fabric owls!

I know I've been posting a lot lately (and I will again tomorrow because Charlotte turns 11 months old!) but there's not a lot going on in my life right now and the blog is a fun distraction :]

Although Jonathan is so so close to finally getting hired somewhere (at least we hope he is), for now he's still a stay at home dad alongside me. And it's great, it really is...but I have to excuse myself from time to time to have some ME time. I'm grateful that I can do this even for a little while. Last week I spent a good chunk of the day treating myself to a "at home spa"(aka actually doing my hair, my nails, and spending longer than 10 min. in the shower. HA!) It was awesome. I also like to have crafty time of course. And while money is tight, I'm trying to find projects that I can do with materials I already have.

This fun little project is something I've been meaning to do for a LONG time. I had the fabric owl shape in my Silhouette account for over a year now, but was never motivated to do anything with it. Then the other day my sister-in-law made some adorable little hot/cold owl packs. And wallah- I was finally motivated to make my fabric owls! (thanks Layla!) It also helped that I got the fabric blade for Christmas. This was my first time using it and it takes some playing around with but for my friends with Silhouettes (Rachel...any others?) if you want to use your own interfacing:

Walmart's sewable heatnbond-
extra firm: set blade to 6
lite: set blade to 3

It would have been nice to use Silhouette's brand of interfacing but 1. can't afford it right now 2. it's out of stock anyway. 

I didn't achieve perfect owls...haha...but this was my first time after all so I'm letting it go. I still think they're super cute!

I love this one. The yellow fabric is from my mother-in-law's stash and it's got that old floral vintage look.

 

 

 The baby owl is cute, but I sewed it wrong so it looks kinda funny. Just an excuse for me to make more, right?

booster cushion

I can't believe how much my little bub is growing up. Talmage is moving away from his toddling days and becoming his own little person with business to do, things to talk about, and ways to be more independent!

One thing that he's outgrown is the highchair. It's actually better that he sits at the table with us now so that Charlotte can sit in the highchair instead. We like to eat together at the table, all of us. And now we can without holding C on our lap :)

There was just one little problem. He was too short for the table and could barely use his eating utensils properly :] I needed some way to make the seat comfortably taller for him but all of the "booster seats" for chairs seemed more for infants. When I saw this 6 months ago I knew it would be perfect for when the time came to move him up to the table. BUT...it was a lot of money for a cute square piece of foam. I also wanted something gender neutral and wasn't too fond of the designs in stock.

So I made my own!

Over Christmas while out with the fam, I came across this fabric at Hobby Lobby. It is water-resistant and easy to wipe clean. I wasn't even looking for it but my mother in law knows how much I love owls and she pointed it out to me. It was perfect timing because T desperately needed OUT of the highchair!

This is what I did to make it:

-bought 3/4 yd and sewed a cover with four sides. Adding the sides was a bit challenging but not too bad. It was something new for me!
-got foam that was 14"x14" and 3" tall. It was just a wee bit short so I added another inch thick piece of foam cut to size. The foam should be soft yet sturdy, so that it doesn't sink down too much when they sit on it.

With the foam peices together it turned out to be about 4 inches tall. Just the height he needed!

I sewed a 14" long zipper into one of the sides so that the cover could be removed and washed if when needed. He's a big kid now, but he's still a messy eater!

 

The great thing about making things yourself is that they can be exactly what and how you want. I wanted this cushion to stay on the seat snugly, so I used the leftover fabric to make some straps. I sewed them onto the cushion so that they would tie it to the back of the chair and the zipper side would be concealed.  

