Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Week in Review: February 20-26

Last week I...
...got a manicure.
...flew to Washington.
...crafted up party decorations for my grandma's birthday.
...recruited my dad to help get crafty.
...got to kiss & hug my nephew & nieces & tiny cousins.
...laughed & laughed.
...played cards with grandma.
...shopped with my mom.
...read to my girls while Skyping.
...got to help celebrate my grandma's 90th birthday at a party.
...saw OODLES of family, some I've never met before.
...ate Chinese food 3 days in a row.
...let mom make me breakfast (& dinner) lots of times in a row.
...went bowling with my cousins.
...ate eggs benedict.
...took photo booth pics.
...slept on an air mattress.
...went to church with my grandmother.
...swapped coyote hunting stories with my brother.
...ate Lobster Thermidor for the first time.
...watched it snow.
...flew on tiny planes.
...missed my family.

Click HERE for a picture play-by-play.


Monday, February 27, 2012

WA: Day 7

Tears & tears & tears. It seems like everytime I come & visit my family, it gets harder & harder to leave. I hugged & hugged my grandma, & she & I cried.
I told my mom to just drop me at the airport, but she & dad came in & waited until I had to go through security. Oh brother. MORE tears. I miss my mommy & I hate being so far away.
My first flight from Pasco to Denver was mostly spent sleeping. Uncomfortably, but catching some Z's nonetheless. Once in the Denver airport, I quickly headed to the French cafe, Pour la France, so I could grab another one of those Grilled Cheese Melts. I took it upstairs & sat right across from the toy store, where I knew I'd be popping in & grabbing some treats for the girls.
I quickly headed to my concourse & waited for my plane to depart. It was one of those tiny planes. Some call them "puddle jumpers". I call them "my tiny hell". haha! (Especially on this particularly WINDY day!) I really hate flying. But, miraculously there were less bumps on this tiny flight than any other of my flights. I occupied my time taking photos during the 45 minute tour in the sky.
Once I landed, I got inside the airport where my littles were waiting & ran up to hug me.
Sadly, I had to be at work tonight!! Ugh. I went in late though so I could eat dinner out with the fam, & spend a couple more hours with the girls. I got home from work at 1:45 in the AM. I was SOOOOO ready to sleep. And the Mr. let me sleep in until 11 AM. He got the girls ready for school & everything. Sweet man.
I'm so happy to be home! 

Sunday, February 26, 2012

WA: Day 6

Grandmother attended the early service at her baptist church this morning. And a whole bunch of family went with her. It really was the coolest thing to see my grandma sitting there, in the middle of all her family & friends. I know she must have felt proud.
After the service, we all went to have breakfast at a restaurant. We had a whole big room to ourselves. The kids could run around & be loud, & everyone could visit one last time. After our meal, most of the family left & headed to their homes or to catch flights.
In the evening I got to play cards with grandmother & the few of us left who were bunking there. I really would have been upset if I hadn't gotten some game-playing in.
I can't help but think how exhausted my grandma must be. This is my last night here. Oh, how the days flew by. I'm already getting choked up as I said goodnight to everyone. The knot in my tummy is getting tighter.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

WA: Day 5

Today is party day!! And, actually, I spent most of the day with my family setting up everything at the church. And picking up the cakes. And all that frantic last minute stuff. 
Wow, it looks amazing. And I'm so thankful for the many hands to help. This is absolutely the best party I've ever helped plan for. It wouldn't have been possible without those extra hands. (And don't worry--I'll have a separate post with all the details!)
I think my grandmother was overhwelmed, but in a good way. How could she not know how special she is? I sure hope she realizes that now.
We had yummy spaghetti, with a choice of 4 sauces. Have you ever seen a giant pot of spaghetti noodles being stirred with a giant wooden oar? Because I can now say I have. It was so delicious.
After eating, my uncle Jim, the MC, introduced family that had planned on presenting my grandmother with something special. My mom & her 3 sisters quoted a poem. My sister-in-law sang a song. All the great-grandkids sang "You Are My Sunshine".  Me & my cousins performed a goofy cheerleading skit, where we got the crowd involved. (Thanks to my cousins Bree & Brad for jumping on board with my silly idea!) It was awesome, I might add.
Then, it was "open mic" time. Family & friends shared stories or memories or sweet words to my grandmother. It was such an amazing party. Full of love for this lady that we all cherish. Everyone also brought, as their gift, something they had written for grandmother. We kept these all in a binder for my grandma to keep.
After the party, my cousins & I headed down to the bowling alley to knock down some pins. I love those cousins of mine. I always have. I am floating right now being surrounded by all this family.

