just the 9 of us

Peter...

2012-01-26T00:34:00.002-06:00

Of course this picture is posed but, during prayer last night Peter had his little stuffed dog and cat next to him and in the middle of the prayer he turns his head to his animals and says "shhhh! Me praying." It was pretty cute and funny.

I love being a mom!!!

My new love....

2012-01-23T00:09:00.002-06:00

My husband rocks!!! This is what he

gave me for Christmas...the kitchenaid

has taken up residence in the basement!

A Picture Frame Tutorial

2012-01-22T23:56:00.003-06:00

Ok so this is kind of a lame tutorial. SUPER easy!!

SUPPLIES:

picture frame (any size you want)

Scrap book paper to put in the frame

Scraps of 1" fabric strips various lengths (I usually use a minimum of 18")

Vinyl that says don't forget

Here goes...cut your scrapbook paper to fit inside your frame. Put in the frame (if you don't have access to vinyl go ahead and run it through your printer and print whatever you would like don't forget, to do list, prayer, whatever you are wanting to use the board for).

Roll your flowers. There are a million tutorials out there just google one, someday I may post one. Hot glue to your frame. If you are putting vinyl on you can do this now. You are done. I told you it was kind of lame...pretty much a no brainer! Oh yeah, you need a dry erase marker to fill up that baby with all the things you might forget! :)

I am a lame blogger!

2012-01-21T23:43:00.002-06:00

My computer has something wrong with it....the dreaded blue screen! So, I have been getting to know the MAC my hubby gave me. I am not as comfortable with it as I was with my other computer but, I am figuring things out. So, hopefully I will be able to have some fun posts soon. I am going to continue the YW handouts as soon as I get PSE installed on my MAC and I have some fun tutorials coming up in the next month or so.

Peter's 3

2012-01-11T23:19:00.005-06:00

We celebrated Peter's 3rd Birthday today...I know I always say this but, I can't believe 3 years have gone by already. Peter in a nutshell...

He loves and I mean LOVES trains!

He refers to himself as me. Usually he is saying "me loves this or me hates this"

For instance when I started making his train cake this morning apparently he didn't like the color I was using so he looks at the cake and then looks and me and says "me hate that". It's kinda funny. I have tried to help him say I and he just doesn't get it yet.

He is a boy of few words.

He loves to play with Christian.

He does not take naps or else he is SUPER GRUMPY!

He is a very sweet big brother.

I love it when he says "me love you mommy!" which he says often.

He is my little shadow.

He loves cookie dough. (yeah I am a bad person and let my kids eat cookie dough)

He is really a sweet little boy as long as you don't cross him!

We love you Peter and are so grateful that you are part of our family. You are definitely my sunshine! :)

Gingerbread houses.

2012-01-06T00:08:00.004-06:00

We did not have time to do gingerbread houses during the holidays so yesterday I decided it didn't matter that Christmas was over my kiddos love making these and I had all the stuff to do them so that is exactly what we did. Here are all there masterpieces.

Did I mention Chicken Pox?!?

2012-01-06T00:03:00.002-06:00

Yeah, seriously! We had the weirdest case of the chicken pox. My little Noel broke out in a rash and the first thing I thought was Chicken Pox, but she received the vaccine so I thought no way. Brought her in to the Dr. and yup it was the chicken pox. Weird thing is they didn't itch! LUCKY, LUCKY girl!! I had the worst case when I was a kid.

Cute kid pics

2012-01-05T23:59:00.003-06:00

My sister Hope did Noel's hair up in a hair bow...sooo cute!

Tyler giving us a big ole grin! My boys have spent a lot of time putting puzzles together. I love puzzles!

Some pics of our Christmas...

2012-01-05T23:29:00.005-06:00

So here are a few pictures...blurry pictures because someone had the lens set to manual and of course we couldn't figure out why all the pictures were turning out blurry. (Obviously I figured it out AFTER the holidays) Oh well, blurry or not I thought I would share some of our festivities.

Putting out food for the reindeer.

The kids always sleep all together in the boys room.Christmas morning...did I mention we aren't really morning people.Peter found his new trike and he loves it!Charity got an acoustic guitar and starts lessons next week!!Austin, of course, received legos!We had church thus year so we got all gussied up! ;) Peter did not want his picture taken.Christmas at Nana and Grandads. We woke Peter up to take this pic...everyone was starting to crash.

Grace acting like she's a nutcracker...more like a little nutty! Love that girl!Peter was seriously wiped out!

We had a fabulous holiday season. I am so blessed to be surrounded by lots of family!

Young Women's Handout Manual 1 Lesson 2

2012-01-05T11:22:00.002-06:00

This lesson was on the Savior and I just love the lyrics to the song I Stand All Amazed and so that is what I used for the design in the handout this week.

**Please let me know if you ever find any words spelled incorrectly or anything like that. PSE does not have spell check so I double check myself but obviously I am far from perfect! ;)

Young Women's Handout Lesson 1 Manual 1

2012-01-03T15:20:00.002-06:00

I thought I would make some handouts to go along with the lessons in Young Womens this year. Here is the first one...better late than never.

16 years!!

2011-12-28T00:14:00.005-06:00

I have been married to the man I love for 16 years! I can't believe it has been that long!! I truly feel blessed to have created a beautiful family with him. We reminisced about the past 16 years and it made us realize just how far we have come. I love you baby!!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T00:18:00.005-06:00

I intended to blog more this month, but instead spent the time having Christmas School with my children and making gifts and just trying to have fun together. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family. I hope everyone has a blessed and joyful Christmas!!! :)

Christian is 10!!

2011-12-11T22:25:00.004-06:00

He's made it to the double digits!!

A few things about Christian:

He is a super serious kiddo.

He has a LOT of energy!

He has a great smile.

He adores his little brothers, he totally and completely dotes on them and it is so sweet.

He looks up to his big brother.

He will still hold my hand.

He has a very service oriented heart.

We love you so much Christian and look forward to watching you grow into a sweet young man.

Can it be?!

2011-12-08T23:59:00.002-06:00

16 years ago I gave birth to my first born. Oh man, where has time gone. I can't believe I have a young man that is 16. I realize his time with us is getting less each year and it makes me sad and happy...sad for me, happy for him to serve a mission, go to school, find a wife. You know all those wonderful things in life! I guess I am just feeling like he is growing up way to fast.

A few things about Austin...
His favorite colors are purple and black.
He still enjoys legos. (which I think is AWESOME!)
He is a great writer.
He is a very thoughtful person and I don't just mean he is kind but that he really

likes to think about things.

He has braces!

He loves to read, esp. the classics

He is seriously a great big brother.

He is also a wonderful son. He is always there to help me out when I need a helping hand. He seems to be able to sense when I am stressed and just jumps in to help lighten my load!

I am so grateful that Heavenly Father blessed my husband and I with such a wonderful son! We love you lots Austin!

Christmas School!

2011-12-05T00:43:00.006-06:00

This month I will be doing Christmas School with my kids. I am so excited. I have lots of different things planned. Hopefully, I will remember to take lots of pictures and then I will post about what we are doing. Some of my ideas have come from here. I seriously looove this time of year!!

Crazy Crafters Christmas Crafting...

2011-11-18T00:09:00.002-06:00

Here are the crafts we would like to do for our Christmas Crafting Session

Jingle Bell shadow box. Not the best picture...sorry!

Supplies: Shadow box (you can get one at walmart for around 8 bucks)

scrapbook paper
bells that will fit
ribbon
vinyl (provided for a small fee)

Here is the prayer board that I am seriously excited to make. You just list out the people or maybe things you are praying for...I am forgetful and this would be soo helpful.

Supplies for prayer board: 5x7 frame (if you want it to be like the one below) but you could use any size frame. I plan on making an 8x10 one for my family to use in a central area of our home but I would like a 5x7 one for my night stand.

scrap of coordinating fabric for rolled flowers 1-2 inches by 20 or so inches

scrapbook paper to put in the frame

the vinyl will be provided for a small fee *will update as soon as I know how much

This can also be made as a to do list instead of a prayer board.

This is just a pic of a frame that would make a fun prayer board or to do list. Knit scarf. This was super fun and easy to make!