I love the bow on the back of the chair. It adds a nice touch to something that is meant to be functional :D

Talmage loves it! He gets excited to sit in his "big boy chair".  And I'm excited not to lift a 32 lb. child into a highchair that's 3 feet above ground. My arms can only take so much...

just a wee update

I want to thank every person that commented on my last post. Every single comment was just perfect and so great. It's good to know I'm not the only one having these feelings. And I hope it didn't come across that I don't feel blessed in life because I do. There are so many things I am thankful for and if I wrote it all out the list would be endless. We all have poopy days where the negative side of life gets the best of us. It was one of those days for me. Anyway, your thoughtful words and support totally made my week. My mom called me later and asked, "I read the comments on your blog. Are these your friends from Rexburg?"

and you know what I did when she asked me that? I cried. It came out of nowhere. I guess I just missed you all very immensely in that moment. And she said, "Oh...I'm sorry, hun.What good friends you have!"

after my episode was done I said, "Yes... I don't know all of them as well I would like, but they really are such good girls, and I'm thankful to know each of them."

and I really am :) yall are the best. 
                     
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So much is going on right now. Life just gets crazier. But good crazy...I think...

We are in a new ward now. They changed the boundaries in our entire Stake. It's REALLY weird, mostly because I just got called as junior Primary teacher for the 6 year olds and I got to teach them for ONE Sunday. Just one. I truly felt that it would be the best calling ever and was so happy about it, but I suspected that we'd move wards since we're so far away from the rest of our ward members. Thankfully a lot of our good friends are moving into the same ward as we are, but not all.
I admit that it will be a nice change to sit in Relief Society again. It's been about a year for me. And finally Jonathan will get to enjoy being in Elder's Quorum again. The worst part for us is that church starts at 12:30- exactly when T takes his nap. So that will be.....interesting.

Jonathan has some major job interviews coming up. We're excited and nervous. What if they both offer him a job- how will we decide? What if neither does- how will we survive? It's a lot of mental and emotional stress. I pray this stage of our life gets resolved soon.

As most of you know, Talmage got strep a few days ago. It was a nightmare, but I'll spare you the details. I hoped that if anyone in the household were to catch it it would be me...or even Jonathan but hopefully me. Of course it was little Charlotte who caught it. Nightmare times two! We are over the hump now- both tots are on antibiotics and feeling much better. I feel like a bad mom letting T eat ice cream and frozen yogurt and popsicles  all day...but it seems to be helping his throat a lot. So we're going with it.

I have so many projects I want/need to finish. But...time to craft? HA. yeah right. not gonna happen for a while. Hopefully I get them done before Charlotte's b-day, but that's a stretch.

I did however manage to do ONE really cool project! I'll post about that later when I can, but I'm really proud of it cause I made it up all by myself! and it's cute AND functional. woohoo.

I hope everyone is enjoying the new year so far, despite the challenges it brings. I'm learning that life doesn't have to be easy to be beautiful. One particularly wonderful thing in my life right now, despite the craziness, is watching Downton Abby with my husband. So I'll get back to that right now...

being BRUTALLY honest here

I'm not really sure what is inspiring me to write this post. Maybe it's the ever rising annoyance of reading blogs that portray a "perfect" lifestyle, or my insane jealousy over what other people have or can do (darn that green-eyed monster!) , or maybe because I fear that I come across too...peachy... sometimes.
(I also think that being broke for so long has put things in perspective...)

First off, no one's life is perfect. I know that. Anyone pretending that rule doesn't apply to them know it. Heavenly Father knows it, and that's why he gave us the Savior- to atone for our imperfections. It seems like a pretty simple concept yet people are still trying to "out" everyone else, have their bar set a little higher.

I love Facebook for lots of reasons but I almost dread logging in now...so much bragging about this and that. It's one thing to be happy about something but you can tell when it's just showing off. I'm happy for them and all but there is a right and humble way to share your good fortune. And that's all I'm gonna say about that.

I have stopped reading a lot of blogs that make me feel less than. Some of these belong to friends and some are professional DIY blogs. I don't like feeling bad, and by bad I mean not a good wife/mother because I can't do a lot of projects on account of our income and my apartment isn't tidy and I'm not fashionable and my kids don't look perfect and sweet all the time.

I hope that no one has ever felt this way while reading my blog. I am so far from perfect and our little family is going through a LOT right now. I try to be honest and real about our crazy life but avoid writing about the really personal things that we are dealing with. I respect my husband too much, and some things are better between just us and the Lord. There's nothing wrong with someone who wants to be *completely* honest on a public blog, but for me I feel that the line should be drawn somewhere. 

