Owl toy

Oh my goodness, did you see this owl Joy's Hope made??? So, so, so, cute!

Well, you know I am learning how to sew so I love little projects like this to give me some practice.

This is my "boy" version for my drooling little 6 month old. I didn't have the wide ribbon for the sides so I just used some thinner ribbon I had and I found these huge buttons, perfect for big owl eyes and if little Davis pulls them off they are too big to choke on. So that's good.

Definitely not perfect but I'm improving and the best part is I LOVED making it.

Seriously, loved it so much that I totally lost track of time and was supposed to have dinner over to a new neighbor tonight. I had to throw something together last minute and when I tasted it later (after I had already taken it them) I was so embarrassed.

Seriously, it was yucky... whoops.

btw I know I'm probably not the best person to do sewing tutorials (ha,ha not even close) since I'm a novice myself but I did take pictures of the process so let me know if you want a tutorial on how I made the owl... it will probably be comical to all you talented seamstresses out there. ;)

That's the spot

I put my new Funky Bow Holder Thingy in my kid's RED bathroom (on one of the white walls of course). It's perfect!

So now, between the funky bow holder and the hair-ribbon baskets I bought at IKEA I think we have little girl's hair accessories under control... for now at least.

Still haven't found another funky frame for my next project. :(

I'm getting antsy about it... I just can't wait any longer but I'm still too cheap to buy it new so I guess I just have to be patient.

That's the price us thrifty women pay...so to speak.

Come visit us

We are being featured at U create today. TOO FUN!

Go check it out and see my "funky bow holder thingy" tutorial.

See ya there. :)

Our Playhouse

I little over a year ago my hubby told me he wanted to turn the attic above the garage into a bonus room. I thought he was CrAzY since the only way we could do it financially was if we did ALL of the work (and when I say "we" I mean "he") and he is a very busy resident. Not to mention the fact that he has never built a room before.

Anyway, make a long story short, HE DID IT!

During the process we found there was a little nook in the back of the attic and at first we thought we might just wall it off but then we decided it would be perfect for a little "playhouse" for the kids, especially since it opens into their playroom.

I keep adding stuff to it as I find new things (on sale or at garage sales of course) but this is how it has turned out... so far.

BEFORE, literally

AFTER
I want to put up a little roof face that comes out of the wall with wood shingles eventually but that is at the bottom of a long list of things to do so we'll see. Until then I think this iron piece gives it the shape of a rooftop.

I ordered this vinyl "Welcome" sign from Scribble it. You can't really tell from the pictures but the rod iron piece and the "welcome" sign are chocolate brown.

I LUUUVVVV it!

Remember, I am just learning (notice I didn't say "can't", baby steps people) how to sew. These curtains are actually placemats I found and loved the colors so I just folded over one side and made a seam for the curtain rod.
This window is perfect for puppet shows too!

Here is the inside of the playhouse.

See the artwork display in the back? Just a 1x4 piece of painted wood with clips mounted on it.
Easy!

Remember the silly lady that sold me a dresser for $5? She also sold me this gold framed mirror for $3... I love that silly lady.
I spray painted it with a high gloss turquoise and put the kid's "dress-up" clothes next to it.

I swore years ago that I would never paint anything orange in my house...

You should never swear. ;)heehee

So there you have it. Our new playhouse.
P.S. Literally 5 seconds after I took these pictures my two-year-old came through and destroyed all of my "staging" efforts. Real life at our house is NeVEr this clean. ;0

Speakin of swimsuits...

I like to eat.

It is one of my favorite things.

Especially if I am eating warm homemade chocolate chip cookies....

or pumpkin... anything pumpkin...I Luuuvvv pumpkin.

One thing I've learned about myself is if I want to lose weight the worst thing I can do is deny myself of my favorite things (chocolate, pumpkin pie, bread/ pasta etc.). If I'm trying to cut out sweets ALL I want from the minute I wake up to the minute I go to bed is SOMETHING with sugar in it. I try to compensate with other sweet things so I drown my food in honey or artificial sweetener ANYTHING that will quench my craving but in the end it is never enough and I end up eating the cookie or ice cream or hand fulls of chocolate chips.... aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh, much better.

