making

We have been in the business of making around here lately

::making art

::making bouncy castles

::making big messes

::making super "happy faces"

and most significantly

 

                          




   :: making PROGRESS!!!!!!!!    

Much to my excitement you can now find some of my handmade baby items (reversible bibs, blanket sets and pants with an extra panel in the back for diaper bums) in the most wonderful consignment shop called Little Bird on Ottawa St..... I will write more about the store in another post because they have a lot of great things going on there!!!! 

        Next post will hopefully be a finished bathroom reveal!!!

The one where I talked myself down

Monday was Ava's first official day in juniour kindergarten.  It rained horribly that day so we had to take our back to school pictures inside the house.  It turned into a photo shoot with Ava picking poses and demanding props.  I truly had to talk myself down that morning as I was thinking about how much she has grown and how much she will grow this year... and yes the tears were flowing.

last year

this year... oh my

proud of her Batman "packpack"

Of course the rain meant that she got to wear Auntie Andee's old raincoat which is over 20 years old (wow Andee doesn't that make you feel old???) 

When she got home from school Ava insisted that the teacher told them that they had to use their mom's computers to do their "housework".

exhausted

I love summer!!!!!!!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. 

inspired by Soulemama and in her words

a new obsession

Pizza grilled on the barbeque...need I say more.  I used this technique and it worked perfectly.  We put our garden tomatoes, homemade pesto (basil from the garden) and cheese (NO FRILLS..ha ha) on this one and it tasted amazing!!  Tomorrow.....dessert pizza!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. 

inspired by Soulemama and in her words

What we have been up to

We have obviously lost our minds....we are having our ONLY bathroom totally gutted and remodelled.   

Yes it looks as if the bathroom is actually a closet and guess what....this picture is pretty accurate.........our bathroom is a closet.

We have had to be out of the house pretty much all day for the last week because of the lack of bathroom and we have had to be creative with how we spent our days.

We have been spending a lot of time::

:: picking leaves from the big tree out in front of nonna's house and hiding behind them in an attempt to avoid getting in trouble for hitting.  The dress was a last nights creation.  It was my first successful attempt at shirring and I love the way it looks and Ava loves to wear it.... I see a lot more dresses like this in Ava's future.

:: on time outs...... for a variety of infractions but he gets an A+++ for physique!!

: canning  zucchini relish and zucchini pickles 

:: sifting through my grandma's button jar.... the same one I spent hours sifting through as a child

:: vegging out on the couch with friends

:: a lot of swimming......... some loving it 

and some not!!

We are running out of ideas for these LONG days....any suggestions?

{this moment}

 {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. 

inspired by Soulemama and in her words

Sewing for fish

We have been doing a ton of swimming these last few weeks.....the weather has been so hot and humid I don't know how we would have coped without swimming.  Both kids love the water and Ava has gone from depending on water wings to snubbing them entirely.
I have loved spending  my nights sewing for both of my little fish.

Sun hats were tops on the list of course.  I used the same patterns as here with the necessary adjustments to size (I still made Anthony's too small) and interfacing and the kids seem to love them.  They are so quick and easy I don't mind when they get lost and left all over the place (well I guess I mind a little).

Next on the list was swimwear.  I was so inspired by Angry Chicken   when she created swimsuits for all 3 of her girls I thought I should give it a try for Ava.

I think it turned out pretty good.  I used a vintage Butterick pattern and some swimwear fabric from Fabricland.  It was relatively easy to construct but I must admit that my inside seams don't look very nice.  It was not a cheap endeavour (you could probably buy one at a fraction of the cost) but it was fun and I love the feeling of "beating the system" and making it myself.

haircuts, bravery and birthday parties....oh my!

This is a pic heavy post so ENJOY!!

We all remember Anthony's before hair and it is with great pleasure that I present to you....

and it really is adorable!!! We got it done at Sharky's where they specialize in kid's cuts and know all the tricks to keep the "clients" sitting pretty still.  It didn't take much to amuse Anthony....they just put in a movie and he was transfixed (as you can see).

