Monogramed Stockings

An update to last year's post about our Christmas stockings...

Last year, we weren't even planning on another stocking!  But my heart was changed by the turning of the new year and God gave us the hope of a baby in one short month!  All that to say that our stocking line-up has increased this year.  Take a look!

A few notes for anyone wanting to make their own stockings:

Start by reading last year's post, HERE.

You'll need:
Red Glitter Felt (by-the-yard in the fabric section), 1-2 stockings per 1/3 yard
White Fleece, 4-6 stockings per 1/3 yard
Black Fabric with interfacing
Ribbon for hanger

I used Baskerville font in size 288 in bold for my letter templates.

Wet Paint

I've been busy painting...the kids' rooms.

I wanted to do a switcheroo since Caleb's room was a bit larger then the girls' room and I figured that they would need more space than him.

Man!  It's tough to finagle 2 rooms worth of furniture and manage painting in the process.

First, I moved all of Caleb's furniture to the center of his room.  Jadie then patched an endless number of nail holes and a few chunks that Caleb had taken out of the walls over the last few years.  He then changed every last electrical outlet in the room from a regular outlet into a tamper resistant outlet.  Then I finally started painting.  My friend Amanda and I selected "Jamaica Bay" for the girls.  It took me two days to cut in with a brush and roll the walls.

Then I tortured Jadie by having him switch the furniture from one room to another.

Two weeks later, I moved Caleb's furniture to the middle of his new room so I could patch various nail holes and get started painting.  Again, I knocked out the paint job in just two days.  Not bad for working alone with a two year old and a newborn in the house!

I don't have room pictures ready yet, but I do have a couple of photos of the paint colors I selected.  Now you can wait in suspense.  I know you will.

  

As you can tell, this photo is a little off-color.  That's supposed to be a rich, dusty blue.

I'm a ghost. Boo.

That's what you'll be hearing Sarah say over and over and over on Halloween.

I copied Sarah's Halloween costume from a Pinterest find.   It looked simple enough, and it was.  Except for the skirt.  I can't get the tulle to fluff up like I want it to.  But it's still adorable.

Here's the original:

Toddler Girl Ghost Costume

And my completed version:

Cute, but my ghost face is HUGE!

Technology Tickets

So, I saw this idea somewhere...probably through Pinterest, considering it's my new addiction.  I cannot find the source now, but here is the scoop.

I printed these tickets meant for DIY lottery scratch-offs.  I wrote "30 minutes" on each one.  I laminated them at Mardel.  I made holders for them by cutting, then folding scrapbook paper in half and stapling up the sides.  Then I used painter's tape to mount the holders. Done.

I wanted Caleb to be more aware of his TV/Wii/Computer time, so I printed out tickets worth 30 minutes each.

On Monday after school, he will receive 10 tickets (5 hours) for the week.  He keeps his tickets inside the cabinet of the entertainment center.

I keep his spent tickets on the wall behind the TV.

To use his tickets, he hands one to me and I start a 30 minute timer.  He knows to turn off whatever he's doing when he hears the timer or that he has to give me another ticket.

I have set a 3 ticket maximum for any given day and I reserve the right to refuse technology time for the day.  This might be due to other activities, behavior at home, or behavior at school.

So far, I love how it's working out.  He's much more aware of the amount of time he's watching TV and I haven't heard any whining when it's time to pull the plug.

But then again this is only the 3rd day.  We'll see how long this works so beautifully.

I may consider giving 12 tickets on Monday instead of just 10.  Also perhaps extra tickets for rewards.

Sarah Talk + Yesterday's To-Do List

We're back home from taking Caleb to school this morning and I have a few fun things to share with you.
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Sarah is saying sentences!
She frequents the phrase "I can..." (insert jump, do it, brush teeth, hold it, get it, eat it, etc)
Here are a few of the sentences I've heard in just the last few minutes:
Take shoes off now.
I am cold.
Cover up.
Help, Mommy.
Dark in here.
Get silky. (her blanket)
Need pillow.

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Caleb was at a loss this morning when he couldn't find the cars he picked out to take in the car on the two-minute drive to school.  I found them shortly thereafter.  Can you guess how they ended up in there?

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I finished the fall mantel yesterday.  It was one of the three things I accomplished from yesterday's to-do list.
I only see a few similarities between it and my inspiration photo, but I love my version just the same.
It cost me nothing.  That is always a beautiful thing.

• I cut branches from our crape myrtle and stripped them of their leaves.
• I used fabric and paper I already had for the large frame.
• I printed pictures onto regular printer paper and taped them to the front of the frames.
• The white pumpkin (it was maroon, but I spray painted it white), leaves, and votive holders are from last year.
• The leafy battery operated candle that you can barely see of the far end is a purchase from last winter when it was marked down from $16.95 to $2.18 at Pier One Imports.  Score.

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I made the laundry soap using the recipe from Great Oak Circle.

6 cups Borax

4 cups Baking Soda

4 cups Washing Soda

4 cups Fels-Naptha bar soap (about 2 bars)

It made about 3 1/2 mason jars of detergent when all was said and done.
Two Fels-Naptha bars did NOT yield 4 cups after being finely grated in the food processor.  It was more like 3 cups.

The Fels-Naptha looked like cheddar cheese after the initial grating!

Remember that you only use 2 Tbsp for each load of laundry, so this should last quite a while.

Also, I thought you might like a price break down in case you're considering doing it yourself.  

All of my items were purchased at Wal-Mart without coupons or sales.  Every item was found on the laundry ailse.

2 Fels-Naptha Bars @ $0.97 each

Arm & Hammer Laundry Powder @ $3.24
Borax @ $2.98
Large Box of Baking Soda @ $2.12
TOTAL was $10.28 before tax

I also purchased Main-Stays brand Mason Jars @ $7.88/dozen

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Later, taters!

To Do List: Thurs, Sept 8

1. Quiet Time (Beth Moore's Breaking Free)

2. Make Laundry Detergent using a recipe from Great Oak Circle (dot com).

3. Create our fall mantel using inspiration from Sweet Something Design.

4. Finalize a pattern for Advent calendars or banner to place in my Etsy Shop and my booth at the Spring Valley Craft Bazaar.

5. Plan a few meals for the next week or so...you can tell how ambitious I am.

Kid's Table and Chairs

Could I even do this myself?

Of course, it would wait a few months until I am settled in with Norah...but I think I could get really excited about a project like this!

What am I saying?  I AM excited about this project!

Kid's Table and Chairs