We went to Andy's parents on Saturday and stayed the night, so that the kids could spend more time with Grandma and Grandpa, who only live 30 mintues away. WHAT A NIGHTMARE!
I'm trying to frantically pack everything that we'll need for the rest of the day and all day Sunday. Clothes for the boys, my husband, and me. Diapers, Pull-Ups, wipes. Easter candy, baskets, toys, & anything else that needs to go in to the baskets. Plastic eggs for hunting, egg dying kit, vinegar, gifts for the dogs (Oh YES, the dogs get goodies too!), Toiletries for Andy and me, Carmera, My HEAD!
Of course by the time we got to Andy's parents house, I realize that I've forgotten a couple of things, like the camera and Easter baskets. So I call Andy, who is still at work, and ask him to pick up the items.
Fast-forward to after dinner
It's going on about 7:30 pm and we still haven't dyed the eggs yet, so we get that all set up. Long story short: Alex accidently knocked over a cup of teal blue dye all over the counter, which eventually landed on the white/cream colored carpet. But before it hit the carpet it got all over the son, who then looked like a Smurf. (Sorry, no pictures, we were too busy trying to get the dye out of the carpet.) I sprayed down the soiled spot with a pretreater, while my mother-in-law got the carpet cleaner vacuum ready. The eggs looked great, can't say the same for the carpet.
Fast-forward to bedtime
We didn't even realize that it was really starting to get late and the Easter Bunny had to come with the goodies yet. It was about 10:30 pm when we finally got the boys around for bed, who were no where near being tried. I stayed with them unti they fell asleep, and then I was going to get the baskets around, but I guess I fell sleep waiting on them. Andy had to come and check on us, because I never came back to the living room to relax.
Fast-forward to Easter Morning
Are you freaking joking me?!? It's 6:30 am and the boys are up and ready to go downstairs for breakfast and cartoons. We all get up and the boys don't even notice their Easter baskets on the table waiting for them. (I decided that I wasn't going to hide them this year, because I think their still a little young; 3 and 16 months.)
When they do notice the baskets, they're all bummed out because it's time to eat breakfast that Grandma just cooked for them: scrambled eggs, sausage links, & fresh fruit, YUM!
After breakfast I start to get ready, then Andy, and then the boys. Between all the playing and prepping myself and the boys for the rest of the day, I'm ready for a nap, but forget that options, the Easter feast only has about 45 minutes to go. In the meantime, my sister and her duaghter show up.
Lunch Time
I don't even know why I bother to put food on the kids' plates, they took two bites and said they were done eatting adn that they wanting to get down and play. Whatever, by now I just don't care.
After the adults get done eatting and clean up, we started to get the house prepped for the Easter Egg Hunt. After the kids found all the eggs, they plopped doen in front on the TV and started opening up egg after egg. I had to intervene, Alex and my niece, Hailey, had about 20 eggs each, while Jon had about 5 eggs. We told them that they could have two eggs right now and out the rest up for later. That didn't go over so well, they kept trying to sneak eggs whike we weren't looking!
About 3 pm, my mom showed up with her boyfriend, to say, "HI!" and visit with the grandkids. She took the kids outside to play and after about 1 1/2 hours she told me she was going to take them for a walk, which isn't a big deal, since they in a very quite nieghborhood. After about 30 minutes I'm starting to wonder where they are, because I still needed to go to Andy's grandparents house about 45 minutes away, which my sister and mom both knew that to begin with. I go outside to look for them and find them playing in dirt and throwing stones, twigs, etc. into the storm drain. WHAT WAS MY MOM THINKING?!? I didn't get them dresssed up just for lunch, they still needed to look nice for their great-grandparents. SO AGGRAVATING!
I finally told me that it's getting late and that we needed to get going. Once we are on the road, they boys fall asleep right away. Nana and Grandpa's House here we come. When we get there the boys are still sleeping and I have to wake them up to go inside. BAD IDEA! They just cried and cried and cried. They didn't care that Nana got them something, they shoved it away and cried some more. I could even walk without either carrying one or being followed so closely that I almost tripped a couple of times. Ten minutes of crying, when I thought that they might be hungry, since they didn't eat lunch very well. BINGO, WE HAVE A WINNER! After they ate they were just fine and into everything.
Just about being there for a little bit it was time to get going again.
All in all I didn't get home-home until about 10:30 PM and I was tried and cranky. Andy doesn't know hat it like to do this by yourself, since he always has to work.
I think next year, we'll have Easter morning at home, get ready and make our rounds to the homes for dinners.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Easter Basket for Jon
I really don't like buying the cheap Easter baskets that the mass retailers put out for the general public to buy. I aslo don't like buying anything that promotes a licensed character, such as, Elmo, Dora, Spiderman, etc...
