Blessings!

 

One of the most amazing things happened today. It brought me to tears.

Background first. I make hair bows and had placed a few on a bidding site. A wonderful lady our bid on a couple of them and won them for $2 each. When she came to get them she looked at a few of my other bows and ended up buying $25 worth. I was so excited it was great. It made me feel awesome. I was selling the bows so I could get a couple toys for my kids that our small budget couldn't provide. My husband has been out of work for some time and no one in his field of study will hire him because he has no experience with his collage diploma (he's working to a degree as well). So things are tight and $25 really is a lot to us.
but that's not the most amazing part...

this fantastic Angel (for that's what she is) came back shortly later and handed me an envelope and a sparkly purple poinsettia wishing me Merry Christmas before leaving. In the card was a gift card from her and "the Wal-Mart lady" and $10 more dollars.

I cried.  

I don't know these people and here they gave me so much. I pray they have, a wonderful Christmas and more, receiving all the blessing they can for they deserve them and more.

Family Home Evening Chalk Board

I have wanted to make a FHE board for a while now but I have not found one I really like. I have looked at ones with multiple pieces that you move around on little hangers or nails, ones with Velcro, even ones made with Ribbon and clothes pins. None of them seemed right I needed my own, something original soooo...

I made a chalk board one :) (My hubby laughed at me because it's on a board of wood he thought it was punny lol)

I didn't get pictures of everything so I apologize but it is easy to follow :)
here's how I did it.
I made my own chalk board paint. if you use spray on stuff just spray your surface as par cans directions and skip to step 5

you will need
1/2cup Paint (whatever colour you like)
1Tbs sanded grout
surface you wish to use as your board
sand paper (fine)
extra paint (diff colour) to paint on assignments and whatever else you would like.

step 1
mix 1/2c paint with 1Tbs grout mix so there are no clumps ( I added the paint to the grout and slowly added more paint so it didn't clump)

Step 2
paint board - let dry

Step 3
sand slightly

Step 4
use side of chalk and rub all over board - wipe off (this is to condition the board for use)

Step 5
paint on assignments ect

Step 6
Use chalk to write in who has what and enjoy :)

A twist on pillowcase dresses

I like the little pillowcase dresses I have seen going around here lately like these

picture found @ http://sistermama.typepad.com/sistermama_gets_real/2009/04/quick-easter-sewing.html

but I am teaching my children modesty from the start so I wanted sleeves so I brainstormed and made my own with sleeves and this is how.

Materials

Sewing machine

thread

elastic thread (craft section Wal-mart $1.97)

Pillowcase

scissors (something to cut with)

pins

Step 1

get a pillowcase ($2 @ Dollarama)

step 2

cut 4-5 inches off the top(sealed end) if you would like the dress shorter feel free to cut more off after the initial cut. I made a baby dress as well so one is shorter in my pics.

step3

cut folded end of part cut off so you have 2 pieces these will become the sleeves

step 4

finish all edges the great thing about the pillowcase is that you don't need to finish the bottom because it's already done :)

Step 5

finish seams on sleeves as well

Step 6 (smocking)

switch bobbin thread to elastic thread; you need to wind it by hand but it does not take long.

(Forgive the dirty looking nails I was canning cherries and they dyed my hands)

Step 7

Change your stitch to your largest stitch size, change your tension on your machine as well. I had to play with mine till I got it right but in the end I found this worked best for me...

 9.5 tension and 4 stitch. This will sew just like normal thread (so cool)

Step 8

begin sewing top of dress(side that you finished not bottom that has the pillowcase finish)

TIP: When doing the Smocking (elastic thread) you can choose how you want it; if you want the elastic thread on the outside or the inside is up to you it's cute either way. I have one in each so you can see what I mean. some fabrics look better than others different ways.

as you get back to where you started turn so it's up and down and stitch down 3 stitches: turn back and continue in a line using your first line as a guide. As you sew the fabric will begin to gather STRETCH IT FLAT DO NOT SEW IT WHEN ITS BUNCHED TOGETHER

Continue for as many rows as you would like

Step 9

using the elastic thread stitch down each side of the sleeve (1 row on the one side and 2 on the other. I use the one with the 2 rows as the outside of the arm and the one row against the neck if that makes any sense)

Step 10

Pin sleeves on. eye ball where you want them to sit pin one side then stretch out scrunched part and pin second side so that the sleeves will scrunch and stretch as well :)

Step 11

Sew on sleeves

and

TADA!!!!!

cute and modest :)

Please DO NOT copy pictures of my children Thank you.

the best part for me is when my munchkin proudly announces to strangers that complement her dress.

"my mommy made it for me"



Hair clip flower

I love hair clips and little flowers in my muchkins hair... and I have fun putting them in my own I won't lie lol.

