I'll probably end up making at least one more coat as well as some hats and shoes to stick by the door. I think my favorite things to make are all the little details, I just love them!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Mini Coat
I made a coat to hang on the coat rack in my dollhouse! I found the pattern online at the AIM magazine website (Artisans in Miniature, a free e-magazine about dollhouse's). I spent a bit of time working on it and I'm not sure I'm happy with it yet, but I love how much life it adds to the room!
I'll probably end up making at least one more coat as well as some hats and shoes to stick by the door. I think my favorite things to make are all the little details, I just love them!
I'll probably end up making at least one more coat as well as some hats and shoes to stick by the door. I think my favorite things to make are all the little details, I just love them!
Kids
It's been awhile since I took pics of the kids, and this past week I was able to take some. So, here are some current shots of the kids.
My Birthday
We celebrated my birthday this past Sunday. It was a lovely, relaxing day! I got to spend it doing just what I like to do! In years past I have let everything go (dishes, cleaning up after kids, etc.) but have found that by the end of the day I'm so stressed by the mess that I come unglued. So, this time I just did my regular activities, it made for a much less stressful time. :-)
We started the day with bagels and cream cheese for breakfast, one of my favorite meals. We used only food that we had on hand for my birthday meals but they still turned out nice and special. Micah and Jeremiah had runny noses and coughs so I stayed home from church with them while Mark took the rest of the family. It was a good morning, I spent quite a bit of time working on my dollhouse, reading, and relaxing. It was sooo quiet with just the little guys!
When everyone got home we opened gifts. Mark had taken the kids shopping a week ago and they all picked out gifts for me, it was fun to open them all and see what they picked! They all knew exactly what they wanted to get for me, and I have to say they did a good job! I also had a gift from Mark, my parents, and a few cards. Then it was on to lunch: grilled chicken, jello, and tomato slices, with cake for dessert!
The afternoon was spent doing more hobby type stuff, playing games,
playing with the kids and just relaxing. We had tea and sandwiches for
dinner, with ice cream for dessert! After the kids went to bed Mark and
I watched the movie he got me, "Yes Man". Just a side note, we have a clear play DVD player which we used for this movie, it is NOT acceptable without the clear play. It was a really nice day!
We started the day with bagels and cream cheese for breakfast, one of my favorite meals. We used only food that we had on hand for my birthday meals but they still turned out nice and special. Micah and Jeremiah had runny noses and coughs so I stayed home from church with them while Mark took the rest of the family. It was a good morning, I spent quite a bit of time working on my dollhouse, reading, and relaxing. It was sooo quiet with just the little guys!
When everyone got home we opened gifts. Mark had taken the kids shopping a week ago and they all picked out gifts for me, it was fun to open them all and see what they picked! They all knew exactly what they wanted to get for me, and I have to say they did a good job! I also had a gift from Mark, my parents, and a few cards. Then it was on to lunch: grilled chicken, jello, and tomato slices, with cake for dessert!
Wall Art...
Josiah decided to draw a lovely picture in beautiful blue crayon...all over my bedroom wall! The policy in our house is "if you make the mess, you clean it up" (when age appropriate of course). So, Josiah has spent every afternoon scrubbing away at his drawing with a magic eraser and still has a long way to go. Here's his progress so far...it was a LARGE drawing!
As you can tell, he is not too thrilled about cleaning it all off. Maybe this will teach him not to draw on the walls in the future!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Chimney Breast
I made up a foam core board mock-up of the chimney breast in the dollhouse. I'm not sure if this will be the final product or if I will take the time to make one out of wood. I know that it needs to be removable because all my wiring in the house is going to run down behind it.
Still so much to do in here but it's really starting to take shape. I installed the trim around the front window, but haven't found what I want for around the front door yet. I'm also thinking that I will get or make some different couches but this one works for now.
Still so much to do in here but it's really starting to take shape. I installed the trim around the front window, but haven't found what I want for around the front door yet. I'm also thinking that I will get or make some different couches but this one works for now.
Spring is here!!!
I'm so happy, Spring is finally here! The weather is warming up nicely and things are starting to green up! I know we're still in for a snowstorm or two, but for the most part it will be warm from here on out! Yay!
Here are some pictures of my plants:
I don't clean out the flower beds until spring, so this bed looks a bit messy. But it's so exciting to see the flowers popping up! These are iris', I think.
Here's my rhubarb. This is it's second growing year, so 1 more year till we can harvest it! I'm not sure how it's supposed to look or whether this is right but I'm just so glad it made it through the winter!
My lilac leaves are budding out. I'm not sure when the lilac flowers come or if I will have any this year but I hope to have some eventually.
And finally, my strawberries came back!!! So excited about them and looking forward to a good crop!
Here are some pictures of my plants:
I don't clean out the flower beds until spring, so this bed looks a bit messy. But it's so exciting to see the flowers popping up! These are iris', I think.
Here's my rhubarb. This is it's second growing year, so 1 more year till we can harvest it! I'm not sure how it's supposed to look or whether this is right but I'm just so glad it made it through the winter!
