School Projects and Blessings

Last week in the midst of the chaos with Hubby I had the usual to keep me busy as well as Goosie's last minute extra credit school project. I quickly looked up information on salt dough and slime (the original poster calls it flubber, but it is slime to me).  After finding a usable map and printing it out. Goosie and I set about the task of making her project. Her other classmates had weeks to put theirs together, we had days.. and a family crisis to boot. All in all it didn't turn out too badly.

Goosie did the shaping, carving, painting and separating the state into various regions. I mixed the dough, assisted with the slime, provided dash marks for carving and hot glue gun work for the mountains. Now Goosie has another project. This one she will get to explode in class. Not really blow it up, just watch the teacher make her volcano erupt. I never did any of these projects in school. The closest I came to something of this caliber was when I made a "cell" cake. Even then it was a bust. I had insisted on making it from scratch and used too much salt.. ugh. Back on track.. I am thankful God gave me a creative mind. I am just sad it took so long to find it sometimes. Goosie is making wonderful headway on the volcano. Her teacher sent home a dough recipe and although I had to use more food coloring then I would have liked, Goosie is excited. We started with a shoe box, lined it with foil and made sure the seams were taped down. Then I had Goosie look up images of volcanoes so that she would have an idea of what she wanted hers to look like. She drew a picture, we made more salt dough and after finding a bottle for the interior she sculpted her volcano. The remaining salt dough was used to line the shoe box so that Goosie can create a scene.  While all of that dough is drying she is helping me make tree's.  They start as q-tips and the first set look like palm trees, the next ever greens and the third will be bushes. Ninety tree's in all, then the dinosaurs will show up. We need all the trees because the dinosaurs are all herbivorous. Here are the steps to making the tree's. 

Goosie has painted the q-tips and cut the feathers. I have done the measuring, cutting and hot gluing of rest. I found some  green garland for the evergreen tree's and will work on those with her today. We have enough paint and slime left from her last project that I didn't need to make anymore. I promise to post a picture, but it may be a while in coming since we have the rest of October to work on it. 

     Miniman and Bubbles are staying busy with salt dough, paint, paper and just about anything else they can get their hands on, while Goosie and I are working. Hubby helps when he is home. It can get a little overwhelming sometimes. Goosie and I have started singing together when we work on her project. I will pull out my personal song book and teach her a tune or two while we work. I have come top understand why my Mom would always let me take the melody when she and I would sing together. There is a joy that can be found when you hear your little one lift up their voice to praise The Maker of Heaven and Earth. I want so badly to quiet myself, just to listen to her clear small voice ring out through the house. Only chiming in when she needs help with the tune or misplaces a word. My children are a gift, a blessing from the Lord and I will not forget. Nor will I forget that He gave me a helpmate who see's me as just that, a helpmate. Until next time dear readers, Be Blessed!

Pinterest

 I have been on a Pinterest kick lately. If I can find some thing on the site that tickles my fancy I pin it. I have pinned a lot. I also have made a deal with myself that I wont pin something unless I am willing to try it. Here are a few I have tried:

Source: lemontreecreations.blogspot.com via Doris on Pinterest

And this one:

Source: indulgy.com via Doris on Pinterest

This one:

Source: whattopin.com via Doris on Pinterest

This one:

Source: purlbee.com via Doris on Pinterest

And those are just the crafty ones! I have also tried some recipes:

This one is soo good!

Source: bookcooking.net via Doris on Pinterest

So is this one:

Source: chiquitabananas.com via Doris on Pinterest

This one too:

Source: tasteofhome.com via Doris on Pinterest

This one was a bit dry..

Source: theshadyporch.blogspot.com via Doris on Pinterest

I make this one a lot:

Source: saving-makes-cents.com via Doris on Pinterest

There are so many more! And so much you can do! I am addicted and have to set a timer to remind myself when to get off. I am thankful that I am trying as many things as I can as far as my pins. It is always good to try something new. After all a mind like a parachute is of it's best use when it is open. Until next time dear readers.. Be Blessed!

What I have been up to (a picture post)

My creative side has taken over recently and along with some of the things I have done I thought it would be interesting to show you how my creative side has developed.Not everything I have made is here as I have given some things away and others are tucked away for safe keeping. So here are a few pictures.

