The Coy Pond

Craft Station

2012-01-24T07:15:00.000-08:00

At Etame's preschool conference last week, her teacher suggested we make a craft station for her to have her own coloring area. She then described how she used little trays for her daughter and friends for portable crafting. So, I took this tray that we were going to throw out (from IKEA) and I picked up two little galvanized buckets from IKEA on my latest trip, and created this:

It was a big challenging to affix the buckets to the tray. I tried hot glue but it didn't take. So I ended up drilling through the bucket and tray and putting a bolt through the center.

The bolts stuck out a bit on the under side, so I used the Dremel tool with the metal circular cutter attachment to saw them off. A hack saw would probably work too. I gave it a couple coats of turquoise spray paint and it was done.

Etame was able to try it out right away since she had "homework". She was beyond excited for this homework, mind you. Landon looked at her like she was crazy when she exclaimed, "I have homework!' so happily.

She carried her new tray over to the table and colored her mask for her homework. She loves all things school related. Loves her friends, her teacher, and the independence of it all.

Slipcovers

2012-01-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

Remember these Wingback chairs from way back when? Here's just one of them. I bought them off of Craigslist a few years ago with the intention of reupholstering them someday. Well they intimidated me for long enough until one day I came across Miss Mustard Seed's ideas on slipcovers and she has a great tutorial on it too. I followed the videos step by step.

Until eventually I was finished! As she suggested, I used drop cloths for the fabric. Cheap and easy to work with.

The second one went much easier...

Probably because my confidence was higher. They're loose but that's okay. I like them comfy looking. The piping made this project a little more challenging but it was worth it to get more definition on the curves.

I ran a strip of sew-on Velcro down the back to keep them closed. I didn't care for the look of bows so this works just right for me - nice and clean. Also, I didn't bleach the drop cloth like I've seen suggested. I like the nubby, linen-look to them.

Oh, and the pillows were made with fabric from IKEA. Sadly our IKEA doesn't carry fabric any longer (that was short-lived). I followed Erin's hidden zipper pillowcase tutorial - a very nice tutorial as well.

Roadtrip to Maine

2012-01-16T10:33:00.000-08:00

We went up to Maine for Thanksgiving. It took us two days to get up there. On the way home we busted it in one very long day.

On the way, we stopped in Freeport, home to LL Bean. Calvin has known a couple people to work there that came to Under Armour. I can see why people would like living there. Nice people. Beautiful area. Small town. Oh, and the giant Christmas tree they had strung with lights in the courtyard of their flagship store.

See? Big.

We bought a lobster pillow at their home store and quite a few things at the outlet stores across the street. The attractions for kids and the chance to run around makes it a good break/stop.

Close-up look at the fish!

After staying the night in Portland and then stopping in Freeport for lunch, we got into Bar Harbor around 3pm. Super cold up on the mountain. I can't remember the name of this lookout now but it had panoramic views of the ocean and land. The wind was so cold we could hardly stand getting out of the car.

Overlooking Bar Harbor...

Finally... the cottage. Or "the college" as Etame keeps calling it. People probably think we went on a very educational family trip.

We rented it off of VRBO. The couple that own it actually live next door but were gone for Thanksgiving so we saw them only a couple days. It felt so remote and relaxing there - nearly too relaxing for me. I had to schedule a tennis lesson and went to Wal Mart in the neighboring city for the post-Thanksgiving sales just to get out.

New Dresses for the Girls

2012-01-15T13:34:00.000-08:00

I made new MATCHING dresses for the girls! This is a first for matching outfits. They both look quite differently in them in fact. But so fun.

The pattern is from one of my Japanese sewing books, which made it extra challenging. The pattern pieces and diagrams (for the order of the steps) are really all you need, since they are pretty simple garments. The tricky part is getting the correct seam allowances since the patterns don't include them.

No it's not summer here. These dresses will be for warmer weather for sure.

Hey! It's the bus! Landon's here!

Tosca

2012-01-12T15:45:00.000-08:00

So Tosca is changing daily it seems, learning new sounds (not really words yet) and trying to jump and she's running all around.

Home from a recent trip to IKEA, I opened the door to get her out and was alarmed to see her like this:

But then I remembered the chocolate I gave her as we got into the car. Sweet munchkin. Etame has taken to telling people her name is "Tosca Bosca Boo" which is our nickname for her of course. Who would name their child a rhyme? Funny thought though.

We also call her our clumsy elf and shnookernoodle, in case you're curious. Also, I've taken the liberty of changing the words to "You are my Sunshine". A couple lines actually bother me in it, although I love the song and have sung it to all my kids. "... my only sunshine" and "please don't take my sunshine away". The first because I have three sunshines, and the second because I imagine women long ago singing it as a pleading because of the high infant mortality rate. Sad. So I changed it to:

You are my Sunshine, my Little Sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You'll never know dear how much I love you
Oh please shine on me every day

Just suits me better and makes me feel good. Love this sunshine...

Halloween 2011

2012-01-09T21:44:00.000-08:00

So I'm a little late posting photos. Just imagine the kids slightly older now. More mature, reading Shakespeare, ha!

Here's Tosca in her elephant costume. Cecile came through for me right before Halloween giving me this costume and the pumpkin one for Etame...

She likes to roll around on the ground, usually wrestling with her older brother.

One of the best parts of Landon's school is this simple costume parade they do by grade level and then they meet on the tennis courts, parents following and sing "witches brew" and some other songs and dances. Tradition. I like all sorts of traditions.

So this was the first year I let him be something scary. I had him worried he would scare the kindergarteners so he took off his mask frequently. Or it was just itchy inside.

The sweet little pumpkin Etame. Love the scary werewolf behind her. No idea of that until I saw this picture later.

Tosca, getting ready to ride the wagon round the neighborhood to pick up all the candy...

Christmas 2011

2012-01-08T08:38:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas was fairly calm and quiet. We enjoyed staying inside and playing with all our new presents.

Waiting to go downstairs...

Tosca's the best poser. She thinks she's the star anytime there's a camera around...

Seeing what Santa brought...

Makeup! Applied approximately 16 times on Christmas day...

A doll house! Taken over by knights when Etame went down for nap...

The modern doll house came complete with furniture and a family. The knights are no longer residents in the house.

It was a special Christmas, with thoughts of family far away and hoping we'll get to see them more this year. Hope you had a special Christmas. Happy New Year! Looking forward to sharing more crafts and house projects this year with all of you.

The Bathroom is Finished!

2011-12-17T17:03:00.000-08:00

So happy to report we are finally done with the kids' bathroom. It is finished, finito, fini!

Here's the laying of the plywood...

Then the cement board...

Had to mix up the "mud" to lay under the concrete (using a leftover spindle - hey you use what you got)...

Spread it on...

Drilled it down good and put more "mud" over the seams over the tape...

Here's the fun part - laying tile!...

Ta Da! A nearly finished floor...

As a reminder, here's how it looked almost a year ago!...

And here is the finished product! Calvin put the toilet in. Awesome. He's the closer in the house...

The floor is a fresh white, whiter than the picture shows. It's gleaming. Like you have to squint when you go in there white. Okay, not that white. But I'm loving it as much as you can love a bathroom floor. It's way better than the full on green attack in there before.

A New Project - The Bathroom Floor

2011-12-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

Big surprise - I have a new project I'm working on. This one is the biggest I've ever undertaken and I almost felt like I was in over my head. In truth, I probably am but am too stubborn to admit it. So I charge on one step at a time.

Here is the original picture. Notice the wallpaper (how could you miss it? Seriously, the ceiling too?!)

This project has taken months. Months I tell you. A long time ago I changed out the handles on the cupboards. That was easy. Then I got bolder. Here were the next steps:

- Remove medicine cabinet
- Remove slider shower door
- Remove wallpaper
- Drywall over medicine cabinet opening
- Plaster walls where damage was done during wallpaper removal
- Sand walls
- Texture walls with spray can of texturizer (?)
- Paint WHITE. Fresh clean white.
- Put up new light fixture
- Put up new mirror, new holders, and cute picture (aka the fun part)
- Admired work so far :-)
- Remove tiled-in soap, toothbrush, and towel holders around vanity
- Removed tiles that were damaged where shower door was screwed in
- Re-tiled and grouted all missing tiles (luckily the previous/original owners left us the tile)
- Removed toilet
- Removed tile and sub floor
- Researched how to build sub floor
- Home Depot for supplies for floor
- Installed plywood on floor

Here's the during picture, before I decided we needed not only a new toilet but a new floor.

I ordered the picture from Etsy from another Ehtiopan adoptive mother who paints these pictures. Adorable, no? Wish Etame was that happy when she gets her hair done.

Oh, and a new vent. Can't forget the vent since it's front and center. See the tile missing in the corner. Had to replace that one too, since I broke it during my demo of the mini towel rack that was there.

Here were the holes left behind from the shower door that was screwed into the tiles. I had to use the Dremel to remove these tiles and then adhere new ones in and grout. Much work for little reward but it looks pretty now. I think I removed about 10 tiles from these screwed. Then I used a razor blade to get the leftover caulking off of the other tiles.

Here's where I take out the ugly green mini 70's tile on the floor. I had already drug the toilet out and down the stairs and into the garage. Calvin took it to the dump over the weekend. Yay!

This was a seriously messy project. At first I tried to just get up the tile but shards were flying everywhere and after a few days, I realized a) I wasn't getting far and b) the concrete underneath was getting damaged either by my hammering or it was already damaged from water over the years. It was a crumbly mess in places. So out it all came, sub floor and all.

The chisel came in handy for hammering it in between the concrete and the plywood under this rusted mesh wire. Then I pried it up using the back of the hammer. It was la.bor.i.ous. I was dripping sweat. I filled several garbage bags with the concrete then dragged them to the garage to keep company with the toilet. Okay, moving on...

Here it is all nice and cleaned off. I accidentally chipped off the flange from where the toilet goes when prying up some of the tile. Luckily, we have uTube and I guess it's a common problem because I saw a video instructing how you can buy this little metal semi-circle piece to go along it and fix the edge. Home Depot peeps knew what I was talking about and pointed me to it right away.

I got out the Shop Vac and cleaned up any stray concrete pebbles. Then I cut the 1/2" plywood with the circular saw. Using a jig saw I cut around where the toilet flange is. It was trial and error cutting and finally I had the right sizes and started nailing down the top little pieces and then the big lower one. That was today. Now I'm off the sit by the fire and knit some. Because I'm tired of looking at the bathroom floor.

