Baby Dinosaur

For some reason unknown to me, Angel Eyes has called the new baby brother to be Dinosaur since she first knew of his existence.  She love dinosaurs and wants me to paint a picture of one for her very pretty, Shabby Chic, pink rosebud room, which to date I have not done.  He will be Dinosaur in her mind, just like she insisted that Sweet Cheeks be named Roscoe.  This she proclaimed rather loudly in the OB waiting room, during in one of her mother's prenatal visits.  "Yes, my mommy has a  baby in her tummy, it's going to be a sister and we are going to name her Roscoe!"  Now you should have seen the hands fly over surprised faces trying to conceal the humor most of the other waiting families found in this little outburst.   Some of those hands did little to keep the snickers from escaping, as people tried to pretend this was not the funniest thing they had heard all day.  So I'm guessing Dinosaur might be an okay blog name for this baby, at least for the time being.

Dino's baby shower was held Saturday evening and we all had a very nice time.  There were so many beautiful gifts!  We will have to wake him up all through the night and change his clothes to give him an opportunity to wear all of the little outfits before he outgrows them.  

Teachers Pet Cardi, Simple Tee and Poppy Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Teachers Pet Cardi, Simple Tee and Poppy Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

The Longest Days

The longest days it seems to me are those spent waiting.  The ones before a big trip, or the return of a loved one.  Our recent days have been extremely long as we wait for the birth of our grandson.  We wonder when he will arrive, what he will look like, who he will be, and how things will change after his arrival.  He isn't due for two more weeks, but we can't help thinking he may arrive early like all of his sisters did.  

I keep trying to think of fun things to keep our minds occupied instead of being pre-occupied with speculation.  I'm not doing a very good job.  Let me just say, this is not a good time for one to be trying to weight watch!  I love to eat, so on our agenda today was brownie baking followed by brownie digesting!  Tomorrow's plan is to try and hit the hot sign at Krispy Kreme.  So if you have any suggestions for mindful fun for three girls under five and a very pregnant mom, PLEASE hit the comment button!!! 

Making Dolls

I picked up Angel Eyes this afternoon while the other two took a nap, hoping their mom could shut her eyes for a few minutes.  

A.E. loves to do anything creative, so when I asked her what 

she'd like to do I wasn't surprised to hear, "Let's make something!"  After several options, she decided dolls would be fun to make.  We got out some clothes pins, felt, fabric, buttons, crayons, markers, glue, and needles and thread and started playing. 

I had no idea how this would go, or how much a five year old could really 

do, but the process is often fun regardless.

 

 

I put out the 

supplies and we went to it.  She was fascinated with the buttons.  She asked, "Mimi, are you a collector?"  I laughed and admitted that I collect everything.  She said, "You could have a really good scavenger hunt with this stuff!"  I suppose she is right.  

She watched me making a dress out of felt and wanted to try sewing 

herself.  I handed her a needle and thread and she went to work.  She did a pretty nice job for the first time.   Here is a photo of the dress she stitched one side and then asked me to finish the other side.   She glued on hearts, and it turned out really cute.

 

She also started stringing buttons onto pipe cleaners and made two bracelets and two rings and a really cool belt for one of the dolls.  She designed it all herself, and the ones she made for me really had character.   They are the brown ones pictured above.

   

After crafting I decided to make some pesto.  I've been seeing recipes on 

several blogs lately.  I've never eaten pesto, but have an abundance of basil so I thought I'd give it a try.  A.E. jumped at the chance to pick the leaves especially when I told her I would let her cut it with the scissors.  We made the pesto and pasta and it was actually delicious!  

Sweet/ Hot

A quick picture of the girls before they went to ride horses.

