New Items in the Shop

The Christmas bags are listed in the shop! I meant to last night, but I fell asleep on the couch instead.

Christmas is Coming...

Can you tell what I've been doing?

It never stops feeling good to sew. I actually can't believe I got so much done. Breaking it up into parts helps. I forgot my old process of prepping and cutting fabric at night while I watched tv beside my husband. Then sew the next day during spare moments (i.e. nap time). I loved it.

Look for updates in the shop soon!

Shop Updates

I'm trying really hard to use better descriptions and more accurate shades of color to better convey my products to potential customers. So I've done a lot of tweaking to the shop, plus updating a few items and adding a few old items back into the mix. Take a look and tell me what you think.

I'd love to be able to sit down at the sewing machine and produce all the new ideas in my head, but alas, time does not allow for that right now.

I will tell you that I got around to making and sewing in the pockets for the red bag. I'm torn on the liner though. Is it the right color for the red bag? It all comes down to what color straps to add. If I add red it doesn't go with the brown liner. But if I add brown straps it doesn't go with the red bag. And I'd like this bag to be reversible. So I'd like both colors to work with the straps. Ugh. Decisions decisions. Help me make one.

Thanks!

Mommy Monday

This felt like a doozy of a Mommy Monday. Remind me to write about a mundane day so you don't think I try too hard.

Enjoy the blessing of waking up before my daughter by eating breakfast in silence and calm

Hear the sound of babble from upstairs

Listen to daughter tell husband to go away

Go upstairs to fetch daughter

Lose my temper trying to dress her

Stomp downstairs and listen to husband wrestle her clothes on

Finally get daughter downstairs to say goodbye to husband

Feed her breakfast

Bribe convince daughter to go to grocery store

Actually find everything I need and get away with a small bill

Return home to bribe watch Sesame Street

Peel and core 18 apples to make apple sauce

Feed daughter a snack

Draw with markers

Convince her it's nap time

Read a nap time book and go downstairs to finish apple sauce

Start canning apple sauce

Hear the sound of babble from upstairs

Go upstairs and sing a song to convince daughter to sleep (IT WORKS!!!)

Start boiling apple peelings and cores for apple jelly

Finish canning apple sauce - Start to boil apple juice into jelly

Juice boils over (twice) and burns sugar water all over my stove top

Two out of four burners are now out of commission - lengthening the time to can the jelly

2 hours later hear the sound of babble from upstairs - still trying to scrap burned sugar water off of stove

Cuddle in mommy and daddy's bed with her multitude of stuffed animals

Keep sneaking away to clean up the kitchen

Snack

Convince daughter to come outside and clean the inside of my car

Give her the umbrella to entertain her for 20 minutes (I love that thing!)

Clean car - even remove coffee stains (husband and sister are no longer allowed to drink coffee in my car)

Listen to intense storm pass right by as I we play in the stroller in the driveway

Make daughter go inside because storm sounds so imminent

More snacks

Do a load of laundry

Call daddy to ask him to bring home a razor blade thingy to save the stove

Daddy walks in the door

Daughter freaks out - Mommy loses her temper again (what a way to start and end the day!)

Watch daddy load up trees he cut down yesterday and move them to the garden

(he's making raised beds for me!!!)

Hang up laundry to dry

Make dinner on the grill because the stove is out out out

Feed everyone

Read a million (okay - more like 6 or 7 - still)

Convince daughter to take a bath

Chase her until she's naked and stick her in the tub

Lose my temper putting her pajamas on

Make daddy take over bed time stories and cuddling

Toastmaster phone call for running Youth Leadership Program next week (~nervous~)

Get laundry off the line and into the dryer after reading a chance of rain overnight

Refuse to make bread for tomorrow's lunch

Watch half a movie - fall asleep on the couch

Nighty-night

The Magic Cape No One Wanted

A friend gave me a bag full of shiny fabric awhile ago. Scraps left over from making some worship flags for church. I hung on to them even though I prefer working with cotton, because you never know. Having a 2 year old makes me hang on to gems like that just in case it comes in handy.

Well I finally thought to make the scraps into a cape for my little toddler. She loves to play with her box of dress up, so it seemed like a perfect fit. I typed "diy kids cape" into the search bar and found Puking Pastilles free tutorial. Not bad, looked easy to me. I glanced over the pictures and stored the information in my hole riddled brain.

A few weeks later I finally pulled the fabric out (still in the grocery store bag it came in none the less) and pulled from my swiss cheese mommy brain what I remembered from the tutorial. It seemed easy. I cut. I batted away little fingers. I cut some more. I tried not to yell at the toddler jumping on the bed, screaming for my attention (did I mention I was trying to cut the fabric on said bed?). I sewed. I tended to the toddler's demands. I finished sewing. It was a wee bit "rough" looking, but who cares, it's going on a toddler.

