Card Update

Here is a new card for my very beautiful new little neice:

I had fun with this one using my new sparkly paper! My daughter absoluletly loved how the carriage sparkled and shined.

A New Car

We bought a new car!!! (well... technically a crossover)

Our 13 year old car was on the fritz and we decided we needed something bigger and newer (with no problems) and finally decided on a Buick Enclave.

All that my 5 year old daughter "E" really cared about was that there was a DVD player in our new vehicle, and she got her wish (along with a pair of wireless headphones - that was her parents wish).

And now I truly feel grown up. My husband is out of school and in the professional workforce, we have 2 kids, we own a house, and we have a brand new family vehicle. I am all grown up.

Catch Up

Wow, I sure have been gone from blogging for a while. It was unintentional, but once into the habit of not blogging, it was hard to get back into it.

A lot has happened. My husband and I bought our first house! Hooray! No more renting! I can't even describe the great feeling it is to be free of renting and acutally living in my own house. The kids have a lot more room to run around and play, and I have my own space too - a nice craft and sewing room all to myself! We have an ensuite, a garage, a covered deck, a nice yard, and a new washer and dryer. I love it, I love it, I love it!

Also, "E" has started grade 1. She was a little worried at first that none of her friends would be in her class and that she would have no one to play with, but luckily her good friend is in the same class and "E" doesn't feel too lonely. She can be shy around new people, but I think she is starting to make some new friends. She loves school and was so mad Thursday when I made her stay home because she was sick.

We also had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I was a little nervous because it was the first Thanksgiving that I felt in charge. I bought the groceries, planned the menu, and all that jazz. Thankfully my sister-in-law was here to hepl me out and everything came out great!

Now that I've played a little catch up, I'm hoping to get back into more consistent blogging.

Card Patterns Sketch 136

One of my new favourite blogs is called Card Patterns . It has great ideas and designs for cards, and I love it! Every week they post a new sketch and invite anyone to submit their own take on the design. I've decided to try it out this week, so here it is:

Even Little Boys Love Cars

It's fun to watch how my kids become attached to certain toys. My two year old son "G" has really started to love cars, trucks, airplanes and trains and wants to take one of them with him everywhere. We will be ready to go out the door and "G" will say, "Take train Mommy?" When we are out, he points out different kids of vehicles (trucks especially) and yells out, "Semi truck!" or "cement truck!" or "choo-choo train!" It's so cute.

When we are outside he points out airplanes and helicopters that are flying overhead and won't stop shouting about it until I acknowlede that I see it too.

Recently he has started sleeping with his little cars and insists that he has two or three of them with him before he goes to sleep. My daughter loves to have stuffies (see this post) in her bed, at least they are soft, but "G" requires a hard little car or plane in his hand. It usually ends up underneath him. I can't imagine that would be too comfortable... but he loves it!

Darcy's Voyage book review

Darcy's Voyage by Kara Louise


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Darcy's Voyage (previously published as Pemberley's Promise) is a twist on Pride and Prejudice exploring what if Elizabeth and Darcy met before the traditional beginning of Austen's novel. What if they developed a relationship and had to keep it from everyone?


I love Pride and Prejudice and it's fun to read Austen fan fiction. This was a fun easy read (I finished in two days) that really explored the romance between Darcy and Elizabeth. She kept true to Austen's characters and added a few of her own. Although some of the obstacles were too easily overcome by the characters, it was still fun to read. Anybody who loves Elizabeth and Darcy will enjoy this book. I think I'll check out some of Kara Louise's other Austen fan fiction.

A Few New Cards

Here are a few fun cards I've made with the design help of my five year old daughter:

Harry Potter

I just spent a few days thouroughly ignoring my kids while I finished (yet again) the last installment of the Harry Potter books, The Deathly Hallows. I love these books. I wanted to read the series again before the last movie came out, so a while ago, I started with the first book and made my way through until the end. Last night I finished the last one and now I'm so excited for the final movie to come out.

Here's a sneak peak at the excitement:

I hope it stays true to the book and ends the right way!