Now no one has accused me of being the brightest crayon in the box, why would that be?  Maybe it is because I do foolish things like make peanut brittle after a dental emergency, while my dentist is still out of town, and while I'm supposed to be on a diet.  Humm, maybe...  but really, there was a reason, of sorts.  You see our jalapenos  are still producing, but the tomatoes are not keeping the pace, and the cilantro is no more.  I've been looking for jalapeno recipes when I suddenly remembered this awesome gift basket we received from friends in Texas.  It had the most amazing jalapeno peanut brittle so I decided I would find a recipe and try it.  The first recipe I tried only called for 1/2 cup of peanuts.  The brittle was good, but not very hot.  I decided to take my regular peanut brittle recipe and add the peppers to it.  Yummy!  but still not enough fire.  The last batch I decided to use pecans and triple the peppers.  It took a very long time even in the microwave.  I think the liquid that cooked out of the peppers juiced it up and made it take longer to get to the right temperature.  It had the fire and the pecans were really good, but next time I will stick with the second recipe and throw in a few seeds for heat.  My kitchen still smells of pepper so strongly that I am thrown into a fit of coughing and sneezing every time I go in there.  Here is the recipe for the second batch:

Jalapeno Peanut Brittle

1 1/2 cups of raw peanuts

1 cup sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 tablespoon butter

1 tsp almond flavoring

1/2 cup jalapenos chopped

tsp baking soda

Mix nuts, sugar, syrup and salt together in a microwave-safe casserole dish

Cook in microwave on high for 4 minutes 

Add jalapenos; stir well; then cook on high for  4 more minutes

Add butter and vanilla cook 2 more minutes

Stir in baking soda and stir until light and foamy 

Pour into a buttered cookie sheet; spread till thin

Let cool and break into pieces

Enjoy

 

Rainy Days and Sewing

I usually love rainy days, but when they come a week at a time I start feeling a little dreary.  Today was such a day.  On top of the weather I had a little dental mishap with a temporary crown, and my dentist is in Seattle........NOT GOOD!!  My daughter, who is very pregnant had scalded her tummy with boiling water, and something is wrong with Sweet Cheeks.  She has cried inconsolably this evening, which is very unlike her. 

I did get to do a little sewing.  I made a little shoulder bag from material left over from the computer sleeve and the last skirt I made.  Except for the length of the strap, I really like it.

A Bag and Sister Love

I caught a rare shot of sweet, sisterly love a couple of days ago, and thought I'd share it.  I really need to get some hard copies of pictures.  I haven't had any printed in ages.  

I haven't sewn much lately, but I did make a tote for my daughter.  She started homeschooling this week and I thought she might use it to carry books or whatever.  

It is four o'clock in the morning.  I usually only see this time of day dimly, if my bladder awakens me.  However, curtsey of an afternoon iced mocha yesterday I've been wide awake since two-thirty.   I'm sure you have caught on to the the fact that I'm not normal (if there is such a thing, I kinda have doubts, myself.)  Instead of getting a boost of energy immediately after ingesting caffeine, the effect holds off and kicks in many hours after consumption and then my eyes pop open. So I'm thinking I need to get up in the middle of the night and make coffee so I'll wake up perky. 

A few days after Sweet Cheeks was born, Angel Eyes got sick.  She had a high fever and the Dr. recommended that if possible she stay somewhere other than home so the new baby wouldn't catch the bug she had.  I brought her to my house and pampered her as any other doting g-mother would do.  Since that time, if she even gets the sniffles she thinks she should come and spend the night with me.  It is a con and we all know it, but it is a con for which we all willingly fall.  Last night was just such a night.

We had fun playing with a toy farm, tree house, and regular house, along with various toy animals, people, cars etc.,  building our own fanciful village of sorts.  A place where firefighters, princesses, and farmers all reside along with lions, zebras, and livestock.  

We had conversations only understood by five-year-olds and indulging grandparents.  At one point Angel Eyes said, "those were the good ole' days, Mimi, when I was four, and three and two."  I burst into laughter, which of course delighted her.

She slept in a tie-dyed t-shirt of mine, and thought it was wonderful.  We had breakfast, homemade waffles per her request, and cowboy coffee.  Now if you are not lucky enough to know about cowboy coffee I will enlighten you.  Our particular version was started by my in-laws with my children, although I can remember a similar ritual with my own grandparents.   My in-laws purchased a special tea set when they were in Europe with very small cups and saucers, a teapot, and individual cream pitchers.  They served the g-kids milk and sugar with a small amount of coffee to flavor it as a special treat when they were visiting. It was always a grand highlight of a visit to their home.

We don't do this every time the  children visit here because they live so close, and it just wouldn't be special if you got to do it all of the time, but from time to time we do and they all love it.

3 Things

Short post tonight 

Three things that make me smile:  Red shoes    Baby giggles    Fabric stores

What are three things that make you smile?

