Babypants and Stuff...

Its been a crazy couple weeks here between chasing goats and going to cute little girlie birthday parties. And then I was plagued a few days with a never ending headache (that did finally end) and for the past couple days our Internet has been fading in and out (mostly out) so I haven't really had time, energy or Internet connection to post anything. In the past week I have been obsessively making cute little clothes for our little boy, including his first pair of pants: I used Anna Maria Horner's "Quick Change Trousers" pattern from Handmade Beginnings. It is sized 3-6 months, but they look very wide to me... but with a chunky cloth diaper, that should be a good thing. I lined them with a cotton knit, so they are super soft inside. I fell so in love with the tree fabric (which I found at Joanns amazingly), and all its nature inspired (and not overly busy) cuteness. I am finding the boy colors to be more up my alley than pinks and purples and its nice to make really cute items for boys, because the stores don't seem to make a whole lot for boys.

And I couldn't resist putting goats and apple trees on the bum. I think these should be called his "homesteading pants". lol. Oh, and I should mention this is the first time I have ever sewn with knits, and at first it was a pain in the neck, but once I loosened the tension and stitched with a medium zig-zag, it got much better. That was after I sewed the uneven pockets on the knit side of the trousers:

They are reversible, but I think he will mostly wear them with the tree side out... unless he really likes it the other way... but because he probably won't, I will happily dictate his wardrobe since I am sure there will come a day where Darth Vader and Tyrannosaurus Rex's will be all he wears. Oh boy!

I haven't made bread in ages and then last week I needed (haha) bread. It has been too hot to bake bread in the evenings, so I refrigerated it after the first rise. Then in the cool morning I let it rise and baked it and ate it with honey, butter and a glass of fresh goat's milk. Yum. I think I should do it again soon.

And are those cupcakes not the best? My friend Andrea made them for her daughter's party we went to on Saturday! I thought they were the prettiest cupcakes I have ever seen! And they were really yummy too! And since the pictures of 3-year-olds playing with princesses in their panties were not quite appropriate, I thought these would give you a glimpse of the lovely fun of preschool girlie parties! :)

And we are trying to figure this goat thing out still.... and it is a TON of work. They found ways out of their barn and fence (as in when we fix one method of escape, they create a new escape route!) But the goats add so much peace and personality to our yard, and a bit of rhythm to our home. Not having to go to the store every other day for fear of running out of milk is really satisfying, even if the few cups I get each day are usually the result of a pregnant-lady vs. goat wrestling match... lol. I guess there is a learning curve... I just hope we find a method of containment that works and isn't a fortune to install, soon! Happy weekend everyone! Hope your weather is as nice as ours! :)

The Royal Castle (made from trash)

Have I mentioned that we have been hit with the princess bug pretty hard over here? I mean, I let Anastasia watch Snow White, and somehow she knows EVERY disney princess by name, will only wear dresses that twirl (like a princess), and has a castle at the top of her Christmas wish list. It was unavoidable, I believe, as every girl her age is the exact same way! But that is beside the point of this post, this post is to say, even poor peasant children can have a royal castle to play with.

The construction was quite easy, I just used about 4 cereal boxes, ripped out the glued seam of each of them so you have one flat piece of cardboard, cut the long piece in half and cut a castle shape along the lengthier side. Then you piece them together using the folds of the box to shape the bottom, and add a piece in the middle as the floor and paint! I used tacky glue, and held things in place with paper clips. Anastasia and I painted together while Isabel napped and she has been playing with it ever since it dried! Next time, I might make it double layers of cereal boxes to make it a bit sturdier and easier to paint. The shiny side was inside, and it took several thick coats... and I can still see faint glimses of cheerios coming through. We will see how long it lasts! It would be nice if we could stretch its life to Christmas! I am still in a dilemma as what to do about a castle, because Anastasia builds her own castles out of her blocks, and now we make them out of cereal boxes, because we don't have one. And that seems more creative and fun than the cute little castles out there. And Haba makes some really beautiful castle blocks. Thank goodness there are 5 months until Christmas to work things out with Father Christmas...

The New Kids on the Block

FIRST OF ALL... I would like to mention the newest human kid in our household....... is going to be a BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To say we are excited, is possibly an understatement. Actually, I had a feeling it would be a boy. But I have been preparing myself, in case I was wrong. BUT I WAS RIGHT!!!!!! AND WE ARE MORE EXCITED THAN WE IMAGINED. Of course, I get a little nervous thinking I finally got this baby thing down... as far as girls go... and now it is all going to change. Now about the other "kids". We finally "got our goats" this weekend! They are mini-Nubians, and are ADORABLE. These goats were a total God-send, as I have been really wanting goats, and we ended up meeting people (that we already knew and Nick went to school with), at a friend's party who were trying to find new homes for their goats as they are moving to Philly next month. We were still going to hold off until next year (our original plan) and then the local farmers we get out raw milk called and said they were drying up a cow, and we wouldn't get much milk. It seemed providencial, so now we have goats. Nubians are GREAT because their milk is thick and creamy. Sadly, TigerLily and I, are still getting the hang of it... lol. And, her milk is a little off-tasting. I think it tastes like bitter cabbage. Nick says its cantelope. Either way, I am hoping the new diet of our environment, will make the milk a little sweeter soon.

