Follow Me on Pinterest

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Blog Blurb


So this morning while checking out a pin on Pinterest.  The site I went to was wisebread.com.  I went to check out some DIY moon sand and while there I came across a great article entitled:  3 Lessons I've Learned Since Becoming A Parent.  Naturally when I saw the title I clicked it... I wanted to see if I learned the same things or was I missing something?

Its funny I read things like this and what she said is so true from a young first time mothers perspective. Not that it really changes as you get older, just that it becomes more rounded I guess.  Then I think of my own situaton, of being a Mom for a second round, in my 40's and how my husband and I decided to approach parenting this time.

Now dont get me wrong!  Our older girls are great and we are proud of them, but with experience and years comes wisdom.  Things that would have bothered me when the big girls were little now don't seem such a big deal.  Who cares if the playdoh is in the pool? What is it going to hurt really?  Now if that type of thing happens, we make a learning experience out of it.  What happens when the playdoh gets wet?  Does the water turn  a different color etc...

One of the things that's so different is I let my little one sit on the counter by the sink and stove while I cook.   I never would have done that years ago.  I missed out on a lot by worrying about silly things.

One of the 3 things (the first actually) that she talks about is "Don't Judge".  I think that this is one of the MOST important things we can teach our children...and possibly one of the hardest as well. How do we show them how harmful and hurtful it can be to judge someone else?  The examples that we get in life are usually just that...hurtful and harmful. You never know what the situation is in someone else's house. We all have to live our lives the way that works for us.  Doesn't make us bad, just different.  How boring would this life be if we were all the same? And lets face facts...there is only ONE judgement day and only ONE true judge.  (Ok now that doesn't mean people should run around willy nilly breaking the law! :)  )  Personally,  I tend to look for the good in a person instead of zooming in on the bad. But that again comes with years and experience...something that I learned along the way.  My Mom told me once that when she was a girl in school (Catholic) that they actually taught "Tolerance".  I think that today whether public,private, or religious schools should all be teaching this important subject. We are all different and thats OK!

Her second is about accepting help, which yes...you absolutely do need help and should accept if offered.  My help comes in the form of my 21 year old (and of course hubby but he works and his time is limited).  When I need that few minutes I know I can count on her to help.  Thats the another thing about having this baby so late in life. When we were younger, so were our parents.  We could take the kids to their house and get some time to ourselves.  Now both of our Dads are gone and Mom's are both in a small apartments with some health issues.  I am the youngest in my family and so all my siblings are even older than I!  (I know right?  Hard to imagine? lol)  They are all busy with their kids and grandchildren.  Not that they would not love to have that time with my Little Miss...just its harder now. I guess that to a certain extent, I feel I am a seasoned parent and sometimes put that pressure on my self to handle it all...not a good thing.  I guess
this is something that I still need work on lol.

Her third was about False Guilt.  Well heck, I have all kinds of guilt.  False, Fact...Fiction! ACK.  :)  But she makes an excellent point about saying "NO".  I loved her example of saying No to someone due to nap time.  EXCELLENT!  Each kid has their own schedule and what works for them.  My Little Miss needs that nap or by bed time she is a wailing, snotty (literally and figuratively) mess. I make a point of trying to get that nap in.  The way I see it...is until she is 18 I am hers.  We are going to do this in a way that works for us.  If others dont like it ...fine.  But each family has to decide what does and doesnt work for them.

I think in todays society that way too much time and energy is spent worrying about what the neighbors/others have, do, think etc.  I don't care what they have as long as it is in their yard, doesn't attract flies/critters and isn't dangerous.  I dont care what they do, as long as it is with in the limits of the law, they are respectful to my family, and pick up the dog poopies.  (LOL)  I dont care what they think!!!!  No one has lived my life.  No one has had to make the decisions that I have (some good some not so much). So, I say...Accept me as I am or don't.  Really the choice is easy.  The people that come first on my list are the ones that live in this house.  Those are the ones I have to answer to.  I will do what is best for us and our family and I pray that each of you will do the same.

Check out her article, inspiring to see the blossoming of a young mother...its all so overwhelming and emotional.  Beautiful that she shared her experience with us.
http://www.wisebread.com/3-life-lessons-ive-learned-since-becoming-a-parent


I hope that you all have a love filled and blessed day.  I am off to take a walk with Little Miss before the heat of the day sets in.  When I get back I will be finishing up a project that I have been working on since mothers day...and OHHHH what a project this has been! lol  I can hardly wait to show it off and have had a hard time not mentioning it or giving a peek.  Needless to say...stay tuned!

Oh and remember...pick up a can...a bottle...put it in the recycling today...or better yet CREATE something wonderful with it!







Friday, May 11, 2012

Knitting and Crochet

Good evening!

