Strips

Here is what I spent my evening doing:



I am working on a gift for a friend and I had to cut out a lot of strips for it! They need ironed, but I don't want to do that until I am ready to sew them together so that will have to wait.

We had a nice day today. We got to go to the playground this afternoon. It was such a beautiful sunny day and the perfect temperature. Lovely. Pnut is so full of questions. Sometimes she makes my head hurt...everything we see she has a question about. I don't like to give her answers that are too simple, but sometimes I think it is above her head...she is only 2.5. I guess if she ever explains to someone about water expanding when it is frozen, I will know she listened and comprehended!

Two weeks ago I was trying to clean up so the girls were watching YouTube. Of course, the videos only last like 3 minutes so I kept having to run over to the computer, but they had fun. I think Pnut's favorite is the Hamster Dance. I had to take some pictures of them because they are so cute!



Call me prejudiced, but I think that girl is beautiful!



So cute sitting side by side. Pilly was swinging her feet sitting on the stool and it was adorable.



Babies in t-shirts that are a little tight on their bellies get me. How cute are her chubby little arms. Aaah! Somebody save me from this adorable sweetheart!

I haven't taken any pictures of them since these, and these are two weeks old. I need to get on the ball! Right now, however, I have to get on the ball about something else...I have to balance our checkbook and pay some bills. Ugh. Happy dreams everyone!

Shawna:)

Our Treasure

I apologize profusely for my absence over the past few days. Basically, all I have had time to do is work, and I have been working until almost 10:00. Sunday, I didn't work but we had church, a baby shower, and then church again. Hopefully, we are going to get this caught up soon and I can have a life again.

The girls and I went to Salvation Army treasure hunting on Saturday and came home with these:



I was so glad there were two of them. They got to use them on Saturday evening. Pnut loves anything with the word "Hershey" on it. She recognizes the logo as soon as she sees it, and the fact that ice cream goes into these Hershey dishes just puts them over the top!

I was hoping to find some candle holders or tablecloths there, but didn't see any. I also didn't find a pair of pants to start my skirt over. I just don't like the way it looks and fits so I am going to start over. The jeans cost like $4 so I am not too upset.

I hope you all had a great weekend and are off to a good start this week!

Shawna:)

New Necklace

I enjoy making jewelry because I can watch TV and do it at the same time. I can't really sew and watch TV. Tonight, I finally finished a necklace I started a long time ago! The gray beads are actually a bluish-gray and have faux metal bead in between the pearl ones. I really like it. I am running out of things to make for myself. I really don't wear that much jewelry. I need to come up with some other people to make it for!



Cheryl and Landon came over today and we had a nice visit. Overall, it was a pretty uneventful day. The rain poured down this afternoon, and we got to watch Wall-E this evening. We do love the library! Tomorrow is cleaning day already! Where has the week gone? I hope everyone is having a wonderful end to their week!

Shawna:)

Bib and Watch

I finally got to sew tonight (or do anything crafty) for the first time in a week. This is crazy! I finished the bib that I started last Monday or so. Of course, I have had the fabric for well over a month. It was hard to get a good picture of it. The color did not show up well. Here it is totally done:



Here is a picture before the ruffle and tie went on:



The ruffle is a dark brown with white polka dots, and the tie is the same color as the appliques.

Tonight, during the less intense moments of Lost (whenever they were), I made my watch. I bought the face for it when Carolyn and I were out a few weeks ago. Then, when Nikki was here last week, we went to Michael's and I bought the focal beads. It fits pretty well. It still slides a little bit on my arm, but not as badly as some other watches have. I am glad to have one because we never know what time it is when we go to the playground. Here is the face:



I like the bronze quite a bit. Here is the side detail:



It is the blue bead, then a white pearl, and then two bronze colored stones and then another pearl, blue bead, etc. I think it looks so nice on. Maybe I should have picked a different place for that picture!

