Another baby shower

I just love throwing showers, especially baby showers. Here's a banner I made with my SIL. I love the way it turned out! It was a double baby shower, one cousin was having a boy, one a girl.

My new favorite spot

Work progressing...

    The other day I decided it was time to get out my things and make an owl.  I have been wanting to try making one of these for two years now and I finally got around to it!  It is turning out so cute.  The only problem is that I want it to be able to sit up.  I think I'll be putting one of those bead packs in the bottom or something.

    I bought a whole bunch of apples and spent a good amount of time making applesauce, apple pie filling and apple butter.  All of it tastes great to me, though one of the kids says the apple sauce is too sweet.  Oh well.

    There have been a few projects I have done with the kids.  I need to take more pictures of them when they happen.  We decided to get out the clay and make fossils.  The kids really liked this one.  It was so easy to go around the house and find little animals for them to smash into clay.  After coming out of the oven they were hard and then they could take off playing with them.  My plan is to take them to the sandbox at the park and bury them so they can dig them back up.  I may even make a few new ones for them to find as a surprise!

door signs

Yesterday I noticed this on Heidi Swapp's blog.  It is a video of wall art and has ideas for things to do with the frames that she sells.  I looked online for a swirly frame and found this one.  Then I had to do something for the boy's room too.  The kids are happy about the signs on their doors.

exciting beginnings

Here are some beginnings of our garden.  We cheated this year by buying a large tomato plant from the nursery.  It was worth it because I got what I wanted.  I have tomatoes in June!  Almost everything else was planted from seed.  We had never tried planting peas before and I am so happy with the results.  Also, I found out that you can throw the pea greens in salad and eat them, who knew?

Sugar and spice

This banner was fun to make.  I sure do enjoy using an exacto knife.

Messy rooms

Yesterday, I got my house in better order and I have decided it really holds me back when the house is messy.  Here is something I found online today.  Adorable.

Too Long

It's been too long since posting.  Though I have been working on some things so there is much to tell.  First lets begin with the Roses.  They certainly are doing well after a good trimming in the beginning of spring.  I took the pic of the yellow rose, it was the first rose of the season.  My brilliant husband took the two others.  They're worth sharing because they're gorgeous!

Girly Pinewood Derby

Here is a pinewood derby car I thought you'd enjoy seeing.  I thought my Daughter did a great job with it.  Rub-ons make life easy.  Also, I am inspired lately by this and am thinking of recreating one of my own.

summer treat

This was one of the last pictures taken with the old camera.  We found a kid's treat idea website that showed us how to make these simple, fun watermelons.  They are made from; sliced up limes with the centers cut out, red jello (preferably watermelon flavor), and chocolate chips for the seeds.  The kids thought it was so fun creating these mini watermelons!

inspiration

There has been a lot of inspiration going on around here lately.  Thank goodness.  I was wondering what was up with myself before the inspiration came.  Part of it was that my camera was broken.  Now we have a new one.  I bought my husband a camera for his birthday and then he went back to the store for the one he really wanted.  

Needs...

Needs and Wants, there is a difference.  Every time I go off to church I'm reminded that I need to buy myself a brown skirt to go with my brown shoes and brown bags Or I need to buy a blackish bag to go with my black dresses and black shoes instead of mixing black and brown.  Anyway, I've done nothing about it and I am happy that I've thought of it mid week so I can do something about it before Sunday.  I found a great pattern for a handbag.  I'll let you know how it goes.

adding color

Changing spaces in my home always invigorates me.  I was noticing the lack of color in the playroom and decided it needed something.  I am changing the space to be a place to read and a place to play.  I took a soft chair and put it in the room with some storage spaces for books.  Then I added these butterflies.  They are like these from Pottery Barn Kids.   I also painted the main wall of the room today a light brown color.  I am happy with the changes.  I think the next step is simplifying the toys in the room so it is easier to keep clean.  

Pay it forward

Here is my one hundred and first post!  This is how it works..... the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a hand made gift from me during this year (don't worry I'm not going to wait until December!). When and what will be a surprise. BUT, in order for you to leave a comment on my blog, you have to post this on your blog FIRST. (That means that sometime during this year you will send a gift to 3 people as well, not necessarily hand made) Get it? Ready, set, pay it forward!

Paper toys

My boy and I had some fun putting this guy together the other day.  He has an open mouth, so he can hold small items such as marbles.  The link for this and other paper toys are here.

Soft Valentine Envelope

Here is the link to this tutorial I made last year.  It can hold love notes to your sweetheart or for members of your family.

English Scones

After noticing scones at Whole Foods and a real English scone recipe on MS yesterday I couldn't help but make some.  So these are this morning scones.  They look good, but they are even better than they look.  They are perfect and it made me feel a little like Cherry Menlove, who in my opinion is the real Martha Stewart because all of her ideas are her own and she really lives it.

Pink shower

    There was a baby shower this weekend.  It was making me so happy to create ideas and food around a pink theme.  There were Gerbera Daisies in shades of pink and ribbon accents.  It was beautiful.  I should have taken more pictures, but sometimes when you are in the middle of it you're not thinking about anything, but enjoying yourself!  

    I did want to make macaroons in light green and pink, but then I thought I would be spending eternity in the kitchen at the wrong time of year.  Here's why...It's January!  I once brought cupcakes to a social gathering of women in January.  Though they looked delicious no one would touch them because they all began their diets.  So with the baby shower, I decided that they can't reject popcorn in January I used this idea from Heidi Swapp.  I couldn't find the recipe so I made one up.  It had pink white chocolate, (if that makes sense) and crushed starlite mints.  I worked in batches laying out the popcorn on a cookie sheet and slow streaming the melted chocolate, then the mint dust.  I even used microwave popcorn for a shortcut.  It was such a hit I bought a huge white bowl just for the occasion and there was only a tiny bit left.  I will be making this recipe again.  

Pink and Brown

My sweet sister made this bag and gave it to me for Christmas.  Pink, brown and my favorite color spring green.  Could it get any better?  Yes!  She added a polka dot pocket on the inside.  Thanks Andrea.