Thursday, October 29, 2009

Our Car

So, as I stated on my last post, our Car's engine is ruined, and it will cost almost $3000 to repair it. UGH!

PLEASE be praying that the Lord provides. I'm not sure what he'll do, but I remember my aunt Virginia saying that it is so exciting when you are in a place of complete dependency on the Lord, and you have no option but to sit and watch what miracle He is gonna work out "This Time" :)

I am SO in that place now. I keep being at my wits end, and then the next moment, I have this incredible peace, that its all gonna be ok. I don't know how this is possible, since the consequences of not having a vehicle are so awful. But, thank the Lord that our dear friend has let Jonathan use his truck to get to and from work...but since it only has 2 seats, there is no way for me to go anywhere for the time being because the boys can't go (Well...I more mean that MICAH can't go, and even though Tim could watch the older two, I can't leave Micah).

So again, please keep us in your prayers!

Timothy is here!

Well Timmy arrived yesterday!! Yay!!!

The boys were beside themselves with joy, and before I could even turn around, they were giving him the grand tour of our house...led by Jason.

Tyler is really happy, but I think Jason is the one who is just beside himself with enjoyment and happiness at Timothy's presence in our house. He wore Timothy out going up and down the stairs, playing "Hide and Go Seek Bad Guys". Apparently that is when there are "bad guys" coming, and you have to hide from them? Something like that.

This morning I gave the boys the straws that Grandma Hawkins had sent them, and they were just in love! I'll have to take a picture of the boys using them later, at lunchtime.

So anyhow, yesterday morning we cleaned up the house, and the workshop...which is now going to be Timothy's room. Its actually not that bad! We are pretty sure its insulated, which means it won't cost too much in electricity to keep it warm with a space heater! It has a bunch of shelves, and a good amount of room for a bed, and maybe a dresser eventually?
It was fun gathering a bunch of stuff for Tim, as he is now our "hired hand" LOL! We keep teasing him about that. Anyhow, I actually feel like I have a place to offer him and work for him to do when he's bored (besides entertaining the boys..), and a house to entertain in, if that makes sense.

As I write this, the boys are all down at the creek exploring, so its nice to have a little break...especially since I've been trapped our here for about 2 weeks now (Our car's engine blew).

Penguin

This is Micah's Penguin! As with Tyler's pig, I kinda winged this one (no pun intented). I know he doesn't really look that much like a penguin, but I didn't have black and white yarn.

I make a blanket, stuffed animal, memory box, 0-3 months scrapbook, and Christmas Stocking, for each of the boys when they are born, and so far, I am pretty behind with Micah's stuff :) I had his blanket finished when he was born, and his memory box I finished when he was about 1 month old. The scrapbook I have, but we haven't seen any good digital print deals lately, so his pictures currently just sit on our computer and on disk. As for the stuffed animal, his penguin is ALMOST done (I poufed him out, but he really is not filled with stuffing because I don't have any right now), and since I got done with the longies, I am now already started on his Christmas stocking.

I....CAN...DO IT....!

Hopefully the following children won't be angry when I have a million incomplete projects for them :) I think the scrapbook is really the hardest part. Most everything else just takes a day of work, all but the blankets which I start whenI get pregnant, and HAVE To finish before my due date :)

Heather's creativity

This is our new stove "splashboard". I told Miriam I was gonna do it, but it was kinda just me spouting silly options. But everytime I looked at that wall, I really could envision this piece of rustic log-cabin artwork!

So we went on a family outing into the woods to pull out dead trees and cut up firewood, and I gathered a board, and some good-sized sticks to make my project. Oh, and a couple pinecones that are beautiful...but all but 2 of them got smashed by a couple toddlers that I shouldn't name.....

I measured the stove, and cut the board to size. Then I snapped and sawed the pieces to be appropriate lengths, and put one nail through each one, to the board. I then hot-glued the pinecones on, and nailed it to the wall where I wanted it (Its SO heavy by the way!). I was so proud of myself for completing another successful project!

I told Grace the other day, I usually try things, they flop, and then I get discouraged from trying out my creative side. I am on a roll now, and I am starting to get a little over-ambitious I think (take a gander at my proposed Christmas presents for the boys, lol!)

Micah in unfinished longies

Look at my munchkins chunky little thighs!!!

HE...IS...ADORABLE!

I'm so glad he was in such a good mood for these pictures :)

You can see how from this point, all that needs doing is to do rounds on the legs to whatever length I want them

They look kinda funky when they aren't on him, huh?

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Christmas is Coming...

