After trying for far too long to get this to work, and having it not, I’m going to attach the link. Chris showed it to me the other night when I had just finished watching the original (well, listening to the original while I was doing other projects). They also re-cut The Sixth Sense and some others. They can be found here
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And just when you think there could be nothing worse than having to wake up at 5 a.m. with a sick baby, he decides to throw you a curve ball and get up at 3:30 wanting black beans & corn on the cob. So there he sat. Eating black beans & corn on the cob. At 3:30 this morning. A few people have mentioned that they think his 2 year molars might be coming in. I think they might be right. I put my finger on the back of his gums and couldn’t feel anything, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t getting ready to break through. He just seems so miserable. I wish there was something I could do.
The pictures are from our walk this morning. It really is so beautiful here. It was nice to ‘stop and smell the flowers’. Usually we are walking fast, trying to keep the old heartrate up, but it was nice. Nice to stop and talk to the dog walker and hear about all the pups he’s rescued. Nice to stop and be introduce to "Totsie" the dog. We’ve passed her so many times, but never stopped to ask her name. It was nice to slow down and let Henry run his little fingers along the bushes. Sometimes we find pinecones and he’ll hold them all the way home. We started walking this route when Henry was only about 6 months old. I’m glad I finally took photos today so we can remember how so many mornings were spent together. The pics can also be viewed here.
Happy Monday!
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He’s sick. Again. This was us Saturday morning at 5 a.m. He wakes up & immediately asks for ‘tories’ followed by ‘up/down’ (what he calls his favorite Dr. Seuss "Hop on Pop" book ). This leaves for one very tired Mama. He wants to nurse all the time. Today, he had me nurse Thomas, Percy & James. He had a healthy dose of Sesame Street and would only eat seasoned crutons and one ‘boo’ popsicle for breakfast. I didn’t end up getting any projects done this weekend, which is okay. I’m so tired I have little faith they’d work out anyway. I’m literally holding my eyelids open trying to stay up to watch Dwight host Saturday Night Live…but then I remember I have TiVo and should just go to bed. Maybe I’ll go do that now.
The 100th post give-away should happen this week, so stay tuned! And the little apron club is growing : ) Be sure to post a pic of your apron. The link is available if you scroll down. Happy weekend!
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it’s not my bag, baby. I was way
over due for organizing my little fabric collection. I was not born
with the organizing gene. All 3 of my sisters were, though. Whenever
they come to visit and then leave, I magically find that all our DVD’s
have been arranged alphabetically and cupboards have food organized
into groups. How did I not get this gene? The food goes where I can
squeeze it in and then the cupboard gets quickly shut before anything
has a chance to fall out. Speaking of gene’s, they are all avid
worker-outers. They enjoy running. Who are these people?
Are we really related? I was born with the
"I’d rather have sand thrown in my eyes than run" gene. I take Henry
walking most days of the week, I can groove on step aerobics, I can do cardio, … but running…gad’s..who wants to do that?
And I only do it out of the sheer fear of being one of those people who
has to be removed from their home by a crane. I know, I know, there are
oodles of you out there (not people who had to be removed by a crane,
runners). I just cannot comprehend… my mind is currently boggling. I
digress. Organizing fabric…so many options. Do you organize by
color scheme? I have lots of polka-dot fabric..do all the polkies go
together? Do you organize by fabric type? Should all the linen fabric
go together? This is what keeps me up at night. Not really. I don’t
care enough for it to keep me up at night, I have a 21-month old who
is an expert at that. It
seems like you have to pretty much make a complete mess of things
before there is any chance of things looking better. Am I right? So
that is what I tried to accomplish yesterday. It is still a work in
progress. I bought bleach for the first time I think in my entire
life. I wanted to bleach out some fabrics that were so bright, you got
a headache from looking at them. I was happy with how most of them
turned out. Some didn’t bleach at all, and a small handful got a little
too bleached. There was actually a clown print that was dangerously bright, but
now that it’s bleached, it’s the most wonderful pastel. It probably
would have been a good idea to wear some gloves or something. Note to
self: wear gloves next time. It was good to organize. I realized I have
a lot of blues & greens, reds & pinks, blacks & browns.
Almost no solids and really no yellow’s or oranges, or purples. But I
am okay with no purple.
