We've had a tough summer. My younger sister had a fall July 4, which has left her with brain damage and the need for a lot of therapy. We are so thankful that she lived as the doctors did not expect her to make it. We've traveled back and forth quite a lot throughout the summer to see her in a facility about an hour away. My motivation level for sewing and crafting went spiraling down the tubes. My mom and I were to be getting ready for the upcoming craft show in November. It would be our second time to have a booth. Mom has not had time or energy to even think about sewing. While on our way to see my sister the other day we were discussing what we needed to do to come up with a game plan for getting our items ready. I said what I thought would be best; call the craft club and back out of our booth. See if they would keep our booth rental money to secure us a booth in the Spring show. My mom took in a big breath and gave out a big sigh of relief. So, we are now not worried about our booth and the lack of things to put in it.
Over the last month I have pulled out the sewing machine again and claimed the kitchen table as my workshop. The monkeys have grown accustomed to eating on the floor, the coffee table, and the bit of linoleum right inside my front doorway. I have made three new diapers off of 3 new patterns. One Little Comet Tails Little One Size diaper, one Darling Diapers Unlimited medium sized diaper, and one EZdiaper. I don't care for the EZdiaper. The idea behind it is genius. If you make it without a true "outside" waterproofing material, there is no way to put the diaper on backwards or inside out. I just don't care for the fit of it as it's just a big rectangle. But a lot of mama's from the Diaper Sewing Diva's board rave over it. I really like the DDU medium sized diaper. It's got a great trim fit. It is different from the others that I've sewn as the waterproofing layer rolls inward at the leg seams so there is much less chance of wicking or leaking. I used a light purple pul outer with bamboo hemp jersey inner, and a snap in soaker made from zorb and sherpa. The LTC LOS diaper, well, I am a little disappointed in. It is trimmer than most one size diapers. It has a snap to adjust the length of the rise. But either I just don't "get it", or the one snap to do this with doesn't do a lot of adjusting. Still, it fits my baby, so I will use it.
I am hoping to open an online diaper store with the diapers I am planning on making. My original goal was to have this done by the end of September. I think I am looking more towards October for that to happen. But, I did get an order last week for 2 diapers, a wet bag and a diaper bag for a friend for a baby shower. I am thrilled with how they turned out and hope the recipient will be as well.
The kids are doing well. My oldest monkey turned 11 last month. She's started sixth grade and thinks she is on the road to adult-hood. She just found out last week that she is getting her 3rd poem published in the spring. I am proud of her for writing and entering her poems. I was always scared to enter my work in anything.
My middle child turned 4 in the summer. He asks me every day if its his birthday again because he wants to be 5 so he can go to karate with his big sister. And now that school has gotten back in session and the buses are running their routes, he watches out our big picture window with wide eyes and a drooly chin yearning for his chance to ride a school bus. Too bad. Homeschoolers ride their slippers to school. Not the bus.
My youngest is almost a year and a half. She is cutting massive amounts of teeth and growing. She has inherited my grace. The other night she fell down more times than she walked straight, leaving her with bruises and scrapes on her precious little face. She is also a climber, which has left her with bumps on her head from falling off of the things she is climbing. Her favorite place to be right now is perched atop the piano bench. She is very independent: she does not want help up or down, no help eating (which leads to big messes after meal time), and is not fond of hand holding when outside. Thank goodness she still likes to be held and to play with my hair when she's tired.

Well, this Is a sewing blog, right?

