Just a few Christmas crafts!

I feel like I have been on craft overload lately! I am reading all of your blogs but neglecting my own pretty bad these days. I wanted to show just a few of the projects that I have been working on the past week.

First is the ornament wreath that has taken over blog land!! My version seems to look like a Hanukkah one but it matches my walls so I went with it!!

Next are some hemp cone shaped trees?? Did that make any sense? Well I got the idea here and they were very easy to make. I am giving this set as a gift so I hope she likes them.

I haven't finished making the round balls but I thought I would throw the few that I have done in there! I need to make a few more for after Christmas decorations! Sorry about the dark picture. Our camera broke and it takes about 10 shots to get one decent picture. We are looking for a new one but can't decide what to get. Any suggestions out there?? I would love a recomendation on one. As much as I would love an SLR we just can't afford it right now so I have been looking for a point and shoot with a larger zoom on it. Thanks!!

Swine flu and first lost tooth!

I know that is a weird title but that is what is happening in our house lately. I have to say that this flu really kicked our butts around here. I am soooooo not one for jumping at a vaccine but I have to say that this time I wish I could have gotten it. It's hard enough to take care of your kids when they get sick but then when the care giver gets it, forget it!! I was hit so hard by this and I am slowly trying to crawl my way back to health. I just can't get over how much energy it took from me. I am praying for a MUCH better week and looking forward to spending some time with family. Despite feeling so crappy and weak we have a lot to be thankful for and I have to keep that in mind!

Onto a happier note, Evan lost his first tooth. He was so brave and let me pull it right out. Then he asked where he was going to put it? Now to back up a few years, when Trevor lost his first tooth I was on bedrest. I wanted to make him a pillow to put it in because that was what my mom had done for me but I couldn't get to my sewing machine. I am sure I probably could have thrown something together but it wouldn't have looked very good! My step-mother surprised him with one that she made for him. I thought that was very sweet of her and much appreciated. So now for Evan I felt I had to make him his own. I found this cute tooth design somewhere a long time ago and had it in my head. This is what mine came out looking like.

He was very happy to see that the toothfairy had come over night and brought him his own gold coin. Oh and on a sappy mother's note, when I was holding Evan's tiny little tooth in my hand I turned around to see the picture from his 1st birthday party. There he was covered in cake with the biggest smile on his face and there was that little tooth that I was so proud of. Sniff sniff, it goes by WAY too fast!

Sickness in the house :(

So it's been a rough week in our house. The kids have all been sick and cranky. Evan has had the swine flu and I think passed it on to the other two now. I hope they are passed the worst of it but now it's the awful coughing that is sooooooo bad. Poor Trevor was up about 20 times last night coughing, drinking water, roaming the house, crying...... It wasn't a pretty sight. Then to make matters worse poor Karl got stuck at work until 2:00 in the morning. I am a tired momma this morning and really hoping that I don't get a call from the school to come and pick up her sick kid! He was so mad that I kept him home yesterday but I really wanted one more day to get his immune system back up a little before he went back to that gross germy place. The coughing going on in schools is unreal right now.
Well on a lighter note, I have been trying to organize a MUCH needed girls craft night. The sickness with all the families has really put a major dent in those plans but I must keep trying. I am starting to loose my mind being stuck in this house and it's only Novemeber people. This is NOT good!!
I have couple of crafts that I am itching to make and I will post some pictures as soon as I get going on them.
Hope all is well out there in blog land!

Halloween 2009

Well we managed to get the trick or treating in despite the WIND and damp weather! Trevor decided to be an Evil Sorcerer this year

Evan wanted to be a Knight and he looked so cute in his costume! I made his shield out of cardboard, then paper mached it(is that word)? so that it got really hard. Then I was worried that he was so dark so I drilled lights all the way around it. It came out pretty cool and hopefully it will last for awhile so that they can play with it.

Aiden was the cutest little lion this year. I love the plush costumes on little guys! I didn't think that he would want to go out and walk this year but he LOVED it!! He kept running to all the houses and some he tried to go right inside! He was the only one to remember every time to say thank you too! I think cute costumes always get more candy too!

Now I have piles of candy everywhere! Aiden keeps sneaking lollipops when we aren't looking and I have eaten way too much chocolate. I have major issues with sweets so if you want some candy, come over and get this out of my house!!!!

Spaghetti & hotdogs = weird looking food for kids!