Supplies: knit fabric (this one was made for my girls that is why it is so much shorter)

I will give you a more exact amount after I make an adult one

matching thread

pearls or beads for flowers

I love the flowers with the little pearls in the middle!The amazing birthday board! I love this thing...it has helped to remember birthdays the past couple months that I have been using. A total lifesaver!!! :)

Supplies: the board came from hobby lobby it's the only one shaped like that

scraps of fabric for rolled flowers

knob (hobby lobby has tons of them)

tags...you could also use card stock

vinyl will be provided for a small fee

The cutest turkey onesie!!

2011-11-10T22:52:00.003-06:00

I am not one to toot my own horn but, SERIOUSLY, this is one of the cutest turkeys!!!!

I wish I had a little baby girl to make it for! Since I don't, I guess that

means my girlfriend gets to be the lucky recipients! :) I love ruffled bums too!!

A few outtakes from our family photo shoot...

2011-11-03T23:15:00.004-05:00

So my sister and mom were kind enough to do a little family photo shoot for us and it went something like this... This is one of my favorites. We have a couple that might work but, I think I would like to reshoot it now that we know what some of the problems were (main one being it's just too many people to get to cooperate at once!) :)

Oops someone must have told Peter to smile. This is what he does 100% of the time if he is told to smile!

Who's hand is Peter holding you might wonder...well we are too! Maybe he is trying to tell us something!

I love this picture because it captured the personality of each of my children so well. We really do have some great pictures I will be posting sometime soon. I just thought I would give you all a good laugh at our expense. It is hard get a family pic. Just sayin!

Looking through the mirror of time

2011-11-03T22:18:00.003-05:00

This is a very random post but, when I took this picture this evening these were my thoughts. :)When I look at Austin holding Tyler it is as if I am looking at a 15 year old Austin and holding a 3 month old Austin. It's kind of weird but, really it's kind of neat!! This little guy looks just like his big brother (though Tyler's eyes are bigger). Austin finally got a mini him...Christian and Peter look exactly alike and not much like Austin at all. I heart my boys!!!

FYI: not a very good pic. the baby was fussy and not really in the mood for my little photo shoot! ;)

Austin is seriously the best big brother. I couldn't of hand picked a better brother for my little boys! He is so patient with Tyler when I need a moment or need to get things done. I really am blessed to have such a great son!

Noel is 5!

2011-11-02T22:37:00.005-05:00

I can't believe 5 years has gone by since I gave birth to this beautiful girl!

We had a fun day celebrating Noel's birthday! We went to fork and screen and watched Puss in Boots! It was an extremely cute movie...even Peter sat through the whole thing. Here is Noel after the movie the temp had dropped about 10 degrees and it was feeling pretty chilly but, she has a nice big brother and he shared his hoodie with her! When we got home we lit a fire in the fireplace because it is that chilly! It was sooo cozy. Noel opened her presents and was thrilled to receive a doll she can bring in the bath tub with her. She also got Just Dance Kids and it was pretty funny watching her dance. I have to say the girls got moves!!

Charity made Noel's cake. She did a great job. Noel loved her cake and the fact that she got to keep the barbie!

Noel blowing her candles out after we had to relight them!

Peter is in the background with his head down because he was the cause of us having to relight the candles. The little stinker blew out the candles in the middle of us singing happy birthday. He wasn't very happy that we told him not to do that. He got over it when we placed a piece of cake and ice cream in front of him!Happy Birthday Noely! We love you so much and are so blessed to have you in our family.

Tyler at 2 1/2 months

2011-10-23T23:27:00.002-05:00

Time is really flying by. It always amazes me at how a new child just seems to always fit into our family so well...like they have always been there. We are so in love with this little guy!

He definitely has 2 chins but, I must say he wears them well! My mom made the adorable monkey hat he is wearing. I love it! Cutest monkey around!! :)

My boy looooves green smoothies!

2011-10-22T23:39:00.002-05:00

We love making green smoothies. I have the best blender...it even grinds my wheat!! It's a blendtec just in case you were wondering. :) This little boy can't get enough of green smoothies he will do 3 cup fulls until he is satisfied. We just throw in about 2-3 cups of spinach, then we fill the rest of the blender up with frozen strawberries (from Costco, they have the best) and then we put in about a cup of apple juice. All my kiddos love them.

I love how Peter has his hand in his pocket. He has an obsession with pockets. The first thing he does when he puts on pants is check to see if they have pockets. Awesome green smoothie mustache!

Tyler's Blessing

2011-10-16T23:06:00.005-05:00

We finally blessed Tyler!!!! 3rd time is a charm. We have been trying to bless our sweet little boy for over a month now. We were finally able to get the job done. It took us several weeks to get to the point where no one was sick and thank goodness because our little boy isn't so little and could have easily outgrown the outfit I so lovingly made for him! :)
Here is the cookie cake me and the little ones made for Tyler to celebrate with family. The kids had a blast cutting the cookies out. Of course we made a more grown up dessert for the adults.
Sometimes I am stunned that they are all ours. It looks like a lot of kiddos when we get pictures done. I love my little or not so little brood! Tyler was SUPER fussy today...so most the pics of him are w/ him crying or about to cry.Here he is as happy as can be...apparently I overcompensated w/ my smile for him!I am so grateful to have a worthy preisthood holder in our home who was able to give this little guy a beautiful blessing. I love you sweetie!Me and my gorgeous sisters and mom. I truly am one blessed woman! At times it is so apparent the things...people that the Lord has blessed you with. This is one of those times!And after a super crabby, fussy day momma decided to bring Tyler on his nightly 4 1/2 mile walk and if it isn't obvious by the look on his face he loves his walks with mommy and mimi!! This little boy is definetly going to help me get skinny! There are nights I don't want to walk but his fussy time is at night and all we have to do is pop him in the stroller and bring him out in the fresh night air and he is just as happy as a clam!

We love you lots Tyler Colin Lynn!!! So blessed and happy to have him as part of our family!

**Hopefully tomorrow I can get some pics of him in his blessing outfit w/ a smile on his face or at least not crying.

Tyler's Blessing Outfit

2011-10-08T08:18:00.005-05:00

This is the blessing outfit I found online for Tyler. I fell in love with it and funny enough the name of it is the Tyler Christening Outfit. Too Perfect!!! The only problem was I didn't want to pay $55 for it. I hate spending that kind of money on something they are only going to wear once.
So, I went shopping for patterns. Of course I couldn't find anything that looked it but, I thought I've been sewing long enough to be able to alter a pattern and that is exactly what I did. I took the pattern below w/ the tie and altered it.

This is what I ended up with. I was a little worried because I really liked the original but, I am extremely happy with how it turned out!! It is missing the 3 little buttons that go down the front and I am still trying to find some small ones that will work. Everything I have found is just too big.

My goofy Noel wanted in on the photo shoot and said "wait mom I will give it bunny ears!" Anyways there you have it my first major alteration (I will say I find it easier to just make up a pattern than completely alter one)!

I will have pics of the baby in it tomorrow for his blessing.

General Conference

2011-10-01T23:42:00.002-05:00

In our church we have a General Conference where the meeting is held in Salt Lake City and it is televised throughout the world. I loooove GC weekend!! :) Some of the things that touched my heart today were:

The scriptures can be my friend and should be!

My large family is what Heavenly Father wants for us no matter what those around me may have to say about it. (I have struggled w/ the rude comments I get from people about my large family and the talk today about families was amazing)

Serve, Serve, Serve!

We are at war with Satan and we need to arm ourselves and be vigilant!

I love our Prophet, he is the sweetest man!

I am grateful to have spent the day with my children and hubby being enlightened and taught by the Lord's servants. I hope that I am able to turn the thoughts I have had today into actions.

What have I been up to lately??

2011-09-29T00:06:00.002-05:00

Lots of baby holding. This is what my lap looks like multiple times a day and I am loving every minute of it! Usually Peter is awake though. That child is not allowed to take naps if we can help it...he wakes up and is in a HORRIBLE mood for anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. It is not worth it! I love my little boys!

Boys can be so sweet

2011-09-20T12:23:00.006-05:00

Especially when they are SLEEPING! These boys really are rather sweet though. My girlfriend welcomed her 6th child into their family last week and we got to host a sleepover for her other kiddos. When I was checking on all the kids before I went to bed this is how I found the boys. They were practically laying on each other and I thought it was seriously cute!!

