HAPPY MAY DAY!

Ahhh April!

where did you go?

I finally took some 1 year pictures of her



and we got some of these



and these girls made some of these



and we enjoyed some of this

and she played this in town

while they were doing this

and I did this

and we are taking turns doing this

and I mads some more of these

for this

and then we started this new project

and then we made these yesterday

Just this for now (perhaps more to come)...

A VERY HAPPY MAY DAY TO YOU!

Randy, Alison, Kyla, Colter, Maya and Melita

Mod Podge Coasters and Pinterest

I had seen this idea one time on a blog somewhere and filed it mentally in my brain so someday I could make them. But my brain doesn't always remember things very well, so in December, I was ready to make some of these for gifts, and I began my search for them and couldn't find the post or the blog anywhere! I did a quick google search and luckily there were many places that had tutorials on how to do these. Now I want to share them with you...

These would be great gifts for anytime. Here is what you will need...

tiles(Lowes for around .17), felt, foam brush, mod podge, tacky glue, gloss sealer(optional) and pretty cardstock

Begin by cutting cardstock squares that fit the top of the tiles, leaving a small edge around the perimeter...

With the mod podge and your foam brush, glue each piece of cardstock to the top of each tile...

Glue down(with the mod podge) any edges and corners and then let dry...

With the foam brush, apply mod podge to the surface of the tile and around edges. Smooth and let dry. After each layer is dry, apply another layer until you have six layers...

Now, cut the felt into square pieces to glue to the bottom of each tile coaster. Glue down with tacky glue and let dry. Make sure to glue down any loose edges and corners...

This makes a nice finished, no scratch back to your coaster...

In the end I decided not to use the glossy sealer on these. I tried it on one of the coasters and I just didn't like how it turned out. But FYI... If you don't use the sealer, it's important to let the mod podge cure for 17 days before using it for hot stuff.

These turned out to be great teachers gifts too. I really liked using mod podge. Hmmm, what can I do next?

So I was invited to join Pinterest a long time ago and really wanted to use it. I knew it would help me keep and organize all these fun ideas and yummy looking recipes that I see and want to try. My brain isn't very dependable at times. Anyway, I finally figured out how to get signed up without having a facebook account. So, I'm "pinning away"! So many fun ideas, so little time, eh?

Happy crafting,
Alison

Rickrack in a Row

Here are 4 steps to create a cute, homemade gift...

Modge podge coaster tutorial next!

Alison

Simplify: Week 6

This week I wanted to share our library/playroom in the basement. Besides having fun this holiday season, Randy and I were busy working in the basement finishing window casements, organizing and cleaning. The bookcases above are a new addition and the kids like to call this area our library. It sure is nice to have a place to put all those books that used to lay in piles in various corners throughout the house. Much simpler to find the book we're looking for now too! Yay!

Below is the playroom part of the room. Randy made the bookshelf/toybox on the left when the kids were toddling around. It stores all the picture books and Highlights. The rest of the playroom is organized on the shelves-games, puzzles, toys, stuffies, etc...
In the middle of this room sits our old dining room table. It's a great place for overflow when we have company, or doing projects with the kids or laying out sewing projects. Kyla's currently working on the quilt below for her new room...
And I've been working on my sewing/craft room. It also doubles as a guest room. I can't wait to get it done. It'll be nothing too fancy but it will be a place that I can work easily. The goal is organized and simple! :)

Have a great weekend,
Alison

P.S. I'm working on my next Simplify project as we speak. I'll share it next week. It's making me REALLY happy!!!

MADE

MADE by dana has been a huge inspiration for me lately to do some sewing. So, that is where my post title comes from. :)

I hate to be a complainer but... so, so many times I've been known to complain about the availability of "age-appropriate" skirts for my 11 year old. There just isn't enough "skirt" to the Junior section skirts of most clothing stores (if you know what I mean). And skipping up to ladies XS sizing just doesn't work either. I have a hard enough time finding skirts that I like in ladies clothing as a matter of fact.