My lilac leaves are budding out. I'm not sure when the lilac flowers come or if I will have any this year but I hope to have some eventually.
And finally, my strawberries came back!!! So excited about them and looking forward to a good crop!
Game time
The other day the kids decided to get out a game and play it all by themselves. I was so proud of them, I just had to take a picture!
It's so wonderful that the kids are able to do things like this by themselves now!
It's so wonderful that the kids are able to do things like this by themselves now!
I CAN make breakfast!
As you might remember from my posts about our menus, I have always said that I CAN'T make breakfast. Well, I have to admit, this is not entirely true. I CAN make breakfast, I just struggle with it.
A lot.
In the past two months we have been struggling with finances (so what else is new?!?), enough so that we have only been able to pay ourselves enough to cover bills, gas, and minimal groceries. (Good thing I'm good at budgeting and planning ahead for expenses, but that's a subject for another time.) Anyhow, cold cereal was simply NOT an option for February or March. So, I have had to make breakfast. Good thing we are self employed since the first week or so it was nearly 9 a.m. before I could get breakfast around! I'm getting better now, and can have it around by 8. Mark likes to leave for work between 8:20 and 8:30, so this just gives him time to eat. In the past month I've made for breakfast (some multiple times):
Oatmeal
Baked Oatmeal
Maple Polenta
Cornmeal Mush (no, not the same as polenta, similar, but not the same)
Grits, Toast, and Bacon
Cream of Wheat
Rice with milk, raisins and sugar
Toast and Juice
Biscuits
Muffins
Pancakes
Waffles
French Toast
Scrambled Eggs and Toast
Fried Eggs and Toast
Bagels and Cream Cheese
English Muffin Melts (tried this recipe from Pioneer Woman blog, it was not good, don't try it, you will be disappointed!)
Biscuits and Egg Gravy
Fruit
Peach Cobbler
Cornbread
Crepes
French Breakfast Puffs
Doughnuts (this was our one special treat, store bought!)
It's been nice to have so much variety! We have mostly been eating from our pantry, I've only bought perishable things like fruit, vegies, and dairy products. I'm so glad I had a full pantry to eat from!
I guess the lesson that can be learned from this is, never say you CAN'T do something, because that thing will probably happen!
A lot.
In the past two months we have been struggling with finances (so what else is new?!?), enough so that we have only been able to pay ourselves enough to cover bills, gas, and minimal groceries. (Good thing I'm good at budgeting and planning ahead for expenses, but that's a subject for another time.) Anyhow, cold cereal was simply NOT an option for February or March. So, I have had to make breakfast. Good thing we are self employed since the first week or so it was nearly 9 a.m. before I could get breakfast around! I'm getting better now, and can have it around by 8. Mark likes to leave for work between 8:20 and 8:30, so this just gives him time to eat. In the past month I've made for breakfast (some multiple times):
Oatmeal
Baked Oatmeal
Maple Polenta
Cornmeal Mush (no, not the same as polenta, similar, but not the same)
Grits, Toast, and Bacon
Cream of Wheat
Rice with milk, raisins and sugar
Toast and Juice
Biscuits
Muffins
Pancakes
Waffles
French Toast
Scrambled Eggs and Toast
Fried Eggs and Toast
Bagels and Cream Cheese
English Muffin Melts (tried this recipe from Pioneer Woman blog, it was not good, don't try it, you will be disappointed!)
Biscuits and Egg Gravy
Fruit
Peach Cobbler
Cornbread
Crepes
French Breakfast Puffs
Doughnuts (this was our one special treat, store bought!)
It's been nice to have so much variety! We have mostly been eating from our pantry, I've only bought perishable things like fruit, vegies, and dairy products. I'm so glad I had a full pantry to eat from!
I guess the lesson that can be learned from this is, never say you CAN'T do something, because that thing will probably happen!
Project Update
For those of you wondering how our projects are going I thought I would post a quick update. Any projects in our house take a LONG time to complete and this time around is not different. Especially since I'm pregnant, things just don't get done. Sigh... Anyhow, here is how our family room is looking right now.
You might remember that I was planning to paint it and turn it into a school/play room? Well, that is still the plan, we just haven't made much progress. We did get rid of our couch (it was so old and worn out we had to pay the trash company $30 to haul it off!), and sold our old entertainment center. So, it's looking a bit empty furniture wise. But we more than make up for it with toys! ;-) We are hoping to do the painting in the next month or so. Then will come the fun part, rearranging, decorating and settling back in!
As for our other projects, well, they are progressing even slower. We bought all the wood to redo the railings in our house. Here it is sitting in our garage.
As incredible as it seems this small pile is a little over $300 worth of wood! Ouch! It all has to be stained, which I shouldn't do, so it has to wait for Mark to have time.
The hallway upstairs still needs to be painted. I keep hoping for a day when I will have the energy to tackle it but so far that hasn't happened. (I know, I know. I probably shouldn't paint either...) With my track record it might be another few years!
So, that's about it for our projects!
