Pumpkin Time

We went out into the garden today to check on the plants.  I really haven't been in the back yard in weeks.  I was wondering if everything was still alive.  There are lots of weeds, but the plants are still fine. We also picked our pumpkins today.  The date is August 21st and our pumpkins are done growing.  Maybe they started growing too early.  These pumpkin seeds came from our compost pile so they were an unexpected and unknown plant for months.  They turned out to be quite small too.  I know nothing about growing pumpkins and how to make them big.  Maybe they needed steroids.  The kids loved it though and were so excited about them.  Every chance they could they were checking on how their pumpkins were growing.  And that is the only reason I kept watering them. :)  They are a little too early for fall and too small for Halloween, but the kids do not care about that.

Jar of Dirt Dessert

As a treat for the kids going to school Haley and I thought it would be fun to make them a fun welcome back snack.  We made jars of dirt with gummy worms, gummy dinosaurs, cookie dirt, and chocolate pudding for the mud.  First she broke the cookies with a masher until they were like dirt.  We used Oreos, chocolate chip cookies and brownies.  We just happened to have all of those out and made.  We put 3 dinosaur gummys on the bottom, pudding on top, 2 worms dipped in and cookie dirt on top.  

I put the jars in the fridge until the kids got home.  They definitely were a mess to make and looked like mud and dirt in a jar!  Before I gave them to the kids I told them that there was fun and yummy stuff to find in the dirt.  I told them they could go digging for dinosaurs in this jar. :) 

Brian came home upset about school because they don't get a snack any more and recess is only 15 minutes now.  I told him that school is kind of like this jar of dirt.  It doesn't look good right now, but once you get into it and start digging through the work good stuff does come out of it.  There is great stuff ahead of them this year.  I know God has a great plan for all of them.  School can be a difficult time and place, but if you keep digging through it, each year gets better.  After this jar and some good conversation about their day, I think tomorrow will be better.

1st Day of School

Today was the first day of school.  I now have a third grader and a first grader.  I can't believe it still.  My blog is now one year old too.  I started this blog last year at the same time my second daughter went off to Kindergarten.  I think I thought I would now have all this time to sew and create because I would only have two at home instead of three.  Boy was I wrong!  This last year has been a huge change for me and it has been interesting to look back on it through this blog.  I think this blog has become a way for me to organize my thoughts, document my feelings, and remember all that I have done and made and given away.  I thought if I started this blog I could show people what I made and who I am, which would then help them to buy from me.  Instead this became more of a self searching project for myself. I have also relaxed with the selling part of my craft and tried to get back into enjoying what I do and make.  My family needs me so much right now I don't need the added stress of trying to sell the "stuff" I have made.  

I have also found blogs to be a strange world as well.  You are only seeing what I am sharing with you.  I try to pick the best pictures, maybe brighten them a little too, and then post a description of that moment.  Behind these pictures a whole lot of crazy life stuff is going on.  Right now I am just getting by.  My husband just had his third shoulder surgery and has to sit in our recliner and sleep there too for at least a month.  He is not allowed to pick anything up for months either.  This means all duties are on me and the added bonus of taking care of him.  It has been a challenge.  The first time he had this surgery my baby Jacob was 8 weeks old.  I don't even remember that time because it was so hard.  The second surgery was when he was 9 months.  That was even harder because I was still nursing him, he wasn't sleeping through the night yet, and he was crawling!  Again, I don't know how I got through that time.  It was truly by the grace of God.  This time I have asked for help from my church. That was very hard to do.  I am getting help from so many ladies it is amazing.  I feel so blessed because of their help.  But it is still challenging and I am in constant prayer because I can't do this on my own strength.  

Today was a good day though.  It was an exciting day getting the kids all dressed up for their first day of school.  It was fun getting back in touch with the neighbors at the bus stop.  And It was so fun to watch them get on the bus.  I will miss them through the day, but with them at school it is less for me to worry about at home. 

Kylie
 Age 6
 First Grade

Brian
Age 8
3rd Grade

Haley
Age 4
At Home Still

Jacob
Age 19 Months
Worried about where everyone is going!  Still at home too. 