I'll be sure to post "after" pics and more "during" pics since it's far from done. Next I have to put in the cement backerboard down (not sure how to cut it around the flange), and then tape the seams and let it all dry. Then I will be ready to tile. Any advice? I'm all ears!

The Bus Stop With a New Sweater

2011-11-30T08:51:00.000-08:00

Here is the little bow-legged girl...

Big Sister will finally wear the sweater I knit for her that took three months to complete. At first she wouldn't wear it but I left her with few options and she decided to try it on this morning. At least she looks happy in this picture!

And the back. The pattern is called "Roo" that I found off Ravelry.

My friend Sarah suggested I buy some buttons from M & J Trims online. I've seen their store in NYC and they do have an amazing selection. I haven't ever tried looking at their site though - need to do that.

Keeping Tosca out of the busy street.

I started the sweater in Oregon back in August and finished it in Maine in November. It's 100% wool and very soft, made from yarn bought at Knitt'n Kitt'n in Portland. Love that store.

Tosca's sweater is from Baby Gap and a hand-me-down from our friend Annette. It's fleece lined and I'm so happy it fits her this season.

I've also finished a few other projects - a scarf, slipcovers, and am now working on another sweater for Etame. It's a Fair Isle Cardigan - navy blue with different colors around the collar.

Ballet

2011-11-17T17:00:00.000-08:00

Etame is taking "ballet". It's actually called creative movement but don't tell her or any of the other little ballerinas that.

She really enjoys the interaction with the other girls. There are truly few things cuter than little girls all wearing tutus. Seriously. So. Cute.

She's made some good little friends in the class and I've enjoyed talking with their nice moms out in the waiting area (when I'm not chasing down Tosca who tries to get into every purse/snack/magazine in the small room outside the dance room).

Knitted Baby Blanket

2011-11-15T18:31:00.000-08:00

This summer, I furiously finished knitting a baby blanket for my good friend Michelle's second little boy. There are four stripes which represent the four people in their family.

I bought the yarn at Purl Soho while in NYC in the spring. It's a super soft wool. The pattern is from More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts and I changed it a bit by not adding another white border on the top and bottom. It already was very big! It's garter stitch the whole way through which is easy to knit up. Plus there was no piecing at the end as it just kept continuing on which was nice.

I hope Baby Blane has many snugly nights under this blanket.

Back to School

2011-10-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

As a testament to how busy I feel I've been this fall, I'm just now posting school photos!

Landon is enjoying this year, especially soccer. He has an amazing competitive spirit that I've come to realize we better use to our advantage to keep motivating him. He really excels when a competition is involved. Landon's outfit is from Crew Cuts. He prefers his nearly free Under Armour however. Big surprise.

Etame is making new friends at her school and strengthening existing friendships. She is increasingly asking for certain friends to come over, both boys and girls, and has a great time playing with the other younger siblings on the soccer field.

I ordered a few new pieces for each of them for school. A bit of a splurge since nearly all of their clothes come from Goodwill or consignment shops/sales. I ordered Tea Collection for Etame. Too bad I ordered from the sale section and they are all a bit big. Next year!

I'm sure Tosca would have enjoyed some back to school photos as well. She's increasingly loving the camera and any attention she can garner.

Oh, and an update on Etame's hair. We have a good system now where I "co-wash" (wash only with conditioner) once a week on Sunday night and brush it with the Tangle Teezer brush. Then on Monday morning I do one style that I can continue with for the rest of the week with minimal maintenance. Works for us and I continue to put a ton of product (butters, oils, sprays) on it each day.

Who Needs a Banister Anyhow?

2011-10-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

We do! With a one year old sliding down the stairs several times a day, we need something to keep her from going over the edge. Calvin has been working hard on creating a banister for us since I took down the old iron ones when removing the wallpaper.

Here's one of the banisters that he got up a few weeks ago.

I picked up the hooks when in Oregon at this store in Hood River called "At Home on Oak Street". I love that little store. I don't always find something but it's one of those places that you go into and wish you could make your own house feel that cozy. Nice things and she's a great buyer. Anyhow, there's one hook for each of the children. I realized I hadn't explained that to them until this morning, hence the reason they still couldn't find their things easily even though they were right there!

Here's another before/during shot...

Here's the after...

Who's that pretty girl peeking around the corner?! Little Miss likes the new entry. Now we can see outside better too since we took down the decorative iron covering the storm door windows.

Calvin's now working on getting the railing built for going up the stairs. The post is in! Now we just need the railings... progress...

Rose's Quilt!

2011-09-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

Just before we left for Oregon this summer, I finished Rose's quilt! I was so anxious to give it to her and packed it away, it taking up most of one of the suitcases (the Under Armour stuff taking up the other half). Rose joined my sister's family this year, from China and makes a wonderful vibrant addition to my sister's family.

Here is the finished product...

One of my objectives was to use fabric mostly from my stash. All the color and even the linen backing was what I had on hand. I did purchase all the white - Kona cotton - for the background.

I designed the quilt, which took a lot more thought and dimension figuring out than I anticipated. Real quilters must be quite the mathematicians I've decided. The squares each represent my sister Ann's children/family, from oldest to youngest, with Rose having a little heart on her special square.

The pink flowers were for the girls, and the blue for the boys. Up top I appliqued a momma and daddy flower growing together. They have nine children in their family - nine! Which made a perfect nine patch and a top border.

I actually forgot to take a full picture of the backing. this shows the border and a strip of pink squares with the same fabrics I used for the flowers. I machine quilted the layers using a flower design. This was a risk since I had never tried any other machine quilting besides stippling. But I loved the result right away. Little subtle flowers and waves throughout.

I bundled it all up and tied it with a ribbon.

I hope she enjoys it and gets much use out of it as well!

Mr. Hal

2011-09-13T12:48:00.000-07:00

While we were away this summer, we got some very sad news. Our 89 year-old neighbor, Hal passed away. He loved the kids and was a most interesting man, doing everything in his life from being a world class ballroom dancer to managing a bank. He was a hard worker and always willing to help out if we needed something. The kids loved Mr. Hal too, always waving to him on our way to the bus yelling out, "Hi Mr. Hal!" although he could hardly hear at all.

One time I locked myself out of the house and sure enough, he had the keys. Around here, he was known as "Mayor of the Garth", referencing the court we live on. Another time I need help putting in the drywall in our bathroom and he brought over his jig saw and nearly scared me to death as I watched him try to saw a board, the saw blade coming so close to his leg. He was a tough man and had been through a lot, orphaned at a young age. Someone to respect and admire.

He was hospitalized earlier this year and during his stay decided he needed an iTouch so he could play Solitare. I helped him hook up his email and find his way around the modern gadget but really all he wanted to do was play games.

Mr. Hal will be missed greatly by all of those who knew him.

Hallway and Entryway Takedown!

2011-09-09T10:32:00.000-07:00

It was me vs. the wallpaper in our hallway and entryway. I'd like to think I won, although it did do a number on my fingernails. This wallpaper was thick and stringy. Probably good quality and professionally done but it seemed dingy to me - cream with strings of subtle pastel blues and pinks. Yuck! This sort of shows you how it looked before.

The wallpaper removal was work - hard work! I used a steamer borrowed from a super generous neighbor. It got such a workout that it stopped working halfway through and I had to go and buy a new one at Lowe's. It was worth the price because it made it so much easier than spraying and scraping. I did more peeling instead and then steaming some more and peeling some more (usually with my fingernails - hence the yucky nails but I could see the light and again, it was worth it).

After the wallpaper was completely off, we were left with damaged walls with longer than I care to admit. It was patchy and of course we seemed to have more visitors and company during this time when it looked the worst. The walls were very papery themselves and sometimes came off with the wet steaming.

It probably took me so long to do this because I knew the next steps would be even harder and messier than what I had just gone through. Spackling. This gooey mixture of vinyl spackling must be applied with a trowel/spatula, set to dry, and then sanded. The sanding part is terrible. White dust everywhere and while I wore I mask, I worried about the mess for everyone during this stage and tried to get it cleaned up quick.

Of course, I also decided the wrought iron banister needed to go. Why not add another (major) project to the list, right? It just reminded us too much of an outdoor porch and I had visions of a square wooden post instead (Calvin's working on this one - more to come later. Perhaps much later).

The doors (bifolds and front door) were all cream so they needed a fresh coat of white. We also wanted to replace all the hardware - see the brass floor vent cover. Now silver. Hardware on the door? Now oil rubbed bronze. Love it. Also, no more Fort Knox. The upper locks weren't needed and we removed them too.

I went to replace the doorbell and then realized that we had a quality one with real chimes inside. I couldn't just throw that away because I wanted a different color. So, I spray painted it white. Saved some money and it already was wired perfectly.

This is the before picture of the upper hallway. Dingy and yellow. Needed to be freshened up.

Here is a "during" shot. All ready for a fresh coat of paint. Oh, and that light fixture? Gone. I moved the one from the entryway up and sprayed the chain and crown around the top black. I love it now.

Okay, ready for the results? Ta Da!

Fresh coat of paint - all white! White trim, white walls, white ceiling. Yes, I love the clean modern look of white. The yellow door and new hardware pop and make me smile. It's yellow from the outside too. We decided to remove the wrought iron on the storm door too, for a cleaner look. Calvin spent a good part of half a day just taking that down.

The new light is from IKEA and doesn't quite sit flush against the wall. I still need to work on that. I spent hours searching for a new rug online and was completely overwhelmed. Then I went to Target and this one was right there. Perfect for what I wanted.

Here is that light that used to be brass and is now a polished looking black. Yay. Oh, and you probably can't see from these pics, but the light switches all had to be changed out - from black to white. And new switch covers. It's the littler things that take all the time, and ultimately make a big difference.

Here's a shot of the hallway now. Lots of white but when we get some pictures up, it will balance it out. We also replaced all the doorknobs and door stoppers and light switches here.

I am so pleased with the results. It was sooo much work but really worth it. I haven't tired of the white yet and it really works for us. Now we just need a banister for that climbing/running/curious baby. Calvin's working on it and it will look fabulous I'm sure of it.

End of Year Gifts

2011-07-29T04:29:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple projects I finished the school year with. The first is an apron to put small treats in. The school asked me to make it for prizes given out at the Spring Fair.

My last-minute teacher's gifts were fabric banners the teachers could use to decorate their classrooms.

