"Mommy, Can We Do a Project?"

Ian asked me yesterday: "Mommy, can we do a project?"

I had time and supplies, so the answer was of course "Yes!"
We decided to make a growth chart for Blair, since I made one for each of the other kids.

Here is my list of supplies:

6 pieces of purple 8x12" felt for the chart

4 pieces of white 8x12" felt for the letters and decorations

Tacky glue

Sharpie Marker

Dowel rod cut to approximately 11" for hanging the completed chart

Ruler and Scissors

Here is my little helper.
He always dresses for the occasion.

Cut one of the pieces of colored felt into four pieces, and then place the other five end-to-end.

Put glue on to the strips and place them over the seams to attach the pieces together.

(I tried sewing this project together on Ian's, and didn't have much success.)

This is the back of the chart.

Cut out your letters and decorations from the white felt.

I had wooden letters to trace, but for Brynn's chart I printed letters out and then pinned them to the felt and cut around them.

Glue them on the front, using more tacky glue. Make sure you leave about 1 1/2 inches from the edge so that you can draw your inch line markers.

Since each piece of felt is 12 inches long, you have a 5 foot chart.

I use the Sharpie Marker to mark each inch down both sides of the chart, using a slightly longer line to designate each foot.

Turn the chart over and glue the piece of dowel rod to the top of the chart.

Once the glue is dry, you can hang it up.

I use Sharpie Markers to mark down dates and heights as the kids grow.
Now I just need to find all those scraps of paper that I have been using to record Blair's growth until now.

The Newest Member

Today was "Project Day" again, and we had to meet in a new venue because of some extenuating circumstances:

Our newest projecter - Jeta

We all had fun building barns and skyscrapers from old cereal and cracker boxes.

More Wedding Preperations (Tuesday #2)

I finally managed to get some sewing done on Tuesday.

Sewing with three little kids in the house is a little more complicated then

sewing with two. Blair has the uncanny ability to wake up and start

fussing just when I sit down to sew.

BUT, progress has been made:

Blair's bloomers are done.

(Ian laughs when I say that word)

Getting this section pinned took one-and-a-half hours.

Frown.

Thankfully things calmed down after that, and I was able to

ALMOST

complete the rest of the bodice.

The finished product will be coming soon....?

Blair's First Project (Tuesday #1)

Well, the big day has finally arrived!

Today is Blair's very first project day.

She has trained hard for this day. First, she worked on muscle control and tone in her neck and back so she could sit up.

Then, watched her brother and sister and saw that they enjoyed it.

Finally, she started copying them, trying to do it with whatever she could get her baby hands on.

Blair's very first project is:

Learning to eat!
She sure looks excited.

Maybe if she could actually see what she was getting she would change her mind.

Her first spoonful.....

"Mom, this is a little bit weird!"

"But I think I like it!"

We'll try for a repeat performance tomorrow, where hopefully something will actually be swallowed.

A successful first attempt, don't you think?

Project Day at Grammie's

Yesterday we had Project Day with the cousins at a new venue: Grammie's house.

My sister had her new baby, but her big girls were missing project day, so we had to figure out a way to get all the kids together in one place (where the baby wasn't) with one car.

Grammie's house fit the bill.

Here is Ian, working away:

And Mia too. Sorry Molly, you got sick of the project just before the camera came out.

Here is the project: Snowflakes made by winding embroidery floss around cardboard discs. It was perhaps a little too difficult for Ian and Molly, but they had fun anyway. Mia was determined to do it on her own.

I got the idea for this project at my new favorite website: The Crafty Crow.

Wedding Preperation, Part 1

Today is an official snow day.

I love snow days, even if I don't get to go outside and go sledding anymore. I send my kids outside instead (where I can see them from my window) and do projects instead.

I am happy to announce that I got the first of three projects for my sister's wedding done:

the vest for my son Ian.

Admittedly I have to wait until I can use my Mom's sewing machine to do the buttons, but the real work is done and it fits.

I also made cranberry sauce today, just because I wanted some.

I think food that so pretty is the best kind to eat.

She's Getting So Big

My little girl is getting so big!

How is that a project? Technically it isn't, but switching her out of her crib and into a toddler bed is. You see, there is more involved here then simply switching one child from one bed to another.

