's one mistake. Maybe if I just tie him to a tether in the back yard? He'll be happy there for the next 30 years, right?

2010-11-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

Last halloween pix post - some random shots Maxine took at the DreamWorks party:

2010-11-01T11:18:00.000-07:00

There were several people who asked us what we were for Halloween. Which was kind of hard to answer because the Steam punk subculture doesn't have any characters - it's just a fun (read: totally awesome) way to dress up and tinker around.

Here's Connor's step by step:

Started the same way as his brother: white shirt (had to resize - I did so many alterations this year!), knickers (women's size 6 slacks. Don't tell him), and trouser socks and black shoes.

Added a vest (which I already had) embellished with more gears, and the tan silk scarf.

The hat and jacket we purchased at It's a Wrap, that tv/movie store. We got the black camera case at a yard sale, and craig added a lantern and one of the antiqued nerf guns.

The goggles were purchased from the surplus store (you can also get them on amazon.com), and the loupe was from amazon. (that is the magnifier attachment) Craig removed the rubber head strap and replaced it with a leather one he had me cut out and sew on. Then he added a buckle to it from one of his own messenger bags, and painted the goggles with the copper rub.

He looked fantastic.

2010-11-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

I may have decided that petticoats and corsets are no longer on my list of Things That Should Come Back in Style, but can I just say that I wish I could dress my boys in these clothes every day? So stinkin' cute.

Fletcher's costume was put together as follows:

White dress shirt, knickers, trouser socks, and black church shoes. To make the knickers, I bought a pair of women's size 0 corduroy pants (the thrift store did not have any slacks in my boys' sizes, of course) and took in the sides and back to make the waist smaller. Then I cut them off just below the knee and put elastic in the seam allowance.

Add a silk scarf and vest. The scarf we got at a store here that has clothes from T.V. and movie sets. The jacket was another thrift store find - a women's linen jacket. I cut off the collar and sleeves, and took in the sides. The gears were from a package that I purchased at Michael's.

The helmet is one we had (it's actually a Harry Potter quidditch helmet). We got the vintage WWII goggles from the surplus store and the corduroy blazer from the thrift store (again, I had to size it down).
Craig put together the jet pack from items he got from the surplus store, yard sales, and things we had laying around in the garage. We wanted to have smoke coming out of the top via dry ice, but we were unable to find any. Still, it was a really great look. The clear tube on the pack has a flameless candle in it, and it looked great in the dusk.

2010-10-31T11:28:00.000-07:00

I made a bustle for my costume using a tutorial I found online. 25 feet of plastic coated wire, and a couple hours of grunting (that wire is HARD to bend!) later:

It is very difficult to sit in a car with a bustle. One may or may not be able to buckle one's seatbelt.

We went to the DreamWorks trick-or-treat party on Friday at lunchtime, and then the Trunk-or-Treat at the church last night. We were wildly popular, and only partly because of our fabulous costumes. (oh yes, I DO say so myself)

Craig found a bubble machine that fills the bubbles with fog so whenever the bubbles pop you get this little puff ... we had a mob of kids and parents around our car the whole night, popping the bubbles and asking "where did you get that" "how does it do that?".

Oh yes, it's good to be king.

2010-10-29T00:22:00.000-07:00

This week:

Sewed 2 baptismal dresses, and shipped them to Montana.

Changed 2 pair ladies slacks from the thrift store into breeches for my kids.

Altered a ladies jacket into a vest.

Sewed leather straps onto 2 pair of goggles, and made a holster for a nerf gun.

Altered a skirt to fit over my bustle.

Built a bustle.

Sewed a collar and bows onto a Lucy from Peanuts costume.

Sewed dozens of gears and buttons onto vests and jackets.

Constructed a miniature top hat.

Never went to bed before 1 a.m.

Made pumpkin cheesecake.

That last item on the list made all the other items no big deal.

I'll post pictures of it all after the trick-or-treating at DreamWorks tomorrow. We all got to go see the screening of MegaMind today and it was good. Very funny, and the boys loved it. There was some romance though, which disgusted Fletcher.

Right now, it's 12:30 in the morning and my 1 year old is wide awake (having happed from 7-10 pm, nice) and watching Bob the Builder.

again.

2010-10-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

Craig convinced the boys to do a Steampunk theme this year for Halloween. Of course, this makes tons of work for him:

Taking apart nerf guns and painting, and rubbing, and sanding; and building a jet pack (dry ice compartment included) for Fletch.

Here are two of the nerf guns transformed. I think they look fantastic and the boys are so excited they can barely contain themselves.

He rocks my world, he does.

2010-10-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

My 10 year old is murder on book covers, apparently. When he asked if I would make him some new ones, I asked if he'd prefer I sew them so they'd be guaranteed to last all year, rather than 5 more weeks. He was thrilled, and picked this fabric for his American History book.

It's padded and quilted (I sewed around a few of the stars) and he loves it. "It's a great pillow for when I get sleepy in class Mom!"

