Updates

I have no idea what to write. So I have started this post praying that the Lord will just take over my brain, my typing hands, and the words will just flow. But I am anticipating random musings and ramblings, yet that would mean I am not believing God for a very poignant post.

I have been in such a writing slump. For no apparent reason. I guess it is because life is sometimes normal and mundane. So let's try a list. Lists are a balm to my soul. They create order and order is my bliss. Perhaps if I do a list, something extraordinary will come of it. Or I will just be able to update you on life happenings in my household. My last post outside of my weekly TTT post was my Halloween bag. So let's go in order...

Halloween: Boy did I have some grumpy girls. They were not thrilled with a boiling hot Halloween in costume. Or that we were a volunteer trunk and candy hander outers for our church trunk or treat. But I am sure you would appreciate a visual of my girlies in costume. A Strawberry Fairy and Princess Aurora...

We Got Our Power Turned Off: By mistake. Oooohhhh...I was hot! Fortunately, not in body temperature. It was 72 degrees that day. I was just plain mad. This is the second time this happened. And in this little rental we have, the power guy actually has to open our back fence gate to come to the power box to turn it off. Sometimes the city workers have to come check the meter thingy and the first time I almost bit the guy's head off coming onto the patio. This time, I thought that was happening again and greeted him cheerfully since our window was open on such a cool day. Scared the guy silly. We laughed together. Hee hee ho ho ha ha. Then I hear the TV pop off. I tell Cati to turn it back on and she said it wasn't working. I thought she was referring to the sub par Disney DVD from the library where other mothers apparently let their children scratch them up and leave mystery, sticky food particles on them. Then I realize the house is eerily quiet. It is 10:30 in the AM and my power is off. That little deceiver! OK, he was just doing his job but I soooo wanted to kill the messenger. I run outside and he speeds off. But HA! Our street dead ends and he would have to turn around and come back. So I waited like a predator for his prey. OK. Not really. I waited like the panicky mommy I was because ya kinda need power to cook stuff, blog stuff, watch stuff, wash clothes and stuff...you know. So he turned around and I say,

"Why did you turn off our power?" Nothing more angry or better came to mind.

"I had a service order for your house. You need to call and work it out."

"But we paid our bill last week...on time too! Maybe you meant to do the neighbors and got the wrong one." There. Now I was getting a groove. He made a mistake. Of course.

Then he says my husbands name. Uh oh. He had the right house.

So I call hubby who got right on the phone with the power company and they said there was a glitch in the system and it would be turned on within the hour.

Um, no.

Try EIGHT HOURS LATER! They came at 6:30 that evening. I had to take the girls out for pizza just to feed them. Oh well. But I was ready to have a power company tech head on a stick.

Ella took 6 steps! That was the great thing about that night. Ella walked on her own for the first time and she keeps trying. Woo Hoo! She is 15 months and I am ready for her to be toddling around here. She will be more destructive and busy but I find it so much easier when they can walk. Call me weird.

That is all my exciting news. Just wanted to let you know I am pretty out of it with a writer's block but perhaps this was still a nice update. Hopefully this will jump start me out of my little, bloggy hiatus.

Two Tips Tuesday

Tip #1: Name Basket

This one may be super obvious to most of you but it took me some time to grasp this one. I have seen it on those organization shows, magazine articles, blah, blah. But I never really saw a need to use a basket to contain clutter. If it has a place to go, put it there. And lookey there...no need for the basket. Ah, but my arrogance turned to humility when...yes...

Kids.

They are not the organized little robots I thought I would train them to be. No, no they are mini cyclones of chaos that disturb my peaceful order. If there is order, I feel peace. I so need help.

But for now I came up with designated baskets to contain the clutter. I still have a specific place for EVERYTHING so the basket helps contain it before it gets there. As I try to clean up around here, I take Cati's basket and grab her shoes, dress up clothes, books, stuffed animals, odds and ends and throw it all together in the basket. Usually I do this at nap time when they won't undo what I just cleaned. Then, when they wake up, I put it all back. Cati is getting great at doing this herself so that helps too. She puts away her laundry and toys from the basket and gets excited she helped Mommy. Everyone wins.

Tip #2: Inspiration Notebook

Yes, another organization tip. I have to confess I like magazines. A lot. If they had bible verses throughout them, I think I would retain scripture in a miraculous way. I also think magazine ads would be cleaner too but perhaps that can wait for another "post on my soapbox."

Magazines could very possibly take over my house if I am not careful. So I try to purge of them every once and awhile. I go through them and take out the articles I love. Stuff like web sites, home decorating, tips, recipes, you name it. Then I put them in page protectors and stick them in a binder categorized by topic.

OK. After typing that I realized I am a geek. I am a bona fide, organizational, freak, geek.

But I reap so many benefits so I shall pass on this tip to you so you can do the same. Come and find your inner geek with me. It'll be fun.

