Grace in Small Things: part 11 of 71

1. the snow ending, it wasn't looking good earlier.

2. my girls being polite while trick or treating, there are some really rude kids out there.

3. hubby talking me into going trick or treating, so glad I didn't stay home, my girls were adorable.

4. eggnog

5. Halloween being over!


Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook. Definitely something I need to do more of these days.

Grace In Small Things: part 10 of 71

1. crackers

2. a much need nap for myself

3. perscription refills

4. Halls

5. sugar cookies

Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook. Definitely something I need to do more of these days.

another giveaway

Over at Today's Creative Blog, there's a giveaway every Friday! This week, there's a gift certificate to Jumping Jack Designs up for grabs.

giveaway sharing

Over at Monkey's Mama there's a great giveaway going on. There's a great group of shops in the giveaway, go check it out!

Grace in Small Things: part 9 of 71

1. Zellers for having a bee costume so I can throw away my awful attempt.

2. early bedtime

3. waking up to my alarm instead of the kids bugging me

4. sales

5. fabric glue

Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook. Definitely something I need to do more of these days.

Grace in Small Things: part 8 of 71

1. waking up rested

2. being dragged to bed for nap time

3. checks coming in early

4. taking a hot bath

5. the dishwasher

Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook. Definitely something I need to do more of these days.

halloween projects

This is my first time participating over at the DIY Show Off. Instead of linking up to a bunch of different posts, I figured I might as well just jumble them together.

I spooked up the silhouettes of my kids, now they're my little witches and a baby devil.



I made this wreath for our door. All the supplies came from the dollar store, a very cheap project. Zach loves to play with it while I try to lock the door in the morning.



Another cheap and easy project I made was this 'BOO' banner. I also have those little bats flying in different places inside.



That's really all I made for Halloween this year. I planned on doing a lot more projects but it seems my Halloween spirit has come and gone. Christmas has pretty much taken over my brain now.

See more Halloween projects over at the DIY Show Off.

Grace in Small Things: part 7 of 71

1. chocolate

2. Katie (I won an iPod from her!!)

3. my medication

4. knowing my kids are healthy


Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook. Definitely something I need to do more of these days.

i ♥ faces

I decided to join in over at I ♥ Faces this week for their Halloween Dress-Up Photo Challenge. Here's my entry, it's a picture from Halloween last year.



Lizzy doesn't look too happy in the picture. It was probably really early, I remember we had to go to a preschool Halloween party when I took this picture. Every time I look at old pictures of my kids, I really can't believe how young they used to look. Even though some days I really want time to speed up, I wish my kids would just stay little.

Grace in Small Things: part 6 of 71

1. waking up to a temperature above 0

2. buying all the fabric I need for costume sewing for under $20

3. my dad

4. loud music being able to make my kids shut the hell up

5. tums

Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook. Definitely something I need to do more of these days.

my place and yours: bedside

Pip started this really fun meme over at her blog, called My Place and Yours. It's a fun one, I wanted to participate last week but since I don't have much of any bookshelves around here, I didn't.

This week's theme is bedside. I almost didn't feel like participating again because my bedroom still looks as if we're in the middle of moving in... 3 years later. So, I have no bedside table, what I do have is my piles of books.



Someday, I will get a bookshelf and finally organize my books. Someday.

Hop on over to Pip's, see the other participants and join in too!

Grace in Small Things: part 5 of 71

1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (& Angel)

2. pumpkins being on sale

3. sugar cookies dipped in chocolate

4. baby smooches

5. finally standing up for myself.


Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook. Definitely something I need to do more of these days.

Grace in Small Things: part 4 of 71

1. breathing space

2. Backstreet Boys - "If I Knew Then"

3. cuddling with my cat Skittles

Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook. Definitely something I need to do more of these days.

Grace in Small Things: part 3 of 71

1. warm weather

2. Beaners, Zach got his first haircut today.

3. ice tea

4. long hot bathes

Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook. Definitely something I need to do more of these days.

Grace in Small Things: part 2 of 71

1. nap time

2. Dawson's Creek

3. my acrylic paint stash

4. my sister staying at my place

5. happy laughing babies

Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook. Definitely something I need to do more of these days.

Grace in Small Things: part 1 of 71

1. kinder care (sanity savor!)

2. happy meals

3. nap time

4. Lizzy's singing

5. baby hugs

Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook. Definitely something I need to do more of these days.

