This and That

Yep, we're resorting to bullet points.  Don't judge.

• After two days of working on letters and sounds, Elliot became a reader!  Love this kid!

• I have been working on tons of projects for church!  We have a picnic coming up in a few weeks, so we've been painting and building outdoor games, sewing buntings, and figuring out relay races.  

• I am also neck deep in fabric to make new table clothes for church.

• We're working on plans to give the kitchenette at church a make over.  Fun stuff!!

• I started tutoring for my Spanish again.  It's been painful, but good.  This language learning, it's a life long process I tell ya!

• A few weeks ago, we found a desk for a steal!  After way too long of using the kitchen table as a desk, I have one again!!

• For Mother's Day (August 15, yep, it's different) the boys and Noah got me a hose and a nozzle!! So excited!

• Our neighbors, can I just tell you how wonderful they are?  Not only do they go along with almost every hair brained scheme we come up with, they take our kid to school, and bring us food, they also have a sweet fire pit and understand the importance of living in community and taking time!!

• We've started to think more about getting ready for our Home Ministry Assignment (furlough) that will start in December.  I've got really mixed emotions about that. On one hand, we're all very excited to see family and friends we haven't seen in over 2 years.  On the other hand, we are going to desperately miss our friends, church, and neighbors here!  Sigh.  This living with your heart in two places is hard. 

• Speaking of being in MI, if you know of anyone who has a car/van/something that will hold a family of 5 that needs to be driven, we're looking for a vehicle for that 6 months. 

Uncollection

Well, some how we went from the beginning of July to the end of July in a blink.  Here's a little of how it went

• We watched the Ticos lose to the Netherlands in a shoot out.  Sad.  But that didn't change the reception that the team got when they flew home the next week!  They drove the whole group around on a flatbed truck for 5 hours after they landed, just so people could see them.  And everwhere there are billboards thanking the team and the coaches. 

•  We went on a short get away to a beach we hadn't been to yet.  Long story, but our neighbors were given two nights at a house just off the beach and invited us to join them.  What a blast! Best part?  Hands down, feeding the monkeys on our porch first thing in the morning!

• I finally came up with a workable solution for shelves in our garage.  I even managed to maneuver the hardware store in Spanish with all the kids in tow! Oh and funny thing about those shelves.  Elliot opened the back of the 4Runner and all three boards fell out onto his little foot!  We were concerned that he might of actually broken something this time.  So we went off to the doctor the next day (this all happened the day before we went to the beach) and praise the Lord, it wasn't broken, just badly bruised!  He was told no trampoline or tree climbing for 5 days.  And now he's right as rain.

• Noah made me a window shelve too!  Yes, we're into shelves here.

• Elliot found a lizard and put a leash on him.  

• The boys and our neighbor friend built a tepee.  Steph has been collecting used sheets to make a big one later on, but she let the boys paint one for the small tepee they built.  And I will say, their painting looks very cave drawingesk.

• This week is teacher inservice at LCA.  Today the Bible teacher is talking with the rest of the staff about how Jesus taught.  Wednesday, Noah is going to be talking about discipleship, and Friday I will be sharing some practical ways a teacher can  be disciplining in their classroom every day.  This is a new concept for most of them.  Pray for us and for the staff.   

T Shirt Rag Rug

So, we live in a cement block house with tile floors. We were blessed that this house came with 4 rugs!  But I have been wanting one for our room for a while now.  Believe it or not, the floor is awfully cold in the morning and it would be nice to have a rug to stand on while we get dressed.

Well, I finally got around to making one out of old t shirts.  Yeah, you read that right! Old t shirts.  I had collected the ones from Noah that needed to be moved on and thought I had enough.  Ha!  I think there ended up being about 45 shirts in this rug (it's about 4 feet wide.)