~SO, who wants to hear what this "Pioneer wife" is MAKING her children for Christmas??~

1) Chalk Roll
*A placemat-sized piece of cloth, that has a ribbon sewn on, to roll up and tie...therefore making it portable and usable in the car, doctors office, church, home, anywhere! It has a built-in pocket, for the mini eraser and pieces of chalk....and most importantly...the top is made out of this amazing stuff called chalk cloth, or chalkboard vinyl! Your child can write away to their hearts content, and it is just like a regular chalkboard!!

I will be ordering a yard of chalk cloth if I can't find it locally, and then I will make one for each of the boys!

2) I Spy Bag
*A large beanbag of sorts. The front has a "window"made with clear vinyl. Filled with Poly pellets, and tiny trinkets and buttons. Before filling your bag with them, lay them all out and take a photo. Laminate it, and punchole it, and feed a ribbon through the hole. When you are done filling and sewing up the bag, sew the ribbon onto one edge. Your child will then know what they can find :)

3) Bath Crayons
*Recipe:
1 cup grated Ivory Soap
1/4 cup warm water
Food coloring
Plastic Cookie cutters/molds of your choice/ice cube tray

Mix everything together until it starts to stiffen, then knead like dough (Veggie oil was suggested to keep the food coloring from staining your hands while kneading).

Place in molds, then put molds in fridge for 10 minutes...then remove and let sit overnight to fully harden.

4) I spy quilts
*Small homemade quilts, with various squares that are covered with small odds & ends/toys/trinkets/animals, and backed with a favorite fabric. When you want to play "I spy", just pull out the quilt, and play "I Spy" with all the objects on the fabric squares

We will be raiding Walmart's fabric scraps/remnants, for the actual squares, and for Tyler, the back of his quilt will have train tracks (so we don't need to buy him a train mat).
For Jason, the back of his quilt will be a boyish cute print sheet from the thriftstore (we will let him pick out his favorite :) )

5) A Solid Wood Toybox
*We have lots of wood around our property, so I am collecting enough (well...having Jon collect it FOR me...) to make a box. Most likely, Jon will end up getting fed up with my lack of carpentry skills and take over, but at least I can try, right?

6) Cookin-Eatin Aprons
*Dont worry...they will be as masculine as possible :)

7) Stuffed Animals
*I am gonna get a big bag of Stuffed animal stuffing, and crochet a set of little animals for Micah. I love making up your own patterns. Once you know how to crochet a ball, you're set to make all sorts of little creatures! I just finished a penguin for him, which I'll take a picture of and post it later (Camera troubles...*sigh*)

I NEED TO GET STARTED NOW!!!!!!!!!! This might be a little ambitious, but there are priorities, and if most of the things get made/done, I'll be happy :)

Wool

So, I spend alot of time on a forum called "diaperswappers" (I'm confessing here...), and recently me and Jon have been frustrated with how much our children wet during the night. They DRENCH a sposie (disposable diaper), and will soak through doubled up fuzzi bunz'. Out of mere frustration, I resorted to searching out what other cloth-diapering mommies do for nighttime wets, and I discovered the world of....

WOOL!!!!!!!!!

I am so excited! More specifically, these items of clothing are reffered to as "Woolies". So, there are Soakers which are kinda like little mini-shorts/diaper cover sized things. Then, there are longies, that are pants made out of wool. And there are also shorties, which are a length that is between the soakers and longies, almost like capri/board shorts length?

Maybe a little old fashioned, but you'll DIE DIE DIE of adoration when you see these pictures of children wearing "woolies" outfits! Girls items are usually way cuter (SHOCKING...), but the boys are pretty stinkin' adorable too.

There are diferent ways you can make these things:
1) Buy interlock, which is actual wool fabric, and then cut out your pieces and sew them like you would any other piece of clothing
2) Buy wool yarn, and crochet/knit them yourself
3) Buy/use what is called "recycled wool", which means, you get a used piece of wool clothing, cut out your pieces, and sew them together to make whichever you choose. This is the cheapest way, as interlock is super expensive, and crocheting/knitting is time consuming plus expensive depending on the brand and quality of your yarn
4) Buy them from a WAHMmy (Work At Home Mommy)! Again, prices depend on what you want...but both sewn interlock and knit/crocheted are pretty much the same priced, but recycled is much cheaper, and still really good quality!

I have decided I am gonna try to make some...that is after mine arrive in the mail from the WAHMmy that is making them for us :) Micah is getting a soaker, and Tyler is getting longies. So, when we get our farm's website up, I will hopefully have a good collection of them already made, ready to sell!