My GREEN solution! Reuse the basket that I received flowers in when I was in the hospital for delivering a baby. Andy's work (Wal-Mart) sent us flowers congratulating us on our new baby boy, both times.
Materials:
Basket (that you already have on hand)
Over Stuffed Animal or one big enough to fit around the basket. (I prefer one without a year embroidered on it)
Ribbon to match (optional)
A plastic pot liner or Hanging Basket Drip Pan
Dowl Rod (3/16 " diameter)
Fabric glue
Sewing Needle
Thread that matches the stuffed animal
Thread Ripper
Sturdy Scissors (for cutting dowl rod)
Ruler
Large Paper bag or grocery sack (I prefer the plastic grocery sack)
Fabric Marking pencil (perferably one that closely matches the same color of the animal, remember you can't wash the basket)
Instructions:
Take the thread ripper and stuff animal and cut the threads that are holding it's head to the main body. Once you have the head completely removed set it aside for later.
Take the main body of the stuffed animal and un-stuff it. Put the stuffing in the grocery sack. Like I said early, I prefer the plastic sack because I can use it to store the leaf-over stuffing for another project later on, without having to worry about it getting wet or ruined.
Depending on your selection, check the hole of the opening of the stuffed animal with your basket. In both of my cases, the opening was a LOT smaller then the base of the basket, so I had to take the thread ripper and cut the threads down the back of the main body some that I could get it around the basket. Be careful not the cut to for down, you don't want to sew anything extra that you do not have to do. Again, in both of cases, the height of the main body was long enough cut it about halfway down before I could slip it over the basket. FYI: It was a tight fit, which is what I wanted; it helps keep it on better. I also put a little stuffing back in to just line the bottom and side walls.
Now that you have the body on your basket, look it over to see what it looks like. You may have to make some slight fixes. With Alex's I used a duck and it's feet were directly sewn to the bottom of the body, which made it sit crooked once it was on the basket, also the wings didn't line up nicely. So I had some extra work to do. I had to take the thread ripper the feet and wings, and once they were off I had to sew up the openings. I put the body back on the basket and then decided where I wanted the feet and the wings to go back on and market the spots. I then just sewed the feet and wings on; I didn't need to cut an opening for them because the material of the stuffed animal covered it up. (If you were to really look closely you be able to tell, but nobody is going to be putting their nose up that close to your mistakes, you'll be too impressed at the result!)
Once you are done making your adjustments take the fabric glue and glue down the extra material from the sides of the animal to the insides of the basket. You may need to do this in sections, as I has do to, to ensure the sercruity of it. Set aside for the glue the dry; please ready the directions of the fabric glue that you choose, you may need to let it set over night to dry completely.
While your basket is drying, it's time to finish the head piece. With matching thread and a sewing needle sew up the bottom of the head. You may want to remove some of the stuffing from the head so that it isn't so plump looking. You may want to use your sewing machine to do this and that's fine if you want to and can do it. I tried and it just jammed up and made a bigger mess for me to deal with. Hand sewing was a lot easier and I was able to control it better.
After your basket is dried, take the plastic liner and set it inside of the basket. Measure if needed and then cut the liner to size. The plastic liner that I used I bought at Wal-Mart for Alex's, but for Jon's I bought at Meijers. Please look closely at the picture and print off if needed so that you can find it at the store or a similar product. Once it's cut to size place it firmly back into the basket. The liner did not quite go all the way into the basket, there is about 1/2" gap between the bottom of the basket and the bottom of the liner. (This didn't matter that much to me, because it Easter grass covers it up.) If this bother you, than you can fix it by cutting the liner down the side and halfway across the bottom and then just over lap it until it fits. DO NOT add the Easter grass yet, we'll get to that at the end.
Take the dowl rod and place it at the back of the basket in between that liner. Measure it to the tip of the edge of the basket. Then insert the rod up the middle of the head and measure. Add your measurements together and measure it out of the dowl rod and then cut just a little bite smaller than what you measured. Place the rod back into the basket in between the liner and then add the head. I did not fimly secure the head down, but you can with the fabric glue.
If you choose to add ribbon now is you chance to do so. For Alex's I wrapped the ribbon around the handle , which prevents the basket handle from causing splinters, (if you used a wooden weaved or wicker basket).
Alex's Easter Basket.
The duck body wasn't quite large enough to go up and over the edges like John's so I embellished the edges with felt, but you probably would not have known that if I just hadn't told you.
After you embellish the basket to you liking, now just add the Easter grass of your choiceand set out for the Easter Bunny to fill up.