The vibrant colors don't show here but they were fun and colorful with frogs, stars, butterflies, ladybugs, and all sorts of different patterns for future first graders to look at.

The teachers loved their gifts. They were so appreciative which of course made it super fun to give. That's what it's all about right? The reaction? Oh so worth all the hours of work.

I have to say I thought these would be a quicker sew. I made 4 banners and each triangle had to be ironed and sewn on two sides after I cut them all out. Then I sewed them onto bias tape to hold in and hide the third side on the top.

The quilt in the picture is a patchwork top I bought at a thrift store, sandwiched in some batting and put a backing made from an old chair slipcover which was just like muslin. I quilted it up and sewed on a red border. It's the perfect size to throw outside on the grass for a quick play session or to take to the soccer field to contain the kids somewhat.

I took my machine in to be cleaned and serviced. It's about time since I've never done so in the 5 years I've owned it. There has been more knitting going on here lately, since it can easily be taken on the go, to the pool and library. What projects have you been working on? Anything inspiring out there? It only took me 3+ years to make the fabric banners I had seen out in blogland.

Mini Golf

2011-07-27T03:29:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago we went mini-golfing with our good friends.

The kids blew through the course, thinking it was a time trial.

At the last hole, Landon quickly sunk his put and then said, "Hey! Where's my ball?!"

He didn't realize that's how mini-golf courses work and they keep your ball at the end.

Here's another gratuitous shot of Etame's hair style at the time...

The Four Hour Hair Style

2011-07-23T10:45:00.000-07:00

It's true! Etame's new hair style only took four whole hours to complete. And not by me. We went to a lady's house that had two AA (African American) daughters and was extremely experienced in all things braiding.

Amazingly, or not if you really know Etame's sweet and patient personality, she held still for all those hours and watched Disney Channel as this lady did cornrows on her.

Etame is thrilled with the new style and it's super easy now to take care of for the next two weeks. She braided it up into two pigtails and then put "ballies" around the pigtails and three little pink bow beads on the end of each braid.

I don't know if I can stand to have her hair done like this very often, entertaining Tosca in a stranger's house all the while, but it's very cute and fun for a change of style. She's gotten many compliments on it for sure!

I Love My Hair!

2011-07-05T10:14:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to share this video for a while. So fitting since we are doing many hair styles with Etame lately.

Etame's First Hair Cut

2011-07-04T07:41:00.000-07:00

At three years old, Etame took her first trip to the salon. Finding a place that had a hair stylist in our area that specialized in AA hair was nearly impossible.

Etame got the full treatment. First, a wash. Then a cut.

Then a blow-dry. She would have never been this still for me. Fueled by lollipops, she sat still for nearly an hour.

And then almost fell asleep. I had to hold her head up at the end while she was braiding her hair.

The hair stylist was very good with Etame. I was hoping for lots of beads and box braids but she did some looser french braids on her, which started coming out in just one day.

All finished!

Etame loved the treatment and I took her out for ice cream afterwards for a special treat!

Happy Summer!

2011-06-23T04:15:00.000-07:00

Summer Vacation has officially started! Since I've been... ahem... absent since Easter (!) I figured it was time to post a new picture.

Here is Landon with his good friend. This summer shall be filled with good friends and lots of laughter!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T14:24:00.000-07:00

Break for Ice Cream

2011-04-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

With all our DIY projects going on around the house this spring break, the kids aren't having a whole lot of fun activity. Calvin decided to take Landon to go get ice cream at our local creamery. Then they ate it outside so they didn't tempt anyone (me) while they ate it.

We all had root beer floats that evening. Yum.

Today it's back to more work. We're slowly making this house our own.

Master Bath - Before and After

2011-04-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

I rounded up some before pictures of the master bath so you can get a good feel for the previous dated look. It was clean but needed updated. That wallpaper!

They even had wallpaper in the shower area.

The nice blue toilet is on it's way out. But it's still solid so it will probably stay until after we replace the green one in the kids' bathroom. Have to prioritize these things and the green is much worse.

Here you can see the small medicine cabinet. Tiny! That's the steamer in the sink. It took down soooooo much wallpaper throughout our house and was a lifesaver! Each wallpaper area was different and had it's own set of challenges during and after removal. I will show the rest as we redo those areas. But we borrowed the steamer from our wonderful friends/neighbors and when I started using it, I had this, "why didn't anyone tell me?!" moments. It was so much easier than spraying and scraping.

Now for the after!!! Try to ignore my picture in the mirror - I told you it's the first time I had seen the lower half of my body in over a year and it's taking some getting used to. At least I'm dressed in the picture. Supposedly there's this story of a man who took a picture of his shiny metal teapot and sold it on eBay. Well, he was naked while taking the pic and you guessed it - his reflection was shiny and clear. Hello!

The mirror came from Goodwill and was the back of a vanity or dresser. I painted it a light gray and we turned it on it's side and put some hooks in it. It fit perfectly. The lights work great above it too and the little pictures are of French city streets (also from Goodwill) and have the perfect blue in the frame. A great find for my thrifting adventures.

So there you have it. This was so much work, and it was just a little room. But we will get through each area of the house and rework it to how we like it. Light and breezy and clean and fresh. That's the motto. Oh, and inexpensive too.

The Master Bathroom

2011-04-15T14:49:00.000-07:00

I've been "project"ing. (Not projecting as in putting my problems onto other people - ha). You know, home improvement stuff. Calvin was gone for 2 weeks to Asia and I always like to take on a project to surprise him. Well this one was going to be a bigger surprise that I anticipated, and not in a good way.

I took to demo-ing the master bath, and midway through it looked like this:

I took down the wallpaper but I didn't stop there. I took out the tiled-in towel rack on the bottom left and then the two spots where there was a tiled-in toothbrush holder and soap holder. The toothbrush holder was completely useless since they don't even sell toothbrushes to fit the little holes anymore. While taking off the massive grout behind the tile, I took out a few more tiles that I had hoped. I either kept accidentally cracking the neighboring tile or it came out on it's own as the top border did. In the end I was left with 9 open square tiles and 2 borders to put back on. Luckily our previous owners left us a box of the vintage tile, making this part of the project possible.

I then removed the old light fixture. Our good friends graciously gave us their two sets from their house which we plan on replacing these with.

I also removed the old medicine cabinet. It was so small (no wonder I was gaining weight - I couldn't tell since I couldn't see below my neck!). I have a new mirror I picked up at Goodwill to replace it with.

Then I had a mess. The first step was to fill in the drywall. I had it cut to size at Home Depot and then only had to shave it down a little to fit once home. At Home Depot I wanted to take the whole sheet of drywall home, since I bought it. So you should have seen the guy helping me (just reminds me I need to put in a good word for him. Okay, I quickly filled out a form on the HomeDepot.com website). He was so helpful, trying to fit the giant piece of drywall into the minivan. It was quite a sight with me emptying and rearranging strollers, the baby, car seats, and pushing seats down and forward. We had to cut off just a little but it fit! Gotta love Hondas. Anyhow... back to the bathroom.

I nailed in a couple 2x4s into the sides of the framing in the hole where the medicine cabinet was in order to adhere the drywall. Then I screwed the new drywall piece. I spackled it along with all the flaws in the wall left from removing the wallpaper. Then I went around with an electric sander to smooth out the bumps. Then I wiped it down and painted it with primer. After that it was still too smooth, so I researched and took off to Home Depot in search of texture. I ended up with a $13 can of orange peel texture (which is what my dad said I needed all along of course) and I sprayed that all over the walls. It's quite messy so I used a plastic drop cloth underneath. Once that was dry it was finally time for the top coat of... white paint. Not exactly thrilling for all that labor, but now the ceiling and walls are a fresh white and we are both happy with the progress.

So today I was able to do the tiling, which was nightmare-ish. First I replaced a bit of cement board that was damaged, then I had to chisel every little piece of grout remaining so the tile would fit. I was like a dental hygienist scraping away little bits of plaque. Tedious and detailed. Finally the tile fit and I grouted it in.

Ta-Da! Not exactly done but all the hard labor is behind us. Now for the mirror and lights to be put up and a good solid cleaning. We will be so happy to have our bathroom functional again!

Almost Crawling

2011-04-05T19:14:00.000-07:00

Tosca is sooo close to crawling. I know I will regret this, but I actually get excited to see infants learn how to crawl. The sense of achievement and satisfaction on their face says it all. Plus, she's a persistent one, and somewhat easily frustrated, very much like Landon. Very much.

I've been taking more pics from my camera phone lately. They're not the best quality but it's nice to be able to have it close by and capture some moments that otherwise may not have been.

She doesn't only have one arm in that picture - she just waves it so quickly, slapping the floor in a repetitive motion, happy with herself. Guess the phone couldn't handle her lightning fast movements.

There she is doing her plank. She practices this yoga move over and over throughout the day. I think she's mastered it. You can see the concentration on her face. She is proud. And serious. And ready to move.

African Dance Night

2011-04-02T18:35:00.000-07:00

We were invited to go to a local Baltimore City school last night for African Dance Night. I didn't know what to expect and thought we'd be watching a performance. We actually were required to participate! It was so much fun. One of those magical evenings where you feel part of a community of diverse people from many different walks of life.

There were three drummers who kept the beat going for at least 45 minutes. Then two dancers and their little girl let groups of people dancing across the gym floor.

Etame got right in there and danced with her friend Sarah. Finally Landon warmed up and started dancing along with some new-found friends. Then I got out there with Tosca and she lit up the room, giggling and laughing across the floor and through the night.

After all that dancing, appetites were awaken! We went to the cafeteria for potluck-style international food. The kids tried all sorts of dishes - Iranian, Indian, Japanese, and Italian. The kids tried all sorts of things and enjoyed it. It was an evening of experiencing a different culture without the long travel time.

A lady and her daughter who wanted to hold Tosca after the performance

At the Park

2011-03-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

We took a family trip to the park last weekend. The weather was glorious and it was nice to all get out for some play and a walk around.

I met some nice people on the playground too, which is always a bonus. It was an African American family and so I'm always asking for advice on hair products and especially if there is a hair salon semi-close that they would recommend. The mom had very nice hair so I thought she might be a good resource and she was.

Yep, there's a picture of me too - surprise! No make-up and all. Keepin' it real. Actually that's me most days, running out the door and realizing I have no make-up and I haven't done Etame's hair. I should probably keep an emergency hair care kit in the car. Have a great week friends!