Why are these things the answer to my prayers?? The most amazing thing about wool, is that it naturally will soak up the pee, which then chemically changes (which means it doesn't get stinky like urine OR ammonia)! The wool is naturally microbial too, which means no bacteria can grow on/in it. The wool has lanolin in it, which makes it so the liquid is trapped, and won't leak onto anything. SO...basically, you put these on over a dipe, and even if the dipe gets DRENCHED, you can hold the child and not get wet...or if sleeping, the sheets and blankets will be completely dry! When you know they must've gotten wet (like after nighttime), you just hang them up to dry!!! About every two weeks, you need to wash and re-lanolize them so they stay waterproof, absorbent, and repellent.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

"Organization Solutions" By Heather

I have only 3 boys now, but I am the 3rd of 9 children, and in my family I was always a cleaner/organizer, and according to my parents I did a good job!

I also have watched my in-laws household function, and have gleaned ideas from them as well! They had 14 children, although 3 boys are married and out of the house now.

~CLOTHES~

Both in my maiden family and my own family, I have found that the BEST thing to do for clothes, is get clear storage bins. These CAN be expensive, but wait and shop during sales, and you'll be fine. When you get the lids, try and pick multiple colors if you can. This helps alot, and it gets the kids excited about using "their bin" of clothes.

I have moved across the country (coast to coast literally!) 3 times now, and let me tell you, for children under the age of 8 at least, all you need is ONE clear storage bin-full for each size/sex. Pack it full ;) Any more clothes than that, I really feel is too much. So, right now, I have a 0-3 month bin, 6-9 month bin, 12 month bin, my son is in his 2T bin, my other son is in the 3T bin, and I have a 4T bin, and a 5T bin. Me and my sisters have even helped my mom organize some of her kids' clothes this way too. I'm telling you it works! :)

Any extra clothes? Sell them in lots on craigslist. You can put the money away and use it incase you have an "outfit" emergency at some point :) I sell them in $5 boxes or paper grocery bag-fulls, and its a good deal for me and for the buyer.

~FOOD~

I would use bins for bulk dry food as well, such as flour, sugar, rice, beans, etc.. Keep glass or porcelain containers on the counter that you can refill so you aren't having to constantly open and access the bins. This will ensure no bug outbreaks happen...trust me its such a loss when it does! Just stack up the bins!

One shelf in the garage/basement can help with things that can handle really cold temperatures, such as cans and jars.

Throwing this out there...an extra freezer is SO helpful, because you can freeze SO many things! Breads, grated cheese, butter, meat, etc. I have been so excited to find how well things freeze and thaw! This saves us so much money, because we can shop the sales, stock up, and not waste money by having things go bad before we can eat them.

For cereal, I would get plastic clear pouring containers...these let you see what cereals you have, but keep them fresh incase you like multiple types open at one time (we usually always have a sweet kind, cheerios, and flake/bran kind open at one time.)

~TOYS~

Ok...this is where I have been SO surprised with all of our moves! My kids do SO MUCH BETTER when they have only a couple toys/groups of toys, available to play with! This last time, I really contemplated just selling the other boxes of toys, as it seems the more toys my kids have, the more ADHD they seem to be! Running everywhere, messing things up, etc.

To test your kids, I would sneak into their room sometime, and box up some toys you think they really haven't used in ages. Toys that I found were important to keep, were the small cars (I always call them hotwheels, lol!), trains, legos, blocks, and balls...although I wouldn't keep to many of each catergory (I only have boys, but you get the idea). You can get clear containers for these as well, to keep them separate from the big toy boxes. It will make them play with them more, so you can start shrinking the amount of toys in the big toy boxes ;)

Again...sell them in lots on craigslist, and save the money for future toy gifts that will be good quality and meaningful, and you know aren't gonna end up in the pile of give-away for at least a couple years, lol! :)

~HOUSEHOLD~

Things like detergent, soap, shampoo, toilet paper, paper towel, pads, diapers, etc...here is my two-cents ;)

For diapers, switch to cloth (there are SOOO many awesome cloth options these days, not like it used to be for our parents!), and for baby wipes, use flannel receiving blankets, cut up into baby-wipe sized cloths. What works even better than those, is the dollar tree/dollar store "baby washcloth" things. Gerber sells them too, but you can get them at thrift stores and garage sales really cheap, as they aren't good for real washcloths...but excellent for baby wipes! Look-up wipe solutions online. You throw them all in the wash together, and this saves SOOO much money and space! With 3 in diapers or pull-ups, we are saving approximately $80/month...with an initial investment of $100 for the older boys' dipes, and $45 for my newborn dipes (we made them ourselves from the right materials). Get them used, on diaperswappers.com.