So far, we have had an uneventful week. No one has eaten anything, everyone's hair is still intact, we are doing well. I am praying that that continues. Last night, Pilly woke up at 9:00 and was inconsolable unless I was holding her so I ended up going to bed and holding her the entire night. She is not fun to sleep with. She is squirmy and kicks, and I am always afraid that she will roll of the bed. Somehow, she can take up half the bed, and Joel and I were crowded on to one side. This is not going to become a habit!

Tomorrow, Cheryl and Baby Landon are coming for lunch. I am making tomato soup and am really excited! It has been too long since we have had it. I am making a double batch so that there is plenty to freeze. I hope everyone is having an equally exciting Thursday! Have a great night:)

Shawna

P.S. Sha models her new apron here!

Too much work

I ended up working pretty much every free minute over the weekend and today so there are no craft updates. That makes me sad. Tonight I was going to work on my watch that I bought the face for, but until I had finished working, folded the laundry, and eaten my Fudgesicle, it was time for bed. So I laid on the couch for Triple D and am now getting ready for bed! They haven't figured out quite how many people we need for this account so I am having to work a lot more than I would like. However, it will partially make up for my last paycheck of $30!

Tomorrow is Bible study, and I am really looking forward to it. I don't know what I will do when it ends in April. Speaking of which, I can't believe that it is almost time for Easter. This new year is just flying by!

Five years ago during my first year of college, I dislocated my left knee. After about three months of rehab, I was released from physical therapy, but it has never been the same. It has continued to improve over the years, but it is just a little more sensitive than my right knee. Today, I turned and I must have held my foot still and twisted my knee because it is killing me. There is something with the muscles in the front not holding my kneecap where it should, and it hurts so bad. Aaah. So I am going to go to bed and try not to move it all night and maybe it will feel amazingly better in the morning! Here's hoping!

Bengay with a side of Rolaids

Today I was supposed to clean at my parents. I was hoping to leave early enough to get there and somehow be able to get home without the girls falling asleep in the car. That was my plan. Of course, I left later than I intended and also had to stop at the post office. We finally arrived around 9:30 and I started cleaning. I cleaned the kitchen and was watching the dishes when I discovered Pilly putting cat food in the cat water. I stopped her, picked out as much as I could, and continued on to the bathrooms. I got the extra bathroom done and moved into my parents' room. The girls were supposed to be watching Cinderella, but they were running in and out. It finally got quiet and I thought they were watching it. Pnut liked the mice and it was a big mice part. My visions of innocent children enjoying a sweet princess were shattered when I hear, "Mommy I don't like it. Wash it off!" Pnut comes into the bathroom smelling super strange. I kept thinking that it smelled like Peptobismal. Her hands were covered in some goop and she had obviously eaten some by her breath odor. I frantically asked her twenty times what she ate while washing her hands and rinsing out her mouth. When I went into the bedroom, the top of the Rolaids container was unscrewed, and I felt momentary relief. I didn't think they could harm her too much. Then I smelled them and knew that wasn't right. That was when I spotted the open bottle of Bengay. Bengay? What about that says "Eat me?" I called Poison Control and was told that the main active ingredient in Bengay is the same as in aspirin, and since I didn't know how much she ate, we were to go to the ER to have her checked. We had been at my parents' less than an hour. Off we went to the emergency room. We arrived around 11:00 and of course it took forever to be seen. We ended up being there for three hours. They had to draw blood and then we had to wait for the results. They gave the girls each a bag of animals crackers and they shared a little cup of apple juice. Then we searched the diaper bag and came up with one package of fruit snacks and three rolls of Smarties. Until we left, Pilly was running around and falling over like crazy because she was so tired. Thankfully, the aspirin levels came back fine and we left. The girls both fell asleep in the car for the 20 minute ride back to my parents and then wouldn't sleep anymore. I decided to finish the cleaning (much to my mom's disbelief when I talked to her) and then we finally came home. They went to bed about 45 minutes early thankfully. I could use a little less excitement in my days!