So here's the deal.  First you have to make what the Internet calls tarn.  You know, like yarn but with a t because it's made from t shirts.  Here's the tutorial I used on how to go about this.  And honestly, this was my least favorite part.  But a couple of things I learned about making the tarn:

1. The bigger the shirt the better.  Yeah, I know that's really a no brainier, but if you end up having to go to the thrift store (like I did) for more shirts, look for XXXL!  Also, long sleeve t shirts are great, because you can use the sleeves the same way you did the body of the shirt.  Oh, and don't over look yoga pants and skirts for this project too!!
2. Some shirts didn't stretch right.  Yeah, again, sorta a no brainier, but some didn't curl the way they were "suppose" to.  No worries, it just gives a different texture.  Some of the shirts I got ended up being ribbed when I stretched them.  It added a cool texture to those rows.
3.  Think about your colors.  Or don't. Just go with it.  I tried to have some rhythm and reason to what I was doing, but towards the end, it just became about getting around the circle with colors that were similar!  Seriously, those last rows took 2 whole shirts to make it around once.  You might want to plan accordingly.

Now, how did I actually put it together?  Giant crochet hook!  Well, not super giant, but I think I used about a 9.  And it crochets up really fast.  Each row is about an inch wide.  Be prepared for your hand to hurt after a while and know too that the rug gets really heavy!  Also, depending on the shape you want for your rug, you'll need to look up the formula for that shape.  Here's a good video on how to make a flat circle.

Just this morning, Noah looked at me and said, "I am really glad you spent 48 hours to make that rug.  It's nice to stand on."  Ha!  Well, good.  Con gusto mi amor!

Reusable Vacuum Cleaner Bag

When my parents came down in April, they brought my vacuum.

Why? Don't you have tile floors?

Why, yes, yes we do. But sweeping just wasn't getting up all the dog hair, and we do have some area rugs. I had let my sister in law use the vacuum not thinking it would ever be able to come because it takes up the whole weight limit by itself. So it was a luxury item for sure!!

It's a vacuum that has served us well. It was a wedding present and 10 years later it is still going strong. But here's the thing.  It's a vacuum that needs a bag.  Which is one thing in the States, although it still was a pain at Barakel, but at least I had good old Amazon I could count on.  But here, it's an entirely different matter.

So, I started thinking, I could probably make a reusable one, right?  Surely the interwebs will be full of directions on how to do this...or not.  I spent hours looking and I think I found one blog that talked about how she made a reusable bag.  Here it is.

And so, today I tried it.  I found some nylon synthetic weird fabric someone gave me I figured would keep dust in, an old zipper from a cannibalized backpack and the nastiest shiny green thread (why is that in my stash?!?  What on earth would I have bought that for???)

I ripped apart my old bag, because while I have 2 new ones left, I wanted to make sure I still had two new ones if this plan didn't work out so well.  I dumped all the old junk out and have been sneezing ever since!  But then I could get the dimensions for my new bag.  I measured the length, width and depth, and cut two panels that were narrower for the sides and two that were wider for the front and back.  I used a very close zigzag stitch for the seams because I didn't want stuff seeping through.  For the top, I sewed it shut, folded it over and sewed another line, again, don't want crud escaping!

For the bottom, I used a zipper and again sewed it in place using lots of little, close together stitches.

For the part that connects to the hose, I tore off the cardboard piece from the old bag and just sewed that sucker on there with a wide zigzag.  Then I sniped the hole open and woulda looky there!  A new bag!!

I did test it out and it works perfectly!!  So exciting!  Now, no more trying to find bags, or taking up valuable luggage space when we are stateside to stock up.  Plus, it's was free, and no bags in the garbage now!

Finishing the Details

Yesterday Noah sent me out.  He said, "I don't care what you do, but you need to get out of the house for a while."  Heheh, I think that means I was a bit cranky.  But I'll take it.

So first stop was to get an actual magazine.  I ended up with Newsweek.  Then, off to find some coffee and a bagel.  That would be Lemonjello's in Holland.  I sat there enjoying the coffee and my magazine for a good long while.   

Then, becuase I wasn't ready to head home, I went to one of those very fun, but super expensive kid stores in downtown Holland.  You know, just to look around and be amazed at the fact that people pay $25 for a white onesie that says, "No Hablo"  (I don't talk).  Don't get me wrong.  It was super cute.  And in Spanish none the less, but I am not going to pay $25 for that!

I was very tempted by these gauze receiving blankets though.

aden and anais price charming swaddles

Oh, my, were they lovely to the touch and just so perfect for a baby born in one of the hottest Junes ever!  But, again, I could not bring myself to pay $50 for 4 blankets.  Sorry.