A Quilt for My Niece

2011-03-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

As I posted earlier, we have a new niece! She seems to be adjusting well so far and I'm sure they are all anxious to get back home and get settled.

It has been really fun to follow along with them through my sister's emails and blog posts. She seems like such a special girl and I can't wait to meet her. Unfortunately that won't be until August when we head out to Oregon to visit family.

Until then, I'm working on a quilt for her. It's my way of connecting. The anticipation of her seeing this quilt for the first time just makes me smile as I work on it.

Here's a little preview. I'm nearly done with the quilt top and will start soon on the back and quilting it all together. I used all fabrics that I had in my stash, which was challenging yet very satisfying. I designed it on paper myself and I'll explain the significance of it all later (although those of you who follow her blog can probably guess it).

3 Years!

2011-03-19T05:55:00.000-07:00

Etame's Birthday was a couple weeks ago too. We decided, whether good or bad, to have her party the day after Landon's party.

We invited all of her preschool class plus a couple good friends. It was her first party and she had fun being the center of attention.

It was only one hour but perfect for kids her age. Just enough time to talk and play and eat cake.

We played the simple game of drop the clothespin into the jar. A classic that seems to be a hit at this age. I remember playing it when I was little.

We are so blessed to be surrounded by nice friends for our children. It's a treat to watch them grow their friendships with one another.

Sometime this week I will write a letter to her birth mother as I do every year close to her birthday. I'm sure she thinks of Etame on her birthday and hopes that somehow she is safe and happy in the world.

5 Months

2011-03-17T05:09:00.000-07:00

Tosca is now 5 months old. She is rolling around, trying to crawl. She does this move where she pretends she is an airplane and is really just high-centered on the ground. It's quite funny, and cute.

She still our super happy girl, smiling at people and curious about her siblings. Love.

Journey Across the World to Meet Your New Daughter

2011-03-15T06:24:00.000-07:00

This is what my sister and family are doing this week! They are going to pick up their new daughter whom they are adopting from China. I am going to help her out with posts from China so that she can keep us all informed of their happenings. She is a hilarious, enjoyable writer and has a way of connecting you to their story full of busy children and household.

Almost all of their children (6 of them in a foreign country!) are traveling together to go pick up my soon-to-be niece who is 11 years old. What joy these next two weeks will bring!

Visit her blog to follow their adventure >> Crazy For Kids

7!

2011-03-14T06:20:00.000-07:00

Our boy is now 7 years old! We celebrated by having a party at the house where he invited his classmates/friends over for a party.

He thought of the theme - Greek Gods. I can't tell you how creative he was in thinking up games and ideas for the party. But no matter. All 7 year-old boys want is room to run!

We bagged the games idea after we saw what 18 (!) boys looked like running around the yard. Darts (throw the lightning spear) to pop the balloon no longer seemed feasible, or safe.

The eating contest that Landon so ingeniously thought of (Cronus ate his children) wasn't going to be necessary. Those cookies would better just be given to the boys while they wait for pizza.

It was wild. It was loud. It was fun. It was ALL outside.

As each boy arrived, Landon showed them the name tags pre-written with the Gods he chose. They selected a Greek God to be, put the name tag on, chose between the 3 colors of t-shirts. Once they had their t-shirt on, we gave them a flashlight and wrote their "name" on it and sent them outside. It was an evening party which was perfect for flashlights and they were the hit of the night.

I of course liked the t-shirts that I spent many hours on using freezer-paper stenciling. I bought the t-shirt packs at Wal-Mart. Originally I was going to buy $3 Ts but then a nice woman in the store suggested I buy undershirts. Perfect! I was able to buy 5 for $6.99. Much better. I just had to buy 10-12s so they actually fit loosely and not too snug.

We played "Lightning Beam Tag" for at least an hour. One person would count, everyone else would hide. When that person found someone, they turned on their "beam" and found others. We continued until everyone was found. This meant I frequently had to line everyone up to count heads to make sure we had all the Greek Gods. There was only a couple moments of panic when we had some participants who were advanced at hiding. It was pitch dark outside and I just hoped no one went to far back into the woods!

We went from backyard to front yard and then to backyard again. The boys refused to have me open the gate for them - they all wanted to climb over. All Boys I tell you.

It was the biggest entertaining success in my mind. A flurry of activity and I really think each and every boy had fun. They all were out playing together, eating together, and ~~laughing~~ screaming together!

These two little minis wanted to get out there but we were worried they'd be trampled!

Mr. Penguin

2011-03-08T05:56:00.000-08:00

Creative name, right? I have been knitting this penguin for over two years! Yes, I like to string projects along. I started this to give to Etame, even before we had her referral. Calvin, Landon, and I went on a cruise with my parents down to South America and I thought it was appropriate and funny to start to create a penguin to give to our soon-to-be-daughter from Ethiopia.

It has been so fulfilling to make goals this month and finish off some long-lasting projects! Creating should be fun, but when you have too many unfinished (WIPs) hanging over your head, it feels overwhelming. Plus, the husband gets tired of seeing my projects left on the couch for weeks on end.

I always thought knitting anything other than a scarf was too much for me. But the step by step instructions from a good book made it easy for me to do it piece by piece. I love the result. I get so protective of these creations that I have spend so much time on, that I have a hard time letting the kids play with them and take them off the shelf!

The Tooth PIllow

2011-03-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

Our little boy lost his very first tooth on his 7th birthday! He has been waiting over two years for this exact occasion and so of course we had to treat it with celebration. respect. delicacy.

Some sewing was in order. We needed a pillow to house the tooth!

I pulled this together in a bit more than an hour I guess. It's a football as requested by Landon. It's not a baked potato, which I'm aware of its close resemblance. I was all set to make this monster pillow to hold his tooth, but then I had to go rogue when talk of a football came up.

I used my Crop-A-Dile tool to make the grommets. I picked it up years ago at Costco, of all places. then I strung yarn through the holes. I used the free-motion foot on my machine to do the lettering and tooth outline. The little pouch holds the tooth, and the moolah!

So I gave it to Landon with the tooth all tucked in there. When I The Tooth Fairy went in to exchange the tooth for the money, she couldn't find the pillow! Finally after some searching, she found it deep under his pillow. She tried to pull it out and... he sat straight up in bed. The Tooth Fairy was panicked! Would she be seen? Just as she was planning her escape, he crashed back down on the pillow and immediately started snoring again. Relief!

He was so excited that he woke up at 1:30 in the morning and came running in our room, "The Tooth Fairy left me $2!" and hopped in with us. It's like he was more excited for this than Christmas. Seriously excited.

Then at school he not only got to hear his name over the morning announcements for his birthday but he was looking forward to getting sung "the tooth song" by the class. So sweet, the important things in a 7 year old's world.

Applique - Birthday Tote

2011-03-03T05:39:00.000-08:00

I finally figured out how to applique and have it look good! I have tried this before on a t-shirt for Landon and it didn't work out so well. I used knit before and it stretched in all directions.

Well I obviously needed some directions, a recipe to follow. I need a formula to follow and to know that it will turn out.

This tote was inspired by this little book that I bought for a friend of Etame's. It was his 3rd birthday and I felt this little owl and tote bag combo was perfect for him. I followed the applique instructions from this book, Scandinavian Stitches. It's a great book full of projects. I like the design aesthetic of simple designs outlined in black thread.

I tried it out making this tote and I love the result. It took longer than I expected, but isn't that the truth with most projects? I used paper-backed fusible webbing. I think it's called "wonder under" or used to be called that. I ordered it from Sew Mama Sew. I probably could have found it at JoAnns but I don't love going in that mega-store. I prefer to shop and support the little places where they package your goods nicely and send a pretty note with it. Plus, even though you have to pay shipping, overall it is less (at least for me) when you aren't tempted by everything else in the store.

So I hope this special little boy likes his special little tote to hold his book and other treasures. Handmade is so fun to give.

Goals

2011-02-28T05:20:00.000-08:00

I've been starting to make goals for each month. It seems that the weeks fly by too quickly and I need to make monthly goals instead. Actually, what I'm saying there is that I can't get as much done as I always think I can!

I made goals for February ranging from weight loss, crafts to do with the kids, and projects (both home and sewing and knitting) to complete. So how did I do for February? Well, good on the weight loss, okay on the projects, and I still have time to do one more craft with the kids.

Now, onto the next month. One of my goals for March is to get this wallpaper down. Isn't it hideous? When we bought the house, I thought, "well wallpaper - that's cosmetic - it can be changed and it's not hard to take down". I was wrong. It's so hard to take down. I have gone through half a spray bottle of Pirahna, a solution to remove wallpaper. I can't keep the wall wet long enough. It's a mess and I've torn up the wall quite a bit. But I'm hoping it will get easier if I learn to be patient and wait until the wall is soaked before I start scraping.

Wish me luck! I try to do a little each evening while the kids are bathing. I don't know how to tackle the ceiling. Crazy I tell you.

The Tote

2011-02-27T05:20:00.000-08:00

Last week I talked about making a tote for Etame following this quick (20 min) tutorial. Well, it was quick! I didn't really need the tutorial for the simplicity of it, but it still was nice to have the dimensions all figured out for me.

I used fabric that I had bought at my favorite local fabric shop, A Fabric Place (truly, that's the name). I had planned to make a skirt with it but it is more of a canvas material so it works better for a tote anyhow. The handles I used are actually ties that I kept from a slipcover we had in our old house. It was nice because it was already hemmed. Easy.

And of course I sewed "her label" in there because I have like 500 of them. That was the minimum order when I bought them.

Now she has a new spring tote bag that will fit all her preschool art and papers!

Giggly Girl

2011-02-25T07:26:00.000-08:00

Tosca is our lively giggly girl. She laughs often and you can take her out of a cry (almost always) by playing peek-a-boo.

Here's a video of her uncontrollable giggles. Apparently I couldn't stop laughing too as I was filming.

This one will go into my file of watch-this-when-you-are-feeling-down file. It will always make me laugh.

Popcorn and Hot Chocolate

2011-02-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

These two things, popcorn and hot chocolate, have become regular afternoon snacks for us this winter.

I have been forgoing the air popper and instead making each person their own individual bags. I just cover the bottom of a brown lunch sack with popcorn and fold the top down twice, put it in the microwave and hit the popcorn button. I don't actually let it go as long as the microwave wants to nuke it for. Burnt popcorn is the worst.

I spray a little spray butter in there, salt it and then shake and Voila! A simple afternoon snack.