Jon's Easter Basket.
I still need to get ribbon for the handle, because the stuff wrapped around it is breaking and felling off.
I hope your child/chilren enjoy their Easter Basket/s as much as my children do.
My GREEN solution! Reuse the basket that I received flowers in when I was in the hospital for delivering a baby. Andy's work (Wal-Mart) sent us flowers congratulating us on our new baby boy, both times.
Materials:
Basket (that you already have on hand)
Over Stuffed Animal or one big enough to fit around the basket. (I prefer one without a year embroidered on it)
Ribbon to match (optional)
A plastic pot liner or Hanging Basket Drip Pan
Dowl Rod (3/16 " diameter)
Fabric glue
Sewing Needle
Thread that matches the stuffed animal
Thread Ripper
Sturdy Scissors (for cutting dowl rod)
Ruler
Large Paper bag or grocery sack (I prefer the plastic grocery sack)
Fabric Marking pencil (perferably one that closely matches the same color of the animal, remember you can't wash the basket)
Instructions:
Take the thread ripper and stuff animal and cut the threads that are holding it's head to the main body. Once you have the head completely removed set it aside for later.
Take the main body of the stuffed animal and un-stuff it. Put the stuffing in the grocery sack. Like I said early, I prefer the plastic sack because I can use it to store the leaf-over stuffing for another project later on, without having to worry about it getting wet or ruined.
Depending on your selection, check the hole of the opening of the stuffed animal with your basket. In both of my cases, the opening was a LOT smaller then the base of the basket, so I had to take the thread ripper and cut the threads down the back of the main body some that I could get it around the basket. Be careful not the cut to for down, you don't want to sew anything extra that you do not have to do. Again, in both of cases, the height of the main body was long enough cut it about halfway down before I could slip it over the basket. FYI: It was a tight fit, which is what I wanted; it helps keep it on better. I also put a little stuffing back in to just line the bottom and side walls.
Now that you have the body on your basket, look it over to see what it looks like. You may have to make some slight fixes. With Alex's I used a duck and it's feet were directly sewn to the bottom of the body, which made it sit crooked once it was on the basket, also the wings didn't line up nicely. So I had some extra work to do. I had to take the thread ripper the feet and wings, and once they were off I had to sew up the openings. I put the body back on the basket and then decided where I wanted the feet and the wings to go back on and market the spots. I then just sewed the feet and wings on; I didn't need to cut an opening for them because the material of the stuffed animal covered it up. (If you were to really look closely you be able to tell, but nobody is going to be putting their nose up that close to your mistakes, you'll be too impressed at the result!)
Once you are done making your adjustments take the fabric glue and glue down the extra material from the sides of the animal to the insides of the basket. You may need to do this in sections, as I has do to, to ensure the sercruity of it. Set aside for the glue the dry; please ready the directions of the fabric glue that you choose, you may need to let it set over night to dry completely.
While your basket is drying, it's time to finish the head piece. With matching thread and a sewing needle sew up the bottom of the head. You may want to remove some of the stuffing from the head so that it isn't so plump looking. You may want to use your sewing machine to do this and that's fine if you want to and can do it. I tried and it just jammed up and made a bigger mess for me to deal with. Hand sewing was a lot easier and I was able to control it better.
After your basket is dried, take the plastic liner and set it inside of the basket. Measure if needed and then cut the liner to size. The plastic liner that I used I bought at Wal-Mart for Alex's, but for Jon's I bought at Meijers. Please look closely at the picture and print off if needed so that you can find it at the store or a similar product. Once it's cut to size place it firmly back into the basket. The liner did not quite go all the way into the basket, there is about 1/2" gap between the bottom of the basket and the bottom of the liner. (This didn't matter that much to me, because it Easter grass covers it up.) If this bother you, than you can fix it by cutting the liner down the side and halfway across the bottom and then just over lap it until it fits. DO NOT add the Easter grass yet, we'll get to that at the end.
Take the dowl rod and place it at the back of the basket in between that liner. Measure it to the tip of the edge of the basket. Then insert the rod up the middle of the head and measure. Add your measurements together and measure it out of the dowl rod and then cut just a little bite smaller than what you measured. Place the rod back into the basket in between the liner and then add the head. I did not fimly secure the head down, but you can with the fabric glue.
If you choose to add ribbon now is you chance to do so. For Alex's I wrapped the ribbon around the handle , which prevents the basket handle from causing splinters, (if you used a wooden weaved or wicker basket).
Alex's Easter Basket.The duck body wasn't quite large enough to go up and over the edges like John's so I embellished the edges with felt, but you probably would not have known that if I just hadn't told you.