Time to catch up on the sewing news...
The oldest monkey needed some type of fanny pack to take to camp so she could keep the epi pen and inhaler nearby. I realized the day before camp that we had no such pack in the house. I made a mad dash to the super sized store to see what they had. The closest thing I could find was in the sporting goods section, right on the "Bubba" isle. It was a fanny pack, well, more like a gut pack. It was huge. About the size of a ladies hobo bag. Had a seat belt for a strap, and I kid you not, on either side of the bag part were cup holders!!! Non detachable cup/bottle holders. Bubba would love it out in the woods, or in the stream while a fishin', but my 10 year old would not be caught dead in it. And I am not cruel enough to force her to wear it 24/7 her first year at camp. I called another store to see if they had fanny packs, and the answer was no. I also dashed into the dollar store. No luck. So, I bought a buckle in the crafting department at the first store, and decided I'd make the pack myself. No pattern. Just simple design. I used some material that was already in my stash. Lined it with Maldin Mills fleece to make it a little padded and water resistant. The kiddo liked it! It's just big enough for the meds and a little pocket change and her camera. Woo Hoo!
Moving on, I stated a few blogs ago that I was off the cloth diaper hype for a while. Still cloth diapering, just not immersing myself all the time in all the information about it. And in April and May I sewed enough diapers I thought I'd be done for a while. Wrong-O. I am always looking for something new. Patterns, fabric, what have you. In May I purchased the new Jalie diaper pattern. I love it. It has 8 different sizes, and patterns for a cover, a fitted diaper, a pocket diaper, or an all in one diaper. The wings of it are a little different that what I am used to. Not hard or bad, just different. And I like them because they are made from scraps already cut so there's not much waste of the material. We've had company the last few weeks, so the sewing machine has been out of the way gathering dust again. I got it back out and wiped it off 2 days ago. Sewing is one of my favorite things to do. When I sew, I can neglect everything else that needs to be done in this house. And today the shape of my house proves it. Too bad! If I can figure out how to dump the pictures from my phone onto this bless-ed computer, you can take a gander at what I have been working on. But, I venture to guess that you have already guessed it. Can you say Diapers??? BINGO! Thanks to some wonderful ladies on a sewing diapers group I belong to, I discovered the Tighty Whitey Hipsters (free pattern) and the Trimsies pattern (not a free pattern, but doesn't break the bank). I have made 7 so far. 4 TWH and 3 Trimsies. CUTE CUTE CUTE. Both are low riders, side snappers, and super thin. I love them! What takes the longest time in assembling them is the snaps. I think it took me about 2 hours yesterday to apply 50 snaps. But with my handy dandy snap pliers it wasn't hard. Just time consuming in marking the placement, and then picking the colors to use! Please humor me and zoom in on the picture displaying the snaps. Notice the different colors used and how cute they are and if they make you think of gumballs or skittles. They did me!
I am finished sewing for today, but I am not going to put away the machine just yet. I am going to tidy the place up a bit and make the monkeys some supper, and then I believe we will go set up camp to watch the fabulous fire works display put on by the fairgrounds. Have a Happy 4th of July! Remember why we celebrate. It's not just another day to take advantage of sales going on, or an excuse for a fancy picnic. Its our Freedom, baby! Enjoy!