Coasters

2011-02-21T07:57:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting to make some coasters for our house for a few weeks, but then I had a birthday that I wanted to make for (hi Monica) and a birthday that I missed back when I was in the throws of taking care of a newborn (hi Michelle). Sooo... I ended up making them coasters!

I chose fabrics that I had from my stash. Ones I thought they each would love.

They were fairly simple to make. I made them quilted, so they had some absorbency. First I put cut the fabric 4x4 inches - 10 of them. Then I cut 5 batting squares, same size.

Stack them up, right to right side and then the batting on top of the stack. Sew all edges, leaving an opening of about 1 1/2 inches so you have room to turn inside out.

Cut off the corners so the corners when you turn them they lay nicely.

Turn them out using the opening you left and use a knitting needles or bone folder/pointed stick to get the corners square.

Iron and then top stitch along the edge, about 1/8 inch in, tucking under and catching while you sew, the opening you used for turning.

I gained some confidence on the first set and then added ribbon to the edges of the second. They didn't come out perfect but I still liked the result. I cut 4 in lengths of ribbon - 4 for each coaster. Then sandwiched them in between the two pieces of fabric. Just make sure the decorative part of the ribbon you'd like to show points towards the inside (yeah, I made that mistake at first - oops).

I hope that was somewhat clear. I guess that's my first tutorial! Some things are fairly straight forward but nice to have measurements and step-by-steps to follow. If you are in need of some coasters and try it out, let me know please. The recipients enjoyed their gifts which is the best part. I love handmade.

Etame's Cards

2011-02-19T07:45:00.000-08:00

Here are Etame's Valentine's Day cards for her party. I got the design from Mer Meg, a lovely blog.

They were super easy to do. Me, being the procrastinator, finished them in the morning just in time! I always pledge to next year be more on top of it - we'll see!

It sounds like she had a super fun party day. Her favorite is always "the pokey pokey" and she is now telling me about some of her friends and the things they talk about and what they like. Too cute. Her school and teachers are fantastic and are always doing these amazing crafts. I really am impressed by their creativeness and attention to the children.

Projects

2011-02-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

I added a couple sidebar sections, for those of you not reading in Google Reader. (Come out of reader and take a look if you are). There are three new sections: "knitting..." and "sewing...". I thought it would be fun to see what projects are one my machine or on my needles at each moment.

Oh I also want to add "reading..." which I will do soon. I'd like to share what books we are enjoying. Of course most of these will be kids books because that is what we tend to read about here, although I am starting, "The girl with the dragon tatoo". Has anyone read that? There seems to be so much buzz about it and I hear they are filming a movie. So I thought it must be good. It's a slow start I have to be honest. But hopefully it will pick up and be as riveting as the reviews make it out to be.

Able to sleep through anything and crash anywhere...

I'm hoping to make a little tote bag for Etame for school. Something like this (I will get to Purl NYC someday). It seems so simple and perfect for her to take along to pre-pre-preschool to hold all her beautiful art she brings home. I love the Kokka fabric but I'm on a use-your-stash mission so no new buying for me unless I need it. And I mean need.

Poor Etame. She has to have her third ear surgery next week. These tubes have been a nightmare. I hope it all goes smoothly. She had a rough day today too. We went to Trader Joe's and she was hanging on the side of the grocery cart. Well Tosca was in the carrier up top in the seat part and the whole cart was tipped over to its side, pinning Etame underneath. Tosca was fine in her "pod" but Etame hurt her hand. I have to hand it to the Trader Joe people, who always seem friendly anyway. They got her two fruit leathers, a bag of peas wrapped up in towels for her hand, and lots of attention. I was traumatized on the other hand. Completely shaken up with all the attention and worry. But all is well and she now has a Dora band aid on her and is sleeping soundly.

Well off to sew before another little one wakes up. Uh oh - too late.

THE Quilt!

2011-02-16T10:44:00.000-08:00

This quilt or recently waiting-to-be-finished-for-10-years quilt is done!!!! Yep. I have been working on this lovely for 10 years, since we were newly married.

Over the course of those 10 years, we started calling it the infamous quilt and I was heckled (hello Amy) for having this long overdue unfinished project. It has moved with us twice and even traveled cross country last year.

Part of the reason it has taken so long to finish is when I started it (in late 2000) I decided to hand quilt it all. It's a full size and so hand quilting each stitch meant I carried around a needle, thimble, quilting thread with me whenever I worked on it. I even took it to the beach last summer and tried to do it while sitting watching the kids. My friends' children asked if I had a jar of jam since my hand-quilting kit is carried nicely in a jam container.

Well I'm finished and I love the final result! It's surprisingly still current mostly because of the simplicity and white involved. Plus, I chose pink for the binding which of course I'm really into right now. So now I'm busy working on Mr. Penguin (going on 3 years), which is a good knitting project to do in front of the TV. Stay tuned as it is nearly finished - just a scarf and hat to go!

The Derby

2011-02-13T16:25:00.000-08:00

Landon had his cub scout Derby race a few weekends ago. It was a BIG deal. We didn't realize, or we may have researched a bit more. Yep, we didn't know you had to put graphite on the axles to make the wheels spin faster and add weight to the car in any way to give it speed down the ramp.

You would think Calvin would know all this, he is an Eagle Scout after all. But times have probably changed. He worked with Landon to build this car and it turned out just as Landon wanted. At the last minute we added some coins as weight. Foreign coins. Fitting, since we're such an international family and Calvin travels so often.

The races took all morning and much popcorn and soda were sold I'm sure (to our family).

The cars were all so different and interesting to see and guess at their inspiration. Landon's "den" is so active, always having tours and outings. He absolutely loves it. He may actually be getting a uniform for his birthday.

Onto the next event which is sleeping on a battleship. I will not be attending, but the "boys" are terribly excited as they should be.

Valentine's Day Cards

2011-02-10T16:05:00.000-08:00

So each year, Valentine's Day cards kind of sneak up on me. I think I have more time that I do and that I'll get really ambitious and do something super creative. But nope. I always wish I had gone to Rite Aid and purchased a box of perforated valentines. Well tonight Landon comes home and exclaims happily, "and tomorrow we have to take our Valentine's Day cards to take in". Oh right. I had advance warning and still I'm so late and there's no chance I want to go to the store tonight.

To the rescue - the long thread! She has compiled a list of 35 different online printable sources for different types of Valentine's. Hurray! We're doing these robots from Cottage Industries. Unfortunately, I didn't get to the lollipops, which I'm sure will be a sticking point later one (pun intended). But maybe he won't notice until afterwards?

Happy Valentine's Day! Hopefully this saved some of you too. :-)

Family Update

2011-02-09T10:21:00.000-08:00

Some things as of late:

- I have been so tired I put Cumin on Landon's "Cinnamon" toast.

- 2 out of 3 kids were sick yesterday. Now 2 out of 3 different kids are sick. Will we always be on a constant rotation?

- I have only watched the promos of Portlandia on Hulu and it is hilarious and captures the extreme Portland to a T. "Portland - it's like where people in their 30s go to retire" and "Put a bird on it and call it art". Love it!

- Am trying different hair styles on Etame and getting much better and quicker.

- Started up Car Seat Traveler again. I love to talk travel so it suites me well. Check it out.

- I've been sewing and knitting. Stay tuned for completed projects (yay!)

- One more month until weekly tennis again. So excited.

- Calvin's taking more responsibility on at work. Work hours and travel will probably increase (not fun).

Hope all of you are well friends. It's such a kick when I am getting to know someone and they say they've read our blog!

Home Bound Craft Days

2011-02-07T11:21:00.000-08:00

Well we had a few home days and filled them up with playing with friends and crafting. We still have snow covering the ground. It's pretty but I'm getting tired of the cold and dreary days. Time for some sun! And outdoor tennis!

So here's how we spent some of our house bound moments. First, we danced...

We do a lot of dancing in our house.

Then we danced some more. In our pj's. Then I decided we should get some craft on. So I looked around for what we had and found several spices that were expired or just plain old.

We used them as glitter to create pictures on paper.

We used white glue to make our designs first. I helped Etame.

Then we sprinkled different spices on the glue. Etame wasn't actually asking for help from Landon, but apparently he thought she need some.

Then we set them aside to dry and dumped off all the extra spices into a big bowl.

Later, we admired our work. The smell too. Funny enough, Landon thought cocoa was the worst smelling spice.

Thanks to my sister for some great ideas on inexpensive home crafts. It inspired me to look around the house as what we have and use that. Homemade play dough is also on our list of things to do. Next snowstorm.

Home Bound

2011-01-26T13:04:00.000-08:00

No school today - it was another snow day and probably another one tomorrow as another storm is headed through tonight. So it looks like we are home bound for the next few days - h.e.l.p.

I did have a good parenting moment today when we listened to our new favorite book, I Got Two Dogs by John Lithgow. Who knew that John Lithgow could connect with kids in writing such a fun kids book? His other one we got from the library, The Remarkable Farkle McBride, is also a good one. Landon (6) especially likes its challenging words and rhythm.

The best part about I Got Two Dogs is that it comes with a CD that has Lithgow singing the book to a tune. Super cute. We had gone to story time at the library yesterday and the children's librarian said it was the most popular kids book in the library! I must warn you though - it's the kind of tune that gets stuck in your head. Several times today I have heard Landon singing the chorus of the song. It's that catchy. You have been warned. I even started singing the song to Calvin until I realized how ridiculous I must sound, "it is the funniest kids book. It goes like this...". Ha!

If anyone has any super easy crafts that I could put into action for the next 5 days (5 days!), please share. I have a feeling we will need some reinforcement. And I can have some more "good mommy" moments.

Pink!

2011-01-22T12:15:00.000-08:00

Yes, in case you haven't heard, pink is the official Pantone color of the year. Honeysuckle actually.

You like? I do. Maybe it's the influence of having a new baby girl this year, but I'm on board. In fact, we now have pink drapes!

In the kitchen. Call me crazy, but I love them! It's been a while since I made drapes for myself so it is nice to be able to enjoy my hard work.

The fabric is from Sew Mama Sew, Silhouette Fuchsia Tea Garden. It's bold but is great contrast to the greens and browns found outside our large kitchen window.

We will probably get a pull up shade that is more functional to use daily for privacy and the drapes will just frame the windows. So that was my latest project, the quickest drapes ever, when my mom was here to help. They are a simple panel design with clip rings which is somewhat child safe as well since if they pull on them too hard, the whole bar won't come down. I learned that from my latest favorite blog, Young House Love. They're redoing their house room by room, on a tight budget. Funny writers too.

