Done with the Snow...

I really love the winter and the snow that comes with it, but there comes a time when enough is enough. And even though I'm not looking forward to the mud season that will soon be here, I can honestly say that I am Done with the Snow!! Of course, as I write this, it is snowing outside and accumulating fast.

As you can see in the picture below, my front door garden isn't going to get planted any time soon, you can just barely see the fence peaking through.

On the bright side, it can't last forever right? And when I'm melting in the summer heat, I can look at pictures like this and long for the white stuff.

Have a lovely day,

Tiff

YAY, YAY, YAY and GRRRR....

The wonderful hubby bought me some new pretties for my kitchen redo today!!! My first YAY is a new kitchen faucet. Here is the one I chose.... I'm so excited to finally have a working sprayer again.

2nd YAY is a set of big and little Bee glasses. I just fell in love with these when I saw them at the mall today. They are nice and thick and textured on the outside with bees.

YAY #3 is this galvanized 3 tier tray. I want to put a bunch of potted plants on it.
Thank you hubby !!!!! I love it all!!!

Now for the GRRRR! of the day. After hours at the mall, letting the new 16 yr old girl get clothes with her birthday money and dealing with way too crowded stores and loud music(I hate the mall with every fiber of my being) we finally came home. But I realized that I didn't get the fabric I needed for the kitchen. I had looked at Mardens and Walmart but they didn't have it. I knew Joann's carried it because I bought it there about 3 months ago. So at 7 this evening, my youngest daughter, Mason, and my self headed there. I looked where the ticking is, but all I saw was red and blue. So I asked one of the sales women. She said she had never seen brown
ticking and that they didn't carry it. I told her that I bought it there before. She insisted that she had never seen it. Then she asked a second sales woman and she rudely said that they didn't make it. Ummm, I have some sitting right on my craft pile, I KNOW they make it and they carry it. Anyway, even my daughter thought they were a bit rude. So, I really thought I was going to get the fabric for my curtains and such today, but GRRRRR, it is going to have to wait a bit longer now because I had to come home and order it. YES, from Joann's, they had it on their website!!!

Oh, and as I was typing this post, a certain little Mr. crawled on my lap and knocked the computer to the floor. The screen went all liney and it is no longer working. Hubby is trying to fix it, and I'm crossing my fingers it is not totally gone. So for right now I'm finishing this up on my daughter's computer. If I don't post for a few days, you know why.

Until next time,

Tiff

We are heading to Boston tomorrow to watch my oldest at a cheering competition, it should be fun.

Walk in the woods...

On a week day, when the temperature is up and the snowmobile path is quiet, it's nice to take a walk through the woods. It's amazing how peaceful and still things can be.

So peaceful and quiet, that a baby can fall asleep....





Enjoy your weekend,

Tiff

New Picnic Blanket...

So this isn't very prim, but it does have a lot of calicos in it. I just couldn't resist this 70's crazy quilt at goodwill. And, yes, I did try not to buy it, I looked at, put it back on the shelf, circled the whole store, but it called me back! And I'm glad I bought it. Mason is too. The minute I brought it downstairs from the dryer, he took it over.

It's quite a colorful piece, but when you look at, the individual fabrics aren't really that bad, just a bit more yellow than I'm used to. But it will make a wonderful new picnic blanket.
Some of the prints close up. The back is a solid avocado green.
I also found some vintage trimmings. I love the flower trim and can't wait to think of something to use it on. It's all wrinkly because I washed it.
Yes, I did break my "no goodwill" resolution, but I didn't buy nic nacs for the house, just sewing stuff and a very practical blanket ;)

Have a wonderful day,

Tiff

ps, still working on the house, in between dentist visits, we are they all week with cleanings, fillings, and xrays.

With Cleaning comes Mess...

So I was doing a bit of surfing this morning and was on another blog and saw a candid shot of a spot of her home. It was real, not picture perfect, just a spot that is used, worked, and lived in. It made me think about how we just tend to share the "blog appropriate" pictures of our homes because the "after" and the "done" pictures are so pretty to look at. But if any of you are like me, sometimes all the pretty and perfect pictures can make me feel a tad bit envious or not happy. I know my house is not always spotless, I have 7 children, but I try to keep it nice because I NEED it that way. However, there are weeks like this, when I am in major rearranging mode and the house looks like this.... it won't stay this way for long, but with cleaning always comes a bit of MESS.... So I now timidly share with you my messy house pics...

The kitchen island, full of craft room stuff....(you can sneak a peak of the painted cupboards in the background)...