But there are things I don't mind being brutally honest about.

Here are just a few:

I rarely get on Pinterest anymore. It's overwhelming and I tire of being endlessly distracted.
I barely use Instagram because it's a little too hipster trendy for me.
I only wear makeup on Sunday. Most days of the week my hair is in a wet bun. I shaved my legs today for the first time in 3 weeks. The majority of my wardrobe consists of pjs and old t-shirts. And I'm beginning to break out all over my face. Paint a pretty picture?
I'm not very social. The bulk of my friends are on FB. I'm secretly glad I was called to Primary because I don't interact much with the women in the ward. It's not that I don't think they are nice, I just don't have much confidence in myself being a friend to others. I am working on this.
I live in a small apartment in a shady area of town. I wish I had a house with a white picket fence and enormous windows.
If I ever become a working mom, I have no idea what I'll do. My degree was in General Studies.
I thought I was a good photographer until I got a real camera, now I'm not sure. 
I'm sad that I never got to travel anywhere exotic before having kids. We all want to take vacations.
I try to be crafty.  Sometimes I even convince myself that I'm super crafty, but everything I've ever made I've ripped off of Pinterest or some blog. So creativity is lacking.
There are a lot of things about myself that I am working at. Being a more patient mother who doesn't yell so much is one of them.
I can act extremely childish at times. Thank goodness for a husband that keeps me grounded and helps me act my age. 
My children are my world, but sometimes I want to shut them in the bedroom together and go take a bath, or go for a walk, or go on a date. I miss husband time.

I love me, but I know that the me that I am is not perfect. Today's concept of total perfection is a disservice to women everywhere. We can and should strive to be better and that is all we can do.

Jonathan and I on New Year's Eve. At home on our couch, doing nothing in particular. I have no makeup on and wet hair. This is how we party :)

 I should add that I do love my life. I feel so blessed each day for different reasons and I'm in awe of the Lord's tender mercies towards me and my family. I'm aware of the fact that we are a young couple still establishing ourselves in the world. There will be a time for all the things we want to buy and places to travel to and major tasks to accomplish. It can't all happen at once. For now it's the little things that make me happy.

I'm just a tad nervous to click the "publish" button...but this is me being honest. Take it or leave it.

starting off the new year

I love January. It's the first month of a new year and there are no major holidays to prepare for, no birthdays to plan (at least in our family), and the excitement from Christmas starts to ease up. Don't get me wrong- I LOVE holidays and birthdays and especially Christmas, but its nice to sit back and rejuvenate.

I'll admit that the day we got back from Idaho, I took down all my Christmas decorations. It's not that I don't LOVE them, but I wanted to a clean, fresh home to live in. 

January this year for me means:

new beginnings. Jonathan is really close to getting his dream job. We don't know yet if he'll get it or not, but his chances are pretty good and we will hopefully know by the end of this month. Either way, the job situation should become more clear in the coming weeks.

new palettes. I got this cookbook for Christmas and I am really gonna try and use it. Nowadays I get all my recipes online, but then you don't know how much you can trust the recipe and they aren't all written out very well. I know these girls' blog, I've used their recipes before, and they have always been my favorites! So I'm excited to try out some new things and hopefully become a better cook.

new colors. I've gone around the block and back on color schemes for various rooms in our apartment. FINALLY I've settled on something I like for each room. I've come to realize that I like bright, sunny colors to accent mostly neutral furniture and walls. Nothing over the top- just simple. I've also realized that I like bold prints over intricate, busy ones. I had a Joann gift card, so yesterday I bought fabric and made new curtains for our bedroom. They really brighten up our room!

new hobbies. There are a few things I want to learn how to do- or learn to do better- this year. We will see if I get time to do them!

new calling. I don't think I can reveal it yet because I haven't officially been set apart, but I got a new calling in our ward! I think it will teach me a lot and be a wonderful challenge.

