My Sisters Birthday Presents

This tote was made for my older sister who has two kids...the pattern is nearly identical to the black and white tote I made earlier, with a few minor alterations. I didn't have any other quilted fabric so I attempted to quilt the fabric I purchased by hand. I added a pocket inside, and while it's not perfect, it turned out ok!

This purse I made for my younger sister who has no children. It's a bit funkier in design, in fact, I made the design up myself. This purse probably turned out the best out of all the totes/purses I have made thus far - I'm slowly realizing how to make each one a bit better than the last. I also tried something new with this purse - D rings. That's how I attached the strap.

Another look of the two side by side. Happy Birthday girls! I love you!

-14.50

That's the total amount of inches I have lost since joining Curves in the middle of July. Don't be fooled though. I have a few little doubts that I've actually lost that many inches...for instance when I was first measured, I wasn't wearing my sports bra, like I was this morning. So really, add back a few more inches in bust category. Also for some reason when this gal was measuring my waist, the measuring tape rode up higher than I thought it should be...so I'll add another inch and a half in the waist department. The reality is that I probably lost somewhere between 10-14.50 inches in a little over a month. Yay! Go me.
I don't normally talk about my achievements like this but I am so proud of this. Ever since Jackson was born, I've needed to lose that baby weight. And it wasn't coming off. At. All. I tried putting myself back on the weight watchers program without actually rejoining but I really needed the accountability so it wasn't working. After convincing my mother to check Curves out, she did and joined. Then she told me that I would love it - so then I joined. I don't expect the following months to be quite as dramatic as this first month has been, but I'm so excited. Now, my weight hasn't really changed but I'm trying to convince myself that it's muscle that I gained so it's not really that bad. Hopefully. Inches people...think less inches!!!

Back in business

It's been a while since I posted here. My family just got back from SD earlier this week, and we had a great time seeing our family, and house hunting. It's hard to be here in Baltimore when we know what is waiting for us.
While in SD I finished reading The Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers, and all I can say is WOW. I loved the first two books, and the third was pretty great too. Thanks to my mother in law for getting me hooked on Francine Rivers writing! Today I ordered two more books by the same author. I can't wait for them to arrive!
I have been pretty frustrated these past few days and I figure it's due to the lack of sleep I'm getting. Last night Jackson woke up three times again (he seems to be doing this very frequently) and sometimes he wants to nurse and other times I think he wakes up from a bad dream. I'm tired of not being able to sleep through the night. I'm tired of feeling like crap the next day. And most of all, I'm tried of being cranky with the kids and my husband! I'm sure a full night's sleep would help me quite a bit. Today I decided that I'm going to wean Jackson...and he is not happy with me one bit. I'm tired of it and ready to move on. He would say otherwise. So wish us luck. Any words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated.
Looking back on the summer I can't believe that it's nearly over. I mean, I didn't even take the kids swimming yet! What kind of a mother am I? Anyway, I do feel like I did some neat things to stretch my mind a little. I scrapped a few pages, and made a few purses/totes (5 so far - two I made with my very own made up pattern!), and I also made a skirt. Now I feel like I've lost some sewing momentum so I don't know when I'll get back to the machine. Besides...one of the levers came off last night. The lever that tells you how many stitches per inch, and whether you are going forwards or backwards - it just came off. I managed to put it back on but it came off again. This machine doesn't like me. Oh, how I wish it did! Anyway, I sent off two purses today for my sisters birthdays and once we get past those days, I'll post pictures of the completed items.

Skirt on a whim

Saturday was our 6th wedding anniversary! We planned on going out to eat without the kids so I thought it would be the perfect occasion to sport something new. No, I didn't buy something. I decided that I'd make myself a new skirt. Without a pattern. It would be easy. I have this linen skirt that has a drawstring around the waist and just two other pieces...the front and the back. So I thought I'd just cut around the skirt and go from there. I admit that I didn't really have a clue as to what I was doing but I needed to challenge my brain. So after pinning the pieces together and making the drawstring, I began to sew. After all was said and done, I only ended up ripping out one seam. Not bad, I said to myself. When I had finished, I slipped it on, and marched downstairs to show my husband the wonderful things I can do with my sewing machine. He had to hold his tongue to keep from laughing! I turned this way and that, and after we both had a good laugh, we decided that it was just too wide. So I marched myself back upstairs to take it in on both sides. After that, I slipped it on again, and showed my husband. I asked him what he thought. His reaction still makes me laugh. He said..."Well, it looks really yellow..." The size was better this time, but the right side of the skirt was doing this funny poofy thing, so I went back to the sewing machine to try to fix it. I came back downstairs and he said "Maybe you should get somebody else's opinion on this"...so we took some pictures and I emailed them to my mother. Thank goodness for mothers who know just what to say! The end result turned out ok for my first attempt. I did end up wearing it out to eat, and I'm very proud to say that it didn't fall off or even fall apart while I wore it!

