Piles for Miles

So, I'm taking a break from my sewing but only because I have to...laundry, you see, seems to pile up like nobody's business around here. I do not mind doing laundry, in my world it's actually kind of fun! I really don't know what's wrong with my head, I think I get a kick out of making it vanish...seeing piles of it in every room of the house, scooping it all up and watching those piles magically disappear. I even don't mind the sorting and folding and putting away part...must be my Type A-must-be-orderly-and-organized old self that tries to come up for air once in a while when the kidlets are napping. At our house, we even do cloth diapees for the littles and I'm sure you are probably thinking that that has to be the worst type of laundry to do...well it's not! It's suprisingly quite do-able and easy, all you need are some good diapers (I use bumgenius 3.0 one size cause I only need this one size diaper for both my kidlets, super convenient!)

and a wet bag...no problem, easy peasy! I even L-O-V-E my laundry detergent, it's Charlie's Soap and I first learned about it when I started using cloth diapers almost 3 years ago!

This stuff is great because it only takes one Tablespoon to clean one giant load of laundry! I know, it's amazing stuff! So one little bag seems to last me forev-ah, which makes it easy on your wallet! It's also great if you have sensitive skin or allergies cause there is not much to it. I use it for all of our clothes and that way I don't have to buy any baby detergent...makes for a lot less trips to Target! OK, now back to the sorting, folding, and putting away...a momma's job is never done :)

All is Quiet on the Homefront

This is what I wish I was doing right now...

Isn't he the most sweetest thing ever!

...but for now I'll take having both of my littles napping at the same time instead! I haven't dared to open Penny's door to snap a picture of her yet...maybe one day I'll summon up the courage to do it, just not today! I love the fact that they both take afternoon naps at the same time...it's what this momma needs in the middle of all the chaotic days around here. I mean, c'mon, I need time to do my crafts, right?! I am trying to sew a few baby things for my brother and sister-in-law and their soon to be newest addition. I'll try to get a tutorial up in the next day or so...there is just way too much cuteness going on in my sewing hutch right now!

Cornflake Pumpkins

Yum!

Don't these look good? I told you I love Fall, didn't I? This season just gets the baking and cute dessert making bug under my skin. I love making these cornflake pumpkins cause they just look so darn cute! They are perfect for my littles too as they fit just right in their little hands. Want to make some for your littles too? Here is the recipe:

Cornflake Pumpkins

30 large marshmallows

1/2 cup butter or margarine

2 tsp orange food coloring

1 tsp vanilla

3 1/2 cups cornflakes

1 bag wilton green candy melts

Place the marshmallows and butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 1 minute. Stir the puffed up marshmallows and butter together until it's one big gooey mess. Add the vanilla and orange food coloring and mix well. Then, add the cornflakes. Mix until all the cornflakes are coated well. Drop by large tablespoonfuls onto a greased piece of waxed paper. Place 1/2 cup of the wilton candy melts in a microwave safe bowl and melt as per directions on the package. Scoop the melted candy into a ziploc bag. Cut off the tip of one corner of the ziploc bag and decorate your pumpkins with stems and leaves! Eat and Enjoy!

Just squeeze a stem and some leaves onto your pumpkin...soooo cute!

Now, grab some fast before they're all gone!

F is for Fall and Fun!

I love Fall, it's my favorite season for so many reasons. The leaves changing colors, crunching through them on a walk around the block, apple picking, pumpkin patches, apple cider donuts, pumpkin donuts, caramel apples, Halloween, Thanksgiving, cooler weather, wearing boots again...there is just so much goodness that surrounds this time of year! Around here, the Fall Festivals have been starting and we can't stay away. We went to yet another one yesterday with the littles and had so much fun. There were pony rides, scarecrow stuffing, and a petting zoo all for free, if you can believe it, and tons of crafty things as well, not to mention some great music to enjoy while we ate all the greasy but good festival food (man, I love you funnel cake!) Oh, I just can't say it enough...I L-O-V-E the Fall! Hopefully, there are some fun fall festivals starting to happen around you...get to them while you can, it's sad to think winter is right around the corner!

Daddy walking with Peanut and our little Noah is now big enough to go at it alone!

A wave to her momma, I love this girl!