He was joking.

I think.

2010-10-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

See? That's the rain. On my welcome mat. Because of lack of gutters. My welcome mat is totally thrashed now. Poor thing.

But we do love the rain!

2010-10-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

got the sheers up in the dining room in time for our housewarming a couple of weeks ago. I love the blue tablecloth with the black/white/grey room. And I'm becoming a little addicted to having roses in the house.

Yesterday and today have been rainy and cold and just wonderful! I've had Christmas carols playing in the car and banana bread and cookies baking at home (thank heaven for neighbors and friends who eat them all for me).

Just one teensy drawback to the rain - we have NO GUTTERS on the house! If you want to visit me in the rain, you have to walk underneath a waterfall to get through the front door!

2010-10-02T23:04:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

I was thinking the other day about how horrible it is that you can't eat yogurt, because I finally like the stuff after 30 odd years and this particular brand is very very scrumptious-albeit-expensive.

And I was feeling like I was really awesome for not eating ice cream anymore because I was having this instead:

Well I did a little light reading the other day and this lovely honey yogurt has 47% of my daily saturated fat intake. So I can eat this, and salad. All day. And that's it. 0_0

I got a new haircut the other week. I love it. Don't worry, it's not dreadlocks. Dreads would be too hot in this crazy weather.

hi mom!

Also, my baby is still incredibly cute. See? Can you believe it hasn't even been 3 months since we visited you? It feels like half a year. I miss you.

Love, Kristie

2010-09-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

This giant sign is hanging randomly on a fence between our house and Connor's school. I don't know who put it up or why, but I think it kind of....rules.

Rosebushes, I have them:

I think i have 4 different types of roses out back. They are lovely.

and I painted the door red! We also have got up our house numbers, big black ones that we put vertically down the wall on the left side of the door. It looks great!

2010-09-29T14:19:00.000-07:00

snagged some photos from Maxine yesterday. I had to show you the fruit salad. I should include the recipe but I don't have it. If Maxine is in a good mood, maybe she'll put the recipe in the comments. :)

And a better view of the decorations, guests, and my backside.

2010-09-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

The "theme" if we can really say we had one for the baby shower, was "going places". I made a couple of banners with black and white photos of babies and of places around the world. I was real happy with how they turned out.

hobo bags full of m&m's were the party favors, and the awesome spread was, as I said, the brainchild of Maxine. She brought the best fruit salad I have ever had (a lime/mint sauce! so good!) and her homemade cranberry orange scones were to die for.

the cupcakes were from a box mix (i do not apologize) and the frosting was "the best frosting i've ever had" from Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen website.

2010-09-28T08:43:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I hosted a baby shower for Hannah. I had some super-cute decor ideas but needed help with planning the food. Enter Maxine.

She made me make a quiche, which I had not done before. It was divine! And fun to make! And even my pie crust turned out well and also kindof pretty! The cosmos aligned!

The first layer was sour cream, with bell pepper and spinach and garlic and green onion.

Then crumbled bacon.

Twenty pounds of shredded cheese.

And the egg-and-spice mixture on top.

If only I wasn't the only person in my family who would eat it! Then I could make it every. single. morning.

2010-09-08T07:31:00.000-07:00

we're still getting curtains, but the stripes in the dining room are lovely and I'm glad I took the time to paint them:

I still need to get an extension cord for my sewing machines, and curtains for the window (oh, those curtains!) (and maybe some organizing)

found a perfect spot for my mini teapots! And now i need more! :)

the fabric/book shelf in our room is all put together, and mostly-sort-of organized.

we're starting to feel like grown ups. finally!

2010-09-02T13:56:00.000-07:00

Domestic Bliss.

Finally, the hammock from Brazil that has been living in a closet or a box for the past 13 years has a home. And 4 boys who love it. Poor Daddy - the kids usurp it every time he thinks he's going to "get away for a bit".

It must be a guy thing? Because I just get bored...

2010-09-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who recently moved across the country with 3 kids. And I have another who recently moved to a different country with 4 kids. And I do not know how they managed; because moving to a nearby city with 3 kids was quite the experience!

We slept in the back yard in a tent while we were painting. The boys loved it. They wanted to do it every day until the end of time.

And now that we're all (mostly. kindof) settled in, they have adjusted to the new location and new schools (more on THAT later) and more space.

During the two weeks before the move, my good friend Robin and my neighbor and friend Maxine took turns taking my kids and feeding them and keeping them sane.

Connor was out in the sun too much one day and started peeling - if you look closely you can see his skin is peeling off in a heart shape between his shoulder blades. heh.

Once I convinced him he wasn't dying of some weird disease, he thought it was pretty funny.

They stayed up late and played with random things left behind from the last tennant. Hopefully we didn't keep anyone awake.

It was tough at times, and we all stressed out a little bit, but we're back to normal now and everyone is happy.

especially mommy.