I'm like a rebellious teenager. If you tell me not to eat chocolate, guess what, I'm gorging myself on brownies as fast as you can say "you have no self-control Kathryn".

Yeah, I'm pretty much addicted to yummy things.

I've got about 10lbs left to lose from my 4th baby. He is 6 months old and I'm getting really tired of wearing my "bigger clothes" and bulging out of my pre-pregnancy clothes. I am too cheap to buy a whole new wardrobe so I have got to lose a few pounds.

I know I'm not the only one out there who is in the same type of situation... you just need to lose a few pounds right?!

You know me, I'm ALL about sharing, so here is my thought;

I think we should share our ideas. (BRILLIANT!)

What practical tips/ideas do you use that help you stay fit or lose weight. I know we all have a few tricks up our sleeves. What are they???

I'll share mine first.

Like I said, deprivation does NOT work for me so I have to work on other things.

**In the past if I exercise 3+ times a week for at least 35minutes and if I stop eating after 7:00pm I lose weight. Not 10lbs a week but maybe 1-3lbs a month which is pretty good since I really don't change my diet at all (since eating is my favorite thing remember). So why do I still have 10lbs to lose you wonder... ummmm, because ice cream tastes better after 7:00pm.

**Also, I keep a bag of chocolate chips in my freezer so when I have a chocolate craving I grab a few chips and get my chocolate fix without destroying everything I'm working towards and since the chips are frozen the fix lasts a little longer (wow, I really do have a problem don't I?!).

Your turn, what works for you?

Please, for the sake of our swimsuits, share.

Summer Splurge

Every summer I pull out my swimsuit and grimace. This summer is different. I splurged on this suit from modbe (that is not me in the suit, you can tell by the thighs, lol).

I got it in the mail a few days ago and was thrilled to find that not only does it fit but with the matching skirt (which I will ALWAYS be wearing) I actually felt...dare I say cute in it.

It's never happened before.

I think that feeling is worth the splurge don't you?

Summer plans

School is out tomorrow and we plan on a laid back summer with only a few short get-aways. I don't know how your kids are but my kids need some kind of schedule during the summer or there is a lot more fighting and "mom, I'm bored" going on.

So, I'm working on a plan.

First things first, WORK. Yep, I'm mean like that.

I'm a big believer in the importance of teaching my kids how to work. I believe it builds self-esteem, patience, understanding, compassion... character! Not to mention the fact that there is NO POSSIBLE WAY I can keep my house tidy with 4 kids at home 24/7. It has to be a group effort.

So, I've started filling out this chore charts. I'm using it more as a checklist than a chore chart. these are all the things my kids need to do before they can play.

Like I said, I'm mean like that.

I got this beautiful chore chart from Jill at Contolling my Chaos (one of my fav blogs, check it out). You can download the chore chart (just scroll down and it is on the left sidebar, there is also a "boy" version) then I filled it out and I'll print it and of course laminate it (you know how I am with my laminator) and use a wet/dry marker to check off the chores each week.

You might have noticed "memorize" on the check list. I got this GREAT idea from one of our readers Shauna. She talks about the importance of memorizing things so when you need them you can recall them.
I love the idea of filling my kids minds with uplifting thoughts/ poems/ quotes/ scriptures especially since one of my kiddos tends to think negatively.
So, every week we are memorizing something new and everyday they have to work on it before they can check it off their list.
I print up the quote using photoshop elements and then I put it in a sheet protector and hang it on the fridge so everyone can see it. When we are done with it I put it in our memorization binder and pull out the next one. After we've done several we will go back and do them again. I wanted to start off with something easy so the kids won't feel overwhelmed so this was this weeks thought.

Everyday we will deep clean a zone together (entry, a bathroom, laundry room etc.) and then I will set the timer (this idea comes from my friend Angie years ago) for 10 minutes and we will do a quick pick up for the rest of the house.

That's my plan. What is yours?????

PS Thanks to Kristine who is my wonderful walking buddy. For the past few weeks we have been "fine tuning" our plans for the summer and she always gives me so many good ideas. I'm basically copying her plan. ;0 What would I do without you Kristine?!