After you embellish the basket to you liking, now just add the Easter grass of your choiceand set out for the Easter Bunny to fill up.
Jon's Easter Basket.I still need to get ribbon for the handle, because the stuff wrapped around it is breaking and felling off.
I hope your child/chilren enjoy their Easter Basket/s as much as my children do.
MADE WITH LOVE BY MOMMY!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
New Quilt Already!?!
While I was looking for a pattern for Alex's quilt I came across Fabric.com and found a print that I really liked, so I bought some material.
For the past couple a days now I've been cutting the material down to size. (Yes I did find a pattern, but I can't remember where, but it doesn't matter, because I've changed the look and dimension.) And once again I didn't order enough fabric, but I also didn't know that I'd need a whole other panel either.
So, as of today, I've got the fabric cut, except the one panel that's on its way in the mail. I have done the first round of sewing, which requires 4 - 7" x 2 3/4" sewn together along the long side. (I needed 27 of these.) I then ironed the seams to all go in one direction. The panel piece I have cut the pictures out and sewn sides to them, which requires 2 - 9 1/2" x 2", again sewn along the long side. I also then ironed the seams outwards.
Eventfully, I'll have the sew 2 - 9 1/2" x 2" to my piece that has 4 - 7" 2 3/4", again along the long side. It's probably hard to imagine what I'm talking about, so I'll try to find the pattern again.
In the meantime, since I bought all the fabric off the net, I was able to save pictures, so you know what materials I am using.
For the past couple a days now I've been cutting the material down to size. (Yes I did find a pattern, but I can't remember where, but it doesn't matter, because I've changed the look and dimension.) And once again I didn't order enough fabric, but I also didn't know that I'd need a whole other panel either.
So, as of today, I've got the fabric cut, except the one panel that's on its way in the mail. I have done the first round of sewing, which requires 4 - 7" x 2 3/4" sewn together along the long side. (I needed 27 of these.) I then ironed the seams to all go in one direction. The panel piece I have cut the pictures out and sewn sides to them, which requires 2 - 9 1/2" x 2", again sewn along the long side. I also then ironed the seams outwards.
Eventfully, I'll have the sew 2 - 9 1/2" x 2" to my piece that has 4 - 7" 2 3/4", again along the long side. It's probably hard to imagine what I'm talking about, so I'll try to find the pattern again.
In the meantime, since I bought all the fabric off the net, I was able to save pictures, so you know what materials I am using.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Alex's Quilt is DONE!
Yesterday, while the boys were sleeping I managed to finish Alex's quilt. For the past week I've been taking care of all the loose string, which wasn't a whole lot, but I wasn't eager to to it either, so I only did a couple here and a couple there.
The binding was a little tricky to figure out, since I didn't have a clue how a do it. So I looked up how to bind a quilt on the net and found that a majority of the site didn't have illustrations to go with the instruction is which what I needed, so I had to just wing it, which I think I did a pretty good job.
This is the material I used for the binding, you can't really tell that it is a satin looking fabric.
And the final look.
Oh yeah, we can't forget the back look it the quilt either!
The binding was a little tricky to figure out, since I didn't have a clue how a do it. So I looked up how to bind a quilt on the net and found that a majority of the site didn't have illustrations to go with the instruction is which what I needed, so I had to just wing it, which I think I did a pretty good job.
This is the material I used for the binding, you can't really tell that it is a satin looking fabric.
And the final look.Oh yeah, we can't forget the back look it the quilt either!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Invasion of the Great Ants!
One thing I cannot stand is ants in my house. At first it is just one, then five, and before you know it you have the whole colony taking an extended vacation in your WHOLE kitchen.
At first I thought I was leaving sweet stuff out or not cleaning the counters very well, but I've used Lysol w/Bleach 4-in-1 to clean my WHOLE kitchen and those boogers still came back. The more I thought about it, I realized that when I first noticed the ants was the next morning after we had cooked bacon to go with our dinner about a week ago.
As I was telling my mom this, she told me that I had grease ants (thief ants), which would make complete sense. Last night I left Alex's huge half-eaten lollipop in a bowl on the stove and there were no ants in it at all and still aren't!
So know that I know what I'm up against I searched the net on how to get rid of them. Some really wacked out sites and some that are okay... I seen that several of them said to spray vinegar on the surface where the ants are, that is after you clean the surface thoroughly to get rid of any food trace.
Again, I cleaned my WHOLE kitchen with my Lysol cleaner and dumped (I know they told me to spray, but I want to get rid of the ants) vinegar all over my counter tops, cabinets, and floor. Hopefully this works, because we had a similar problem last year and I don't want it to happen again.