Instead of using paper towels, get in the habit of using washcloths. Walmart has a huge pack of washcloths now, that are fun and multicolored. In a big family, you always have laundry to do, so tossing in a couple washcloths really won't make much of a difference. In fact, I throw mine in with my cloth diapers!!! I use them so much instead of paper towels, it really works well. And it will make your dishwashing sponge last longer if you use the washcloths too. I wouldn't get too many though...start with one pack, and if that doesn't cut it for your paper-towel-substitute needs, grab another pack.

If you are really adventurous, I would try out what's called "mama cloth"...pads and pantiliners made from cloth! They are fantastic, really! I at first was like, "Gross!", but they work wonderfully, and will save so much space and money in the longrun. Plus, they are so much more comfortable than regular pads! Checkout the different options on www.hyenacart.com.

Anyhow, this leaves more storage room for toilet paper, soap, shampoo, and other
personal items of that nature :)

Oh! And DEFINITELY invest in foam soap pumps. You use like, 1/3 of the amount of hand soap, body wash, baby shampoo, and dish soap!!! Once you have the pumps, you just buy the soaps in bulk (not to many though...you're trying to save space here :) ), and when you refill, only fill 1/3 full, and then fill it up with water. Saves you when your kids decide to dump the whole contents of the bottle down the drain (which happens alot around my house...).

~STORAGE~

Underbed Storage containers are awesome. You can use these for any special items your kids have...such as their baby memory boxes, their baby blankets toys and stuffed animals, craft projects, and as "Hope Chests" for the girls.

OKAY I'M DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, I guess I am obsessive compulsive when it comes to organizing and cleaning :) Hope someone finds SOMETHING helpful in my post at least!

Love,
Heather

Camera troubles

I cried so hard the other day.

Our camera has had major issues lately. Usually if it has a full battery it is fine, just, once the battery looses any amount of power (less than 3 bars of juice), it will black out, and not take a picture. You can still view pictures, or do other low-power using functions with it, but try taking a picture, and BLACK OUT.
Sometimes when it does this, it also resets the date to 2007, therefore imprinting the images with an incorrect date and time (this SO messes up catalogues on my computer!). So, I just had to make sure the batteries are ALWAYS on full power.

But...just before Tyler's birthday party, it decided it wasn't going to flash. Ever. So, you push the button, and the 'flash error' comes on. It would blink for 30 seconds, and not take the picture. Full battery and all! Grr.
I turned the flash off, and got a couple cute pictures of his party, but most of them were blurred in some way, because my camera just takes blurry pictures when the flash is turned off..even if there is plenty of light.

But...guess what? I lost all those pictures.......

Because a couple days later, I decided I was gonna find out if I had accidentally messed some setting up in the menu, that was making the camera have all these funky issues. I saw a setting that said "format", and it was turned off. "Hmm. I wonder if I turn the format on, it will help?".

"NO IMAGES!" blinks on the screen.

"What the heck did I do????? Jonathan! It just deleted all the pictures on here! It says there are no images!!"

Yep. It deleted them all. I burst into tears, and sweet Jonny just sat me down in front of the fire and let me cry it out while he made the boys hush. Then he said we could just have our own little "second party" for Tyler, to get some pictures.
I know it wasn't the end of the world, but I just felt so stupid and wretched for deleting my poor baby's 2 year birthday party pictures. I spent almost his whole birthday party trying to get those few "fair quality" pictures in the first place, then I just accidentally deleted them all. Not to mention the other pictures of the boys that were on there from before the party.

SO, we won't click that menu option again! But, Jonathan says we can get a new camera soon, so I won't have to deal with this frustration. Meanwhile, I just have to keep batteries charged, take well-lit pictures with the flash on auto (so it won't need to flash), and upload them ASAP so they don't somehow get deleted or lost. *SIGH*

Make a Rice Sock!

Figured I'd post this to give somebody some creative inspiration! Plus, If I ever forget how to make it, I can use my blog as reference :)

[These "Mini" socks are my boys'. Since winter has come to our house, and we use a wood stove, sometimes we are all in need of some extra warmth ;) The boys ADORE their own little rice socks, and play with them even when they aren't warmed up! (GREAT bean bag toys)]

~RICE SOCKS~

Invented By: Susan Mayfield (My mommy)

(This one is my own rice sock, made by my mommy when I was a teenager. It'd definitely gotten plenty of loving use. Thanks mama!)

Pattern:
Depending on the size of rice sock you want, you can use various household items to help you create a good pattern.
For a childs rice sock, use a piece of paper! (8 1/2" x 11")
For an adults rice sock, use a large rectangular book (9" x 15" about??)

