Hoo Are You??

Another week of Hoo are You Tuesdays at Night Owl Crafting!!!






This has been great to read others answers and get to know them better!  I am really enjoying t and thank Leslie for starting this party!

Here are my answers!


1. Do you have any siblings?

I have 5 younger brothers-all their names start with J

1 older sister

2 younger sisters 

2. Do you have any children?

Yes, I have 4 children!  10 and 7 1/2 year old boys, then my almost 5 yr old princess and the baby boy turned 2 in April!

3. Are you a morning or night person?

Not really either.  I don't care to stay up too late and don't like to wake up early.  I guess I am more a day-time person!


4.  Are you organized or spontaneous?

I like to have everything planned  so I know whats going on and what to expect.  I guess a little spontaniety is good though ;)

5. What is your typical 4th of July like? Laid back at home? Community celebrations? etc...?

Since we have been in KS the last 4 years, we have just had a small family BBQ with a couple good friends.  And just shot off our own fireworks with the neighbors  and watched what we could see from our yard. 

Now that we are heading to Idaho, we will have a big family BBQ at my inlaws and watch a huge fireworks show from their front yard.  Maybe we will go to a parade too.  I havent taken my kids to a parade in years!

Now its your turn to answer the questions! So head on over to Night Owl Crafting and link up!

Thrill Me Thursdays! #10

This week I am featuring some great ideas for the 4th of July. I am so thankful I get to spend this holiday with my family!

And wanted to note that we are packing up and leaving next week, so Thrill Me Thursdays will be put on hold. I will try to post occasionally and have some fun guest bloggers lined up too!

So, here's what has Thrilled me this week! (don't forget to grab your featured button!)

Patriotic Denim-Burlap Flowers @ Oopsey Daisy

Tin Can Windsock @ Under The Table and Dreaming

Ruffled American Flag Tshirt Tutorial @ A little of this, a little of that

Snap, Crackle, Pop! Blocks @ Punkin Seed Productions

Hoping you all have a wonderful weekend!

Hoo are you Tuesday!!!

It's time again for

 Hoo are you Tuesdays?

Here are my answers



1. What are some of your pet peeves?
The toilet seat left up, my kids not flushing, bad drivers, finding an empty box left in the cupboard
2. Do you have a favorite or lucky number?
4 is a good # ;)
3. What is one of your family traditions?
Santa always brings an apple, orange a little box of cereal for our stockings.  He did this when I was little too.  And we draw names with the sibs for gifts.
4. Is there anything you are OC about?
 I have to load the dishwasher.  Nobody else does it right!  If they try, I end up re-doing it.  The toilet paper has to roll off the top!  My clothes are hung by color.
5. What is your favorite kind of food?
I love pasta and chicken and yummy rolls!

Now it is your turn! So hop on over to Night Owl Crafting and link up!  And leave me a note here so I can come visit you!!!

By Special Request: Travel Pillows!

I have to start by telling you that my 10 yr old son actually wanted me to sew  HIM something for a change.  Okay, I will admit that I sew for Kali ALOT and just maybe neglect the boys when it comes to sewing projects. But come on! Girls are just so much fun to sew for! And I only have 1 daughter, so yes,  maybe she is a little spoiled.

What he wanted was a travel neck pillow. DUH! Why hadn't I thought of that? How many 18 hour car rides to grandmas house have we taken? And now with the move, we will be headed to grandams for a few days and then a few more hours to get to our new home.

Needless to say, I was more than happy to honor his request. And 1 pillow turned into 4 very quickly, as they each wanted their own. But it was a very easy and quick project. 

Here's a little step-by-step for you.

Start with making your pattern.  I traced one I borrowed from my neighbor and then altered slightly to my liking.  Try to keep a basic U shape.  Tristan wanted the open a little bigger so it wasn't tight around his neck.

       Pin and cut 2 pieces out of your fabric.  My pattern measures 12" tall by 16 1/2" wide.

Pin with right sides together and sew, leaving a 4" opening at the top . 

*I added a small loop of ribbon to the bottom of one side before sewing.  This way they can attach the pillow to their backpacks. 

Turn right side out and stuff as firm or as soft as you like!

 

Sew up the opening by hand.

 Close Up of Loop

That's it!  So Easy!  I made 4 in no time at all!  And they are all loving them!

"You are so BEAUTIFUL.....to me....."

I was just given this "Beautiful Blogger" award from Ashley over @ No Apologies!

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

I have never thought of my blog as beautiful..... but if you say so! Thank you Ashley! You made my day!

Here are the rules for accepting this award:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award. 2. Share 10 things about yourself. 3. Pass the award along to bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic! 4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

So to Ashley I say, 'THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

And my 10 things you may or may not know about me...

