Well the weekend has come and gone and with it two VERY warm days. Saturday topped out at over 30 degrees Celsius. Hot enough that the kids didn’t want to play out in the sprinkler and the pool for very long at all! I am definitely going to put a new kiddie pool top of my list for next summer. Our princess pool is great – for Echo and Trinity but just too small for the boys! They did enjoy themselves for the time they were outside. 

Maybe our last bathingsuits in the backyard, what a cute group

Out in the sun WITHOUT a pull up

I snuck Echo outside with her blanket and Petite Sheepette to take pictures in the sunshine. She has been rather fussy this week and we finally figured out why… she has cut two molars! She is such an odd bean… no front tops, she goes for the painful molars. At least we think they are molars, she has a very small palate so it is hard to tell the exact placement. Goes along with the teeny tiny feet, hands, everything, but all well in proportion. I am hoping to get her into her birthday tutu dress and see if we can get some more pictures. But timing and weather have to coincide, and her mood of course. 

Sunshine baby

It was a slow crafting day on Saturday, too much cleaning, too much heat and too many cranky kids… but I did finish the Vivid Squirrel! I tried to finish a sock owl, but made a mistake with the wings… oops. Thankfully I have enough sock pieces left over to wing up the last 3 owls tonight. Then it is time for Dollarama and more socks! 

Vivid Squirrel

Saturday evening we had boardgames with Kristen, Fydo and Sean… Echo has finally warmed up to Fydo and Kristen and has always been in love with Sean! We stayed up late chatting after gaming. It was an absolute blast.

Playing blocks

Gaming!

We managed to get our timing right and Skype with my dad and my sister Kat (you will remember that she is newly married… you can read about the event on the official announcement HERE… her husband left on Monday for Kuwait for 6-9 months!). It was great to hear from both of them though the kids kept it a busy call, making noise, arguing, spilling something… so it was just like dad and Kat were here on a regular day! He looks great and I am told feels a ton better with all that extra oxygenated blood getting where it should at a good pace. 

I had another pattern sale… the D20 again… and this time the buyer linked my site. I figure I should do the same in return. She is a crafty individual and has an Etsy store you should check out! I look forward to seeing what she does with my pattern! It is always exciting to have someone want to purchase one of our patterns and even more so to have them mention you on their blog! I am hoping to get some more patterns up on our site and maybe connect with more people who are interested in them. I would love to know if you downloaded one of our free ones and see what has been done with it! And if you REALLY feel like it, purchase one and do the same – every purchase adds to my eBay Christmas shopping fund!  

Oh and something else that got lost in the hectic life that was last week – I got a package in the mail! A friend was moving and hadn’t been cross stitching anymore so she sent me her stash! There is thread, hoops, even an unfinished project I am going to take up and see if I can complete! What a pick me up for a harsh week! 

A stash!

And then I was able to sell a few baby boy/outgrown boy items on Kijiji AND send a couple large bags of playclothes on their way through Freecycle on the same day! My goal right now is to sell enough BOY stuff that I could buy some new/used GIRL stuff. Once Trinity is out of her size 3’s I have a small pile of hand-me-downs and then I am out of clothing for her. So if anyone is interested in trades, working out a deal and preferably local or at least coming my way… that would be helpful! AND if you have the shopping urge our Miss Trinity loves getting clothes for Christmas and birthdays (seriously no lie, especially if they are Hello Kitty OR pink!). 

Speaking of Trinity – well  we ran out of pull ups yesterday and were not really wanting to use money needed somewhere else to buy more so we crash coursed our potty training. We have done a bit of laundry, cleaned a few floors and are seeing GREAT results. Now going out shopping we would definitely put on the pull up but we had poop in the potty and everything! She was getting a little frantic about wearing the undies and then came out crying that she had pooped, well quick sit on the potty, a slight scrub of the undies and we had a success! So she earned her sport bottle, has not used a pull up all day (well wore one a couple times but didn’t pee in it!) AND is a big girl now!

Successful Potty = Hello Kitty goodies!

