Is there anything cuter than those gorgeous freckles and that big toothless grin? I don’t think so, I could just eat this boy up. Our seven year old boy had two loose front teeth, but his permanent tooth wasn’t quite patient enough (like his big brother, his tooth that is), so we ended up having to get them pulled before toothy chaos occurred. He did a great job, and it wasn’t bad at all as they were already really loose, but now he is adjusting to talking with a big hole where teeth used to be. I don’t know about you, but my kids always look younger when they loose those two teeth, perhaps it is one last chance to see them looking so young and precious before they suddenly start turning into young men.
family • Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 • 2 Comments »
This is one of my go-to gift giving gifts. They are fun and easy to make and hugely practical. This is the tutorial I used. I modified a few things. I added a bit extra for the height of the pockets as some of the tea bags I use are a bit taller and I was having a few problems with them sticking out the top. Oh, and I didn’t use interfacing either, and I think it ended up thick enough, but if you were using really thin fabrics, you would probably want to add it. And lastly, I used one of the girl’s hair elastics instead of making a strip to hold the button in place. 
Last year I made quite a few of these for Mother’s Day gifts, and I think they were really well liked. I always have one in my diaper bag, just in case. Now in a moment of desperation for a good cuppa, all I have to do is find a cup of hot water. 
I really do love these, and as they use such little fabric, they are great stash busters as well. Have fun making some. I’d love to see them if you do try.
gifts, green, sewing, travelling • Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 • 7 Comments »
Have a great weekend, everybody!
family, nature • Saturday, April 24th, 2010 • 3 Comments »
Last week, there was one really nice day where the weather was fairly warm, though the breeze was just a bit too much for the babe. She kept wiping the hair out of her eyes, and I know it was bothering her. The only problem is, she doesn’t keep barrettes or ponytail holders in her hair. If she knows something is up there, she will rip it out, so most of the time she goes accessory free. I grabbed an old knit shirt and cut a strip and with a small running stitch sewed the ends together. I made it wide enough that I thought she might not feel it so much on her head. She kept it on the entire time we were out, then promptly ripped it out when we got back inside. I guess having a headband on was less annoying than her hair in her eyes. The great thing about knit fabric is that it doesn’t unravel so you really don’t have to do any hemming. It took me all of about three minutes to make this headband, and most of that was spent looking for a needle. They look so cute, are so easy to make and are great for little and big girls alike. I think I might be whipping myself up some now that we’ll be outdoors more.
sewing • Friday, April 23rd, 2010 • 8 Comments »
Spring has sprung, well, in Denver at least! It is slowly inching our way, and I am so excited. We had to go back down to Denver to get the computer worked on again (they broke something while they were doing the last repair), so we got to see spring in action. I love all of the gorgeous flowers, and green grass. The rain showers and the fact that we can walk outside without having to bundle all four kids and ourselves in coats, hats, gloves etc. It has been a really long winter here, and I am oh so ready for spring. Personally, I think I like the rain showers the best (besides the flowers of course), on a sunny afternoon, just a quick shower and it’s all over. What is your favourite thing about spring?
gardening, nature • Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 • 6 Comments »
Recently I won a yarn giveaway over at Poppies and Milk. I just received the box, and look at all of the beautiful yarn. Those tweedy purples made my heart skip a beat. 
My girls were in love with all these gorgeous pinks. The babe had a particular fondness for that extra soft and fluffy ball of white. You can see her moving in again. 
Here are some more bright, fun colours. I have a few ideas for a few of the different colours, but I am going to have some real fun deciding what to do with it all. Good thing I’ll be stuck in the car for quite a while here in a couple of weeks, it’ll be perfect for having some time to crochet.
crochet, gifts • Wednesday, April 21st, 2010 • 5 Comments »
I love the idea of having a gardening journal that will last for several years. To be able to look at the same week for three years in a row sounds really great to me, because as I am really just starting out and learning what I am doing I think it will be invaluable to compare notes whether things go right, or wrong. I looked at journals to buy, and there were some really beautiful ones, but to be honest, I know it would bother me to see them get dirty. So I did what any self-respecting do-it-yourselfer would do, and made my own. I bought an inexpensive spiral bound sketchbook, drew some straight lines, and started filling it in. I think I am really going to like it, and it’s kind of fun to make notes of exactly what is happening. I also think it will be neat to look back after a couple of years and see how much I have learned. I have used one page for each week of the year, and left the back side blank to be able to make additional notes if necessary. I plan on using the back of the pages to keep all of the info of the seeds etc. so that I can use the chart to mostly measure progress and what we are doing. Do any of you use a gardening journal? Any tips on things for me to do? Oh, and as a side note, see the green grass in the background? Yesterday it turned green, for the first time this year there is finally some green around, wohoo! I think we are well on our way to spring. Unfortunately our last frost free date for planting is June 1st, so it’ll still be a little while till I can get anything in the ground. Well, we’ve got a busy day today, so I’m off. Enjoy your day, I hope it’s a great one.
books, gardening • Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 • 9 Comments »
Phew, what a week! Last Friday I was knocked flat on my back with the flu, and it was bad. I haven’t been that sick since I was pregnant. Hubby, our 5 year old daughter and I were all sick over the weekend and then the boys got sick the day before yesterday. So far, the babe has escaped it. I was hit the worst and only yesterday did I finally get out of my pajamas. To top it all off, our 5 year old had a very nasty allergic reaction to some laundry detergent residue and we ended up taking her to the doctors. She is doing better and on a nice little cocktail of meds to try and get it under control. The welts are going away and she is itching a little less, poor thing. With all these recovering little tummies, I wanted to try my hand at making some ginger ale. A couple of months ago, Amy over at Progressive Pioneer featured a recipe for homemade ginger ale in her Friday Make and Do!. I thought this was the perfect time to try it out, so I got the recipe and gave it a shot. Boy, was it good. I loved the lime in it and it definitely helped settle my tummy. The kids loved it too. It seems everyone is on the mend, but I still have a mountain of laundry to catch up on and normal routines to get back into. I’m hoping to be back tomorrow, but we’ll see how today goes first.
food • Thursday, April 15th, 2010 • 16 Comments »
Is there anything cuter than those gorgeous freckles and that big toothless grin? I don’t think so, I could just eat this boy up. Our seven year old boy had two loose front teeth, but his permanent tooth wasn’t quite patient enough (like his big brother, his tooth that is), so we ended up having to get them pulled before toothy chaos occurred. He did a great job, and it wasn’t bad at all as they were already really loose, but now he is adjusting to talking with a big hole where teeth used to be. I don’t know about you, but my kids always look younger when they loose those two teeth, perhaps it is one last chance to see them looking so young and precious before they suddenly start turning into young men.