Sew Cute Shop Amy Butler Birdie Sling GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Sew Cute Shop Amy Butler Birdie Sling GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Chronologically Challenged

Okay, I'll admit it, I'm chronologically challenged!  For one thing, I'm just not time oriented.  To be honest I'm not sure I'm oriented at all, but that's another story.  It doesn't matter what time I get up on Sunday morning I cannot seem to get to church on time.  

Well, I was determined that this morning I would make it on time!  Did I mention that I teach a class?  I know, I should be there early, I know this, I do but....  I have no good explanation. Being on time just seems to be beyond my grasp.  I woke up early this morning, showered, ironed my clothes,  even had breakfast with time to spare. 

I went to dry my hair and it was not in a corporative mood!  It misbehaved in a different fashion that it has ever misbehaved before.  I twisted the brush every whicha way, put the heat to it, used brushes made to tame the unruliest of locks, and nothing worked.  I used two different products.  (I hate using products on my hair!)  The second product I used, I kid you not, smelled like a dead rat!  I'm sorry, but I am from Alabama and I know what a dead rat smells like and that is the exact aroma this particular product oozed.  

So, now I'm spraying every pleasantly fragrant thing I can find on my messy mop to cover up the horrid odor!  Finally, I decide to leave smelling like, actually I have no idea what I smelled like at that point. My olfactory system was extremely overloaded and decided to go on strike.  

My hair at this point is passable so I head out the door only to catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror.  Oh no! The blouse that matched my skirt in such a lovely way in my bedroom mirror screamed, "CLASH" in the natural light.  So I raced back to my closet flinging hangers this way and that until I find a nondescript beigey number that should go with anything and head out the door again, with lipstick streaking the inside of my blouse and jewelry that doesn't hang at the right height for this blouse, but I go anyway. 

Now my dilemma  is how many times can a Sunday School teacher be late before she is fired?  Not that they really fire Sunday School teachers, but you know what I mean.  Would it be better to be late, or to sin by breaking the laws of the land and race at break-neck speed down the highway?  If you've ever ridden with me or seen me on the road Don't think I don't hear you saying to your monitor out loud, "be late, be late!"  (I am not the greatest of drivers at normal speed.)  Okay, so I only sped a tiny bit and was fashionably late, if you can call breathless, and dripping with nervous sweat fashionable.

I guess I'll have to get dressed Saturday night and sleep sitting up if I want to make it on time for Sunday School next week.

Sewing Blunder

I did a little sewing today.  I really didn't like the results.  However, I love this Joel Dewberry fabric, the color doesn't show clearly, the background is somewhere between chartreuse and lime green, and the grain print is sort of a burnt sienna.  Okay, I am not describing it that great either.  

I tried a pattern that was made for knit.  I decided to enlarge it a little since cotton wouldn't give like knit.  I'm afraid I went way overboard!  It is too gathered.  I'm debating cutting it down and trying again, but I so don't want to do that!  I pulled most of the gathers to the back for this picture and it still doesn't look great.  My other pattern is cut on the bias.  That probably makes things hang better too.  I just didn't think this fabric would look right on the bias.  Now, I wish I'd given it a try!

All Things Grand!!

I was fortunate enough to get to be with five beautiful grandchildren yesterday.  I took photos until my battery died.

My daughter, who is nine months pregnant was there too, and she was so grateful when the photos stopped.  She didn't want to be in them so that cramped my style a little.  I think she

 is radiantly beautiful, but she, like every other woman I know, is not aware of her beauty.  

The kids all got along nicely and seemed to have a good time.  I'll stop with the words now and let the pictures do the talking. 

Is there anything this side of heaven more grand than grandchildren? 

 I think not!

Sewing Again

WaaHooo!  I finished two projects today.  First I finished a quilt I've been working on for my daughter who is due to have a baby in the next four weeks.  It is just a little panel quilt, but it wasn't that easy to get all of the layers moving at the same time on a regular machine.  I'm not sure I will try this again.  We'll see.  

The other project is something I've been wanting to do for a while.  It is a sleeve for my laptop.  I wanted a messenger style bag.  I've had the material and have been trying to plan it out in my head for a while.  I didn't have a pattern, and I'm wasn't sure I could figure it out.  I finally did, but if I were going to do it again I would probably rethink how to attatch the shoulder strap.  I think it will do for now though.