Friday, February 24, 2012

WA: Day 4

Busy getting decorations made for grandmother's party. I recruited the help of my sis, mom & dad. Cutting, punching, stringing, measuring, painting. Purple is my grandmother's favorite color. And mom noticed my socks matched too.
After some pre-party set-up in the fellowship hall of the church, it was back home for some thin crust pizza & surprise visits from some of grandmother's family. They kept streaming in & grandma kept on being surprised. Loud visiting ensued.
Can't believe the party is tomorrow. I am exhausted & using every bit of energy I have left. I am excited to see it all come together.
Tonight at midnight my 2 cousins & auntie from California will be arriving. Yay!!
My air mattress on the floor in the office of my parent's house is making a nice home away from home.  

Thursday, February 23, 2012

WA: Day 3


I love being "home". Where mom is. I get to lazy around in ways I don't back at my home. Mom takes care of me. Cooks for me. Lets me sleep in. But there's also someone to run errands with, someone else to help with work in the kitchen, & visit over a cup of tea.
Today the agenda included crafting, some more last minute shopping, day #2 of Chinese food for lunch, & a visit from my sis & nephew again. (I put her & mom to work on crafty bits. I won't be able to show you my creative secrets until later!)
I watched American Idol with mom & dad tonight. Though I haven't watched this show in a LONG time, my favorite of the top 24 of this season is Reed Grimm.
After a dinner of grilled bacon cheeseburgers, we enjoyed a slice of strawberry rhubarb pie. (Though not my favorite dessert on the planet, I usually try to never pass up dessert.)
I desperately wish the Mr. & girls could be here with me.
 

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

WA: Day 2


For breakfast mom made monkey bread. It was gooey & delicious.
Then, mom & I readied ourselves for a day of shopping. Party supplies were on our list. (Lots of secrets going on behind the scenes!) We shopped at 3 different craft stores in one day! Wow, this small town girl hasn't been used to all this accessibility in a long time! It was fun to hop around town with my mom. We always have a good time. It was another windy day too.
For dinner I made a green salad while mom made Lobster Thermidor.
After supper, my brother, sis-n-law & 3 nieces came over for a visit. I swapped coyote hunting stories with my brother. And I laughed & laughed at my silly nieces. They are some of the funniest little people I know. We drew together, read, & took lots of silly photos. It makes me miss MY little people back home. Daddy's doing such a good job taking care of them while mommy goes off to play for 6 days!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

WA: Day 1





After a lot of anxiety, a tiny bit of turbulence, & a thorough check of my carry-ons due to two pair of scissors making security nervous, I finally made it to Washington to visit my family. Not before a layover in Denver though. (Oh, & scissors are perfectly fine to carry on the airplane as long as the blades are 4" or smaller.) I tootled around Concourse B, knitting some, photographing some, texting some , & eating a DELICIOUS Grilled Cheese Melt at Pour la France. The sandwich was layered with brie, fontina, swiss & mozzarella cheeses, & served with a small Caesar salad. I planted myself in a perfect people watching spot to munch & spy.
When I arrived in Pasco, I got to hug my mom & dad & grandma. (Grandma's 90th birthday is on Sunday, so my visit is slightly intentional.)
We all went out for Chinese food on the way home & had enough leftovers to feed a small village. At mom & dad's house my sister & nephew were waiting for us to arrive. My sister later told me that my 4 year old nephew walked into the empty house & asked, "Where are all the humans?" I got to hug my little man & play Cooties & Hi-Ho-Cherrio & pretty much whatever he wanted to play. Later I had a quick visit from Tia & then mom brought out her homemade scones: lemon thyme with a sweet lemon glaze or cherry almond. (Of course I sampled one of each.)
Before bed I Skyped with the girls, reading to them from Laura Ingalls Wilder's "The Long Winter". Mostly they made faces & hopped around.
I was unbelievably exhausted from a long day of flying & airports.
I fell asleep listening to the wild wind blowing outside.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Week in Review: February 13-19

