Learning Embroidery

Since I wanted to do some sewing at our Little House on the Prairie party, I've been looking for easy hand sewing projects for my 2 & 4 year old. I thought I'd report on our projects. The problem is mainly about that sharp needle. It needs to be sharp enough to go through the fabric, but safe enough for their developmental stage. I did a little research into what would be best for my little ones.

Here are my recommendations if you are looking to begin hand sewing with little ones:

1.  Age 2 & Up - Shelf Liners (yes, that's right!) and a Plastic Sewing Needle. Have them trace along a line you have drawn.
2. Age 4 & Up - Large Designed Fabric (this was perfect) and a Tapestry Needle (size 22 was perfect for us). This 6" Susan Bates embroidery hoop was perfect for our little cat fabric. Have them outline a picture or pattern on the fabric.
3. Age 7 & Up - We're not there yet, but I loved the sewing idea from this supercute vintage sewing party (see picture below, and check out the link, for sure). You need a sharp needle & a steady hand, however, to go through those stacked layers of felt.

Hope this info is helpful to others teaching their kids to sew! I did so much research into needle sizes that would work that I thought I would share it with others. Have fun sewing!

Bug Party - End of the year!

Last month, we hosted an "end of the year" party for Miss Phyllis' class. The party moms & I decided to have a bug theme. Here are pictures!

One party mom crocheted caterpillars for the kids, my sister-in-law made the cutest bumblebee cookies, and another mom made these adorable ladybug and bumblebee bean bags!

One party mom made the adorable cupcakes, and another made the caterpillar grapes! We had an awesome time!! We sure will miss Phyllis though.

Steel Cut Oats for Jenny

Our family loves steel cut oats. Have you ever tried them? If not, you don't know what you are missing. And typically, people make these way harder than needed. Really, they are EASY. If you browse the web, you will find a variety of recipes, and I've tried lots of them. But there is nothing simpler than this one below. Ready for something complicated?

1 Cup Steel Cut Oats
3 Cups Water

Directions: Before bedtime, bring water to a boil, along with oats. When it boils, turn water off & put top on the saucepan. In the morning, they will be done.

That's IT! Works every time for me! I've tried other water-to-oat ratios, and they didn't work for me. Also, if you double it, still use the 1-to-3 ratio. (2 cups oats/6 cups water). I eat them with butter & brown sugar, but you could add eggs, salt, jelly, fruit, nuts...and a variety of other add-ins.

(Jenny, this post is all for you!!! I barely even know how to blog anymore!!!) Here are a few other variations you might like to try. But seriously. My recipe is simpler than all of them.
 The Kitchen's Overnight Steel Cut Oats (photo from here. but these look like mine)
Sugar Free Cocoa Overnight Steel Cut Oats
Pumpkin Overnight Steel Cut Oats

Treasure Hunt Party

I like home birthday parties. I know they are not the norm these days, but I just enjoy having my kids friends over, and getting creative with some party themes. But first grade boys. Plus a January birthday. Shew, that's tough! Boys need to be outdoors! Thankfully, we had unusually warm weather that day, so the boys enjoyed some playtime outdoors. Also, we had a treasure hunt! We had 10 clues which took the boys throughout the house on a hunt to find the treasure. It went even better than I could have imagined. The boys darted through the house to find their clues, which I had "aged" with coffee.

After the hunt, the kids had some nerf guns and they took aim at the bad pirates. Another big hit. And finally, we topped the afternoon off with everyone's favorite - a pinata! A successful party, and a sweet birthday boy to celebrate. Happy Birthday, Ethan!

A Great Yard for Sledding!

It wasn't much snow, but it was enough to make some great memories in our new house!

October 2012

This picture from a few months ago. Pretty awesome kids, right?

Cuties

Life Lately

Making cookies! This Nestle Tollhouse cookie recipe is my favorite. What's your favorite cookie recipe?

Oops! Left some cookie dough behind!

Baths

These are days you'll remember.

Teddy Bear Picnic - 2 Years Old!

Jewell turned 2! Can you believe it? We've crammed a lot into her 2nd year of life. A new sister, a new house, living with grandparents.

Here's a look back at her 1st birthday. A little celebration with just a tiny cake. I throw a party for my kids every other year. I sure do love kids parties. So this year it was teddy bear picnic.

How sweet are these girls with their teddy bears?

And their little teddy bear ears?

Pair those with some good food, good crafts and good friends, and we had a great time!!!

Moving In!

Yesterday, we began our transition into our new house! At long last! We're so thrilled to be through with the majority of our projects. We have some loose ends to tie up, but for the most part we are done! This past week, I was able to actually chill out (or "chill off", as Katie Belle likes to say) with my kids. And I wasn't even tempted to google "shutter style windows" while reading to my kids. Hooray! A sliver of normalcy. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be mother of 4 kids in 6 years. But here I am. So if you have a "large family" like mine, you'll see why this is probably my favorite new room. (It's a toss up between this room and my laundry room.)

Since I love reading a house with a story, I'm gonna run down the deets. It was funny building a new house and trying to find as much old stuff as possible to make it look like a not-too-new-house. Here they go: Slate style tile, Del Mar Mediterranean 13x13 (a steal at $1.55/sq ft); Newel Post - a Craigslist find from a really old house, $60 ; Old hooks for the mudroom piece from The Cane Ery (tons of old hardware & junk); Bench built with wormy oak wood from our neighbor who planes his own wood. He'd been drying that wood for years and was about to toss it. (We made the treehouse loft from the wood too.); Paint Colors: Door is Wyeth Blue, Walls are Acadia White.

Sitting Up!

Did I say she wasn't sitting up? Now she is! A lot can change in a few days. Now, she is sitting up all by herself, and we haven't been "coaching" her at all. I guess she decided she was tired of all that laying down, and figured it out on her own. In the course of a week, she has gone from just learning to mastering the technique!

Jackson County Fair

Yesterday our family went to the "Jackson County Fair," and we had a blast!

Ethan, Katie Belle & Lance floated in bubbles. Too many good times, not enough photos!

Esther, 5 1/2 Months

It has been nearly 6 months. What a blur these six months have been!! This sweet girl is such a joy. She is my constant companion and I love being around her. She is my earliest crawler ever! She can't fully pick up her belly to crawl, but she works those arms for an army crawl to get wherever she wants to go. Unbelievable! She is not sitting up on her own yet, but I'm sure she's close. Jewell at 5 months, and then at 6 months.

Loft

Look what awaits our kids! We still need a ladder...and maybe one day a flower box. I hope it's not one of those things that the kids think is cool for just one day. Get this: Our neighbor planed & dried that wood himself, and was getting rid of it. I had no idea that people just planed wood for fun. But I'm glad he did. It sure is pretty wood!

How High?

Have you ever thought much about how high your knobs should be? What do you like? Corner placement?

a little lower?

a little lower still?

or how about way down there?