breakable objects and other christmas items

For some reason, I got it into my cute little head that glass ornaments and glass plates would be prefect gift ideas for family and friends. I ended up etching the initials of some friends onto the ornaments and I was brave/foolish enough to let the boys stuff them with feathers. We had a lot of fun and only broke a few. (I ended up breaking more on my own later on) They were pretty cute and I may end up making them next year for my own tree.

I also ended up making more of these plates for my side of the family and some of the families we go to church with. These were less fragile(thank heavens) So far my glass etching projects this winter has reached a total of 46 items. That's 21 ornaments, 13 vases for a wedding, 11 plates and a glass cake pan for my mama. I am officially putting away the etching cream and taking a break.

I saw the plans for this cute wreath made out of scrapbooking paper on some local daytime news show. If I could remember which one, or even which company sponsored it, I would post a link. But I can't, I think the fumes from the glass etching cream have gotten to my head. This is the near finished product. There ended up being so much glitter and sparkle that every time I walk past it I smile. Man, I love glitter. It was pretty easy. All I had to do is cut out a few hundred leaf shapes and push pin them into a Styrofoam wreath circle. It took a bit to do it, but it was easy and fun. And hey, It sparkles!

birthdays

We have had a couple of birthdays since the last time I was on here. Bear turned 1 and is the cutest little monster ever. He reminds me quite a bit of my brother. No wonder my mom lets Brother get away with so much. There is a twinkle in Bear's eye just like Brother's. You can just hear Bear's thoughts "Yes I know what I am doing is naughty, but gosh darn it I am cute, so you will just have to let me get away with it." And most of the time we do. I am in so much trouble.

I had so much fun making these cupcakes. I got the recipe from the Hello Cupcake Cookbook, my new favorite. http://http//www.hellocupcakebook.com/ Bear loved them so much, he ate 2. I made a ton, but lost all the pictures. Luckily my cute neighbor had taken a few of the one I sent over to her.

Today is Z-Dog's 7th birthday. Last night we had a huge party with a bunch of his friends. The theme was legos. We borrowed a TON of Legos from our friend and all the kids loved them. We had a couple of games and pizza. It was amazing how quiet 13 kids can get when they are busy building with legos. Other than the utter exhaustion I felt after I was done, it was actually an easy party to plan. The legos pretty much took care of the whole evening. Those little blocks are just amazing.

Z Dog is an amazing kid. He is ultra charismatic and super smart. He loves to read, a fact that I am so excited for. He has tried starting Harry Potter, but I asked him to hold off for a little bit. I am anxious to share my little book collection with him. I have been collecting all the books I loved as a kid. He has started Sideways Stories from Wayside School, one of my favorites.

projects galor

Sometimes I wonder how many times people have started out their blog with the sentence "It's been a while since I last blogged" or something similar. I could start out my blog with a statement like this, but I don't think I will. After all, It's pretty obvious. If you cared , you could just look at the date of the previous blog. Plus "a while" is just a matter of opinion. To some a few weeks isn't really all that long. Right now, to me, It seems like forever. The only reason why is because I actually have finished A BUNCH of projects.

First we had Monkey's birthday to go overboard on. I ended up sewing and appliqueing 16 tunics for all his guests. I made a cake complete with castle and battle scene. I also modified a dinosaur pinata into a dragon. It was so fun seeing baby Bear battle the fierce balloons in his little knight's tunic. The guests all had so much fun Running around in their tunics fighting with their foam swords and popping the balloons. Daddy Man ended up helping Monkey slay the pinata dragon with a massive replica sword from the Lord Of the Rings. Monkey had a great time, but I was glad when it was over.

A few days after that I started, then eventually finished, 13 glass bowls for a friend's wedding. I used my Cricut and the "Sure Cuts a Lot" program to cut out a bunch of circles with R's in them out of vinyl. After the tricky part of trying to smooth the circles on the rounded glass, I used etching cream to etch them onto the glass. They turned out cute and will look great with the cranberries and candles they plan on using(probably a lot better than the rocks and single ribbon I used in the picture).

I also made all the Christmas gifts for Daddy Man's side of the family. I etched their last names onto glass plates. I don't have any pictures of these because they have already been given out(I know it's early, but I am done) :) I had a ton of fun with these and plan on making one for myself.