Hiatus

I'm taking a short holdiay hiatus. Will be back soon!

Last Day Of Kindergarten

Today is my daughter "E"s last day of kindergarten. I can't believe she's finished already! In a couple months she'll be onto grade one and have school every day. That will be different for sure. She doesn't want to have summer holidays though. She said to me, "Why can't I just start grade one tomorrow?" "E" loves school and enjoys her time there, especially playing with her friends.

She has one little friend in her class that she absolutely loves. She informed me the other week that they weren't allowed to sit together at all anymore. They get too distracted and just want to chat and play with eachother, so they don't do their work. I don't think they will be put in the same class in the fall. I'll have to schedule lots of play dates.


"E" loves to do art and crafts and sometimes makes cards as well. She wanted to make a card for her teacher to say thank you.

This is the front of her card. It's her teacher. I loved how she cut out pieces of paper in different colours for all the pieces of her person.

On the inside she created a forest scene using some fun stickers, markers, and paper cutting. I love that each ray of her sun is a different piece of paper. She is so creative! I didn't help her with this at all.

This is a birthday card she made last week for her friend. She drew him, and I just thought it was super cute.

Graduation Card

Here's a cute graduation card: 

This was created using the Every Day Paper Dolls cartridge from Cricut.

This is th inside (those are pencils and books, by the way).

Flooding Update

The rain has finally stopped, and so has the waterfall in my basement (see this post). There is still a pool of water in the storage room and I'm still waiting on the landlord to come by and use the wet-vac to clean it up. Luckily nothing was damaged but a few empty boxes.

They found where the leak was coming from and brought in a back-ho to dig a huge hole in the driveway. Sometime soon (hopefully) the landlord will come and pour some cement and seal up the leak for good.

And to top it all off, while all this junk and stuff was going on, this happened:

Not at all my best weekend.
But, compared to a lot of other people in town, we didn't get it bad. There has been lots of flooding and at least ours wasn't sewer backup! At least the sun is out today.

I Have A Waterfall In My Basement!

It has been storming and raining pretty hard here for a few days. We live in an old house, and lots of rain causes problems. We recently had some plumbing problems (you can read about it in this post) and now we have flooding problems.

It started a few days ago with a bit of water in the storage room in the basement. Nothing new. We have to run a de-humidifier down there 24/7.

Yesterday a big storm rolled in.

This is from my back door. It was around 3 or 4 in the afternoon and so dark outside. It normally doesn't get that dark until 10pm up here. Just a minute or so after I took this picture it started hailing. It was hailing hard and fast and the average hail was aound the size of a pea. After about 15 minutes of that, the rain came. I went downstairs to get something and heard the sound of running water. I found water streaming from the wall in the little furnace room. (I had a video, but for some reason can't upload it. I'll try again later.)

There is a waterfall in my basement!
Now today, there is a pool too.
The landlord is here trying to take care of it and hopefully he can fix the leak and drainage problems.

I guess the good thing about storms is, that when the let up, these show up:

It's hard to catch a rainbow nicely on camera, and this picture doesn't do the rainbow justice. This rainbow reached all the way across the sky and was so beautiful!

Thank You Card

A thank you card I whipped up today.

Fruit Sushi

My daughter and I had a fun time making fruit sushi the other day. We got the recipe from the Friend magazine here. We tried the banana sushi:

Banana Sushi

1 banana, 1 piece of fruit leather, sprinkles

1. Peel the banana.
2. Unwrap the fruit leather and wrap it around the banana.
3. Have an adult cut the wrapped banana into 1-inch (2.5-cm) slices.
4. Add a few sprinkles to the middle of each “sushi” slice.

"E" chose the dinosaur sprinkles :)

Toddler Bed

It's official. My 2 year old son "G" is not a baby anymore.