By the way I did provide them each with their own pillow, I guess I only needed to give them 1! :)

Tyler Colin

2011-09-20T12:17:00.004-05:00

This sweet little baby boy has the GREATEST smiles ever! If he is going to smile
at you he gives you the biggest, widest grin. You can't help but smile back! :) (caught this picture at the tail end of a big ole grin)

My thought on flowers

2011-09-20T12:11:00.003-05:00

I have ALWAYS told my hubby that flowers are a waste of money! Well, after this last little guy I was kinda thinking helloooo where are my flowers?? So, I kind of whined to my husband about not getting flowers from him and he said he figured since my friends Charlee and Mary had got me some beautiful flowers that I wouldn't have wanted him to waste money on them. Makes sense, right? Well, apparently my hormones didn't think so! My dear, sweet hubby surprised me with these beauties last week and I have enjoyed them. Every time I walk by them they make me smile. So, I guess what I am saying is I am singing a different tune now and am thinking that maybe flowers aren't such a waste of money! My poor husband, I guess I should update him when I change my opinions. Kind of hard on him if I am expecting him to be a mind reader. Love you Russell!!! :)

Peter...

2011-09-20T12:03:00.003-05:00

I have definitely not done enough "crafty" stuff with Peter. The girls went out to play yesterday and Peter wanted to follow. I brought him back and was trying to avoid a fit when I remembered this kit for puppets that I had purchased oh like...OVER A YEAR AGO! Hello, time to use them! And here are the results of a 15 minute crafting session with one adorable 2 year old...This is a pic of his puppets hugging each other. He loved making them hug each other and also making them fly which consisted of him taking both his puppets and throwing them in the air.

I do have to say it took a lot of self control for me to not try and force him to put the eyes and stuff in the "correct" place! I guess I have control issues. But, I love the off kilter look his little cat and dog has!

The Apron Giveaway Winner

2011-09-09T15:14:00.004-05:00

OK because I do everything confusing...I have 2 different posts w/ comments for possible winners I am going to type everyones name in random.orgs list generator and the person who ends up in position 1 will be my winner. Next time I will make sure to only have 1 post for people to leave comments. (I guess I just like to do everything different or more confusing anyways! :)) I seriously tried to upload the results from random.org but couldn't figure out how to. Anyone that knows me knows I am completely honest!! Here is what random.org chose...

Holly

Congrats Holly!!! I hope you will enjoy your apron. I know where to find you! :)

THE GIVEAWAY!!

2011-09-07T10:10:00.004-05:00

I finally finished the apron for the giveaway!!! It is reversible and I love the way it turned out!

Leave a comment and you will be entered in the giveaway. If you left a comment on my previous post about the giveaway you are good to go!! I will draw the name this Friday! Can't wait to see who the lucky winner is!! :)

200th Post!!

2011-08-30T09:18:00.002-05:00

This is my 200th post and I am going to have a giveaway!! I will post a pic of it later today or tomorrow. It is the Emmeline Apron. It is reversible and SUPER cute. I wear mine almost every single day!! Just leave a comment and you will be entered in the giveaway!!

Just a little info. for those who don't really know me. I am a mommy to 7 (ages 15 to 4 weeks). I homeschool 5 of my children and enjoy it most days. My hubby owns a lawn care company, although it has branched out into other areas also. I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Jesus Christ is at the center of our lives. I love playing the piano, serving the young women in my church, crafting (esp. sewing), walking with my mom, organizing things (hard to tell from my house I am sure) and I really enjoy blogging. It has been a great outlet for me to journal about my life but, mostly to share my ideas on crafting. I hope my blog has inspired others to get crafting too! Anyways, now you know a little more about me (that was pretty random, sorry!)

She's 12, she's 12!!!

2011-08-23T00:31:00.004-05:00

CHARITY

Here she is modeling an apron I made for a shower over the weekend. Isn't she beautiful!

I can't believe Charity is 12. My kids are growing up so fast.

A few things about Charity: She loves the Twilight series...no matter how much I try to discourage her! She looks adorable with short hair. She loves to read! She likes the colors purple, black and orange. She is becoming quite the baker. She can be a very sweet big sister. She plays the piano. She has a beautiful voice. She is a beautiful daughter of Heavenly Father who loves her along with her family! We are so very proud of the young woman she has become already and look forward to the woman that she grows into. We love Charity!! :)

I can't believe it has almost been a week!

2011-08-09T00:21:00.005-05:00

It was 1 week ago I layed in bed thinking I do not feel right. I wasn't having contractions but something was definitely up. Little did I know I was going to be up all night and not deliver my sweet little boy until 1pm. I don't do labors like that! My labors are typically 2-3 hours at the most. This was a tough labor for me and I am grateful that I am a week out and physically feeling great! Here are a few pics of my sweet little boy. This one was taken while we were still at the hospital.

He looks so tiny in his car seat!
Not the greatest picture but, I love that it shows how long he is. (and yes he is jaundiced and we are watching it)
He always has his hands up by his face.

This knit hat was made by a volunteer who donates them to the hospital. He looks so sweet in it...too bad he is hot blooded and doesn't need and shouldn't wear a hat. Even in the hospital they had us take his hat off because he was just too hot!

I am so in love with this little boy!

Having problems with my blog...

2011-08-07T23:16:00.002-05:00

Several of you have emailed me letting me know that you have tried to post a comment on my blog and for some reason it won't let you. I tried a couple things so if someone could please try and leave a comment I would appreciate it. If it doesn't work please email me at brandigone(at)hotmail(dot)com. I am wanting to do a giveaway on my 200th post and I need you all to be able to leave comments!
Thanks!!!

Introducing the newest member of our famiy!

2011-08-04T19:05:00.006-05:00

Tyler Colin Lynn
8lbs 3.6oz

20.25 inches long
Perfect in every way!!

It was not my easiest labor...it was actually one of the hardest and I am seriously relieved to be done w/ that part!!! He is such a sweet little boy. We will see what the next week is like. Hopefully, he will be a decent sleeper. The kids all adore him already and I have lots of helpers who are willing to hold him!

39.5 weeks

2011-08-01T23:46:00.001-05:00

I just couldn't pose for a picture this week. I am feeling frustrated that I am still pregnant so here is a pic of me laying around yesterday w/ my baby boy in my pjs!

Grace is 7!

2011-08-01T23:15:00.004-05:00

I can't not believe 7 years have already gone by! She is turning into such a big girl. Here Grace is w/ her cousins and sister playing a little birthday game. She had lots of fun even though she did cheat.

Grace asked for the same thing the past couple months a skateboard, a skateboard ramp, and knee pads and elbow pads. That is exactly what she got and you can tell by the look on her face she was excited. We also decided to get her some balloons. We don't do balloons often because the kids fight over them...to bad her little brother took all 4 balloons outside and let them go before she even got to enjoy them. Oh well!

Grace trying out her new skateboard. She is pretty good at it already...can't wait to see what she can do with a little practice. We went to McDonald's play place for lunch. We never go there so the kids all really enjoyed that (at least the little ones did).

Here is Grace in her bday outfit I made her opening up her gift from Mimi. She made her a special crafting kit which she already used for a good hour tonight.

Singing Happy Birthday to Grace. Her cake was made to her specifications...she wanted white on the bottom and chocolate on the top. It was actually one of the easier cakes I have gotten to make.

Grace had to keep her little brother from blowing the candles out before she did. She is a pro at this big sister thing!

Happy Birthday Grace Isabel can't wait to see what this next year brings. You are such a joy to parent (most the time). You may be strong willed but I know that someday it will be to your benefit. Love you lots my little Gracie!!!

Just In Case You Thought I Was Color Blind...

2011-07-27T00:41:00.002-05:00

I know I need to change my header. I also need to change the name of my blog when this little one arrives. So, hopefully in the next few days I will get that done! I have to find a header that will match my blog or create one and I honestly don't know if I have the patience to try and create one right now!

Knit Fabric Baby Headband

2011-07-27T00:10:00.005-05:00

Knit Fabric Baby Headband

Supplies: 3" by 12" (for a 0-3 months)

A bow to attach

Take your 3 by 12" fabric and fold it in half. Sew the two short raw ends together. I used about 1/4" seam or so.

Here is what it looks like after being sewn.

