Chaos

Things feel really crazy today. Yesterday I heard way too much crying, today I have to balance a home office and children who aren't napping. I need to figure out what I want and how to achieve it, especially with small children. Time management might be the biggest issue for me right now (doesn't help the Olympics are on and I love watching Olympics). I also need a little break I think, and I'm going out for coffee with a few friends tonight and I'm excited about that. I'll update if I find anything that gives me some more sanity.

Gifts

I made some homemade gifts for Christmas. Now I'm finally going to post about them! In the process of making these, I learned how to use a serger! This will be a great asset for future projects. My mom had a serger, but didn't know how to use it, so I took it, pulled out the manual and figured out how to thread it. I'm a beginner, and don't know any serger tricks, but it's a start!

I made an eternity scarf for my sister. I took an old sweater, cut it into strips, then used the serger to sew them all together and sergered the edges. Turned out pretty good!

I made a ruffled scarf for another sister, using the instructions from here. It was really easy too! Again, I used an old sweater (I love re-purposing clothes I don't wear anymore) and my sister was wowed by the results.

My brother and sister-in-law are expecting in February, so I made them some baby gifts.

I made a nursing cover (hooter hider) for my SIL, and was very proud of how it turned out. I ironed all the seams before I sewed them, and I think that made the difference and gave it a very clean, professional look. I used the instructions I found on this website.

I also made a onesie/receiving blanket set for the baby. I used the logo from my brother's business card, blew it up with a photocopier and traced it on the items. Then I used a sewing machine set on zig-zag and went over the lines. I had some trouble with the machine not feeding properly, but otherwise it turned out good. My brother was pumped, quote "it would cost $50 if I got that done by the embroidery place." Soon we get to meet this baby and then I will see that my baby (she's almost one) is not as small as I think she is!

New Things

So I got a new computer- a Mac! I'm learning how to use it all, but feel like I should be doing more with it than just surfing the internet and organizing pictures. In due time I guess.

Something else new- my baby learned to army crawl. Now she can get around and into things she shouldn't. Time to re-baby-proof. My older daughter loves to lead her around and get her to crawl by dragging toys in front of the baby. She just thinks it's hilarious- "T crawling, ha, ha, ha".

I also tried Skype today for the first time. Always fun to try something new.

Now I started a to do list of things to try or do. Skype was one of them, some will take a while, others won't. I always want adventure and to learn new things, so now I'm doing them on a smaller scale because I have 2 small children at home so adventures are a little more difficult. So I'm going to try new things and have adventures close to home, where my heart (my daughters) are.

Cut Clutter, Clean, Calm

I am by no means a neat freak. However, I definitely feel calmer when my house is tidy. Just having the dishes put away, the counter wiped and the toys cleaned up makes me feel like I can relax for the night.
I also have this new mantra, that cleaning things makes them last longer and keep better. If you never clean your carpets, they get all matted and stained (mine are, and need to be steam cleaned). Even toys and appliances; if you clean them, they keep their newness longer. This mantra can get me into some pretty good cleaning modes some days. I also getting into cleaning when I pull out my KB WonderCloth and just start wiping. It's a cloth made from special fibres, that you don't need cleaners for. It's the same idea as ENJO, but it only costs $3 per cloth. These things do wonders on all kinds of surfaces, and then when I'm done I just throw it in the wash. It makes cleaning easier, because if I get out a bucket of water, my toddler cannot stay away and I end up with a lot of wet spots around the house!

Today

Today I learned that red potatoes mash differently than white or yellow. They get kind of gluey.

Verse of the day- "A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart." Luke 6:45 (NLT)

Thought of the day- "If someone paid you ten cents for every kind word you said about people, and then collected five cents for every unkind word, would you be rich or poor?"

The verse and thought are from my brother-in-laws blog. Both kind of struck me as something to think about every once in a while.

Ikea & Freebies

On Saturday my sister and I made the trek to Ikea. Our mom babysat our kids for the day and we made the 2.5 hour drive feel short by chatting the whole time. I went to get the Expedit Bookcase, the one with the cubes that I could put baskets in for some nicer toy storage. But, of course, they didn't have any of the baskets I wanted left. So I didn't get it because if I couldn't get all of it, I'll wait, or think of something else. I did get a new duvet, and a few little decor items. Then we went to HomeSense and Michaels, and I found a bunch of stuff there. I dropped off my sister and started the 2.5 hour solo trek home. On the way, I passed a wagon with a big FREE sign on it. I had to turn around. I picked up a few things that I thought I could use for future projects. Here is a sample, finished projects to follow (hopefully soon!)

Because Parents Love Homemade Cards!

It's my MIL's birthday soon, so I thought I would try making a fabric card, after seeing this tutorial on MADE. It was really easy and turned out super nice. And I know my MIL will love that I made it. Now I will be saving every little scrap of fabric because I can make these cards with those leftover little pieces!