Working Visitors

2011-01-21T12:02:00.000-08:00

When my parents come to visit, they also come to work. Warning: this post may contain somewhat boring pictures for some of you. For me though, they show the accomplishments of what can be done in only a few days!

Of course, the pink drapes. This was my one project. haha. But my Dad actually put up the rod.

My dad secured the mirror with little nails so my fear of it falling off the mantle would not come true.

My dad put moldings where the fireplace bricks meet the the wall, making it look much more finished.

My dad also secured the bookcases in both our room and Landon's room to the wall. This was another fear that the kids would climb up them only to have them tumble forward onto them. No longer - they are fully secure with L-brackets now.

He also put up a simple mirror that I had found at Goodwill to the back of our bedroom door.

He put up many many switch plates and covers that have been long-needed.

I also found this lovely oil painting at Goodwill for only $30 ($30!) and it now is hanging up in our living room (thanks to... you guessed it... my dad).

The moldings are now all painted thanks to my mom! This is probably the biggest project we have been wanting done for over a year now. Yep, one year that the moldings were half painted. No longer. Thanks mom!

Okay, I can't take all the credit - my mom ironed and ironed and ironed the drapes for me while I sewed.

My dad also put up this light fixture in our kitchen. Much better than the old one. This one was purchased from walmart.com and I am really impressed with the quality for the price. It was just a little over $100 and this is a really good price from what I've found with my research for such a modern fixture - iron with a linen drum insert. Of course, this wasn't put up without incident. My dad and I couldn't get the old fixture off without breaking the glass, so being the crafty ones we are, we thought we would tape a garbage bag around the old fixture and then shatter it with a hammer, which we did. I bet you could guess the outcome. Crash went the fixture and all the glass went slicing through the garbage bag shattering all over the kitchen floor, leaving the garbage bag still hanging onto the ceiling. Bad idea. I couldn't help but laugh because all of us just started cleaning up, as if it were no big deal. Job was done and now we could put up the new one. Here it is...

Oh yeah, and he painted our kitchen door, something Lizzy and I missed when she helped me paint the kitchen a few months ago.

Of course now I realize we may have scared away any potential guests. I promise, we will not make you work! Only my parents. :-) Oh, and Lizzy, my sister's daughter (my niece) who helped so much right after Tosca was born, by helping me paint the kitchen and watching the baby. Thanks Mom and Dad and Lizzy!

And because you endured me listing all my endless home improvement projects, I leave you with a cute picture of Etame. Awww...

Diapers!

2011-01-20T12:10:00.000-08:00

I made my first diaper and finished it a couple nights ago. I don't intend on solely cloth diapering and I'm not even sure I will prefer to do it at all, but I had to try.

I used this pattern that I bought at Bolt in Portland over the summer. It was not easy but fun to try something different and quite a change from the big projects (drapes!) I've been sewing as of late.

The fit seems to be a bit small on Tosca. Her legs are chubbing up I guess. But still, the pattern must run small. I tried it out on her today. We went to a playdate at my friend Sara's house and I noticed Tosca was having a "movement". I panicked. I didn't think the diaper was absorbent for one of her infamous blowouts, so I rushed her to the toilet. Sara was laughing so hard at me trying to potty train my 3 month old! All was well but I'm going to need a few of these to even make a dent in all the disposables we use. The cloth diapers are not as absorbent as disposables but they are so much softer and colorful which I love.

She looks pretty happy with herself, don't you think? I thrifted this beautiful knitted button sleeper many months before she was born. It's very warm and of course I love all things vintage - oh the history!

Our Resident Fox

2011-01-17T19:21:00.000-08:00

The neighbor feeds the foxes (fox?) so we have at least one that makes a loop around our house up to theirs and then back down through our front yard. We've seen it at least 3 times now and always get excited. It is really fast and skittish so it doesn't usually stop long enough to get a good look at it.

Until today. This time the fox stopped to have some bird food from our feeder that had fallen. Apparently we are feeding the foxes as well, and deer I'm sure.

The fox had a hurt front leg with visible blood showing. I ached for it, wishing he/she could just get it bandaged up, but I guess that is life in the wild. Landon though a coyote maybe got to him. I'm not sure but I hope he gets better. I'm soft like that.

Etame doesn't quite understand what all the fuss is about. She hears us excitedly yelling, "fox! fox!" and she says quietly, "that sneaky fox will try to swipe anything." (a Dora reference for all you non-toddler moms).

Quiet (and Retail Therapy)

2011-01-14T12:15:00.000-08:00

My parents have said goodbye and it was a hard day for me. The business of projects and lively house during the day came to an end and I was sad.

So today I went shopping! I bought these Ugg boots (in black), even though I deemed Uggs way too trendy and swore they would soon go out of style... for the past 5 years!

While at the mall, I went by Athropologie, one if my favorite stores to just look around in and pretend like it's my own boudoir (had to look that up to make sure it was what I thought it was... yep!) and see Athro's beautiful window displays. Today a woman was hot glue gunning paper ruffled to a paper skirt on a manikin (had to look that word up too as I couldn't remember to spell it for the life of me). The skirt was lovely already and Etame was really interested in it too. Anyhow, while in there I saw a great book on family dinners which I had seen before and have it in mind for a good friend who cooks up dinner for us each week (hope she's not reading this). I almost bought it but Etame had to go to the bathroom and the line was long. So I put it down and later, I whipped out my iPhone and ordered it on Amazon for a few dollars less!

Of course, I can't ever go to Amazon without buying things off of my wishlist so I also bought a couple sewing books that I had been wanting. They are so good, those Amazon people, at upselling. So easy to just add a couple more things that you want - and hey, shipping is then free! So it's worth it!

So I was a bit of a consumer today. I won't mention the sale items I bought at Williams-Sonoma. Pantry items to make my dinner cooking evenings a bit easier, and Harney and Sons tea. My mother-in-law bought us English Breakfast tea from Starbucks many years ago that was this brand and it was delicious. Seriously, a treat. I used to think tea was tea and it was all the same. Not so. The aroma and taste are really a treat. The little square canister is a keepsake too.

Retail therapy worked for me today, it worked hard for me today. :-)

Now movie night tonight at the church and snow tubing tomorrow! And GO RAVENS!!!!!!

Baby Shower!

2010-12-27T04:29:00.000-08:00

Our playgroup organizer and great friend finally was united with her daughter from China this month! She waited over 4 years and her little baby girl couldn't be cuter!

The shower was a surprise that we held at Lisa's house, who has a gorgeous older home with tall ceilings and a very grand feel.

It was our Christmas playgroup as well hence the Christmas/baby shower tree.

Here is the 100 good wishes quilt which I ~~made~~ am still finishing for Carrie.

The lovely moms.

The guest of honor herself! See, I told you she was cute. And strong! And happy!

The whole lot. Used to be we were a small group of 6 kids. Now we have 14! Doubled in less than 5 years - quite an accomplishment!

I am truly lucky to have these friends for support and laughter and I value them more and more each time we get together.

A Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T15:12:00.000-08:00

Here is some of our morning. Kids are excited, but sick with ear infections. Etame's ear burst at some point as there was blood in her ear last night. Typical with her, she didn't complain a bit but said, "I go see the doctor", pointing to her ear. Landon has ear pain as well so we are headed to some sort of quick clinic tomorrow. Why does this always happen on the holidays?! Poor little kids.

We are having a relaxing day, complete with some snow today and lots of prettiness all around. Merry Christmas!

Revised to add: Okay, it's taken me all day long to get this post out, it's no longer relaxing here (who was I kidding?!), and I'm ready for the kids to be in bed.

Playing Around

2010-12-23T15:39:00.000-08:00

It's Official

2010-12-21T18:05:00.000-08:00

Santa will be able to deliver Tosca's Christmas presents!

We have been preparing so much for Christmas this year, I will be glad to just rest on Christmas day and see the kids play with their new toys from Santa.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Thanksgiving

2010-12-13T12:17:00.000-08:00

I realized I never put up my Thanksgiving pictures. We had another fabulous year at the Buzzerds. We love them for including us each year as part of their family!

The table was set just lovely.

Even the kids' table was gorgeous.

But the most beautiful was her new kitchen. The lighting is soft and cozy. We had good conversation and lots of new energy this year with 3 new babies (their super-nice neighbors had twins, and Tosca).

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. The holiday before the hustle of Christmas. I'm hoping to slow down before Christmas too, as December is flying by!

The Drapes are Done!

2010-12-10T12:11:00.000-08:00

Here are drapes that I've been working on for a client/neighbor/friend of mine. She's been VERY patient throughout the fall while I finished them. Between driving cross country and having a baby, they have been a bit delayed.

They are floor to ceiling, lined, weighted, slot heading drapes with a gathered/ruffled top. I love the fabric she choose and they really turned out nice, if I do say so myself (insert pat on the back here).

Onto the next project! A stocking for Tosca...

Christmas Tree Shopping

2010-12-09T12:01:00.000-08:00

This is it! We only looked at two trees and decided - it was cold!

We went to a new (to us) farm this year. They also sold eggs and cornish hens. So I spent all the remaining money on that. I'm a sucker for fresh and local.

They had two giant bull mastifs and this little corgie (sp?) that ruled the farm.

Hot chocolate was had by all, even Etame who spilled it all over the car. In all fairness it was probably my fault on the hand-off.

Home! We could have just cut one in our back yard, if we had any fir trees.

Lost in Translation

2010-12-08T12:41:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I feel like we are living in that movie, Lost in Translation. Here are some recent conversations with a certain 2 year old in our house lately:

- L: "It tasted good". E: "No I take turns".

- L: "I want to watch Pokeman". E: "No, she's not a Pokey Mom. She's a Special Mom".

- Me to Landon: "Did you eat your raisins?" E: "No, you don't eat my Ravens" looking down at her Ravens jersey.

- L: "Let's watch Nanny McPhee". E: "Make my feet! Make my feet!"

Oy!

It's Gameday!

2010-12-04T09:46:00.000-08:00

We're hoping and praying here. haha

Love the outfit - thanks Calahans! Go Beavers!

Red Thread

2010-12-01T07:17:00.000-08:00

This is what I've been working on over the Thanksgiving Weekend. My friend Carrie is in China now picking up her little girl! This quilt is her 100 good wishes quilt, where those close to her send in fabric squares and they are sewn together to welcome the baby and to have as a keepsake.