1. I Love MT. DEW!!! My favorite right now is the Voltage and the White out! But I have to drink it early in the day or I don't sleep at night.

2. I have 5 younger brothers. 1 older sister and 2 younger sisters. (yes, 9 kids in all!)

3. I have lived in 7 states. Soon to be 8. And several cities in each state and some states more than once.

4. I met my husband in High School. I married him a year later. Sunday will be our 15th year anniversary.

5. I cut off my big toe when I was 5. And yes it was re-attached and barely visible now!

6. My current candy addiction is York Peppermint Patties (cold from the fridge) and spice drops!

7. My idea of Mexican food is Taco Bell.

8. When I was younger, I wanted twins. Thank goodness I had my babies 1 at a time! And cheers to those who have mulitples!

9. I like to watch game shows. I could totally win Wheel of Fortune!

10. My middle name is Marie.

Whew!

I am passing this award to:

Lesley @ My Mommy Makes It!

Kitty Talk @ Something About Katie

Baby. Got. Craft.

Missy and Kimi @ If I Could

Kimberlee @ The Spunky Diva

Erin @ Crafts and Sutch

Michelle @ My Kind of Crafts

Alisa @ The Sweet Life

If you are looking for some new blogs to add to your reading list, go check these out! They truly are Beautiful!

Thrill Me Thursdays!! #9

First of all, I just have to share how thrilled I am about this project! And its FREE!!! I can't wait to take my boys! And I am betting they will be keeping these for themselves!

Now for some great online projects... The Sweet Life

shared this adorable Ruffled Checkbook Cover Tutorial

I am so excited to make these but its probably gonna have to wait till after the move.

My son and his friend are so excited to cut up their baseballs and make these

Baseball String Bracelets @ I Can Find the Time

This will be a nice change from all the friendship bracelets they have been making!

And just in time for the holiday, Staci shares her tutorial for a

Patriotic Oven Mitt on Just Sew Sassy

Now grab my button if you've been featured and have a great crafty week!

Toddler Penny Bank

Yesterday my 2 yr old was given some money. 5 $1 bills. He also has been carrying around a pocket full of pennies all week. Not quite sure where they came from but he thinks they are neat. So I decided to make him a quick little penny bank.

All you need is an empty one of these

Take off the paper, and cut a small hole in the lid like this (I used a small knife and a pair of scissors)

Now for some mod podge

and a piece of scrapbook paper

Cut your paper a little bit shorter than the canister. You want the lid to fit without tearing the paper. And cut it just long enough to overlap as you wrap the paper around.

Apply a coat of mod podge to the canister and afix your paper. Smooth out your wrinkles and apply another coat of mod podge on top of the paper. Let dry and smooth out any more wrinkles. Apply 1 more coat of mod podge and let dry.

That's it! I had thought about dressing it up a bit more with some stickers or his name, but I can't get it away from him! He his putting his pennies in then dumping them out so he can put them back in again. So cute! I love it when something so simple makes him so happy!

Make your own SKORT!!

My daughter loves to wear skirts. And not just for church or school, but everyday play. As much as likes to be a princess, she does have 3 brothers so she can play hard! I have made her several skirts. But I really like the ones I have bought that have the shorts underneath. She is getting older and I just don't think its cute to see an almost 5 yr olds panties, so I usually have her wear a pair of shorts under her skirt. The problem is she doesn't like the bulkiness of 2 waistbands.

So my solution was to make my own SKORT. Here's how I did it:

I took a pair of her too-short knit shorts, ($2 at Kmart that she used for soccer last fall-still fits at waist) a $2 fabric remnant, and material scraps I already had.

First determine how long you want your skort. I am going for 13". And I am this skirt with 2 tiers. The waist band is 1" and if i take into consideration my seams and hems, I am cutting each piece 7" long. I really just guess-timated and made my pieces 37" wide. So with a 1/2" seams, I had 2 36" circles after they were sewn together. Then sewed them right sides together all the way around and pressed out all seams. So I had a tube like this.

For the bottom hem, I folded it under about 1/4" and pressed then another 1/4" pressed and pinned. And stitched all the way around.

For the top, I folded it under 1/2" and pressed and pinned. Then basted around the edge. Gathered it up so it fit around the shorts just under the waistband.

Pin skirt portion around the shorts just below the waistband and sew in place. I just sewed along on top of the baste stitching. You may want to use an elastic thread in your bobbin to keep it stretchy like the shorts.

Just cut all your threads and you're done! That's it! Now she can run and play all day, while still looking like a little princess! (sorry for the un-matchy picture, but she was in her jammies when I asked her to model)

A Lazy Saturday morning....