Last week I...
...got Valentine happy mail.
...received flowers from the Mr. & the girls.
...made chocolate chip pancakes for the first time ever.
...lacked inspiration, so the Mr. & I drove around town to find it. I got out, walked around, jumped some & then found it.
...wrote.
...celebrated the Mr.'s 40th birthday.
...made a yummy pita sandwich (filled with cream cheese, walnuts, lettuce, tomato, cheese & ham.)
...visited Sidney, NE with the fam while waiting for my hair appointment. We found a cofffee shop & planted ourselves there for a bit.
...got my hair chopped off! (Click HERE for the "before".)
...bought myself a one-sentence 5-year journal.
...jammed with my musician pals.
...made a DELICIOUS meal (that the girls even raved about): Cheesy Chicken Casserole
...mailed orders.
...ate pork tacos from Tacos Mexico. (Thanks, Randy,  for driving 45 minutes to bring it to me & the Mr.!)
...had my Vinyl Lorax Mustache Pillow featured on the The Lorax facebook page, along with the 9 other crafters & their projects as part of the "Get Creative with the Lorax Blog Tour".
...cooked up meals to freeze for the family while I'm gone for the next 6 days. (I'm flying out tomorrow to Washington to visit with my family!)

Click HERE for a photo play-by-play.

Friday, February 17, 2012

30 Bags in 30 Days: Day 25: My bedroom

My room is a mess a lot of the time. Mostly it's laundry, clean laundry, that sits in unfolded piles all over the floor. Some days it appears I live like a disorganized bachelor.
It happened after I had kids. I used to be so neat. Everything had to be "just so".
Another reason for the untidiness, in my bedroom in particular, is that the shevling holding my clothes is just not in a convenient place. So I rearranged a few things (getting rid of 3 bags of stuff in the process) & came up with a different set up. I hope it works. Believe me, the Mr. is crossing his fingers that it does.
30 Bags in 30 Days tally so far: 45 bags


Thursday, February 16, 2012

30 Bags in 30 Days: Day 24: Zoey's Room

Zoey is my tidy girl. Her room is mostly nice & clean all the time. She likes things to be this way. It makes her feel awesome to have a tidy room. Believe me, she stuffs things under the bed & has her piles here & there. But for the most part, she has a fairly orderly space.
And she LOVES it when I go in her room & help her purge ever so often.
Like, this week.
We got rid of 4 bags of stuff. (2 trash & 2 donate)
I must admit, I've already done her closet as part of the "30 Bags in 30 Days" project, but that was months & months ago! This time around I was able to get rid of a new season of outgrown clothes & pass them on to her little sister. (Who, of course, must try on all the new pretty dresses & show me how each one twirls so magnificently.)
Zoey's now beaming with uncluttered pride.
Her favorite thing to do lately is grab a pillow & a blanket, & read in her closet.
(And I'm really proud of my girls for letting go of things. They're setting a good example for me.)

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Week in Review: February 6-12

Last week I...
...made Valentines.
...went on a coffee date with the Mr.
...dunked Oreo's in milk.
...took the girls to redeem their Christmas gift cards for manicures at the salon.
...dined on pork tacos from Tacos Mexico.
...tried a new restaurant the fam has never been to.
...crafted.
...wrote.
...got a story I wrote about my recent coyote hunt published on the front page of the local newspaper. (With one of my photos too!)
...watched Zoey play her next-to-last basketball game.
...learned how to embed a PDF on my blog. (This truly excites me!!)
...made Egg Nikmuffins for breakfast on Saturday before the b-ball game.
...walked in the snow around town.
...Skyped.
...shopped for clothes.
...played the Wii. (Lego Indiana Jones)
...attended parent/teacher conferences.
...hosted another Crafty Night.
...went to a dinner/auction with the Mr.




Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Made with love, & a pair of shears.

I'm no Martha.
Or Nigella.
But I still rocked the heart-shaped chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.
Happy Valentines Day!!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Miniature Cereal Box Valentines

I know it's down to the last minute.
That's how we crafty peeps like to roll. Am I right?

Well, I'm here to share with you the Valentines I created for the girls' school mates this year. I decided I wanted to do something with miniature cereal boxes, but I didn't know what. So I googled, found THIS, & immediately pinned it to my Valentimes Day board so I wouldn't forget. (Thank you Lily Jane for such a fun Valentine project!!)
Because I already had the paper, the twine, & the spoons, the only expense for these Valentines was the cereal boxes. (Forty Valentines for only $15.00!)
I changed up the layout of the wrap-around labels from the inspiration website. I didn't have the same cereals accessible & I just couldn't get creative enough to come up with a Valentine pun for each stinkin' cereal. So, instead, I found a silly knock-knock joke & decided to create THE SAME label for each box of cereal. That was just easier for me. (It took me a second to understand the knock-knock joke though. haha!)
As you can see, the cereal box was first wrapped in brown kraft paper, which I adhered with a bit of tacky glue onto itself. Then, the Knock-Knock Joke label was wrapped around, using double stick tape. I used glue dots on the back of the spoon & stuck it to the side of the box, & finally wrapped twine a couple times around the top of each spoon & tied it in a bow. (I only included a "From" on my girls' Valentines, just to make it easier when they pass them out to their class.)

