What I stay up late doing.

Like most moms of babies, I pretty much operate in a constant state of sleep deprivation.  What I should do on the rare night I have a little extra time is go to bed.  That isn't what happens though...  this is.  Two of these items are ideas from pinterest.  My friend has a picture folder on facebook called "Pinterest made me do it."  That is exactly what happens.  Your head gets filled with a thousand ideas and you just can't sleep until you try one.

Turkey ribbon sculpture hair clip for Turkey Day.  

 

Fixed a hole in Alex's jeans so he can still wear them.  I can't figure out why this picture keeps turning sideways...  frustrating.

Another pair of shoes for Ashley.  She needed some brown ones.

Itsy Bitsy Spider.

I made Ashley a Halloween Dress.  I wasn't really planning to make her a dress so I didn't have a pattern.  I just made one and winged it.  There are a few imperfections, but overall I think it is really cute.  I totally copied the idea from a friend's photo on facebook.  This dress is fully lined and could be reversible if I had used a nice fabric for the "inside."  It was kind of a test project on doing a lining/reversible dress.  I need to buy more patterns when they are on sale at Hobby Lobby for times like this.

 My sweet girl with matching shoes and a black hair bow.

A black pair of shoes I made, too.  I put grippy fabric on the bottom of the green shoes b/c Ashley likes to stand up and the fabric ones slip and make her mad.

I made a few hair bows, too.  These are colors I doubt she will wear...  orange and white or garnet and gold with footballs.  Anyone want these?

She's crafty.

I have been in a creative mood this week.  The cleaning may be suffering, but I did two little projects.  First one is pinterest inspired.  Burlap in all forms seems pretty popular.  I have a friend who put burlap panels in her den windows about 10 years ago.  Needless to say, she is way ahead of the trends...  very stylish lady!  I am kinda on the fence about how much I like this burlap wreath.  I tied a red tulle (that's all I had on hand) bow to hang it, but it may need something else.  A big "T" or some fall flowers maybe?  I don't know...  I am a copier, not a thinker upper.  It did turn out just like the pic of the one here.  Super easy, but I have way too much burlap left over and it makes a mess when you are cutting it.

My second project I am pretty proud of, if I do say so myself.  I have never taken an art class, but I have been a couple time to those painting/drinking events.  I think that made me less intimidated of a blank canvas.  I bought 2 small canvases and some acrylic paint to make something for Ashley's room.  I took my inspiration from her bedding set and painted these two side by side masterpieces.  This is totally freehand, no stencil or tracing. 

 Below is the quilt, which I pretty much copied with paint instead of fabric.

I made this last week but didn't have time to blog it.  Not that blogging it is much different to putting the pics on facebook, which I did do.  The dawgs are sucking big time, but that doesn't mean baby girl can't look good cheering them on anyway.  She already has a cheerleader outfit, but I wanted to make her a little dress and decided on a knot dress.  I didn't use a pattern, just kind of fit it to her body.  It fits but there is definitely room to grow.  I am hoping that maybe next year I can add a trim to the bottom and she can wear it again, or just wear it as a shirt.  Here she is:

It is getting kinda cool, so maybe a shirt underneath and some leggings or pants.

A girl can never have enough shoes!

For my latest craft, I made Ashley some baby shoes.  I have made several pairs of shoes for the boys with a pattern similar the the Robeez brand, but this new pattern seemed a little more feminine.  Plus, with pink flowers, you can't get girlier than that!  This was scrap material I had and wanted to try this out to see how hard these shoes were.  I wouldn't say they are easy, but I like the way they turned out.  (at least one of them, one seems really wonky).    

 That is the cutest fat baby foot ever! (The good one, not the wonky one)

She got tons of compliments on these shoes tonight at the mall, so I guess I will make a few more pairs.

Lessons learned on this 1)use a solid fabric for the sole, or at least not a pattern that will look funny if it isn't on the shoe straight. 2) Attach the sole to the top starting at the toe and going to the back, not the back to the toe. 3) Don't forget to top stitch the layers after ironing...  oops.

My first pinterest baked item.