Since the boys got Kinder Surprise eggs at Sunday School we had to walk down to the convenience store and get a box for Trinity too… they don’t sell them as singles so we bought a box of 3 – for 4.67! OUCH but it does break down to about the normal price per egg… just OUCH. So she had one as did Mommy and Daddy. Yum! And the toys were all fun. She wore a pull up there as at times the washroom is out of order – they have had some vandals come in and plug the toilet. 

Kinder yum

Our evening wasn’t too busy, I ran out with Karyn (Echo in tow) to get a forgotten grocery and some supper… but I think I am just feeling the stress of the week. I am hoping to start tomorrow with a smile on my face and a heart centred on homeschooling and my children.

Be sure to check out Fat Sheep’s Site… her adventures are ongoing!!!!

Fun in the sun with her sheep

I have become aware, over the years, that Ken is NOT the luckiest man on the planet… I mean he IS lucky – look at our family and our life (we BOTH are lucky) but when it comes to bills and random events… they do happen TO him a lot. Thus why there was NO post, NO email and NO Twitter from yours truly for the bulk of the weekend! Yup, Shaw strikes again. To be fair, we TRUSTED them… but on the flip side – THEY are the ones who can’t seem to figure out how to work out a new account in a new location that is connected to an old account. And of course they come on a SATURDAY! When the bank cannot help us, Ken was less than impressed to be sure! So an entire weekend with no landline, internet or tv (Netflix)… what is a mommy to do? Well… CLEAN!
Best place to start – the kids’ rooms. Trinity’s has been crying out for a good full out tidy for over a week now so Gavin and I sat down and did it. She has so many kitties, dollies and other random things that it is difficult to truly put everything away but we did our best. Bedding was changed, toys resorted, papers that apparently MUST BE KEPT were stacked relatively neatly on the dresser… I give it one, maybe two days BUT it made it possible to do a good vacuum.

Clean but busy and somewhat cluttered... just how she likes it!

Emanuel’s was next and included his personal “junk drawer.” He is not horrible about keeping things once questioned but he does like his bits of paper. I do love his room, it is so… snuggly though I want to change the curtains to something a bit bigger that covers the whole window and we plan on getting him a smaller mattress (his bed he had at the old place simply does NOT fit in the room but the new mattress is not the highest priority… he LIKES it the way it is I am often told).

Ok so his bedding was in the wash but tidy!

We completed our quick but thorough clean with the twins’ room… Kijiji items were reboxed to clear up their closet, drawers and boy made hiding places cleared and put away. Their room is not huge but they do manage A LOT of hiding places!

I still need some shelving in here ... and curtains!

Crafting is always easier without distractions… and with not even the tv (beyond movies we already have and boo on those this weekend… not in the mood) to do the deed I was free and clear – around kid issues and such – to do as much as I wanted! First project – refurbishing a dress Trinity was given in a set of handmedowns from another homeschooling family. It is a lovely blue velvet, mom already repaired the ribbon base border it was just up to me to do the rose removal and replacement. Not the easiest task as I have misplaced my stitch ripper and the manufacturer felt TAPING them on as well was a good idea!! So no matter how sad these flowers looked they were definitely on for the long haul.
After ripping out the flowers I went through my ribbon collection to decide on the stacked bow to use. It is a hard choice sometimes as some of my favourite ribbon does not have enough left to refurbish a dress AND make a matching hairthing but I found a premade (by yours truly) hairthing that was laying around in my finished box and enough ribbon to mimic the colour scheme enough to match. I am always surprised at how much ribbon I have and yet not the colour/pattern/theme that I want at the time.

So much tape

Time consuming as it was it was rather MY fault on that point – I chose to use the 1/8th inch brown as I was out of the 1/4 inch brown I had used in the hair thing I was basing this on. The 1/8th is just that little bit too slippery when it comes to making the last bow easily. But I am rather happy with the finished look!