Last night my husband took down the crib and set up the toddler bed. My little baby is big enough to sleep in a real bed! I feel like it's the next stage - no more baby. Also he has been growing so fast. He's getting tall and growing out of clothes, his vocabulary is exploding, he's slowly weaning himself off naps (boo-hoo), and not wanting to sit in his booster seat at the table anymore - he wants a big chair like daddy. It's exciting and sad at the same time. Exciting to see him grow and learn and become a real little person. Sad that he doesn't need my help so much anymore and that that baby is gone.

Switching "G" to the toddler bed went all right. He was very excited at first and loved that he could climb on and off his bed without any help. When we put him to bed he laid down and stayed in his room for a good 15 minutes before venturing out. After trying to return him to his bed, he had a pretty good tantrum. After reading some books and cuddling, he went back to bed and stayed there all night. Almost all night - he fell off the bed once, but was fine and went back to sleep after my husband tucked him back in.

Overall, the switch went all right. I guess I'll have to wait and see how he does tonight.

Mermaid Craft for Kids

My 5 year old daughter "E" loves to paint, colour, make crafts and create. The walls in her room are plastered with her art and creations. Yesterday she came home with a craft book from the library, Things For Girls To Make and Do by Usborne Books.

It's a fantastic book full of fun princess, mermaid, and other girly crafts. "E" wanted to do a craft right away and chose a mermaid craft.

Here is her result:

I helped her draw the mermaid, she did the rest.

Aluminum foil and glitter glue make a shiny and sparkly tail.

She can't wait to do another tomorrow.

Bugs and Flowers

Here are some flowers and bugs I did today for a few scrapbooking pages:

Caterpillar.

Grasshopper

Layered flowers

Some more.

Leaves

Sunflower

More sunflowers

The caterpillar, grasshopper, leaves, and sunflowers were all made using the Stretch Your Imagination cartridge for the Cricut.
The other flowers (black and blue-gray) were cut with the Accent Essentials cartridge.

Diamond Willow Bed

My husband just finished making the most beautiful bed for our daughter. He used Diamond Willow wood, cut the tree down himself, peeled the bark, carved, sanded, etc. He did an absolutely wonderful job and "E" loves her new bed!

Now my husband is going to make a queen sized bed for us, and I can't wait! It will be wonderful!

Cream Puffs

These are so yummy I could eat a whole batch to myself! This is an easy recipe that's a lot of fun to make:

Cream Puffs

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup flour
4 large eggs
Sweetened Whipped Cream (about a 500 mL carton)
Powdered sugar

1. Heat oven to 400 F (200 C)

2. In a medium saucepan, heat water and butter to a rolling boil. Stir in flour; reduce heat to low. Stir vigorously over low heat about 1 minute or until mixture forms a ball; remove from heat.

3. Beat in eggs, all at once, with spoon (not beaters); continue beating until smooth. Drop dough by large tablespoonfuls about 3 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 35-40 minutes or until puffed and golden. Cool away from draft, about 30 minutes. Cut off top third of each puff; pull out any strands of soft dough.

5. Fill puffs with whipped cream; replace tops (do not fill puffs while still warm, as this will melt the whipped cream). Dust with powdered sugar. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Store remaining cream puffs covered in the fridge or freezer. (Frozen cream puffs are delicious!)

I missed the powdered sugar on this batch, just imagine that it's there.

I don't cut the whole top off, but instead leave a flap so it closes nicely. Or if you are fancy and have a garnish and cream syringe (something like this) then you can inject the cream directly into the puff. This will give you a clean more professional looking cream puff.

Try out the recipe and enjoy! Let me know what you think.

Birthday Card

I really love this new card I made today with a friend.

Here's the front. For the girl, I used the Everyday Paper Dolls Cartridge for the Cricut (I absolutely love this cartridge!). For the balloons, I used the Stretch Your Imagination cartridge, and some silver thread

Here's the inside. For the text, I used the Sweet Treats cartridge.