After a long and busy week I wanted to take a minute and share with you some of my crochet and knitting.  I was inspired to relearn knitting after seeing a tutorial on Pinterest.  Lets start with the credit here, a lovely site FULL of fun practical ideas that dont break the bank!  To add to that, I found (again thru Pinterst) a mini series tutorial to learn knitting.  Now let me explain, about 6 years or so ago, I actually taught myself how to knit from a book that I had.  I was really starting to enjoy it when I found out I was pregnant and it seem the whole world changed from that point lol.  Now here we are 3 years later and I am getting back into the swing of crafts etc.  So when I saw this pin for a knitting tut, I thought it was a good time to dig out the knitting needles and give it a try.  I have to say, I am "hooked" again!  A piece that I was working on years ago is now back in progress and I am just tickled.  :)  So today I thought I would show off some of the items that I have made and am currently working on.  :)

Before I get too far tho here is the link to the site I found this nifty Tutorial!
http://www.makeit-loveit.com/  but dont stop there check out the whole site, definitely worth your time to peruse!


This is my set of four washcloths that I made after following the wonderful tutorial!
It really was the perfect way to refresh my memory and would be an excellent Tutorial for anyone that wants to start knitting.


Here you see the washcloths again (color here is more accurate) and the other two pieces that I did years ago. Those two are actually not knitted yarn but cording and quite durable.  The solid color one I am currently finishing and can hardly wait to see it done.  Should be a very cool bag as well as the other one.  I really enjoy working with different materials.  You can see the size of the spools that the cord comes on and when that spool runs out I need to find something to use it for lol.

Here are some of the pieces that I have crocheted over the years.  
This first one is HUGE.  It is actually folded in quarters...and covers a queen size mattress.
It took me 10 years from start to finish (with time off in between lol).
I have to say its a favorite and so soft from all the washing.  

Two more.  The one on the left makes me hungry every time I look at it.  All I can think is vanilla ice cream, caramel and chocolate!  Uggg now I need ice cream!  The one on the right is crocheted with the cording that you saw above.

The one here on the chair I didnt make, but my Mom did when she was 8 or 9.  She was sick and home for several weeks from school.  Gramma kept her busy and quiet with yarn.  :)  I just love having this one in my craft room, it gives a sense of comfort...bringing the generations together.  

Well those are all my goodies for tonight and I had better head to bed before my cheek is resting on the keyboard!

Thanks to anyone who stops to look, I hope you saw something that inspired you to recycle, reuse or upcycle!



Tuesday, May 8, 2012

A CRAFTY RECYCLER: Recycling Christmas Cards

Found a fellow recycler and this post I cannot wait to try!  Fun blog with great ideas.  Take a look at these!  How cute! I just happen to have a TON of old Christmas cards to put to use.

Check out her blog in the link below.



A CRAFTY RECYCLER: Recycling Christmas Cards: This is a fun and easy project from BHG using Christmas cards.  Using a compass, make circles ranging from large to small.  Scallop the edge...

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Happy Thursday Friends!

Today we have lovely sunshine and warm weather, looking for some storms later.  But for now its a wonderful summery feeling day.  I hope that where ever you are that you are having a day like we are.

I thought I would share some of what we have been up to the last few days.   Pinterest has been a great source of inspiration for me.  I have to say that every day I see something that sparks that crafting feeling in me.  I love it!

One of the things we did the other day was Raised Salt Painting.  Here is the Pin link:  http://pinterest.com/pin/256775616224566371/ 

We had a great time working on this.  My Little Miss had so much fun and really did very well with the whole project.  She needed a bit of help with the squeezing of the glue bottle and shaking off the salt but other than that she was golden.  We have a few pictures to share.

Supplies: Glue, Salt, Construction paper, colored water
We used food dye and water so simple.


 This was my picture

 Little Miss picture

Sissy was home and she did one too.
She is studying to be a teacher so it was a good project for her too!

We really did enjoy it.  I found that the qtips held enough liquid to drip it on the salt.  The hardest part for my Little Miss was learning to "dab" the qtip rather than try to paint with it lol.  We found that ours were a bit on the dry side, I think that we maybe didn't shake off enough of the salt.  None the less we had a blast!

I think next time we might plan ahead and have some clear spray paint or something to top it off.  Its pretty crumbly and I am afraid to move them lol.
************************************
A little quicky project I did while Little Miss was napping, was this simple keep em busy maze!

Here is a pic of ours:
Mine isn't as pretty as the one on Pinterest, but Little Miss LOVED it!  Tho she is still a bit confused how to use it and we are working on that lol.  She wants lots of marbles in there at one time.  I also used some smaller straws to section off a couple areas since our marbles are smaller (from the hungry hungry hippo game).

I love having something fun for her when she wakes up from a good nap...and this was a fun something to have.  I also let her "color" it with her markers.  She does love those markers!
************************************
Also thought I would show off the pretty orange tulips from my yard.  They were way too pretty to leave way out at the back of my yard to we snipped them and brought them in to enjoy!  The crocheted lace around the neck of the jar is the last bit that I have of what my Grandma did.  I love that it looks so perfect with our spring display.


Isn't that pretty?  I must say it makes me smile every time I look at it.
Thankfully the tulips bloomed just in time, since our lily of the valley was starting to poop out!
I am looking forward to the peonies and waiting for my lilacs to bloom too.
I love spring!~
************************************

So...coming up soon will be crochet/knitting post.  Have been relearning how to knit and have been enjoying it! Looking forward to sharing it with you.  
Thanks for stopping by and remember...
Recycle something today!