Fold the knit over it self to cover the seam as shown in the pic.Sew down the middle of where you just folded the fabric down to cover up the raw seam.

Now you want to attach your bow. I attached a flower that I had made out of knit. I just sewed through the felt around the whole circle not catching the knit flower in it just the felt.

Here is what the inside of the headband looks like after attaching your flower or bow.

And here is the adorable headband w/ the knit fabric flower .

Knit fabric flower

2011-07-26T23:43:00.008-05:00

Knit Fabric Flower Tutorial

Supplies:

12 knit circles about 2" (you will want to put them in 4 groups of 3)

1 felt circle about 1 1/2"

needle and thread (I used quilting thread because it is stronger)

Start by bringing your thread up the middle of the felt circle.Now you will grab one of the groups of circles and bring the needle through the center of them.Bring the needle back down through the circle of fabric and then bring it up and down again to make a small x in the middle of the knit circles. Now fold over the first group you have sewn on so that they won't be in the way while you sew the next group of circles on. Bring the needle up through the middle of the felt or close to it and the next group of knit circles. Do the same thing you do for the first group making a small x in the center.Now you want to fold the 2nd group over also and bring the needle up through the center of the felt again.Repeat making an x on this group of knit circles. You should now have 3 groups of circles on your felt circle.Move the 3rd group of knit circles out of the way so that you can sew on the last group of circles.Repeat what you did for the last 3 circles by going up the center of the felt and trying not to catch the other groups of knit circles while sewing this one on. Here is what it should look like after the 4th group of circles is sewn on. You might have to "fluff" it a little. The back of the flower will look like this. Tie of the thread by knotting it in the felt.Here is the finished flower!! These are super easy! You can also do 3 groups instead of 4 for a different look.

38.5 weeks

2011-07-24T21:58:00.002-05:00

Another week down! Hopefully baby boy decides he is ready to join his family soon! We are sooo ready to meet him!!

Chiffon Skirt Pics

2011-07-24T21:54:00.004-05:00

My kiddos (esp. girls) can't just take a pic and smile. They always have to pose...I don't know where they got that from because frankly I like to hide from the camera usually! Here is Noel in her skirt that I made her. I also made her a necklace w/ chiffon rosettes. She looked so adorable!

Chiffon Skirt Tutorial

2011-07-24T00:14:00.009-05:00

Supplies:
3" chiffon (I used 3 different colors but, you could just use 1)
Old tshirt or 1/2 yard knit fabric
1" elastic (length depends on your child) I used 20"

The first thing I did was cut the shirt off under the armpits. I am going to use the bottom as is so that I don't have to hem it. I then held it up to my daughter knowing that it would be about 1 1/2 - 2" shorter. The length was perfect so I did not trim it anymore. It was probably about 18-20" long.
The next thing I did was trim the sides to bring it in a little. I cut it into an A line type skirt. Just trim off both sides starting wider at the bottom and getting thinner towards the top. This will also help with too much bulk around the waist.
I then serged up each side. You could also just use a sewing machine. Since it is knit it won't unravel.I then serged around the top of the skirt. (You can also skip this step) Here is what it should look like after serging/sewing.Now you will want to fold over the top of the skirt. I folded it over about 1 1/2". My elastic was 1" wide.
Be sure to leave about a 2" opening. You will not put the elastic in now. It is easier to sew the cihffon on w/out the elastic in.Now you are going to prep your chiffon. I wanted a variance in blue on my skirt so what I did was double up the chiffon. My bottom 2 layers are going to be blue on top of black. You need to ruffle enough to go around the bottom of the skirt twice. **Easy ruffling tip: put your machine on the highest setting for stitch length and tension. It should just ruffle up on its own as shown below.The next thing I did was blue on blue (no pic.) Then I did blue on top of white as shown below. Just make sure you ruffle enough of each color for two rows. SUGGESTION: You might want to pin the beginning of each row onto your skirt to make sure it is not going to end up in the middle of your waste band. You might have to overlap a little more if you are making a shorter skirt than the 1/2" that I did.

Pin on the first layer to the bottom of the skirt. I let the chiffon hang over the bottom about 1/2".

Then you will want to sew the chiffon in place. I used 1/2" seam allowance.When you get to the end of the row fold under the raw edge and finish sewing. (No pic of the next step) Pin the next row in place, which was another blue on black, and have it over lap about 1/2" over the row you just sewed on.

Next you will pin in place the blue on blue row doint the same as above overlapping 1/2". Don't look to closely...I didn't pin! Do that for the next 4 rows.
Here is what it should look like when you get all the rows of chiffon on. A total of 6 rows and they ended right under the elastic band. If you have to cheat the last row down go ahead and do that you don't want to sew through the waistband area.

Measure your child's waist and subtract 1" that is how long you will cut your elastic. Then you want to attach a large safety pin and slide it through the casing that you made earlier.Pull enough of the elastic out on both sides and overlap about an inch and sew it together. Not a pretty sew job but it works and it will be hidden!Pull the elastic back into the skirt and sew the opening closed.And here it is all finished. I will take a pic tomorrow morning of it on Noel. She slipped it on for a few minutes before bed and it looked adorable!

Under construction!!!

2011-07-23T01:11:00.003-05:00

I am trying to change the look of my blog. Please be patient with me I struggle w/ anything having to do with the computer so it may take me a little while to get it how I want it.

Here is one of the things I worked on today!

2011-07-23T00:15:00.003-05:00

I have been wanting to make a skirt w/ chiffon on it for a long time now. I ordered some last week and it came in yesterday so.....
I like them but, I have some other ideas floating around in my head. I basically just made a "twirl" skirt and then added rows of ruffled chiffon. It took a lot more than I had intended though. Hopefully the 2 little girls that will receive these as bday gifts will feel super girly in them!

Here is a pic of my Noel modeling one. It is a little big on her and she had her pjs on so nothing matches but, I hope you get the idea.

If the baby stays put a little longer then I will make another style of skirt w/ the chiffon that I have drawn up in my head...hopefully it will turn out as cute as it looks in my head. Unfortunately that doesn't always happen! :)

Anyone know how I can change my blog??

2011-07-22T09:50:00.003-05:00

I am wanting to change the format of my blog so that there is a search tool and also I wanted to put stuff under categories up at the top. I am at a total loss of how to do this. If you know how to do it would you please help me out. Thanks!!!

Look what I got tonight!!!

2011-07-22T00:07:00.005-05:00

I had a scentsy party tonight and a couple of my sweet friends gifted me w/ baby gifts. How FUN!! My Sis in law brought over a couple outfits for the babe...the camo is appropriate since her hubby my brother is currently overseas serving in the Army!! I will think of him every time Tyler wears the outfit!
My dear friend Charlee brought over this awesome quilt that she made. It is amazing!! Quilting is one thing that I do not have the patience for...I love it!!!

Thanks soo much ladies!!!

One fun thing I did today!

2011-07-21T23:59:00.003-05:00

Grace's 7th Birthday is August 1st and I don't know what we will be up to with a baby on the way. I wanted her to have a special outfit and so I went to my stash and found this tank top dress thingy I had purchased at wally world for 3 dollars. I took the tank top off and took in the elastic waist several inches (it was a juniors outfit) and reattached the skirt to the smaller waistband and was left with an adorable skirt. I purchased a clearance shirt at the same place and appliqued this adorable candle and her name on it. Seriously I spent 7 whole dollars on this amazing outfit!!!! I think she looks fab and even better I let her pic the colors for her shirt so it is super special to her!

Still can't believe this skirt was long enough for any teenager!!!

A giveaway...

2011-07-21T01:40:00.002-05:00

I was thinking when I hit 200 posts that I would do a giveaway. Any ideas on what I should give away??? I would love suggestions.

Leggings Pants to Capris w/ ruffles tutorial

2011-07-20T09:15:00.020-05:00

Leggings Pants turned to Capris w/ Ruffles

***Edited: pic added of Noel in her new short leggings...I thought they would be capris but, I cut a little too much off and they ended up shorts!

Don't know why she is holding a tape measure around her waist...sometimes kids are just weird. Of course she couldn't just smile at the camera she had to be a little poser!

Supplies:

One pair of pant leggings

Sewing machine, thread, scissors, etc...

