crepes

Last week I enjoyed helping some friends prepare a surprise birthday party in celebration of their daughter's sixteenth birthday. In addition to cutting and arranging vegetables and cheese on trays, I made a calligraphy gift for her.

My original plan was to purchase an 8"x 10" frame for the calligraphy, but when I went to the store I found a clever magnet board with small magnetic frames and four flat, clear magnets. I immediately saw potential in it and decided to purchase it instead.

When I got home, I dressed up the plain, clear magnets by attaching white and red star-themed paper decorations securely to the backs of the magnets with clear glue dots. I also attached flat pieces of magnets to the backs of a few red and white buttons so that she would have additional coordinating magnets.

I finished by making a simple calligraphy version of Jeremiah 29:11 that fit in one of the magnetic frames.

quite possibly the easiest peanut butter cookie recipe ever

I do not like peanut butter. I just don't. It sticks in my mouth in the most annoying way, and the taste isn't good enough for me to overcome the annoyance. However, every once in a while I have a craving for some warm peanut butter cookies with melty chocolate. These are quick and easy to make and always do the trick for me when I'm in that rare mood.

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup peanut butter

1 egg

1 cup sugar

(chocolate kisses, swirls, 1/2 cup mini-chocolate chips, or 1/2 cup regular chocolate chips)

~Mix the peanut butter, egg, and sugar until they are very well combined.

~If you are using chocolate chips for mini-chocolate chips, mix them in too. If not, move on to the next step.

~Form the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls (about 2 tablespoons), and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. If they have chocolate chips in them, flatten them slightly. If not, press the chocolate kisses or swirls onto their tops, flattening them a little bit.

~Bake in a 350 degree oven for ten minutes.

~Take them out, let them cool for a few minutes, and enjoy!

zippered bags

It all started when I read this post on Lisa's blog. I followed the links she posted was enchanted with the idea of making small, zippered bags. They are so handy and so cute, and I just knew they wouldn't be too hard to make

I used my leftover hand bag material to make this little boxy bag. I adapted the information I found in this tutorial. I wanted to efficiently use up all of my left over fabric, so I made this bag bigger than the one in the tutorial by making the initial rectangles 9"x 12". The finished dimensions are 5"x 3" x 8". I also added a ribbon tab to hang onto while zipping the bag closed and adapted it so that all of my seams are between the layers instead of sticking out into the interior of the bag. It took some extra planning and work, but to me it was worth it. I like a very tidy finished product.

I think I might use this one for storing a few small toys for Little Man. I can tuck it into my hand bag, and it will coordinate perfectly.

I was excited about making zippered bags, so I made these more triangular zippered bags with the scraps from my other bag. I was less pleased with these because my seams are sticking out into the inside of the bag. By the time I realized my mistake, though, I had already done quite a bit of sewing and really didn't want to rip it out. (It's all a matter of priorities; ripping it out would have taken too long for me to justify even for a tidy finished product.)

I was really on a roll making little zippered bags and couldn't resist making a couple of green ones. I love green, and I had some tantalizing scraps that were begging to be used. I made one of them small (in the original dimensions of the tutorial), and I made one of them larger like the first bag.

I am looking forward to using these for toiletries and cosmetics when I pack for trips. They will be the perfect size, and I will feel sophisticated using cute zippered bags instead of plastic ziplocks. : )

I enjoyed sewing these handy little bags. They are so versatile, and they are wonderful for using up scraps. I think I might try to make and sell some when my Etsy store is up, and I will definitely be keeping them in mind for gifts.

For Christmas

As you may have figured out by now, Little Man loves to help in the kitchen. He loves to help me mix, bake, and sample. Sometimes it is quite a messy process. Recently I came up with the idea of sewing some small, boyish aprons to help protect his cute outfits.

I decided to make the aprons for Christmas gifts. I searched through my fabric collection until I found four just-right fabrics: a very blue solid blue fabric with some brown to accent it and a red star print with an abstract orange print to go with it. Then I found two brown football-shaped buttons and two red buttons in the tin of vintage buttons that I inherited from my great-grandmother.

I had fun making the pattern, cutting out the tiny aprons, and adding careful details as I sewed them together such as using contrasting top stitching thread (I love top stitching). I also appliquéd a star to the front of the orange apron and added a red border on the bottom.

I made the bands that go around the neck extra long so that I can move the buttons down as Little Man grows taller. That way his aprons will grow with him at least for a while.

It is so satisfying to sew for my little guys, and I hope to have many more projects for them in the future.

growing

Little Man is growing so quickly. Every day he says and does new cute things, and every day he adds new skills to his ever-broadening repertoire of accomplishments.

[looking at a music gear catalog]

Growth in speech:

~Emphatically answering "I would" when asked if he would like to do something.

~Including more connecting words like with, the, on, and to instead of just using the main words.

~Exclaiming out of the blue that "Tars [guitars] rocks!" (Benjamin was especially pleased about that one.)

~Finishing my sentences. The other day I was changing Brother's messy diaper when I said, "Oh my!" Without missing a beat, Little Man finished, "GOODNESS!"

~Carefully trying to pronounce all the sounds and syllables in a word. ("La-dy buG" is a favorite right now.)

~Remembering adjectives (white clouds, full moon, and so on)

[helping move and stack firewood]

Growth in physical and mental skills:

~ Somersaults are old news. He has completely mastered that skill and has even tried to attempt somersaulting off a chair before he was stopped.

~Just yesterday he finally managed a real jump. He finally got both feet off the ground and was temporarily airborne as he jumped off a curb.

~He is carrying larger loads in play and real life. He especially loves carrying the "big woods" as he helps with moving firewood.

~One of his friend's older brothers was working with him on catching a football a few days ago, and he seemed to be catching on quite well.

