Halloween, that busy time of year.

Well, after a month of sewing, here is the final result. I didn't make Jayden's costume. Grandma Kirkham made the cloak and scarf. Tony made the wand.

Elyse's I started first. (She did her shoes. Ballet slippers dyed green with a pompom and some sequins glued on.) But after watching Tinkerbell's Lost Treasure movie, we wish that we had made her costume like that to keep her warm. Oh well, maybe next year. (She is a major Tink fan and has been for quite some time.)


I then did Ari's. His was the most fun. It was a trip to DI and then an afternoon of sewing with this as the result.

*pict to follow after I can get him to stand still long enough to get one*

Katia's I started next. but then she changed her mind. She started out wanting to be a fairy. Then she changed her mind several times.


Emma's was the next.


Then I did Katia's and finished up with Delta's (on the day of the ward party).


I think I will take a sewing break for the weekend to reclaim the house. Then I will be starting on Christmas dresses, gifts, and such. Pin It

Celebrating 19 Months

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Delta and Emma are 19 months old. They have been so much fun, so this time has FLOWN! I am so grateful to be able to stay home with them.
Some of you know I had to work up until I had Jayden. It was the most hard when I had to leave Julia to return to work when she was only 1 month old. Luckily I have had family babysit for me. Which does ease the tears, but not by much. I would usually cry on my way to work., wishing I could just stay with them and not have to leave them. Here is my soap box:
There are things we are having to live without. Cable TV for one. Major vacations for another. But it is so worth it. I am very blessed to have a husband who WANTS me to be at home. It is harder to be at home. Okay, not harder, just more work. When you are home all day with the kids, the house is more messy. There are more snacks, more activities to attend (because you don't have to get off work so you can go to them all). Plus there are the expectations you have for yourself. You should have all chores done by noon. Laundry is always done. Beds always made. Floors always mopped. And you can everything form your amazing garden. Volunteer in everyone's class and are the PTA president, room mom, and always read for 20 minutes a day to each child. You also donate your time to other worthy causes. (Then the words of President Harold B. Lee come to my mind " The most important work is within the walls of your home.") My grandma always reminds me that the Proclamation on the Family doesn't say that your home has to spotless. She is right. I think if we pray about it and follow those promptings, we will be doing what He would have us do.

Okay, now for the fun of being a mom. I love watching as the kids grown and learn. I love playing with them. Reading to them, and making block towers. Listening to them sing a song or say a rhyme that I have been singing or saying. I love when they want to help. I love when they just want to sit on my lap for a minute. It is the best. And having 3 home this year has been a great time. We get to do lots of girly things. Dress up, barbies, babies, crafts, watching princess movies. Pin It

Belle->

I finished Katia's costume last night. She settle on Belle. I didn't have to do much alterations. The main thing was finding a dress pattern that had a collar like Belle's.
My mom had made a dress similar, and gave me the pattern. Then I found a simple sleeve which I added.
The color yellow was hard to find. I didn't want "yellow" and gold was the easier color to find. but while perusing JO-Ann's fabric store, I found the color I thought would work great.
I happened to be at a Hobby Lobby to get a zipper, when I decided to look for flowers. And what do you know, they had just the right color roses in their wedding aisle. Hurray!
I did have so much fun making it. And Katia loved it so much, that when it was time for her to go to her preschool party, she was jumping up and down and I had quite a time trying to get a photo of her. Pin It

Preserving apples for the coming year.

I am still doing apple butter. I took a break last week as I was sewing and getting costumes ready. But now I am back to apple butter.
We have a great apple tree in our back yard. I don't really like apples. Our apricots are my favorite. The kids do love apples and will eat them right off the tree. So good! But apple butter is one of my favorites. And Tony's as well. (Raspberry jam is our absolute favorite, but we didn't have many this year.)
So this year with the little girls being so busy and learning new things all the time, I decided that I had to spread it out a bit, or I would be overwhelmed and end up quitting. So I went out the first day and picked some apples for 15 minutes. Then I came in and cleaned them, cut them and put them in a pot to make into apple sauce. While they were cooking (on medium heat), I take a break and either read, play, sew, or do some house work. Then when it's time to start another batch of apple sauce, I don't feel that all I have been doing is apples.

Make sure you set a timer for every 5 minutes to come check on the apples and stir them, as they will burn.

When the apples are soft, I put them in a blender and blend until they are sauce (peels and all, but no cores/seeds). They then go into the slow cooker. I continue this process until I have 16 cups of apple sauce. Then I follow the recipe from my grandma, who got it from her mom and so on.
1 and a half cups vinegar, 8 cups sugar, 5 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cloves, and cook it down to the desired consistency (4-6 hours). Put it in hot pint jars that have been prepared for canning, seal them in a water bath for 20 minutes for our elevation (about 4700 ft).

I love doing this on cold days. It makes the house smell so good. And with the hot things on, it keeps the house warm and cozy. It really helped today with the clouds and frost on the windshields this morning. It seems colder on these days.

