go ahead and try making your life more like this, your kids will squirm

This is a silly video-(its 3 minutes long, for those of you trying to be less busy and more productive today) it will make you smile AND most importantly it showcases my next Halloween costume. Ahhh yeah, the Hot Dog on a Stick uniform.

To my sisters: April- Hot Dog on a Stick uniform- brilliant, way to go! And Precia- the first to admit you'd wear the uniform in the first place, if I sew it, can we share the costume?

3 random things to share on a Friday afternoon...

1. Felt flowers- I've been making these babies for the Beehive Bazaar all week, I really like the way they are turning out, especially in a photograph and all lined up next to each other. (wow- really deep thoughts)

2. Making me smile and laugh out loud (albeit nervously) this week and not to be missed, stuff white people like.

3. Busy vs. Productive
Busy-ness is impressive. It puts you in the heat of the action. It gives you an elevated sense of importance. You’re always late for social engagements, barely have enough time for family get-togethers, and hardly get a moment’s sleep. […] Of course, it’s all just an illusion. -Brad Bollenbach

Are you productive or just acting busy?

What effects does missing ingredients have on cookies?

Who knew that such a science project could take one 6th grader to the Regional Science Fair at BYU? That is a total of three times we've had to re-bake these 6 batches of cookies. The first two times the cookies were part of the display- making it quite visually appealing (and nearly impossible to pass by without inquiring after samples).
The third time- Regional Science Fair- no human food (or animal) food was allowed to be displayed, or just about everything else you might want to include in a clever science fair display (embryos of any kind, plants, lab or household chemicals- including water, sharp items-and the list goes on and on) paper and cardboard were acceptable- thankfully. So we re-baked to take pictures, because we neglected to photograph sufficiently the first and second time around.
Needless to say the picture display didn't quite have quite the same impact in competition. But, it all good... who needs to win when you get to spend one whole day, excused from school, hanging out on college campus with a few other 6th grade friends? Sounds priceless to me.

Thank goodness we are done baking. Cookie dough is my weakness, I have probably eaten half my body weight in dough and cookies since the end of January, while overseeing this project. And no... not the wacky batches- come on... I'm not quite that hard up.

birthday cake

My little gal requested the dolly dress cake for her birthday, and I happily obliged. It seems like I have made this type of cake for my girls- throughout the years, at least twice before. I have found that Bratz dolls are easier to use than Barbies because their feet and shoes come off at the ankle making them shorter and easier to bake a dress that is not so extremely tall. No need to buy any fancy cake pans- it's all about the pyrex bowl when it comes to baking the dress, and then making another round cake to stack it on- making it just the right height. As you can see I accidentally grabbed a bag of peanut M&Ms instead of regular and had to make it work. The finished product was a big hit with all the party goers.

using my skills

Party invitation made on Photoshop- (minus the text). As you can see I still have a lot to learn- like the dark edges around the bottom of the hair. On the printed copy I hid it with a little glitter, then I couldn't stop with the glitter and I glittered the wings too. You would perhaps never guess that this simple party invitation took me an entire afternoon to make. But- I believe I am improving little by little. Playing with Photoshop is very fun.

On a Whim by Robert Kaufman

I have been looking for this fabric (and another from the same line with birds on it) everywhere. I even emailed the company to learn where I could find some (not very helpful)... but, that is one of the things I love about the internet, without having to go anywhere I can do a little research and find just about anything my heart desires. Thank you worldwide web. So, after some serious searching- I finally rounded up a few yards at Fabulous Quilt Fabrics, a shop in the midwest. It arrived today, it was my first glimpse of the real thing- I can't wait to cut it up, it's so dang cute.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

The St. Patrick's Day garland is finished and here is a bit of it. What is it with me and garlands? I just can't seem to have too many. This one was easy to make because I just added the shamrocks, ribbon and gold tinsel stuff to the red and orange felted flowers that were already on a string. I hope I don't regret later that I sewed them all together and want to take it all apart to salvage my beloved felted flowers. I should just learn how to make them and keep a stash in all colors.
Anyway- have a great day, I hope you remembered to wear your green...

shamrocks

I've been working on some St. Patrick's Day decor. I don't think I would bother but for the fact that my daughter's birthday is extremely close to St. Patrick's Day and she's beginning to take it personally that we haven't a single piece of celebratory decor. If all goes as planned, these wool and sequined shamrocks will be strung up into a garland before Monday rolls around.

bicycle basket

This bicycle basket makes me long for spring. I know it's on it's way, but it seems to be taking too long to really warm up. My kids think 50 degrees means shorts and a tank top, my 3 year old even had his bathing suit on yesterday. Yikes! I'm holding out for high 60's.
I really need some sun on my limbs.
I'm getting antsy to get back on the bike- even for a trip just to the grocery store. (although, when I go to the grocery store I would probably need at least 10 of these baskets)
Anyway, the MoMA store is where you can find it, along with many other cool things.