The front foyer, full of stuff that was in the unused portion of the family room, which is now becoming my craft area...
My craft room that is now becoming our eating area...(still have to figure out where to put all the book shelves!)
And the end of the family room that is becoming my craft area...
As you can see, I have a TON of work to do. And I didn't even tell you what I'm doing with the area in the kitchen where the dining table was! That's a surprise.

So there you have it. Some real photos of life in progress. Of course I'll share the pretty ones when it's all done.

Have a fantastic, real, day,

Tiff

My Chickens Arrived!!!!

No, not real ones, though I do have plans for those too. What did come in the mail was my order for my chicken family car decals. And I couldn't be more pleased. When we moved to Texas we bought our Suburban there and lots of people had the window decals on their cars. So we got the family decals. When we moved back to Maine(almost 5 years ago), no one had the stickers(at least here in our town), so we were literally the first ones to start it up here. Over time we saw more and more cars with them. I eventually got new decals for the Suburban(ones that showed us doing things, like mine was at a sewing machine).

So when we got the new van in December I knew I wanted stickers for it, but I did NOT want people ones again(I like to be different). I searched and searched for something that no one else had up here. And I finally found a site where she could customize what I wanted and here is the result....

Aren't they cute?!! The van windows are two smaller windows as compared to the one large one of the Suburban, so I wasn't sure how they would fit. But the baby chicks ended up being small enough to all fit on one window, plus there is still some space for more! Wouldn't it be cute to have a little egg on the end if I get pregnant again?(yes, I do want more children).

If you see a big black passenger van driving around with chickens on the back, you know who's it is!!

Have a great weekend,

Tiff

Sweet 16...

16 years ago today, we welcomed our oldest daughter into the world. I don't know how I got so Blessed to have such an intelligent, talented, sweet, and beautiful daughter. I wish I had some baby pics on this computer to share with you because they would make you smile. She was a chubby round baby with lots of personality. But I do have some recent pics of her.... a beautiful young woman with boundless potential.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE!!!! We LOVE you with all our hearts :)

House Rearranging...

I've started the big 3 room rearrange today instead of waiting for winter break next week. Of course, with in minutes of starting and moving the black hutch in the kitchen, the top of it went tumbling! I watched it in slow motion with my hands reaching to catch it. What was I thinking? There was no way of stopping it. I hurt both my hands, but not bad. The top of the hutch hit the corner of the kitchen table on the way down, adding a few nice dents to it(only enhances it!) before hitting the floor cloth covering the kitchen tile. Put a whole in the floor cloth but that's better than cracked tile. As much as I hate the tile, I don't want it cracked right now. The whole glass side of the top shattered into big dagger like pieces. Luckily, no one was hurt by it.

After I cleaned all that up, I moved the hoosier into the kitchen, and the black hutch is going into the craft room(soon to being eating area). I started decorating the hoosier with my egg and chicken collection but I don't have it quite right yet, it takes time.

Right now I'm taking a break and thinking about things I want to make this year. One thing happens to be a cow painting. I love cows and I have always wanted an old painting of one or two, but have never found one at the right price. I thought I would try my hand at making my own. Something like the pic below.

Well, back to work, but maybe I'll bake some cookies first:)

Tiff

Apron...

I am not going to show you the pics of this apron on me because even though I thought it looked cute in the mirror, when I saw the pics I was horrified. Let's just say that they were the type of pics that encourage you to diet!

Remember this chickie print I got from Mardens? I knew I wanted it for an apron and I finally got around to using it.

Anyway, here is an apron I made. I took the pattern from a vintage picture I saw of from the 1920's. I first made a muslin draft then went to my to chick fabric. The reverse side is a small buttery yellow gingham.

So the problem is, it is a pretty heavy apron(being sucha full and 2 fabrics thick) and I'm afraid to get it dirty! Plus, like I said, I'm not too happy how I actually look in it. What to do? I feel like I wasted a lot of fabric and I'm not sure I will ever wear it. Guess it was a learning experience.

Have a great day,

Tiff

Robot, Lion, and Skirt Oh My...

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!! Hope your sweetie got you something sweet :) I got chocolates, YUM!!

I told you we were making several Valentine boxes for school, well, last night we finally finished the last two. My 4th grade son was having a contest in his class for the best box and he was determined to win. However, after having 2 other children go through this teacher, she knows me well, and she told him that I wasn't allowed to help him(much). Of course I took that as a challenge. I let him do the majority of the work and design and my hubby helped him with the electrical part(my my son did the saudering after hubby showed him how). He was very pleased with how it came out. The eyes light up and the when you push the heart on its chest a buzzer goes off.