~He is becoming more and more skilled at drinking from a "big boy" cup and using his spoon or fork.

~He has started to grasp the idea of pretending and loves to "chop" wood and "cook" food.

~He is trying to draw purposeful shapes instead of just scribbling. Current favorites include lady bugs, circles, and triangles.

~He has started to grasp the idea of counting, though it still needs quite a bit of perfecting.

~He loves puzzles and is quite adept at putting simple ones together.

[showing brother "the ropes"]

Growth in relationships:

~He loves to interact with his brother, and when Brother smiles and "talks" to him, he exclaims "Happy see you!"

~He remembers things that happened in his interactions with others and loves to tell me about them.

~He remembers things that certain people do with him and asked to do it again. Things like wresting with Grandpa or Daddy, getting "horsie" rides from Grandpa, eating cookies from Grandma, playing with Tyson or James, and on and on and on.

~He is associating people with locations. (Grandma's house, Grandpa's church, our house, mom's car, dad's car, etc.)

There are a few embarrassing things and difficult moments too, but over all, it is such a joy to be a mother and to have Little Man in my life.

Bags and Business ideas

I made another bag. This one isn't really a hand bag. It is similar to a backpack, but I wouldn't exactly call it that. It has long straps that could work like backpack straps (though I wear them together over one shoulder). The straps weave through the top of the bag and pull it closed draw-string fashion.

This bag is smaller than my last one but still has plenty of room and customized pockets on the inside (it just won't be able to double as a diaper bag).

I have been amazed by the response to these last two handbags. I had been told before that I could sell my tote bags. I knew that I probably could but wasn't too excited about it. However, after making these last two bags, I have received a flood of complements and requests for custom bags or bags just like the ones I have.

The enthusiastic response of so many of my friends combined with my love for sewing bags (and the necessity of finding something to do with some of them so that they don't take over our house) got me thinking. I'm thinking about starting handbag business. I plan to start small, probably selling on Etsy.

Perhaps over time I can build up to having a decently sized business, but for now, I really need for it to be small. My priority will still be my family, and meeting the needs of my husband and growing boys must not take second place to a business venture. I do hope to be able to sell some of my work on the side, though.

I am very excited about this but am trying to take the time to think things through and go about it in a sensible, orderly way. I still have planning, organization, and footwork to do before all my thinking and ideas can be put into effect and my store is opened. In the meantime, I will be thinking about this to help keep everything in perspective.

Teamwork

Remember those extravagant 80's Jessica McClintock and Gunne Sax dresses? The ones with elaborate lacy trims, pouffy sleeves, and yards and yards of fabric in the skirts? Well, my mom and I worked together to make a semi-crazy quilt from some of them, and it we just finished it last week.

First my mom cut out 12 inch squares from the skirts and decorative sections we wanted to preserve from other parts of the dresses (like sleeves, collars, and bodices).

Then I attached the smaller decorative pieces to the squares along with additional ribbons and pieces of lace. My mom laid it out, sewed it together, and put the backing and binding on. (Yes, she did most of the work on this one, but we did work together, so it's still teamwork, right?) last of all, I helped her sew fancy buttons on it to tie it.

Soon we will pack it into a box and mail it to a dear friend. I think she will like it.

Repurposed

It all started with an old sweater. Well, I suppose it wasn't really old. In any case, I loved it. The texture, the colors...it was perfect--until it started shrinking. It kept getting fatter and shorter. Oh dear. I decided it was time for the sweater to go; I put it in the give-to-the-thrift-store pile, and then I thought better of my decision. After all, if it's too short for me (I'm 5' 2"), who is it going to be long enough for? I decided, instead, to cut it up and make it into a couch pillow.

The pillow took me a long, long time to finish, though. Part of the reason could have been that it was a more involved project than I had originally anticipated (I had to carefully attach it to a woven back to avoid a wildly fraying, very stretchy pillow cover). Part of the reason could have been because I was tired while working on it and kept having to rip out incorrect seams. And part of the reason just may have been because I kept getting distracted.

First came the idea of making a small hat for Brother out of a sleeve. (It just looked like the right colors for him, and sleeve was the perfect size for his little head, how could I resist?) The result was a funky-fun little four cornered hat.

Then I started thinking about the other sleeve...the result was another hat of a different style. (It is a little bigger, and will fit him longer.)

And then came the rustic, raggedy-edged pot holder out of the pieces that were left from the pillow.

And finally I finished the long-anticipated couch pillow complete with ribbon button loops and vintage wooden buttons. I like it. I find it satisfying to see it sitting there in all its plump new-pillowy goodness, perfectly coordinating with the previously existing pillows.

And now I am full of new ideas for the other sweaters in my give-away pile. Oh dear. What have I started? : )

weighty, weighty words

"let not many of you become teachers,"

he said.

teachers fall under stricter judgement

"if any one does not stumble in what he says,

he is a perfect man"

one who is able to control his tongue

is also able to control his whole body.

our tongues are like the bits in horses' mouths

or the rudder in a huge, sea-worthy ship.

they are so small,

yet they set the course.

they affect so much.

however, our tongues are not like horses or ships,

which can be trained or controlled.

the unruly tongue can defile the entire body.

it is fiery and full of evil.

as I ponder, I realize the truth presented.

I grieve to remember times

when my words have been scalding, fiery, evil.

when they have set a course of destruction and death

instead of truth and life.

and I am a teacher.

I teach my sons.

day in,

day out,

they hear my words.

weighty words.

Lord,

You are the Great Giver of Life.

the Holy One.

the Word.

help me to abide in You.

to be so connected

that my words reflect,

always reflect You,

the Living Word.

help my tongue to be controlled,

to always give life

and never fiery death.

thinking of many connected scriptures today but dwelling on James 3