But that got me thinking.  And then, because I still wasn't ready to come home yet, I stopped at the fabric store.  I found some gauze that was on sale, bought three yards, was a pain to the cutting table lady and had her cut them in 1 yard sections and then came home.  I simply zigzagged the raw edges and just like that,  I had three gauze blankets for about $18 instead of $50.  

Today I had a doctor's appointment and when the nurse asked me when baby was due, I said, "Next week" and went, "oh my word!  NEXT week!!  So today I made granola and tried to get the laundry under control and then Noah told me I needed to sit down.  But really, I think we are ready.  Well, except for packing the hospital bag.  But that's only because I only have a few things that fit. 

So, I think I am all caught up on things around here, well, you know, until we all change into our jammies tonight and there are dirty clothes.  But really, I think now we are ready for Baby.

Valentine's Day Fun

The other day I needed to make something.  To create.  I am not good at just making something for the simple sake of making.  I usually need a reason.  And Valentine's Day seemed as good as any other reason.

Some inspiration was delivered to my Google reader and it just seemed like a good idea to make these to hang for the light in the dinning room.  Elliot loves ribbons and such hanging from the light, and it makes life so festive.

And these...aren't they just so darling?  Makes me want to throw a baby girl shower, or maybe a tea party, or something that requires delicate, whimsical paper craftiness.

If you are interested, here's the link to the heart garland and the paper flowers on sticks, ha!  Have fun!  Add some cheer to your February white and gray.

I Just Pretend

I like to think I can sew.  But really I just pretend.  No really.  I set out on what seemed like a simple project and I did more ripping out of seams than I did actual sewing I think.

Right now both boys are in cribs still.  Yes, think whatever you want of us, but when you got a good thing going, you don't mess with it.  Forrest can get in and out as he pleases and we are fine with that.  Elliot now gets to camp out every night in his crib tent (and yes, we have laughed about the fact that he is a Kamper and sleeps in a tent next to a Forrest every night. HA!)  Anyway, right now they are in cribs, but when we move they will most likely be in regular beds and probably be in the same room (right now we have the luxury of them being in separate spaces.)

All that to explain that they will need new bedding when we move.  And from everything that we have read and heard from people who know these sorts of details, we should bring our bedding with us.

So, I began the hunt for something cute, something all boy and something cheap. Oh, and I was given a detailed list of things that it must include by Forrest.  It needed to have blue in it.  And his next favorite color is green (which is also Elliot's default color most of the time).  Next it probably should have white in it, and brown is good too Mom.  I showed him a comforter I found online and while it had lots of green and brown in it, it just wasn't right.

Then I found a set of king sized sheets on clearance for $16.  And they were striped, with blue, and brown and white.  Three out of four ain't bad.  The wheels started turning in the aisle at Meijer.  Could I turn king sized sheets into a comforter?  I called my mom who knows a thing or two about taking something and making it into something else.  I decided to go for it.
 

With our trip to IKEA coming up, I knew I could get a lightweight comforter for the filling for about $8, and the back sheets for $2 each.  All totaled, that meant I could get the boys' comforters and pillow cases for $18 each.  Not bad.  Considering the green ones that Forrest vetoed were $20 for just the duvet.  That took care of the cheap part.  And the fabric was cute and all boy, but wasn't too little boy, so they could grow into their room.

Well, like I said, in principle, this seems like an easy project.  Really all that was required was cutting the sheets to the right size, and sewing 4 straight lines.  Right.  I managed to cut one of the sheets two inches too short, and I think I ripped out at least 4 seams because they were botched.  Goodness.  But I got the second one done this morning.  And while I don't want anyone to look too closely, they turned out decent enough.  Yeah, I photographed a good section of stitching.  Oh the wonder of macro photography!

And I do think they are pretty cute for a boys' room.  I bought two orange storage boxes and two brown ones that fold up really small to take for toys or clothes or books or who knows what.

Both boys have declared they like their new blankets. So now we get to pack them up.  One more thing checked off the prep list!

New Art for My Walls

Forrest has been begging to paint for days.  Days I tell ya.  And I just wasn't up to it.  I would love to think that I just drop anything for a request like "Mom, I want to create right now!"  but it's not that simple.  Because then Elliot wants to too.  And we have carpet everywhere in the house.  And there is snow outside.  And well, I just couldn't hack it this week. 