Have you ever tried this weird looking food??? No, what is wrong with you? Just kidding, I think it's kind of gross but my kids LOVE it! It's very easy and takes only a few minutes to make and the best part is they can do it all by themselves!! Take some spaghetti and shove it through some cut up hot dogs. Boil some water and throw them in! You can top it with a little melted butter and Parmesan cheese if you want.

Delicious flatbread taco's!!!

I don't know if any of you get the magazine Taste of Home but it usually has a few really good recipes in there that become family favorites for us. Well last night I tried a new one and all it took was one bite to seal the deal for all of us. It's called flatbread tacos with ranch sour cream and it was sent in by Jennifer Eggebraaten.

This is her recipe:

1 cup sour cream

2 tsp. ranch salad dressing mix

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 envelope taco seasoning

1 Tbsp. hot pepper sauce

1 tube(16.3 oz.) large refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

Optional toppings: shredded cheese, lettuce, sliced olives

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, dressing mix and lemon juice; chill until serving.

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add beans, tomatoes, taco seasoning and pepper sauce; heat through.

Meanwhile, roll out biscuits into a 6 inch circle. In a small non-stick skillet over medium heat, cook each for 30-60 seconds on each side or until golden brown; keep warm.

To serve, spread each flatbread with ranch sour cream; top each with meat mixture and sprinkle on toppings.

The only thing that I changed was I didn't add the beans or hot sauce because the first time I try recipes I try and make them pretty bland for little kids! They are very filling and the biscuits are soooooooo yummy. I had a hard time rolling them out without sticking to stuff so I just flattened them with my hands and fingers. Very easy and oh so very good!!

She suggested that you make the stuff ahead of time and keep the meat warm in a crock pot, put the sauce in a squirt bottle and have the toppings already chopped up for a party. I think I will try this next party!

Fun nature scene craft for kids

I saw something like this in a magazine recently and thought it would be a great craft to make with my son. He has a HUGE container of animals that we are always trying to find interesting places to play with them. Sometimes it's blocks in the shape of cages that quickly get broken up by the little brother, UGH! So when I saw this I thought it would be perfect. It took less than a haf hour to make and we had lot's of fun doing it together. The only part that I wouldn't let him do was the hot glue because one set of burned fingers in the house is enough!
All you need is cardboard, pinecones, glue and paint/moss if you want to add that in there too.

So what do you think????

MMMMMM Apple pie!!

Okay, enough already about the fall baking but I can't stop! It's like the weather gets cold and I get a green light to bake and eat sweets. Probably not a good thing but oh well. I hate cold weather so this helps!! Here is tonights dessert before it was baked... and after..... gotta go and take a bite!!

Quick and easy Halloween hanger

I finally dragged out some Halloween decorations today at the boys request! I have done the fall decorating thing but neglected the spiders, witches, spooky eyes etc. So I wanted to hang up my welcome witch and just had the tarnished gold door hanger.

Well this wasn't going to work

so I got out a piece of scrapbook paper and glued it onto the hanger and in less than 2 minutes had a cute door hanger.I just love simple quick fixes like that!

Fall baking is in the air!!!

It's that time of year again that somehow gives me the green light to bake! I shouldn't be eating all of this stuff but how do you not?? The other night I made an apple pie that didn't last more than a day. My middle son stuck his head in the fridge one morning and said, hey where did the pie go? Um, yeah don't go to bed child because mommy likes late night sweets eating when there are no children around to bug me!
Then I just made a banana bread because that same child insisted that I NOT throw out the 2 rotting bananas that were sitting on the counter. So while he was at school I slaved for him and made him his bread. Which I have to say he has only eaten one time, ugh! Later that night I had to do something with the huge apples that were glaring at me so I baked an apple crisp. YUMMY! See it was so good that it didn't last long enough to take any pictures. So you will just have to use your imagination!!
Happy baking people!!

A new Fall look for the mantel!!

I am a summer lover, always have been and always will be. Well this year the weather was awful. It was really depressing for someone whoe suffers from that dumb seasonal depression disorder! I so look forward to the hot days and it not getting dark until 9:00 and most of all SUN!!!! Well that didn't really happen so I am trying to embrace fall this year! I looked around the house and thought things needed a fresh look. I have a mantel that is large and very boring to look at but we just aren't ready to take on that project yet so I have to work with it for now. This is what I put together so far.