Kylie's 1st Grade Backpack

My daughter, Kylie, is starting 1st grade on Tuesday.  She asked me to make her a backpack and picked out all the fabric she wanted me to use.  I really wasn't sure about making a backpack, but I have made a messenger bag before and thought I could make that style to fit her notebooks and then put the straps on like a backpack.  It actually worked and turned out really cute!  I even made a loop for it so she can hang it up in class.  It also has a pink magnetic snap to keep it closed.  The straps are adjustable with knots.  It fits her great and it holds all of her school supplies and lunch bag.  

I put two pockets in it.  The pink one has compartments in it for holding a pencil and other smaller items.

Bathroom Makeover

When we first moved into our house 3 years ago we had so many plans for fixing it up.  Once the reality of how much fixing a house up can cost we put most projects aside.  Here is one that my husband finally found the time for and a way to fix it up for under a hundred dollars.  I think maybe even under 50!  Here was our old light fixture.  Thanks to Pinterest he found a spray painting metod to  fix the light fixture first.  It was that ugly gold and glass.  

Here it is spray painted a couple coats and new light bulbs.  Looks much better!  Next he moved on to the cabinets.  You can spend lots of money buying a cabinet painting kit, but thanks to Pinterest we found a painting method that was half as much and worked just as well.

This took us about a week.  First you had to sand them, then paint a few coats and wait hours in between each one. The he waxed them and buffed them till they shined.  He did the drawers and sides first. 

Here it is all done!  And he put some handles on the doors.  I love it.  Soon I would like to paint the medicine cabinet we just bought at Ikea, but that is for another time. We would also like new countertops, but that can wait even longer.  There is always something to do in the house.  It is a never ending DIY project!

Learning Colors With Pudding

We are really working with Jacob on learning to speak.  Sign language is amazing and has helped him with his frustration issues so much.  But we have to work on sounds still and his eating issues.  He is a terrible eater and only eats hard and crunchy food.  Crackers are his favorite.  So I thought I would make some vanilla pudding and give it color.  This is a great finger paint too that they can also safely eat.  Jacob doesn't like to get his hands dirty so he really didn't do much with painting the colors around.  I did say the colors over and over and tried to get some sounds.  He eventually thought it was fun.

I smeared it around for him.  He just dipped his finger in a few times and said Mmmm.  I was just happy he finally tried eating it because it went against his eating norm.  He never ate the pudding again though.

A Finished Project

My parents took 3 of my 4 kids to Arizona for a week.  It was great having only my 18 month old to dote on and all of his nap times for sewing!  I honestly didn't clean anything or do any laundry or real cooking the whole time either.  I have been on vacation from all my chores.  It has been great.  But now my kids are flying back as I write and I am realizing that I have not cleaned anything, done any laundry, and lots of food has spoiled this week!  But I did get lots of my sewing projects done.

I just finished a tote bag last night for my friend and neighbor.  And I put the last border on a quilt I have been working on for years.  It is all my scraps that I have been trying to use up.  I love it.  Now I just need to get a back for it together and some batting so I can send it out to be quilted.  I also finished my embroidery lap quilt/possible wall hanging.  And for this one I did buy the back for it and batting and have someone lined up to quilt it.  So besides the cleaning part I have had a very productive week.  This is all stuff I could never do while my other 3 are home.  My other 3 kids do not nap any more and are always busy pulling me around the house, neighborhood and town.  They really do not just let me sit and quilt all day long like my napping baby does.  My 18 month old Jacob also enjoyed all of the attention he received from 2 doting parents with no competition from siblings.  Now my kids are almost home and I have to get busy doing some cleaning and figuring out a dinner for them too! :)

The Tote for my friend.  This is going to her little niece. 

More pictures of my finished quilt.  I love all the scraps.  Most of these fabrics bring back memories of other projects for me.  I love it.  I think this will eventually go on our guest bed because that bed has a store bought comforter on it.  I had always had this quilt in mind for it, but I obviously couldn't get it finished in time for our first guest to arrive, which was 3 years ago!

A Comfort Quilt

I finished my quilt this morning!  I put the binding on by machine and then hand stitched the label to the back.  I love this quilt.  It is so warm and cozy looking and feeling.  I used loftier batting and soft flannel.  This is a comforting quilt.  I hope this quilt helps the Johnson family in their time of grief, but I know only God can give them the comfort they really need right now.  I just pray the quilt helps a little.