First Baby quilt made 2003

Goosie's 1st quilt made 2004

For my sister V started 2003

Miniman's 1st quilt made 2004

Bubble's 1st quilt made 2008

One for my nephew R made 2009

Hubby's quilt made 2009

I made her dress(2011) and the shrug(2012)..her favorite things

A small carry all bag(2011).. I use it for my knitting

A cross the body purse(2011)

The girls Easter dresses this year(2012)

Who says you can't re-purpose jeans with torn knees..(2012)

Knitted shrugs for the girls Easter dresses(2012)

And there is more to come. I made a wrap dress for myself that I just need to put finishing touches on. There are some other adorable dresses I plan on making for Easter and I found a pattern to make Hubby and Miniman matching ties!! I am so excited! My hands don't hurt as much sine I got the cortizone shot about a month ago. I know I will still need surgery at some point but for now my hands feel amazing! I will try to post pictures of things as I finish them. Until next time dear readers.. Be blessed!

Valentines Day... A Patriot Story

I started working on a quilt again today. I got all the pieces out.. laid them according to the 5year old pattern in my head. And I will finish it. It is time. This quilt has been a process for me. It has it's own story.. so I will share. When I was pregnant with Miniman, Hubby found out that a very close friend of his was killed by an IED in Iraq. Today (Valentines Day) marks the 6th year of his ultimate departure. Hubby took the news hard, and contacted his friends now War Widow (WW) with sadness and condolences. Hubby also requested that Miniman be named after his friend. After hearing how much this man (DS) ment to Hubby I couldn't refuse. You see DS was the kind of man men wanted to be around because he had integrity. Sure he was also a giant of a man, but he was also one of the greatest you would ever want to meet. I never had the privilege to meet DS, I have yet to meet his WW. But I think of them often. I pray for WW and their children. I am so thankful that Hubby had DS in his life. Hubby once told me that DS taught him all he ever wanted to know about being a solider, a father, a husband, a man and then some. Truly.. the world has one less living hero.. and America has one more sacrificial patriot.

Five years ago I sent WW an email requesting her favorite pictures of DS and their family. I didn't tell her why I wanted them.. just that I was interested in making something for her. I printed them out and then copied them onto transfer paper. I then ironed the pictures onto fabric and designed a lap size quilt. I can honestly say that I have had to put the pieces away more then once (hence the 5 yrs)  because instead of thinking about the pattern and the finished work. I thought about DS and WW. Neither one whom I had met, but whom both had such a major impact on Hubby, and our marriage. My heart would go out to WW (it still does) and I wouldn't be able to work on the quilt for very long. I still think about WW, I keep track of her on FB. Her children are growing and thriving. It has been a long hard road.. but she has traveled it with grace and elegance. Sure she would say that she has just done what she has had to do.. what DS would have wanted her to do. WW is a hero to me. I haven't met her yet, but she is one of the smartest, sassiest, straight forward people I have come in contact with. I am grateful for her. I am sad for her loss and the suffering she and her children have and will endure, so I pray for them.. and if you have read this far I ask that you pray for them too. I am not one to mention names and I will not do so now.. just be confidant in the knowledge that God already knows who is on your mind and heart. Just taking a moment to acknowledge someone else's need.. Valentines Day is a wonderful day to remember those we love and whom also love us.. but let us not forget the ultimate love of the sacrificial patriots. If not for them.. where would our freedoms be? Happy Valentines Day dear readers and until next time.. be blessed.

Miniman's New Blanket

As with many of my projects this one also started with a sketch. It's a rough draft and things have already been added in my head that aren't on the paper, but for the most part. This is the beginning of another blanket. Miniman has grown out of his baby blanket and although he still uses it nightly when he goes to sleep. I thought it was about time for him to have a new one. This time he chose the fabric and I am just piecing it all together. This blanket isn't really going to be a quilt. Quilting is the process of sewing three layers of fabric together. This blanket will only be two layers as I would like him to be able to use it in the summer as well as the winter. It is a rather fun blanket, and although my eyes are still adjusting to some of the fabric choices, it is enjoyable.




These are the fabrics. Miniman chose them. Race cars are every where and I noticed last night as I was piecing them together that the colors are almost the same as the flags for a NASCAR race. In racing you have different flags that mean different things. The green means go, red means stop, black means consult the officials and of course the checkered flag signals the end of the race. The orange in the background will be the backing of the pieced blanket. So there is much work still to be done. However if I am left to my sewing for about three hours I can get about 5 rows done and that is about 1/4 of the pieced top.





