Mighty Monster Trucks

One of the best things about being a mommy is falling in love with all of your kids' wild and wonderful obsessions.  My sweet four year old is all about Monster Trucks right now.  We think it originated from a segment of Mater's Tall Tales and from watching Mighty Machines.  It gave me a little pause that he was outgrowing a sweet and innocent Thomas the Train phase for one that seems a bit more brutish and not terribly bourgie but I've learned to get all into the monster truck madness.  The History Channel's documentary on monster trucks also helped convert me to being a fan.

In an attempt to be creative and pretending to save money I created some of my own monster truck items for his birthday party.  I am particularly taken with my template for the invites, paper products and thank you cards.  Here is my handy work:

We also turned it into a few t-shirts for the family the day of the party.  If I was super smart and rich, I would have made some for the guests.

The true feat was creating the hot pink monster truck pinata.  My son was instrumental in the color choice and painting.  Despite my efforts to make it easy to open, the under five crowd did struggle to break it open.  We filled it with small monster truck toys, pencils, stickers, tattoos and trinkets but I did break down and fill it with candy too. My son insisted that candy was absolutely necessary.

I also owe a great big thank you to our neighborhood Tim Horton's staff for making a special batch of chocolate glazed doughnuts for us the day before so we could finish off our monster truck cake.  I would say it isn't my prettiest cake but the taste of my buttercream/cream cheese icing is getting pretty yummy.

I absolutely love playing with all of these ideas and creating things for my boys.  It warms my heart to put time and effort into creating memories however silly it may seem to someone else.  My mom did the same thing for me growing up so it seems only natural.  

Plus look at the pay off:

Yeah, I can handle monster trucks.  You bet.

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New Monday Routine- Muffin Tin Mondays

For the last few months the boys and I have been trying out a fun lunch time routine on Mondays called Muffin Tin Mondays.  I found a few blogs a while ago that post and link their muffin tin meals spearheaded by the website Muffin Tin Mom: Muffin Tin Mondays.
 There are some amazing participants that really go all out with their lunch time presentations. (We found one that was a pirate theme that we so want to try!)  I am not that creative -yet, but the boys and I enjoy our Monday meals.
I am a huge fan of the program for many reasons.  I have fairly picky eaters so using the muffin tins turns trying new things into a game.  The rules for MTM include tasting each section.  You have to try each section before you are done or before you get seconds on a favorite section.  This actually works.  They will at least try each section.  Which is all a Mommy really cares about at meal time- trying new foods, aquiring new tastes and being open about new culinary experiences- right?
This process also helps us think about different types of foods and ensures that we are thinking about how good meals come in rainbow colors.  Trying to ensure that my kids get the required servings of fruits and veggies a day takes some work on some days but seems effortless for lunch on Mondays.  I also love this process because I manage to use leftovers without drawing attention to the fact that I am using left overs!  A true testament to the merits of this lunch time routine is that my kids actually ask to eat at home if I ever suggest stopping for a quick (and shameful) fastfood lunch.  They insist they prefer "slow food."  It warms a Mommy's heart.  

This was a red and white meal.  We had buttered star noodles with carrots and corn, quesadilla strips with salami and munster, a piece of left over fish stick, watermelon and strawberries.  Plus a few of our favorite snack- gold fish.

At some point I would love to get all fancy with cup cake holders and cookie cutter sandwiches but right now this is where we are in our journey.

We get a bit dip obsessed around here but the veggies do get consumed no matter what Daddy says about it.

I guess this is a good example of using up left overs.  This meal included  pulled pork sliders,  quinoa salad, melon and left over birthday cake.  Happy fourth Moo Moo.

 Dare I pledge to post our Monday meals each Monday?  Here is my pledge. Pin It Now!

Bride and Groom Aprons

Here is an unusual wedding gift that I created for my youngest sister's Trousseau Tea.  I made her and her fiance wedding day aprons.  When she first explained that she was going to have barbecue fair for her wedding I joked that I would make her and her fiance bibs.  After some careful thought and consideration, I deemed bibs far to impractical-- when would they ever wear a bib again?  So I changed it up and made them aprons.  I thought that they might actually use aprons again, as they both like to cook. To my delight they actually used the aprons during their wedding reception because they opted to bar tend  to greet their guests instead of having a receiving line.  This was just one of the many unique things they did for their celebration.

 For her apron I used a store bought white canvas apron and added my own embellishments.  I used netting that I had left over from some packaging, ribbons and fake pearls.  I made a net overlay skirt to give it a bridal dress feel.

 For the groom's apron, again I used a store bought black apron and attached a baby boys white button down shirt and boys black suit jacket that I bought second hand.  I cut down both articles of clothing to fit the bib front of the apron.  I then had to make a black bow tie.  I made this from lining from the suit jacket.  The most time consuming aspect of the project was cutting out the lining and hiding my stitches.

