7 random facts about right now

1.

I.Heart.Pinterest. 

I’m happily ‘pinning’ all kinds of fun things.

Like this print…

that I decided to purchase for my bathroom.

2.

I’ve discovered the joys of cleaning with baking soda. 

It’s amazing.

Scrubs the tub even better than that smelly stuff in a green tube.

Takes random spray paint off a mirror that may or may not have been taped well.

Cleans the front of the fridge to a shiny white.

3.

I’ve started using CleanMomma’s Printables.

I’m hoping her checklists, forms and lists will help me get my act together. 

This is my household notebook (and blogging and etsy and kids’ school info…)

4.

Ashley and I’ve teamed up to do lots of freezer cooking. 

We are loving this book.

Basically, she makes two dishes and I make two dishes and we share!

5.

Canning. 

Why do things need to be preserved when it’s 212 99 degrees outside? 

I’ve put up tomatoes, pickles and grape jelly.

6.

I’m stalking her website.

Yep.  After 2 widely successful Lisette patterns, Lisel is my new hero!

I can’t wait until she tells us about her new fabrics and fall patterns.
(edited 1:20pm, July 13:  She just blogged about new fabrics.  They are awesome!)

7.

Christmas is 166 days away.

Seriously.

Adriane and I are going to try to tackle it in pieces this year with the help of Organized Christmas,

We’re doing Holiday Grand Plan that starts in August.  We’ll see how it goes.

That’s it.  That’s 7.

I’ll tell you about my garden next time.

All I want for Christmas…

(or wanted for Christmas) were tickets to a New Orleans Saints game in the Super Dome.  Well, life happens: my hubby’s schedule is nuts, my sisters and parents are busy people, and—of all things!—the Saints were off to their best start ever making the demand for tickets sky high!  So on Wednesday, Daddy gently informed me that this Christmas wish just wouldn’t happen this year.  But a girl should never give up hope!

Then, on Friday, out of the blue, my baby sister “found” some tickets.  For this weekend’s Saints vs. Panthers game.  Like in just over 48 hours.  Could I get to New Orleans for Sunday at 3?  Uhm, Yeah! (Never mind that NO is a 5 hour drive at it’s quickest, my hubby didn’t get off work until 8:30 Saturday night, and I had a presentation at 9 AM Monday morning!  We’d figure that out later. Ha.)

For the next 2 days, I floated bounced flitted barely made it through everything we had to do:  homework, a swim meet, grocery shopping, laundry, dishes, etc.  Then finally, after sweet talking a supervisor, my hubby got off work an hour early and we hit the road to NO at 7:30 Saturday night.  We swung by my sister’s in Lafayette, grabbed the tickets and then hit my other sister’s in New Orleans around 2 in the morning Sunday morning! 

The entire experience was almost indescribable.  The crowds were nuts.  The fans were diehard.  The traffic was intense. The game was a nail biter. The Drew Brees-Pierre Thomas combination was on fire.  The defense was tough on Jake Delhomme.  The Saints were awesome.  And the Dome was rocking!  The best part:  one of my dearest friends and her family were one section over, Bobby Hebert’s autograph, the tailgating, 30-20 win over Carolina, the way the floor vibrated when every fan in the place chanted “Who Dat!” as the Saints went 8-0 for the first time EVER!!

Enjoy the game through my camera lens!

The Tickets:The Fans:The Tailgating:The Crowds:Bobby Hebert (Did I mention I’ve been a fan a LONG time!):Becca, Me and Jane:  The Crowd: The Offense.  Some Shockey, some Bush, some Colston and a lot of Brees and Thomas:The Defense that rocked the second half! Us:The sidelines: The Final Score.  8-0! The Dome: 

Who Dat!

 

I was going to sew this weekend…

And then my sister called and offered me a chance to do this: 

More pictures tomorrow when I’ve caught up on my sleep!

Trick or Treat

At our house, Halloween can be translated into Mommy-I-want-you-to-make-me-a-(insert crazy thing here). This year, the Big Girl wanted to be a 50’s girl.  Easy enough.  Little Man requested a pteranadon.  Yeah, I know.  Go look that one up!    And before you ask, no, there isn’t a pattern that I could find!  To see their costumes from years past, click here.

A Birthday Party in Pictures

Friday…

  

Sunday…

   And all the rest…

The Pumpkin Patch

View Full Album

We’re planning a party!!!

 

October is a big month for us.  Our Big Girl turns 8 toward the end of the month and we’re getting ready.  Since BG loves all things arts and crafts, we’re planning a crafts circus.  I made these tickets invites in Illustrator and mailed them to her friends!

Book Review: Little Retro Aprons for Kids

Little Retro Aprons for Kids
by Cindy Taylor Oates
published in 2007 by Taylor Made Designs
A link on Amazon

Contents:
General Instructions
7 Children's Aprons
1 Doll Apron
Master Pattern Sheet

I liked:

• The whole book--particularly aprons A-3 and B.
• The butcher aprons (Patterns A-1, A-2, and A-3) have adjustable straps that pull through loops to tie in the back, rather than a tacked neck strap and separate ties.
• The General Instructions are very thorough and designed for even the most beginner sewers (for example, the first set of instructions is "Tracing Your Pattern").

Dislikes:

None really.


Conclusion: This is the cutest book of patterns! I love creating aprons for gifts and these are so simple! The doll apron is designed for an 18 inch doll (and perfect for Kit K. who came to live with us this Christmas). The best part of these aprons--the flexibility! You can have fun with fabrics, embroider, and change out elements. This book would be a great addition to your library if you have little people to sew for.

The purple and yellow apron pictured above was made for a 4-year-old friend. I used pattern A-3, but I only used 1 ruffle. The size 4 was so small that the 3 ruffles originally in the pattern were too much.