I always ask myself "why don't you just make her some skirts". Then I laugh at myself and go back to changing diapers, helping with homework, or folding clothes. But then Dana and other sewing bloggers stepped in and encouraged me to get out my sewing machine and try making another skirt for my daughter.

One of the best things about this sewing project was that I didn't have to buy anything. I had the material. I had the zipper. I had a cute pattern. No excuses!
I cut out the smallest pattern and then made a couple adjustments. I was a little nervous about the 'invisible zipper' as I had only done 'centered zippers' in the past. I did have to rip it out several times but finally got it right. Not so bad!!!
I really am inspired lately and have been using my sewing machine a lot lately. One of the hardest things for me is that I don't want to stop what I'm doing until it's DONE! Sometimes I can get a little cranky when things get in my way and that is the reason I don't tackle some of the things I want to do. Gotta work on that...

The other thing I realize is that now-a-days, I have a lot more freedom to do stuff like this than I did when I was in the thick of baby/toddler/child rearing. I couldn't do a lot then when my kiddos were smaller and so dependent! But now, when Lita is sleeping I get busy. Some days work. Other days don't work. I guess I just want to encourage other Mother's in the busy years of your life to enjoy your little ones. A day will come when you will be able to do some of these things that you enjoy doing. Nough for now!

Happy Wednesday!
Alison

Fifth Grade Fun

Sometimes I wish I was in fifth grader again. I'm kind of enjoying having my fifth grader. I like putting our heads together to see what kind of things we can create in the various project assignments she brings home. These were both fun projects that she did so far this year.


I'm not the only one that is enjoying this fifth grade year. I think she is enjoying it too! A lot more than last year. But some days are a grind. Yeah... I guess I'm glad I'm not in fifth grade again. But it is fun to walk along!

Keep up the good work Kyla!

Love,
Mom (Alison)

Seven Days of Thankfulness: Day Four

I am thankful for American Girl Magazines which have so many cute projects for girls to do like these spray-painted jars (above) and this t-shirt cowl (below). I don't subscribe to any magazines for our family, but when Kyla begged to get this one I purchased a year subscription as a gift for her. So far I have been pleased with it and don't feel like it's a complete waste of money.

The magazines are usually packed full of the perfect projects and idea's for a girl who're just itching to do something creative and crafty! And the projects are usually thrifty and very cute and can be done without Mommy's supervision.
I realize these Thankfulness Posts have been kind of random but they are just things that have come to mind lately when I ponder what I'm thankful for. I love this reminder...

Discouragement cannot grow in a Thankful Heart!

So true.

Let's be thankful. What are you thankful for today?

Alison

p.s. Don't forget to read my other "thankfulness" post below...

some things I love **GIVEAWAY**!

I really love this little bench and basket set-up (above) that I have upstairs in the living room. All of the kids toys are downstairs in the playroom but I needed a little place to store a few things upstairs for Lita so that I wouldn't have to run up and down for things to keep her happy.

This birthday gift from my husband is also something I really like! It is... a cookbook that holds millions of recipes, a bible, a calender, an alarm clock, an organizer and note-taker, a dictionary, a thesaurus, a research device, an instant messenger and voice communicator, a photo album that stores millions of photos, a camera, and an instant blog checker. Am I forgetting anything? And it's all contained within this pretty notebook cover. The Apple iPad is really something.
I picked up these sweet bibs at target for just a few bucks. They are Velcro, easy to clean and so colorful. I'm all about 'colorful' as we move into our drab, dreary time of year...

As much as I like color I like contrast too. This chair is my very first re-upholstering job ever. Pretty impressive huh? heehee! We bought this directors chair in an online auction for Randy's grandparents belongings when they were trying to disperse them to extended family. I think we paid around 5$ for it and it had a faded, well-used orange canvas seat and back on it. I ended up picking out this black and white mazey-looking decorator fabric to redo it and I love the finished look!
Last but not least, I love this new soap we have been enjoying. My cousin, Heather, makes it from her goat's milk and it is very moisturizing. After I wash my hands with it I don't have that dried-out feeling but instead my hands remain soft. No lotion needed! And it smells absolutely wonderful!