I am still trying to find something to balance out the one side but haven't found what I was looking for yet. Well, I take that back... Hobby Lobby has some beautiful fall things but I refuse to pay that much for their stuff. I love that store but unless it's on a good sale they are way over priced. So here are a few more pics from around the house.

As for tonight....... hot apple pie. Maybe I will take a picture if it doesn't get eaten up too quickly. YUM!

Fall door wreath

Hello again, it's been waaayyyy too long I know! Summer came and went and I guess I have been so busy doing other things that I forgot about my blog. I have still been reading so many of yours though so thanks!!

Well I have been working on some projects that I wanted to share with anyone that is reading this. One is a very ugly fall wreath that was in the garage sale box and then I decided to rescue it. I always read so many blogs where people take these ugly things and redo them into something cute. I of course always say, I would have never thought of doing that!! I just don't have an eye for that kind of thing. Anyway, here is the before pic...
here is the after....

It's not anything great but a whole lot better than what it was before. All it took was a bag of leaves from the dollar store and some burned fingers from the hot glue gun!

I have a few more projects that I will post later today. Yes I said later, can you believe 2 posts in one day????

Time goes so quickly!!

I can't believe how fast the past 2 months have gone. All winter long I pray for the days to hurry up and pass so that spring and summer can arrive. Then it hits and I remember how busy these days can get!! I have definitely found that I work better under pressure. If I don't have some sort of project going on then I get really lazy and let everything slide. Lately I have had a few too many projects though! The boys finished school and then Vacation Bible School started which I am helping in everyday. Our church has a huge program with almost 700 kids! It's great but man is it a lot of work. Especially getting everyone out the door by 8:00 every morning! Like clock work my little guy got sick with that hand foot and mouth virus. No fun! I feel so bad for him because he has those awful sores all over his feet and mouth. Luckily I will have some help with him tomorrow because I don't think the church nursery would appreciate him being there!

I have also been working on refinishing an old desk for the boys to color at. I sanded it down last week and have been trying to paint it in between all of the cotton wood blowing around and the constant rain!! i hope it comes out good in the end. We made a small bench for the kids to sit at and take their shoes on and off. I have been wanted to do that for the past 5 years! It's almost done and I will post some pics of the final outcome.
Also I am thrilled to have some family arriving tomorrow from Virginia. It will be a great 2 weeks with everyone together. That's all for now.....

Where did I go???

Well it's been a really long time since I have sat down here to post anything. I worked my tail off on that big toy order and got all 105 bags done a week earlier than I thought! Now I have no ambition to make any more for a while!!

We had a nice visit from our Canadian family for the Greek festival that was in town here. My kids really enjoyed going to that and spending time with their cousins. We wished you guys lived closer!

Let's see what else has been going on here.... Trying to find some sort of warm weather has been frustrating. You kind of never know what to wear because you add clothes in the morning and then take some off mid day and then put them back on later! Oh and I can't forget spending the evening in our local Urgent Care with my 7 year old. We thought we would do something fun and take the boys out on a bike trail near our house and he took a nasty fall. Cut up his arms pretty bad and had to get some stitches. He already popped a stitch open today too, ugh! BOYS!!

My middle son "graduated" from preschool which was very cute. I can't believe that he is going on the bus in a few months and off to kindergarten.

Things have been busy but over all very good! Only one more full week of school and then I feel like summer can actually begin.

Well I can hear the youngest child dumping lot's of toys out in the next room so that is my clue to wrap this post up. :D

I spy bags!!!

Sorry that I have MIA for a little while now. We were gone all last week having a great time in Virginia. Then it took a week to recover and get back into the swing of things around here.

I have to tell you that I am so excited about a possible order that I just heard about. I have been making those I spy bags for my son's speech therapist and it's been a good little business. She has been using them as gifts and many of the therapists have ordered ones to use with their "kids". We have custom designed some of them to fit certain kids speech needs like a whole bag full of "S" words and so on. The other thing that we have found is they are great for children with Autism. They really enjoy the sensory part of them being able to move the soft fleece around and find the hidden treasures inside.

Well I was thrilled when I heard that the owner of the speech center wants 100 of them!! Here I had just started making them for kids to keep them entertained at doctor visits, car rides, shopping trips, etc.

I need to get these on my Etsy site too. They are a fun little toy to keep on hand and make great gifts!

