I Love My...

Silicone Baking Cups.

They are basically non-stick, they're reusable and I don't have to deal with cleaning out the muffin tins. Hooray! Now I need to get about 12 more, but in what color?....hmmm...

My Gentleman

Holding the "combrehwla" for Mama

Being as how James is an Arizona child umbrellas are... pretty novel. He's loving Monsoons this year and wants to get the umbrella out at the slightest hint of rain. Notice I say the umbrella- singular. Yeah, we had two, but the only umbrellas we own are ones that have come free (with luggage I think...?) and are fairly cheap. The other one bit the dust. This one does alright for keeping rain off of one small boy. I'd do terribly living somewhere like Seattle. Rain makes me feel like I have to stay inside and not do anything, except maybe bake.

Wrong, Wrong, Wrong

Oh the perils of having small children in a sewing room!

SO disconcerting to see this view of my sewing machine. Do you know why it's upside down?

So I could extract the seven pins that were stuck into it while I wasn't paying attention!

I am SO glad I was able to do this myself without having to bring it to the repair shop! I'm thinking I need to keep a closer eye on things in there...

You know You're a Mom When...

You microwave your coffee twice...

Only to pour it down the drain that afternoon.

Clean Plate & A Glazed Cake

To glaze the cake and keep the cake plate clean I tore strips of parchment paper and placed them in a square on the cake plate before putting the cake on. Then poured the glaze on and spread it down the sides. I let it harden a bit before gently sliding out that paper bits leaving...

A nice clean plate.

Happy Birthday Bumble Bee!

Happy first birthday to my sweet Leland boy.

Ladybug Wings

Lady bugs have two hard wings, and two soft wings underneath.


















I made our top wings from felt I had around and the bottom wings from plastic bags. I would have sewn them all together, but *someone* (small and blonde about 1.5 yrs) filled my sewing machine with pins while I was distracted cutting out dots with the James boy. So instead I stapled them together onto the remnants of a sweater sleeve (the sleeves we have seen before) that I'd cut a hole in so that the wings fit on like little vests on the kids.

Went camping...Forgot shoes for my kid

But it was OK-

because me and duct tape are likethis.

Why is my three year old still awake?

No this is not a real creative post. It's nearly 10pm-what's up with this guy tonight?!

Busy Bees

Our whole family's been into bees lately. Michael wants to have a backyard beehive, which I was not too keen on until a couple weeks ago when we saw Silence of the Bees on PBS. Wow- these creatures are amazing! Fully one THIRD of the food in the US relies on bees for pollination. I had no idea. And, for a number of known and unknown reasons bees are disappearing, so having a hive would be good. Also, I like honey. Anyhow- James is interested in them too so we've been reading about bees and the other day made the bee below out of a toilet paper tube, an old envelope and a magazine, pipe cleaners and glue. I am really having fun making things with James now that he's getting old enough to get into it.

Creative Goals

For the next six months:
July
Get back into my sewing room!-Make a first birthday present for Leland, make a fun cake, make and send play food for swap, organize in sewing room, play more

August
Harvest time- Learn to can tomatoes, Prep and freeze other veggies, Consider what I want to make for Yule & make a plan & get together supplies, sew something for myself

September
Sew for Michael & the Kids-What exactly is TBD

October
Sewing gifts

November
Thanksgiving- Make and prepare to send holiday cards, Finish gift sewing, wrap gifts

December
Holiday time- bake with the kids, make ornaments and decorations for fun