Latest Sewing Projects

As most people know, I kind of like to sew. However, I have a really hard time with the tissue paper pattern-type sewing. Right after I got my Bachelor's degree I decided I was going to learn how to sew clothes. I hit the closest Joann's and bought a pattern and some $1/yard fabric to try the pattern out. Buying the $1/yard fabric was the best thing I did. I soon learned that I CANNOT sew clothes. I tried to sew some pants. However, I knew they were going to come up to high on me because I am short so I just cut the top off. I sported a plumber's crack before I even bent over. My roommates and I got a really good laugh out of EVERYTHING I made. I decided then and there that I would no longer pursue my dream of making clothes and I have never looked back!

What I do like to sew are quilts and crafty things. I started to really enjoy piecing quilts right after I graduated from High School. That is something I can actually do. I remember thinking how fun it would be to make my little girl a bedspread. Well, this was my lucky year. I didn't just get to make my little girl a bedspread but also my little boy.

It was kind of a big project to take on since I have three small children, but I really enjoyed it. They got their bedspreads for Christmas from me and they both love them.

I also made them "super capes." They love their capes and wear them almost every waking hour and also to bed. They were quite fun to make. I got instructions online and went for it. I also made one for both Aubree and Sydney.

In mid-December I got the brilliant idea to make Paige a doll bassinet and diaper bag. I looked everywhere for a pattern and finally found one online. I didn't even open the pattern until after Christmas. I was a little worried because of all my other attempts at real patterns and their disasters. I made the diaper bag and bassinet with quilt and pillow and it actually worked. I am really excited to give it to her on her birthday.

I am now putting my sewing machine away for a while and going to work on cleaning my house!

Christmas 2008

We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Cody's family in Salt Lake. We had a great time. Our children were very excited for Santa to come. We played lots of games on Christmas Eve with Grandma and Kevin and Christy. Ty and Paige went to bed but not without turning off the computer a few times and turning the lights on and being told to go to sleep about 50 times.

They must have been good this year because Santa brought them each a few toys. They had such a good time playing all morning long. We ended up coming home around 4:00 p.m. during a break in the storm. We enjoyed a relaxing night at home.

The next morning we went to Grandpa and Grandma Stevens house where Michael and Stacie and Becky and Scott and their families were. The kids had a GREAT time playing. We didn't even know they were there they were so busy playing with their cousins. We all had a really relaxing day. I think it was the first time in such a long time that I felt like I could just relax and not worry about getting anything done. It felt so good.

Yesterday we spent the day at home cleaning and getting ready for normal life. Last night we had a really good time. For my birthday Cody had the kids give me a popcorn bowl, popcorn and movie treats. Last night the kids were so excited because we popped popcorn, got out the snacks, pulled out some soda pop and went to the movies in our front room. They had such a good time and I actually sat with them during the movie. I didn't watch much, but I was in the same room. We had such a good time. They liked it so much that we decided that it could be something they earn in the future.

I think one of my favorite things was what Paige did. Abby and Rachel gave Ty a Mr. Potato Head for Christmas. Cody put Paige down for her nap and just left her there. Of course she didn't sleep, but she stayed in there for a couple of hours. When he let her out this is what she was doing.

If you can't tell, she has the Mr. Potato Head hat on her head, the glasses on her nose and is hold the shoes so she can be the Mr. Potato Head. She is such a CUTIE!!!

It was a GREAT Christmas. Now to get back to normal life.

Christmas Village

On Monday night we did one of my favorite traditions. It is going to Christmas Village in Ogden. I don't think it is one of my favorites because I really like the little houses (I actually don't know that I looked in many of them) it is one of my favorites because I remember going as a kid. We didn't get to go to the big city "down below" very often. However, at Christmas Mom and Dad usually took us to Christmas Village. We have now started doing it with our kids.

This year we were a few people shy for the festivities. Becky wasn't feeling the greatest so she stayed home and waited for us all to get to her house. Brock was sick so he and Cody stayed home too. I was lucky enough to get to take Ty and Paige all by myself.

Grandpa and Grandma were there of course as well as Michael, Stacie, Abby, Rachel, Scott, Aubree and Sydney. The kids had such a great time running around looking in all the little houses. However, the best event of the night was, of course, sitting on Santa's lap. I have been amazed this year that Paige will actually sit on his lap. It is so unlike her, but we will take whatever we can get.

After Christmas Village we went to Becky and Scott's house for hot chocolate and pie. It was really fun except for the massive fit Ty threw right before leaving. Everyone else was just glad it wasn't their kid throwing a fit and I was wishing it was one of their kids throwing the fit.

I am adding some pictures of the memorable night.

The next two pictures are the most telling of the night. Below is the excitement of a 1-year-old waiting for Santa on the cold night. The picture after that is the excitement of a 5-year-old waiting for Santa on a cold night.

Can you believe my Paige actually sat on Santa's lap without crying. Hopefully her nursery teachers don't read this. Maybe the key to nursery would be a candy cane.

Fondant???

It is now December and there is nothing that shouts Christmas louder than chocolates and caramels and wonderful homemade candies. This year, I decided that three kids were not enough to deal with. I was going to branch out on my candymaking skills. Well, tonight was the first of a few new chocolate centers I will hopefully be making. I attempted fondant.