A boy and his horse (er, pony!)

Noah, so loving his pony...her name was Teardrop!

Look at all the ridiculous food we ate...I had to have a funnel cake, they are crazy good!

Noah and I are looking at some balloons, I guess Penny was the only one ready for the camera!

Chewy Granola Bars...Mmmm Good!

Do you (or your family) love granola bars? Well, mine does. We love them so much that I have been making my own for quite a looooong while now to offset all those trips to the grocery store! Do you have this problem too? Then, hopefully you will enjoy this recipe. It's great because you can make them chewy or more crisp and mix up the add-ins to make something different every time or just go with your family's standard favorite...ours is chocolate chip peanut butter! Check out the picture below to see what I mean:

Looks good, right!?

You likey? Well, then here's the recipe:

Homemade Granola bars

(I like to make mine with organic ingredients...)

3 cups oatmeal

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup shredded coconut

1 can sweetened condensed milk (I like to use fat-free)

2 Tbsp melted butter

1-2 cups of your favorite add-ins (chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, raisins, cranberries, whole nuts, marshmallows, dried papaya, dried mangos, trail mix...you get the idea)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan. Mix together all of the ingredients and pour into your pan. Bake for 20-27 minutes depending on if you like your granola bars chewy or crispier. So easy and so good...Enjoy!

Get your big bowl and add in your oatmeal, almonds, and add-ins. I added mini chocolate chips...cause they are just so cute!...and peanut butter chips to mine but you can really add in whatever and however much you would like!

Then, add in your shredded coconut and melted butter.

Now, add your can of sweetened condensed milk. Go ahead and mix it all up real good!

Pour the mixture into your greased 9 x 13 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for around 20-25 minutes if you want a chewier bar or for around 25-27 minutes if you want a crunchier bar. My vote is for the chewy one! :)

Once cool, cut into bars and devour...but first, admire your work...hey, you just made your very own healthy granola bars...no icky preservatives, all good and all made by you!

Martha's Done it Again!

Have you seen the October issue of Martha Stewart Living? I am in love with the pumpkin and squash mushrooms on the cover!!! Aren't they just the coolest looking things? I think I need to have these all over my front porch and path what do you think?

Martha and her team sure know how to decorate for every holiday known to mankind just right, don't they? I would so love to be employed by her. What do you think it takes to work for Martha? I probably would need to move to NYC first...ah, well...maybe in another life, I think we will be in the midwest for a long time to come!

I am especially looking forward to opening up my mailbox in the next few months. Martha's magazines are the best this time of year. I love her Halloween and Christmas special issues too...some of the craft ideas are crazy insane! Ok, well that's it...I just wanted to share what I have been reading lately...how about you? Anything good come in your mailbox lately?!?

A Presidential Tour of a Children's Museum

...well ok, not really but that is how it totally felt. We went to the Dupage Children's Museum the other day and man was it empty, we felt like we had special passes for a private tour or something. I forget how non-busy these places are once school has started, the kids had the run of the whole place and it was kinda nice! This children's museum is our hands down favorite one in the Chicagoland area. If you live around here and have never been, you absolutely must go! They have a wind tunnel and all the tubes that teach your littles about cause and effect with air pressure, a water room, tons of neat bubbles with one that you and the kids can stand inside, a workshop room for building with wood...and that is just the first floor! I'm telling you it is FUN! Here are some pictures of what we did there...and to let you know, you are about to see waaaay too many adorable giggly smiles that you just may not be able to stand all the cuteness!

Penny excited to go wild in the music room

The coolest neon light sticks...we all just love these things!

Miss P loving the wind tunnel...one of my favorite pictures of the day...this kid has no fear!

My little water babies. Let's see...who do you think left here with drenched clothing?

Getting a little thirsty

Can you see me?!?!?!?!

Hmmm....what would our life be like if we had this many Penelope's running around? Notice how wet her clothing is! What a kid!!

Noah having a blast with those nail tables that you can push in to make a design on the other side. Penny just really wants that step stool so she can do some climbing.