(It started out with one ant, then five, then about seven to ten for about a week. When I left the house at 7:30 am to take the boys to the babysitters I had cleaned up about seven ants. When Andy went into the kitchen about two hours later there was a 4 inch wide band of ants stretching from my counter tops in the kitchen, down the cabinet wall to the floor all the way from the kitchen to the dining room to the living room back behind the couch. Andy called me right away and I thought he was exaggerating just a tad bit, but when I got home I could not believe what I saw. I was trying to figure out what this black strip was running from my kitchen to my living room. I thought that the bug spray had turned my carpet a different color from a chemical reaction, but when I looked closer it was hundred and thousands, must likely millions of little, tiny, ity-bity, teeny-weeny, black ants. Which know that I think about it they were probably grease ants too! I wish I would have taken a picture, just so you could see that I'm NOT exaggerating.)
SO, if the vinegar doesn't work, does any one have any suggests for me?
At first I thought I was leaving sweet stuff out or not cleaning the counters very well, but I've used Lysol w/Bleach 4-in-1 to clean my WHOLE kitchen and those boogers still came back. The more I thought about it, I realized that when I first noticed the ants was the next morning after we had cooked bacon to go with our dinner about a week ago.
As I was telling my mom this, she told me that I had grease ants (thief ants), which would make complete sense. Last night I left Alex's huge half-eaten lollipop in a bowl on the stove and there were no ants in it at all and still aren't!
So know that I know what I'm up against I searched the net on how to get rid of them. Some really wacked out sites and some that are okay... I seen that several of them said to spray vinegar on the surface where the ants are, that is after you clean the surface thoroughly to get rid of any food trace.
Again, I cleaned my WHOLE kitchen with my Lysol cleaner and dumped (I know they told me to spray, but I want to get rid of the ants) vinegar all over my counter tops, cabinets, and floor. Hopefully this works, because we had a similar problem last year and I don't want it to happen again.
(It started out with one ant, then five, then about seven to ten for about a week. When I left the house at 7:30 am to take the boys to the babysitters I had cleaned up about seven ants. When Andy went into the kitchen about two hours later there was a 4 inch wide band of ants stretching from my counter tops in the kitchen, down the cabinet wall to the floor all the way from the kitchen to the dining room to the living room back behind the couch. Andy called me right away and I thought he was exaggerating just a tad bit, but when I got home I could not believe what I saw. I was trying to figure out what this black strip was running from my kitchen to my living room. I thought that the bug spray had turned my carpet a different color from a chemical reaction, but when I looked closer it was hundred and thousands, must likely millions of little, tiny, ity-bity, teeny-weeny, black ants. Which know that I think about it they were probably grease ants too! I wish I would have taken a picture, just so you could see that I'm NOT exaggerating.)
SO, if the vinegar doesn't work, does any one have any suggests for me?
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Getting Some Fresh Air
Saturday, Alex has a birthday party to go to at Chuckie Cheese. (I HATE CHUCKIE CHEESE!!!) And he has another birthday party this coming weekend at Chuckie Cheese. He also had a birthday party invite to Tokens 'N Tickets, but (1) Andy wasn't home in time to watch Jon and (2) Alex wasn't behaving very well to deserve to go. (I know this irrelevant, but Alex was just at Chuckie Cheese a couple weeks ago for yet another birthday party. There are at least 4 kids, at the babysitter's, who celebrate their birthday this time of the year.)
After the party, Grandma DiTommaso came and picked up both of the boys. They were so happy. Plus I needed a break from them for a while.
So, I went over Sunday around noon time or so to pick up the boys, but know full well that we will not be leaving until after supper time, which this time it was about 8:00 pm. But after I got there I helped Grandma get the boys around and we all went outside FOR SOME FRESH AIR! The boys had so much fun, that they didn't want to go back in even though they were starting to get very cranky from skipping their naps.
Jon is so happy... I can't believe he is only 15 months old.
Look at him...walking with such determination!
Alex is also getting big...I didn't even know that he knew how to blow bubbles!
After the party, Grandma DiTommaso came and picked up both of the boys. They were so happy. Plus I needed a break from them for a while.
So, I went over Sunday around noon time or so to pick up the boys, but know full well that we will not be leaving until after supper time, which this time it was about 8:00 pm. But after I got there I helped Grandma get the boys around and we all went outside FOR SOME FRESH AIR! The boys had so much fun, that they didn't want to go back in even though they were starting to get very cranky from skipping their naps.
Jon is so happy... I can't believe he is only 15 months old.
Look at him...walking with such determination!
Alex is also getting big...I didn't even know that he knew how to blow bubbles!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
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