I found this fabric, which I completely forgot I had. It’s so adorable
and I’m sure you’ve seen it before. Should I be alarmed that I now own
2 fabrics with the words "Butter" printed on them? Is this a sign? I think it’s hard to find really adorable childrens fabrics that I love and that everyone in the world doesn’t already have. This fabric doesn’t really scream ‘Henry’ (he does not love breakfast) but I’m sure I’ll find some use for it.
Can I share something that joined our family our few months ago? This armoire. It’s from Rachel Ashwells Shabby Chic line at Target, HOWEVER, one day while out thrifting when Mom was in town, I found this at Goodwill. It was still in it’s original box. It had been opened but taped shut. I crossed my fingers and hoped all the parts were there and well..the armoire was mine. For $39. It’s one of those "I’m starting to hyperventilate" moments. Where you don’t ask if it’s really only $39. Chris put it together that night and indeed, all the parts were there. There was the smallest of small nicks on the back, which is completely unnoticeable. It’s one of my very best thrifting finds. Half of the fabric has made it’s way in. The rest is in a pile on the floor waiting to be folded and put into it’s appropriate pile. That’s what I will be doing tomorrow. If my brain doesn’t explode by then. -
I’ve just started a group in Flickr for those of you who are interested in making ruffle aprons or have already made them. Please post your pic’s (PKM, that means YOU). They can be posted here. I’m excited to see what you all come up with! If you are new to the blog, scroll down for instructions on how to make your very own ruffle apron.
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I went out last Saturday night to pick up a some more bobbins and well, you can’t ever leave with just bobbins, right? There absolutely was a little fabric involved. I think the fabric on top is so funny (as funny as fabric can be). Do you see under the box of chocolates & stick of butter? It says "DANGER". Oh fabric, you are so wise beyond your years. I think you will make an adorable apron paired with the cherry fabric on the left. I love the lobster. I have been so crazy for
red lately and so this instantly popped for me. You can never have
enough polka-dots. I realized I don’t have alot of boy-ish fabrics so I
picked up the blue & orange fabric, which by the way I’m crazy about, so, now I’ll need to make a little something special for Henry. Speaking of…
This is a daily ritual for him. He squeezes his
little body behind the big red chair, tucks behind the curtains and
lines up all of his trains on the "racks" (tracks). He knows all their names: Duncan, Edward, Culdee, Gordon, Emily, Thomas , Percy and Caboose. It was only recently that we bought the "Henry" train. He never wanted it. We’d hold up 2 trains, "choose which one you want" and he always went for the other train. So, I did what any Mother would do, I snuck it into the cart. And now he loves his Henry train.
My little helper. We are starting to have so much fun in the kitchen together. He loved putting all of the cupcake liners into the pan and did such a great job sprinkling the sprinkles on top. He did manage to sneak in a bite, while his Mama wasn’t looking (as is always the case)! He wants to be picked up all the time now to see what I am doing. He wants to be involved and I love that. I am so thrilled at this stage in his life. He’s growing so fast, talking alot and… I sometimes just can’t believe he’s mine. I need to find a safer solution than the chair though, because the floors can be quite slick. I did see these but they look so big & bulky, plus I refuse to pay that much for a kitchen stool. I am up for any & all suggestions…
It’s going to be a very low-key weekend, friends for dinner (and we even have a breakfast date!) Take it easy- enjoy the simple times. I’m in heaven here.
One more thing, it’s Random Act’s of Kindness week and there’s still time to act. So, go…..do a little something kind.
Happy Friday and have a wonderful weekend!
xoxo
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When we lived in Boston, our good friends
Jason & Kim used to come over the Sunday before Valentines Day and we’d bake up a
storm while the guys did much more important things like play x-box and be our taste testers. There are some pretty memorable quotes from those days including Jason’s "I hope this is what
Heaven is like". X-box & treats. It obviously doesn’t take much. It
was always some pretty intense baking. The kind of baking, where at the
end of the day, you are exhausted. We made lots of different things: cookies, truffles,
buckeyes…you name it, we made it. All lovely and heart-shaped.
Everything was always heart-shaped and usually drizzled in chocolate. Remember these, Kim? I thought about you all day on Sunday and wished we didn’t live 2,000 miles apart so we could drizzle some chocolate together. This year we decided to make these raspberry filled cookies, cupcakes & truffles.
It has been a long time since I have made sugar cookies, let alone used
cookie cutters. I had to dig them out of the garage. Sugar cookies
& I didn’t always get along. Like the time I was
decorating them and they were NOT working out and in a
fit of rage… I chucked a cookie against the dining room wall.