I found out about Grace in Small Things from Jen, thank you for posting yours!

baby blanket

Last week I finished up this baby blanket. It's for my sister's boyfriend's nephew that's on the way. My sister wanted to do it herself but quit trying to learn crochet, so I said I'd do it for her. I made it really fast, I think it turned out pretty cute. I hope the new parents like it too.



I used Lucy's granny blanket edging tutorial to edge this blanket. Took longer to do the edging than the blanket itself but I like the look.

wrist warmers

I wanted to make a pair of wrist warmers for quite some time now, I just love the look. The other day, Lucy posted about a pair of wrist warmers she crocheted, saying it was just a big rectangle. I didn't see the edited post unfortunately, maybe mine would have turned out a bit cuter. Anyway, last night I crocheted a pair for myself out of some cream yarn that I have. Nothing fancy about them but they are super comfy to wear. I might make another pair now that I know I can make them.

more poladroid fun

I was playing with poladroid again yesterday. I'm still not sick of that tool, it's so fun. Here's a couple favorites.



He's always there when his sisters are having a bath, he loves bathtime.



A rare bit of quiet from Lizzy, that Vtech thing keeps her happy.

pain helper

Stress has been giving me major pains lately. On the weekend my neck was hurting so bad, nothing was helping. So, I grabbed a piece of fabric and sewed up a heating pad. It's filled with a lot of rice. I wanted to make myself a heating pad for a long time, I'm glad I finally found a reason to do it. It took about 10 minutes to make start to finish.

And now that I've finally taken a picture and shared it here, it's now back on my neck.

handmade ornaments

I signed up for another swap. This one is very easy, just send one handmade Christmas ornament and a card, that's it, no extras. I think I have settled on one ornament to send, I'm not entirely sure, too many ideas swimming in my head. Plus, too many creative people out there making my head explode with possibilities.

flickr faves

1. apparently too big..., 2. Patchwork string, 3. crocheted lamp shade, 4. XoXo Ice Cream Sandwiches, 5. pencil r, 6. Mermaid Garden, 7. i love you, 8. Stella's bedroom, 9. ghastly one, 10. Orange BandAid Quilt Front, 11. Baby quilt, 12. Presents Are Fun

a book meme

I found this blog very late, it's called Book Blogger Appreciation Week, it runs Sept. 14-18. Next year I'll be on time though!

There was a fun meme I found there that I decided to do though.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack? Not usually, I get to involved in my books to do much else besides read.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of
writing in books horrify you? I don't write in my books, I don't get why people do either.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? A bookmark usually, if I can find one, or I just use whatever scrap piece of paper I find laying around.

Laying the book flat open? No, that wrecks the spine then it never closes right again.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both? Mostly fiction, I read non-fiction sometimes but not very often.

Hard copy or audio books? hard copy, I've never gone the audio book route before, probably never will either, I don't like being read to.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point? I like to get to the end of a chapter, but if I'm low on time I'll stop whenever there's a break in the book.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away? If I'm close to the computer I will.

What are you currently reading? Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky

What is the last book you bought? The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time? Only one at a time.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read? I love to read in a hot bath before bed but I'll read anytime time of day.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books? Both

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over? Philippa Gregory is a favorite author of mine, love the historical romances!

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?) I still don't have a bookshelf, so all my books sit in stacks in my room.

the toy society

I'm sure everyone already knows about The Toy Society already, if you don't it's a really great project where you drop toys for other people to find. Go to the site to see all the great drops made already. Ever since it started, I've wanted to get involved somehow but I just was never that sure about my sewing skills.

This year though, I'm making it a goal to get at least two toys made and dropped for Christmas. I already know the two places I'd like to drop at. I'm not going to make anything that's going to involve too much complicated work because I know I'd never actually do it then. I need a pattern that's not going to make my head spin.

If anyone knows of some really fun free toy patterns out there, let me know about them. There's a few patterns out there I'm thinking about using but maybe there's still some I've never seen before so please do share! If you want to learn more about their Christmas drop or sign up too, click here.

postcards

Alex from Make, Do & Send posted these printable postcards yesterday and right away I knew exactly what to do with them. I printed out the postcards from Martha Stewart and the free postcards from The Bright Side Project, stuck them together and voila! I now have a couple postcards to send for the BPS.