I went in with him to his class this morning to help him carry things, and all the kids loved it.
And now for my challenge part. Since she wouldn't let me make his, I HAD to make her a Valentine box. She loves lions, so I thought a pink lion would be perfect. I used a large Tide container for the body and papermached the rest. Then fabric for the mane and tail.

He is toothless because he ate too much candy!

She loved it and now has one more lion for her collection.
Then my youngest daughter wanted me to make her a Valentine's outfit to wear to school today. I took an old pair of jeans and a torn chenille bedspread and made her a skirt. I think it turned out pretty cute. The hearts are just safety pinned on for today, that way it's not committed to being a Valentine skirt. She wore it with a red top with hearts on it and looked really cute.

We then made heart tiaras for her and the boy's teachers.

And I know you all want to see kitchen pics, but it's not ready yet, because I thought of a whole other thing I want to do and it is going to take winter vacation to get it all done. But I'm so excited about the new use of space and I promise to share pics the minute it is done.

Have a LOVEly day,

Tiff

Octopus Valentine Box...

My 2nd grade son's Valentine box is done and we took it to school this morning. If you can't tell from the pics, it's an octopus wearing a beret. The blue paint was a gallon of OOPS paint that I picked up at the hardware store and it just happened to be the perfect match for the dot fabric that I bought for Mason! We papermached the head and then I sewed the tentacles and attached them to an embroidery hoop and then glued the head to it.

The Valentines can then be stuffed in his mouth.
And here is Mason enjoying his birthday cupcake cake. He actually kept his birthday crown on the whole time which was amazing because he likes to pull his winter hats right off.
Have a terrific day,

Tiff

And the Winner is....

Before I get to the winner of the giveaway, I wanted to share with you an idea I had. Since I really hate that you all can't win the giveaway, I thought of something that would be fun for all those who signed up. Every other week I am going to take one name from the 25 other names who signed up and send them something little that I make. The only condition is that I would like them to send or hand deliver something little that they make to one of their fellow bloggers, friend, neighbor, or teacher. It doesn't have to be big or expensive, just something that you make yourself or have embellished. Like something that could be sent in a small bubble mailer to keep postage low(if it has to be mailed). That way we can all pass a little something homemade around, and who doesn't love getting something special out of the blue! And if you have a blog, share it on there, and maybe it will encourage other people to do the same. What do you think? I'm going to put the little hen above on my sidebar and that will be the link to what I am sending that week and to whom so that you can send me your address.

And now for the winner......

I couldn't figure out how to get the little generator to copy and paste to the blog, but it picked #11, which is Nancy of Flatrock Cabin . Congratulations Nancy!!! Email me with your address and I will get your prize out to you this weekend.

Have a lovely day,

Tiff

My Baby is ONE !!!!!

This is what we woke up to this morning, a picturesque winter wonderland. Yes, we already had a ton of snow, but the snowfall overnight stuck to the trees and made it simply gorgeous outside. Pictures just can't do it justice. I absolutely love it when it is like this and try and soak it all in.

And here is my Birthday Boy!!!
His new jumper outfit fit him perfectly and was warm and cozy for this snowy day.


I can't believe a whole year has passed, I feel like he was just born yesterday. I am so enjoying seeing his personality get bigger and bigger each day and love that he can now show us his love back. He is a snuggly little guy who loves attention, gives hugs and kisses, and is constantly exploring. I couldn't be a happier mama.

Happy Birthday my sweet little Mason!!

Tiff

More Mason Sewing...

Mason's birthday is tomorrow and I realized that with hubby working in Boston and the kid's schedules that we probably won't have a party for him until Saturday. So he will wear his pants outfit and crown then, but he needed a special outfit for tomorrow too. I decided on a quick, warm, and comfy jumper outfit. Though, after seeing the outfit in the pic, I probably shouldn't have spent more than 10 minutes making it and lined up the dots on the front! Oh well, Mason won't care.

I used two of my wood buttons that Tonya, from Plain and Joyful Living sent me for the shoulder straps. I think they work well with all the polk a dots.
And here is the BIG blanket that I made for him. It came out a lot bigger than I had originally planned, but at least he won't out grow it and it will be perfect for snuggling up in on the couch. I did the back side in the two fleece prints.
And the front side is the two cotton prints. There isn't anything fancy about this blanket, it is just purely practical.
I do think I will make him a smaller blanket pet for the car though. So stayed tuned for that tomorrow.
Have a fantastic day,

Tiff