Summer of 69 Thrift Store Refashion Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Summer of 69 Thrift Store Refashion Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Symmetrical Four Wheel Drive

Nikki and I stayed up a little past midnight last night! I can't believe how tired I am. I am too old to do that. I was too old to do that when I was five! I have never been a night owl.

I had to work this evening so I didn't get to work on any projects. Plus, I was rather unmotivated. Tomorrow, I am going to clean at my parents'. I hope to finish quickly. That means that Pilly has to stay out of the cat food dish, the cat litter box, the toilet, and stay away from the CO2 monitor that she likes to push. In other words, we'll be there all day.

We were watching TV and a commercial for a car came on. It was describing the car and said "symmetrical four wheel drive." The woman had the husky voice that is supposed to make you think you want one. But I was wondering, how many cars don't have that? I know some have two wheel drive, but what really does symmetrical have to do with it? Wouldn't you have a problem if it wasn't symmetrical. I think they just like to say words that sound good. I could be way off though. I am no car expert!

Alright, my fingers are stumbling here. Have a great night!

Progress is Slow

So last night I am pretty sure that I said I wasn't going to stay up late sewing anymore. I am temporarily rescinding that statement. I worked this evening (after I had played two levels of Jewel Quest) so I didn't get started sewing until about 9:15. Then I had to practice appliqueing since I have never done it before. Then I thought I was going to finish this project. Silly me. I should know by now that my projects always get complicated! Here it is in its current state:



I only need to do the tie for the top, but that will be waiting until tomorrow night. For some reason, the pattern calls for a 1 x 34 piece of material for the tie. Then you fold each side under 1/4 inch and press and fold in half and press so until you are done, the ties is only 1/4 inch wide on either side of the bib. It is ridiculous. So tomorrow night I am going to cut a new one a little bit wider! There is supposed to be a ruffle around the edge, but since it is for a boy, I thought it would be too girly. According to Joel, however, it would not be girly and I should take apart the two pieces of the bib and put a ruffle in there. Mr. Overachiever! I think I will let it alone.

This was my first time doing applique, and I loved it! I didn't zoom in so you can't see the detail very well (maybe that was planned) but it turned out so much nicer than I thought it would for my first project! It just takes a little patience is all, especially for the fork. Usually I do not enjoy tedious projects like that, but I really enjoyed this. I'm already thinking up some more stuff to do:)

We had a much better day today than yesterday. Children behaved. We took two walks and even played on the playground. I had real work and wasn't quite as slow as yesterday. I have to get back into typing mode. My speed has slowed down since I have had about a month off.

Friends are coming tomorrow so I am not sure if I will be posting tomorrow night. I hope everyone else had an equally better day than Monday went, regardless of how nice your Monday was!

Modern Pirate Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Modern Pirate Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Why Joel Might Be Right

I finally started a new project tonight, and it involves these! I am really excited. I have never used appliques before. I would, of course, choose ones that are pointy and curvy. I like a challenge, right?! Now that I have everything cut out, it shouldn't take long to put together, but that will have to wait until tomorrow night. I have decided that I shouldn't stay up so late sewing. It is not fair to my children! Plus, I have work again so I can't take a nap in the middle of the day.

Today was a rough day. We did have a pretty busy weekend, and naps were all messed up on Saturday so I guess they were just over-tired. They were so cranky this morning. I hate letting them watch so much TV, but it seemed like everything else resulted in tears, even getting ready to take a walk and go to the playground. So we chose Mr. Roger's instead. Nice and calm. After nap, they were much better.

All of my life I have liked cats. We had several growing up, and I never had a problem with them. We had a few females, and they were cuddly and nice. Joel does not like cats. He has taught Pnut to say "cats are evil." She even makes up songs about it. I am swinging towards their point of view. The inside cat, if properly trained, would probably still be alright. However, what we have are 456 cats who live in the alley behind our house and come through our fence and spray our stroller that is covered with a tarp but they crawl under it anyways with their stupid cat pee. Sorry that was such a huge run on, but they are disgusting! I Febreezed that thing until I emptied one bottle. We need some cat repellent. And a fixed fence. Really? They had to spray the stroller? It disgusts me so much. It's not like I can wash it very well. Evil cats.