I'm both excited and nervous and thankful and afraid of all the changes coming, but I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for me and for our family. 2013 will be a GREAT year :)

no words

I figure its about time to post about our Christmas. Tomorrow is the first day of the new year after all! But I've been avoiding writing about our last week...for the reason that there just aren't words.

There are no words to describe how incredibly humbling and wonderful Christmas was for our little family this year. All I can say is that I felt love from Heavenly Father and His Son often and very strong.

We were blessed to be around family members who understand all that we are going through and who love and support us through it ALL. We were blessed to see our kid's faces light up each day preceding Christmas and each day after when we thought that they would have no surprises under the tree this year. We were blessed to come home to loving ward members who are truly our second family. We felt the Christmas spirit abundantly, saw beautiful Christmas lights by the thousands, witnessed a snowy white Christmas Eve, and partook in the spirit of giving to others.

About halfway through the month of December, I stopped looking at pinterest and creating Christmas crafts. I stopped trying to make up cute family traditions and feeling obligated to do all the Christmas-y festivities. I stopped making lists of presents I wished for my children and husband. I wanted only to focus on my Savior- God's gift to the world. And I just wanted to be with my children and watch them soak in the joys of the season. Baby Charlotte is growing so fast and I can't miss a day...she'll be 1 year so soon. And our sweet boy and his 2 year old "Talmage-isms" won't last forever. I just wanted to embrace each day I'm blessed with and hold onto these memories forever.

This year, my only "resolution" is to live each day with my family in happiness. No matter what the world throws at us, we will always love each other and heal one anothers' wounds with that love. The bitterness and the pain surrounding us will not make us hard, but soft. We will come out of our trials, one by one, upholding our values and holding onto what we know.

I love my family.

There are not enough words.

flannel series- cozy corn warmers

I finished another flannel project a few days ago, but things have been so busy lately I forgot to blog about it!

 

The reason I post about these kinds of things is really for others to be inspired. I am not a self professed "lifestyle blogger" or anything close to that. But when I make things I think, "that was pretty easy! maybe someone else would want to make this!"

And with Christmas just days away, this is simple last-minute gift that is still thoughtful because it's homemade (and perfect for winter!)

Cozy Corn Warmer:

Not to warm the corn, but bags made of flannel filled with corn- just to be clear :)

I used corn instead of rice for a few reasons. First of all, this is FEED CORN which does not pop- that is important unless you want to nuzzle your feet into a bag filled with popcorn. Someone told me it would smell like popcorn, but I haven't noticed any smell at all. I have some rice bags too and they DO smell when heated up. It's kind of a weird scent.
Also, feed corn stays warm for a significantly longer time than rice, and I like the texture better than all the tiny rice granules.
You can find feed corn at your local farm supply shop. It is cheap but you usually get in bulk. I had Jonathan pick some up for me when he was in Idaho. He filled a couple of gallon bags of it for me and gave the rest for his dad to use to feed his turkeys :)

I used this tutorial, referred to me by my friend Rachel G! Thanks Rachel!

The inside is minky, so its super soft & snuggly for your toesies. After I made these and put them in the microwave, I realized that the minky fabric sweats a little because it is not a natural fiber like cotton or flannel. If I made these again I might not use the minky for that reason, but at the same time there is NOTHING softer than that stuff!

Use a funnel to fill the bag half way full of corn before sewing the last little edge up.

 I made two- one for my feet and one for Jonathan's. I just love flannel on his- those sheep are so sweet! My aunt puts these bags in each of her kid's beds during the winter months to warm up the sheets. They are also nice for the hubs after he has a long hard day at work on his feet. This was mainly my intention, because J is trotting around all day delivering packages for UPS. His feet always hurt when he gets home poor guy....

I made some other corn bags that are great for achy or sore joints. These also come in handy during that time of month when I'm really crampy- I'm sure you know what I mean ;) You can also freeze them and use as ice packs.

So really, all you need for these is some flannel and corn. That's it. The minky is optional and not all that necessary.

I am SO excited for my next flannel project! It's a biggie, but it will take a long time to complete. Definitely a couple week's worth of naptimes...