As I started the red border this afternoon, it reminded me of the symbolism "the red thread" has that ties adoptive parents together with their child's birth country, China.

It's coming together quite nicely and I hope to have it done by the time she returns, which is soon - yikes!

6 Weeks Old

2010-11-26T18:50:00.000-08:00

Here's our little girl at 6 weeks old! She is smiling and making a "goo" sound as she looks up at me. So in love!

4 Weeks Old

2010-11-08T11:15:00.000-08:00

4 weeks ago, we were on the other side... of the birth of Tosca. We wondered what she looked like, what her temperament would be, and how our life would change.

We couldn't be happier and our family feels full and alive by adding her to the mix. She is a sweet baby and we feel oh so blessed.

Here she sleeps in my carrier, as she does each evening while I slowly get dinner together.

Looking so peaceful despite the screaming and running that is happening around her.

Another Christmas Gift Finished

2010-11-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

This one is for Tosca. I've worked on this for way too long. I started it before we picked up Etame, which was, um, over 2 years ago. So, here he is. Meet Ziggy Zebra:

I knitted him, stuffed him, stitched him together, and then embroidered eyes, nostrils, and a smile on him. I think he's pretty cute and I'm hoping he will get much love from the littlest girl.

Handmade Christmas

2010-11-02T10:02:00.000-07:00

I have this dream of making all of our Christmas gifts. That I would have the energy, creativity, and time needed to do so is probably unrealistic. But one little girl will be getting this special doll come Christmas morning.

I have been working on this little beauty since summer. The pattern was made by a woman who also has an adopted daughter from Ethiopia and lives in Portland. I didn't know all this when I picked up the pattern at Bolt to buy it, but the cashier told me so. Then a few minutes later I was able to meet her as she happened to stop by the store with her daughter. It makes me happy to support independent crafters and that she has this special connection just makes it better.

I made the two little gathered skirts shown quickly by using old dress shirts of Calvin's. The sleeve of the shirt is the perfect size and already has one of the seems done. Recycled clothing is my favorite fabric - economical and resourceful.

The skirts will be easy for Etame to dress the doll and pull off and on. Can't wait to see her reaction when she opens this doll on Christmas morning!

An unlikely pair

2010-11-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

Landon and Etame were quite the pair last night.

Abe Lincoln and Miss Unicorn.

They did great walking the mile around our neighborhood and Etame had a death grip on her candy bag. Landon has bee infatuated with Abraham Lincoln since midway through last year when we read about all the presidents. My dad bought him the beard and hat at Lincoln's boyhood home as we drove back cross country this summer. A trip to Gettysburg later and a picture with the statue of Lincoln sealed the deal - he would make a perfect Lincoln for Halloween! He did too.

It was fun meeting new neighbors and neighbors we hadn't seen since last Halloween and we had a beautiful pink sunset to watch. By the end of the night, the unicorn was lagging behind but a good time was had by all!

Carving out Time

2010-10-31T07:32:00.000-07:00

Last night we did a little pumpkin carving. Well, Calvin did a little pumpkin carving since the kids are still little. But they drew the face and had fun participating.

In the light

2010-10-30T12:14:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Tosca in the morning light taken this morning. She's such a sweet baby. I'm even getting some sewing done today - YES! I especially love the middle pic. May need to frame that one.

7 Hours!

2010-10-28T07:35:00.000-07:00

Tosca slept 7 hours last night! I woke up in a panic counting the time. 8:30 - 3:30! I couldn't believe it and wondered if maybe I had fed her in there somewhere and just not remembered? Anyhow, it made for a good night's sleep, even if she is feeding now every 2 /2 hours today to make up for it.

Calvin and Landon can't get enough. Each morning Landon comes in and says, "Hi Tosca" in a super high voice. Way cute.

Here she is with her eyes wide open. In between cries. This is my view holding her, which I do for most of the day (with no regrets). She likes to be close.

Tosca pictures

2010-10-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some more (adorable) pictures of our new little lady...

Her first bath.

Grandma visits and helps out a ton!

Asleep (she's a fairly good sleeper!)

We are all doing better each day. My new motto is "progress". As long as I see progress I am fine. Each day I try to do a little more and it seems to be working. I'm feeling good and Tosca is getting in a routine which is very nice.

2010-10-19T01:46:00.000-07:00

Introducing.....

Tosca

Big brother took to her immediately.

Big sister didn't know what the excitement was all about but she was excited! They finally got to meet her after one week of her being in the NICU. Sibling visitation was Sunday and it was so special. Today we get to bring her home... finally. Much love will be bestowed upon our new little one.

My mom is in town (!) so we have lots of help this week. The laundry pile has already magically disappeared. When I saw her coming down the terminal, I had visions of Mary Poppins and had to look twice to see if she was carrying a black umbrella.

Due Date nearly come and gone

2010-10-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

Well today's my due date and it looks like the baby won't be born when she is "supposed" to be. Lots of cramping today and so it has to be soon, right?!?

I am thinking she may be born on 10/10/10. So cool and easy to remember. But if not, I will schedule for as soon as possible after my next doctor's appointment, which is Tuesday. I can't imagine going another week feeling like this. So close, so close.

Braxton Hicks

2010-10-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

I am so tired of having Braxton Hicks contractions each evening/night. If this keeps up, I will be exhausted by the time I truly go into labor! They get increasingly worse each night and tonight were a bit hard to take for a while.

I go to see the doctor this Tuesday and Friday is the baby's due date. So we will meet our new little girl soon! The doctor should schedule me for an induction if I don't go before one week after the due date.

Fingers crossed for some rest and an uncomplicated labor.

No Baby Yet

2010-09-30T04:35:00.000-07:00

So, I'm actually writing this post as to bring on labor. As in, "no baby yet"... oops spoke too soon. Playing reverse psychology with Murphy's Law you know?

Yes, we are anxiously awaiting baby #3. 8 days until my due date but still, it could happen any minute. Or it could be 15 days away and they will induce me. Come on baby, make an appearance soon!

When I was pregnant with Landon, there were certain things I really really missed, like wearing high heels and dressy clothes. Slingback heels were popular then and I couldn't wait to go out and buy a pair once I was done carrying Landon. So that's what I did. A week after his birth I was wearing heels, lugging around Landon in his car carrier seat. Practical? No. But it felt good.

This time around, my life must be so different because I miss other things. Particularly, the ability to do projects around the house. I have an incredible urge to paint and to get out major power tools and create. I miss being able to lift heavy things with abandon and do more risk-taking skills like using ladders and a saw.

I recently found the best blog, Ana-White, written by a stay-at-home-mom who doesn't let any heavy duty machine intimidate her. She has furniture plans she writes for her readers and posts for free! There are plans for bookcases, storage cabinets, shelves, desks, toy storage bins, beds, and everything useful and functional for the modern family. The plans are laid out so easy to understand. I can't wait to try some of her projects. What a talented woman!

Now, if we could just have the baby...

What bedtime looks like in our house...

2010-09-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

I came into Landon's room the other night, and he was dressed in full gear.

He said it was to scare the monsters away.

I couldn't help but laugh, although he was very serious about it. We are redoing his room at the moment (another project pre-baby!) so stay tuned for pictures of that once we finish the paint and put in all the new decor.

I'm having a few contractions, especially at night after an eventful day, but no pain yet so we wait... 3 more weeks! Give or take a few days.

Drapes Finished

2010-09-01T10:42:00.000-07:00

Just finished these curtains/drapes for my friend Carrie. They will be in her little girl's room who she is expecting to hear about in less than a month!

She is adopting from China so she is on schedule to get her referral of her baby girl very soon. I am on pins and needles praying for her to see a picture of her new daughter in this next group. She has waited nearly 5 years!

These curtains were a special type of tab top that copies ones she had in her son's room. I think they turned out very nice, tailored, and hope they work to counter all that pink that will fill the room. The tab style is hidden, yet makes a nice faux pleat when put on the curtain rod.

I was very pleased with the results, and hope she is too. It's always nerve wracking making something for another but usually my quality and standards are higher than when I make something for our own home! These were lined with a made-from-bamboo fabric which had such a nice crisp, cool feel, like sheets that had been washed hundreds of times and stood up to the wear.

Onto the next project! I would love to make some curtains this style for a few of our rooms, but I need to figure out paint and color scheme first! I am also assembling a 100 good wishes quilt for Carrie for her daughter, once we decide on the design, size, and border fabric. Can't wait to start on that too. Hurray for finished projects!

Americana Road Trip

2010-08-26T07:11:00.000-07:00

So many photos to share, I'll just dive right in. This summer was our big drive across country to visit family in Oregon. Coast to coast - really! It was daunting but once we started planning it we were more and more excited to head out and see the country.

We posted up a dry erase map and charted our path across, putting pictures connected with string to the places we would see along to way. It was a great way to get the kids involved.

We hardly got out of the neighborhood and I was already sick to my stomach. Of course, those that know me well know that this is common with any kind of anxiety/change/adventure. So we charged on.

We stopped for Cracker Barrel for breakfast and then this McDonald's in PA where they host the Big Mac museum. This was the one and only McDonald's we agreed to stop at and it had a great playground for the kids.

One of the things that kept the trip fun is that for every stop we made, we gathered something to put in our scrapbook. Something that didn't cost anything. A sugar packet, crayon box, or flyer. We created the scrapbook as we went, leaving room for pictures later.

Taking a bathroom break near Vermillion, Ohio. It was surprisingly how all across the country, you would see historical markers and stumble upon history by accident.

This place had a plaque describing how near this location in a location judge's house, he would help slaves free by letting them go down through a secret door in his house, a tunnel underneath that led to the Lake Erie, and then the people would be taken to freedom by boat to Canada. Quite remarkable, just to happen upon a story of the underground railroad.

This was a very common sight, as L has to go to the bathroom seriously every hour and a half. More than the pregnant woman!

And that was day 1. 7 days it took us to get across. Great memories and luckily we were all safe.

Beach Week

2010-07-17T13:53:00.000-07:00

This past week we were fortunate enough to again be invited for an annual "Beach Mama" week with good mama friends and their kids. It was fun, beautiful, and full of laughs.

I wanted to do something crafty with the kids so I brought down my sewing machine and a big bin of discarded clothing. We set up shop making all combination of custom bags for each child that held a composition book in which they could journal their summer activities and color. Everyone got a turn choosing fabric, patches, ribbon, and pockets to put on their special bag made from swim shorts, pants, and Calvin's old dress shirts. Then I sewed them up. It was a treat to see them all so excited to have their special bag and carry them all over the house.

