Laura Ingalls Wilder eat your heart out!

My family is well aware of the fact that every spring I start a campaign to bring back the bonnet.  I make one for Ava every Easter (which she only wears once because she prefers a more "boyish" hat) and last year I even made one for my cousin Laura (which I blogged about here).  I know she wears it faithfully while tootling around Toronto (RIGHT LAURA!!).

THis year I am pushing for the bonnet comeback a little harder!   I have made six of the most adorable and completely reversible bonnets.... Laura Ingalls Wilder would KILL for these.

 

exterior fabric (click to enlarge)

LIning of each bonnet (in the same order)

I dropped these off at Little Bird on Ottawa St this morning so I'm sure they will be tagged and put on the shelf some time this weekend.  These particular bonnets are size small and priced at $10.50.  I am also able to make a larger child's size (4-5-6) and adult versions.  The possibilities for customizing these are endless...embroidered initials, applique on the side, matching bonnets and jumpers for Easter.  If you contact me directly we can work on a custom bonnet for your little one and work together on bringing back the bonnet!

On another note,

have you seen this mean and nasty looking creature wandering around the streets of Hamilton?  You would answer "yes" if you saw Anthony with his new pet today.  Sharky went everywhere we did.. he was pulled around on his leash at the SPCA and even had to sit on the table at Lick's with a french fry hanging out of his mouth!  At least this is one pet that does not require my attention (minus Anthony screaming in the backseat of the car "he is biting my hand off"!)

:: right now ::

*right now*

**I am so thankful to everyone who bought something made by me over the past 2 weeks...either from little bird (on Ottawa St.) or directly from me. 100% of those sales will be donated directly to helping those suffering and trying to rebuild in Japan. I will post a total when I get it all tallied up!  

** we are enjoying trying out our new manners (or a form of manners) on dinner guests

** we are trying to get used to Anthony's new manly haircut.....btw this is the way he smiles!

** we spent 1/2 hour watching this guy ride his bike in circles around the splash pad at pier 4... who's the crazy one?

**I am slowly re-washing all of my fabric

** and re-organizing it so I can find what I am looking for!!!

** I am trying to find the right bag pattern to go with this amazing fabric

** We are finding little notes like this ALL over the house with thousands of requests each day from Ava "what does this spell mom?"..... how on earth do I answer that one?

** Ava and Anthony are spending a lot of time each morning (causing lateness) trying to find "twin" outfits... I would say this one is pretty successful!

Well as of right now that is what we are up to... subject to change at any moment!

and we live to tell the tale....

Last night was a momentous event in our house..... Ava had her first sleepover with her friend Kailee.  Ava has been preparing for this for the last week.  She requested 2 identical "floor length" nightgowns, gummi worms, chips, chocolate eggs,  lemon perrier and Hannah Montana movies.....I felt like I was dealing with the demands of a deranged pop star.  After hours of "when is she going to get here?" the moment finally arrived.....and the FUN began!

::we started with making our own pizzas..which proved very fun and MESSY!

:: oh my....my boy with rolling pin.....stinkin' adorable

:: here are the girls in their matching nightgowns... i did not make them floor length as requested (tripping hazard) and please disregard the gaping necks...the girls put them on backwards.  Notice the princess heels on Kailee...this later caused intense foot cramps at 3am!!!

:: the response I got when I interrupted a session of Hannah Montana skits

:: the morning after... late night of whispered giggles, tons of junk food, lots of singing and constant reprimanding of a little brother

Ava said her sleepover was "awesome" and is already planning the next one.  I don't blame her... I'm looking forward to it too!

{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.
                                                   inspired by Soulemama....and in her words

fabric lasagna???

This cute pile of fabric was able to occupy my 4 and 2 year old for at least 20 minutes at a time yesterday (the longest snow day in history) and in my house that is really saying a lot.  
Can you guess what it is?

                                         :: I took my scrap fabric and cut it into squares

 

:: I sandwiched and sewed the squares together...trimming off the ugly edges

:: and voila... I had a game of memory (or concentration) for the kids to play

:: I used contrasting fabrics...making matches clear

:: here they are all snug in a drawstring bag.... and NOT all over my floor!!

I loved making these and have a ton of ideas for more sets.  I have a friend who loves doing puzzles so I thought I would  make about a hundred of very small squares for the ultimate game of memory.

I currently have a set of these at little bird selling for $8.50.  You can also contact me directly to purchase a set if you wish.  I can't wait to hear your comments about these!

Brace yourselves.... the kids actually enjoyed dinner tonight!!!!

   Meals in this house are usually a huge disaster (unless I am serving chips, pasta or McDonalds)..... everybody complains, very rarely do we get through a meal without someone going on a timeout for making gagging noises, and there have been some dinners that even the dog turned her nose up at.

TONIGHT THAT ALL CHANGED.  

This afternoon the kids and I made spinach and rice balls from this recipe. I did make some changes though.... I used basmati rice instead of brown.... I used marble cheese instead of mozzarella and  I did NOT spray the tops with PAM.  They were super easy to make and so very delicious!

I prepared all the ingredients and let the kids make the "meatballs"

                       :: please take note of the PERMANENT maker all over Anthony's hands

While they were in the oven the kids played a little game of smothering each other with cushions... how adorable

Here they are right out of the oven and I think they look delish. They get nice and crispy on the outside and gooey and cheesy on the inside..perfect to dip in marinara sauce!

 

Happy faces and empty bowls at the end of dinner....what more could you ask for?  Well I guess someone to do the dishes!

Are you looking for a companion?

Are you physically active?

Do you enjoy horseback riding?

Is an afternoon full of music what you are looking for?

 or perhaps just relaxing with a good book.

If you (or a child you know) is looking for an adorable handmade plush bunny made by me, you are in luck.  I will be dropping these 4 bunnies (along with a batch of bibs) off at Little bird on Ottawa St. this week.  

These bunnies are clearly wide eyed with excitement over the prospect of a new home.

B.E.L.T to belt

For some reason I am powerless against the powers of Tim Horton's B.E.L.T.... I have only had two in my life but I can tell you where I was when I had them and probably what I was wearing!!    Today I spent the day longing for a B.E.L.T. and with the word belt running through my head the majority of the day I felt I had no alternative....my back was against the wall.  I made a belt for Ava (whose pants are chronically falling down due to her extreme dance moves) using this tutorial by elsie marley.

The tutorial suggested that you use a D-ring for the buckle but of course since I didn't have one I ran around the house searching for something to substitute.  I actually ended up cutting the plastic ring off of my laundry bag....it worked and I think it looks cute.  There has been a request for 2 more belts from Ava and Anthony feels that he needs one too.  I am off to create some more belts while I have the motivation.

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".