I'm so happy to share with you my first real PDF that you can download yourself!!! I'm seriously sending major hugs to Jo, of the blog "A Bit of This & A Bit of That", who directed me in the way of Scribd., & a tutorial on her very own website on how to embed a PDF to my blog. Click HERE for her tute. I can honestly say I'm not afraid anymore & I'm pretty sure I'm about to go all PDF-embeddin-crazy up in here.
(And P.S.: I love you Jo.)
I think I did this correctly? It might take me a few go's to get it right.
Print the labels onto an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper. Cut along the dotted lines. The narrow strip on the bottom is just a throwaway piece.
Cereal Valentines Label

Thursday, February 9, 2012

B.F.F. Valentine Heart T-Shirts

 After a long day of coyote hunting, I went to bed & dreamed up this project.
(I love how randomly ideas sometimes hit me.)
This project reminds me of those "Best Friends" necklaces, where you keep one half of the heart & your best pal gets the other half.
In this instance, they are "B.S.F." shirts. (Best Sisters Forever)
I purchased 2 inexpensive Hanes t-shirts on clearance at my local Dollar & Variety store. And then I scrounged through my stash of felt & found some red pieces to use for the hearts.
If you have a new shirt, be sure to pre-wash it before you begin this project.

I pinned a piece of felt to the shirts & used chalk to outline the correct sized heart shape.

You can stitch the hearts directly to the t-shirts, but I like to use Heat-n-Bond AND stitch the hearts on.

Cut your heart out, leaving a space all around the edge. Then, cut out a piece of Heat-n-Bond a tiny bit smaller than the felt piece.

Iron the Heat-n-Bond onto your felt according to the directions.

Now cut out your heart pieces along the chalk lines.

Peel off the Heat-n-Bond paper backing.

Place the hearts onto the shirt & place a cloth over the top. Then, iron on the hearts.

Machine-stitch the hearts onto the shirt.


And that's it!


Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Plastic Pom-Pom Pillow

I have been DYING to use clear vinyl in a crafty project. Is that wacky or what?? These pillows came about as a result of yesterday's Lorax Blog Tour. (I was inspired by the town of Thneedville in the The Lorax movie, where most everything is made of plastic. And the pom-poms reminded me of the whimsical pom-pom-like truffula trees.) These pillows didn't quite fit the criteria that the media peeps were looking for.
So, now I get to share my fantastically plastic project with you!

These pillows stitch up SO quickly because there is no hand-stitching involved & you don't have to flip them inside out.

SUPPLIES:
•Clear vinyl (I used 16 gauge)
•Thread in your color of choice
•Sewing machine
•dry erase marker
•Pom-Poms
•Tape measure or ruler
 I purchased pom-poms from amazon.com & etsy.com. I could get a bulk amount for less than I could find at local retail stores. I took the white pom-poms & added them to the Golden Yellow RIT dye bath I used for the faux fur mustache in the The Lorax Mustache Pillow project.

TIP: the pom-poms took a while to dry. After dyeing, I first rinsed the pom-poms out, squeezed the bahookies out of them, then I used paper towels to squeeze again. Then I laid them out to dry for a day. Then, when they were almost dry, I tossed them in the dryer to finally finish drying. I even took the light pink pom-poms & added them to the dye. It tinted them a slight peachy-pink color.
You can't tell in the photo very well, but they are a slightly different color. I don't know about you, but I find it kind of fun that I can custom dye pom-poms. You can, of course, use whatever color pom-poms you want. Dyeing is optional.


I decided to make a pillow that was 16" squared. I took my tape measure & dry erase marker & drew a 2" border around one of the clear vinyl squares. I'll ultimately end up with a center square of 12" full of pom-poms & a 2" border all the way around.

Stitch around three sides of the vinyl, using the dry erase lines as your guides. I used a longer stitch setting on my sewing machine.
Fill your plastic pouch with pom-poms. I loved choosing which color combos to mix.


Now stitch up the last side on your sewing machine. This is a bit tricky. You have to hold one end up with one hand & sort of pull the pillow along as the machine sews, with the other hand. You might want to play around with a practice piece of vinyl before stitching on your actual pillow.

If you want, you can create a scalloped edge. I created one pillow with a straight edge & one without. Just use your dry erase marker to draw on the decorative edging & cut around your pillow. It doesn't have to be perfect.

