Quick Projects

Lots of little projects happening around here.

Summer Hat

It's getting nice again, which means lots more time outside. Which means, bring on the sunblock and hats! Lucy has grown out of her hats, so I had to whip one up so she can really enjoy being outside - and NOT have to worry about burning her scalp. Yes - her scalp will burn - a lot. So hats are mandatory for her. Not to mention, they just make good sense for additional sun protection of the face, ears, and neck.

Since she loves Dr. Seuss these days, and Mom sent me a bunch of Dr. Seuss fabrics - she got a Dr. Seuss hat!

Cute right? She loves that it is reversible - she can choose what color she wants to show off. And, now that I added a little elastic in the back, it will stay on while she is twirling and playing. 

Crayon Rolls

Just a super quick project that can be nice for the little ones. Holds 16 crayons and has an elastic hair tie as the holder - no need to tie a ribbon on these. Each one takes about 20 minutes - love that!

Yard Projects

Then it was off to create a compost bin. We needed something fast, easy, and functional. This is what we came up with. 

Left over chicken wire and 4 plastic stakes that easy go into the ground. I used zip ties to anchor the wire to the stakes. The last 'end' I left free and added about 8 inches that 'overlapped' with the beginning. This allows me to open one end so I can dump the wheel barrel in here when necessary. Works great for now. If we end up doing a lot of this, we will likely build something more substantial.

Then I added a little landscaping fun to the yard. I wanted a nice spot to look at when standing at the kitchen sink washing all those dishes by hand! 

   

Amazing what a little mulch, bird feeder, flowers, and azalea plant can do for a grassy area. That tree is a pink dogwood. Much better now. Again, this was a quick project that I finished in just an hour or so. 

Until next time...

Summer Fun

Kid Fun
So far during this summer school break, things have gone pretty well. The kids are sleeping in, which makes me happy, and have been playing together relatively well (which makes me even happier). But, we still need things to do so we aren't plugged in all the time.

Strawberries, Strawberries, and MORE Strawberries

I am VERY excited! It is Strawberry season in NC. My youngest BEGGED me this morning to go picking. How could I resist? So, away we went. We didn't pick a ton - as the others will want to pick as well.

Happy Dance!

First, we ate a few - because who can resist strawberries staring at you and calling your name?

Then we got home and washed a few to eat a few more.

Then, I decided they would be REALLY yummy with chocolate! Instead of dipping, I drizzled - in the interest of not going crazy on calories. But, you will see some are a bit heavy on the chocolate (the kids will get those - they don't have any problems running around outside!).

Then, I had a bit of chocolate left over - time to cover some bananas,

pretzel rods,

and since there was some bacon sitting left over from last night's dinner I put some chocolate on that. WHAT??? Yes, I decided to give it a go. A friend said it was AMAZING. I haven't tried it yet - I will have to update you on the result later.

Hope you all are enjoying your strawberries (or are starting to plan what you will do with yours once they are ready).

Jam making this weekend!!!

Addendum... Chocolate covered bacon - good, but not at all worth the calories. At least, not for me. Hubby liked it more than I did, but he loves bacon so much, he would prefer no chocolate. It was fun to experiment though!

Birthdays and tutorial

This past week, we have celebrated the birth of 2 of my little ones! The youngest turned 3 and the oldest turned 9 - just 4 days apart.

  

Can you say cake overload? Pink cupcakes for the youngest and army tanks for the oldest. I actually had a little foresight to make the cakes the day before. I only had 1.5 hours to put these together. The boys thought they were cool. Mission accomplished.

I have not had the courage to step on the scale the scale the past couple of days. And Easter is just around the corner. AHHHH! I am trying to at least make sure I get some exercise in each day. I can't say I have been 100% successful, but close. Here's to maintaining weight!

The oldest had a sleep over party - 6 boys. Lots of sugar and not much sleep. BUT, they had a GREAT time. Marshmallow shooters (guns), camp fire, and a warm rain. I don't think they could have asked for a better evening. We spent 5 hours outside! Few. My house thanks me.

 

The boys were coverd in so much mud, they needed showers and I had to wash their cloths.  

LUCKILY, we have a mini shower in our mud room - so all of the mud was contained to the mudroom! YAY! Hard to see all of the mud in this pic - trust me, it was there!

The boys 'made' their guns. We had all the pieces cut and then they assembled and decorated. I just love the new duct tapes that are available these days. They could use UNC or camouflage. I had whipped up the ammo sashes earlier in the day. One some of the kids they worked well, on others - not so much. A top flap wouldl have been helpful to keep the marshmallows in.

Our guns are similar to these. Ours were built a little different, but basically the same steps.

Ammo sash
I didn't take pictures as I was making these - no time. So, here is a quick and dirty explanation of what I did. Let me know if you have any questions.

For the sashes, I cut 2 pieces of fabric 3"x25". Sew together on one (short) end (right sides together). Serge long sides. Cut 2 pieces of fabric 8" x 9" (these are for the pockets). Serge all 4 sides on each piece. Pin the 'short' side of the pocket to the side of the sash - about 8" down from the top seam. Pin the other 'short' side to the other side of the sash. Do this again for the second pocket - about 1.5" below the 1st pocket. You will secure these sides (the middle will be 'flapping free' for now). Once secured, now you can make one large pleat across the bottom of the pocket. Pin in place and sew. repeat for second pocket. I would suggest adding a flap on top of each pocket to help keep the marshmallows in place. Just make them 3" wide and secure above each pocket. I serged everything for this project - as I needed it to be fast and easy. You can always just turn under and hem everything. That was too time consuming (I only had 2 hours to make 8 of these babies). Then, turn right sides together and make a 45 degree line across the bottom and sew. This secures the bottom of the sash. Where this is placed depends on the size of the kid (or adult).

This is a close up of the pocket (the top is pointing to the bottom of the screen). Sorry, can't seem to get it rotated. Notice the serged sides.


Next up - Easter...