In our house we have (well, had) one pack-'n-play, one crib, and one toddler bed for three kids. However, that system is only going to work as along as the baby sleeps in our room in the pack-'n-play, and the plan is to get the baby into her own crib and room around the time she turns six months old. She is four months now, so it is time to get the change going.

The first step was to get Ian out of the toddler bed and into a "Big Boy Bed" (Little does he remember that the toddler bed used to be called the same thing). This step was almost a non-event - hence the lack of photographic evidence.

Step two is to get Brynnie out of her crib and into her "Big Girl Bed." This step presents an extra challenge because not only does she switch beds, she also switches bedrooms. AND, she and Ian go from each sleeping alone to sleeping in the same room. Yikes.

I decided to take it slow and start with nap times. She's been taking her naps in the toddler bed for about a week now. She sleeps fine.....when she finally goes to sleep. The temptation to get out of bed and play with all of Ian's toys is just too much for the first hour. Eventually it reaches the point of discipline and tears, which is followed almost instantaneously by sleep.

Isn't she cute snuggling with her dolly?

I'm still a bit nervous about the bedtime switch.

But I have plenty of time....Two whole months.....right?

You'd Think I'd Learn

Yesterday my kids were bored - they've done a lot of coloring lately since the weather hasn't been so nice for outdoor play (Ian tries, but Brynn gets cold before he is done playing and then he gets lonely). I decided it was time to get out a new project.

Brynn has shown a great interest in accessories lately, so for Christmas she received a bag of pony beads and some laces to string them on. I dug them out of the project box and the kids were thrilled! By thrilled I mean jumping around the kitchen and screaming....maybe that was just pent up energy, I don't know.

I put a handful of beads into a bowl for each of them, knotted a lace at one end, and then sat down to teach them how to lace the beads. They both gave me "humor Mom" looks and started doing it on their own.

I watched in surprise for a while, because I thought at least Brynn would need my help.

Since she didn't I decided to make supper instead.

Things went well for almost 20 minutes. They were making rather amazing progress on their necklaces and I was lulled into stupidity. I stepped out of the kitchen.

Tick, tick, tick...

The unmistakable sound of beads hitting the floor called me back.

"Mommy, it was an accident. Brynnie spilled her beads."

"Bryyynnnie, you have to be more careful! Well, I probably gave you too many."

We picked up the beads (a bunch went back in the bag) and Brynnie got back to work. I turned my back and - you guessed it - the bowl spilled. You'd think I'd learn.

No, I tried again. Brynnie lost a few more beads and I went back to making supper.

Tink, tink, tink.

Silly me. Thankfully Ian was done with his necklace, so we cleaned up beads one more time, tied the laces into loops and put the rest of the materials away. Brynnie was pacified with her "beau-ti-ful neck-luss" and I was pacified with mine. Thank you Ian.

Happy New Year

I know, I know, it's a little late to be wishing you a happy new year, but I'm a little behind.

It's a good thing that I don't make resolutions, because I would have already failed to keep them.

Since Christmas didn't end for us until January 2nd, I didn't get all my Christmas decorations or tree down until two days ago. Since I usually do this January 1st, I was feeling a little stressed and disorganized. Having it all down was a relief, and now I can enjoy the New Year.

With...

Some new projects!!

(I imagined that sounding like the announcer voice on "Price is Right")

The first project is to get all caught up on my 2010 Scrapbook-photo-album.

I take a slightly different approach to my photo storage. I like to scrapbook, but I don't want a million individual books for every little thing, and I don't have time to do detailed work for every picture. So, I use big three-ring binders that hold both regular 6-up photo storage pages and 12x12 inch scrapbook pages. Most pictures get stored in the traditional way, but special events get special treatment. Usually I am pretty good at keeping up, but this past year I got stuck at our vacation.....in May.

So, today I got started on catching up:

Page 1: Title Page

(I also got day one done, after I put the camera away)

The other project I got started on today was for my sister's WEDDING!

Hurrah!

I have to sew two little dresses for my girls and a vest for my boy. I didn't make as much progress as I would have liked, since I had to make some phone calls to sort out which style and size for which kid and other details, but I did get the kids measured and the fabric sorted out.

I'm a little nervous to actually cut into the fabric, because it was ordered online there isn't enough for oopses.

It sure is going to be fun to see all the matching nieces (5, possibly 6) and nephews (1, possibly 2)