Cut the leggings off where you would like them to be. I cut them a little below the knee. I used the extra fabric on the bottom to make to strips of fabric that are 1" by 6".

I serged the bottom of the leggings but, you don't have to knit won't unravel.
I then turned them inside out and folded them up 1/2" and sewed all the way around each leg.

Here is what they look like after you have sewn each leg up. They should look like a pair of capris or shorts now depending on where you cut them.Take the strips of fabric and using your longest stitch length sew down the middle of each strip and then pull the thread to gather each strip.Here are the strips all gathered.Pin the gathered fabric down on the outside seam of the capri.

Sew ruffle in place. I just follow the seam on the side of the pants. After the ruffle is sewn down I pull out the gathering stitch.

One ruffle on!

TaDa!!! All finished and they look adorable on.

As usual if you have any questions just ask!!! :)

37.5 weeks

2011-07-17T23:00:00.004-05:00

There is no other way to say it except I am HUGE! I feel o.k. when I get dressed and look in the mirror...I mean I know I am big but, when I see a pic of myself all I can think is holy cow!
My oldest decided to pose w/ me. He was being kind of a goof ball! He sure is a handsome boy though!

**I hope ths is the last pic I will have to post but, I am sure it is wishful thinking!

My sister Faith's Wedding Reception

2011-07-16T22:24:00.004-05:00

Here are a few pics from my sisters wedding reception. Mostly of them doing the chicken dance and of the wedding cake I made for my sis.

My sister Elyse, me, and my mother. We worked on the cakes all day yesterday...lots of fun! You can't tell from these pics but, we were totally melting!!! The ac unit at the place the rented wasn't working and it was a mere 100 degrees outside today.

Big 'ole belly pic for you there!!!! This is the wedding cake I made for my sis. My beautiful sister Elyse assisted me! I didn't get a picture of the cake Elyse made it was awesome. She made the grooms cake...it was shaped like a football. We also decorated cupcakes w/ candy shells that we made and graham cracker crumbs. If you haven't figured it out she had a beach theme going on.

Here is a pic of just the cake. Faith let her fiance pick out the cake topper. I am glad I was able to help her out by making her cake but, I have to say I could not do this for a profession too much pressure....or maybe just too many kids at home who want to "help"!

Sewing

2011-07-14T06:19:00.002-05:00

I spent yesterday morning sewing and one of the things I whipped up was this little dress for a friend of mine. I absolutely love this pattern. I purchased it from youcanmakethis.com and it is called the Belle Elysse. I love it! I have used it as a dress or a shirt paired w/ leggings.

36.5 weeks

2011-07-12T20:43:00.003-05:00

One of the most unflattering outfits I have worn so far! Oh well, I am completely running out of clothes to wear. Everything is to dang short...one negative thing about being so tall!

One of my sweet young women @ church and her mom made me this lovely diaper cake!!! I was out cleaning the garage in a million degree heat when I received this awesome gift!! It sure made my day!

Candy Bouquet Tutorial

2011-07-09T00:42:00.007-05:00

Candy Bouquet Tutorial

Supplies: (I purchased all of this stuff at the dollar store)
Mug or some sort of container to put the candy in
foam to fit the mug
shreddy stuff to cover the foam
curling ribbon
craft sticks
candy
hot glue gun

Take your craft sticks and put hot glue on the end of it. You will need to work pretty fast once you get the glue on your stick. Stick the candy onto the hot glue and hold it there for a second or two.

Here is what it looks like all glued on.

Do all your candy like this so that it will all be ready to go and you can just stick it into the foam.

Put hot glue on your foam. **I realized you don't really need to use glue!

Put the green stuff on the hot glue...which I am thinking you don't really need to glue down. The glue didn't want to stick to the green foam thingy very well. So, I will forget doing that next time. The candy being stuck into the foam should hold the green shreds in place.

Start putting in your candy on sticks. I put the largest in the back and work my way forward.

Just needs a few more pieces of candy down in front!

Here it is all filled in...come on what gal wouldn't love to get a mug full of candy and they are bite size so that means they would work on anyone's diet! ;)

Here it is all prettied up w/ some plain ole curling ribbon. When I do these for birthdays I use ribbon I also picked up at the dollar store that says Happy Birthday on it. Here is a top view...don't know why you would need that but, I took a picture of it so you are getting it whether you want it or not!

Hope you all are inspired to go out there and make a super easy gift now!

Sunday pics.

2011-07-04T23:53:00.003-05:00

Had not taken Sunday pics in awhile...well I guess I take a prego pic. But I am talking about family pictures. We were all somewhat matching on Sunday so I thought we could do a girls and boys quick photo shoot before church. The handsome fellows in my life!
My beautiful girls...even if they are totally posing. Good grief!

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T23:14:00.010-05:00

I hope you all had a fabulous 4th of July! Ours was a fun filled day. We started the day off with a neighborhood parade. My kiddos decorated their bikes and we had fun walking around the neighborhood...it was EXTREMELY hot though! We went to the pool and had a blast after lunch. I brought the camera, which I never do because I am always scared it will get wet. I went to take pictures and unfortunately, I had forgotten to put the SD card back. Oh well!
We had family over for a bbq that evening. Then went to enjoy some fireworks!
My sis. Faith and her hubby and kiddos.

After eating we let the kids go out for a little fun in the water. They tossed water balloons and played on our water slide.

As you can tell they had lots of fun.

Austin, Aurora (Austin's friend), and Hope enjoying the fireworks!

My sweet Charity.

The beautiful Jessica! Who took most of the pictures at the fireworks...you rock Jessica!!

The whole gang...well almost Kenna is w/ her mom.

Austin and me, isn't he sweet?! Actually, he really is a great teenager!

Hope and our beautiful mother!

And this is what Peter did during the fireworks. He was completely wiped out! Actually, he was horrid before we left for the fireworks...major fit throwing!!!

35.5 weeks

2011-07-04T11:07:00.001-05:00

I am seriously on the home stretch within the next 2-5 weeks we will have a new baby boy join our family. I am soo excited!!!

What in the world?

2011-06-27T19:18:00.007-05:00

We have a sandbox in the backyard. I DO NOT like the sandbox...the kids LOVE the sandbox.

Why do I not like the sandbox you ask? The kiddos come in with sand everywhere, in their ears, toes, fingers...and who knows where else. The hair is the worst!!!! So my sweet hubby was trying to brush it out of her hair and it was not working at all. As I sat there trying to be helpful ;) or not I saw my new pretty vacuum sitting there and thought hey it has great suction power it may just work! Guess what?? It worked!!! I heart my Dyson seriously best vacuum ever!!!!

Just had to throw in this pic. of my two blondies! Aren't they just adorable?!

34.5 weeks

2011-06-27T19:07:00.003-05:00

OK let me warn you this dress is way cuter in person and I don't think I look quite as huge in person as the picture makes me look! :) Oh and Noel had to show off her "baby bump" too!

I can't believe how close my due date is getting. I have made a HUGE to do list for myself...which kinda sucks but, I work well off a list and so that's what I am doing. I am really just trying to get everything organized so that this sweet little guy can come home to a place of order and not total chaos!

I am on an organizing frenzy!

2011-06-20T23:41:00.004-05:00

I looooove organizing! Does my house look awesomely organized??? NO WAY!!!! I have 6 kids remember. :) Anyways, I really love it when things are organized it makes my heart go all aflutter! I am really needing my home organized before this baby comes. I know it won't last forever it never does. Hopefully, it will last until he comes and a little while after. I started with my 2 closets on either side of my front door. The first closet I tackled holds all my homeschooling supplies. This is how it started. It's not horrible, it is actually somewhat organized but, I didn't really like the way it looked.
So, I purchased some clear bins from good ole Wally World and was able to turn it from this...

To this...It actually makes me smile whenever I open the door. I did get rid of several things that I will be donating and there was a small amount of trash. Now I know where all my materials are and I won't waste time looking for them.

Next, I tackled the closet that is basically our catch all closet. Coats, swim gear, church bags, and whatever else the kids (and if I am being honest me) throws in there. It is just a good hiding place.

I purchased the over the door hanger thingy this past winter to hold all our winter gear and loved it. So when the winter gear went out I hadn't quite figured out what I was going to use it for. I decided to put sunblock, sunglasses, and bug spray in it. It is awesome. Now I will always no where the sunblock is. For some reason my house eats sunblock!