Plumbing Problems

I live in an old house and the plumbing is atrocious. The toilets plug on a regular basis with ease. It doesn't take much. Any normal toilets would be fine. So yesterday, the drain in the basement near the washing machine overflowed all over the floor (again) causing the nearby toilet to back up. There is dirt, water (and who knows what else) all over the basement floor. I have cleaned it all up a couple of times, only to have it overflow again and again. To top it all off, the upstairs toilet has been semi-plugged and slow draining for at least a week. I am afraid this morning to do dishes or have a shower or even flush a toilet. Finally this morning my landlord is coming to fix it and hopefully the drain and toilets will be clear before my kids really need to use the bathroom. Worrying about this is draining (pun intended). I can't wait to move into our own house!

SNOW!

It is snowing.

It is June and it is snowing.

I was wearing shorts yesterday and it was at least 25 C. We went to the park, played in the sun, had a BBQ and ate popsicles. It was a normal June day. It was lovely.

But today it is snowing.

Favourite Childhood Toy

Last night I was putting my 5 year old daughter "E" to bed. She had a million stuffies on her bed and she insisted she needed them all to sleep.

"Really, all of them?" I asked her.

"Yes. All of them. But I specially need my favourites: Meow, Soft Rainbow, and Falissa," she said. "E" then proceeded to pull out of the pile a baby tiger, a rainbow coloured teddy bear, and her very favourite, a cheetah that moves it's head, growls, and has eyes that light up.
"And I have to hold them like this." She lined them up next to her, wrapped her little arm around them and gave them each a great big kiss. "I love them so much!"

It was so sweet to see. She snuggled and cuddled her stuffies and made soft sighs of comfort and joy.

"Mom, how did you sleep with Baby Tara?" she then asked me. Baby Tara was my favourite doll when I was younger.  I remember loving her so much that I could not sleep without her, just as "E" can not sleep without her ginormous pile of toys. I enjoyed Baby Tara so much that I kept her all these years, and have recently given her to my daughter. True, she is a little worn, has painted lips and fingernails, and has dirt in creases that I have never been able to get out, but she has her original clothes and is pretty much in tact.

I dug Baby Tara out of the pile of stuffies, laid down next to "E" and showed her how I used to sleep with my favourtie doll. As I pulled Baby Tara close against my chest in a familiar spot underneath my chin I was surprised; I felt a sudden surge of comfort and happiness. I had forgotten how it felt to hold my doll close to me and I understood my daughter a little better. I understood (or rather remembered) her need to have all her favourtie toys close to her. It was such a warm feeling and I was so happy that I could share that with her.

My Baby Tara
A Playmates (copyright) doll from the 80's

Another Birthday Card

I made this card for my sister-in-law using the Stretch Your Imagination cartdride for Cricut. I used the card and card frame features for this look.

I like that it is really simple, and you can really play with the colours to make certain features of the card pop.

Tips For Avoiding Mosquito Bites

Now that spring is here and summer is nigh, the mosquitoes have decided to come out and play.

Aah, my old nemesis, the mosquito. I completely forget about mosquitoes until the weather turns warmer and suddenly there is a buzzing around my face as I am trying to get to sleep. This happened last night. I swatted blindly in the air a few times, trying to deter the insect from biting my face. Then I covered my face with the blankets, hoping this single pesky mosquito won't smell the carbon dioxide from my breath and come after me any more. Finally, having enough of the annoying buzzing, my husband got out of bed, turned on the lights, hunted and killed the mosquito. Thank you, thank you my brave mosquito killing husband!

The mosquitoes seem to be out in full force now and swarming our family with pleasure. My legs have so many red, swollen bites that it looks like I have chicken pox. My kids are complaining of being itchy and have annoying bites on their faces, arms, and legs. Poor kids. I have a "family friendly" mosquito repellent, but I'm not sure if it works too well. And especially with new generations of mosquitoes being DEET resistant, what can we use to avoid mosquito bites?