I hear sleigh bells,

It's not too early at all to be thinking about Christmas, really it isn't. I'm already working on ideas for crafts to decorate my place, hopefully this year things will actually be finished on time. Anyway, I've never participated in the Christmas Tour of Homes before but this year I am going to. It starts at the perfect time of the month, I never decorate until after the 8th of December due to the girls birthdays. And this year it's being hosted by The Nester, visit her if you have never, you'll spend hours there! I'm so excited for Christmas this year!

Also, look at what site is back! I'm super excited, go see the amazing new contributors.

butterflies & lace

Over at the Meet Me at Mike's boards a member came up with a fun crafty pen pals swap. This month's theme was decorated envelopes. It took me awhile to come up with something but I finally did and I think they are really nice looking. Here's a peek.



I'm putting them inside regular envelopes to send to my partners, I don't want the envelopes to get wrecked before they get to their homes.

BOO

I made a "boo" banner, it's hanging above my television. I found the idea for paper spider webs from Eddie Ross. I couldn't find any glitter at the store, anything Halloween-y was mostly wiped out already, so I just left them plain. Then I printed out the word 'BOO' and taped the letters to the center of the webs.

I also cut some bats out of black foam using some bat silhouettes printed from Martha Stewart. I stuck them up all over the house. I even made a little garland that hangs in my kitchen. I couldn't get a very good picture, but I think you get the idea.



Getting off topic a bit, but that picture reminds me, I can't wait to own a house and not have popcorn ceilings, they are awful and gross!

fun photo game

Spotted this on Rosey's blog, so I'm going to play along too. I've done this type of game before but it wasn't involving the first folder. Here's how to play:

1. open your first photo folder
2. scroll to the 10th photo
3. post the photo on your blog and tell the story behind it
4. tag people to do the same



This picture was taken on Halloween last year. I can't believe how little he was back then, time flies. Just look at that baby acne and short hair! I love that sleeper, I made him wear it all the time! I think he was still wearing it close to Christmas, it really was adorable. He looks so pissed off in the picture because I was trying to get a picture of him smiling, he just wanted me to hold him, what a mean mommy I am.

I'm going to actually tag a couple people this time, hopefully they do it.
Morgan, Liesl, Maya and Kris, you are all tagged :)

If you want to know how different Zach looks from that picture up there, take a look. Just look at his wild man hair! And he's getting such a little boy face. That's a toy cleaning bottle he's chewing on, he passed up the plastic bacon & eggs for that. I never claimed he was a genius, at least it's all fake.

spooked up silhouettes

I decided to do some decorating on the silhouettes of my kids too. I used black foam paper to make the witch hats and devil horns. The cobwebs are polyester stuffing stretched out, in person it looks more like cobwebs, the picture didn't turn out so well. The kids love that I decorated the pictures! The girls keep calling themselves witches now.

looking for a knitter

image from Knitty

Is there any super nice knitters out there? I found this pattern and now I'm dying to own one! I never wear toques in the winter because of the hair issues, but I really need to start wearing something so my kids don't start to rebel on me. So, anyone willing to make one for me? I could send something back to you in return of course. Please email me if you can help me, I would be ever so grateful.

**edited**

A very lovely person has offered to help me out, thank you!

halloween wreath

The first decoration I made for Halloween was a wreath for my door. I love wreaths! I bought the orange and black feather boas from the dollar store, so this was a very cheap project to make. I cut a wreath form out of cardboard and wrapped the boas around. It looked like a big huge blob after I was finished, so I wrapped some black ribbon around it to hold the feathers in a bit more. I also stuck a spider on it, it's not very noticeable though. I think it looks good up on my door.

October

There hasn't been a lot of posting here from me lately because I haven't had anything much to say or share. I started a private blog where I could write about some of the not so great things happening in my life. I don't feel that comfortable writing some of the things here that I do there, it's sometimes embarrassing and not nice to hear about. Things haven't been the greatest lately, so that's why it's there, it's helping me vent. I didn't want to cram up my twitter so much anymore. If you really want to see it, you can ask to view it but just know it's not a very uplifting blog.

Anyway, apart from that, I whipped up some Halloween decorations this week. I've never actually done much decorating for Halloween before but this year something just came over me, I want this place to be done up! I'll share what I've made next week, the weather here is making it pretty much impossible to take a decent picture.

Lastly, since it's the first of October, I'm sharing my black & white picture. Sami started kindergarten this year and lately she's definitely trying to become more independent. She doesn't like me to take her inside or walk her to the playground anymore, she likes to go on her own. I can't believe how fast she's growing up.