All Things Heather

Bags, bags, and more bags...

Let's talk about bags, fun fabric bags, but not the kind under my eyes.  The kind under my eyes are definitely not worth talking about, even though they are huge and black, and would probably put me on the cover of some gossip rag if I were famous.  The kind that no amount of cover-up would hide even if I choose to wear it.  I'm proud of my bags, they are my battle scars, proof that I'm human and a Mama.   

The other bags are a bit cuter and fortunately do not resemble gaping black holes.  The paint shop teacher at school asked if I could make some bags for her granddaughter, I agreed, once gain not realizing what I was really agreeing too. She went on holiday and came back with enough fabric to make 10 bags, I settled on three.  Luckily I was able to get these done before the disaster hit. I wasn't able to put on all the finishing touches but they look well enough for me.  She loves them and I'm sure her granddaughter will too and that is all that matters.

The first is a darling messenger bag, it's kid sized but should be ample enough to hold lots of goodies. It gave me a bit of grief, mainly because I wasn't using a pattern but now that I have it figured out - I would do the next one a bit differently - I could probably bust them out with a bit of speed. I love the bunnies, don't you!

The second is compliments of a pattern I saw on marthastewart.com.  A bit fussy, but it turned out cute.  I didn't have a model to show you how it is supposed to hang so I tried my best in the photograph. The long arm goes through the short arm and then you can just put your hand through the hoop. Once again, this one is in kid size, which is probably the reason why it was so fussy, but I will probably sew one for myself. It's technically reversible and has endless possibilities.

The last is my signature marker/crayon bag. Not much to say about this one, I used a new font for the embroidery, I was trying to go for the space age look. 

I'm happy to report that Makenna is doing much better then I expected. Her shoulder no longer looks like a cantaloupe, maybe a smallish orange and she is actually getting some color back. I managed to coerce a smile out her, bless her little heart. 

The horror....

Thanks for all your well wishes. It means so much to know that I have so many great blogging friends.  It really has been a stressful couple of days but I'm sure things will eventually start to get easier.  Many of you have inquired about the nature of the accident, I've decided to just post it here. If for no other reason then to just get it off my chest, I'm feeling very guilty over the entire thing and I probably just need to let it go. 

Maya, the 90 lb. dog was leashed to the front door with a long lead.  We had been going in and out and she has been known to run across the street to see the neighbor's dog so rather then take a chance of her getting hit, we just secured her to the house.  The dog and Makenna were both in the house, I told Makenna to open the front door to go outside. I knew the dog would probably run out but didn't think much of it since I knew she was secured to the door.  It didn't dawn on me that Makenna would get in front of the leash or be in the way.  She opened the door, the dog bolted - all 90 lbs of her - the leash came from behind Makenna and caught her in the back of the legs - she is 35 lbs - she flew into the air into a horizontal position, the dog got to the end of the lead and the door slammed shut onto Makenna's head and neck.  The door handle slammed into her shoulder and broker her collarbone clean through, in my opinion it probably saved her life.  Her neck would have snapped if it had taken the full blow.  It was the worst thing that I have ever seen in my life, I was 2 feet away and just couldn't get there in time. It happened in slow motion yet so fast all at once.

We spent a good part of yesterday with the orthopedic surgeon who specializes in children.  "Impressive break" is what he called it, he had never seen anything like that before, a break like hers, a person who does this for a living said that.  The bone is normally so pliable that it bends, he can't imagine the force that it took to make it break the way and in the location that it did.  On the plus side, no need for surgery, since they cannot cast that part of the arm, it should set fine on it's own.

I made her a sling last night to replace the ugly hospital one - I thought maybe some froggies would brighten her day.  It was the least I could do.  We had big plans in the next couple weeks that are not going to work out. I was supposed to be flying to NC tomorrow to see my girlfriend and have a couple days of much needed alone time. In 2 weeks we had made reservations to stay at a giant indoor waterpark in Washington State.  Her school recital is this coming Monday.  Plans change, I'm just thankful she will be ok. 

 

Good will...

I had a rough evening yesterday to say the least. Makenna, our 3 year old, was involved in a horrific accident with our 90 lb. dog that I would rather not go into (it wasn't the dog's "fault," it was an accident.)  Unfortunately, Makenna did not fare too well and spent the evening at the emergency room.  She managed to escape with a broken collarbone and some pretty significant bruising, it could have been worse - she could have been killed, but she is in serious pain.  I'm having a heart attack and am just plagued with guilt, I was 2 feet away and just couldn't get there in time. It was just horrible. 

I try not to ask for much but I thought I would go out on a limb and call on some of my internet friends to send her some well wishes.  I realize she is only 3 but she would love to get some cards in the mail or some small little doohickeys to show her that there are lots of people out there that care for her.   Amelia, our 5 year old, was also incredibly brave during this whole thing and I know she would love to get a card from a "friend."  So if you think you have some free time to write her a little note, e-mail me at  at olypen dot com and I'll send you our address.  Thanks so much. 