Generally you should avoid using insect repellent with DEET for children, as DEET is absorbed into the skin. If you feel you should use DEET, find a repellent with 10% DEET or less and make sure you wash it off your child when they come inside. Other repellents that are generally safe for children are citronella and soybean oil. Here are a few other tips from this article about repellents for children:

• Make sure to keep as much of her skin covered with clothing as possible, including long sleeve shirt, long pants, socks, and a hat.
• Wear light colored clothing, so as not to attract bugs.
• Avoid using any scented soaps or other products on your baby, since the fragrances can also attract insects.
• Apply insect repellents to clothing instead of to skin so that it won't be absorbed.
• Wash off insect repellents as soon as possible.
• Avoid areas with insects nest.
• Follow the instructions, including age restrictions on any insect repellent you are considering using.

You can also make your own repellent, or use these helpful natural tips for repelling mosquitoes outlined it this article.

You could also use insect repellent candles, lanterns, zappers, catchers, etc. But I find the best way for me to avoid those pesky bites is to keep covered.

For more information on mosquitoes and how to get rid of them, visit the American Mosquito Control Association website for some really useful information.

Lovely Blossoms

I had a little fright the other day. I looked out the window and saw white on the tree in my backyard. For one tiny, scary moment I thought it was snow, but thankfully I was wrong, The crab apple tree is in full bloom.

My kids love the flowers, and my five year old girl "E" likes to pick them (along with handfuls of dandelions) for a present for me. She puts them in a little cup with some water and arranges them so pretttily, often with long pieces of grass or other greenery that she can find. She puts them on the table and insits that they stay there all during our meals.

I'll have to get a picture of her flower arrangements and do another post on them.

It's so lovely to have blossoms now and to see the flowers start to bloom and have some colour in my world (besides the white and gray of the long winter). I think spring truly is my favourite season.

Kids Say The Funniest Things!

A few funny things my five year old has said lately:

1. While looking at some baby sheep in a field:

"Mom, those baby sheeps look like little white pigs. But I know they're sheep, not pigs because they have wool. But they should be pigs.

 2. "Mom, do animals get married?"
     "No. Animals don't get married.
     "Why? Is it because they don't know how to dance?"

3. Her own joke:
    Knock knock.
    Who's there?
    Why did the cheetah cross the road?
    I don't know. Why?
    Because she liked it!

4. "E" was helping me make supper. We were browning ground beef for tacos and I was telling her that the brown meat was cooked, and the red meat was not and that we needed all of the meat to be brown and to see no red.

(Speaking to the meat) "Come on red! Beat yourself up so you can be brown like the rest of the guys!"

 5.  "If I were made of noodles, I would bring my foot up to my mouth and eat my toe."

Birthday Cake and Card

On Sunday we had a little birthday for my son "G" who turned two. We had a few friends and family come over and have cake and ice cream. "G" absolutely loved the attention and especially loved it when we sang, "Happy Birthday" to him. His face lit up with the biggest smile and he clapped and cheered when we were finished. He had a little trouble blowing out the candles, but his sister helped him with that.

For his cake, I made cupcakes and placed them in the shape of a 2 and turned it into a caterpillar. It was so easy and quick and "G" loved it.

Oops, there's already a cupcake gone from the cake in this picture. Just imagine it's still there. I used licorice for the legs and Skittles for the face and decorations on top of the cupcakes. "G" ate the candies off the cupcake, licked some of the icing, and left the cake. Then he wanted more candy. He had lots of fun. I loved using cupcakes because it made portion control so much easier and I found that it was not as messy as a traditional sheet cake.

It was also a friend's birthday this week and I made her a birthday card.

I used the "Sweet Treats" cartridge for the Cricut and used the card feature to make this cute birthday cake card. Shaped cards can be a lot of fun!

Geneology

Have you ever seen that show on NBC called, Who Do You Think You Are? It follows celebrities as they search for their family history. I find it fascinating. I've never really been interested much in family history and geneology, but after watching that program and sensing that feeling of wonder and amazement that people receive when they learn about their ancestors, I have become much more interested in finding out more about my family. I even went down to my local family history center and started searching. I can see why so many people are doing geneology now. I heard that geneology and family history is the number one thing searched for on the internet.