I pulled half of a plastic shelving unit we had in the basement to hold our swimming gear, camera bag, and church bags. The top of the closet has 2 bins which are holding extra bags/backpacks and neck pillows (I made up a neck pillow for each of our family members back when we went to Disneyland in April) Anyways, I don't love it as much as the other closet but, it looks a million times better than it did.

I am not sure what to do next. I have such a large list of things to do before the baby comes that it is a little overwhelming. Maybe I will start on the boys room. Since the baby might need somewhere to sleep when he comes! :)

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T23:14:00.003-05:00

I am married to not only an amazing husband but, also an amazing father. I am seriously blessed to have this man in my life. He is such a considerate husband and loving father. I love you Russell!!! Thanks for being so kind and patient with me even though I have been a little crazy the past couple of weeks. **For those of you wondering, no I do not have 7 children yet. Still slow cooking one in the belly. The girl in the pink hoodie is my little sister!

I am.......

2011-06-19T23:07:00.004-05:00

34! Yeah, I know some people think that that is old but, really I am totally o.k. with it!

My sister Elyse made me an apple crisp for my birthday cake and it was amazing! What an awesome sister!!!

33.5 weeks

2011-06-19T22:50:00.005-05:00

This was quite the photo shoot today. Peter was in a mood all day long ti was not a good day! Of course when we went to take pictures he didn't want me doing that so you get to see him having a fit!

And here is a picture of me in what I really like to wear everyday. Yoga pants and a t-shirt usually a maternity shirt just because they really are a little more flattering.
You probably can tell just by the pics. I am totally wiped out from this week! It was a long one.

32.5 weeks

2011-06-13T00:29:00.004-05:00

So today my photographer was my 9 year old and I guess my instructions were lacking because I said make sure you get my belly in the picture. This is what I got. It made me giggle. This is how I would like to see myself sometimes! :)We did another one. A little better, he got most of my head. I gave him one more try and he did it. Not the most flattering picture but, he got all of me in it.

8 weeks left!

2011-06-08T23:36:00.003-05:00

I can't believe I only have 8 weeks left. This pregnancy has been flying by and I can't wait to meet this little guy! He has become pretty active over the last week. I was at the pool trying to climb into a tube, to float on the lazy river, while holding my 2 year old and apparently I totally squashed the baby and he flipped or something. Now I have been able to feel him move a lot more than before that had happened. He was the most calm baby I have ever been pregnant with. I would only feel him move once a day and not for very long. Now he is much more active! Hopefully the little guy flipped into the correct position but, I am not going to let my self stress about that because at this point there is nothing I can do. I really am just excited to get to hold him in my arms and for my hubby and kiddos to get to hold him too!
On a side note, not that anyone cares, I got the floodles done for cub camp!!! Yay!!!! Seriously happy they are done!

Just one of those weeks!

2011-06-07T23:36:00.003-05:00

Man oh man I am just having one of those weeks you just want to end! I am so completely out of control. I hate feeling like this. My plate is just too full. I thought summer was supposed to be relaxing...apparently not when you have several kids in this camp and that high adventure and youth conference etc... You get the point. I really am grateful my kids get the opportunity to do these things but, I am just completely overwhelmed with it all right now. Not really sure how to get a handle on things either. One thing I have been doing almost every day is bringing my kiddos to the pool for a couple hours and this is the one thing that sometimes gets me through the day because an afternoon at the pool results in this every single time...

He is such a busy kiddo and he quit taking naps a month or two ago and I have to say I was worried because I need a little free time without him in the afternoons so that I can spend it with my older children or just finish up things around the house. He usually falls asleep on the way home but, today he was still awake when we got home. I knew he was tired when he found his blanket, grabbed his tractors and climbed up on the couch and laid down with them.

Ahhhhhhh Peace!!! Kind of anyways!

My new motto: I will say NO! (It sounds mean, so we'll see)

31.5 weeks

2011-06-06T08:21:00.002-05:00

It is funny how you think you look halfway decent in something until you see a picture of yourself in it. My goodness, I can't believe my tummy has 8 more weeks to go!

On a side note...that is how Peter smiles when you tell him to smile. I guess he thinks we all scrunch our eyes up, so that's what he does. What a goofball.

Random

2011-06-01T22:22:00.002-05:00

Had a very busy day today. Had a Dr. appointment for me today (which I get to repeat in 2 weeks), brought 15 year old to the ortho, brought all the kids to the pool, went to the grocery store and threw in a lunch date w/ my hubby because I needed some adult time. Feeling a little crazy right now. I hope it is just hormones and not the new me!!

31 weeks!

2011-05-31T23:16:00.003-05:00

Yes I know I look amazing!! ;) Just kidding, of course! 9 weeks left, I can't believe how fast things seem to be going now.
My girls wanted to be in the picture too. Don't you just love their cheesy grins almost?!

Homeschooling

2011-05-19T19:07:00.004-05:00

Every year I have to evaluate how the past year went. What worked? What didn't work? Why didn't it work? Then, I have to figure out what I want to do for the next year. We just finished up our school year and will be starting our next year at the beginning of June. This will help me in case I have a colicky baby or I just want a break in August after the baby comes. :) So, I have selected our curriculum and ordered it yesterday and am actually excited to start. Here's the lineup:

My Father's World for all the kiddos (getting the kindergarten and 1st grade specific curriculums and I already own the Geography, which is year 1 in a 5 year rotation)
Math U See
Writing Strands 3 & 4
Happy Phonics
Hooked on Phonics
Letter of the week (confessions of a homeschooler's version)
Apologia Science
Total language Plus I let my 2 older kids pick out the books they would like to read and they will use the study packets from TLP which take about 8 weeks. I loooove this program. It is a total language program spelling, grammar, vocab., even some handwriting, writing...I probably missed something, but it really covers it all nice and neat!
We use Aleks online for math reinforcement for my oldest 2
Handwriting without tears
It tends to cost a bit when I am having to order everything at the same time, but fortunately I have a lot of these things already and am able to hand them down to younger children.

Any ideas for tutorials

2011-05-19T18:56:00.002-05:00

So, anyone out there have ideas on what kind of tutorials I should post? I have a lot of ideas rolling around in my head, but would like to know what people are interested in.

29 weeks

2011-05-17T22:33:00.004-05:00

29 weeks, well almost 28 weeks and 6 days!

See my new bracelet!!??!! I love it! I will show close up pics later; this is definitely my new crafting thing for right now.

Ruffled Curtain Tutorial

2011-05-15T22:24:00.007-05:00

Ruffled Curtain Tutorial

Supplies:

**Fabric in your choice of color (I purchased 4yds. I have long windows though) The amount you purchase is going to be based on your measurements for your particular window. I used the width of the fabric 45" for my window and then a little over 2 yds for the length. So basically you will just add 6" to the width of your window and then just measure where the curtain will stop down to where you want it to stop and add 4" to that measurement. (clear as mud!)

You are also going to want to cut (I cut 22 and had some extra) strips of 2 1/2" fabric by the width of the fabric (45").

You are going to take your fabric and fold it in half length wise.

Then fold it in half again.

And again. Now you are going to iron the heck out of it so that you have creases where it is folded.

This is what it should look like after you have ironed it.

I serged the edge of my strips of fabric and then attached them all together to make one long strip. Once you have done that you are going to want to put your sewing machine on its longest stitch and put your tension setting on the highest it will go. Then sew down the middle of the strip until it is all ruffled. (it should ruffle itself by doing those 2 things to your machine)

Here is what it looks like as it starts to ruffle itself.

Here is my big pile of ruffles. Oh, and Gracie!

The lines I had you iron into your curtain are for ruffle placement. I placed my ruffles on there to see if I had enough to do every line I had ironed onto the curtain. Obviously, I didn't cut it to try this out I just swagged it back and forth. I didn't have enough so I decided to do a pattern of 3 lines then skip 1. Start pinning your ruffles down, when you get to the end of a line cut the ruffle and start on the next line. This part took a little while.

This is what mine looked like all pinned up.

Now you want to sew them down. I sewed down the middle right next to the ruffling stitch. After I sewed down the middle I did pull out the ruffling stitch which was no biggie because it is such a large stitch.

