Bedroom Pillows – It’s Love, eh

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Jennifer

One of my January goals was to make pillows for my bed.

My biggest hurdle for this project was the fact that I knew I had to change the sewing machine needle before I started this project. Sounds easy but to someone who had never attempted to change the needle I was terrified. I didn’t even look at the manual because I just knew it would be difficult. I bought the fabric to make these pillows way back in September so that was a lot of stalling on my part.

But guess what?

It was easy. I’m talking 10 seconds easy.

So here’s the final look…

In case you don’t know, I’m married to a Canadian and there’s quite a bit of “eh” going on around here. I kept asking him, “Doesn’t it need an exclamation point or a question mark?” My husband insisted it wasn’t necessary since, “We use eh for everything.”

Here’s the run down of the pillows:

3 Large Pillows- Annie Selke Fabric – Seema/Oxford Ivory/Raspberry

(Our bedroom wall is the same light blue/gray in these pillows)

2 white pillows – I bought two king pillowcases – I put them on our wimpy standard pillows and wrapped the remaining fabric in the back – I will need to get the proper king sized pillows for these someday.

2 Pink Swirl Pillows – Annie Selke Fabric – Scramble Raspberry

1 “Love, eh” Burlap Pillow – burlap on front, Annie Selke on the back

I first taped off a section on the burlap and drew my words on with a sharpie.

Next, I went over my letters with black fabric paint.

After humming and hawing for awhile about the next step, I took the extra tape pieces off the sides – in other words, I made a rectangle of tape but didn’t take a picture.

I now had a perfect rectangle shape to follow when I free handed a rectangle with my white embroidery thread. I double the thread so it would be thicker throughout.

Here’s a fuzzy shot of the embroidery thread.

And the final products once again.

Now onto the bedroom lamps!

A Proud Mom

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Jennifer

My six year old has come over to the dark side with me.

At least that’s the opinion of my husband.

To really understand this scenario you have to go back with me thirty years.

The place I remember going out to eat more than any other growing up is Pancho’s.

Glorious Pancho’s.Enchiladas made with cheese from a can.

Tamale sauce with a one inch top layer of fat.

Sopapillas still dripping in oil.

And the pinatas at your birthday…….

…..don’t even get me started over that thrill.

When our family gets together at the holidays, there has to be at least one trip to Pancho’s.

Well, my husband doesn’t get it.

Neither does my brother-in-law who is married to my sister.

They’re what we like to consider, “Pancho outsiders.”

They weren’t as fortunate as us to grow up with this delicacy so they don’t understand.

When our family goes to Pancho’s for the holidays, my husband always chooses to work that day. Whatever. More chiquitos for us.

So yesterday, my son and I were discussing places to eat for my birthday.

“No way,” was my response when Steak n’ Shake was suggested.

“No can do,” when Pizza Hut was offered.

But then he said, “What about Pancho’s?”

“Now there’s an idea son. I like it.”

And then he said the words I will never forget.

“When I grow up I want to work at Pancho’s so I can eat their food everyday.”

There just couldn’t be a prouder moment for this mom.

My family was equally proud when I told them.

Imagine, mother and son eating lunch together everyday enjoying tacos and refried beans.

Just the two of us making wonderful memories.

After all, my husband will be stuck eating leftovers at the house because he never came over to the dark side.

Singles

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Jennifer

We have a sock monster in our house.

We must, because I don’t understand how we have so many single socks waiting for a partner.

After having a rotating pile of socks on my bedroom floor for a year I decided enough is enough – We gave the socks their very own space in the laundry room.

It’s always amazing to me that five or six of these socks will find a match during the week yet the numbers never dwindle due to new socks being added.

Needed: frame without glass, string or wire, staple gun, clothespins

We simply stapled the string to the frame and called it done.

A little peek at the laundry room art I created.

The artwork matches the complete failure of an ironing board cover I made.

Come back next week when I share all of the downloadable laundry art I’ve been working on.

A Hairy Christmas

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Jennifer

Our family has a history of silly gifts on Christmas day, from my Dad’s t-shirts, to wrapping a present in multiple boxes, to the matching pants my sisters and I received (not an intentional gag gift but one which occurred since apparently JCrew’s sizes run waaaaaay small).

So I figured this Christmas it was my turn to be the ring leader.

Browsing through etsy in September I came across some crocheted beards and I knew this was it.

Laura was wonderful to work with and created 7 beards for me to give as gifts for the family.

Feast your eyes on this awesomeness!