The cookie and frosting slowly, slowly slid down to the floor. Feeling very betrayed, I
am sure. I think if baking causes you to ‘throw out’ a body
part…like say a shoulder, …well..something must be wrong. After that classy little episode, me & sugar cookies went on a bit of a trial seperation. But now, we are happily re-united and I sure think they make pretty darn good Valentine cookies. I think one of the best no-fail sugar cookie recipes I’ve used is here. The truffle recipe can be found here.I have a great collection of cookie cutters and it reminded me how
much fun it is to have cookies in fabulous shapes. It also reminded me
how much I miss "Martha by Mail". Surely I am not alone here. The pink
& white striped cupcake liners are from there. I bought them in
2003 and they came in a pack of 200. My stash is slowly dwindling &
so I only use them for special occasions. Martha had some really great
holiday stuff and right before they shut down, they had amazing,
amazing sales. I got some great oversized copper cutters and of
course, working at Williams Sonoma all those years, only fueled the
addiction.
There is entirely too much sugar in the house and so I think we will spend the day decorating cupcakes and making Valentines plates for neighbors.Thanks for all the apron love. It really did mean so much. I’ve already spotted some of your ruffle aprons out there…maybe I should set
up a little ruffle apron club on Flickr. Also, I’m getting dangerously
close (only about 6 more entries) to my 100th post and will have a sweet little give-away (apron
included, of course) to celebrate so stay tuned….Happy Valentines Day, Darlings!
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****Edited 2/18/2011- Hi Apron lovers! I'm giving away an apron book that features another one of my apron patterns. Interested? Come on over to my current post and leave a comment to enter!*****Oh Valentines Day. You are almost here. Oh you. I love your red & white colors, your polka dots & glitter, your ric-rac and ball fringe. Little Valentine tree, I love you. You were on a ridiculously good after-Christmas sale at Urban Outfitters and well, I couldn't just leave you there. No, that would be cruel.
Sure, I already have a Christmas tree. But not one that's metallic pink and certainly not one that's only 3 feet tall. I've dreamed of having you for a while now, and well, I am so glad you are here. So glad that you can make your debut as our very first Valentine Tree. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Pam & I have been chit chatting about aprons lately and she has convinced me to give a little how-to on how I made my Valentine Ruffle Apron. This was no easy task, you know (giving the directions, not sewing the apron). Sure, I made the apron, but explaining how to do it, well, it's sort of making my brain hurt. I'm trying to trace back step-by-step and am hoping that I didn't leave out any important directions. And Pam, well she's fabulous and I feel it my duty to make sure that "every morning (and night) is a Pam Kitty Morning." This one's for you, Pam!
Ruffle Apron
You will need the following fabric:
(1) 15 1/2" x 20 1/2" piece of fabric for the back of the apron- Piece A
(4) 6 1/2" x 33 1'/2" pieces of fabric for the ruffles– Piece B
(2) 4 1/2" x 24 1/2" pieces of fabric for the apron strings– Piece C
(1) 4 1/2" x 20 1/2" piece of fabric for the band- Piece DDirections:
Make a 1/4" hem by folding under 1/4" of the fabric and then folding over again, enclosing all raw edges of piece "A", iron under 1/4" on all sides and stitch.
"B" Pieces- Hem the same way on the two short sides and one long side, leaving one 33" side unsewn. Repeat with all 4 pieces.
Working on the right side of the fabric, using long machine stitches, stitch along the unsewn side at 1/4" and again 1/8" in seam allowance. Pull threads to adjust gathers. Starting on the bottom, pin the top edge of the ruffle to the wrong side of the fabric on piece "A" at about 1" up from the bottom. Wrap the gathering threads around the pin. Adjust gathers to fit across and pin piece down on opposite side. Stitch over the gathers to keep in place.
Sew the next ruffle ("B") to piece "A" about 4 1/2" above the top of the previously sewn ruffle, making sure the top ruffles overlaps the bottom ruffle by about an inch. Repeat with remaining ruffles.Once the ruffles are sewn on, you should have about 1 1/2" of piece "A" left at the top.
Take Pieces "C" and hem all 3 edges, leaving one short edge open.
Next, take piece "D" and fold in half. Press with iron. Fold under 1/4" on remaining 3 sides. Place the top of piece "A" inside of piece "C" and pin to hold in place. Place pieces "C" on both ends of the band. Secure in place with pins. Stitch (2) short ends (being sure to catch the apron strings underneath) and stitch along the open end.