Sorry for the blurriness!!! The kids LOVE the goats. Anastasia leads the kid, Hyacinth, around on a leash and it really is adorable!!! Totally Heidi-esque. We will hopefully have the fence up soon, and a milking stand!

And Isabel got her stitches out today. Her lip is all better. Getting the stitches out was less traumatic than getting them in, but she still screamed bloody murder. And I recieved this fabric in the mail last week:

Available HERE. Can you believe how cut it is? I want more, and I haven't even made anything with what I have... I just never want to run out. Does that make me a fabric hoarder? I am starting to feel that way...

And Anastasia started washing the dishes for me yesterday. She has been asking to wash them for a while and I finally took the time to show her yesterday. I told her she can wash the morning dishes if she wants. I just filled the dishpan with warm soapy water, the sink with cold water, and gave her a washcloth and showed her how to scrub them. I hope this trend keeps up!!

So that is all the exciting news around here!!! Which is very exciting indeed!!! And to celebrate, we are having tacos for dinner, with fresh salsa from other people's garden bounty.

5 Years...

Today marks our 5 year anniversary. These have been the best 5 years of my life, married to my soulmate. I pray we have many, many more anniversaries. I love you Nick, with all my heart. I would marry you all over again... every day of my life.

Love,
Clare

Once Upon A Time

As I was cleaning the girls room today, and looking at empty walls and flat-surfaces, I was contemplating a "theme". Thus far it has been kind of foresty animals meet Ikea in red, green and blue... but now I am thinking a fairy tale bedroom would be just perfect for my girl who loves princesses, fairies and books. Anthropologie solidified my thoughts with this amazing room (found on flickr):I love the broad range of bold colors, and how it isn't too pink or princessy and would probably cost more to do than my minivan!! Of course, Anastasia is all too into pink and princesses these days. I could totally see doing a low-budget version of the above room. The colors are the same as the quilts I plan on making the girls *someday* using the Heather Ross Far Far Away fabric. Anyhow, have you seen the new Far Far Away II Prints:Sorry the picture is so small... see Heather Ross' blog post here, with much nicer, bigger pictures to feast your eyes on. I used some of my Etsy money that I made at Easter to buy a few half yards of the Far Far Away from last year in the same colors. I hope that *someday* I will make some pretty fairy tale quilts for the girls. And look at this room from TLC:Its way over the top for my taste, but kind of looks like Claude Monet painted it. I LOVE the mushroom lamp on the bedstand. And what little girl wouldn't feel privlaged to the highest degree to have such a room? And check out this bed by attiladesign on Etsy: I think it is AMAZING. Definitely more expensive than my minivan. I think I would put it in MY room! I think the kids would try to climb the trees. But really, this bed inspires me beyond measure.

So yeah, sometime, someday my girls will have some thrify, DIY version of the fairy tale bedroom. But if I end up with a boy this time around, I might need to add a few dozen knights to the decor. You know to balance out the fairy-princessness.

And then we would all live Happily Ever After.

First Aid Kit--- Everyone should have one!

I have been meaning to set up a First Aid Kit for some time now. Isabel has been my recent inspiration and I call it my "Isabel Survival Kit"-- a kit to help Isabel survive herself. She is a walking calamity! I set up the kit on Friday, and had to use it Saturday when Isabel took a tumble down some stairs at a friend's party and scored a big bruise on her head and a scrape on her arm. It seems that injuries are just a part of childhood, so it is good to be prepared! I picked up the bag at Target for free with the purchase of bandaids, guaze pads and cloth tape. You could easily use any bag or make your own! I love this mini-first aid kit from maya*made! I might make a small one to keep in my purse/diaper bag in the future.

I still have quite a bit more I would like to add, but for now I have the following:

Bandaids in several sizes (I need to add some of those GIANT ones though)

Guaze pads and Rolled Gauze (I would like to have several rolls)

Cloth Tape

Alchohol Wipes

Splint Wrap

Bandaid Butterfly Closures

Hand Sanitizer (I love the Cleanwell Stuff, available at Target!)

Arm and Hammer toothpaste with Baking Soda (for Bee Stings-- It really works!!!)

Ibuprofen (will be adding a children's version soon)
Arnica gel (for bumps, bruises, sore muscles, etc.)

Calendula (this stuff is AMAZING on burns and cuts! It heals things like magic!!)
Tiger Balm (muscle pain, compares to ICY hot, but natural)

Anti-itch Cream and

Neosporin (not pictured)

Tweezers (metal ones will replace the plastic ones soon!)