The rain is pittering down outside and I love it. I love rain at night. It is such a comforting sound that makes you thankful to be inside. Hopefully it will be all cleared up and dry by tomorrow around 10:00!

I hope everyone had a good start to the week. Night all!

Winner!

I just did the random number generator, and Sha is the winner! Sha has been a very faithful reader and commenter so that makes me happy:) I will be in touch to get your address. I hope you like it!

Carolyn and I went to the Bead Company store tonight, and I got a watch face. I am so excited. I have never had a watch that fit my arm well. They always slide up my wrist. So now I can make my own! We also went to Marshalls and I got the girls a Melissa and Doug floor puzzle for really cheap. Then we shared a piece of white chocolate raspberry cheesecake at Barnes and Noble. Oh heavens, it was good! It was a really fun night. I could totally relax because the girls were at home with Joel so I wasn't worried about them like I am when they are with someone else.

My sister and her family are coming in tomorrow so that should be a lot of fun. Hopefully, my other sister is coming over too, but I haven't heard if she is. I need to buy some fabric for the swap I am in and hopefully we can go tomorrow. I hope everyone has a great Saturday!

Giveaway reminder

Joel's grandmother called today and talked to me for over an hour! I didn't mind, we had a nice conversation, but it did keep from getting any sewing or anything else done. We were also very disappointed today to be staying inside since it didn't get out of the 30s after being over 60 yesterday. Please come Spring. We need you or we are going to go crazy! Not too much excitement this week. I think we needed it after last week though..

Giveaway ends tonight at midnight. Winner announced tomorrow.

Have a great evening!

Water Heater Gone!

Several weeks ago, Joel and a friend replaced our water heater. Since then, the old one has been sitting in the basement. Joel had a guy from his work come over for supper and to help him carry it up the stairs. When they got down their, they acted shocked that it was full of water and very heavy! It took them 1.5 hours to get most of the water out. Silly men. They were entertaining trying to get the water out! I'm just thankful that no one was killed by a rolling water heater.

I didn't sew tonight so I don't really have a lot to show in that way. Remember, there is a giveaway going on until Thursday. Enter here.

Bible study was wonderful today! We are doing a Kay Arthur study on how to pray, and I am learning so much. This is a good topic for me since I am easily distracted when I am praying!

I am really excited about tomorrow because it is supposed to be over 60 degrees! I see some time at the playground in our future for tomorrow. I am also making Cream Cheese Potato Soup tomorrow. I am really excited about that. Sadly, there is no Lost tomorrow night. How are we going to make it?

I'm ready for bed! Over and out:)

Paper Crane Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Paper Crane Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Cookies and a Giveaway!

We had a fun day today. Our friends Jackie and Baby Cake (Kate) came over this morning and chatted with us, which was lots of fun! After nap, we walked to the park and played on the playground. There is a dog park at this park and Pilly loves it! She squealed and screamed and was hilarious! After supper, we made cookies. Butterscotch chip cookies.



We made them extra-big!



The girls couldn't wait for them to come out of the oven.

I also have two pictures of Pilly that I wanted to share. I know, that is probably not why you are reading this, but she is just so cute!



This is one of my favorite dresses. She looked so sweet.



This is one of her favorite poses. I love this age! She does so many funny things:)

I am super-excited to do my first giveaway. I am going to make it international this time. I think the package will be pretty light. I made an apron and a bracelet.



I love pink! The bracelet is big for my arm. I took four beads off already, and it still falls off my arm, but I have bird arms. Hopefully, it will be fine on the arms of a normal person:)



The apron is made out of a pant leg of Joel's. I really like this fabric.



Here is a close-up to see details. It is not cherries but some kind of berry.

Anyone can enter. You don't have to have a blog, just leave a comment with an email address so I can contact you if you win. I will let it go until Thursday and announce the winner Friday!

Have a great night! Shawna

P.S. I really should make myself an apron. I keep wiping my hands on my pants or the girls when I bake!