My husband just left with my oldest and his friends for Scout Fun Day. The rest of us are still in our jammies and I am pretty sure my 2yr old just had an oreo with his fruit loops.

I have an awful sunburn, as do 2 of my boys. We have had a busy week with swimming lessons and lots of pool time, not to mention all the moving preparations and stress that it brings. But today there are no plans, nowhere we have to be, and to top it off, Dad is home! (as soon as he drops the boys off at Scouts!)

I think we may go shopping.  D wants to buy me a new dress to wear to his graduation in a couple of weeks.  Its one of my birthday presents, but something he knows he can't buy without me there to try it on.   My birthday was yesterday, and with it came feelings of me getting old,  as my knee was bothering me all day.  My kids are getting too old to fall for me turning 29 again....but the nice waiter at dinner last night wished my a Happy 21st!  Hope D left him a nice tip!

This lays on the floor just waiting for me do something with it.  And I plan to! 

 Afterall, I can't have a lazy day without sewing something!!So stay tuned to see what I am making K next!!   I am so excited to show you how it turns out!

Enjoy your weekend!
(lazy....or not!)

Thrill Me Thursdays #8

Another crafty week in blogland! Here are a few quick picks for the week! Tiff @ Making the World Cuter shared her awesome Chore System! I have tried several chore systems and haven't had any luck getting one to stick. I am so excited to try this once we get settled in our new home.

I have been wanting to make myself a pincushion and this week I have found 2 that I love!!! Tin Can Pincushion @Living with Punks

And this cute Star Pin Cushion @ Sew a Straight Line. I think I am going to have to make 1 of each!

Don't forget to grab my button if I featured you! Happy crafting!

Guest Post: What Allie's Making Now!

Today I am thrilled to have such a fantastic guest blogger! A HUGE welcome and thanks to Allie @ AllieMakes.blogspot.com

She is so fun and creative and I just love reading her blog! So please stop over and say 'hi!'

And now, here's Allie! I am super excited to be able to guest post today! My name is Allie and I like to make stuff. I like to craft and bake and I love to sew. I love to sew so much that I received a degree in sewing! I also like warm weather and living in the Chicago-land area, I relish the summer-time. Especially since we only get about 3 months of nice weather!

With that said, I like to so lots of gardening. Lately, I have been more adventurous than just simply installing a ready-made fountain with a submersible pump. We have this fabulous place in our area called AquaScape. They have all sorts of things for people who want to put water-scapes in their yards and businesses. Last time I was there, I saw this lovely water feature in (over) a bucket. They had pre-drilled the rocks to fit the parts through. All you had to do was add water basically. But at over $100, it was out of my reach. So, I decided to fashion one myself. And guess what!? It was SUPER easy! It produces a very natural spring-like look and a wonderful soothing water sound. I am glad we tried it.

Want to make one?

Here is what you will need:

5 gallon bucket

Shovel

Small grate chicken wire

Tin snips

Gloves

Rocks ranging from pebble to football size

Submersible pump

Tubing to fit pump hole

Dig a hole deep enough for your 5 gallon bucket to sit a few inches below the level of the ground.

Attach your hose to your submersible pump

You can put your pump into an old nylon stocking to act as a filter to keep debris from entering the pump and clogging it.

Put something heavy (a large rock) over your pump to keep it from floating up.

With a pair of safety gloves and your tin snips, cut a hole into the middle of your chicken wire and thread the end of the hose through. The chicken wire should now be flat to the ground and the hose should not have any kinks or bends within the bucket.

Cover the edges of your chicken wire with dirt, but keep it enough away from the edge of the bucket. Try not to get dirt into your bucket.

Start to pile the larger of your rocks around the hose. You may have to arrange and rearrange these until you get something that looks right, hides your hose and is stable. Or, you could drill through the center of a few of your larger rocks and feed the hose through. I was not in the mood to get the drill out and this works nicely, so, no drill on this one for me.

When you feel you have it just how you like it, cut the hose as close as you can to the top of your rocks.

Fill your bucket at least half way, enough to cover your pump. Then plug in the pump and make sure the rocks spill the water back into the bucket. If they don’t rearrange them until they do. You just need to make sure the pump stays submersed in water.

Add some smaller river rocks.

Depending on the size and the flow adjuster on your pump, you can have more or less water pressure.

Pretty easy, right? It was fun to do! I hope you give it a try.

I would like to thank Joy for letting me guest post for her! And hope you all come visit my blog, as well. You can find my other fun crafts like:

Freezer-Pop Cozy

Mom and daughter fashions

Lots of t-shirt refashions

Baking

And lots of other crafty things!

You can find me at AllieMakes.blogspot.com. Drop me a line! I would love to hear from you!