I really want to share some with you. I have 2 Goat Milk Soap bars to give away to 2 lucky people. An Almond & Oatmeal one and a Huckleberry one.

Please leave me a comment in my comment section at the bottom of this post telling me one thing that you love (share the love). This is for anyone and everyone to enter!

If you visit Heather's soap site The Goat Lady Soap, where you can read about the ingredients and the benefits of using the soap, feel free to enter another comment.

Also, if you are a regular visitor to my blog feel free to enter another comment.

And lastly, if you mention this give away on your blog or other site, you may enter another comment too. Thanks!

Some people have mentioned that they can't leave comments on my blog for some strange reason. If this is the case for you please feel free to email me at hugsfromus(at)yahoo(dot)com and I will enter your comments into the drawing.

If you live in Alaska, Hawaii, Canada or anywhere, please feel free to enter!

I will use random.org to draw the winners on Tuesday evening, October 11. I will announce the winners and give them my email address. They can send me their addresses and I will send out their soap!

Sharing the love,
Alison

Wrapping it Up...

I really love our back yard this time of year. It is definitely my favorite place to take pictures. That sun is dipping behind those mountains earlier and earlier these evenings.

So this post is a wrap up of everything else going on this summer that I haven't blogged about yet.

The absolute BEST suprise this summer was when my long lost cousin, Andrea, literally stumbled onto my front porch one sunday afternoon. Ha! Well, she really did intent to end up at my house but I think her heals caught on one of the steps and I looked up and saw her stumbling up the steps and my jaw dropped onto the porch floor. I just love these front porch moments! What an awesome surprise! Thanks Andrea, you totally made my whole summer. Here she is holding Lita...
And she brought along her two littlest sweeties. This was the very first time for us to meet little Anya! Look at those big beautiful eyes...
Then we had a girls night out. I think it's so great that our Mom's (who are all sisters) stayed so close over the years and got their families together often. Even though we all don't see each other all the time, we can just pick up right were we left off when we do get together.

So here I am with 2 of my cousins, Andrea and Jolene...

And then there is our special Auntie MaryAnn (another sister to all our mothers) who kept us all close over the years and who we looked up to. Here is Auntie MaryAnn and cousin Heather...
Our summer also included some time spent on the lake...And a couple days at The Event...





Our summer wouldn't be complete without company. It was so fun to have Carolyn and Leilani come for a few nights. Here is Carolyn helping the kids pick raspberries in the garden...
And Uncle Dick and Aunt Lois came for a couple nights too. I love the wealth of information our aunts and uncles have about the days gone by...
Uncle Ryan, Auntie Jeannie, Lane, Morgan and Logan stopped by for one night on their way to Harvest. Our time was short but so much fun...
In August, the kids and I went down to the lake shore and picked sweet cherries one day. Kyla and I spent most of one day freezing and drying them. Here is the cherry butcher herself...
The neighbors gave us so many apples. They are delicious and we have been making applesauce, applesauce, applesauce. Here is my faithful applesaucer...

Randy's been busy, busy, busy with painting and digging. I love my hardworking DIYer, hobby farmer husband. He works hard at the office all week and then comes home and tackles whatever needs done around here. If there is anyway he can do it, he does it...
The day before school started, a little birdie hit our window and died. Here the kids are laying him to rest after a sobering funeral and procession out to the pasture. I hope when I hit the window someday, I can rest in such a beautiful place as this (as if it even matters)...

Another view of the backyard and pasture...
Have I mentioned how much I love my back yard this time of year?

Well, I do!

Now, I'm just wondering who will stumble onto my front porch next!? Will you?

Alison