The Easiest Child's Belt Ever-Part II Tutorial

Come on, now this is just plain ridiculous...I can't stop making these belts! It's like I have another addiction on my hands...at least now I can blame this one on my husband! So, if you haven't guessed, I have another belt to show you. This one is just as simple as my last belt tutorial but uses a different buckle. OK then, let's get to it:

Simple Child's Belt-Part II

1 yard of belting (I found mine at Joann's in the 'ribbons by the yard' aisle, again! My belting had a design on only one side of the material and was 1 1/2 inches wide!)

1 package bar slides (see picture below, mine were 1 1/2 inches)

thread, sewing machine, etc.

This is all you will need! Easy Peasy!

A close up of the belting. Joann's has lots of cute cartoon-y character choices like Sponge Bob and Mickey Mouse as well. Make sure to look at the 'ribbons by the yard' aisle. Note how this belting has the design on one side only!!!

See, on the back of the packaging it says this buckle thing is called a 'bar slide', I did not make this up!!

Alright, so this is very similar to the last belt tutorial, like I said, but there are a few small differences. Number one, the buckle style is different which then allows for the design to always be showing to the outside. And number two, because the belting has the design on only one side, you will fold the end of the belting (the part you pull through the buckle to tighten it) to the SAME side of the belting as you do with the buckle end (the wrong side of the material). OK, since I think I've totally confused you now...let's get on to making this waaay cool belt so you can see what I mean!

Measure your child's waist and add 6-8 inches to that measurement, this will allow for folding under the ends, allowing for some play near the buckle and giving your little a belt with some room to grow. Noah's waist is 20 inches so I cut his belting down to 28 inches.

Pull one end of the belting through the bar slide, making sure your design is on the outside. Fold the end over 1/2 inch and tuck under like the picture above.

Sew two sets of straight stitches close to the folded edge you just turned under in the last step. Make sure to backstitch your beginnings and ends. (This is a different belt in the picture above...picture switcheroo!)

Then, at the other end of your belting, fold the end under twice about 1/2 inch to the wrong side of the material. Sew to sets of straight stitches to secure the fold.

Ta Da!...you've just completed one of the cutest belts ever! Now go put it through your child's belt loops and keep those pants up!

The finished product...my model was sleeping so this is all you get, sorry!

The Easiest Child's Belt Ever Tutorial

My husband has been bugging me forever to buy a belt for Noah. He is just so skinny that all his pants fall off when he is wearing a disposable diaper instead of a much puffier cloth diaper. I have hesitated forever on buying one because all the ones I have ever seen, which aren't many mind you, are UGLY! They are just not cool, usually they are these little brown braided leather blah looking things that I just can't bear to buy for my Noah. They are soooo NOT him! I was at the fabric store the other day and saw some nice and simple navy blue corded trim...it looked a lot like a nylon strap but not nylon if you get my drift. I thought this would make the perfect simple belt that could match all the navy blue pants and jeans he owns and might even look nice with a pair of khaki cargo pants. Here is what you need to make one for your own skinny little boy...or girl!

Simple Child's Belt

1 yard of corded trim (found in the 'Ribbons by the yard' section of your local fabric store)

2 D-rings (mine were 1 1/4 inch since my cording was 1 inch wide)

thread, sewing machine, etc

1 heavy duty sewing machine needle-VERY IMPORTANT!!!

This is what it will look like! Cool, eh?!

First off, replace your sewing machine needle with a heavy duty needle. If you don't do this you may risk needle breakage. Just sayin'!

Now, measure your child's waste and add about 6 inches so that you have enough to turn the edges under and also enough to bring it through the first belt loop on their pants and then have some growing room. Noah's waist measurement is around 20 inches so I made his belt out of 26 inches of corded trim.

Next, place the 2 D-rings through one end of your corded trim. Fold this end of the trim over a 1/4 inch and then fold again about 1 inch. Sew a seam with a straight stitch close to the end and then sew another seam a little further in...so you have sewn over that 1/4 inch that you first folded over (Like the picture above, my stitches are in brown). The two seams will make it nice and secure! Oh, and make sure to backstitch your beginnings and ends!

Then, take the other end of your trim and fold it 1/4 inch and then another 1/4 inch on the opposite side of the corded trim that you have previously folded the other end. You need to do this on opposite sides of the trim otherwise your folded seam will show outward when you put the belt on.

That's all there is to it!