I will sometimes start this first thing and then go about my day smelling apples cooking and then cinnamon added in the afternoon. This makes folding laundry much more enjoyable. Then when I take a break, I drink hot cocoa and either watch a movie with the kids, or read a book. Helps me gear up for when it's time to put it all in jars. Pin It

How to keep up with the diapers., and keep your sanity.

Okay, so having twins is a lot of work. Plus it costs more than having one. So to start off with I don't buy the most expensive diapers. I watch the sales and coupons, and when the two mesh, I am so happy.
Well, this month diapers were on sale and there was a coupon. Luvs diapers were 15.99 a case and there was a $1 off coupon to boot. Hurray!! I used all 6 of my coupons and the 2 that Dear sis-in-law, didn't need. Now there isn't much under their bed except diapers. (This does help with keeping toys from being lost under the bed.) Tony thinks they will last until next year. I hope they will last until Christmas.
Having a stock pile helps. I have only run out twice in the past 19 months. That is a major feat. Then to make sure that I don't spend all my time changing diapers, if I change one, I change the other.
There is also some outside help. For example, Delta tells me when she needs a diaper change by telling me "I poopy." She wants changed right away. Emma is usually on the same schedule. I also change them right after they wake up, right after breakfast, before lunch, after nap, before bath, and before bed. Having a sorta schedule has helped me keep on top of it and keep rashes to a minimum. Especially for Emma, who has sensitive skin.
I also Used a diaper changing station. It was on the dresser. Tony made me a shelf to house the diapers, wipes, bags for keeping the smell down, tissues, and little things on the top. This was by the dresser. I also started a little game with them when they were a couple months old. I would play peek-a-boo. When I would take off their pants I would put them on their face and wonder, "Where is Delta?" or Where's Emma?" Then take off the pants and find them. Now they play this game with me. It also keeps their hands away from the "work area".
Another thing I have done is kept a special toy on the shelf to pull down just during diapering time. Singing songs works great as well. That was how I found out what their favorite songs are. When I would sing that specific song, they would either become excited, or just watch me intently.
Finding these little tricks makes changing diapers easier and less traumatic. there is still the struggle at times, but not like it could be with twice the diapers to change. Pin It

101 Posts!!

I can't believe that I was able to reach 100 this year. As you most can guess, things are hectic around here. But I do love sitting down to type some of my thoughts and such from the days or months past.
Today was one of those days where I just wanted to get the house clean. But after how last night was...I didn't get home from Relief Society craft night until almost 11. Delta and Emma woke at 2 and didn't go back to sleep until 4:30. Then I didn't get up until after 8. Katia woke up about 10:30. We were all so tired. I'm hoping that tonight will be better. I was able to get the dishes put away and the dirty ones loaded. Then I had to go through Katia's clothes again (I just did this 2 months ago) because she had a growth spurt. I also was able to stay on top of laundry. I also mopped the kitchen.
I am trying to make some time to get a little bit of sanity back. Some of this is reading. Some is getting online. I also watch movies or TV. The main problem with this is that I get addicted and can't stop. Or I just sit on the couch so that I can hold someone who needs it and then be able to do one of those things. Pin It

Swim Bag Instructions

I finally have these done. Of course I had to wait until the very last minute before I needed them for craft night. I did have them done yesterday morning, but I could have done them sooner, but here they are. Enjoy.

These make it so nice to go swimming. the kids can all carry their own stuff. Hurray!

Here’s what you need to get started:
1/2 yard of fabric, thread, cutting mat, straight edge, rotary cutter, lighter, 2 yards of 1 inch webbing, pet screen cut 14 X 32 inches, and a sewing machine.



Step 1:
Begin by cutting fabric into the following widths:
2 of 1.5 inches, 1 of 6 inches and 9 inches
Then cut the 6 and 9 inch pieces in half at the fold.




Step 2:
Next iron the fabric 1/4 inch on each cut edge.



Step 3:
Cut the webbing in half, then with the lighter, melt the ends to prevent fraying.
Now sew the strap pieces of fabric onto the webbing along the edges.Trim ends of fabric.



Step 4:
Position the straps to the pet screen about 3 inches in from sides with pins, matching up both sides. Secure in place with a zigzag stitch, repeating several times.



Step 5:
Place the 6 inch piece of fabric over the straps and stitch along top and bottom edges. Repeat on other end. At this point you can add trim along the top if you desire.



Step 6:
Now place 9 inch pieces of fabric down a couple of inches from 6 inch piece. Sew in place. Repeat on other side.



Step 7:
Turn inside out and sew along edges about 3/8 inch. Trim excess fabric. (The excess can be used to make a bag to hold sunglasses or other such items.)



Step 8:
At bottom of bag, fold the corners to make a point/triangle. Sew along the bottom of the triangle at the edge of the fabric.



Turn your bag right side out and “voila”, you’re done.
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