Having fun in Virginia

We have been having a great time this week with our family in Virginia. The kids are enjoying all of the attention from the older cousins! So far we have gone to the National Zoo which was great, DC a few times, the Air and Space museum and lots of good quality family time! Tomorrow we are off to Luray Caverns and then the Baltimore Aquarium. Since I forgot my camera cord you will have to wait a few more days for some pics!
Check back in........

Lisa Leonard Designs Giveaway!!

I know another link and giveaway but I just had to share this one with you. I am really wanting the mama pendant because that is what my kids call me.

Kimba, over at A Soft Place to Land, is graciously hosting a giveaway of a $50 giftcard from Lisa Leonard Designs. Head on over to their blogs and check out her beautiful work.

Wow, check this out!!!

Check out this link, you will not regret it! Thanks Jennifer for letting me know about it. It's nice to see something a little unexpected and inspirational for a change

Mmmmm, Greek Easter bread a.k.a. tsourekia

So I got to spend my day helping to make these delicious little breads today!They are soooooo good and I love when my mother in-law comes over to help me make them! It starts off like this...

then a little rising....more rising after you twist them upthen bake up to these yummy rolls.

Hungry yet???

Easy personalized canvas bag

I have been looking for a large canvas bag for my boys that they could cram all of their stuff in when we go places. I wasn't looking to spend $15 for a plain one and I came across a great bargain the other day. You have to love The Christmas Tree Store! I don't go that often but when I do I always come out with some great finds. These were two of mine this week.

The best part is they are huge, good quality and only cost $3.99! I found some coordinating fabric that I thought would look good on them and proceeded to cut out my kids initial. I used Heat and Bond adhesive from Jo-Ann's to stick the fabric to the bag. It didn't take me long to turn them into these
Now there is no way they can get them confused and fight over who's is who. Oh but wait, my kids never do that, they always share all their stuff don't yours????

Another Giveaway!!!

Over at The Meanest Mom's blog, she is giving away a swimsuit. Come on, we all need to have one. Ours might be buried in that bottom dresser drawer just waiting to see some sun light right now but it's there if the need arises. Well maybe, if I ever get this body in some sort of shape I will put one on again! Go over to her spot and check things out. You won't be dissapointed!

Messy house give away!!!

Hey go and check out Jennifer at Hope Studios and enter her messy house give away. She suffers like the rest of us with trying to maintain a house and kids and somedays it's overwhelming! She is giving away a great sign that she made that says, Boring women have clean houses. Good luck!!!

Plastic Easter eggs revamped!

Do you have a large plastic bag full of all those colorful Easter eggs or is that just me???
Well this year I decided to try and do something with a few of them. I had all of this extra scrapbooking paper and my trusty bottle of Mod Podge so this is what I turned them into....

Hand made cute beach/tote bag!

It started like this.......
I have been needing a large bag for a while now and have never gotten around to buying one. I am always carrying library books or kids stuff etc... and need something large(but cute too of course)!I saw this great tutorial here a few weeks ago and loved the Orla Kiely print. This is made from 2 sets of dish towels! I spent all day yesterday sewing up this bag and I have to say it was worth the time.

So there it is, tell me what you think!!!

I Spy Bag

I've been wanting to make one of those I spy bags for kids for a while now and finally got around to it today. We have been having major printer issues so I had to wait for ANOTHER print head to arrive from Kodak until I could use it.

I will definitely say that this was a good trial bag. I will have to make some changes to make these for anyone else in the future! It's okay for my kids though and they had fun playing with it. I ended up just using some fabric that I had here and it bled through the iron on paper. Next time I will not use that or use a solid colored fabric. What can I say, you don't know until you try!

And on another note, if Spring doesn't get here SOON and get rid of all of the sickness in my house, I think I might seriously loose my mind. Just thought that I would tell you all what I was thinking about at the moment. :D

Skull and Cross Bones Patch

Well I don't know if you can tell that this is a skull and cross bones design but that is what it was intended to be! My boys blow through the knee of ALL of their pants. I am at the point now of having a large pile of clothes that are considered "play" pants because of this. I tried this patch and my son loved it.

First I found a skull image just using Google and printed it and cut it out. Then I traced the outline over the large hole in the jeans and cut it out. Then I cut up some old camouflage shorts into a square larger than the hole. Placed some strips of fusible web around the edges and ironed it into place from the inside of the jeans. Then I sewed it on all around the design edges. You could use floss here as well and do it by hand too. I used a heavier thread and a small stitch on my machine and just went slow and it has held up well. Now onto the rest of the pile!!!