One of Those Days

Its been "one of those days".  Don't you just hate seeing a sick baby?   Little B is sick and needed mommy to hold her all day long, that wasn't the bad part.  That actually was the best part!  Little B has really never been a snuggler, so any time she wants a little mommy time is a great time for me!

By noon she really was not well, and of course I got worried.  I called the Dr. office to see if I could bring her in.  They were closed for lunch til 2:00.  UGH!  Right at 2:00 I called back.  They said I got the last appointment.  It was at the Power Ranch location at 4:30.  Double UGH... Do I pack a lunch and head out now?  Do I wait and fight rush hour traffic?  Well, the GPS said it was only 17.4 miles away, but I knew better.  I used to drive to that same corner ever day for work when I worked at Andreasen Chiropractic (if you actually clicked on the link, YUP, I'm famous!  That is me sitting at the front desk in the commercial)  I knew this was going to be a long night.  We left at 4 and I was 15 min late for my apt.  It didn't matter though.  I waited for an hour in the waiting room, and that was before they called me back to the room where we got to wait some more. Its all good though.  Little B was tested for Strep and RSV, good news both were negative! The doc just said its a cold a bad cold, just keep an eye on her.

Anyway, thankfully I put dinner in the crock-pot earlier so at least dinner would be waiting for me.

I am quite certain I am the only one who does this, but in between cuddles and hugs I changed out the laundry and the stuff from the dryer is now on my sofa... and not even layed out nicely so it won't wrinkle.  Yes, there are 4 loads of laundry all piled up there, just waiting for the new magical attachment to your washing machine (i am inventing while I type this) that not only folds your laundry it puts it away too!  Actually I was informed today by a good friend that I must be an amateur if there were only four loads on the sofa.

How soon can I start teaching Little B to fold clothes?  Actually, I'm thinking if she could learn to fold laundry and take the dishes out of the dishwasher my life would be pretty easy.

Here's a little something to remind you that I like keepin' it real!

Yup, its 11:30 at night and its still right there where I left it.  Sorry its so blurry, but it was dark



Can't Wait To Try

Isn't this little guy too cute!  What a great neighbor gift or how fun would he be nestled in a wreath?  Want to see the full tutorial go here

I have a million ideas running around in my hot little head about this one here!  I see a birthday crown for the princess who will come and help celebrate Little Bs birthday this May.  Go here for this GREAT tutorial

So Cool!!!

This last weekend I went to the coolest swap meet EVER.  My folks have been wintering in the middle of the desert for the past 5 years Quartzsite, AZ to be exact, and every January vendors from all over come and set up shop.  The hubs and I have made it tradition to go and visit the folks and spend a day checking out the goods.  We walked up and down isle after isle and barely saw maybe 1/8 of the vendors, probably less than that.  At one point we got in our car and drove a few blocks to check out a different part of it.

Every year we share a $9.00 Indian Taco.  Have you ever wondered why those things taste better at a carnival or vendor fair? 

This was the coolest thing I saw this year, and because I am so cheap and really don't have a place to put something like this I took a picture.  I immedatley thought of this person who has been collecting license plates from around the US.  If you don't know her blog, you gotta check out 320 Sycamore.  You won't be disapointed!

What cool things have you found at a swap meet?

Ribbons, Flowers and Bows

Easy bow holder  I have been making these for baby showers lately and they have been a huge hit at the parties.  This one is easy.  Are you ready?

Items Needed:
Large Wooden Initial Letter. I get mine at Michael's and use a 40% off coupon
2 (or 4) equal lengths of 1 to 2 inch ribbon I like the grosgrain
Coordinating craft paint
and one coordinating piece of scrapbook paper optional

 

 

 

 

If you will be NOT be covering the letter with paper you will paint the entire front and sides of the letter and let dry.  If you will be using paper you still have to paint the sides of the letter for a more finished look.

