April Accomplishments

At the beginning of April I decided to join a challenge put on by Tallgrass Prarie Studio, it involved getting as many projects done as you can in the month of April. My list isn't long, but I tend to be a bit of a procrastinator so this was good for me. My goals were to make 2 children's aprons, a mom and me apron set, a gardening apron, and 6 burp cloths for a friend of mine.

Here is a picture of 3 children's aprons. I call them manprons because I made them for my boys for Easter.

This is the gardening apron I made for a Mother's Day gift.

These are the Mom and Daughter aprons I made for Cookie Girl and CGIT.

The burp cloths for my girlfriend who is due in 5 weeks.

These are the items I set out to accomplish in April and I am happy to say I did get them done. I also made another garden apron, but don't have a picture of it yet. So I guess now I need to set a few sewing goals for May. Happy Sewing!

No Peeking Cookie Girl......

Last week I did a gig over at The Apron Goddesses while my SIL was out of town. I gave a sneak peak for a Mom and Daughter apron set. If you frequent TAG you would have seen this:

This is the fabric I chose to make the aprons from . I thought the cherries on gingham was too cute and then polk-a-dots, even better. So who did I make these aprons for? I made them for Cookie Girl and her daughter, Cookie Girl in Training (CGIT). She posts new cookie or brownie recipes each week and my family is loving them. My boys ask regularly if Cookie Girl has a new recipe for us to try. My SIL comes over looking to raid the cookie jar and has since declared chocolate as EVIL. So, what do the aprons look like? They look like this:

And this:

For those of you who want to win an apron then head over to The Apron Goddesses! The current give away is from Bags By Annie and they are simply gorgeous. So go check them out, you won't be disappointed.

From the mouths of Babes.......

I LOVE listening to the boys and their banter, conversations, theories. They come up with some amazing ideas on how things work or should work and the things they say are just so entertaining.

Boy #2: I need my rest so I am not crazy in the head tomorrow.

Boy #1: Bricks and stones won't break my bones, but words will hurt me. What he meant was "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me. " I think he is on to something, words can be VERY hurtful.

~~~

Conversation on the way home from school:
Boy #1: Mom, what happens if you walk through a rainbow?
Me: Nothing.
Boy #2: No mom, you're wrong. When you walk through a rainbow your body and clothes turn into the colors of the rainbow and then when you walk out you are back to normal.

~~~

Bathroom tooth brushing conversation:
Boy #2: Mom, do you know what my favorite part of my body is?
Me: Huh? (that's all I could muster with a mouth full of toothpaste and a toothbrush)
Boy #2: I like the space behind my ears, they are like little rooms. You could probably fit a crib there.
Me: Hmmmmm........(again, mouth full)

~~~

When we get in the truck we have a tendency to play a game called "Chub". This is the same game we played as kids without the hitting....aka "Slug Bug". So the same rules apply, but no hitting. They call the color and the car then they get a point. IE - Silver Chub....you get the point.
Boy #1 and Boy#2: Red Chub (almost simultaneously - Boy #2 got the point, he was quicker to call it)
Boy #1: I get that point!
Boy #2: Sorry Bro, I called it a bit sooner than you.
I found this funny, Sorry Bro, coming out of the mouth of a 6 year old. The things they pick up when they aren't at home.

~~~

Me: Boy #2, I want you to go into your room (he shares it with his 2 brothers) and find clothes on the floor that belong to you and put them away.
Boy#2: Mom, you're breaking my heart right now.
He is so funny, the expression on his face looked as if his heart was truly breaking. Funny boy!

OUCH....

Today I took #3 to the Pediatrician for his Kindergarten health check. He knew what to expect and didn't have any feelings of anxiety, trepidation, or sadness. He knew it was something he had to do in order to attend Kindergarten.

He has watched his brothers endure the health check with anxiety, trepidation, and go into panic at the thought, just the thought of getting their shots. He also watched them as they went as rigid as a board when the nurse came in the room with the needles. I guess it is safe to say that they don't like needles. Can you blame them? They get 4 shots and a TB test with this health check up. My oldest, boy #1, went rigid with panic and was in tears before they even prepped him for the shots. The nurse even told him that she was going to bring in another nurse to pin him down so she could administer the shots. He settled down.....a little, but was still rigid which makes the shots worse, they hurt more. I always offer to get them a treat when it is over, but #1 just wanted to go home and slandered the nurse the whole way.

Boy #2 was better, but was still traumatized. He didn't go rigid but was inconsolable before, during, and after the shots. He is one of those kids who freaks out over a little bit of blood. He panics and cries when someone he cares about gets hurt (it's nice to know he really does care). When he gets his shots he cries as if someone is beating him with an aluminum baseball bat. It took us about 10 minutes to calm down from his experience before we could vacate the room and head home. He also did not want to stop for the after shot treat.

Back to boy #3....he had his shots today. He was happy go lucky the whole ride to the office. I told him if he wanted we would stop and a new shop in town called The Cupcake Shop and get a cupcake for his treat. He was all over it. The whole time we were there he was laughing, playing, and very relaxed. When the nurse came in his comment was "I really don't like shots", that's it. She prepped him and stuck him 4 times, well 5 including the TB test and he gave a little "OUCH" and had a few tears in his eyes, but was fine with in one minute of being used as a pin cushion. When we were ready to leave I asked him if he still wanted that cupcake. Silly question, he looked at me with bright eyes and a huge smile on his face and nodded his head yes. So off we went.

