More Crafts

I also made this! What is this you ask?

It's a travel high chair! I saw the tutorial here at this mama makes stuff.

I just used old scraps from Mason's room fabric. Oh, but I did buy some vecro. But there was a JoAnn's coupon, so that's ok. And Brighton actually WANTED to be the model. Even better.

And I also made this (it was a busy week last week!). I saw the idea here at Grace Violet

Some Crafts

These were inspired by some that I saw at an Antique Fair. I bought the burlap at Goodwill, as well as the lining that I used to make the ruffle. These are going to go on my bed one day. If I ever get around to decorating my own room. And I bought the stuff before the New Year, so this doesn't go against my "Don't Spend Money" New Year's Resolution. They're Euro size, and only cost me $5 to make both.

There are a TON of babies that are due in the coming months. I was just invited to a baby shower, and I know there will be plenty more on the way. So I'm getting to work on some baby things so I won't have to stress about it. I'll already have stuff made! I made these two tag blankets and some diapers and wipes pouches to match. Now I've got to get to work on some girly looking ones.

Isn't this hedgie so cute?! I saw this tutorial a long time ago and then picked up some mitts from the dollar store. Oops! Got the wrong ones, but I adapted and made up my own. I'll have to share it soon when I make another one.

I have another mitt lying around so I'll get on that.

Mason's 5 Months! Cont'd

Ok! Here's some more!

Mason is actually doing much better at sleeping lately. We haven't had the baby monitor on at night for about a week and he hasn't woken up! And he's decided he likes sleeping on his tummy, so that has helped keep him asleep for his naps during the day.

He's almost out of 3-6month clothes! We're packing every thing up as he wears it and it gets washed, and getting the next size hung up in his closet and ready for him.

Look at that handsome face! I don't even mind the drool all that much. Mason has also decided that he loves my hair. He's finally gotten to that point where he just wants to hold it, stroke it, laugh when it tickles his face, eat it, and yank an entire handful out. I'm pretty close to chopping it all off, actually.

I took this one this afternoon at lunch time. He just thought he looked so tough in his skull bib mommy made for him.

Happy 5 months Mason!

Mason's 5 Months!

Mason turned FIVE MONTHS yesterday! Seriously, where has the time gone!? By the time I get out my camera to take a picture of him, another month has passed. Poor second child gets neglected. I thought I'd be good about it since he's a boy, but no. I'm lazier than ever.

Mason has had an awesome month! His eczema has cleared up for the most part. We still put lotion on him twice a day, but he hasn't had any rashes since we shaved his head last month. Maybe he's allergic to his own hair? At least he's boy and will have short hair anyways.

He's still eating just 4 times a day, about 8 ounces of formula each time. I've fed him rice cereal every now and then, just to get him used to it- nothing consistent. But the last couple of days he's been getting hungry earlier than normal so we've decided that now the cereal is necessary to keep him full. He's actually had it twice a day for the past three days. He's a fatty.

Mason loves to roll over and over and over, suck on everything he can fit in his mouth, suck on everything he CAN'T fit in his mouth, laugh at Brighton, and to have his tummy tickled.

He rolls EVERYWHERE! He keeps getting stuck under chairs and the couch, banging his head into walls, and getting caught up under the coffee table. (Is it still a coffee table if you don't use it for coffee? Or even drink coffee?)

I know all these pictures are the same, but I couldn't pick a favorite so you'll have to suffer through it! This one is kind of sweet-the tilted head. He looks so innocent. "I don't need to take a nap mommy. I'll just stay awake all afternoon and you can hold me. Doesn't that sound so much better than scrubbing toilets or exercising? I thought so..."

Ok, I can't load more pictures on this post, so bear with me, to be cont'd...

Brighton Photos

I was taking some pictures of crafts, and Brighton asked me to take a picture of her. She's so funny sometimes.

So here she is, happy to have the camera pointed at her.

Then she said she wanted a picture with "Cheetah."

And then Elmo wanted in on the action. I just love how she's able to tell me what she wants now! It's great having a child who actually communicates with you- even just a little.

New Year's Resolutions

I suppose they're just thoughts if I don't write them down, huh? And by announcing them, it kind of makes me actually NEED to be accountable for them.

Goals For 2010

1. I'm going to attempt to not spend money. I really want to try and buy nothing new. My motto for the year, "Make do, or do without." We'll see how it goes. I figure there are exceptions: birthday parties, really great deals, and anything else I deem necessary. Oh, and if I have a JoAnn's coupon. That necessitates a trip. And garage sales... and let's just say anything second hand... (this already isn't going very well...)

2. In saving money (and being healthy), I want to pack Dale's lunch for him. He usually orders lunches for Dr.s so I don't have to worry about it too often. But it's a lot healthier than him eating Panda every week. Gross.

3. I am trying to make exercise a priority. Typically housework is just under "Keep Kids Alive," which is my #1 priority. Not anymore! (well, the kids are still #1, but I'm #2!) So, my goal is to get a good workout (for me, an hour is good) at least 3 days a week. A friend and I were talking about this- 3 is doable. If I can get more in, great. If not, than I don't feel bad about myself.