"Oh, no!" cried Barney

My son turned 4 last week. The weekend before I set out on a mission and went to multiple yard sales to find a working Buzz Lightyear. There was no success for that mission, but I did find some other bargains, including a Wilton Barney cake pan for $0.50. WOO HOO!! My son is an avid Barney the Dinosaur fan. In fact, he has a Barney costume I got at the SalVo for $2.00 2 years ago that he still regularly dresses up in. That was the best 2 bucks spent-- EVER!
Being the procrastinator that I am, I waited until the day of his birthday to bake and decorate the Barney cake. I knew better, but my sister-in-law was visiting for the week, and we got busy with other fun outings. I had originally planned on baking the cake Tuesday, applying the crumb coating of icing (base coating) on Wednesday, and then decorating with the wonderful star tip on Wednesday night and Thursday. I spent all day Thursday with the cake version of Barney. It was soooo worth it, too! When the last icing star was applied, my little boy squealed with delight! Ever so carefully I transported my monkeys, Barney the Cake, and party supplies and gifts to Burger King. I ordered my monkeys some food, and I set to work getting the party table presentable. The simpler, the better, I say. Plastic table cloth in butter yellow, paper plates, napkins, and plastic forks in Barney purple, party hats and blowers in shimmery green, and gifts. Viola. Done. BK no longer allows balloons in the play area, so we had no balloons.
Family and friends arrived. Children played in the play gym. (My eldest reported an accident to the workers; not her accident, but a stumbled upon puddle. eeewwww) Presents were opened with eager anticipation and delight. The Birthday song was sang, candles were huffed and puffed out, and we feasted on the Barney cake. At the first knife cut of the cake, our little 2 year old friend, Ethan, narrated, "Oh, no! cried Barney". I busted a gut laughing so hard! And then when everyone had their fill of cake (we had no ice cream because my son is allergic to milk), my son wanted to look at the cake again. 4 year old minds amaze me. He knew that we had made a Barney birthday cake. He knew we brought it to BK with us. He saw the candles in front of him on the cake. He knew after the candles were blown out and the song had been sung I whisked the cake away so we could serve it. He ate a piece of the cake--the tail part he had special ordered! But he came over to see the cake again. For whatever reason he thought the cake would still be in tact. He saw the remaining 4 pieces and just stared and said, "Oh, no. How could you do this to me? How could you do this to Barney?" very very pitiful. He made me feel like I murdered Barney! He quickly got over the let down when he saw his new gifts again, and friends and cousins wanted to play again. Thank goodness!
I started cleaning up, and had the help of other attending adults. I saw my camera on the window ledge with some of the drinks. I made a mental note not to forget the camera. We had gotten a lot of great pictures that I was hoping we'd get to cherish for life. ("we"-- I don't have a mouse in my pocket. My husband and my step-sister and I all took pictures with my camera) Finally it was time to leave. I remember having the camera in one hand and drinks in the other, and I walked over to the trash to pitch the drinks. I laughed in my mind "now don't throw away the camera with the drinks!" because that is something I would SO do. So, I don't think I actually did it. I don't think I threw it away. But I have no memory of the camera after that. I wheeled my stroller out to the car, I had the basket with party supplies and my box with the remainder of the cake as well. PePaw Truck (my dad) had taken all the gifts and my son to his truck to transport back to my house. Normally, upon arriving at my house, I would have gotten the camera out and dumped the pics on the computer. But because we had company and other plans, I didn't think about it. My mom had been out of town last week and didn't get to join in the festivities. She came over last night to give my son his present and to see us. So I went to find the camera so I could show her the pictures of the party and the awesome cake. I searched high and low. In the diaper bags and purse and under the seats in the car, in the trunk, in the gift bags that I've already emptied and put in my closet for future use. No Camera. I called Burger King to see if I left it there. They said no one had turned one in. So, I am bummed. I don't know what other pictures I had on the camera, other than a diaper making tutorial I was working on for a contest. That's another 5 hours down the drain. No camera. I have no way to show you how awesome the cake looked, or the delight on my son's face when he opened the Barney's Magic Banjo he has been wanting since September of last year, or the bunny ears my daughter put on my son's head in the group shot of the kids. Sad. It may turn up eventually. My house is a disaster zone again from all the in and out and running around and late nights and early mornings and blah blah blah of last week. Today I must tidy it up a bit. We have no more clean spoons or knives. And I think the only clean forks are the toddler sized airplane handled ones. hee hee So, maybe it will turn up today. If it does, I will do a happy dance. If not, I might shed a tear. At any rate, I am hoping for a quiet day.

GROSS!