Boy #3 and I each had one. Don't they look scrumptious? Well, they are! This tasty tidbit is called The Penguin, it is a chocolate cupcake with a sweet vanilla bean buttercream frosting. Now isn't that worth the shots? Boy #3 thought so! I didn't even get any shots, but had to have one too. Mmm, mmm good.

Apron Giveaway - IceMIlkAprons

Have you been over to The Apron Goddesses? If not go here, Julia is hosting another apron giveaway. The give away this week is by IceMilk Aprons. You won't want to miss it because there is more than just an apron up for grabs. IceMilk Aprons has donated their signature gift box which includes a half apron, a rolling pin, recipe cards, an unique heirloom kit, and the apron will be monogramed for the winner.

These aprons are simple and classy that can be passed down from generation to generation. Who wouldn't want something so unique to start a family tradition? So what are you waiting for go see what IceMilk Aprons has to offer. And if that intrigues you, go to The Apron Goddesses and enter the give away!

Apron, Apron, Where for Art Thou Apron?

A while back I joined the Hot Mama Fiesta Swap with Val over at Yarni Gras. The idea was to make a fiesta style apron, half or full, supply at least one recipe card, and one item that goes with the Fiesta theme. It was a blind swap so I only knew who I was making an apron for, not who I was recieving from. The person who had me was Jill whose blog is called Life with Nature Girl. She made an amazing apron and sent not one recipe, but five recipes....which I can't wait to try. Thank you Jill for an amazing apron and some wonderful recipes. My apron is already hard at work!


As you can see this apron is double sided so I can choose which side I want to wear depending on my mood or even what I am wearing. One side has a huge pocket which will come in handy when I am collecting eggs from the chicken coop. I can even use it when I hang laundry, the pocket is so big that all my clothes pins will fit without the possibility of falling out.


My apron is hard at work collecting the eggs and hanging the laundry. It does double duty. Triple duty if you consider I wear it just to wear it. It is beautiful, so why wouldn't I want to? I would love to know where your apron is and how hard it works. Go to The Apron Goddess and sign in with Mr. Linky to show where your apron is!

Easter Sunday

Happy Easter!

Look at the loot, the Easter Bunny did well by these boys.

My 3 boys in thier "Manprons". As always I was met with resistance for a photo op.

Chocolate Lovers Week

If you love chocolate then you are one step away from finding chocolate heaven. I have joined Cookie Girl and her venture of making a batch of cookies a week. Each week she posts something delectable. Well this week she inundated us with 2 recipes because she fell behind at some point....probably due to the fabulous vacation she took in the Smokey Mountains.

If you love chocolate as much as I do, then go see Cookie Girl here!

I made both this week and lived to tell about it. My SIL lives next door and she and her family have been known to raid the cookie jar. She has told me I need to stop making the cookies because she wants to loose the 5lbs. that crept up on her due to Christmas and Valentines Day. Needless to say I am still making them and she and her family are still enjoying them (my family is too).

This tasty little morsel is the Brownie Cookie Bite. If you like cookies and brownies this is great for satisfying a bit of both dessert worlds.

This one you can't even call a cookie. It is a peanutbutter dream rolled in chocolate and peanuts. This is like candy, definatley deadly to the waist line.

Once again Cookie Girl you satisfied the pallets of all who live here on our little square of land. Thanks for the tasty recipes and keep 'em comin'. Can't wait to see what you come up with next week. (Julia is liking them too, despite what she tells you!)

Wordless Wednesday - Poor Skip

Spring is in the air.

For many, myself included, flowers are indicative of Spring and the warm Summer months to follow.

This is the first rose of the season, it is called Cabana.

These are some pretty flowers I captured on a walk in the hills across the road from my house.

However, for me there is something more that really means Spring is here. When Spring truly makes it's appearance it means that I can hang my laundry to let the sun do what my dryer does in the Winter months.




There is just something so primitive and natural to see the sun and wind dry all that we wear and use on a daily basis. I love the feel and the smell of our clothes, towels, bed linens after they have been whipped around and dried by the elements.



This is by far the biggest indicator to me that Spring has sprung. Can you tell what it is? Not sure? Well here is their sign down below.


My family and I live for these tasty red fruits. They are the best. My oldest is a berry pirate, doesn't matter what kind of berry, but when these are in season we know that school is almost over, the weather is getting warmer, and the best fruits of the year are to follow.



I have a tendency to buy this many strawberries a week. This is a flat of them, there are 12 baskets of sweetness in this flat. I guarantee that with in 2 days these red jewels are gone. My kids, myself included, eat these like candy. They are that good! Imagine, fresh picked from the field, you couldn't get them any fresher.

Well I'm off to enjoy my snack! Have a great day everyone!

Such as Life

With 3 boys, this is the story of my life!

Mmmm, mmmm good

Bet your wondering what these things are. Well they are the dough for some yummy cookies. If you want the recipe you need to go see Cookie Girl here.

Each week she posts a new recipe for us to try at home. I have to say my family has been quite pleased. In fact my BIL was over wondering where the cookies were. He is over here regularly raiding the cookie jar. Well now he has something to raid. The boys, my nephew included are eager to see what the "Cookie of the Week" is. In fact my boys regularly ask when the new recipe is going to be posted.



So here they are, my Spring Chicks. Aren't they cute? I altered the frosting a bit, I didn't have any meringue powder so I made butter cream frosting instead and I have to say it turned out well. I also don't have one of those fancy frosting bags with all the different tips so I just used a sandwich bag and cut one of the corner's off. Sometimes it's all about improvising to get the same or similar results.

So go see Cookie Girl and get the recipe if you want some for yourself.