With matching hair thing (on left)

Breaks with working with ribbons lead to bread being made in the breadmaker, dishes being done AND my plastic storage containers cupboard being tidied (I even matched lids with containers… and as per the rules of the world found at least ONE container without lid and vice versa).
With one dress done it was time to move onto the other. This one had an iron mark on it (mom got it at her store for a song due to the damage), I am rather sure I showed it before… anyway no before picture… just an after! This one was done entirely on Trinity’s preference! She wanted PINK… I figured (and with Karyn’s texted urging) it best to go with her choice and it actually wasn’t half bad! But then who doesn’t love a pink butterfly?

The back with flaw covered

Front with tiny butterflies

That reminds me of a couple crafts I completed Friday night. First of all – a duct tape rose! You can find the instructions for this on YouTube and all over the place. I watched this onespecifically… apparently he consistently adds new ideas and tutorials so I am 

Looks great from the top... just don't look at the side.

And then there is the much awaited and beyond adorable – sock owl!! I made this sweety out of 2 pairs of Dollarama fluffy leggings. Not the best choice as the socks shed dreadfully when you cut them BUT it worked out in the end. We stuffed him with an old shirt of Ken’s that was on its way to the bin anyway, cut up into tiny strips. His face was all felt scraps and I used DMC floss for all the hand stitching. I am looking forward to making a plethora of these. After all if the heel runs out of the sock it is still owl material! I have a BabyLeg that is missing its buddy that I am debating sacrificing for the owl cause. It could be a lovely Christmas present for Trinity made out of something she wore as a baby!

OWL CUTENESS BE BLINDED BY CUTENESS... LOVE IT...

We had a second set of wings to try out (someone else read the tutorial and did it slightly different). I would love opinions on the two variations. Ken loves the second version with the vertical wings.

Wings of choice and further cuteness...

Now continuing the lack of internets theme I also did some scrapbooking… this time a series of Echo pictures. I have the same shirt in blue for Emanuel and another in pink for Trinity as they were ALL born at the same hospital. The twins were supposed to be but when I showed up in an ambulance at 29 weeks they passed me along as fast as they could to a better equipped hospital for preemies.

Caterpillar!

I got my laundry done – including bed linens on ALL beds (yay!!), even the quilt we took camping that was sitting waiting on getting into the washer. This machine is smaller than the one previous so that quilt is a solo wash. I am seriously thinking that once a month we need an internet free day for the whole family! Though Ken did do work and then go to where he could get wi-fi and upload it.
…and back to crafting… and a new craft for you to try out as well – chalkboard coasters! First is the necessary hunt for 4X4 inch ceramic tiles (or in the case of the ones I got – 3 3/4 inches squared???). I tried Freecycle first but it ended up being the local Restore(Habitat for Humanity) that had them at 25 cents a piece. And then of course the chalkboard paint… and felt scraps you can cut down to the same size as your tiles for backing. Follow the instructions on the can (and the site linked HERE) and 2 coats later – COASTERS! Trust me this will only be the BEGINNING of things I plan on spraying with this stuff… not nearly as awesome of duct tape it DOES have its place in crafting in this house now!

Supplies

COASTER!

I forgot to mention last entry but we THINK Echo said her first word on Friday – Mama! the M sound HAS been her favourite for ages so not a huge surprise but super cute. So proud of her, she is standing alone for more and more short bursts now too… Ken is just dying for her to start walking with this tiny stature.

Sitting like a little lady

There have been some Fat Sheep updates lately, I hope everyone has been checking them out! There is quite the backlog of interesting incidents and adventures so there will definitely be more action on the site this month. I think the latest installment is the final piece in the wedding saga! Don’t mind that the links are odd… Ken is still working on sorting out why the site has decided to show my addy first and then add on the tag to the site. We are still on the look out for more adventures for Fat Sheep to have. This summer she has crossed off TONS and the list is looking a little sparse! So email me or leave a message on Fat Sheep’s Twitter, site or Facebook account!
Today was Sunday School – their first real session. Ken took the boys as Echo and Trinity were no where near ready when it was time to go (slow breakfast for Miss T ending in oatmeal in here hair!), instead we played in Trinity’s room and the girls had a bath.