Here is what three hours of sewing will do for me. I was able to just sit and sew and with the ability to do that I can finish a blanket in no time. There is a good amount of tedious work that goes into piecing a blanket. Measuring, cutting, sewing, ironing, trimming, more sewing. It is not a fly by night project and the less free time I have the more labor intensive my hobbies seem to become. I will be the first to tell you that you can accomplish all that you want in one day, you just have to prioritize and learn time management. So here is the work in progress, I would like to have it completed by the time Miniman's new bed gets here this coming weekend. I will post again soon! Be Blessed dear readers!

My latest project is complete.. well almost!

About two or three days after my surgery I went to my friend J's house. I couldn't watch the kids that soon outside of surgery and Hubby needed to go into work for a few hours. While at J's house, she was having a garage sale. I looked around, but I must admit not as closely as I should have. After seeing a woman leave with some antique quilt tops, I went looking again. I was able to get my hands on the only one she left behind. It was in bad condition. There were seams that were completely missing, fabric worn through in many places and honestly if it weren't sold it would have probably been scrapped. I paid a whole dollar for it and could not wait to get this forgotten piece home.

I started working on the quilt top immediately. My first thought was to replace all the missing or torn fabric. But then, my brain really started kicking in and I thought about all the history behind the piece. I will never know the original creator, but I decided to keep the piece's integrity intact. So out came the embroidery hoop, floss and needle. I cross stitched all the broken seams, patched holes in some of the fabric and generally just tried to make the piece whole again.

I knew I wanted to use this topper around the house, but wasn't sure in what capacity. I just wanted it to be as soft on the underside as it was on the top side. At first I thought to finish it as a quilt and even bought an old blanket to use as the batting. But after much thought I decided I wanted a light weight blanket that I could use any time of the year and a thick quilt would just not do. So a trip to my own linen closet was in order. Hubby had a sheet set from before we met and the elastic of the fitted sheet was shot. I still use the pillow cases, but the sheet set had been sitting in the closet for almost a year. The top sheet was nicely crocheted and I really liked it so I thought I would just use it and tack the quilt top onto it for a nice light weight blanket.

All of the stitching is done by hand and yes, I even sewed on the buttons. My Mom says that it looks like a duvet cover, I just think it looks wonderful! It took about a month from start to finish, but as of last night at 11:20 the blanket is complete. There are still some areas that need to be patched, but they are larger and will require button holes instead of massive amounts of embroidery floss. It was a lot of work finishing this blanket and to me it is priceless.

Apparently most of the material used is from flour sacs, shirts, dresses and probably even a petticoat or two. The top was pieced at the end of the 1800's beginning of the 1900's and sewn not by had but by one of those old sewing machines that were powered by the speed of your foot and not electricity. I admire it so. Hubby is pleased with it also and I must admit that refurbishing a blanket is much more then I thought it would be and not something I will take lightly again. But enough telling you about it, I am sure you want to see it, right??

I didn't take this picture until after I completed the blanket, but you can see why I was attracted to the original quilt top.

This is part of the finished blanket. It is very large. I am sure it was intended first for a full size bed. However I think it will fit a queen. You can see why one would think duvet cover.

This is a closer look at the top of the finished blanket. The button's are interestingly enough from the 1950's! I am so glad that I was able to work on this beautiful blanket. Mom even showed me some new sewing techniques!! Just remember a creative mind is an open one and you never know what treasure could be brought to your attention, if you just take the time to look around.

Until next time dear readers, be blessed!

Paisley Quilt part 3

Here is the first paisley quilt before I cut out all the pieces. I tried to find colors in the paisley fabric that would really pop once I pulled them out and made the rest of the quilt with them.

I was super excited about the quilt and couldn't wait to get it all cut out so I could piece it together and start quilting.

These are all the pieces I needed to start the quilt. I wasn't able to get them put them together right away but I was still so happy that I was able to get them all cut out.

Here it is.. I have it all pieced together and have started quilting it. I must say that I had my sister N's baby quilt finished by this time.. I have just had so much other things going on. That being said it is 1/3 of the way quilted. I think it looks good, and I can't wait to get it finished so I can start on the second paisley quilt!