Who knew the previous post and this one would be related? Related how? They both have to do with FISH. The last one was about "Fish Eyes". This one? The lack there of. Ready for this? I wasn't!!!
My daughter left for camp yesterday. And like a good little girl she asked me to please remember to feed her fish (2 fish) while she's away. And like a bad mommy, last night I forgot. But tonight I remembered. To set the stage, the fish tank is not my domain. I don't know how to clean it, I don't know how to maintain it, and I LIKE IT THAT WAY. My daughter's room is a tropical theme, and my husband insisted there be a fish tank to complete the decor. The only thing I do with that tank is add water. Period. The last few days I have noticed a funky smell lurking in that room. And like a good mama, I just close the door. I do have to mention that 2 weeks ago that room got a thorough cleaning (aside of the fish tank), and there is no food allowed in the bedrooms, and we don't have any other animals, so I wasn't really concerned about what was causing the smell. I did notice the tank is growing some nice algae and told my hubby its in need of a scrub. There. I did my part. Right? Stage is set. On with the story. Tonight I opened the door and got a whiff of the unpleasant aroma but went on over to feed the fish. I opened the lid and at first glance thought the pretty fish was so excited for food flakes that it was meeting me at the top. Then the little light bulb in my head went off and I realized the fishy was belly up. I went to grab a bag so I could dispose of him (too big to flush) (I mean, this fish was a hand me down from another family who had had it for like 7 years!) and when I got back and got the scooper thingy and scooped out the fish, I noticed his head was gone. There was spine a danglin', but no head, and therefore no fish eyes. again I say GROSS!!!! How long does it take for one fish to eat THAT MUCH of another? Did my daughter just not pay attention? I am wondering if maybe she hasn't been feeding them, so the fish had a dual to see who the cannibal would be. I hope she isn't broken hearted when she gets home. I really am not. I am not going to rush out and buy another fish so she won't notice. I am going to petition to my husband to clean the tank. And maybe ask him to find another home for the fish eater so we can just move the tank out. I am now going to go to bed with visions of fish spine in my head. Nighty night!

Fish Eyes

This morning I corralled the kids and we all went outside on the front porch so they could breath that thing we call "Fresh Air" and I could drink my humongous cup of coffee. (I was also hoping to welcome my husband home, but little did I know he'd be about 2 hours late...)
The monkeys got a little restless just sitting with me, so they started playing. My middle child is obsessed with Veggie Tales. And the Mr. Lunt character in "Lord of the Beans" kind of scares him. And my oldest child knows this and takes advantage of it. chuckle chuckle. She started chasing him, pretending to be the Mr. Lunt character, and he was screaming like a girl. Then the tables turned, and it was his turn to do the chasing. Instead of saying "My Precious", he's chasing her and yelling, "My Fish Eyes!! My Fish Eyes!" I just about snarfed my coffee right through my nose.

The Cwean Room

So it's been almost 2 months. And not a lot to show for it. Except my younger 2 monkeys' bedroom is CLEAN AND ORGANIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a MASSIVE feat for me. Last week their room had no floor. Seriously. No floor. Instead it was a swimming layer of toys. Really. I thought about taking a "before" picture to prove it, then was too embarrassed and ashamed to click the button on the camera. But you can ask my oldest monkey. She would testify to the horrific mess. Don't ask my husband... he would not only answer, but then probably start talking about the laundry room. And I haven't reached it yet to work the magic. But just wait. I think I have it written in my planner for Tuesday! Back to the room. I told my 3 year old the toys that don't fit in the toy box and allotted containers for toys cannot stay. They have to go. At first he agreed to this. However, yesterday he was not too happy about the arrangement. He told me, "I do not wike my new room. I do not wike my cwean room. I want my messy room back." I told him Tough Toe Nails! So he went into his room and knocked the Wonder Pets and their beloved Fly boat off his dresser. At the crashing noise, I came a runnin'. I saw him sitting innocently on his floor and asked, pray tell, what was going on. He blinked his little eye lids and said, "Is this a mess?" To which I replied, "It won't be as soon as you pick it up. Hop to it, Skippy." Since everything has a place now, it takes no time to clean, therefore it is staying clean!!! (hallelujah chorus playing in the background)