Lighten the load...

Even in the midst of the "economic stimulus" checks (does anybody else think these are a joke, a welcome joke, but a joke nonetheless,)  the news is still spewing out doom and gloom. Oil prices are at an all time high - I've noticed by my $75.00+ fuel tank fill up and airlines are continuing into crisis mode.  I had enough issues with the $25.00 second bag fee, now American Airlines plans on charging $15.00 for the first one!  For a family of four, that adds up to a pretty substantial cost in addition to the already ever increasing price of tickets.  Luckily we don't have to fly too often, but we are planning a trip back east in the fall to attend my BIL's wedding, fuel prices could make for a very expensive flight!  In the meantime, I'll just sit back and hope it doesn't affect us too much and cut little corners where we can. 

Makenna decided to play her part and lighten the load by getting her long locks cut off.  I managed to persuade her that she really did not want her hair to look like "daddy's" and instead convinced her that a "tinker belle" haircut would be the way to go.  It's not the best cut but it does look truly adorable on her and I'm happy to leave behind the combing hair power struggles that seemed to come at least once a day.

Here she is sporting a brand new sun dress hot off the sewing machine.  I found this fabric in the remnant bin and it only cost me $3.45.  All I did was sew a seam up the back, hem the bottom and attach some bias binding as halter tie and she had a brand new dress.  Less then 4 bucks and 20 minutes isn't too bad!  The best part is that she loves it, and that's enough considering she isn't always easy to please. 

 

I've been busy with other things about that house that are far less the glamorous but I did manage to finally get the front portion of my Ogee Tunic knitted up.  It came out lovely, I changed the shaping a bit, the original pattern was more of an A-Line and that really doesn't fit my body type so a little math led to 2 extra inches in length and some girly shaping.  That should do the trick.  Now I have the back and the sleeves to knit up, but those should go quick in theory since it is mindless stockinette.  I'm thinking of doing 3/4 inch sleeves for a more "casual" feeling, any thoughts on that?   

That's it for now. 

Everyday foods revamped...

I secretly curse my girlfriend's two boys who will pretty much either eat or try anything.  Her 5 year old will pick fish as his favorite food any day of the week.  Mine, a little different, they prefer their meals to be in nugget form.   So it turns into a power struggle but as you remember I've committed to end the struggle and begin anew.  Things are going surprisingly well and I feel confident that they will continue to improve.

But what do you do when your kid's still don't want to eat anything but the nuggets.  I guess let them eat nuggets.  I've taken a cue from Beth, a fellow knitter and mom who does not have a blog, and decided to let them pick out dinner for one night each week.  So o course, as I was explaining this to them, their eyes got as big as pie plates - "We can pick WHATEVER we want."  I was expecting an immediate chorus of nuggets but my youngest surprised me and immediately yelled out "COOKIES - I WANT COOKIES ."  This was followed by a "no dear, you can have cookies after dinner but for dinner."  Then followed by an "awe man..i want nuggets."  My older daughter surprised me with tacos.  If they are going to choose tacos and nuggets every week I might as well try to make them healthy and pack in some extra goodness where I can.  Viola, tacos revamped.

   

The recipe was inspired mainly from this book.  A child's exposure to veggies should by no means be limited to "hiding" them in their food, but a little sneakery here and there is just fine by me.

The taco filling itself was the big change and it was a little different but surprisingly good!  I used 1 1/2 lbs of ground turkey, 1/2 pureed sweet potatoes (lots of vitamins,), a 14 oz can of crushed tomatoes(hello lycopene) and a regular packet of taco seasoning sans the MSG.  The whole ting got wrapped in a yummy organic spinach tortilla from the market - the kids thought it was hilarious that the tortilla was green - and finally garnished with local sharp cheddar as well as organic lettuce and avocado from my CSA and it really was a truly green meal.   

The best part, both my daughters actually ate it with no complaint and Amelia glowed with pride at the fact that she picked it.  I might win this battle yet.  Next up - revamped chicken nuggets - lord help me now!   

Shaving cream fun...

I've been a bit inspired by the Crafty Crow and wanted to share with you our latest creation.   Although this was age appropriate for my young children I've seen some rather sophisticated marbling techniques done by older kids.

The supplies are basic -

• the cheapest white foam shaving cream you can find
• Paints - I used liquid watercolors but any other water based paint like Prang tempera will work well also.
• paper - I prefer a heavier card stock but everyday is fine.
• a straight edge to scrape off the shaving cream - piece of cardboard or flat plastic
• a paintbrush or toothpick for swirling
• lots of paper towels.

Spread about a once inch thick layer of shaving cream onto some sort of mat or tray.  I prefer to "level" off the top but you can leave it bumpy if you wish.   Carefully drop or paint directly onto the shaving cream.  You can use coordinating colors like we did here or just do one at a time.