Yes, it has been a while.  Summer really kept me busy with the kids home and a new baby.  Plus, I did a ton of organizing (post pregnancy nesting) which is not very interesting.  I do frequent pinterest and have a TON of ideas for things to make.  This is my first cooking post as I really do not enjoy cooking.  I am a jar spaghetti sauce, taco dinner kit, box cake mix and frosting kinda mom.  Honestly, breakfast is my best meal so I tried a breakfast wreath.  Now it does include crescent rolls from a can, but the rest is "outer aisle" food.  (BTW, I am kinda sick of coupon nay-sayers going on how they are "outer aisle" shoppers and coupons are only for junk.)  Besides, the canned rolls are on an "outer aisle," too.  I digress...
My family really liked this and it reheated well the next morning.  I need some practice wrapping the crescent rolls around, but I think I did ok for a novice. 

Arrange the crescent rolls and layer bacon, cheese, scrambled eggs, and more cheese.  Wrap the crescent roll points to the middle and sprinkle more cheese.  Bake and voila!

See what I mean about wrapping the crescent rolls better? 

Fruity Birthday "Cake"

Happy Birthday to my mom!  Well, it is actually in a week, but we are celebrating today.  She had been working the new Weight Watchers plan and fruit is one of the things you can eat for "free."  (In moderation of course)  Anyway, she didn't want regular cake and I am working on losing the rest of my baby weight, too.  This is what I came up with...  a cake made entirely from fruit.  Well, as my blog title indicates, I copy ideas and don't usually come up with them on my own.  I initially saw a watermelon shark on pinterest.  (If you have never seen pinterest, stay away.  You will find your self pinning ideas for hours... addicting and fabulous!)  Then I went here and there are lots of carving ideas and instructions.  It is pretty easy.  I used a cookie cutter on the pineapple to make flowers.  Melon baller to do cantaloupe plus strawberries and grapes.  Take some bamboo skewers and start arranging.  Voila!

Cow appreciation day.

Every year Chick-fil-a offers a free meal to anyone who comes in dressed up as a cow.  It is kind of a madhouse and I didn't think Andrew would go for it, but he wanted to go get some free food.  I love a good bargain, so I was pumped and the kids were very excited, too.  I literally threw together a couple of costumes in a little over an hour.  I pulled apart a sheep costume and re-used the felt to make 2 kid cow costumes with black felt spots.  I decided baby Ashley could use a costume, so I took a onesie and added felt spots.  To make the bottom cute, I added islet lace around the leg cuff.  I saw the idea on pinterest and thought it actually turned out super cute.  I may need to try this again.  Last, I cut off the sleeves.  Baby Ashley is kinda big, so the only white onesie that fit was long sleeved.  I didn't have enough lace, so I just took some ribbon and tied bows on the shoulders.  I was trying to make it look summery and not an unraveled mess.  I have also seen a few pics of friends kids with ribbons tying up the sleeves on their t-shirts...  so maybe that is the style these days.  Seems like with little girls, you can add a ribbon just about anywhere and it works!

Finished product...  the boys didn't want to pose for pictures.

The lace with super chubby leg.

At Chick-fil-a.

Ginormous bow and tutu!

Happy 4th of July!  I had some girl time with Ashley and made some accessories for her outfit while she napped.  Mom got her this cute onesie and I decided to spruce it up super girlie.  I made a stacked bow to match and a white tutu.  The bow was a little heavy so I clipped it to a headband.  I think she like the feel of the tutu.  I cut a 6 inch spool of tulle into 12 inch long strips.  I folded each one in half and sewed a pocket for some 1/2 inch elastic.  I threaded the elastic through the tulle and cut it to size on Ashley's waist.  Stitched the elastic together and fluffed.  Tutus are super easy to make and can be knotted instead of sewn.  Anyone can make these!  Look how cute baby girl is!

Go Dawgs!

Getting ready for football season with my collegiate fabric and ribbon.  I have a variety of burp cloths and I like a cloth diaper for the size and absorbency.  I saw a contoured burp cloth and thought what a great idea for good coverage.  I used terrycloth on one side and UGA fabric on the other.  I think I could really make it look like a dog bone!  I also embroidered the name and added a single tag for tactile stimulation or just to attach a clip.  Once I got on my UGA kick, I had to make baby girl a boutique hairbow.  It is a little big and will probably need to be attached to a headband.  I made a couple smaller bows, too.  Check it out!

Copy cooking

Well, not really "cooking" like a homemade meal or anything.  I saw this on a friend's facebook page and thought it was clever.  Alex loved it, too!

A couple of videos

This is a quick clip of Ashley talking/laughing a little bit:

This is Josh singing the Little Einsteins theme:

Taking pictures.