I have been feeling like quite a failure as a homemaker lately. And I have had my little pity party and (as my friend Arlene so eloquently puts it) sat on the pity pot. And then I started praying about what to do about it. And then I started google-ing for help. I came upon a site called "homemaking 911". How much clearer can you get??? So, in my free time I have been studying how to get organized and how to really clean. (The cloth diaper study sessions are on the back burner for now) Guess what I found out? If I put into practice what I am studying, great things happen. ( Keep your "DUH" to yourself, please) After I finished that room, I recruited my eldest and moved on to her room. Because we are like that Rubbermaid family, the one on the commercial that says, "We have too much stuff", and we don't have enough places to put said stuff, some of the stuff has been ending up in the corner in my daughter's room. For shame. Not any more! Her room has now been revamped as well. Well, right now there is one bag that needs to be moved to the trash pile, and there is a broom laying face down in the floor saying "Break time! I surrender!" and there is a stack of books awaiting the arrival of a book shelf that will be moved in next week. But the floor is very visible! The junk has been eliminated. I had forgotten how much a kid can hoard for the sake of being lazy. But, I guess she may have gotten that from me. I am feeling so much better about the whole thing. Today I don't feel like a failure. Especially when I count up the 7 bags to Salvation Army, 2 bags to Birthright (a crisis pregnancy center), 3 bags of baby cloths to 3 different families, and so much trash that my husband thought I forgot to send the trash to the curb last week. There is something cleansing and refreshing going on. Maybe I will retrain the inner pack rat after all. there is hope! I envy the people that can maintain a clean and clutter free house. I am trying to become one of those people, and train my kids to be like that.

A cloth diapering passion

I have been on The Cloth Diaper Whisperer blog for the last 45 minutes catching up on some cloth diapering reading. First, let me say that this blog is an amazing resource for cloth diapering. If you have a question, they have an answer. If you have a problem, they have a solution. And the people seem to me to be very REAL, which is very reassuring and comforting in today's day and age. This week there is a contest for the funniest cloth diapering story out there. I really don't have a great and funny story yet, but I have another year and a half to two years to go, so I am SURE my time is coming. I have enjoyed reading about other's experiences though. They also have a "Fluff Friday" contest where they give one lucky person a prize. Usually diapers of one sort or another, but it's not limited to that. Recently there was an adorable hand bag. To see this weeks coveted prize, click here. Cutie patootie, right? So, I am entering this week's contest, and I am advertising the blog site because I get an extra entry for doing so. :) Win win situation, right? And who knows, if you-the reader- has your own babe in diapers, or will have future babies in diapers, maybe by visiting the blog you might, just might, consider using cloth. Check out the wet bag I just received this week from Kelly's Closet. Well, my bag is pink and brown in this print. The blue was out of stock. I love love love the bag. The inside is waterproof, so it is perfect for putting dirty diapers in, or swimsuits, or what not. And then I got this diaper specifically for night time. It is SUPER SOFT. I haven't used it on the babums yet because I need to wash it a few more times so it can be up to its maximum absorbency level. I can't wait! I feel like such a nerd. If anyone was to ask me what I do in my free time would I actually DARE tell them I study cloth diapering???? My sister was in town last week and she lent me some "nappies" (what the Europeans and Aussies call diapers). The conversation went a little like this:
D: Hey, T! Here are the diapers.
Me: Sweet! These are BumGenious one size pocket diapers!
D: And here are some thingies for them.
Me: Those would be INSERTS.
D: The only thing I don't like is you can't use diaper rash cream.
Me: Oh, yes you can. There's a safe one for cloth diapering called the Magic Butt Stick. Looks like a gigantic glue stick, but instead of glue, its rash ointment.

Well, you get the picture. When I was a child I never said, "When I grow up I am going to have a passion for cloth diapering". Oh me, oh my.
I am going to give myself a monthly allowance for cloth diapers. I'd better clear it with my hubby first I guess. The diapers can give a bit of sticker shock at first, but they are reusable! and save soooooo much money in the long haul as oppose to disposable diapers. Come on, would you want to wear paper underoos for 2 1/2 years? Then why make your baby????? Ponderous.