4. I want to get back into running. I've been too lazy for too long. I started the Couch to 5K program to get back into good cardio shape and I'm on week 5 (there are 9 weeks total)! I'd like to have races to work towards so it looks like I'll be running a 5k in March?! Yikes.

5. I want to have a 100% record for Visiting Teaching. Even those women who won't take our calls and won't answer the door when we come knocking- we'll figure out something. I've got a great companion, so that shouldn't be too hard for us.

6. I want to read the entire Ensign each month. There are many months where I just read articles that sound good to me or just the article from the First Presidency. Not anymore!

7. Dale and I set up savings accounts for both Brighton and Mason. We want to put $50 into each of them each month. And we're not going to tell them about the accounts. :)

8. Lose the baby weight! With Mason not breastfeeding, I've been really nervous about getting the extra weight off. Maybe I'm vain but I want the weight gone! I've got 7 pounds to go!

9. I want to learn to make bread. I just can't seem to get it right. Perhaps this year is my year! And I want to learn to make jam or jelly. I don't know the difference. Perhaps in learning how to make it, I'll figure that out.

10. I want to read a book every month. I'd prefer it to be a new book because most of my books I've read more times than I'd care to mention. If anyone has any good recommendations, please let me know. I still need to get one read for January!

THE END! Wish me luck, Happy New Year to everyone, and good luck with your own goals this year. 2010 is our year!

Dale's Party Cont'd

For some reason I can't get these pictures on the other post! So Dale's party cont'd...

Here's Brighton in her hot pink shirt and she wore a black and white bubble skirt. She wore these sunglasses all night! And ate candy necklaces and stole all the glow bracelets she could get her hands on.

Here's everyone in their 80's wear! Sorry if you don't like how you turned out in this picture- it was seriously the best one. We all had weird faces in the others...

So, this picture was taken after everyone went home- after midnight! Most of my bright blush and blue eyeshadow had melted off. My hair is not as big (not ENOUGH hairspray I guess), but you get the idea. And it's fuzzy. Oh well.

I didn't get a picture of Dale in his guitar tee or his acid wash jeans, but he DID wear it. I finally got him to dress up!

Dale's 30th Birthday Party

Dale was such a sport and let me throw him a party for his 30th birthday. I promised I wouldn't throw him another one for 10 years. If he thinks this one was a little too much for him, just wait until the 40th! I've got 10 years to plan! Muahahah!

We did a rocking 80's themed party to celebrate! I made a PacMan cake! And some cupcakes for his power pellets, and I even did some ghosts: Inky, Pinky, Clyde and Blinky.

We had lots of neon, balloons, and streamers. And I found a whole bunch of cassette tapes and decorated with those!

I used Twister as a table cloth, strung cassettes from the lights, and mirror and stacked them on the tables. I filled vases with glow sticks, pixy stix, and candy necklaces.

I also made a garland of them and hung them over our TV, here, and put one on the knocker on our door. There were A LOT.

We did 30 questions of 80's trivia, listened to the top 100 of the 80's, and ended the night with one of the greatest 80's movies not made in the 80's: The Wedding Singer.

Brighton's New Coat

I'm getting to work on my sewing projects from the new books I got for Christmas. One of them, Carefree Clothes For Girls, is where I've decided to start!

In keeping with my New Year's Resolution, I bought nothing new to make this. I had a fleece remnant and some fun fabric, and used an old ripped shirt of mine for the ruffles, buttons and button holes.

Isn't that a fun lining? It's a size 4, which B won't be in for a few years, but that's the smallest size for the patterns in this book. I figure it gives me plenty of time to make everything in the book in time for her to wear it.

And here's the ruffle detail and the buttons!

I loved the look that the designer made with hers, but she just used linen and sheeting, which doesn't sound all that warm for a coat. And I didn't have any antique linen or lace on hand... Here's a photo of the coat in the book so you can get an idea of what Brighton will look like in it in a few years.

New Chair!

One of my New Year's Resolutions (besides lose weight, exercise more, and volunteer...somewhere...) is to not spend ANY money. It's not going so well. I think I may need to put some limits on the extremity of "spend no money."

Like- Birthdays. I can spend money on birthdays (Dale's and mine are coming up). And when it's a really good deal. Like my new $10 chair:

I haven't decided what style of fabric I want to use. It may sit in the garage until I can make up my mind.

But I'm really excited!

Totally Random

Not much is going on at the moment, but we did clean up all the Christmas decorations to make room for this:

Our fancy, new, garage sale re-do! Doesn't it look so pretty? The other one is still sitting in the garage. I have no idea where to put it! Now, to find a chair to reupholster so we can get rid of the couch! (Not this cute gold one, but the ugly plaid one that hides under the couch cover- no offense Lisa, I love that couch and AM keeping it, just not in the living room!)