Phew. I think that's it. So, you should have ruffles on one side and when you turn it over, you will see the right side of the fabric. I hope this makes sense. It's getting very late and I've come down with a bit of a bug (it's a total drag! Little Henry has it, too. It's quite sad) I am hoping it doesn't prohibit the Valentine cookie and truffle making (and eating) festivities this weekend.
Anyway- if you decide to make this and come into any problems or have questions, just shoot me over an e-mail. I'm happy to help out in any way I can!
Happy Weekend, Friends!
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Ruffle ApronYou will need the following fabric:
(1) 15 1/2" x 20 1/2" piece of fabric for the back of the apron- Piece A
(4) 6" x 33" pieces of fabric for the ruffles– Piece B
(2) 3 1/2" x 24" pieces of fabric for the apron strings– Piece C
(1) 4 1/2" x 20 1/2" piece of fabric for the band- Piece DDirections:
- Starting with piece "A", iron under 1/4" on all sides and stitch .
- "B" Pieces- Starting with the right side of the fabric, fold under 1/4" on 3 sides (leaving one 33" side unsewn) and iron. Finish by stitching 1/4" from edge. Repeat with all 4 pieces.
- Working on the right side of the fabric, using long machine stitches, stitch along the unsewn side at 1/4" and again 1/8" in seam allowance. Pull threads to adjust gathers. You’ll want to gather them until it measures about 20" long. Stitch the ends so the gathering stays in place. Repeat with all 4 pieces
- You will now begin to sew the ruffles "B" to piece "A"
- Starting from the bottom (the 20" side), of piece "A" pin the ruffle (right side) to the wrong side of of the fabric approx. 1" from the bottom of piece "A", making sure that the ends of the ruffle line up with the sides of piece "A". Sew just above where it was gathered.
- Sew the next ruffle ("B") to piece "A" about 4 1/2" above the top of the previously sewn ruffle. Repeat with remaining ruffles.
- Once the ruffles are sewn on, you should have about 1 1/2" of piece "A" left at the top.
- Take Piece’s "C" and fold under 1/4’" on all sides and press. Finish by stitching.
- Next, take piece "D" and fold in half. Press with iron. Fold under 1/4" on remaining 3 sides. Place the top of piece "A" inside of piece "C" and pin to hold in place. Place pieces "C" on both ends of the band. Of the remaining 3 open ends fold under 1/4" and press. Sew (2) short ends, leaving the bottom open.
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Sorry I’ve been away. I’ve been gingerly strolling the grounds of our second home in the Hills. Isn’t it beautiful? Gah. I wish. These trees are blooming everywhere around here. Aren’t they gorgeous? I went for a drive on Sunday with Henry and I found myself stopping the car more than once to oohh and ahh over these. Between the months of September and December, I really wish that I lived somewhere where seasons existed. I miss a true Fall, I miss leaves changing colors. I think living in Boston spoiled me. I miss wearing sweaters. I think Christmases should be white. There most definitely should be snow. But, come January 1st, I’m totally over it. And that’s when I realize that living in LA isn’t so bad after all. I mean, I took this picture yesterday- February 4th. It looks like springtime here, and oh the weather has been incredible these last few days. So good that we spent today here:
I think it was 85 degrees today. A little cooler at the beach, but geez, it was so nice. We only stayed for an hour & 1/2 but it was heaven."Chris, it’s so beautiful at the beach today. I’m so surprised there aren’t more people here."
"Yeah, I guess people have jobs."
Good point. Jobs. I guess most people have ’em. I’m beginning to forget what that feels like.
Running around at the beach sure can make a little guy thirsty for some water. Lots of water. Chris calls this thing "Reggie". It has it’s own weather system. I’ve been secretly trying to get rid of it for years. It’s like 1/2 the size of Henry! I cannot believe that this thing moved with us from Boston to California. Unfortunately Chris is not the only owner of one of these monstrosities.
You know who you are.
Your names are being withheld for your protection.
There is a shop update:
I did it. I cut up the Merry Bon Bon fabric. I’m taking a deep breath. I made them into little Valentine Bags for the sweet loves in your lives! I have a few more that I’ll put in the shop tomorrow that are red instead of white. They are available in the shop here.Happy Monday!
xoxo
