Quick update

Hey, I finally got back into my google account, so I will be posting again very soon!!! :)

My loss, your gain?

I love to craft. I spend hours looking at other peoples crafting blogs getting ideas. I want to do them all, but sadly, find I usually don’t get around to them. So, I figured, my lack of time might be your gain! I want to start putting up a blog or idea I’ve found around the web here so that you will know it exists. You never know what you may find…I look at them ALL, from scrap booking, to sewing, to beading, to card making…you name it, I look at it. And normally think “What a good idea!”

So, today’s blog is comes to you from www.makeandtakes.com. I haven’t looked all around her whole site yet, but she has some really cute stitched card patterns. I am particular to the Daisy one, but that’s just because they are my favorite flower! She has a few other patterns up to, so stop by and take a look at her stuff! And let me know if you actually get time to do it, I’d love to see the pictures!
Yep, I know it’s a short blog today, but I’ve got lots of stuff to get done, and not a whole lot of time to do it in!
See ya!

Up and at 'em again!

Wow…it’s been a while again, hasn’t it? Hard to believe the last time I had a chance to blog was before Christmas! I keep telling myself to get back to it, but stuff keeps coming up…constantly!
We’ve been busy around our homestead! With the coming of spring, we have the coming of outside play and work. It seems the weeds have overtaken every flowerbed I have. I have been trying to get them cleaned out between raindrops! The kids are happy just because they are now able to play somewhere besides indoors. They get restless after a while!
My laundry soap making adventure didn’t last long at all. My hubby works in field where grease is part of our lives, and it just did not remove the grease from his clothes. So, we went back to our old Costco Kirkland standby. It works well, it’s just more expensive then I would like. The price of just about everything keeps going up and up and up and it’s starting to get very very old!
School wise, we are chipping away at it. I cannot wait until summer! Princess is reading the BOB set one books, and is so proud of herself. I’m happy because they helped her confidence, and now she is trying to read harder books on her own. Goob has learned to add and carry to the thousand’s place, which he is flying through. He’s reading up a storm still, and I have learned to be very thankful for our local library. He has bird identification books right now, and he loves to sit and try to figure out what type of bird is in our yard. BunnyBop is, well, BunnyBop. She’s still to young to do “official” school, but she’s got her colors down, working on counting. I figure she’s young enough where it doesn’t really matter!

I have been doing lots of sewing in my “spare” (yeah, right) time. So far, I’ve gotten several bibs, burp rags, and two Easter dresses done. Hey, I’m slow at sewing! It takes me a while to get there!
Well, I need to get busy. More and more piling up by the second!

The Bad Washing Machine

Wow, busy day! House is picked up, but laundry keeps me hopping. And with the drama over our washer this last week, I feel like I’m so behind on it anyway.
Oh, yeah, my three year old front load washing machine died last week. I am so not happy over it! We bought the set when we moved in here, thinking to get the best we could so that it would last longer. Evidently, that was a bad idea. I had no clue that front loaders had issues with nasty smells in them because the water never fully drains out. After finally getting that figured out, I noticed that some of the stains weren’t coming out of the clothing. I thought “Oh, well, must be really stained.” Guess what? It was my washer. At least that’s what I think, because my brand new not nearly so expensive top load washer is getting stuff out of the kids clothes that had been there for a while, through several washes! I’m sorry, but that is NASTY! So, a word to the wise, don’t buy a front loader, they aren’t worth the money. Now, I am rewashing everything in the house just so I know it’s clean.


On top of laundry and house cleaning, I’m working on Christmas presents. Along with everyone else in the world! I’m trying my hand at making doll clothes for both of the girls. It’s interesting because I’m trying to make the girls and their doll outfits match. So, I am cutting pants out for BunnyBop, then doll pants out for BunnyBop’s doll. Same thing goes for Princess. At least within reason. I am not about to make the girls historical dresses. I am, however, making some of them for their dolls. My hope is to have each girl have one to two outfits that match (or closely match) their dolls, and maybe a pair of pajamas. I also am making Christmas ornaments. I do an ornament exchange every year with my sister in laws, and this year, I’m making them. No, they’re not nearly Hallmark quality, but it’s what I can do. Poor Goob was kinda feeling left out because I wasn’t making anything for him, so today he sat down at the craft store and looked through pattern books so he could show me what he wanted. He wants a pair of pajamas made, so add that to the list!