But that's why kids have two parents.  Because Noah was up for it.  And had the energy to help Forrest after Elliot went to bed one night this week.  And Papa is so much more fun with painting than Mama, because he lets Forrest use the real paints and a canvas!  None of this water painting nonsense from books.

 

It was an exploration in color.  Learning what colors to use to make others.  That painting usually doesn't mean doing somersaults at the same time.  And that you should wear one of dad's old shirts to paint in.  You know basic stuff.

I loved watching how intent they both were on what they were doing.    And seeing what Forrest would come up with.

And aren't those sweet in between baby and kid fingers and toes the best?  There are moments I look at him and he seems like such a big kid, and other moments where he is still a baby.  What a funny stage.

And this is the end result.  Hung up high so it doesn't get knocked over. 

They Make Me Smile

Durning all my chores today, I looked up and saw this.   What fun to have this little creative critters in our house.

Crafting Instead of Working

Yesterday I took a break from Christmas cards.  I don't know if that was the wisest idea,  you tell me?  And no, that isn't a catalog.  That is my stack of cards.  Noah has one this size too.

Do you buy coils of a hundred stamps for your Christmas cards?  We are a bit behind this year because we got a late start and then we were on the road for 8 days.

Anyway, back to my break.  I took a break because well, I was going a bit cross eyed.  Remember this tear sheet?  Well, before we left, I ordered the punch to make this circles, and while we were downstate, my sister gave me a couple of old books.  I made a quick stop in Holland to get some funky paper, and yesterday, while listening to two old episodes of This American Life, I sewed these together.

They are hanging the whole length of the the dinning room/living room.  I am not completely sold on the look yet. I need to live with it for a while still.  When Elliot got up from his nap yesterday, the first thing he said was, "I love those!"  Forrest's first comment was, "I don't like them, take them down.  We should put up lights instead."  Well.

Noah had his opinion too.  He thinks they need to not be as droopy.  I am wondering if  it would be better just over my window in from of my desk.  Too many art directors, I am afraid!

Anyway, they are up.  And we will live with it for a while to see what we like.  If we can all come to a conclusion.

Done!

Hurray! Remember that big Christmas project I alluded to a few days ago?  Well, it's done!  Finished it this afternoon.  And while I would love to show you all, I can't for pretty obvious reasons.  But I will take some photos and post after they have been distrubited.  And now just one more project for my boys, and then I am done with all the Christmas sewing.

There is still chocolates to make, and a few odds and ends to wrap up before I am officially done with all the Christmas shopping.  Now to enjoy the season!

Now Aren't Those Pretty?

See I did it again!  I really thought I had just posted something and then I actually looked at the date...hummmm, Sunday.  Not good I tell ya!

Since I am pretty sure you all are tired of hearing me go on and on and on about packing things in tubs and organizing and purging, let's move on to something a bit different for today.

I have some of those reusable grocery bags you can buy for $1.  You know, the kind that have the store's logo on them, so you pay to advertise for them.  I know people who buy different ones for different stores because they feel weird about using a Meijer bag at Walmart...anyway.

So mine are black, which was a good start.  And the logo wasn't too big on them either.  But after about 2 years, I am just tired of them.  So on Monday when The Women Who Keep Me Sane and I went to civilization, I bought some really fun fabric to cover those suckers!

And boy do they look cute!  Although one of my former students told me I will get weird looks for these bags.  What do you think?

Cute Cupcakes

So this post is mainly for my sister, who was laughing at me when she called last night.  I was in the middle of practicing making chrysanthemums with frosting.  Yeah, I would laugh at me too. Tonight is the last time we have the summer leadership over for dinner.  I wanted it to be a special night, so we are having chicken curry and cucumber salad and chocolate cupcakes.  Remember the whole, "Make cute cupcakes" thing?

So here are the results!  It's amazing what you can learn from YouTube!  Oh, and Martha Stewart.

And for those of you who care about these sorts of things, I used this frosting recipe, and got the idea from here and here.

Boxes

We went a bit box crazy last week.  No really.  There was the barn, the wagons, and then there was the Little House.

Last Saturday, I called The Warehouse, which serves as the local appliance, furniture, DirectTV, Verizon store(s?).  You can also buy engagement rings there.  I was on the hunt for some big boxes.  Mammoth boxes.  Ones so big that a 3 year old could stand up in them.