You might remember that I was planning to paint it and turn it into a school/play room? Well, that is still the plan, we just haven't made much progress. We did get rid of our couch (it was so old and worn out we had to pay the trash company $30 to haul it off!), and sold our old entertainment center. So, it's looking a bit empty furniture wise. But we more than make up for it with toys! ;-) We are hoping to do the painting in the next month or so. Then will come the fun part, rearranging, decorating and settling back in!
As for our other projects, well, they are progressing even slower. We bought all the wood to redo the railings in our house. Here it is sitting in our garage.
As incredible as it seems this small pile is a little over $300 worth of wood! Ouch! It all has to be stained, which I shouldn't do, so it has to wait for Mark to have time.
The hallway upstairs still needs to be painted. I keep hoping for a day when I will have the energy to tackle it but so far that hasn't happened. (I know, I know. I probably shouldn't paint either...) With my track record it might be another few years!
So, that's about it for our projects!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Haircut
So, for the entire 8 1/2 years of our marriage I have had essentially the same haircut. Periodically I've had Mark trim my hair but I have not been to get it cut professionally since getting married. This past weekend that all changed. My hair was driving me crazy so I broke down and went and got it cut! Here's the "before"shot:
And here's the after, with side bangs, layering and about 6"shorter:
Since I hadn't had my hair cut in so long I thought I wasn't supposed to style it before going. Probably not the smartest thing I ever did as the stylist then assumed that it looked like this always (it doesn't). I have to admit, I don't really care for my new style. It looks dreadful in these pictures (both before and after) thanks to NO styling at all. I had forgotten a very important characteristic of my hair, namely, when short it becomes very, very wavy/curly/unmanageable. Hope I can get the hang of styling this so I don't look like I have a birds nest on top of my head all the time!
Oh, and on top of all that, not a single person even noticed that it was cut! Do I really always look so bad?!? If I ever figure out how to style it I will post a picture of it but more than likely it will just be grown out again...
And here's the after, with side bangs, layering and about 6"shorter:
Since I hadn't had my hair cut in so long I thought I wasn't supposed to style it before going. Probably not the smartest thing I ever did as the stylist then assumed that it looked like this always (it doesn't). I have to admit, I don't really care for my new style. It looks dreadful in these pictures (both before and after) thanks to NO styling at all. I had forgotten a very important characteristic of my hair, namely, when short it becomes very, very wavy/curly/unmanageable. Hope I can get the hang of styling this so I don't look like I have a birds nest on top of my head all the time!
Oh, and on top of all that, not a single person even noticed that it was cut! Do I really always look so bad?!? If I ever figure out how to style it I will post a picture of it but more than likely it will just be grown out again...
Sickness in the house
This past week our whole family has been laid up with a nasty cold bug. We all have been coughing our brains out, combined with gunky runny noses. Yuck! Micah got it particulary bad, he spent a great deal of the week sleeping on the couch (next to me...). :-)
Fortunately, we are all getting over it now and starting to get back into the normal swing of things. Being sick/having sick kids really does throw a wrench in how the house runs and it's nice to get back into our routine!
Fortunately, we are all getting over it now and starting to get back into the normal swing of things. Being sick/having sick kids really does throw a wrench in how the house runs and it's nice to get back into our routine!
Fireplace Progress
For all of you interested in my dollhouse, I thought I would give you a little glimpse of how my fireplace for the dollhouse living room is coming. I built the main part first including all the trim and mantel, then painted it. Then came cutting, installing, painting, and mortaring the egg carton bricks. Last night I built the firebox and next I plan to build the chimney breast. Here it is as of today:
I based the design on a picture that I saw in a magazine of a fireplace that I loved. As far as figuring out all the "how's" of putting this together, I have been following this blog post, one of my all time favorite dollhouse blogs. It has the best tutorials!
I'll keep you posted on my progress, slow and steady wins the race, right? :-)
I based the design on a picture that I saw in a magazine of a fireplace that I loved. As far as figuring out all the "how's" of putting this together, I have been following this blog post, one of my all time favorite dollhouse blogs. It has the best tutorials!
I'll keep you posted on my progress, slow and steady wins the race, right? :-)
Black Eye!
Josiah has a nack for doing the darndest things! This week it was running into the patio table out back and giving himself a black eye! (Not sure how, since the tabletop is actually shorter than him, but that's what he said happened!)
When he first came in I though he had poked out his eye, but after cleaning it up a bit I could see that it was just this cut under the eye. Praise the Lord he didn't hit another 1/8th inch up, or we would have had a major crisis on our hands!
When he first came in I though he had poked out his eye, but after cleaning it up a bit I could see that it was just this cut under the eye. Praise the Lord he didn't hit another 1/8th inch up, or we would have had a major crisis on our hands!
Awana Store
Last week was Store night at Awana! For any of you who have ever had kids in Awana you know that this is very exciting for the kids. :-) Elijah had almost $100 Awana bucks (Awana bucks are earned for various things from saying verses to wearing your vest) and Emmaline had almost $120! Emmaline didn't spend much of hers, she came home with only a few things. Elijah came home with only a few things as well, but he had one big purchase which took most of his money. Here it is, a Cars clock that cost $50!
He is quite proud of his purchase and has it hanging above his bed in a prominent place so everyone can see it!