Baggu Grosgrain Guest GIVEAWAY!!!!

Baggu Grosgrain Guest GIVEAWAY!!!!

Sesame Street Musical Influences!

I think I may have a problem. Sesame Street is starting to influence the music I like. Last night when we were watching, they did a song with a guest. I didn't catch her name, but I was able to look up the song and find her name. She is Diana Krall, a jazz singer from Canada, and I really like her. I am looking at her cd's on amazon and checking them out of the library. I don't think she is someone that everybody would like. Her voice is kind of husky, but I like it. Add it to the music that I like that my friends have never heard of.

Today, Joel went to football and lunch with the men from Sunday School and then straight to the movies with his brother for a 3-hour movie. Thankfully, the girls and I went to a friends' house for the morning. The girls had so much fun with their girls! They were worn out by the time we came home. Pilly took a wonderful nap until Pnut went upstairs in an act of disobedience and woke her up!

I can't believe we have to switch the clocks tonight. It is enough to make me want to become Amish. Well, maybe not quite that bad, but pretty terrible.

I hope everyone has a great Sunday!

Cinnamon Sticks GUEST GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

Cinnamon Sticks GUEST GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

Warmer Weather Means Walks

We took two walks today! I am so thankful that it is above 32 degrees. Tomorrow, it is supposed to be around 50. It's like a heat wave! This afternoon on our walk we made our way to the playground at the end of one of the main streets that I have seen when we drive to the grocery store. I didn't actually plan on going there, it just didn't take very long to walk to! I had to let the girls get out and play for a while. If I hadn't, there may have been a revolt!\. I am a little paranoid walking here in the city. I passed so many people today. When we lived in the apartment, most of the time we didn't see anyone on our walks! At least it is very public!

My mom was here today on her break and taught me to purl and how to finish off the knitting. I really like it! It is slow, but it is pretty! Pnut keeps asking when she will get her scarf. I finished my practice piece tonight so I had better start on that tomorrow before she cuts up one of mine for her own. I don't think that I have mentioned quite how wonderful my mom is. Today, she taught me how to purl and she helped me fix the sewing machine. She also told me that I should clean it and oil it! The things I do not know! When she was here Tuesday, she helped me learn to cast on stitches and to do the knit stitch. She also helped me to get the hem set on my skirt (which I have not worked on since). She is great! I am so glad they live here now! And that her boss gives her these long breaks that are too short to drive to her house but too long to hang out in the parking lot feeding seagulls. Thank you postmaster!

Tonight, we did playdough. I let Pilly play with it because I was sitting right there and scolded her every time she put it in her mouth. Eventually she gave up on that!



She mostly just squished it and tore it into little pieces. Here, she is done and wants me to put it away. She was actually getting ready to get really angry and yell because I delayed taking it from her to take a picture.



I had to make a blueberry pie for Pnut which turned into a cherry pie because her playdough was red. She then picked all my cherries off, all that hard work, and stuffed them into the container. She proceeded to tear the playdough into 400 little pieces while putting it away. That should be a fun one to open.

Tomorrow is cleaning day. Oh joy. But Carolyn comes tomorrow so that is a joy! Happy Friday!

Sweet Cornbread or Dessert that You Serve as a Side Dish!

1/2 c butter
3/4 c honey or 3/4-1 c sugar
2 eggs
1.5 c cornmeal
1.5 c flour
1.5 milk
1 T baking powder
1 t salt

Cream butter, honey or sugar, and eggs. It helps if you soften the butter first. Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl. Add dry ingredients alternating with milk to creamed mixture. Pout into greased 13x9 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

I usually halve this for our family. It takes about 20 minutes to cook then in an 8x8. Try not to over-bake it or it will dry out. If cooked properly, it is moist and delicious. The girls only wanted to eat this for supper. They did eat some meat and Pilly ate her vegetables, but they each had several pieces of cornbread.

Tonight is Lost night! I will probably either knit or play with the beads during that. I hope everyone had a great day. It is bath time so I have to get upstairs!