Top row:

My brother the hairy beast (I’m sure this look will be a hit on the college scene)

My dad (gray to match his current stache)

My husband (just what he needs, more hair 🙂

My brother-in-law (Very stylish and practical for shoveling snow in Michigan)

Front row: My sons who are in heaven to be with the big guys

Yes, I said seven but there are only six beards in the picture.

Where’s the 7th beard you ask?

Introducing Princess Grizzly …..

Her hat and beard were created by Laura.

Outside playtime this winter will probably lead the neighbors to think we’ve adopted three middle aged munchkins.

Check out Laura’s site here and have your own hairy fun.

The Post Office Every Year

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Jennifer

Every December I stand in line at the post office and make the same vow:

Next year my husband will mail the packages for his family.

He will:

1 – Take all three children with him

2 – Fill out the customs paperwork

3 – Explain 17 times why the line doesn’t go any faster

4 – Hand out goldfish crackers

5 -Pick up and put down the two year old six times.

6 – Fill out different paperwork since the previous paperwork was for packages that weigh one ounce less than your package

7 – Tell the children 23 times to lower their voice.

8 – Wait while a woman trying to mail a package to Sweden doesn’t understand why her box needs to have an address or be closed.

9 – Sweep crushed goldfish under the counter and out of sight with foot.

10 – Listen to the post office worker explain the twelve thousand options for sending a package when all you want to do is scream, “JUST MAIL IT!”

Yes, I’m quite sure my husband will be the one mailing the packages next year.

Outside Set

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Jennifer

I don’t even tell my husband when I’m planning on a trip to the resale store.

It just stresses him out.

He begins envisioning long hours behind a sander and even more time with a paint brush in hand.

A few weeks ago I went and saw this for $39.99. (There were two cushions and a piece of glass, I just forgot to take a picture before I started working on the set.)

I asked the guy if that was his final offer.

He said, “You can have it for $29.99 as long as you take it away today.”

Done.

Honestly, I have no idea if it was a decent bargain or not, I just knew I needed a place to park my rear end while my kids are playing outside. (Yes, I play with my kids outside but there are days when this mommy just wants to sit and flip through a magazine too.)

Please pardon the enormous, in your face pictures, I was having some technical difficulties (a.k.a. I wanted to hurry up and watch The Real Housewives).

Did I take the time to sand this puppy? No I did not.

I simply sprayed him with an outdoor gray spray and called it done.

I also found an outdoor fabric I loved for the chairs and placed it right over the existing green covers.

The final project on our new deck.

My rear end gives this project two cheeks up! Awful, I know.

Have you finished any recent house projects?

He Will Never Learn

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Jennifer

My husband will never learn.

We’ve been married 14 years and he still doesn’t get it.

Maybe it’s the fact that he grew up in a family with only two children. He doesn’t have the hoarding tendencies that those of us with many siblings learned.

Whatever the reason, he is still dumbfounded to come home to this.

When there is a bag of Oreos open in our house, EAT THEM RIGHT AWAY!

I tried to tell him. “Dear, I opened a bag of Oreos in the pantry. They are hiding on the top shelf so the kids don’t see them. You need to go ahead and eat some before I eat them all.”

TWO DAYS LATER he goes to look in the pantry and is stunned to find the cookies gone.

I mean, two days later? When I say you need to go ahead and eat some, I mean RIGHT NOW because I am heading to the pantry as we speak.

I know he thinks I should feel bad but I don’t.

I mean, I TOLD HIM.

But, I will try again just like I always do … Derek there is a candy bar hidden on the top shelf of the pantry…go eat some NOW.

A Look Back at Our Halloween Costumes

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Jennifer

As we are narrowing down our costume choices for this year, I thought it would be fun to take a trip down memory lane at our past Halloween costumes.

Through the years the kids have come to expect me to make their costumes and believe I can make just about any character. While that may not be true and some of the costumes may be simple, I love making these and seeing their faces as they put them on.

2003

Kermit the Frog

(green pants, green shirt, felt details, fabirc covered hat with half ping pong balls)

2004

Fireman

(pants, rain boots, raincoat, fire hat)

2005

Winnie the Pooh & Roo

(Pooh: While shopping in Babies R Us one morning with the boys, Alex decided he wanted to try on the Winnie the Pooh costume. I put the one piece on him, zipped him up, and let him look in the mirror. When I went to get him out of the costume, the zipper stuck. I mean, would. not. budge! I tried and tried to get him out of the costume. I ended up getting scissors from a clerk and cutting him out. I now had to buy the costume and was now the proud of two pieces of a costume with a broken zipper. When I took the costume into Hancock Fabrics to ask if there was anyone I could pay to fix the costume, an employee took pity on me and fixed the costume for free. So that’s how Alex ended up being Winnie the Pooh for Halloween).