You want to iron the top and bottom of the curtain down by 1/2" each. Do not turn them down again because we are going to do the sides first.

Iron down the sides of the curtain 1/2". Do this on both sides of the curtain.

Then, repeat the last step and iron down the edge again by 5/8"-3/4". You should have a nice edge now. Do this on both sides of the curtain.

Sew about a 5/8" from the edge on both sides of the curtain. Make sure you keep your ruffles flat as you sew them.

Next you will iron the bottom up 5/8".

Sew about 5/8" from the bottom of the curtain.

Measure down about 2" maybe a smidge more. This will be the "sleeve" for the curtain rod.

I sewed about a 2" seam here so that the curtain rod would fit through the opening.

Here is the before picture of my bathroom w/out any curtains, but it did have broken blinds and a roman shade (which is a total piece).

Here is my beautiful curtain. I love it, I wish you could see it in person it is much lovelier in person than in a pic. That is partly because it is such a small area for me to try and get a good pic. Oh well, you get the idea.

Ironing Board Cover Tutorial

2011-05-14T23:23:00.013-05:00

Ironing Board Cover Tutorial

Supplies:

Fabric the length and width of your ironing board x 2 (I used 2 layers of fabric)

Quilters batting

String

Safety pin

Place your ironing board on top of the fabric (I used 2 layers of fabric so that I could place my batting in between) you will be using. I am using fabric that used to hang in the entrance of my school room until Grace decided to cut eye holes in it. So, it has sat in my basement waiting for me to fix it or something. I guess I decided on the or something...because it is becoming my awesome ironing board cover! You want to trim it about 2" from the edges of the ironing board.
This is what it looks like all trimmed up. You will also want to have your fabric strips that are 2 1/2" by 140".

I used quilting batting to give it a little extra padding. You will want to cut that the same as the fabric.

Once you have cut the batting place it in between the 2 layers of fabric.

Sew around the edges of the fabric just to baste everything together.

I also decided to quilt my fabric because I was worried about the batting shifting around when I had to wash because let's face it I will have to wash it they always end up looking nasty!This is what it looks like all quilted.

Iron the end under for the opening of what will become your tube for the string. You won't iron the other end under because it is probably going to be to long and you can trim it after you get it all pinned to the size it will need to be.

Iron the 2 1/2" x 140" fabric in half lengthwise. This will become your tube to feed the string through to make the cover fit your ironing board.

Pin the "tube" all the way around the cover.

This is where I trimmed the fabric to fit it was about 10" to long so just cut it then fold the end under as you will see in the next picture and you will end up having two openings.

Use a 1/2" seam all the way around. You are going to want to "feed" string or ribbon in the opening of the tube.

Tie a knot in the string and slide the safety pin through the knot.

Feed the string that is attached to the safety pin through the tube that you sewed onto the cover.

String all fed through! It took a little while for me to get it all the way around that sucker.

Place the cover upside down and put the ironing board on top of it. You will now want to pull the string tight, very tight. I had to pull my up around the edge of the ironing board and then just pulled the string until I couldn't.

Tie it in a bow and the hard part is done now.

TaDa....the finished product!! I love it! Looks so much better than the nasty stained blue and white striped ironing board cover I had before and even better I didn't even have to buy anything to make it. I was able to use stuff I already had on hand.

The deal with Tuesday Tutorials...

2011-05-10T22:21:00.001-05:00

So, I have decided I am driving myself crazy trying to get a tutorial put up on Tuesday because of my responsibilities at church. I serve in the YW and have activity night on Tuesday. So, I have decided I will now do Thursday tutorials instead. I know the name isn't quite as catchy but, it will make life easier on me! :) I plan on posting one this Thursday just haven't decided what I would like to do yet...so stay tuned and you will find out.

Hot, Hot, Hot!!!

2011-05-09T16:07:00.003-05:00

You know it's going to be a long day when you are talking to the ac people on the phone and you are trying not to cry. Sometimes, being hormonal just stinks!! I hate not being able to control my emotions as well as when I am not preggo. Our ac is not working it is 82 out and it's supposed to be 87 degrees today. I don't mind being pregnant in the summer but, that is because we have ac!! I am soo frustrated because our ac unit is only 4 years old and we had to have it worked on last year the mother board was fried. I thought when you bought new stuff it was supposed to at least work for awhile. I don't consider 3-4 years long enough to have to start dealing w/ problems already. We did hit happy hour at sonic today and that helped a little. I just think we will camp out in the basement tonight there is no way I will be able to fall asleep w/ my house this hot and sticky!
Alright, I am done ranting for now! :{

27.5 weeks

2011-05-08T21:29:00.002-05:00

So here are the "best" pics we got today. Russell was being a goof and just started clicking away. When I checked to see if there was an acceptable one there wasn't so I told him to please take a decent one. Unfortunately he wasted the battery on goofing off and this is what I was left with to choose from. Oh well.....
I know cheesy smile but, in my defense I was smiling and talking at the same time trying to get him to stop goofing off!

Also, I am finally in my 3rd Trimester!!!! WOOHOO!!!

Just complaining...

2011-05-05T23:25:00.003-05:00

OK so I know the mind is a powerful thing but, 8man my body just will not cooperate. I seriously want to get my house completely organized and beautified before this baby comes which is 3 months away (I have a lot to do) and I get into cleaning and I am totally wiped out after like an hour or two. I am such a baby right now!!! 3 more months. I am grateful to be pregnant and love this little guy; I am just not used to being so limited. This pregnancy by far has been much harder...I am ALWAYS tired. I didn't really experience that with my others and my goodness my back always hurts to. My husband must be biting his tongue or something to not be laughing me because I sound ridiculous I would laugh at myself if it didn't hurt so much; at the end of the day I am gasping every time I move because I get shooting pain down my leg. Thankfully, I always feel better in the morning when I get up. OK enough complaining I am grateful to be mobile and do the things (for the most part) I would like to do I know I just need to moderate a little more! I really am grateful for this pregnancy and baby and a super super supportive husband!!! Love you babe!

Tuesday Tutorial Key fobs

2011-05-04T23:34:00.010-05:00

Key Fob Tutorial

Supplies:

Key Fob Hardware (I get mine on etsy)

Fusible fleece

2 coordinating fabrics that are each 2.25" x 12"

of course a sewing machine helps too!

Here are the 3 fabric items. I was feeling patriotic so that is what I went with. I just pieced together the stars and stripes fabric but, normally I just use 2 solid pieces of fabric.Iron your fusible fleece onto the fabric that you are going to be using on the outside of the Key fob. If you are going to embroider or embellish your fabric w/ anything now is the time to do it.
Put your 2 pieces of fabric right sides together. Use a 5/8" seam as pictured below.

Open up the fabric and put wrong sides together. Now you are going to sew about 1/8" from the edge of the fabric. This is personal preference you can go closer or further. This is going to help the fabric lay down so that it isn't annoying the snot out of you while working w/ the other side.

Now I topstitch about another 1/8" or so from the last line, like I said this is just personal preference you don't even need to do 2 rows of topstitching.

This is what it should look like after both rows of topstitching are done on the one side.

Now you are going to fold over the raw edges on the other side 1/2". I pin down the top layer just to hold it in place. Then I fold over the bottom layer 1/2" and pin them together. Hopefully, you will understand what I am saying by using the pics.

Now you are going to sew about 1/8" from the edge and do another row of topstitching just like you did on the other side.

This is what it should look like minus the wonky edge that I didn't sew so well apparently. Ughhh....my Pfaff is acting up and I am using a 99 dollar brother from wally world and I just don't have as much control w/ it as my Pfaff.

Here is a pic. of the key fob hardware. Like I said I order my from etsy and it ends up being about 40 cents per set.

Fold the fabric in half and then you are going to place the unfinished upper edge into the key fob hardware that has the clamp like part.

Clamp down on the key fob hardware using pliers or something like that. Make sure you put a towel in between your tool and the hardware or it will leave marks on it.

Here it is all finished.

Welcome Home to the twins!!!

2011-05-01T22:41:00.005-05:00

The boys and their amazing family!

The twins reunited after being separated for two years. Don't they look amazing. You can just see the light of Christ illuminating from them both.