Enjoy your Tuesday.

Halloween Treat Bags

A girl just has to accessorize. Need the bag, the shoes, the jewels. It is just the delightful experience of being a girl. So I believe that Halloween should not be any different and when you have a costume, the bag is a MAJOR PART OF THE OUTFIT! You get goodies and treats in it for crying out loud. People give them to you on purpose and willingly! So I believe the bag should always make a statement.

For the last 3 Halloween's I have made a bag for Cati. The first year she was this adorable little strawberry fairy equipped with a headband stem and little booties. Beyond cute.

I made that strawberry treat bag to match the outfit. I used felt because...well, I love it. Plus it is really cheap, sturdy, and and easy to work with.

This is the bag up close. I used tiny little white pom poms for the seeds and hot glued sparkly green pipe cleaners over the handles. I also incorporated them to make fun little curly vines.
I am so excited that Ella will be wearing this costume this year. She is not so cooperative with head wear so we shall see how the evening will go.

My girls look so little in this pic! Last year, Cati was a UNC Cheerleader. My husband and both his parents are UNC Chapel Hill grads so they are Tar Heel crazy! So we decided to be a UNC family. Ella was wearing a onesie that said, "This IS My Costume!" She was 3 months and I was not worried about her having a costume. She did wear a Carolina sweater, though. :)


I also made her bag out of felt and foam sheets. Seriously, it is one night! Why worry about the fancy bag, you ask? Because I love it. It is fun to do and she looks like the cutie patootie she is.

One side of the bag and Ella's arm. I love the little Tar Heel on the bottom.

Other side of the bag. This bag got totally trashed because Cati dragged it on the ground when it got full of candy.

Here is this year's bag. Cati is Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty). I was seriously ready to not make one this year but I found this pretty fabric sample in a clearance bin at Joann's for $2. I bought a few yards of pink felt (she was very specific of what color pink she wanted) and gold ribbon and had no idea what I was going to do because the fabric sample was small. This is what I ended up with and added flowers all along the sides. It ended up super pretty and you can't really tell it is felt since I overlayed the other fabric on top.

I am sure I will have more pics of Halloween later. Until then...

Do You Know Etsy?

I bet if you gleaned any amount of enjoyment from a kindergarten project of gluing macaroni to a paper plate attached to a popsicle stick...you know Etsy.

This is a webby place no creative person should go unless you are prepared to adhere yourself to your chair and prepare to be inspired. A place that if hubby knows I am visiting, he turns off the light and goes to the bed to the sound of my oohing and ahhing over the ridiculously creative people there are in this world. How I love Etsy.

Not crafty or handy? That is OK. Because if you have an appreciation for beautiful, mind boggling, gorgeous things, this is a place to buy things that crafty, creative people make and sell. It really is an Internet vacation for me.

And here is something kinda scary for me to admit...

I so want to have an Etsy store.

This makes me incredibly vulnerable. I really do not think I can even compare to these magnificent, fabulous, creative people that are turning out such inspired things. But I also think if I don't try I will regret it. So I thought I would start here with all my friends that come to visit me occasionally. Would you mind letting me know what you think? I really want to know if this is worth even a half of a grain of salt to pursue and I know you will be sweet. Right? Kid gloves, people. I am so nervous.

OK. It all started a few weeks ago when my bible study asked for a volunteer to do "Life in a Bag." It is kind of like a grown-up show and tell where you put things in a bag that represent who you are and your life. Like pics of the fam, hobbies, etc. Tonight is my night so I decided to put something in there to represent my crafty side. Then I figured I would go one better and make something for all the lovely, sweet as pie ladies in the group. So I decided to make book marks since I have done it before, it was fun and easy, and it seemed appropriate for a bible study.

I absolutely love fabric so this was a lot of fun to make them a little treat with their initial on it. It is so much better than a paper book mark because it will last longer. They turned out so cute and I am really hoping the ladies like them. This photo is to show both the front and back and I made each one unique.

After doing these, inspiration came to me and I thought some really cute, applique looking ones would turn out nice with fabric on one side and a simple design on the other. I mean, it is only a book mark. I have a gazillion ideas so I started playing around with these just to get a visual.

I am pretty bummed that the pics don't show the detail as well. The flower one on the left has a pink button in the middle and a green stem stitched down to the bottom. It's hard to see. The bird as a little green bead for the eye and the fabric wing is cut with pinking shears. I smile whenever I look at the long bird legs.

These are so cute with inspiration from Pottery Barn Kids. I love the tree one which I did a spin off of the Brooke Bedding and the flower was an inspiration from a nightlight on sale.

Had to make a coffee one. I would take the stuff in an IV if I could. The steam is my favorite detail.

Not sure how I am feeling about these ribbon ones. I am totally digging the preppy one on the right. The one on the left is kinda crazy looking. But if I put more thought into the colors and design, it might end up cute.