(Roo: Since we already had a Pooh I decided we needed a Roo. Andrew’s costume is actually a monkey costume with a blue shirt I wrote on over the costume).

2006

A Pirate and a Parrot

(Parrot: green overalls with Kermit the frog shirt from 2003, red hat, felt feathers in front and back connected by pins and elastic at the wrists)

(Pirate: shirt with iron on transfer, hat was bought, the rest of the costume (belt, hook, & pants were inherited from my sister’s college days – the pants were originally a skirt I altered from the original costume)

2007

A Saints football player & Curious George and the Man with the Yellow Hat

(Saints player: costume was given to Alex)

(Curious George: brown track suit, hat covered in brown felt with fabric ears I made, candy bucket was brown fabric covering the bucket with felt bananas attached)

(Man with Yellow Hat: yellow shirt from Goodwill, felt tie, felt covering a hat with rulers underneath to keep it standing up)

2008

Costume Party

Pirate & Captain Rex from Star Wars

(pirate costume with beard, store bought costume for Captain Rex – it killed me to buy this costume but I did it because he wanted it desperately)

Halloween Night

Captain Rex and Peter Pan

(Peter Pan was a store bought costume too – I caved in Party City)

2009

Night at the Museum Costumes

(Sacagawea: brown material with added fringe & turquoise beads I sewed on)

(Larry Daley: regular clothes with name tag that read “Larry”)

(Fighter Pilot: not technically in the movie – consignment store costume)

(Teddy Roosevelt: brown pants, brown shirt, glasses, and belt from Goodwill, cowboy hat bought)

2010

Burger King, Dairy Queen, a Werewolf, Little Red Riding Hood, and a Ninja

(King & Queen: bathrobes from Goodwill with added fur trim, hat made from cardboard and silver tape, signs were made from sticky felt)

(Werewolf: regular clothes torn up with fur sewed into the clothes)

(Little Red Riding Hood: red skirt, white shirt, tights, consignment shoes, gingham fabric with red trim)

(Ninja: black pants & shirt, top shirt was fabric with hole cut out over head and tied with black fabric, black fabric wrapped around his head)

2011

??????????

What are some of your favorite Halloween costumes you remember?

Perspective

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Jennifer

A few days ago we took my two youngest to the children’s hospital in our city. We were there to find out more information about their recently discovered blood disorder and how it will impact their lives. In the days leading up to the appointment I was having a bit of a pity party for myself, silently saying “Why us again?”

When I was in my twenties I had a warped sense of protection. I felt that if I knew someone who went through something my family would not go through it. I know someone who lost a child therefore we will not. I know someone who got a divorce therefore we will not. I know someone who lost their home therefore we won’t.

Now that I am in my thirties, I realize life doesn’t work that way.

I knew someone who had heart surgery. Well my husband needed it too.

I know someone who had a miscarriage. Well I had one too.

I knew someone who had a stroke. Well my husband had one too.

Our children’s appointment was on a Wednesday at noon. After parking our car, we found our way to the patient waiting room.

We found ourselves sitting in the Blood Disorders and Cancer waiting room.

It was there where I decided to stop sulking and just be thankful.

I saw kids of all ages and races who were ill. Some were wearing masks, some were in the isolation room, some were crying, and some were listless while being craddled by their parents.

These parents had surely asked “Why us? Why my child?”

As I watched my two smiling kids play in the room I felt incredibly blessed and ridiculously lucky.

We will be back to see more doctors and we will continue to worry for a long time.

But for now, my kids are happy, healthy, and home with me.

And that’s all that matters.

The Kitchen Art Wall Reveal…Finally

Posted on September 4, 2011 by Jennifer

Our kitchen art wall has been a long time in coming. I searched and searched etsy for just the right art. I chose pieces which were fun, bright, and made me smile. I made six printables for the wall as well.

Last time I left you I had given you this sneak peek at our wall

Here’s the completed wall

I am so excited with how it came out.

The five small frames are from Target, 2 others are from IKEA, 2 frames I already had, and 2 are from Goodwill. The frames I already owned and the ones from Goodwill were given a couple of coats of white paint.

Let me show you how we chose where to place the frames.

I knew I was working with an 44 x 44 space on the wall so my husband and I made a 44 x 44 template out of newspapers taped together.

Next we moved around the frames until we were happy with their placement

There is a wide variety of color in the pictures so I decided white frames would help give a cohesive look.