Just Some Stuff

I have decided that my life is a lot like my pantry. It gets cluttered, messy and sometimes there are forgotten items that I find after their "good till" date. It is funny, with three kids at times my pantry is the cleanest part of the house. With the exception of spilled uncooked spaghetti noodles. I remember in High School someone saying that I was controlled chaos. Looking back I think they were right, and it looks like the chaos has taken over and the control has been lost.
Hubby has been working a lot lately. We maybe get to see him one full day a week, otherwise he is working from before dawn till past dusk. I feel like a single mom. I know that I am not and that if he were deploy able it would be much harder. I still just don't like knowing that he is missing out on so much because the mission comes first. Where does the review and revision take place? If a goal has already been reached, why work them as hard as if it hasn't. I am trying very hard to not complain about his work, I just hope it will become better.
Hubby and I have decided to take the 40 day love dare. We watched the movie Fireproof, and were able to find the love dare books at a good price. Hubby and I have a good working relationship, we don't argue and have never brought up divorce. We have been together for 7 years this summer. I still can't seem to get enough of him and when I hear other women complain that if their Hubbies are home for too long they get on their nerves. I just cant seem to get enough of him and hate it when he has to go to work. I want him to stay home with me all the time.. and I know he wouldn't mind it either.
Goosie is doing well. School is her favorite and she throws a fit when it isn't a school day. Miniman is still entranced with his cars, he is always playing with them and usually falls asleep with at least one in his hand. Bubbles is crawling and cruising. I think she will start walking any day now, she tries so hard and can balance herself for a few seconds. She is still toothless so I am still breastfeeding. I wonder what she will do on her first birthday, as that is usually when I start the weaning process. I guess we will have to see.
I have been working on the paisley quilts and am not getting them finished as fast as I would like. But they take time and it is better to do it right the first time then worry about it falling apart later. Other then that there isn't much going on. I have decided that my sanity can handle three and no more. That is right, if Hubby told me he was going to go and get clipped tomorrow I would ask him if he wanted me to pick him up. I am kinda sad and kinda not, it is a mixed bag of nuts as they say. Well enough from me for the night. I know I haven't written in a while, what can I say time gets away from me faster then a jack rabbit in the woods. And at times I am slower then molasses in the winter! Until next time!

Paisley Quilt (part 2)

So the brainstorming doesn't take long. I was able to sketch up this diagram of what I want the quilt to look like. The main colors in Goosie's quilt are the paisley and pink, outlined with purple, framed with teal and the backing will also be purple. I need a total of 84 6" squares to make her quilt. I will need another 84 6" squares to make mine. The main colors are light pink and paisley, outlined in chocolate brown,framed in purple the backing will also be chocolate brown.. Both quilts should be the size of the one I made for my sister N's new baby. I am excited and hope I can wait until Friday to go to the fabric store here in town to find the coordinating fabrics. What can I say I think I have once again caught the quilting bug!!

Pasiley Quilt (part one)

So all of my quilts have a story, this new quilt starts something like this.. I found this fabric about a month ago and at first wanted to use it in my sisters new baby's quilt. It turns out she is having a boy so I made a cute cowboy quilt for her. I was thinking I would use this to make myself a quilt since I have yet to do that, but now my Goosie wants a blanket from it. And I have a feeling that if I were to make my self a quilt from it, she would claim it anyway.
Did I mention how much I like this fabric. There are few times when a quilter can find fabric that they feel they really connect with. It's like finding the perfect truffle or ice cream. It really depends on the taste of the quilter. The colors in the fabric are vibrant and I want to bring as many of the muted colors out as I can. I was also thinking that I want to do something a little different with the paisley quilt like actually fallow a pattern this time instead of drawing one out on notebook paper, eyeballing the measurements and not pinning a thing. Yea, I don't think I am the average quilter. I thought it would be nice to let others see my creative process. It all starts with the fabric.. Now I just have to find the rest!

Quilts I have made..

This is Miniman's Quilt, it still fits him, but I know I am going to have to make him a new one soon,

This is a close up of a current quilt I am working on for my sister N's bab that is due in April.

Here is the full image. It is the biggest one I have made so far, but I wanted it to last the little guy for a while. I hope you like it N!

This is Bubble's quilt. I made it for her in a week.

This is the quilt unfinished. I had it laid out to pin so I could start quilting it. Hubby and the kids left me alone, so I was able to piece it together in a day.