For adding the paper- This can be done one of two ways.
The first way is: Lay the paper down with the wrong side facing up.  Lay the letter down on the paper and trace around the letter.  - Cut the letter out and using some sort of decoupage medium - I use Mod Podge, or make my own if I'm out by mixing equal parts of water and school glue i.e. Elmers glue. This works the same only it is not acid free, so if you plan on keeping your bow holder forEVER use the Mod Podge.

I ALWAYS paint the wood first with the decoupage then adhere the paper and if needed gently pull back the edges and reapply more decoupage.  You can paint the top side of the paper if you choose, I don't particularly like that glossy look, - even when using the matte finish it still has a sheen to it, in my opinion. Also, the paper tends to bubble up on me when do the top. 
Now, let the paper completley dry.  After its dry take a sanding block or some cheap dollar store emeryboards and file the paper around the letter making the two ONE. 

The second way is:  If you are using a patternd paper that you want a certain part to show on the letter I have just put the decoupage on the wood and placed the entire sheet of paper over the letter being sure to line up where you want the pattern.  I let it dry then cut most of the paper around the letter and then take my sanding block and finish it that way. You may need to adhere more decoupage along the edges.

After everything is dry go ahead and start embelishing.  This is a great way to use up some of those ribbon scraps you have laying around. 

Now, sew or staple your two pieces of ribbon together at one edge and glue to the wooden letter on the back side.  You can see I have two tails of ribbons hanging down from these letters.  I made an "O" one and only used one tail.  This will be your choice.  I wasn't sure if the hot glue would hold the ribbon with all the bows, but The "R" one shown was the first one I made and it is still holding up strong for 2 years.

I'd love to see if you make your own bow holder, Have fun!  I can't wait to show you what I made to hold all of Little Bs headbands.  Stay tuned!

Baby Skirts

I love to sew for Little B.  I love the satisfaction I get when I create something that nobody else has.  I love that seeing her wear it makes her want to dance and twirl!

This is two pieces of fabric sewn together, the bottom piece is twice as long as the top, only gathered before sewing the two together.  I have the exact measurements in my sewing notebook, but I am too lazy to jump up and get it for you.   I folded over the top piece just enough for a piece of elastic for the waistband, and just serge a rolled hem and wa la!  This is what I do because I can't afford a whole yard of the spendy trendy fabric.  I buy the least amount of inches I need for each portion.  These skirts only cost $2.00 a piece to make.  WOO HOO!

Only problem is my table always ends up looking like this for about a week when I get a sewing project out. Oh how I long for my very own sewing/scrapbook room!

A confession.  I made these skirts the end of last summer.  But it truly is still that beautiful here in Arizona!  And yes, Little B wears sandals in January.  Its AZ, you can do that!

Valentines Deco & Disney on Ice

 Who doesn't love a good Valentine!  I was tired of tossing out all of these drink containers about 2 per week with the milk - Little B is lactose intolerant and the Lactaid milk is all she can drink.  It gets pretty pricey!  I keep my eye out for coupons.  I just knew I could make something with them.  Here's what I came up with.

I folded the top down into itself and taped it down with regular old packing tape.

Then taped two of them together like this

   

Then I wrapped the whole thing with some plain white wrapping paper and then started cutting with my Cricut Expressions and embellished the heck out of it.  I feel like it is still in need of something else, maybe some ribbon.  I'll work on it some more and let you know what I did.  I had so much fun decorating it, this totally took me back to grade school and makeing Valentine boxes out of cereal and oatmeal boxes.  What decorations have you made this year?  I absolutley loved this one

Little B and I went to see Disney on Ice and had a BLAST!  I don't think I have ever seen Little B get so excited!  It was almost as magical as being on Main Street Disneyland during a parade!

$8.00 Off and a Happy Birthday

I love me a great coupon!  And I love ALL things Disney!  Secretariat will be released on Tuesday click here for your $8.00 off coupon for the DVD and Blu-Ray combo pack

Happy Birthday Mom and Dad!  Moms was on the 9th and Dads is today.  Dad, we hope that your day is filled with all of the things you love!  Fishing, Karaoke, Music Jams, All the Mexican Food you can eat and NO poultry!  We are happy that we will get to see you both tonight and spend the day with you tomorrow!  We love you!