See, I told you this was the Easiest Child's Belt Ever!!! The greatest thing about it is that there are lots of color choices for this corded trim so you can really make this belt match their clothes if you wanted or pick a favorite color maybe. I saw khaki, dark brown, green camo, lilac, pink, etc. Colors for everyone! Hurray!

Check out that belly? Isn't it a cute one!

If Popcorn Ruled the World...

Last night my husband and I were lucky enough to be able to go have a date night, WooHoo!! On a Monday night, I know but hey, I'll take it! I put Penelope down for bed and then my hubby's wonderful sister whom Noah calls "Aunt Gigi" babysat Noah and even put him to bed for us while we were able to go and see a movie and then do some littles-free shopping. It's so nice to be able to get out of the house, just the two of us, for a while and have a conversation that doesn't have to be spoken over two other little voices calling for our attention.

I always have to have popcorn when we see a movie in a theater and I have to get the biggest one at that...who's with me on this?! Well, now I need to get the biggest popcorn even more so that we have plenty left over for a special surprise for Noah and Penny when we get home. Noah loves popcorn. And now Penny loves popcorn too. I know what you're thinking, you see, popcorn never passed Noah's lips until after he turned two. Choking hazard and all, I know!! Well, that was my hopes for Penny as well but as many of you know with two children of different ages, it's not as easy to have that same food regimen with number two that you had with your first. I would, on too many occasions, catch Noah feeding Penny popcorn (or raisins or grapes) and shouting "Baby like potch-corn, Mom!" in absolute utter joy that he could feed his little sister and that she loved him doing so! "WHAT!!!! She isn't supposed to eat that...it's a CHOKING HAZARD!!!" I would yell as ran to start finger swooping the kernels out of her mouth. Ahh well, this happened so much more with so many other foods that well, now she eats popcorn and other little food items like a pro...but I still watch her carefully...I have to, I mean she's only 13 months old and still doesn't have many teeth!!

Our little Noah first became a huge fan of popcorn after we started reading him Popcorn by Frank Asch before bed. I heart this book. My siblings and I would read it over and over to each other when we were kids (oh, the memories!). After I had Noah, my parents brought out a that book and bunch of other old books we used to love so that Noah could read them when he became older. Remember the Sweet Pickles series?!?...soooo love those books! Anyways, this Popcorn book was Noah's big push into the wild and crazy world of popcorn and he had to have a small bowl every night as we read this book (thank you popcorn makers for the invention of mini bags!) And so, today as I pulled out the giant popcorn container that's bigger than both of their heads, these two littles of mine couldn't have been happier. Oh, the smiles that popcorn can bring to kids (and adults too, me included!)...it's a rainy day here today, if the weather is not so nice by you too why don't you go ahead and pop some popcorn and make some memories with your littles! Go ahead, Get to Poppin'!

Caught in the act!

Mine, all mine!

Popcorn, the best stuff on earth!

Liquid Sidewalk Chalk

Sooooo...I realized I haven't posted any fun projects that I have done with my littles recently...Oops! Well, to make up for it, here is a great recipe for Liquid Sidewalk Chalk that my kidlets have been loving all summer when we are outside, they just go to town painting all over the driveway and sidewalk! It is a nice and easy activity that gives you a few hours of creative fun with your kids. The best thing is that you can make as much of it as you want and any color too! What could be better?!? Ok, let's get to the recipe:

Liquid Sidewalk Chalk

1 cup water

1 cup cornstarch

food coloring (any colors you desire!!)

Mix the water and cornstarch together until combined. I then separate the mixture into cupcake tins or those smaller plastic cups you find in the paper products aisle of Target or Wal-Mart. Then, get our your food coloring and add a few drops to each tin or cup and mix well. As a side note, for all of you that only have the basic red, yellow, and blue on hand, you can mix 'em up for some more color choices:

yellow + red = orange

red + blue = purple

blue + yellow = green

****and don't forget just the basic white you already made!****

Grab some paint brushes, foam brushes, or even leaves and pine cones and get your little Jackson Pollock outside for some crazy good fun!

The artists' palette (the little plastic cups I use are shown here in the upper right tin)

Shhh, they are in their creative zens!

Auntie Kristine getting an art lesson from the kiddies

Once it's all dry it looks cool like this!