I hope they have the opportunity to wear their aprons again and in doing so have wonderful memories of their amazing wedding.

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Pinterest Challenge Continues

Okay, I have had a rather insane two weeks since I last posted.  On the trip back from my little sister's medical school graduation my parents had a horrendous car accident.  Their injuries were minor considering how bad the accident was and the complete destruction of their car.  Although they were injured enough to require some surgery and supervision so they spent the week at our little shoebox.  I tried to nurse them as gently as I could but I guess we live a much more rigid and structured life than my parents could handle.   So they demanded independence, and are attempting to recoup at home.  My other sister spent the night with them and we delivered their lunch, so it isn't complete independence but we'll see.  Personally I think they are insane for going home.  My Mom can't walk and my Dad can't use his right hand. There are steps leading to each of their home's bathrooms but if Mom prefers using a portable potty and my Dad doesn't mind changing it- go for it parents.  If that is better than me harping on you about putting your foot up and taking your medication.  How could I dare stop you?

None of this has anything to do with my Pinterest challenge so forgive the digression.  Just a little venting after a very challenging couple of days.  Okay, I'm done.

I hope to have some cute father's day project posted soon as we will be celebrating with the grandfathers' a week late due to the accident.  For Daddy we framed an art project he helped create and both Poppy and Daddy got ties that were fabric painted at a church festival a few weeks ago.  So poor Daddy doesn't have to wait a week he did get a few gifts (and his own bed back).  We'll see if he is brave enough to wear the tie to work!

Since I didn't put together a cool Pinterst father's day project, what could I use for my challenge this week?  Well to help with our summer activities I did find a great pin about free Montessori printables!  

Source: simplymontessori.blogspot.com via Annelyse on Pinterest

So far I have printed the daily routine chart, puzzles for matching lower and upper case letters and cards on the body parts.  I also signed up for the email because the site looks great.  My oldest attends a Montesorri preschool,and the youngest will start in the fall, so this was a no brainer. I just need to laminate these suckers so we can start getting good use out of them. I am super excited.

Now when will I ever get up the nerve to test out the freezer meals I keep pining?

I wish everyone a wonderful Father's Day and some quality time with your loved ones.  I am ever so thankful that I am venting my frustration about how silly my parents act rather than having to pour my heart out over their loss.  Give your family some extra loving and take good care of yourselves.  Life is precious.

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Putting My Pinterest Pins to Use

About a month ago I decided that I needed to make good use of my Pinterest surfing to ensure that I didn't go overboard with my surfing or collecting.  Two dear friends had commented that their new hobby had become pinning not actually doing any of the crafty things that they were pining.  This scared me.  So I decided to put myself to the test.
The deal is that I can not go on Pinterest more than once a week.  I also can not return unless I actual do one of my acquired pins.  I should add that in most situations I am pinning things that I can make relatively cheaply, most often using things I already own.  It wouldn't fly if every project required making purchases.  The project has really worked.  I've made two recipes (pretty good as I am a novice foodie), numerous kid art and educational projects, a new hair style and several sewing projects.

I have now challenged myself to post here about said pins.  I hope that I can not only develop pinning projects but also a reporting habit.  Pinterest is such a great source of material.  I can't believe all of the great things that I have found.

Today the boys and I made a variation of :

Source: oneperfectdayblog.wordpress.com via Annelyse on Pinterest

I say a variation because I only had gel food coloring and no droppers so I was forced to dye the salt rather than have the boys drop the food coloring on to the salt to create the colors.  I definitly need to invest in some eye droppers.  This is the third project I had to modify because I don't currently own any.  The sad thing is thinking about all of those baby pain relief bottles I got rid of with out a second thought. I digress.
I ended up placing the salt into Dixie cups because I thought the boys would enjoy pouring and spilling the salt. Both boys enjoyed dripping glue on their paper, pouring the salt and starting the process over and over again. It was a great project because they were able to do much of it on their own. I will admit that I helped with the final glue design but this was after three sheets of their own making. You may find from my pictures that my youngest lost patience after twenty-five minutes and did make a bit of a mess. I was thrilled he made it to the twenty-five minute mark.  I generally brace myself for very short production times.  There is usually an inverse ratio of how much effort I put into setting up a project versus how much time they actually spend on it.  This project was highly successful.  They worked longer to complete it then I spent making it.  Although little brother did make a mess, I am fortunate that big brother likes helping with the dust buster! Here is our results:

Their first attempt included nice neat piles of salt.

Subsequent pictures were messier but still engaging.

Here is the final project for little brother and his mess!