Materials:
1) You will need flour sack material or another basic plain but sturdy cloth. This will make the main "sock" that your rice will be permanently enclosed in, and will not ever get washed.
2) You will need a pretty/cute/plush/masculine material, depending on who the sock is for.
3) You will need a strip of ribbon or other tie (crochet a chain of yarn if you like..) to feed into the opening of your rice sock cover.
4) Matching thread
5) Rice
6) Favorite fragrance/scented oil

Cutting:
1) Lay out your cover material on your flour sack/inner material, and place the pattern on top of this. Pin if you like, or just be careful to cut out both layers together and evenly.
2) Cut your ribbon about 12" long

Sewing Inner:

1) Fold your inner material lengthwise, lining up the edges (it should look like a LONG rectangle)
2) Start at one end, and sew going AWAY from the folded edge, and continue sewing along the long edge. Seam allowance shouldn't matter as long as you are consistent with the inner AND the cover. Backstitch, leaving one end of the rectangle open (this is where you will pour the rice in).
3) Fill 2/3 the way up, with rice...I would estimate each adult sock would take 4-5 cups of rice? Drop in a couple drops of the scented essential oil. Shake up pretty well, making sure the oil gets evenly distributed on the rice grains.
4) Tie with a rubber band, to keep rice from floating toward the open end, then line up the edges, of the opening and sew shut (you can fold the edges in, and sew for a nice clean-cut look).
5) Above all, DON'T LEAVE ANY GAPS OR HOLES that rice could sneak through :)

Sewing Cover:

1) With the 'inside' of the cover material facing up, fold over shorter edge of your cover material about 1", and sew down. This will create the place for your ribbon/yarn to feed through for the sock covers closure.
2) Fold your cover material lengthwise, lining up the edges, and making sure the plush side/patterned side, is on the "inside", if that makes sense. Again, your material should look like a long rectangle, with the sewn-down edge on one end.
3) Start at the OPPOSITE end of the sewn-down edge, and sew short end, then continue down lengthwise edge, stopping and backstitching BEFORE you come to the sewn-down edge...you DON'T want to sew up the holes for the ribbon to feed through! ;)
4) Turn cover right-side-out. Use frey check or clear nail polish on the edges of your little "ribbon tube" so it won't frey.

(example of the opening)

To Complete:

1) Feed your ribbon thrugh the ribbon tube edge.
2) Drop rice sock into your cover.
3) Cinch your sock tightly closed with the cover's ribbon, and tie sweetly in a bow, and double knot if you wish.
4) Microwave for 2 minutes on High, and........Voila! Finis! Enjoy :)

My Growing baby

Micah offically turned around yesterday! He was on his tummy in our breakfast nook, and he slowly turned himself around to facing us at the table!! I was SO surprised! My little baby is growing up so fast. I must admit, I am not working with him as I did the other two, trying to get him to sit up, turn, crawl, etc. I put him on his tummy out of necessity, so I can get stuff done or deal with his older brothers...but before he always just sat there and then started screaming. Its amazing to me that just BAM, all the sudden he is happy as a lark and spinning himself around to see us!
Hmmm...Time flies...

My singing...

So, I THOUGHT I still had a good voice, until this morning....

Tyler was sitting in my lap at the computer, and we were all listening to some music on "Playlist", and as we had recently watched "Enchanted", I was looking up some of the songs. I was singing along to one of the songs, and then decided to save it to MY playlist, so the music went off for a minute. Tyler was kinda blabbing nonsense to himself, so I said something, and he mimicked me.

I said "Tyler", and he said "Tyler", and I said "Boo", and he said "Boo", then I let out an (I thought...) beautiful soprano note like in the song we had just been listening too.

Tyler turned and looked at me, smiled a Tyler cheesy smile then opened his mouth and let out a screech that hurt my ears!! THAT was copying me!? Maybe I should second-guess my singing abilities :)

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

My Dress

This is my dress (Ahhhhh....Oooohh...) LOL! :D

I finished it two days ago (at 4AM-I don't know WHAT I was thinking. Except maybe "The boys are asleep, hurry, work on it!!), and am SO excited! I will be premiering it at Allyson and Alex's wedding, so I can't wear it yet...although I am dying to!

It is a "gunne sax" style dress. Lizzy helped me tweak the pattern we got at JoAnn's, and it just turned out beautifully! I got the material as a twin-sized bedsheet for .50 at a garage sale...I instantly knew I wanted to use it to make a dress! Its so perfect, so "Shhh...." don't tell anyone it was a sheet ;)