Something for me

This week, I had big plans to finish a couple projects for some people we are visiting with over the next 2 months... and I didn't (yet) get any of them done! 

I have however made a couple things for me! Inspired by my favorite clothing designer, Andrea at  Gaia Conceptions , but unable to afford anything quite yet... I made my own! Here is my version of the Love me two times below the knee skirt/dress. I saved about $70!! 

I can't say that I got it perfect, but it is VERY comfy, and oh so versatile! It is a longer strapless dress, a shorter strapless dress, or just a skirt with a folded over waistband (below).

I even made another of the same version the next day... it is all brown and made from a little bit different knit, so I might have to fix it before our trip.

But then, I probably wouldn't get the other little projects I want to get done, done.... we will see what wins out!

Also, we are in the process of getting our house refinanced, so that is a big deal for us! We are going from a 6.5% rate to a 4.5%!!! So excited for that. But it does require a bit of paperwork to be done, so that will be fun while we are on the road!

PLUS, I am trying to get all registered to take some classes in the fall. I think I have done most of the legwork needed, but who knows... I am trying hard to just make it happen and quit putting it off. If I start school now, and get a bunch of the prerequisites done, I might be able to start nursing school in fall of 2013! We will see if that actually happens too, though!

The kids are excited to start school when they get back (RIGHT when we get back!) but right now, all they can think about is our trip. Colton is trying to imagine his birthday party, and wrap his mind around all the things we are doing on our way to Oregon, and what we are going to do when we get there. It will be busy, and fun. 

Soren is crawling all over the place, and finally discovered the stairs, so gates are once again in our lives. Too bad they aren't the nice ones we made in Montana. I loved those gates... most of the time!

So I think I am deciding to NOT blog while I am on "vacation". It will be hard to do anyways from the Ipad, so I think I will just let it go, and then fill in the blanks when we get back. But do not worry... it is only 2 months. I will probably do one more post before we leave though.


FYI:: I am back on Facebook, but I promise not to be on there too much!

WIP... ?

I really haven't had much time to do any projects per say. But, I did cut this little one's hair. She wants to grow it long "like Mommy's", but in order to do that, the bangs had to catch up. I think it looks rather spectacular on her!

Some things we are up to around here:

*sorting through stuff and selling on Craigslist. So far, I have made $20, but today is the first day. I sorted out all my kids clothes into sizes and sex, then posted an ad listing each item in the group. We will see. We are also selling our kitchen table, hoping to replace it with a simple picnic table; our double jogging stroller, since we have a bike trailer/stroller combo too; a big bag of wooden toys for kid kitchen with puzzles and a really cute boy doll (we have too much stuff)!

I was inspired to do this by Rachel at LuSa Organics::Clean, that post really struck a cord with me; what about you?

*learning Spanish! Tyler gets access to Rosseta Stone, so we figured for our upcoming trip it may be useful. I am also brushing up on my Russian... it has been awhile!

*getting ready for our trip to Mexico! So excited to be there with our wonderful family (part of it, at least!)

*enjoying watching Colton change in front of our eyes with a love for school that I imagine I had when I was a kid. Every day when I pick him up, he asks when he gets to go back. And yesterday at storytime, him and Ayla both participated! They both used to stand there and watch, and it was SO good to see them dance around! We went and got a cookie afterward!

*I invited a couple friends to come over and make some napkins. I thought it would be a fun time to make something for Christmas, and teach some friends how to sew a little bit. If any of you are interested and live near, let me know.

*making due without Tyler for the next couple days. He headed to Las Vegas early this morning for a work thing. And he went golfing. Luckily he went to Vegas, because here, at 10:30 this morning, it was 37 degrees!!! Cold, cold, cold!!

Truthful Tuesday (late) and WIP

Truthful :: mess on the kitchen table. But, seriously led to a very productive day! (check out WIP next!)
WIP :: I finished SO much yesterday! A birthday crown and name banner for a bday girl in less than 2 weeks! A O + S shirt for said girl; a stack of diapers (in exchange for pictures, I love bartering!); 2 diaper wraps for Kellen; a pillow for my 17 (?) year old niece... hope I can get the matching quilt done before xmas!
Today (wednesday) I spent the day rearranging and cleaning the house... something I opted not to do yesterday!
AND... here is Kellen getting his first taste of solids! Sweet Potatoes (same as Ayla)So cute!

WIP kind of

Well, I don't have pictures of things I am making with the sewing machine, but the kids and I did make bagels yesterday... and they turned out great! They are already all gone.

Here is the recipe. I stuck to it mostly, except I used 1/2 wheat and 1/2 bread flour. We added Parmesan cheese on some and cinnamon and sugar on some and left some plain. All were scrumptious.Boiling the rounds.This is what Kellen thought of the whole process.
Fresh out of the oven.

last weeks visitors

We had so much fun with our 4th of July visitors! Granna and Papa; Jaden my niece; and Noel (my brother) and his boyfriend Justin. The kids loved having an older cousin to play with (she's 7), and of course, grandparents here is always great. Throw in a couple uncles, and you get some spoiled kids! But we had a lo of fun! I hadn't seen my brother in about 2 years (!) and had never met Justin. Also, having Jaden around was great... she is such a sweet, thoughtful little girl.
A trip was made to Glacier... too bad the weather wasn't cooperative! We drove up the going to the sun road, and it was rainy and very windy. Still beautiful though!
We also ventured to the Stumptown Art Studio in Whitefish, and painted some pottery... more on that later.
For Wednesday WIP, Kellen has some new drool handkerchiefs... so cute! I also made Jaden and Ayla matching skirts, and some banner parts for Colton's bday! Jaden even got some sewing in while she was here, and made herself a banner for her room. sp cute and sweet to teach her a bit about sewing!

Look for posts in near future from Colton's bday and our 4th of July! Happy Wednesday!

A little late:: {WIP} works in progress

Here is my new fabric. I am in love with it and I have big plans! The knits are special (they are the stripes and some coordinating solids) from Hawthorne Fabrics here. And the other stuff is wonderful too. There are some pants to be made for the boys, some skirts for me and Ayla, and some birthday banners and slobber bibs.... fun, fun!

{WIP} Works in Progress

In my mind, I have a lot of WIP; but in reality, this is the only one! A knitting project at the start of summer! It is a beanbag baby pillow with a knitted top. It will be pretty big, and look just like an oversized pillow, but intended for Kellen to be placed on (don't worry, he won't sink into the bag and suffocate). I just have to get it done before he starts crawling! This thing is taking MUCH more time than I anticipated. Maybe it is because it is usually done with Kellen on my lap, grabbing hold of it! What fun memories this thing will bring though. I brought it camping with us in Glacier; I spend my quiet time in the evenings knitting it; and my littlest one nestled on my lap "helping"; also the other two kiddoes like to get out my other knitting needles and a ball of yarn, and pretend to knit right along with me!
Finished dimensions are supposed to be 29"x29" but I am not sure. However, I think it will be used as a floor pillow for sitting on and playing with for years to come... Ayla has already requested one for herself... maybe.

Other projects I am looking forward to soon:
~a skirt for myself
~towel hoodies for all the kids out of either terry cloth or beach towels... haven't decided.
~towel dress for myself (found here)
~knitted swimsuit (!) for Ayla here.
~knitted toys for Kellen
~matching shirts from Oliver + S for the boys
~WAY too many things to list!!!!