I try to put it on the toddler.

She refuses to wear it.

Nice.

Big Red Red Red Bag

Well what do you think? Is it red enough? I really have a horrible time photographing red, but to be fair, this is a truly red red red bag. But what do you think about turning some of the rainbow blocks into bags? A block on each side.

Would you rather see a set of rainbow placemats? Or a rainbow quilt? A rainbow table runner? Help me out here. What does the masses (seven people who read this blog) want to see? No one is exempt from commenting. I need opinions and I need them now!!! Boy, I am just asking for trouble with this one.

Until then I'll finish this red bag. I found this old pillowcase at a garage sale. It has found a new life as the bag liner. And I think I finally found a way to make the bag truly reversible. This will be my 5th bag. Each one gets a little better. Just ask my sisters and sister in law (my guinea pigs - thanks by the way).

Back from Vacation

Well I'm finally back from vacation. My husband and I spent just under a week in mid-coast Maine. It was slightly in honor of our five year anniversary (today!) and also just to recharge our batteries as parents and human beings. We spent time hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, sleeping, eating good food and watching sailboats pass by.

Speaking of good food, I loved being in a town where it felt like every other restuarant was touting their local food menu. I've done some reading and soul searching and really felt like I wanted to affect the economy and my health by eating as locally as I could this summer. My husband and I finally went to try the one restaurant in our area that offers a local menu. It was delicious (and slightly on the high end of price), but well worth it. But it was only one place. We don't live in a rural wasteland. We actually live in a beautiful county chock full of agriculture, farmer's markets and CSAs. But we only have ONE restaurant offering local food. It's starting to tick us off. Especially after visiting Camden, ME and seeing so many many local choices. Our nearby, small urban area could defintely support a few more places, or at least we think so. So there you have it Glens Falls, NY. We're calling you out. Start offering more local food. I'll eat it if you cook it!

And speaking of eating, our favorite eateries in Camden, ME were

1. Paolino's Way - crab pizza was excellent and we heard the baked oysters are to die for!

2. Cappy's - classic clam chowder and a surprising healthy salmon dish that my husband loved. Please - DO NOT skip out on dessert. Their cake and pies are heavenly. I had the lemon blueberry cheesecake. I told the waitress how wonderful it was and she said she was going to go have a piece herself. There was half a cake left and they were going to throw it out if it didn't all sell. I seriously contemplated buying the rest of the cheesecake and taking it back to the hotel with me. It wouldn't have lasted the night. My husband gave me the hairy eyeball. I backed down.

3. Shepherd's Pie - technically in Rockport, ME, but still delicious. Their signature shepherd's pie dish and fried squid were oh so tasty!

Well that's all I have time for tonight. But I'll leave you with a sneak peek from the beginnings of the end of the rainbow blocks. Did that make sense? Anyone?

Off on Vacation

Guess what I did yesterday? SEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you tell I'm excited? I spent a whole day of my vacation jsut sewing. Well, alright, I did spend one hour exercising. Priorities people. But now all the rainbow blocks are done! Such a relief. Until I think about what to do with them next! Oy.

But now I'm off on a more "real" vacation while my husband and I celebrate five years of marriage. He's the best decision I ever made. I love you handsome.

I'll be back with pictures of upcoming projects. You know all those finished blocks have to be turned into something. And I've already got a couple ideas. Until then, enjoy these pictures.

New Items in the Shop

I added 8 new flower hair pins to the shop tonight.

I tried to yesterday, but let's just say technology and I were not getting along.

And remember how I've posted before about the importance of adding "model" shots of how the items look when worn and my trouble with getting those shots? Well I haven't found a better method yet. I have a specific idea of how I want the shot to look, that and my too short arms leave me out as a model. My husband offered to be my model for me, but that just doesn't seem right, with women's hair accessories and all. So who out there wants to be my model? =)

Cranberry Sour Cream Muffins

You'd think I'd been doing nothing but sewing based on my last few posts, but alas, it is not true! I also have a love for baking. I can't resist turning on the oven when the summer heat starts to fade. My daughter and I cranked these out last weekend. Just tart enough for even my husband to enjoy (for those who don't know, his sweet tooth never came in).

Funny story...I let my daughter mix the dry ingredients while I mixed the wet. I look over to see her scooping tiny handfuls of flour out onto the counter top and floor. Yikes! I salvaged what I could, but was prepared for an overly soggy mix, especially since I use maple syrup instead of sugar. Of course they came out perfect! She must know more about baking than I do.