For those of you who don't know what fondant is, please let me explain. It is that frosting stuff that goes on all the new cakes that you can mold and make just absolutely beautiful. My attempt at fondant was for centers for chocolates.

Cooking the recipe was so easy. In fact, I interrupted Becky's dinner just to call and gloat about how easy this fondant was going to be. The cooking was GREAT!!! However, it was after the cooking that things got a little dicey.

Fondant is pretty much just caramel stirred around. The problem is that you have to stir cooled caramel. Have you ever tried to stir cooled caramel. If you ever think you might want a good arm workout just buy some Kraft caramels unwrap them and stir them into a great big ball without melting them until they look like frosting and are no longer sticky! Good luck!

In the recipe you are to stir anywhere from 30 -60 minutes. My problems started in at about 3 minutes. My first casualty happened and my favorite wooden spoon broke in two. That didn't deter me. I had Cody come hold the pan while I stirred with my broken wooden spoon with two hands. I finally wised up and got out another wooden spoon. That spoon lasted about 10 minutes. I was NOT going to sacrifice my last and second favorite wooden spoon to this Christmas time wonder. I actually began to wonder if my 9x13 glass dish was going to survive the fondant.

The stuff finally started looking like what it was suppose to. I was so proud of myself for actually doing it. However, I am not in a hurry to make anymore. My hands were pretty red from stirring with the jagged edges of wooden spoons.

Just as a final note. Anyone who tastes one of these chocolates better tell me they have never in their life tasted something so divine!

Mullet Girl

You know Paige's hair is bad when Cody starts giving me hair advice for her. His solution is of course to just shave it all off. I haven't been feeling very well lately and the last thing I want to do is Paige's hair. I did her hair on Wed., the day before Thanksgiving and haven't done it since.

After 3 1/2 days I finally pulled out the pig tail. For the last couple of days I haven't done a thing to it. It is so funny because she has such a mullet. I can't decide if I should cut some bangs or just try to comb it to the side. Cutting bangs might dredge up some bad childhood memories for me. When I comb it to the side it never stays. For now, we are just happy to make it through the day without getting on Santa's naughty list. I don't think not having your hair done disqualifies you from his nice list, does it?

Busy, Busy, Busy

We have been so busy lately that I just haven't had time to sit down and update my blog. I have been busy making quilts and capes for my kids for Christmas. On top of that we are finishing our basement. That seems to take any spare time we have and progress is moving quite slowly because we have no spare time.

I think I have hit a new low in my life when perfataping my basement is a reprieve for me. I feel really lucky if I get to go down and work on it for an hour after Cody gets home from work. Cody's parents came up to help us with it, however Cody got sick and wasn't much help. I tried to help but between feeding Brock and attending to some of the other needs of my kids I didn't get much done.

I still have my frustrating days with Ty, but we are starting to be able to rationalize with him. It is nice that he understands consequences and sometimes makes choices based on what the consequence will be. However, Paige is another story. Her favorite thing lately is to take her pants and diaper off. She has also decided that she no longer needs naps.

The other day I put her down for a nap. After about 1 hour she was banging on her door. I decided to give her some milk and put her back down. When I opened the door it smelled really bad of poop. I looked at her and she had no pants or diaper on. She was covered in poop. It was all over her clothes and in a chair that she tried to sit in. I was a bit frustrated. I put her in the bath and cleaned up the poop. I then put her down for her nap, but she never did take one.

Brock is practicing sitting up. I can't believe how big he is getting. He is having a really hard time sleeping. He has a hard time sleeping in the day and staying asleep at night. I have let the poor child cry a lot lately. I feel like he needs to learn for himself how to fall asleep and stay asleep. He has been getting up at 4:00 a.m. and not wanting to go back to sleep.

Last night I decided I was just going to let him cry it out. He started out by waking up around 11:30 p.m. I went and put his binky in his mouth and he slept for another hour. When he awoke at 12:30 a.m. I just shut the doors so his crying wouldn't bother me as much. He cried off and on until 6:20 a.m. I was awake most of the night worried about letting him cry. Finally at 6:20 I decided to feed him. He ate for about 5 minutes and then fell asleep for hours. By the time I finished feeding Brock, Ty was up and going and wasn't about to let me go back to bed. Hopefully tonight goes better. I really need some sleep.

I never thought I could spend my days so busy and be so exhausted by night and get so little done. I sure love my kiddos!!! I received an email from an old co-worker this week and it was a good reminder that there was a day when I actually got a lot done in an 8-hour period of time. However, I realize the things I accomplished then weren't near as important as what I am working for now!

Halloween 2008

We had a GREAT Halloween. We had Grandma and Grandpa Stevens as well as Scott, Becky and their family over for dinner and then trick or treating. Scott got a little more than he bargained for because we just happened to be drywalling our basement the next day. We had the drywall delivered and it was in our garage. So, Scott, Cody and Dad all took drywall to the basement through the window while we went trick or treating.

We also had dinner before we went. It was really fun. The best part was the witch's brew we made with rootbeer and dry ice. Grandma Stevens got the best compliment of the night. Someone told her she had the best mom costume.

Paige really got into trick or treating. She was holding Grandma's hand and it only took her a few times to realize that she would get candy if she went up to the door. She wasn't about to let Grandma take her bucket of candy. She would squish her way up there so she wasn't forgotten.

Spiderman

Flower

Teddy Bear