It's so fun trying out new techniques and I love seeing my friends and loved ones smile when I give them something I worked on. I guess that's the best part of crafting. Working on a special gift is probably the best way I know that I can tell someone how important they are to me.

Happy birthday daddy man!

just wanted the world to know that it's daddy-mans birthday in 16 minutes. he will be 30 years old. Hope that this isn't a shock to your system like it was to mine!

love you !!!!

pirate ships and castles

We have been so blessed these past few years. Daddy Man has been going to school full time and while he has been in school, we have been living in the Campus Mobile Home Park. The place is getting set to close in 2011 (thankfully we should be out and in the real world this coming spring). In the mean time, people are slowly trickling out and the old trailers are being left empty. There has been a company moving them out and it has been quite an experience. Our front yard has been getting bigger and bigger. Daddy Man Pulled over the back porch of our neighbors so the boys could climb on it. A couple of days later the guy in charge of tearing down the trailers had his workers bring over a matching porch(how thoughtful was that?). Well Daddy Man and I got uber creative and made the Boys a fort. I know, the board in the middle doesn't look too steady, but it can hold daddy man, not to mention Monkey and I dueling with light sabers. We had so much fun building it and have so many more ideas to do, we just need a little more time. And how about all that reusing? How green are we? Now Daddy Man just need a job locally so we can take it with us. It now gets used more than the swing set ever does.

so here is a list of a few of the projects that are in the process of getting done

I am etching some monograms on some glass vases for the center pieces for my cute friends wedding. I have found a program for my cricut called Sure Cuts A Lot and I totally love it. It enables me to cut out basically any true type font I have on my computer(not to mention dingbats, and A Ton of different picts I find on the web). I have been having so much fun with this program!

Another project I've been working on is stuff for Monkey's birthday party. He is turning 4 in a couple of weeks and we are going to have a knight party. I am going to be making tunics for all the kids and we are going to make swords. I will be posting a pict when I get them done.

There is still the old couch I found. Right now it's sitting in the yard peeling. The main problen is that the way I want to change it doesn't match with my current decor. So if I bring that in, I will have to paint, and get a new rug, change out pictures, etc. And we plan on moving in the spring so I am not going to waste the money on a house that is just getting torn down in the summer.

The case of the missing friendship bread

So I am a bit worried. have you ever been given Amish friendship bread? A friend of mine had a while ago and I actually kept it alive to 2 whole recipe cycles. It was almost time to make it again when I realized that I could find it. I just figured that Daddy man may have thrown it away(which would have been o.k., give it time and I will get another) but when I asked if he had, the answer was no. uh-oh. I have looked EVERYWHERE. I just can't find it. This scares me a little, no one wants a bread start running wild.
Oh and if you ever get a start and the recipe calls for vanilla pudding, put butterscotch pudding in it instead. Super yummy!

such a liar

So earlier I said that I wouldn't clean my house until school started. Yeah, that didn't last. We went up camping for a couple of days at Tony's Grove(the most beautiful place on this earth) and decided to bring back half the forest. Once I started to clean up, I couldn't stop. I guess that's one goal that is probably good that I didn't keep.

The desire to create

Last year, Dieter F. Uchtdorf Second Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints gave a beautiful talk http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=15674bb52a73d110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD about Happiness. In it he said that "The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul" I totally fell in love with that quote. It totally explains my life. I don't have talent oozing out of my pores. But I do love to try. The bag in the picture is my first attempt at applique. I finished it last night and am pretty excited. The Internet has been a great help to my creative process (but not to the pocket book). There are so many talented people out there, and so many are willing to help with there little tutorials.

So I dare you to read President Uchdorf's talk, feel inspired and go make this world a more beautiful place.

1 week 'till a clean house!