2010-09-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

Nobody kept a straight face while I was taking pictures during the move. Which means now they get to see their goofy mugs on my blog. Ha!

This is Ty. He really likes peeling tape.

He isn't as fond of putting ON the tape,

painting our house,

for two days in a row...

and helping assemble our bookshelves.

But he did it anyway.

Thanks!

(also, credit to Hannah for coming over with an air mattress (she's on bedrest) and hanging out while I taped, taped, cleaned, and taped the whole week before). You guys rock.

2010-09-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

This is a few weeks late, I know. This move kinda kicked our butts for the first little while. But we're settling in!

We painted the house on the Friday/Saturday before we moved in. And we learned that there are a few key things to have on hand when painting an entire house in a day and a half:

1. junk food. mostly to keep the kids occupied. go ahead and judge! it saved us!

2. Friends who show up unexpectedly and then drop all their plans for the rest of the day to keep on painting until it's all finished.

3. Did you know that there are two Round Table Pizzas in Burbank? TWO! You don't want to know how much money we spent there in August. My parents would be horrified.

4. This little guy insisted on helping. And being nursed every hour or so, just in case I had thought about weaning him too hard.

5. Did I mention good friends?
Thanks Nick and Kamy!

2010-08-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

The Paint:

Red: door; Olive green: Master bed; white and greys, living room, dining room, and craft room; Browns, boys room.

gettin' ready!

2010-08-04T10:34:00.000-07:00

we have a lot of painting to do.

because,

no.

2010-07-31T08:44:00.000-07:00

Notes on a Week.

because our current place has tons of closet storage, we have been hanging most of our clothes and using plastic bins for the stuff we can't hang. The house does not have much closet storage at all - so it was time to look for some real furniture.

found this on craigslist for a really nice price. am in love.

somebody is obsessed with wearing shoes.

all. the. time.

however, clothing is optional.
the apartment has towers growing in it now. against this wall and that, in nooks and crannies.

he knows what to do with 'em!

2010-07-26T13:19:00.000-07:00

"There she is, set for stun!"

"wait, where'd my gun go?"

Yep, it's Comic Con time again! And again I had to send Craig without me. Alas. Next year for sure, right? Separation anxiety can't last for more than a year, right?

right?

daddy brought home tons of loot as usual. Van got a Man Called Jayne hat.

Fletch got a zipper mouth stuffed animal.

Comics, of course.
Pokemon, of course.
I also scored a Dr. Who shirt. Lucky girl that I am.

may have found a house near craig's new workplace. hope it works out. fingers crossed.

2010-07-25T08:55:00.001-07:00

2010-07-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

so, Craig got a new job.

Starts pretty soon, gotta move before the school year starts up in 5 weeks. It's all suddenly crazy around here.

But good. Good crazy.

Mostly.

2010-07-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

1. I do not like tomatoes. I do not like them, Sam I Am! I never have.

2. I keep getting tomatoes with our CSA produce box. I cannot waste them!

3. My friend/neighbor is a peach and shows me awesome things to do with tomatoes. So I can eat them.

These were cherry tomatoes. I cut them all in half, and put them on a sprayed baking sheet with aluminum foil on it.

Then I added a tiny bit of olive oil (i put it on each one with a dropper. probably you don't have to be as anal as all that). And added a tiny bit of salt.

And roasted them for 3 hours on 250. And they taste divine. And I am making sausage and tomato and basil pasta for dinner tonight.

Yay!

2010-07-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

ah, peace.

i'm ready to go back now.

2010-07-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

The best thing about being on vacation up in the forest is that the kids just love it. Everything is exciting to them. Grandpa teaches them how to identify different trees, they see more animals in one day than in an entire year down here in the city, and they can pretend that Pokemon are behind every boulder and in every tree.

Also, the boys got to see Elle for the first time in several months. There was much joy and rejoicing. And water gun fights.

Van discovered the beauty of throwing rocks into the lake. He sat there at Grandpa's feet for EVER, and I had to keep replenishing his little rock pile. If it ran out, he would sit and grunt at me in increasing urgency until I did as I was told.

(dad doesn't always carry a gun, that was just in case of bears and stuff)

I bought the boys some authentic sheriff and marshall star badges at the Weaverville Motel, where my sister works, and they had a few days of fun with Aunt Jacquie pretending to capture each other and collect bounties and put people in jail. Ah, the good old days!

The sun has finally come out in L.A., so we might be taking some summer pictures here pretty soon - now that we can play outside without shivering!

2010-07-11T22:48:00.000-07:00

While we were on vacation Craig spent a few harrowing days helping a company clean out his mom's house. While he was there, they ended up finding many, many photos. Photos that we had never seen. I had never seen a photo of Craig before the age of 5; and only one fuzzy photo of his father, ever (he died when Craig was 9).

So it was a big deal. I spent hours taking pictures of the pictures with my digital camera. And guess what?

My baby:

My husband:

RIGHT?