We are very privileged to know these two boys and consider them family. They chose to serve the Lord for the past 2 years by serving missions for our church. Tyson served in Mexico and Skyler served in England. We are so proud of these young men and their growth in the gospel it is amazing to see how much they have changed in two years.

What I was sewing the week before Easter

2011-05-01T22:30:00.004-05:00

I sewed all 3 of my girls dresses. It was fun to see them put them on Sunday morning and watch them twirl, it made it all worth it. Charity's dress was a little stressful I had some issues w/ sizing so I had to alter the pattern but, it turned out really cute though! I had extra fabric so I made the boys matching ties. They were super easy and I posted the tutorial last week so if you want to make your boys some cute, easy ties try it out only took me about 15 minutes a tie. I did cheat a little though and machine sewed a lot of the stuff she had you hand sew maybe if I have time I will post a mini tutorial on what I changed.

26.5 weeks

2011-05-01T22:27:00.003-05:00

Russell is not very good at getting a good angle of me. Just the largest angle, oh well!

25.5 weeks

2011-05-01T22:24:00.002-05:00

Getting bigger....

I know that I am rocking those socks. I had boots on and that is what was hidden under them. :) Also, I know we look like slobs w/ all the clutter in the hall. That is what happens after church we come home everyone kicks off their shoes and dumps them in the hall and of course anything in their hands gets dropped there too!!

Not feeling so hot

2011-04-26T22:24:00.001-05:00

So, I am missing another week of Tuesday Tutorial. I have not been feeling well today. Either I have the stomach flu or just pregnancy making me feel yucky. Hopefully, tomorrow will bring a better day. If so, maybe I will be able to post a tutorial tomorrow, we will have to wait and see. Good Night!!

Dresses, dresses, dresses!!

2011-04-21T09:33:00.002-05:00

2 down, 1 to go!! Actually, I still have to put buttons on the dresses but, that will take no time at all. Then I will start on the ties. I will post pics of everything when I am done.

????Also, does anyone know how do I respond to people when they make a comment on my blog???? I usually just answer under them but, I don't think they would get that unless they came back to my blog and happened to look at the comments. Thanks!! :)

This is what happens when...

2011-04-20T23:42:00.008-05:00

My sweet little 2 year old can climb out of his crib (heavy sarcasm)! This little boy has been such a stinker lately. Him climbing out of his crib at bedtime is just icing on the cake! So, this is what we have stooped to doing to keep our kiddo in his room! It looks like a jail cell!

He was just climbing out of his crib at nap time which wasn't as big of a deal but now he is doing it at bedtime and we just can't have that. He is totally trashing Christian and his bedroom. Poor Christian likes to keep his room clean and I feel bad for him!!

Anyone out there have any ideas because I am fresh out!! I have no clue what to do w/ this little stinker!We sure do love this little guy anyways!!!

Tuesday Tutorial: Boy's Tie

2011-04-19T23:12:00.005-05:00

This is not an original tutorial from me. I am just going to give you the link. I actually haven't had time to make the tie yet as I am working on 3 dresses for Easter this week. I almost have one finished!! :) Then I am going to make my two younger boys matching ties w/ this tutorial. I plan on making my boy's ties out of blue gingham and yellow gingham. That is what my two little girls's dresses are made from. They chose the colors themselves. So we will see how they turn out.

The beach!

2011-04-18T20:59:00.007-05:00

Part 3 of our Vacation

We finally got to the beach! The kids were excited and apprehensive. I told them about jellyfish and that kinda freaked them out. Of course, they were already scared they were gonna see a shark. We kept telling them sharks don't usually come close to the shore but, they were nervous anyways.

My beautiful sis. posing for me!

Christian wanted to be buried in the sand. All I could think was how the heck was I going to get all that sand out of his hair! Then Noel thought it would be fun. She didn't last as long as Christian though.All Grace wanted to do was build a sandcastle. She had bought a bucket back in Kansas and brought it all the way to California just to do make her castle. So that was the first thing she did when we got to the beach.

And here is Grace w/ her masterpiece. Might be small but, she was sure proud of it. Austin and Hope not sure if they want to go in or not. The water was freezing!!

Christian was a little daredevil. He really enjoyed "jumping" the waves.

We really enjoyed visiting the beach. I think my kids have all decided the beach is a pretty fun place to play! Charity told me she would have rather spent another day at the beach than going to Legoland!!

24.5 weeks

2011-04-17T21:33:00.000-05:00

The Conference Center in Utah

2011-04-17T00:17:00.005-05:00

Our Vacation Part 2

We were lucky enough to take a tour of the Conference Center the Thursday before General Conference. It was pretty amazing. The building is beautiful and the roof is just crazy!! It is completely landscaped w/ benches and water features you totally forget you are on a rooftop.

This is what you saw when you looked up above the water feature, it was gorgeous.

While we were in the actual area where conference takes place one of the organists was practicing for conference. It was pretty cool...I would say the only negative thing was the song he was practicing "High On a Mountaintop" was stuck in my head for the rest of the trip. Of course everyone was kind enough to keep singing bars of it just in case I would forget! Sweet of them, huh??!

Peter thought he was so sneaky. He laid himself on the ground then inched himself under the rope that was supposed to be there to keep us from going further. Of course that was no deterrent for him, he then proceeded to run back forth in the chairs until I was finally able to catch him. The lady giving our tour didn't have a very good sense of humor I think she was maybe a little annoyed w/ us. Oh well!

I have to say this was one of my favorite parts of the trip. It was our first time to actually attend General Conference and it was amazing to be in the same room w/ our Prophet and Apostles and of course the Mormon Tabernacle was awesome!

23 1/2 weeks

2011-04-15T23:07:00.002-05:00

I like this shirt but, man it is amazing how you see something in a picture and decide that it makes you look huge. Maybe everything would make me look huge right now! That's OK it's a small price to pay for such a huge blessing. I am really excited for this baby, he has really become more active over the past few weeks. It so amazing to me to feel the baby move around, it is just so miraculous! :)

22 1/2 Weeks

2011-04-15T23:05:00.001-05:00

Not the greatest pic of my belly but, I am seriously ok w/ that!!

We are back!!

2011-04-15T22:48:00.008-05:00

PART 1 OF OUR VACATION

Actually we have been back since Monday but, I have been wiped out!! We were trapped in the car for 13 hours on I-40 and that turned our trip home into a 48 hour car trip, woohoo!! So to say the least I was crabby, tired, and swollen. Everything is under control now. I am still tired but no longer puffy. Thank goodness I HATE the feeling of swollen feet. So, I thought I would post a few pics from the beginning of our trip. We went to Utah for the first leg and stayed at a hotel with an itty bitty pool but, the kids enjoyed it anyways.

My kids are daredevils. I hate arm floaties but, Peter practically drowns when he wears a life jacket and as you can see above he has no fear. He did this a couple times w/out his floaties on and didn't even cry!! He scares the heck out of me around water!

Yeah I know seriously ridiculous. We had way too many laptops w/ us. Our room was tiny but, we still fit all 10 of us in there.

Of course, Peter had to take a dryerase marker to the wall!

I plan on posting a Tuesday Tutorial next week for anyone who is interested!!

Tuesday Tutorial

2011-03-30T01:15:00.003-05:00

I will not be posting a tutorial by me this week and probably next week. We are getting ready to go on vacation and it has been a crazy week for us. I still have tons to do and not much time left to do it in. But I am going to provide ou with a little craft for you to work on if you have a camera w/ a strap that goes around your neck. I whipped one up today in less than an hour and it turned out adorable. I plan on making several more when I have a little more time. I did have to make some adjustments to the measurements for my strap as mine was a little bit shorter. I hope you have fun crafting!!

21 1/2 weeks

2011-03-27T21:43:00.006-05:00

Another pregnant pic. NO comments on how big my belly is!!!

It is my 7th baby and really I have only gained a few pounds so far, my belly just knows exactly what to do!

Silly Girls!

2011-03-26T22:12:00.006-05:00

This is what happens when you have 3 older sisters and your big brothers aren't around.

He is not crying because he has a Tinkerbell costume on (I would have taken it off!). He is crying because he didn't get a cupcake. Please excuse the messy background. We are getting ready for a trip and things are in the process of getting organized and packed.

Here is a pic. of my happy, mischievous boy! We sure love him lots and can't believe he's not going to be our baby anymore and YES I still refer to him as my baby.