Why is it so hard to get a good picture?  I am not a great photographer, but sometimes I just want a cute pic of the kids and they just don't want to cooperate.  Is it because they are boys or because they are 2 and 4?  The funny thing is the first shot is the good one in this set, and the rest are funny although irritating at the time.

  Home Alone and straining poop face.

Get your hands out of your pants...  amazing how many time I say this in a day!

Just smile and don't scrunch your face.

This first pic I took...  should have stopped while I was ahead.

Last big Hoorah!

Any of you fellow couponers know that Publix Corporate offices made changes to the coupon policy effective May 23rd.  For me, this means much less competitor coupons and less savings.  This was my last trip before the change.  I am bummed because even though my Publix managers want to take all the competitors, corporate says no.  I will not be spending as much time planning shopping trips though.  So, that is good I guess.  I don't really spend hours on end doing it anyway, but whatever.  This is what I got Sunday:

It cost $4.89.  Not sure of the savings but the formula packs alone are over $40!

My shelf is pretty full and I think I might need a new one.  Like the nice walkway?  I know people who have entire rooms in their basement for stockpiles, so really this is nothing.  LOL!

The girls.

Poop on the Potty

Ah, potty training.  My mother has said on numerous occasions that this was her least favorite part of raising kids.  I have been taking a very relaxed approach with Josh.  I have read a lot about how older kids regress to wetting their pants when a younger sibling is born.  Well, this seemed to work the opposite in my house.  Josh seemed fascinated when I changed Ashley's diaper.  On the phone one day, my sister asked Josh how baby Ashley was.  He said "She poops in her pants."  My sister replied "Well, you do too!"  Something must have clicked b/c he suddenly started pooping on the potty.  He wears underwear at home and he has only had a few pee-pee accidents.

Yes, I took a picture of poop.  I love this picture because it shows the support Alex gives Josh with his potty training.  Alex checks the potty and exclaims "He DID poop, Mommy!"  Then he asks Josh if he will share his treat or his toy prize.  

.50

.50 for all this.  Not much else to say!

Spent 3.19...

and saved $50.93 on groceries.  Gotta have extra eggs and vinegar for dying!  We do have a cat, but the cat treats were a money maker.  That is why we have so many and I will probably donate these since we already have treats.  That is another thing about couponing, you can donate what you don't need/use.  The rest is just stuff we need!

...  and now for baby pics

She is listening intently to his story.

They even tilt their head the same way.

$43 in groceries, paid $4.19 and getting a $10 MIR giftcard!

Took baby Ashley to Publix tonight.  I am discovering that she hates the carseat... or maybe the car.  Unless she is totally passed out asleep before I load her up, she screams the whole time.  Tonight she cried for 15 minutes and when we got to the store, she went to sleep after 2 laps around the store in the shopping cart. 

Anyway, ConAgra had a $10 rebate deal and this is how I did mine.  After coupons, I paid $4.19 and will get $10 back.  Nice money maker and I have 6 bags of chicken.  Wa-hoo!  Oh, and no I don't have a dog, but I know people who do.

This was $43 before coupons. 

Baby pic of the day...  Uncle Todd and Aunt Michelle came for a visit.

Easy car seat cover.

I finished another copy craft today!  Amazing, considering I am extra sleep deprived thanks to those thunderstorms last night.  It was musical beds with Josh in bed with Andrew and me in the boys' room in a twin bed.  Anyway, I saw this and thought it was a great idea.  I saw one on a friend's facebook page and she gave me the link to the tutorial here.  It is a car seat cover or deterrent for strangers wanting to touch your baby.  I thought it was practical b/c on several occasions I have placed a blanket over the car seat to keep wind or sun out of the baby's eyes...  even rain.  I love that this will stay put and also leaves space to grab the car seat handle.

I picked fabric to match the car seat, but in hindsight this might be a little busy.  I don't think it really matters but if I could go back I would do a solid gray on the inside.

Miss Personality

Newborn babies are great and all, but when they start reacting to you the real fun begins.  Now that Ashley is having more alert time, the boys are more interested in her.  She has started smiling when she hears you talking to her and the boys just think that is so exciting.  She was on the floor being quiet and Alex just plopped down on her pillow for some "pillow talk." 

Sweet...

She's got my finger!

Ashley's thinking "Mom, did you get the shot yet?"

Big smile for brother!