The only problem is the cost... So here it is easy as pie flower hair clip just for you.

You will need...

Flowers ($1.25 at Dollarama)

shinny middle or button ($1.00 for 8 at Dollarama)

hot glue gun

hot glue sticks

scissors

felt- cut in a circle and a strip(all I had was black but it works use what you want) (only if you want it to be used for headband and clip do you need this)

step 1

take the flower apart

step 2

glue flower pieces together layer by layer

step 3

glue in centre of your choosing

step 4

turn over and glue on felt circle (or glue a clip directly on and your done)

step5

glue felt strip on felt with one strip of glue on either side leaving it open in the middle

step 6

add a hair clip or hair band and you're done :)

wear and enjoy :)

Marbling

Marbling with paint

I just learned how to do this myself so I thought I would share.

you will need...

item your painting on

Paint I used 3 colors

scrap fabric

2 brushes

plastic wrap

first paint your surface the base color you want

 second dip your scrap fabric in the different colored paint and put strips across the surface

marble follows in one direction most of the time so they should go the same direcion for everything

third take a DRY brush (must be dry it doesn't work as well if it's wet) and blend everything together the more you blend the better it seems to get.

 see :)

I think i would like to see more white in this though... you can dip your scrap again or cheat like me and put paint directly on the canvas/ surface from the tube. blend.

if you want more texture you can use some plastic wrap place it on top then lift

blend a little more to make it look good. Place small lines of white through the picture and lightly blend in (sorry I missed a picture of putting the lines in so I used the blue one to show lol)

And ta-da

I figured there was no use wasting this so I made it into a picture for my Munchkins room.

I was going to do 3 pictures but nap time didn't go as planned lol

I even had to distract them till I got these two done...

 paint was everywhere and I don't know what else would have paint on it if I finished a 3rd one.

but

they had fun and were distracted and covered in paint which led to bath time and who can argue with that? :)

Rhubarb Apple Muffins

I love Rhubarb... at least with sugar lol when i was a kid i would pick it and dip it in sugar and devourer it. So I began playing around and trying to make my own recipe... a healthy one... well semi healthy I haven't replaced the sugar lol.

Rhubarb Apple Muffins.

3/4 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk with 1 tbl vinegar let sit for 5 min (will be clumpy don't worry))
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups finely chopped/diced Rhubarb (I liked a few larger chunks here and there)
1/2 cup chopped apple

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbl ground flax
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg (Optional)
1/4 tsp clove (Optional)

1/2 cup craisins (Optional)
1/2 cup raisins (Optional)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (hulled of course) (Optional)

Topping (goes on before baked to make a sugary/ flaky top Optional)

1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven 400 degrees.
Butter pans or place muffin liners in pans.
Mix apple sauce, oil, egg, vanilla, buttermilk, brown sugar, Rhubarb, chopped apple in a large bowl set aside.
Mix dry ingredients together (all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, flax, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove)
pour into wet ingredients mix well.
stir in raisins, craisins, sunflower seeds add any other additions you would like.
Spoon into muffin pan about 3/4 full. sprinkle tops with topping.
bake at 400 for 15-20min serve warm or cold - enjoy :)

Other Optional Ingredients
Nuts
chocolate chips
Dried fruits

I forgot the topping on these ones... I was distracted by having to take children off of the table for the umpteenth time then one falling, well he was pushed by a sibling but they wont admit it.

so yah no topping on these one but they were still great. 

PICKY KID APPROVED (well at least my picky kids who will eat little more than mac and cheese and hot dogs)

Water Beads

Water Beads 

Alright these ARE so cool.

I have seen these all over pinterest and I wanted to try them out with my minions. soooo...

   

I ordered some off of e-bay. I was amazed at how much water these tiny beads hold, they turn from the tiny seed like bead into the larger ones you see here.

I really had fun with these (well the kids did too) they feel cool, bounce and gave us  lots to do. Experimenting with them was fun too we dropped them in different coloured water to see if they 'disapeared' then would scoop them out and put them in other containers and dump them. they seemed to sparkle like little gems as the light hit them. We also thought it was cool how they just become spots of colour when in  clear water (it was so weird almost hypnotising as we stirred the water watching them spin).

I did find a couple flaws to playing with them

A: My 2yr old kept trying to eat them :(

B: yellow blended with the colour of the floor and became hard to find when they escaped.

C: I found i don't like chasing water beads ALL over the kitchen although the minions thought it was the funniest thing in the world.

D: if the beads got a nick in them they were done for  and would easily break.

Although the kids found they were even fun to play with when they broke. they would squish them between their fingers.

OVERALL they were fun and I will do this again... maybe at nap time so the older ones get to play with them longer and I don't have to keep as vigilant an eye on them.. or chase beads all around the floor lol.