   

Create your design using a paintbrush, foam brush, or a tooth pick. Make whatever sort of design or shape you wish.  Keep in mind you want the paint to stay on top of the cream so don't smash it in too much.

Place your paper onto the cream and press gently.

Remove paper and admire your work.

 

The colors may look all muddled but use your straight edge to remove the excess cream and Viola!  A work of art!

   

Repeat until your kids get tired of it and decide to paint themselves with the shaving cream.

The prints would look great on the front of home made greeting cards or you could use large rolls of craft paper and create your own wrapping paper!  Embellish with glitter or stamps or just leave plain.  The possiblities are endless.  Happy Crafting!   

I'm amazed...

at the marvels of nature everyday!  Especially those found close to home. Anyone wanna take a guess at what these are? 

I'll give you a hint. They grown on this!

 

The wonders just never cease. 

All about the mom...

I try to do some crafty thing nearly every day.  I'm always working on something, whether it's a knitted sweater or fabric place mats or my latest quilt, but I've found that very few of my creations ever reach these pages.  Did you know that I sew nearly all of my children's clothing?  Don't ask where I find the time, I'm not even sure, I think it just comes in little blurts of harried late nighters crammed between all the other projects that I work on.  But that's not the point, the point is that I share very little of what I actually do.  Many of the projects I do are with my children and most of them are not really photographic wonders.  My hesitancy might come from some sort of subconscious fear of rejection for not being an artistic marvel.  But I think  it's more then that,  I've been hesitant to turn this into a site glorifying my kids and my role as their mother but in reality, my identity has changed and I am all about the mommy moments.  Maybe that is why I have such a hard time keeping things updated, not much happens to me that doesn't involve my kids and I've not wanted to subject my readers to "all things children" or "all things mommy."    But, whatever the reason I guess it's time for me to start getting to it.  My status isn't going to change anytime soon and this site might as well evolve with me.  So be prepared for adventures with the family clan and I'm sorry in advance if I bore you.

In celebration of mothers everywhere - or at least those in Afghanistan - I've been busily working away at this monstrosity of stockinette stitch - 658 rows of 125 stitches.   Talk about knitting doldrums.  After a quick trip to the dye pot - it has been transformed into a beautiful green shawl, the symbolic color of Islam.  The dye job isn't the greatest, a little blotchy here and there but I'm sure that the recipient will just be pleased to have a hand knit offering of love and joy.  If you would like to knit a shawl - you can find the details here.

I know it's not a glamorous piece of work, but it's making a difference one stitch at a time!  Hopefully I'll be able to get one more done before July!   In the meantime - happy day to all you mothers, future mothers, and those who choose not to be a mother out there!   

Whole foods and drunken chicken...

Joining katydidknit's  fitness-a-long has forced me to take a much needed, but a not so appreciated, look at my body and my lifestyle.  Motherhood has really changed me physically and not necessarily in a good way.  Although I'm still a trans fat nazi and I loathe overly processed food, I've begun to notice that my cupboard is predominately filled with typical preschooler fare of goldfish and fruit snacks and I've stopped at McDonald's a couple more times then I would like to admit.  I've begun to cook "speedy" meals for convenience sake but really the kids don't eat them and I'm getting fat so it's not really convenient for anyone.  I'm enjoying my food less but am still packing on the pounds.   So what gives?  We really do live in a processed food environment and no matter how much I stand on my soap box and preach the evils of partially hydrogenated oil and high fructose corn syrup I've allowed these items to creep into my diet due to pure complacency.  So I need to make some changes.   

But change is hard and it takes time.  I really would prefer to have oodles of extra hours every day to knit, sew, study, and bake whole wheat bread all the while keeping my home clean, my dog walked, my kid's butts wiped, and maintain my personal sanity.  Without some sort of compromise I see none of these things happening.  But I digress.

I'm thinking it's time to get back to whole foods.  Good food really doesn't have to be complicated and it doesn't need to come out of a box or from a can to be convenient.  I used to love to cook and I have a bookshelf full of cookbooks to prove it but lack of food gratitude from my children (seriously though, they are 3 and 5, what sane person could expect food gratitude at that age) and my perceived lack of time has really turned meals into a chore.  So I have decided to re-evaluate and cook selfishly, for me.  I'd like to enjoy my food again and since my kids will probably complain whether it's fast food or whole foods I might as well do something right for myself.  So I've been taking a little extra time, planning out meals, getting the kids involved where I can and just trying to enjoy my time.  Cooking should be therapeutic, and with husband home right now doing the dishes, who could ask for anything more.

On the plate last night - country lima beans with beer can chicken.  You basically shove a can of beer up a chickens *ss and stick it on the barbecue.  It was delicious, and none of it came out of a box!