The house is a disaster. There I said it. Z-dog and Daddy-man start school in 1 week and Monkey starts in 2. I have giving up on cleaning until then. I feel that if I am able to keep the smells to a minimum and Baby Bear has a clean place to play, then the boy's room and the computer room can remain messy.
Then bring on the deep cleaning! I remember back when it was just Z-dog and I and it seemed hard to clean with just one child. Now I am looking forward to cleaning with just one child. The 3 wound up little boys have been dragging toys around, bringing in leaves from the yard and Monkey's various collections(Rocks, Bottle caps, sticks) are hiding everywhere.
I am so excited for everyone to go back to school. Please don't think I am a mean mom. I really do miss them when they are gone, I just love to see them grow and develop. (and I do admit, it is a lot easier to get jobs around the house) They are all in great schools and learn so much. Plus Daddy-man graduates this year!

sad. sad days

Some days are awesome, some are boring, some rock, then again there are days that stink. A couple of days ago I had one bummer of a day. First I was working on my Cricut. (yeah for Cricuts!) I ordered a new program for my computer that enables it to cut out any true-type font and dingbat that I can find and put on my computer. (how awesome is that?) super fun!!! Well, I was working on yet another project, heck I was almost done (can you believe it?) I had to put it on the floor so that I could hook it up to my computer. Z-dog came in to give me a little present, then preceded to back out (Really? backwards?) he tripped over my Cricut and busted off the top. Sad. But I am proud to say that there was no blood shed or emotional scarring done to the 6 year old. It still kinda worked, I could still get it to cut out stuff. The Cricut may not look pretty, the screen hangs crooked, but it worked. (a little foreshadowing here?)

Well, The next day I wanted to start another project, but guess what, It was a no-go. The little machine just doesn't have it in it to cut. poor thing.

So, I moved on to another project. I wanted to finish sewing a little cover for feeding the baby. I was almost done when the machine broke. Not the needle, the under part. So sad. I finished the cover though and am pretty proud of it.

I do have hope that my mom may be able to help fix the machine. (yeah for Mommies!) And If the Cricut is officially out of order, maybe one day I may be able to get a new one (It's Bigger! It's better! It's 30% shinier)

Thoughts on why I shouldn't go to bed

1. baby face Nelson will just be crying in an hour anyways.
2. I am hypnotised by the computer screen.
3. I was wrong, he's crying now.
4. all the more reason to stay on the computer, huzzy-buns is closer so he can get the baby.
5. When else can I have time to play on the computer without little mouths begging to play on it.

thoughts on why I should go to bed

1. The baby was up all last night with ear infections in both ears.
2. I'm tired
3. Baby face Nelson finally sounds like he stopped crying
4. Maybe if I actually got some sleep, I would stop tired-eating
5. I just washed the sheets and I LOVE clean sheets.
6. maybe one day I will wake the boys up before they wake me up
7. Yeah, maybe when they are teenagers (that gives me a little time)
8. Huzzy-buns is tired, and if I stop soon I may make it to brush my teeth before him.

hooray for dumpster diving!

So on our way to cooking class today, we ran across this little beauty. It has a broken bit, probably has fleas, and just a touch of a stink, but the bones are good. My little boy even jumped on it and it was still standing. I walked right past it, but on the way home I got "Ideas" then the creative juices started flowing. I have absolutely no room in the house for it, But I just can't help myself.

SO I am a total geek, surprised?

But the reason this time is because is just spent the entire day re-organizing my food storage. and had fun. But wait! that's not all. when I realized that I just didn't have enough (yeah right there's no room to walk) I ran out and bought more. At 9 o'clock in the p.m. Apparently not only do I need enough for a year for my family, but I also need to have enough chocolate chips for my sisters family too. If there is ever a need to use my food storage(and let's all pray that there won't be) I will definitely be covered in the chocolate department. Now all I need to do is invent a chocolate covered whole wheat recipe.

true to form

So as the name of my blog suggests, I am queen of the unfinished projects. Case in point... This blog. A few months back I though "hey, you like to talk about yourself, why not let the whole world know how great you are, Start a blog! Why not? every one else is?" And that's as far as I got.

Then I got random messages from friends and family(which are as good of friends as you can get) saying "hey! look at my blog! I'm neat! My kids are Neat! Life's Neat!" so I looked and Hey, they are neat! so I jumped on the band wagon and registered me up a blog. And that's as far as I got.

Then a bit later I decided to try to make it all fancy, forget actually trying to blog on my blog. Of course I got frustrated.(a baby screaming for momma at 11 in the p.m. doesn't help much). And that's as far as I got for that moment.

So after much trial and error, (The baby is playing happily on my lap) I actually decided to make my first post.

Now let's see if I actually continue this little project....