I found a great brand new website for people who need help in starting their geneolgy. It's called Find My Ancestors and has a great post titled What Is Geneology? It's a great article and ends with this:

So my answer to “What Is Genealogy?” is this: The quest born of a deep desire to know those who are related to you, how you are connected, and to understand how you came to be". When you succeed at this quest, the reward is better than gold. That sounds rather magical, and it is. How else can I describe the feelings I have that make what could be a mere hobby into an obsession?

This site is really helpful with lots of good tips (especially this page title Getting Started) and you can even hire someone to help you search for your ancestors. I for one can't wait to see what's in store for me up my family tree.

Crazy Cranky Kids

Why have my kids been so cranky today? I thought at first maybe it's just Monday crankiness, but today is a holiday. There is no school, no work and we have just been doing chores and the kids have been playing. We even slept in this morning. Is there a full moon? I mean, my kids are beyond cranky - they are out of control, crazy, grumpy, rude, not listening, hitting each other, and the list goes on. Is anybody else's day like this? It's making me cranky just writing about it.

Super Hero Cape

Today is my son "G"s second birthday. I can't believe he is already 2 years old! For his birthday I made him a super hero cape. I used a simple pattern that I found on a really cute blog Creative Kismet.

I made a few alterations though. For this pattern, it called for a serger, but I don't have one and don't know how to use one, so I used my sewing machine instead and stitched the two sides of the cape right sides together, then turned it rightside out and stitched up the neck.

For the super hero symbol I cut out the shapes and used fabric glue instead of applique to adhere it to the cape.

I then used a zig-zag stitch around each shape in their corresponding colours (I did all of this before stitching the two sides of the cape together). Since I am fairly new at sewing, I made a couple mistakes. As you can probably see in the picture, you can see some of the fabric glue through the white fabric. Next time I would learn to use an applique and try that out.

Another alteration I made was to use matching fabric instead of felt for the collar and I used Velcro instead of a tie to fasten the cape as this seemed safer.

The reverse side is Spider-Man. I know Spider-Man doesn't wear a cape, but it was the only superhero fabric left at the store (there was a sale!) and my son loves red.

I had a lot of fun making this easy cape (even though I was up until midnight finishing it off in time), and now my daughter is asking for one too. I'll just have to find some fun girly fabric for her and then I'll pump out another one of these fun babies!

The Emperor's Challenge

My sister-in-law and I have decided to run a half marathon this summer. I have started running and training off and on, but I really need to step up my game if I am going to be able to do this. The race is called the Emperor's Challenge and is a 20km half marathon up a mountain. It looks really challenging, but also a lot of fun. I don't think I would ever have done it by myself, but doing it with a friend is really motivating.

I ran this morning up a big hill near my home and the thought crossed my mind, "Do I really want to do this? Am I crazy?" But I just need to condition myself and run at least every other day. There are still 78 days left before the race and a lot can be accomplished in that time. I'm going to do it! Good, now I'm committed and hopefully motivated. Good luck to me.

The Toilet Is Not A Garbage Can

My 23 month old son, "G", loves to help around the house. He loves to help me vacuum and sweep the floor, set the table (which usually consists of grabbing all the forks and spoons out of the drawer and placing them on the table), and he especially likes to put things in the garbage.

Yesterday I asked "G" to put a lid to a glass jar (that used to have pasta sauce in it) into the garbage. He took it, ran out of the kitchen and into the bathroom. He often puts things into the bathroom garbage so I didn't think anything of it... until I heard the toilet flush. I am pretty sure he flushed that lid down the toilet, for now the toilet is plugged and no amount of plunging on my part has made it unplugged. I think I may have to call a plumber.

Geocaching

One of my new favourtie hobbies is geocaching. The official geocaching website says, "Geocaching is a real-world outdoor treasure hunting game. Players try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using GPS-enabled devices and then share their experiences online."

Basically, to find a cache (or treasure) you log on to the website or application (I use it on my iPhone) and use a GPS to find the treasure. It gives you a map, a compass, and clues. It is really fun. My daughter E really loves it. Some caches are small and only have a paper and pencil to sign your name, but others are large enough to hold little treasures. When you find one of these, you can take a treasure as long as you leave something of equal or greater value in return. Last time I left a bracelet and my daughter took some stickers.

