Yummy Hot Soup

My long awaited for week off from work has consisted of:

1. Cleaning up the Christmas "stuff" - my house has never (and I repeat NEVER) been this much of a disaster before. Toys everywhere . . . bed parts laying all over son #1's bedroom floor . . . piles of stuff on every flat surface . . . food (and by that I mean sweets) on every counter in the kitchen . . . Don't get me wrong - I absolutely love putting up all the Christmas decorations and the tree and the lights and all of it! But it's a relief when it all comes down and gets put away for the year!

2. Gutting out two boy's bedrooms - It's time, finally, to take down the crib and haul it out. No more babies in this house. It was actually a little sad! So the crib came out, the changing table went out with it - to a new little couple who will hopefully add a new baby to our extended family down the road. Son #1 got a new (well, new to us) log bed that I picked up really cheap from the online classifieds. Add a new mattress, sheets, comforter, wall decoration (only one so far - maybe I'll post about that fun crafty item), etc and he has a new "big boy" room. Son #2 got the toddler bed and all the car/truck decorations that son #1 is now done with. But all of this moving meant two complete days worth of cleaning and organizing and throwing away (while the boys weren't looking!) and donating. I'm exhausted!

We've had a nice big and very cold snowstorm on top of us for the last two days - we haven't left the house in more than a few days (and to be honest, showering is optional on days like these!). So I decided that rather than finishing up the leftovers, it was time for a nice piping hot pot of soup. I had seen this yummy Harvest Soup with Sweet Potatoes recipe over at The Mother Huddle's blog and decided to try it out. Husband isn't especially fond of meatless meals (especially when I make the mistake of telling him that it will be meatless as I'm making it). So I added some diced chicken breasts to "beef it up". I didn't have barley on hand either, but the veggies were amazing. The boys didn't even complain - they dove right in and ate it up. I'm sure the chicken helped with that too. Nothing better than a bowl of yummy hot soup on a cold winter's day. Now that's really M-M-M-good!

A Simple Chair Cushion for an Important Gift

My good friend asked me if I would make a chair cushion for her to go with a Christmas present she was giving. Her first husband (father to her two boys) passed away a few years ago from cancer and she had a little chair that he had used when he was a child. Her now-husband stripped the paint and repainted it black - absolutely adorable! It was a gift for her new grand-daughter, first grandchild from one of her sons. A chair from her Grandpa A. that was refinished by her Grandpa R. A little pink chair cushion would be the perfect finishing touch.

I've made chair cushions before, but they were adult sized ones with thick pads in them. This miniature version turned out to be a little more difficult to do without instructions and a pattern. I think I unpicked more seams that I actually ended up sewing for the final version! But I think I'm a pro now at making one of these. The cushion really does set it off and pulls it all together!The best part about this little project is that I have a little chair from my childhood in my garage that needs to be stripped and repainted. It will also need a cushion. And now I'm motivated to do it!

It's Over Already?

How is it possible that Christmas has come and gone? I had so many plans for fun things to make this month. A few (very few) of them were accomplished, and other items were added to the list at the last minute and took priority. And life . . . enjoying the season and not stressing over the little things . . . always takes the top priority. But honestly, I can't believe that it's over with already!

I needed a quick birthday gift for a friend and decided to raid my stash for cute fabric to make another gathered pouch. Love these - so easy and fast . . .

. . . and yet so useful. I actually need to whip out another one or two to hold some small things I got for Christmas. Good thing I'm now keeping a supply of perfectly sized zippers on hand just for these little bags. You gotta love these - I've made a million over the years. No-sew fleece blankets. When son #1 was born, a lady I work with gave me a no-sew flecce blanket with teddy bears on it. It is son #1's favorite blanket still to this day (we call it his teddy blankey). I must add that fleece has gotten so much cuter in the last few years. It used to be so blurry that it hurt your eyes to look at the print. Now I can hardly make it through a fabric store trip without picking up a yard or two of really cute fleece to make more blankets with. We decided to make a few to give away as presents this year, and of course, the boys each got yet another one as well (to keep them warm in daddy's truck in the mornings). These are really so easy - trim off the selvage edges. Then on the short edges (non-selvage) cut strips every inch all the way along the edge. I find that strips around 4 - 4 1/2 inches long work the best for me. And a quick shout out for rotary cutters and mats - what ever did we do without these amazing and wonderful tools!

Then take each strip and tie a knot at the top of each. Ta da - you're done! And so soft and warm. Unfortunately two of the most notable blankets we made didn't get into any pictures - one was out of University of Utah fleece (my favorite) and the other was a beautiful fleece that I found at Joann's that seriously looked like it was knitted. It was a beautiful blue and red and white with snowflakes all over it. I wish I would have picked up a few yards of that fleece to keep for myself. If I'm lucky, they'll still have some in stock.

Never fear, my list of projects to work on for Christmas will just get moved to 2011 and hopefully I'll get a few things done in the off-season. Happy Christmas!

Slowly But Surely . . .

"I am serious, and don't call me Shirley" - ha ha (my favorite Leslie Nielsen line).

My list of craft projects to work on this month are slowly getting accomplished. Unavoidable distractions (good and sad) have added to the slowness but it's all good.