I DID NOT MAKE THIS! Just have to be perfectly clear on this one, because I've been talking about doing this for Mason's room since before he was born. I found this at the second hand store for $10. Kind of more than I would spend for something second hand, but it saves me all the trouble of learning how to tie all those stupid knots! Some of the labels had fallen off, so I opened up the back and glued them back in the right spot. And it was totally worth every penny.

Dale's out of town, so I'm trying to stay busy after the kids go to bed with all of my projects I've got lying around. I'm freaking out there are so many! I've been wanting to make Brighton a new hair clip holder for her new room. The other one was great when she was a baby and not playing with the long ribbon and taking all the clips off. This makes things a bit more compact and-my favorite part- well out of Brighton's reach. These are just a minute part of her collection. When I put all the clips on, you can't even see the cute fabric that I put in there.
I found the frame for $2 at the second hand store. It had no glass or back, which was fine with me. I cut a piece of cardboard to fit, glued some fabric and ribbon (which I already had- go me), and voila! I'll have to get some pictures of her room now that it's not completely empty. It's not done, but it's coming together.

And finally I made this a little bit ago for Kaylin's 3rd birthday. I've had this one planned for a long time (maybe over a year) and I was just waiting for a good age to give it to her. I figure her little fingers are needing a workout with some fine motor skills. What better way than to make your own dyed noodle jewelry!
I saw a tutorial long, long ago and I don't remember where (maybe instructables?). I didn't like how they turned out and I ended up doing it again, my own way, and it was a lot easier, and the noodles turned out nicer. This is a picture of the first set as I gave away the nicer, second try. That one was better...

DYING NOODLES:
1. Put your noodles in a plastic bag (separate bags for different colors, obv).
2. Add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon (less is more in this case) of rubbing alcohol and a few drops of food coloring, depending on how vibrant you want the color. Here's what I did (I had red, yellow, green, and blue food dyes):
red- 4-5 drops; orange- 2 drops red, 2-3 drops yellow; yellow- 4-5 drops; green- 4-5 drops ; blue- 4-5 drops ; purple- 3 drops red, 2 drops blue
3. Shake the bag around and around and around until all the pasta looks evenly coated.
4. Open the bag, but don't take anything out. Let it "air out" a bit, like 5 minutes. And don't stand anywhere near it- you'll get a headache. Trust me.
5. When most of the alcohol has evaporated away, dump the bag out on a paper towel. Roll the noodles around gently to get rid of the excess and then let them dry. All done!

*Side note- I dyed little tiny noodles with the big ones. Not a good idea. All that shaking around in the bag just put all those little noodles inside the big ones. I'd do them separately next time. I had to re-do the little ones on a few of the colors.

Jim and Pam

We were invited to a New Year's Eve Couples Costume Party. Dale hates dressing up in any sort of costume. So I figured he couldn't complain too much if we went as Jim and Pam from The Office. Dale doesn't look like Jim, though he's as tall as him, so we added three black circles to his shirt so he could be "Three-hole-punch Jim." We carried around a ream of paper that said Dunder Mifflin Paper Co.

I had a hard time keeping things simple for Pam! My hair decided it wasn't going to curl, and I don't have any plain cardigans! But I did find some old clunky brown shoes that I wore with some sheer, hideous nylons.

And we partied all night long! It was fun to finally get out and enjoy some time away from kids, with some good friends.

Mason's Four Months!

Mason turned four months the day after Christmas. He and Brighton are becoming good friends. She loves to read to him, sing and give him as many toys as she can pile on top or around him.

I made these shirts for both of them by tracing their hands and a foot. I saw the idea here. I used some leftover brown fleece from Mason's Halloween costume and some knit scraps instead of felt. Dale made fun of them for wearing matching shirts, but lucky for them, they didn't realize it.

This past month, Mason started eating every four hours. Now he only eats four times a day, about 7 ounces at each feeding. He has his last bottle at 7 pm and is in bed by 8 or 8:30 every night. And that's it! He's down until 7 the next morning! We also gave him some rice cereal on Sunday to see how he'd like it. He seemed excited.

Hey Mikey, I think he likes it! He's talking a lot and laughing out loud, giggling so hard he will sometimes get hiccups and spit up because he's laughing so hard. He especially loves to be kissed in his neck fat. And boy is he fat! He's fitting his 3-6 month clothes pretty well. He may be in the next size by next month- we'll see.

Mason has been suffering from a REALLY horrible case of eczema all over his forehead and scalp. When he had his Dr. visit this month, she recommended a shave down and wrote a prescription for special lotion. Hopefully it will clear up soon!

So here he is, in all his beautiful bald glory. At least he's a boy and doesn't look too silly bald. Dale and I finally snapped a picture while the kiddos were wearing their special shirts I made for them.

Mason is doing really well. He weighs a whopping 15 pounds 8 ounces (60%) and is getting tall! He's 26 inches long (75%). I knew he was getting super big! He had some more shots at the Dr. too and did really well, only crying for like 30 seconds. Brighton's made him tough already!

Brighton's House

I had Brighton make her very own ginger bread house this year. She had fun putting the graham crackers on the sides and smashing candies all over.