Here's my other pillow, sitting next to the Lorax mustache pillow from yesterday.
These look really cute propped on my girls' beds, or they make a funky & silly accessory for your couch.
If they get dirty, you can simply wipe them with a damp cloth.
Happy plastic crafting!
(More vinyl projects coming soon!!)

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Week in Review: January 30-February 5

Last week I...
...went coyote hunting!
...laughed harder than I have in a very long time.
...went to high school basketball games at WNCC.
...ate at McDonald's.
...yarn bombed.
...wrote.
...crafted with pom-poms, faux fur, & orange & plastic vinyl.
...called my dad on his birthday.
...went on 2 coffee dates with the Mr.
...attended a Speed the Light rally in Alliance with the youth group.
...had a jam session with my drummer & bass pals.
...started watching the Superbowl. But then just waited for the commercials.

Click HERE for a photo play-by-play.

Get Creative With The Lorax: Vinyl Mustache Pillow


I was asked to be part of a blog tour to help promote Universal Pictures upcoming movie: Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. (Eep! I'm so excited!)
The Lorax lands in theatres on March 2nd. For a preview, downloads & games, click HERE.
 Visit The Lorax facebook page HERE.

Today I will show you how to make a hip mod Lorax Mustache pillow.
 (It's super easy!)
SUPPLIES:
•Orange upholstery vinyl (fleece or felt would work fine too)
•Faux fur (preferrably in yellow, but I used white)
•Rit dye in "golden yellow" (don't need this if you found yellow faux fur)
•Stuffing
•Mustache template (Click HERE for the link to download)
•Scissors
•Pins
•Orange & yellow thread
•Needle
•Sewing machine

I purchased orange vinyl upholstery material (with a soft backing) & cut out 2 square pieces. You can make them whatever size you want. Mine were 12 inches & I used a 1/2 inch seam allowance when sewing on the machine.
Next, I searched high & low for the perfect yellow faux fur material to use for the mustache. My local shop only had white, so I died it yellow using some Golden Yellow RIT dye. I was uncertain whether it would work or not, but I gave it a go. My first test piece came out the perfect color. But my 2nd batch came out much lighter. Still, it'll work. (I think I dyed too much of the material at once. I dyed the whole 1/4 yard I purchased, when I should have just cut the size I needed & dyed that.)

TIP: I found that it shrunk a tiny bit. I used the stovetop method. (Directions are found inside the RIT dye box.) So, just keep that in mind when you're figuring out how much material you'll need for the mustache.
Download the mustache template (listed in the SUPPLIES above) & cut that out. It's actually a pumpkin carving template. Pin the template to your faux fur, trace, &  cut out.

The faux fur will be kinda messy, with hairs falling off after you cut. You may need to comb it out to get all the loose shedding bits off.

Pin the mustache to the right side of your fabric & carefully sew around the edges on the machine, using your yellow thread.

Place right sides of your orange pillow pieces together & pin in place. Starting at the bottom, sew around all 4 sides---leaving about a 4 inch gap unsewn.

Next, snip the corners of the pillow. This will help the corners of the pillow to have a nice pointy shape when you flip the pillow inside-out. Which is what you'll do next.
After you've flipped the pillow inside-out, poke a chopstick or blunt knitting needles or something poky yet unsharp into the corners to get them all nice & corner-ish. Stuff the pillow to your desired puffy-ness & handstitch the 4 inch gap on the bottom of the pillow with the orange thread & needle.

That's it!
And now you have a funky little Lorax 'stache accessory!

The girls & I are SO ANXIOUS to see the movie.
We can't wait!!!

I'm stop #5 of TEN stops on the "Get Creative With The Lorax" BLOG TOUR.
In case you missed it...
Feb. 1: Temporary Tattoos over at Today's Creative Blog
Feb. 2: Recycled Puppet Theater over at Katydid & Kid
Feb. 3: Truffula Tree Pencils over at Zakka Life
Feb. 6: The Lorax Game over at Smashed Peas & Carrots
Feb. 7: Mustache Pillow right here at WhiMSy love
Feb. 8: Garden Planter over at Little Birdie Secrets
Feb. 9: Yarn Pom-Poms on Twigs over at Art Projects for Kids
Feb. 10: Stenciled T-Shirt over at Dabbled
Feb. 13: "Unless" Garden Stones over at Prudent Baby
Feb. 14: Lorax Themed Party Table over at Tonya Staab
(I'll post direct links as they are published!)