Nail Clippers

I will be adding some Pepto Bismol tablets for adults and kids, a small bottle of Tums, aloe, hydrogen peroxide, athletic tape, rubber gloves, one of those cold packs that heat up instantly, and maybe some hand warmers. Epi Pens would be nice, since I am fairly allergic to bees. Haha, if it will all fit! Some other nice things to have around are clean rags for heavy bleeding, as I discovered last week (cloth diapers work great!), sunscreen, extra clothes and diapers and I have thought of buying some sort of candy that looks like medicine to trick the kids into feeling better. Sometimes just feeling like something will make you better does the trick! ;)

So that is what I now keep under the drivers seat in the van! It is a good size for throwing in a backpack for a hike in the woods or a diaper bag while on a picnic. Its one of those things I should have had a long time ago. Thank you Isabel for being my inspiration! ;) Something I would like to put together before cold/flu season (I don't believe I am thinking about this yet!) is a healing basket. I like the idea of a familiar basket that we pull out when we are sick or hurt with a few "feel better items" for the kids. I can see having a couple toys and books that are special for when we are feeling down. One of these days! But today I have things to finish for my shop! Enjoy your week! Hope everyone stays healthy and uninjured!

Not For the Faint at Heart...

Yesterday was a bit dramatic over here. I am finally finding a nice rythm for our family. Anastasia finally started using the potty again (she hadn't been since our trip!). I finally made some new items for my shop, and had time to craft again. Life was FINALLY returning to normal... and then Isabel busted her lip. We returned from a great morning at playgroup, and sat down at the table to eat some melon while the bagels were toasting, and Isabel stood up (? I think!?) and reached across the table and her chair wavered, then she fell, hit her face on the table, fell back and hit her head on the chair and landed on the floor... in a pool of blood coming from her mouth. I had never seen so much blood... at least not in ages... or that I can remember! I could tell it was bad. I grabbed a clean kitchen towel (a new one at that!) and applied pressure through her screaming. I went in my mind about how I could apply pressure while driving her to the doctor... I just sat for a couple minutes, and as her crying let up, so did the bleeding. I looked at her mouth and her bottom lip was almost completely split in half. Stitches were inevitable. So, I picked her up, grabbed the bag and we all loaded in the van and went to Urgent Care. 2 1/2 hours and 6 or 7 stitches later Isabel was sound asleep in my arms. Poor baby.

Soft foods are the staple around her for the next several days. Anastasia was pretty thrilled about having ice cream for dinner! Isabel... not so much. After insisting on cheerios for breakfast this morning, Isabel was quite upset that she could not eat them comfortably. So we made oatmeal together and she ate a whole bowl. She really looks pathetic with her little puffy stitched up lip. Its so weird because it seems like a lot of kids her age have been breaking bones, and a lot of little babies have been getting surgeries or serious illnesses. So I count myself pretty blessed that it was something a little sewing could fix. As a mother there is nothing worse than seeing your child in pain. Thankfully Nick arrived at Urgent Care just as Isabel was about to be bundled in the papoose and get stitched. I had to walk out because with the pregnancy hormones and the lack of food in my system, there was no way I could handle being there. Anastasia and I sat in the waiting room, me bawling and Anastasia telling me "it will be okay Mommy. Isabel will be fine." Yes. Children are amazing. They are the hardest and most wonderful thing I have ever done.

We had a really mellow Independence Day. I celebrated by making pie with some of the apples I picked early last week and ripened on our deck. There were not many fireworks in our neighborhood, but we enjoyed a few from our porch. The kids definately needed some more down time. Hopefully I will be posting regularly from here on out! :)

Independence Day Sale!

I am not the hugest Joann's fan... especially of our local one, but they do have great holiday sales of note. I figured I should let you all know that if you have your heart set on some McCalls patterns, they are 99cents this weekend (check your sales flyer at Joann.com). Here are my favorites: This seems like a bit of a Portobello Pixie knock-off, but I can't resist the cute peasant outfits on girls! McCalls M6062

And this one for skirts and leggings looks darling as well. McCalls M6066

And jumpers for the fall!! Do you see what I see? Wool Plaid and cute cordoroy. McCalls M6154

And because bloomers are all the rage these days (hehe), how about this set? McCalls M4505. You can check the McCalls Website for more patterns, that way you aren't sitting at Joanns, ready to fight the crazy old ladies for those pattern books. lol. Oh, and I will probably be one of those crazy old ladies someday.

The kids have been little terrors this week, except of course, the good quiet one in the womb! haha. I am trying to take it easy as we still aren't over our trip yet. I did finally write a list of all the crafts I want to complete this month! I am so behind in all the things I meant to have finished in April! But crafting until 2am is definately helping me check some things off. I haven't been sleeping well, because I have been having energy at like MIDNIGHT, and the kids have been coming into our bed, and elbowing and kicking us all night. Last night, I slept on the couch. And that isn't an uncommon occurance these days. I mean, I love the "family bed" and all, but ours is getting too full for anyone to sleep!! I am not sure what we will do when #3 comes along!!!!