So I was just wondering what you thought. Do you think they are sellable? I have more ideas than just book marks but just wanted your thoughts on my designs so far.

Be gentle.

Two Tips Tuesday

Tip #1: Spill Proof Your Dining Room Chairs

I had no idea that kids would be this messy. I mean, REALLY messy. Ella loves to just take her food and squeeze it until it oozes out both ends of her chubby fists and then will shake her hands until she has flung it all over the walls. Ugh. For a neat freak like me, it is a daily surrender to trust that this too shall pass. Meanwhile, my chairs have taken a beating with two kids. A few years ago I got a crazy steal on this cute dining table that I negotiated down to $60! I planned on distressing it but that plan is still in the works. And I grabbed these chairs at a yard sale for a steal and yep...you guessed it...still waiting for me to work my magic. When I found the chairs, I got green fabric in different patterns to cover the six chairs. Did I think ahead to the future? NO! I had 3 month old Cati at the time and did not foresee the destructiveness that they can descend upon cute, non-stain resistant fabric. I was not in practicality mode. Practicality does not factor in with fabulous style for me. Until now.

So I am at Joann Fabrics, my Beacon of Creative Light. Love the place. My crafty self could spend all day there and still not have spent enough time there. Anyway. They had a great sale going and they had reams of vinyl marked down 50% after already being on clearance. Does this scare you about my choice of material? Now hang on. I had asked around and got opinions on putting vinyl on my chairs. All were very credible but I decided to go for it. (Yes, most were negative). I found it in the luscious chocolaty brown (I love when people describe things with words like that and I love even more that this moment called for it) and I got 2 yards of it for $6.

It even kinda looks like leather right? Well, that is what BFF Kelly said and again, BFF Kelly always says the right thing. Especially when I have to admit to putting vinyl on my dining chairs. Love her.

The chairs turned out pretty cute and cleaning them is a dream now. You just wipe it and go. I am so much happier even though they are not as pretty anymore. The only negative? When you sit down on them they sound like the soft toilet seat my grandparents had when I was younger. As I kid, I kinda like it. Always soft. Never cold. And it makes that satisfying little FSSSHHHHHHHHHH noise. And there is something just funny about that. And I have no problem having hilarious but easy to clean chairs.

Tip #2: Pretty Bookmark

Well, it was not my wisest choice but I bought these cute little hair clips for Cati at the $1 Tree. I know. But they were cute! And that is about all they are...cute. They hold no hair at all. But look at this? They make an adorable little bookmark! See? I am always thinking even though hair accessories on the cheap may not be the best way to use my noggin. I am a work in progress, friends.

Happy Tuesday!

Two Tips Tuesday

TIP #1 Lamp Enhancements

First off, cleaning lampshades can be a pain. Use a lint roller to remove dust, pet hair, and other fuzzy things to clean it up. It works great and does not damage your shade. Just be careful with shades made of natural fibers because you don't want it to pill.

Try putting a few drops of essential oil or fragrance oil to your light bulb. The heat will help emit the fragrance.

I always love seeing how people embellish a lampshade! There are too many possibilities to consider!

• Glue pretty flowers all over and girl it up!
• Add ribbon trim to the top and bottom. (You can even add beads to hang down and secure it with the ribbon. Ya know...bling up your shade).
• Monogram a set of lampshades in your bedroom by purchasing or making fabric letters and adhering them with spray adhesive.
• You can actually paint a basic paper lampshade.

What are your ideas?

TIP #2 Protect Recipe Cards

It took me forever to figure this one out. I have many a stain on my favorite recipes and they start to tear or fade over time. This preserves them and if something spills you can just wipe it off.
Buy some contact paper and place all those recipe cards you have written down, cut out of magazines, or printed from the Internet between two sheets of the contact paper. Leave about a 1/2 inch around the edge. This is also a nice way to give a copy of a recipe when requested.

Happy Tuesday Friends!

Our Annual Fall Photo!

Well here is our 2009 visit to the pumpkin patch. I was so excited this year because it was actually chilly outside. And so excited that we totally played hooky from church and went while it was still cool outside in the morning. The girls and I actually wore long sleeves and...drum roll please...hubby wore jeans, not shorts. Will wonders never cease?

Great pic.

Ah yes. Ella is a rather serious child. Often funny but toally dead pans for pictures.

Daddy & his girls.

The shirts are too cute and were given to them from my mother-in-law. Since we shall pass on a heritage of geekiness, Brandon and I dressed to match. So fun.

Me & the girls.

Cati and I discussing this white pumpkin at length. Must have been photo worthy.

Cate & Ella.

One of the only pics with them both looking. Total miracle.

Cati & a teeny weeny pumpkin.

Ella and some big pumpkins.

Ella and me.

Now I am off to post these same pictures on facebook because that is just what you do when you write a blog and social network.