Let's check two items off my list:

1. Christmas Countdown Blocks - my one and only sister came up and spent a week with us while husband was out of town and we enjoyed putting these blocks together from Makia Creations. I love the fact that they put instructional videos on YouTube for you to follow to make their crafts. We had a great time and they turned out really cute. Now that my big quilted handmade advent calendar has been taken over by my boys, this is one that I get to do all by myself.

2. Jewelry - sister and I were trying to whittle down our Christmas shopping list while she was in town and we decided to make a bracelet for someone. I used my imagination and put this beauty together. Sister decided that she liked it so much, we made a very similar one for her.

Of course I had to make myself something new while I had all the jewelry making stuff out. I picked up these pretty blue stone beads a few months ago and finally got them put together in a nice simple but chunky bracelet - love it!

I have a few time sensitive things to get out of the way this week and then I hope to get back to my craft list. I'm itching to get things done!!!!

My List of Things to Do This Month

How does that old saying go - something about it's always feast or famine. I went a few weeks without being in too much of a crafting mood - and now I have a list of projects a mile long. And I'm trying to be disciplined to hold off on using all my free time to craft so that I can continue on my de-junking binge. I still have my pantry, the craft room/office, and the storage room to go. It feels sooooo good to de-junk! But crafts are calling my name!

Here are a few of the things on my list for this month. Some are just for me and others are gifts. This is a new project I ordered that should be arriving this week. I can't wait for this one!

This is a project that I started a very, very long time ago. Here's a hint - until last year, it had been about 15 years since we put up a Christmas tree (just keeping life simple - not a formal protest of Christmas). Now with little ones around, we gave in last year and loved every minute of having a tree in the house. Without a Christmas tree, I haven't needed to finish this craft - but now it will come in very handy. Can't wait to finish this one up!This fabric is for a new project pattern I bought. I'm hoping to get to it this year.

These are something I do every year for family gifts. I've probably waited too long to get started on these. I hope I can find the time!

And these items are some of my all time favorites. I'll post more about these later. But we have some good ideas for gifts using new versions of these items. I need more time in every day! These are for a project I saw on a blog a few months back. I finally found the paper that I wanted to use for this one. Now I just need about 2 hours to put it all together.A simple - about 20 minute - project. It's been on my sewing table all pinned and ready to go for a few months and I forgot all about it. This will make a great present for one of my boys.And finally - this one will probably have to wait until January - but I have so many new ideas floating around in my brain for this ongoing project. I'll definitely post more about this one after the holidays are over.

I'll post about each project as I finish it - now I'm off to do a textbook review that is due tomorrow. Better put my reading glasses on!

Thanksgiving Kids Crafts

My kids are ALWAYS looking for a craft/art project to do. I found a couple of cute ideas that were big hits for craft time this week.

First up - the tried and true construction paper Indian Corn. Super easy - cut out a corn cob. Glue little squares of construction paper all over it. Glue on some "stalks" or "silks" to the top (I'm not sure what to call those things). And you're done.

Then - over at Skip to my Lou I found a cute idea for Thanksgiving Finger Puppets. We whipped these turkeys up on Thanksgiving day and gobbles were heard all over the house.

Simple ideas, I know, but definitely good ones!

Loving the 2x4's

What is wrong with me this year? My annual goal is to pretty much be done with all my Christmas shopping by Thanksgiving. Ask me what I've accomplished this year - - - zero, zilch, nada! Ok, I pick up stuff for my boys all year long when I find good sales - then I stash it away and hope that I remember that I have it. But that's it! Really. I usually make some handmade gifts along the way too and have those ready to go for Christmas gifts - but again, this year, nothing. I've wandered down to my craft room a few times in the last few days and searched around for a project that calls to me. Once again - nothing.

However - just so I don't feel too badly about myself, I have been crafting with my boys this week -some really fun Thanksgiving kids crafts. I'll post those in the next few days when we put the finishing touches on them.

So, as usual, when I get busy . . . or lazy . . . I do a little blog stalking and look at other people's great ideas. So I present for my viewing pleasure . . . crafty things I liked this week.

First up - there's something about 2 by 4's. There are some talented crafters out there that can take a piece (pieces) of wood and turn them in to the simplest, yet cutest crafts. Take for example this 2x4 Turkey - just in time for Thanksgiving. Craft Goodies posted its tutorial over at Ucreate.

Next I stalked across a new favorite craft blogger - Under My Umbrella. Talk about taking 2x4's to a new level. Here is her 2x4 Snowman. Easy and yet so fun.UMU's 2x4 Christmas Tree was the first of her projects that caught my eye. She has a couple of different versions of this tree all using the same wood pieces. This tree is my personal favorite.Then she came up with this 2x4 Santa. Love him!And if 2x4's aren't the easiest crafts you can undertake - how about this absolutely adorable Rock Snowman at Not Just a Housewife. I know 2 little boys who are going to love this one as a craft project in the next few weeks.
Now - I'm off to clean house and cook Thanksgiving Dinner with all our favorites. Oh - and I will try to stay warm in the "Blizzard of 2010". And - - I have a few craft projects floating around my brain that are beginning to call to me. Let's see how motivated I get.