What`s neat about geocaching is that you can find them almost anywhere in the world. There are tonnes in the area I live and we are still finding them all. My mother-in-law (who introduced me to geocaching) found one when on holiday in Hawaii. She was hiking up a volcano and a geocache was hidden along the trail.

Want a new and fun outdoor activity with your children, or friends, or even by your self? Then give geocaching a try.

A Little Sleep Deprivation

Last night my son was up and screaming at least half a dozen times. He had a fever and was uncomfortable. I had given him a cool bath, placed a cool cloth on his head, gave him lots of fluids, and then finally gave him some medicine to bring his fever down. But still he was waking up. I tried all the usual things to put him back to sleep: find his soother, find his puppy, fix his blanket, change his diaper. He would go back to sleep and then wait long enough for me to just fall back asleep and maybe start dreaming when he would cry again. Around 4am, he woke again. I helped him get back to sleep, not doing anything really different from the other times, but this time it worked. He finally continued to sleep.

This morning I woke and helped my daughter with morning stuff. My son "G" stayed asleep with all the noise we were making. It was geting later and later in the morning, he was still sleeping and I was starting to get a little worried that he was still sick and that maybe his fever had come back (it broke soon after I gave him some medicine in the night). I was starting to worry that he had an ear infection or something and that I was going to have to bring him to the doctor. But just as I started to worry, he woke up. It was 11am. He rarely sleeps past 8am. I rush in to feel his forehead, and he is nice and cool. Thank goodness! I don't know why he had a fever, hopefully just a little 24 hour bug or something. Now he is happy and running around being his normal self, chipper as ever. At least someone got a good rest.

Taking Off

My 23 month old son "G" is a runner. Every opportunity he gets, he runs as fast as he can away from me. His favourite place to go is the middle of the road. He is so fast, I can't believe it. I have opened the car door, turned to grab him and he is already at the end of the drive way and almost onto the road. He's too big to carry every where and he insists on walking anyway, and refuses to hold my hand, so it difficult to keep him close. I am seriously considering getting one of those toddler leashes. It would strap on to him like a back pack or harness around his shoulders and then have a leash that I can hold on to. The thought of strapping my son to a harness and leash makes me feel a little silly, but it might be the safest way to keep him from running into the street. Just the other day I was picking my daughter up at school, and "G" took off and was in the parking lot before I could catch him. It was frightening. I am aware now of what he wants to do, so I guess I just need to be extra vigilant.

Quilt Squares

I've been kind of crafty lately. My last two post have been about my new Cricut (that I love), but I have also been working on some quilting squares. My mother-in-law asked me to make 4 squares (one for each of us in the family) and send it to her. She is making a quilt for her mother (my husband's grandmother) for her birthday. We each had to make the square reflect ourselves or something we like.

Mine is a colourful flower, and the first one that I attempted.

My 5 year old daughter "E" drew a picture on her square of a mountain, birds, the sun, grass, and flowers. I then embroidered over her pencil drawing with coloured thread and used buttons for the sun and flowers.

For my 23 month old son "G" I traced his hands on fabric then sewed them on the square.

My husband wanted his square to be of his guitar and amp. He loves music and is an excellent guitar player. He didn't have time to sew it (or the inclination) so I did it for him. I'm not much of a sewer (obviously) and have only done a few projects like a baby quilt, and some aprons for "E". But I must say, I am rather pleased with how this one turned out. First I want to show you the originals.

The amp:

His Guitar:

And my quilt square:

I think it turned out well, "A" likes it anyway. I first cut out the basic shapes of the guitar and amp and then used fabric glue to  put them on the square. I used sequins for the pots and silver thread for the guitar strings and mesh of the amp. For the lettering, I used my Cricut and glued that on as well. I used my sewing machine for all the stitching (outlines, mesh of the amp, frets on the guitar neck, etc.). It was a lot of fun, and I hope Gramma likes her quilt.