finished

I think my daughters room is finally finished. I even went through all the toys and sorted, organized, and tossed- (not a small job, it hasn't been done properly in years) I took me the entire morning, but it was way worth it. Now if I could just get my whole house as spotlessly organized as this one room...
The curtains were the finishing touch, I have been waiting for the extra 2 yards I needed to come in the mail- I could only find the Alexander Henry "Hollywood" fabric in blue and brown on ebay. Then... like a dork- I absentmindedly I cut the curtains too short ignoring the #1 rule of woodworking and sewing alike: measure twice- cut once. Luckily, I wasn't cutting wood- I would have had to start all over; I just had to improvise and patch things up a bit. I think I like the band at the top better than if it were just one solid color.
I found the little clippy holders at Ikea, they look confusing in the package, I thought I was going to have to sew button holes across the top of the curtain to make them work, but you just slide the fabric in and you're done.
Now, I can move along to the next room. My other daughter's room (the "I really want my own room", driving-force-behind-the-upheaval girl) is almost finished too. I'll get some pics up soon.

new skirt

I finally stopped with the read-a-thon long enough to make something. Here is the skirt I made from the Amy Butler Barcelona Skirt pattern. I lined it with some fancy satiny fabric as you can see. (It's kind of like having fancy underwear on- it makes you feel like you've got some secret, like our friend Victoria.) The fabric was wet when I took the picture. I had just washed it to try and get the unfinished bits on the layers to fray a bit more but, I think the fabric may be wrong for too much fraying. If you remember I got the fabric on ebay- I thought it was 100% cotton but, it feels more like a rayon/cotton blend. Good fabric for a skirt though- it hangs nice, not much stretch. Anyway, I like how it turned out. Now I need to loose my last 5 or 10 (depending on how much I care on any given day) so it will hang right when I wear it.

By the way... read-a-thon participants:
Mole People by Jennifer Toth
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Emma by Jane Austen
March by Geraldine Brooks
Sarah's Quilt by Nancy E Turner
Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
So (or should I say... "sew") now I'll just watch movies or listen to books on CD while I sew.- I've got lots of sewing to do with the Beehive Bazaar coming right up in May. Oooh I absolutely love multi-tasking. I don't know what it is- I can't stop, I just love a good story- and an escape too I reckon.

obsessed

I have nothing to blog about because all I have done all week is read... the Twilight series. Re-read that is, and YES- it's even better the second time. I started Twilight on the plane home from CA. I secretly wished I was flying to Australia- I could have finished all three books in one peaceful 14 hour sitting- stuck in seat 19A, people bring me food, surrounded by strangers I'd never see again and don't even have to acknowledge, no one needing anything from me. (oh well- I'll have to settle for stolen moments throughout the day and night to read)
I am half was through Eclipse and have to finish tonight so I can get reacquainted with my family. I'm obsessed... and I don't care.

how I spent my princess weekend

My lovely spouse sent me to So Cal this past weekend for some much needed rest and relaxation at the beach house with two of my favorite people- his Mom and Dad (also visiting- gregarious nephew Chris and his friend Porsha). The weather was fairly cooperative, and a few days away from real life were luxurious.

Highlights from the weekend- this delicious meals at Sarducci's in San Juan Capistrano. Halibut and mashed potatoes with a cilantro lime sauce on one side and a mango something-something extremely fabulous sauce on the other side, and some mango salsa in the middle. Wow.

I wanted to sit on my butt as much as possible, and I did. I read plenty (Sarah's Quilt-sequel to These is My Words by Nancy E. Turner) and Twilight (a treat even the second time) and saw lots of movies. Here is the movie list:
There Will be Blood- based on the book 'Oil' by Upton Sinclair. A powerful long movie, Daniel Day Lewis (dreamy in my book) definitely deserved an Oscar for this performance. I was glad to be sitting next to my father-in-law who did some lawyering in the 60's in California concerning the oil companies and gave me some extra insight as we watched.
In Bruges- I was on my way to see The Counterfeiters and went to the wrong theater, so I ended up seeing this one. Interesting, wacky, bloody- but entertaining.
Diving Bell and the Butterfly- I really liked this film. Directed by Julian Schnabel- it is an amazing true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, a man in his early 40's who suffers from a stroke and winds up completely paralyzed (locked-in syndrome), able only to blink his one eye to communicate from his perfectly intact brain. Shot from all sorts of crazy angles you really feel as if you can begin to comprehend what he is going through. He writes a book through blinking his eye at the correct letter for a therapist. Amazing story and film.
Be Kind Rewind- By Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Science of Sleep) A double treat- Gondry's creatively brilliant filmmaking and Jack Black's always lovable acting. I enjoyed every minute of it.