Popovers

I like popovers. They make me think I am British. Surely they must eat them in the UK. They are relatively easy to make and require few ingredients that we always have on hand. Joel says that they remind him of a breakfast food. They have sort of a pancake taste. Sort of. In any case, they are fun!

2 eggs
1 c milk
1 T butter, melted
1 c white flour
1/4 t salt

1. Put all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thorougly without overbeating.
2. Half-fill buttered muffin pans.
3. Put them in the cold oven and set the heat for 450 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees adn bake for another 15-20 minutes.

To test to see if they are done, remove it from the pan and it should be crisp on the outside and moist and tender inside.



They really do puff up and pop over!



This is the inside and it is light and airy. The girls really liked them. They each had 2.5! We like to put butter on them.

My mom was here today, and we decided where to hem the skirt to hopefully fix its problem. Ha! Hopefully. She also showed me the basic knitting stitch that I was trying to learn from the book. I like it! I will probably only be able to do that for the next week until she comes again!

I received a surprise today. I was sitting on the love seat practicing knitting, and the girls were in the other room. I heard Pnut say, "Sit still for your haircut." I wasn't too concerned because she likes to pretend to cut my hair with a ruler. I went into the other room, and I wasn't even less concerned because she was holding the ruler. Then I looked at Pilly.



My baby has bald spots now!



She cut off the front too.



I can't disguise it very well!!



This isn't even all of it. I found three more cuts of hair after this.

My poor little baby! I can't even put her hair in pigtails. It is going to take forever for it to grow!

I wasn't too mad. I cut Randa's hair when I was three. I think it is just a natural curiosity.

Alright, I am off to watch Sesame and practice knitting.

Sunday Laundry Shirt Dress GIVEAWAY!!!!

Sunday Laundry Shirt Dress GIVEAWAY!!!!

Twice Baked Potatoes

These are so easy and sooooo good! Even Mr. Picky Joel liked them!

4 Medium baking potatoes
2 T mild
2 T butter
1/4 t salt
1/8 t pepper
2/3 c shredded cheddar cheese

1. Prick each potato with fork and wrap in a paper towel. Microwave on high for 8-12 minutes or until potatoes are just soft to the touch, turning over after half the cooking time.
2. Slice top layer (do not cut in half) from each potato. Scoop out centers and place in medium bowl. Add milk, butter, and seasonings to potato, mas until fluffy (use a mixer). Stir in cheese.
3. Spoon mixture into the potato shells. Place on a serving plate and return to the microwave for 3-5 minutes on high, or until potatoes are hot.
4. Remove and top with crumbled bacon or bacon bits if desired.

Pilly loved these! I had to give her a roll so that I could eat mine because she wanted more.



Pnut and I went out tonight to a few stores, and apparently Pilly and Joel had quite a good time while we were gone. She has a penguin that she sucks on (I know, it is disgusting), and Joel said she was sitting on his lap facing his chest and started to suck on his shoulder. She thought it was hilarious when he told her to stop! Joel took the video with the camera so it was really dark.

I am working on making our room more comfortable. I bought some candles for the night stand, and I would like to find a large painting or three smalls ones for the wall above our bed. It is just sort of empty. I would like to find something for the top of the chest of drawers as well. I am hoping that it will make me like the room more. I cleaned up some of the boxes that are in there, and that did help. I want to paint the trim this summer, and I think that will help as well. I might make new curtains, but I want white ones, and that might be too bright for Joel!

I tried knitting tonight with Knitting for Dummies. I think that I get it, but I pulled out my stitches because I wasn't sure. When my mom comes tomorrow, I am going to have her watch me and tell me if it is right. I also finished my skirt today, but something is wrong with the way it hangs. It might be too long. I am going to have her look at that as well. I can't tell when I am wearing it. The jeans were flared, and I think that kind of messed with things.

Well, I am going to lay on the cough for a few minutes to relax!

Born 2 Impress GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Born 2 Impress GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!