Honourable mention in the haircut department is my Grandma.  We were all wowed with her new do.  I don't have a before picture but I certainly have an after photo.

 Please try to focus on the hair and not my dear child eating her locket and near decapitating her with her chain.

Now onto the bravery.  While on a walk the other day Ava scared me when she took off someones driveway to pat this....

statue of a Doberman Pinscher.  I can assure you that I almost had a heart attack!

BIrthday Party Pics

Here are some of the pictures from the birthday party that we threw last Sunday for Ava and Isaiah- my adorable nephew.  

I learned a lot during that party....

::  that 4 years flies by before you know it... and you have what appears to be a teenager dipping her feet in the pool

    ::  that a father will always do anything for his princess 

:: that my Anthony WILL melt in the heat

:: that some creations should be left to the professionals

:: that you have to keep your eye on Isaiah around cake

:: that when they tell you to take out an ice cream cake (delish) about 1/2 hour before serving, don't question just DO IT.

  

:: that birthday parties can be so exhausting

:: most of all I learned that my kids are so loved and that I couldn't ask for a better family to surround my children with.....we are lucky and I am so thankful.......and then of course...... I cried.

It's a Carnival Parade

Today was Ava's last day of school....I cried, she danced.

{last day of school dance}

       I can't believe that she has finished her first school year- with oh so many ahead of her.  Wasn't it just yesterday that I dropped her off for her first day... 

{Ava's first day of school}

  excitement in her eyes and tears in mine (do we see a theme here).  She has grown beyond belief this year.  Everyday she surprises me with something new that she has learned and I can honestly say that her teachers have been able to help her learn things that I have been working on with her forever.
          For these very special teachers Ava and I decided that they would love a set of handmade alphabet and number beanbags for their end of year thank you gift.   I was up late last night finishing these along with their drawstring bag but I really think they were worth it.  I almost wanted to keep them for Ava and Anthony.  I see myself making another set very soon.

 {they did love them by the way}

         I was thinking about posting a version of these in my shop but because of the weight of the dried bean filling the shipping is approx $45.  I think selling these locally is the way to go.

On another note, did you know that I am living with a celebrity impersonator!!!

Yes I think my mother is right.....time for a haircut!!!

i don't think your ready for this... jelly/jam

Today I tried my hand at preserves for the first time (well just freezer jam).  The kids and Sri were out of the house this morning and I had a flat of strawberries from the market
so what else was there to do.  I made a low sugar strawberry jam...NO COOKING, NO STERILIZING.... SO EASY.

I used these  jars.... they hold 2 cups of jam each.

I used  this recipe (the low sugar version) from Canadian Living.  I will have to let you know how it tastes when it sets.

I ended up with 12 cups of strawberry jam.  I am so excited about pulling one of these containers of the best smelling jam out of the freezer in the middle of winter and spreading it on toast with a TON of peanut butter......yay for urban homesteading!! and mornings of being productive in a creative way!

Introducing the graduate of 2010

Last night was Ava's graduation from pre-school.  I cried....is that weird?  Slide show, sad background music and kids singing- that sounds like a recipe for tears if you ask me.

My kids looked adorable if I do say so myself.  I am thinking about selling dresses and bow  ties together as a brother / sister combo gift - what do you think??  I made Ava's dress from a tablecloth which actually was a great idea because you already have the colour palette picked for you and you just have to pick and choose which parts of the fabric you want to use.  I will be using more tablecloths in my sewing from now on.

I have also started making Ava clothes with sayings on them.

This dress is one of my favourites.  Ava loves it because she can look at the letters on it and pretend she is reading. One day she was convinced that the dress read "Ava you can eat cake for breakfast this morning"... she uses it like a horoscope (I wish I had a psychic dress too).