I have this vague memory from my childhood.  I had to be about 3.  I remember what seemed at the time a behemoth of a cardboard house sitting out on our front porch on Whitfield, or was it Willard?  Why did we live on two streets starting with W before I was 5?  I can never remember.  Whitefield, I...think.

Anyway, back to the box house.  I remember even sleeping in a couple of times.  And I think we drew flowers on the outsides of it.  Maybe even window boxes.

So it's from this vague memory of a 3 year old I was trying to reconstruct this for my kids.  I got to The Warehouse, and they had both a range box and a refrigerator box.  I wanted both!  But the guy that was helping me was trying to tell me they both wouldn't fit.  And he was right.  Because he was trying to put them in the van fully put together.  He tried putting the stroller in the range box with the hatch open and told me I could drive the 15 miles home like that.

And then I realized this was silliness.  I needed to collapse them.  And sure enough the range fit just fine.  And then I realized, despite this "helpful" guys protests, that I could do the same with the refrigerator box and slide it along side the seats.  Perfecto!  Minivans are amazing pieces of equipment!

I wanted it to be a surprise for the boys, so I waited until the boys were asleep, and then wielding my knife, I started to create this box house.  I used the stove box as the "main" section, complete with a door 2 windows and a huge hole, where I slide the refrigerator box sideways through.  This made a long tunnel section.  I added another door, several more windows and taped that sucker together.

Then, because I was bored, I grabbed some paint that I had laying around and painted the whole outside of the house.  I figured this structure was going to be with us for a while, and I didn't want to look at it with all it's labels for the rest of the summer.

I kept it from the boys until the next morning.  Forrest headed to the playroom first thing, and promptly came running back to my room, "Mommy!  There is a little house!  Can I play in it?"   He then went to breakfast with Noah, and when he came home he asked, "Is the Little House still builded?"  I guess he figured it appeared out of nowhere overnight, maybe it would disappear while he was at breakfast.

So fun.  And it was free.  And it's providing hours of entertainment for all!

Baby Wipes

So there are probably about 5 thousand sites on the web detailing how you can make your own baby wipes...ok, so more like 370,000 (yes, I did just google that).

But I thought why not add my own meager offerings to the mix.  Really, I was trying to come up with something new and exciting to tell you about today.  But since 370,000 other sites are talking about it, I guess this isn't really new.  And I am not sure how exciting baby wipes are.

Alright, moving on before I talk myself out of this post.  I have always made our baby wipes.  My sister in law gave the perfect container for them when I was pregnant with Forrest, for baby showers I was given more baby soap than I could use with 5 children and they are oh so very easy to make.   And cheap!  Maybe that's the part you would get excited about.  I can make a container of wipes for about 60 cents!

You will need some paper towel
Hot water
Baby shampoo
Plastic Container
Bread knife, hack saw, something to cut the paper towels

 Get a roll of paper towels, I use Bounty.  This is one of like 4 things I buy the brand name. I have found it to be the best, it's strong enough but not rough.

Cut the roll in half lengthwise. My bread knife works the best for that. The end will be a little fringey, but whatever....it's just wipes.  I have also started to cut my whole package of paper towels (I buy the big 8 roll pack, which makes 16 containers) at one time, cutting (heheh) down on the work I have to do later.

Then, for each container, mix about a cup and a half of hot water (hot from the tap is fine, or you can pop it in the microwave for a while), and few squirts of baby shampoo.  I also add a few drops of tea tree oil to ward off diaper rash. Stir, or better yet, add those things to your measuring cup before you add water.  I am all about less work people! Pour over the paper towel (oh, put the paper towel in the container first). The hot water will loosen the cardboard core, which you will be able to pull out. You will then be able to pull the wipes from the middle of the container.

I don't even know how much I have saved using this. Since I was given the container and the shampoo, all I really have to buy is the tea tree oil (one one ounce bottle has lasted me a year, and we are no where near the end of it) and the paper towels (those cost me $9 for a 8 pack, which like I said makes 16 containers.)  I think it's a little under 60 cents a container of 52 wipes.

Oh, and for those of you who cloth diaper, but don't use cloth wipes, you can flush these!

So there you go, big, exciting news!