The kids all got along great, playing plenty of games and having lots of pool and ocean time.

We even saw some dolphins quite close to the shore...

Took a group picture - look at all those colorful kiddos...

And E got plenty of sand in her hair which we are still getting out...

Now we will pocket these sunny memories and make them last for another year...

Car Wash

2010-07-01T04:44:00.000-07:00

Last week was so so hot outside, our first full week of summer vacation. So I set up a car wash for the kids outside.

A bucket of soapy water, sponges, wash clothes, brushes, spray bottles, towels, and rinse bowls were laid out on their new picnic table and the kids went to town washing their metal cars.

L spent about 15 minutes of full interest on it and the rest of the time dousing E with water, then kicking over the soapy water for fun. E spent about 1 1/2 hours just soaking the sponge and squeezing it out. That sums up the difference in our two kids. Yep, so true.

Thanks to my sister Ann for suggesting the idea!

Earlier in the week I pulled the van out and had L and a friend help me wash the real car. But half way through L started singing, "It's a hard knock life.... for us...." and begging his friend to tell his mom that he wanted to wash the car and that we weren't forcing him to. Then I felt a little guilty.

New Life at the Coys

2010-06-24T10:52:00.000-07:00

We have new life on the Coy property, symbolic, since we are preparing for a new life within our family too.

The little brown bird that has taken home in Landon's gourd he painted, drilled, and strung up last fall, has had babies!

There are several of them in there. This little brown bird mama inspires me with her constant feeding of the little chicks.

They have their mouths open each time I look at them, at least three times a day, and mama flies back and forth bringing them crickets, small worms, and flies. Since we are only a couple feet away from their nest, we can see it all up close.

It's nothing like we've ever seen. I suppose they will try to fly soon. I will be as nervous as that mama bird when they take flight.

June Bugs

2010-06-22T13:02:00.000-07:00

The nightly tradition around here is to go out around 8:30 and catch fireflies (or june bugs).

It's quite magical to see them flying all through the yards when it's so quiet outside, and even more magical to see the boys out trying to catch them.

Landon has been keeping a few in the jar each night in his room and then letting them out in the morning. But this morning he came running downstairs declaring that 5 of them were gone. Uh, what? Yeah, he only opened the jar for a little bit and then he put it back on.

So that part of the tradition may be discontinuing.

Still, it's fun to see memories being made and quality time being spent.

Tuesday Inspiration

2010-06-15T04:15:00.000-07:00

My sister graduated!

Please take a minute to visit her blog and congratulate her on her accomplishment. Raising 8 kids and getting her degree with persistent and determination. I really couldn't be more proud. As she put it, she's "the happiest graduate".

Crazy for Kids

Congratulations!

Summer Pajamas!

2010-06-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to sew up these kimono style pajamas for Etame since winter. Now, they are finished and I have to say, I love them!

I used an Oliver + S Pattern for the first time. The directions were easy and made for a crisply finished product. I will definitely go to these patterns in the future for kids clothes.

Etame seemed to enjoy modeling her new pajamas. I used some fabric from my stash that I picked up a couple years ago on a trip to Philadelphia. The garment district there is great, and was my first introduction to such stores where the fabric is crammed in a narrow small store, on long round bolts, and you have to ask for help to get anything down. They climb all the way up to the ceiling for you to get down something if you think you may like it. This fabric was a vintage print they had down in their basement.

The pattern I bought at Bolt in Portland last year when visiting with my good friend Michelle.

I think she likes them!

Next up: curtains for my friend Carrie. Then possibly more curtains for a neighbor friend. Busy sewing!

Etame's Adoption Finalization Day

2010-06-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we had a court appointment to finalize Etame's adoption here in the US. Although she was legally adopted by us through the paperwork while in Ethiopia, this means she will receive a US Birth Certificate which will make it much easier for her to do things when she is older such as get married (gasp!) and apply for a job.

It was a hot day already at 9:30 in the morning.

Ready! She is wearing a special little dress from Grandma and Grandpa and her little cross from them as well. We all had necklaces on - Calvin and I from Ethiopia, and Landon from Mexico (his shark tooth prized possession - not sure of the connection but it felt special to him). Everyone looked very sharp.

Here we are walking up the steps the courthouse. Landon makes sure not to miss any good photo opp.

With the judge. There were several families there that day and they say it's their happy day since it's the only time anyone ever wants to come to court. Two other international adoption families were present as well so it was fun to talk with them.

Etame and Landon were both given teddy bears and we all shook the judges hand and were sent on our way!

Baby Girl!

2010-05-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

We found out Friday that we will be expecting a baby girl this October! We are also halfway to meeting her. An exciting journey and I hope the second half will go as smoothly as the first.

Big brother and big sister won't know what hit them, having a newborn in the house!

House Projects

2010-05-17T15:29:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago Calvin did many projects that we had lined up. Here are pictures of a few...

Before, our bathroom cabinets had these plastic pull handles. With a small change to shiny silver, it has an updated look...

Same with the kids' bathroom...

And after...

We bought a slipcover for our sofa, and hung a silver beaded framed mirror on the wall to give off more light in the living room...

A new canvas picture (from IKEA of course) to hang in our family room...

I bought a new circle rug at a garage sale that weekend for only $10 (!) and put it under the kids' play table...

Landon has some new shelves for his room to display his trophies and special items...

And for the biggest project of all... Etame's room got a facelift with major shelving and dressers to line the wall...

I love it. Now the kids have room to display their favorite items and we have more room for the baby clothes and baby items in the fall!

Nature Walk

2010-05-14T04:35:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day, we went on a nature walk around our property. I had no idea of this one trail above our house. It is a great short walk and could be therapeutic to go out there and walk the loop to clear the mind when the kids are melting down.

Landon insisted Daddy write down everything we saw: Deer feeder, cardinal, ant, worm, squirrel, and one funny family carrying binoculars, a camera, paper, and pencil.

After our walk, we finished by riding bikes and doing some light yard work.

It was a great Mother's Day. Calvin helped Landon create a scavenger hunt around the house, ending with a note written by Landon saying simply, "I love you". I got two dozen roses as well, an afternoon nap, dinner cooked for me, and time with the family. Couldn't ask for more!

Stike a Pose!

2010-05-11T13:00:00.000-07:00

Etame totally posed when I asked her to smile.

She's wearing her new dress from grandma today, bought from an individual whom makes little dresses from salvages chenile bedspreads. Genious!

Adoption Finalization Court Date!

2010-05-08T17:37:00.000-07:00

We received word yesterday that we could schedule a court date for our adoption finalization for Etame! So we will be going to court June 4 to finalize! Finally! :-) This has been many months of paperwork (much of my procrastinating) so it's a big relief.

We'll be sure to take lots of pictures and maybe even go out to Ethiopian food that afternoon to celebrate. Wahoo!!!!

ColorKu

2010-05-07T11:43:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite game/toy for Landon yet. First of all, it's beautiful. With a wooden board and colored wooden marbles, it is gorgeous to see him playing it. Basically it's Suduko for kids. You have to have one of each color (and not more than that) in each row, column, and 9-square grouping.

It's thought provoking and good for him to do mostly on his own. I highly recommend it. It comes with a stack of picture cards which show you how to set the board up, and they range from easy to challenging. We have only done the first 5 and are enjoying the quality time working on it, but Landon insists on doing it mostly on his own.

So Tired

2010-03-17T14:54:00.000-07:00

I guess I haven't officially announced it on here... I'm pregnant!

I am almost 11 weeks along now. Out of 40, that means I'm a quarter of the way through.

So today it hit me. I haven't been tired at all but today, I'm exhausted. All I want to do is curl up in a little ball and sleep. Hard to do when you have two little ones running around. Sounds like an early bedtime for this household!

Isn't exhaustion supposed to subside about now at the end of your first trimester? Wondering why mine seems to be just starting. Bring on the pregnancy symptoms I guess!

Reading Time

2010-03-13T07:56:00.000-08:00

Before bedtime, we read books. Calvin's parents saved all of his childhood books so we get to read through the same pages his parents read to him from. The vintage pictures and classic Dr. Seuss books are my favorite. Landon thinks he's outgrowing some of them, but his favorite is still Wacky Wednesday and he can now read Ten Apples Up On Top.

Calvin usually arrives right at bedtime for Etame, so here they are getting their "goodnights" in.

Twisting the Hair

2010-03-05T17:55:00.000-08:00

I must have read somewhere that you can twist African American hair around your finger in small amounts. There is something called finger curls too, but I haven't researched that yet. Yes, I am on a whole Yahoo! group for adoptive parents about hair and skin care. There is a lot of information to learn!

I did this to Etame's hair after her bath this evening. Not sure what it will look like tomorrow but it was a fun change for tonight and easier on her head than those tiny rubber bands are.

The Event

2010-03-02T11:48:00.001-08:00

This past weekend was the Boomer Esiason Cystic Fibrosis Event in NYC. We were lucky enough to attend through Under Armour and had a great time. Great stage show with different singers, costumes, and backup dancers - we danced a lot, after party with band, speakers, and quite the scene. There were over a thousand people in attendance and the single night of the event raised more than $4 million. What a success! Here are only a couple pictures of the event. I have a couple more from my camera that I will try to upload later.

The details... my tag (so I knew which was the front and back easily) and the beading which I sewed on after I cut it from a bracelet. The was the same beading on the waist.

Calvin, looking ever so good...

Me, wearing THE DRESS... finally. I felt so good in it. It fit well, flowed beautifully, and was a great point of conversation. My friends were very happy for me.

We stayed one night at the Waldorf Astoria, where the event was and then took the train back home. Lots of dancing, people to talk with, people watching, and Calvin even danced some with me!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T14:46:00.000-08:00

Landon and Etame woke up to little Valentine's gifts. We spent the day running around to Costco and returning our Wii which is broken. Fun, eh?

At one point, when Landon was getting dressed, he said, "You are wearing red, I am wearing red, Etame is wearing red, and you even have a red pimple right there." Nice.

But I did get lots of love from the kids and from Calvin, who sent me a dozen red roses all the way from Los Angeles! They are beautiful and were waiting in front of the garage when we returned home.

We hosted Valentine's Day Playgroup at our house yesterday which was very fun. Etame was able to fit into her new skirt and her matching heart collared shirt worked very well with it - thanks Mom!

Next up - birthdays!