Goob makes me think sometimes. He is the child who loves things that are made for him. Don’t get me wrong, he loves to play Transformers, Cars, and Lego’s, but stuff that is made for him he truly treasures. His Grandma made him an alligator pillowcase once a few years ago, and he really appreciated it. It’s funny to see the different ways that kids feel loved. It also reminds me that I need to make sure that each child is getting the kind of love and attention they need, because what works for one doesn’t always work for the other. Goob loves homemade gifts and playing with you. Princess loves to make crafts with you. BunnyBop is most happy when she is sitting on your lap with her blanket and her bunny. And sometimes I lose track of those things in the business of life.
Well, I need to get back to it.

Have a great one everyone!

Overdue...

Wow, I just realized it’s been a six weeks since I posted last. How awful am I?? Sorry about that! Life keeps getting away from me, and I am trying desperately to keep up.

Things, like always, are constantly changing in my life. November 1st, we quit K12. Although I feel it’s a good curriculum, it wasn’t working for my two. So, we are going back to Abeka for now. Next year, we may do something different, who knows? I think in many ways, the kids are glad we are not doing it anymore. This way, they are able to dig more deeply into concepts they find interesting, and we are not so focused on getting all the “lessons” done.
Goob’s reading level was tested right before we pulled out of K12, and he’s reading at a high 3rd to a low 4th grade level. I am so excited for him, but it’s difficult to find books that challenge his reading level but do not expose him to ideas that are above his maturity level. We are looking into getting YWAM’s “Hero’s of History” series. He is in love with the history of our country, and I definitely want to encourage that interest.

Princess is still working on her reading. She can read simple “a” words, and has recently discovered how to sound out words to spell. None of the words are longer than 3 letters, but I am happy she is trying. We need to work on math. She also wants to learn how to sew. She sees me doing it and is constantly asking, “Mom, can I have this scrap?” The two problems with this are: Her standing right there is making it hard for me (who doesn’t sew that well to begin with) make Christmas presents, and 2) a yard of fabric is NOT a scrap…no matter what she thinks! I am thinking about teaching her basic quilting. That way she will learn how to sew a straight line, and still feel a bit of accomplishment because she is making something.

BunnyBop recently proved to me she is learning by listening to her brother and sister. She can count to 10, and knows most of her colors. Her brother helps her with her AWANA, and I am amazed how quickly she can memorize thins. She is in that challenging stage of wanting to do more “school” but not quite ready for the structure.

I’ll post more later, I promise…Have to get busy on my day!

Saving the Almighty Dollar!

So, in the pursuit of saving money, I have been trying different homemade soaps over the last few days. Actually, if I am honest, I have been reading about it and the process fastinates me, so that’s really why I am doing it! So far, I have made two different soaps. A laundry soap and a dish soap. It’s been fun, and quite interesting!

I did the Basic Soap recipe from this site. It was quite easy to make, and I got a kick out of grating and melting the soap! I used a bit of lemon juice as water for this recipe as I love that the lemon juice cuts grease. However, the next day, I noticed it wasn’t “gelling” at all. The day after, it was one huge lump of soap! You couldn’t even squeeze it out of the bottle it was so solid. Also, I noticed that when I am around this soap, my asthma kicks up. I used grated Ivory as the bar soap, so that may be why. I seem to remember, way back in my childhood feeling kinda “funny” after I used Ivory. I remember feeling like it was hard to breath. I didn’t know I had asthma at the time. So, it may be the Ivory…but I have no actual “scientific” proof of it. So, I am still looking around for a new recipe.

The laundry soap I got from somewhere in internet world and forgot to bookmark it. I used liquid Castile soap, water (duh) borax, and washing soda. No, I don’t remember the measurements! The soap didn’t gel at all, but maybe it will soon? I am thinking the fact that I didn’t let it set overnight might be one of the problems. Anyway, it seems to be doing a good job on my clothes. They are coming out clean, and smell like clean clothes. I put vinegar in my fabric softener dispenser so the clothes are softer. I did this for a long time, but had to stop when I switched to a laundry soap that had color safe bleach in it. I noticed that the mildewey smell that my front load washer has been plagued with came back quickly after I quit using the vinegar.

I’m having fun with this. It may take some time before I find exactly what I want, but hey, why not right?

I’ll see if I can find the laundry recipe I used…it may be lost forever!

Experiments

In the spirit of cutting back like everyone else in our great country, I have decided to try to make my own cleaning products. So, I started with researching Laundry soap. I have found some awesome sounding recipes, and I got all excited to try it. One problem…I cannot seem to find anyone who carries washing soda. I looked all over online at our local stores and no one seems to have it. I am going to one store tomorrow, and I am hoping they will (a little birdie said they might) I am looking forward to trying it. I kind of figure even if it doesn’t work out, I haven’t really lost anything, and it can be a science experiment for the kids.
I know this ones short, but it’s late and I am tired….see ya all later!