I am also quite proud of my first Modge Podge project for Mother's Day that I will also include in this post.  I recreated this fantastic project:

 

Source: homemade.tipjunkie.com via Annelyse on Pinterest

Here are my final projects.  (I actually made an extra pot for myself.  A lesson learned from coveting projects I made for the grandmothers in the past- always make one for yourself.  The other lesson I learned?  I totally love Modge Podge!

Here are the pots drying in the mud room.

Here are three of the pots after plants were added.  Big brother picked out different plants for each person.

There are so many other projects that I have tried and enjoyed but I'll save them for another day.  I need a little practice with embedding and cutting and pasting.  Needless to say forcing myself to actually use the projects I see on Pinterest has really been an enjoyable motivator. I don't have to feel guilty every time I hop around in Pinterest.  I also don't have to look at my dear friend R's amazing ideas for play date crafts and feel completely jealous.  I am wracking up the fun and experiences too.

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Sewing

My paternal grandmother, my Nana, was an amazing seamstress.  She made her own gorgeous wedding gown and gowns for each of my aunts.  She would tell stories about how she was hired by her shop to snoop out designers new designs and sketch them so that her store could replicate them.  I try to picture her in her twenties, glasses sliding down her nose as she quickly and covertly sketched.  What devious angle for such an angelic grandmother! 

During my life time she continued to make beautiful designs.  She made my brother a knight suit complete with a metallic knit chain mail that was amazing.  I had a matching princess outfit that I wore long past Halloween and until it was just about rags and could no longer fit me.  She also made my communion dress.  In addition to actual creations, she taught my mother, her daughter in law some helpful sewing lessons. 

My mother in turn made countless Halloween and theatrical costumes for me and my siblings over the years.  A set of dinosaurs that all of us kids wore and have now passed on to our kids is a classic.  One year she made a fully tailored sports jacket for me because I was in a summer production.  I have no idea how her sewing such a complicated piece saved time or money but I think she loved every button hole challenge.  The hours she must have put into making that thing!  She made my formals, my prom dress from a recycled vintage dress and all of my sisters and my graduation dresses.  This is not the full catalog of her creations but it at least gives you some sort of idea.

This tradition, of making something out of nothing with our own hands is a wonderful tradition that I am so thankful I acquired.  I remember at a very young age cutting and sewing with my kiddie sewing machine.  When I upgraded to my mother’s machine she would patiently rethread the needle and the bobbin every time I screeched for her to rescue me.  I still struggle if I am ever forced to use her machine.  I never took any classes to learn to sew.  I just watched my mother and struggled to figure things out on my own.  Following a pattern always seemed like a daunting task, somehow harder than making a pattern up on my own?  As I grow older I am slowly learning to follow patterns, read the instruction manual of my machine and figure things out as I go along. 

I am now starting to build my little list of things I have made for my own children.  I feel absolutely motherly making my son’s Halloween costumes.  With mom’s help I have made a few quilts for dear friends when they have kids and started a tradition of making a little library bag for friends’ babies on their first birthdays.  It is an easy yet special gift to give especially when people state that they don’t want gifts on the invite but everyone brings a gift anyway. 

I whipped together one this afternoon using scraps of material I had stashed in my sewing box.  It was fun to quickly and simply sew the bag using left over pieces.  The bulk of the bag was from material I used to make runners for my youngest baptism.  Other pieces helped put together a gift for my neice.  I know that the background and history of the material will be lost on its new owner but it delights me just to know.

When I sew something it is a culmination of so many things.  It is the beauty and design of my Nana.  It is sitting with her in front of her giant industrial machine.  That huge machine with its fast and powerful needle saw her through so many projects and so many years.  It is watching those long elegant fingers and my father’s eyes through her thick lenses. 

It is also the hard work and ingenuity of my mother, the countless memories I have of her working late into the night.  It is those countless nights that I would see a pile of material in front of her machine when I went to bed turn into a finished product when I awoke the next day.  All of these things get stitched into the pieces I now make. 

With these memories each of my stitches slowly over time has become straighter and steadier.  I think about the stories both women shared with me about sewing as I pull out crooked stitches or am forced to start again.  I am so proud of my ability to fix my own machine.  Pleased with each new skill I acquire and each project I finish.

I hope that I have the opportunity to share this passion with my munchkins one day.  If not, I hope they at least let me continue to sew for them and for their children.  

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Get Out of the Boat

My pledge today is to get out of the boat.  I need to stop being afraid.  I am fully capable of submitting my work for production and publication.  I am fully capable of writing as a career option, versus dreaming and pining for it.  If I would like to create and do more.  I just have to do it.  I have to stop fearing it.  To quote Jeff and Deborah Jay "Things have a way of falling into place if you keep moving forward."
Today I move forward.  Today I leap. Pin It Now!