Sunbathing in the bedroom

A third variation on the owl to share as well… I think we are rather happy with the second set of wings, now here he is with separate eyes.

Ken likes these eyes best

We hope to have the internet etc sorted out tomorrow but no promises. Either way, when Ken is able to check and do whatever he needs to do he does check my email for me! So it won’t be forever, but I doubt there will be a blog entry tomorrow. Either way we will be keeping busy here os when there IS an entry to share it will definitely be full of going and coming and all sorts of fun stuff!

Jr. Princess

Today we worked on what I consider to be a VERY important and relaxing skill – sewing… a basic embroidery stitch really and an opener to next week (I hope) and the big project – a first cross stitch! Can you feel my excitement? There are potentially two more stitchers (immediately at least) in the house ready to go!! Time to pass along what my mom taught me as a child. Want to make your own felt leaves? Try this link!

Leaf making supplies

Busy stitchers

We had our Stuart Little chapter as well in which he is rescued… of course after his brother George goes off on endless tangents! 

Trinitiy's is a mouse making pancakes... not sure on that one!

Emanuel has been practicing his “careful colouring” lately as well… we are ALL working on patience. Some days are definitely harder than others! 

Careful colouring

Are you a mom or dad who collects the Pampers Points? We are, though our points have slowed HUGELY since the twins were out of diapers and we made the leap to cloth for our Echo… wipes and Trinity’s Pull Ups keep them trickling in (though I am hoping the pull ups will ALSO soon be a thing of the past!)… well if you do there is a wonderful site that has a bunch of codes listed that you can use to add to your points. Some ARE expired but be sure to check them out and give it a go! 

I am attempting to tidy through things still… stuff has gone up on Kijiji, other things on Freecycle. I am also starting my “kids need” list… anything they are grown out of… things that aren’t going to work anymore and need replacing… top of the list – a new swimsuit for Emanuel! I will hopefully complete the list by tomorrow… the hope is to find used, on sale or hand-me-downs instead of having to put forth a whole bunch of money on full price new. I shudder when I think of the potential lack of sweaters! 

I have been sorting through links online this week as well to get going on our Christmas crafting. Another year where I want to make everything possible for our friends and family instead of purchasing. The sad thing is that for almost every idea I find online I have maybe one or two of the needed items and not all… Dollarama is certainly calling my name! But then when doesn’t it? I am going to share my ideas and links as I go through them… so be ready!

With the apples Kathy picked up for us at H&W I made applesauce… the bag of apples made enough for some to go in the freezer and the rest to be used… today – applesauce cookies. This is Echo’s first time with them and she LOVES them! I hate to think how many she had today!

Cookie Monster

Are you interested in winning a microscope for your homeschooling family? Check out this SITE for a free giveaway! It sounds like an amazing piece of equipment, I know our boys would go nuts over it. I plan on checking out the site further and if it is as good as it looks in passing I will definitely link it permanently! And the best part? This is open to Canadians too!!

It is a big day for yours truly – I decided to give it up and send out my maternity clothes to new homes. First I had to divide them up into piles – Kijiji, Freecycle, Mom’s work and the pieces that could not be given or sold (ie old undies)… that was an adventure down memory lane! I ended up with a nice pile for each (except the trash which was tiny) and hopefully will be seeing them all out the door in good order. It amazes me the size range I had – XS all the way up to L! Funny how a shirt can fit differently depending on cut, fabric and pregnancy! 

That actually took up most of my evening so there went my crafting time! Oops. I have a new idea to keep our busy kids occupied that is going to take up the rest of my evening – I am looking for fun and different worksheets to put in the binders their Uncle Wayne got for them so that when we hit boredom there is something they can pick and choose from! Here’s hoping this works! I have started my search at education.com. Of course they have plenty of the fairy pictures our Trinity absolutely LOVES.

Now no more procrastination… time to post and then move on!

Sunshine!

Our sunshine girl!