Not to be taken lightly

Last night was rather exciting around our house. The weather was nice so we decided to grill for dinner. As Mike was coming and going, in and out of the house, Jonah and I started hearing sirens. This is not unusual. In fact what would be unusual is if we didn't hear any sirens during the day or night. They have become something that I rarely hear anymore. Jonah, on the other hand, will race to the kitchen window to see what kind of vehicle is driving by...every single time we hear a siren. He gets so excited to see them. It's almost a game to him I think. It's hard for him to think that there might be somebody who is hurt inside the ambulance, or that there is a fire that the firetruck is going to. He just sees lights and a fast truck and he's giddy. So last night was really quite extraordinary to say the least. And I say that with all respect to those who keep us safe here in Baltimore. I was cutting up some veggies to put on the grill when it began. Jonah raced into the kitchen when he heard the first siren. Then he ran back out to the living room where he was watching a baseball game. Not a minute later, there was a group of sirens headed our way. In this grouping were several cop cars. Another minute passed and still more sirens were heard. Jonah was in and out of the kitchen just as fast as these cars raced by our house. This spectacular show lasted for nearly ten minutes...and it seemed that with each minute, there were more cop cars, more ambulances, firetrucks, helicopters, armor trucks, you name it, and they passed by our house. I decided that I would try to count the trucks that passed by after the first ten minutes went by. Of course we had no idea what was going on, where it was happening, and the rest of the logistics. I could tell from the beginning that it was probably something very serious. I had never seen that many rescue, cop, and firetrucks zoom by as I did last night. After a slight pause in the action, it began again. This time the trucks were all moving in the opposite direction (towards the hospital.) At that point I realized that someone was hurt and I figured it was somebody in uniform, given all the activity that took place (we probably saw nearly 40-50 cars, vans, armored vehicles, firetrucks, ambulances...all within this time period). We were itching to learn what was going on because the helicopters were right above our house, hovering. I finally was able to see what happened online. Two female police officers were driving in a car, only blocks from our house, when someone opened fire on them. The driver was shot in the arm and the other officer was shot through the abdomen. From what I hear they are both fine but will be needing more surgery. (To see the complete story, click here and check out the video footage.) Pretty crazy, right? I was really starting to feel more comfortable in the city, especially the place where we live but this brings things back into perspective. I can not allow myself at any point to feel safe in my city, my neighborhood, and my home, because this is part of city life. No wonder why I've been keeping my kids inside lately. It's not the humidity, it's not that I'm lazy, it's because I fear for their safety - and mine. As I was trying to figure out what happened last night I came across something else quite scary. This truly makes me afraid. I will be more than happy to walk away from this part of life without any hesitation in less than a year.

It. Is. Done.

The repair place called on Tuesday and told me my machine was ready to be picked up. I picked up the two boys and together we drove out to get it. I was glad to have it back. It wasn't until yesterday that I was able to jump back into my tote project. It wasn't easy mind you. Both of the boys were in a state of mental anguish yesterday and so there were many tears and a lot of screaming throughout the day. But I persisted. I. Had. To. Finish. My. Tote. So, without further delay...here it is (in all of it's not so perfect glory!)!!!

This is the front of the tote, otherwise known as the side I goofed up on. If you look closely at the bottom white band you'll see that it's not exactly sewn onto the black part of the bag. I decided to just make this part up. On the back side of this front are the inside pockets...so I couldn't destroy those by sewing across them. So I turned this white band into two very small, very useless pockets, unless you call a pocket specifically for two pieces of gum useful. Oh well. Sometimes gum gets lost at the bottom of a purse too...so why not have a pocket just for that purpose...to keep the gum from getting lost? I'm actually pretty brilliant.
This is the back of the tote, otherwise known as the way the front of the tote should look. I actually altered the top white band on both the front and back sides. I wanted the inside of the tote to look a bit more finished so I turned over the white band.
A picture of inside the tote. If you look closely you can see the two pockets (on the left hand side).
Another view of inside the tote- because it deserves another angle!
And lastly, a side view. So all in all I am pretty pleased with how it turned out. It's not exactly the Vera Bradley bag that I had envisioned it being, but it's a good start. The overall size of the bag was a bit larger than I had intended it to be, but it's decent. Now if I could only find some cheap and funky already quilted fabric, I'd be making a bunch more.

My tote

So, the sewing project has been put on hold. I am quite upset about this, seeing as how I was smack dab in the middle of the project! For some reason unknown to me my sewing machine stopped sewing. I've checked the manual and double checked the threading...I can't figure out what happened! I had my hopes that I would have been able to finish it this evening. I guess that won't happen after all...

Anyway, I'm having quite the time making out the directions and adding a few things of my own to the bag. I think I must have stared at the first instruction for about 45 minutes...reading it normally then slowly as to make it soak into my tiny brain better...then I would think about what I read then decide that I didn't really understand it. I'm one confusing person. I fully admit that. So once I got past that first part, I thought I was on a roll! I cut out all the pieces for the pattern and couldn't wait to start putting them together. As I was assembling all the pieces I realized that this bag didn't have any pockets inside the bag. I would have to remedy that problem. So last night I thought it would be easy enough to just "put" in a pocket. Sounded easy. Looked easy. Except my thought process was probably ahead of itself, and I failed to read the instructions for putting that side of the bag together...I'm such a doofus. So, without reading the instructions, I went ahead and sewed in the pocket where I wanted it. I even divided it in half so that I would end up having two pockets. I thought I was pretty good. It was sewed in place. It wouldn't move or budge. It was a sturdy pocket. And then I hit my forehead with the palm of my head because as I was reading the instructions this morning I realized that I had a serious problem on my hands! You see, I had to sew the handles on the sides of the bags and if I were to do that, it would ruin my inside pocket people! I was sweating bullets. Plus, I forgot about the "bottom band" that needed to be sewn in as well. My entire plan of making a cute and cheap purse was starting to just vanish into thin air. Augh! I think I figured out a way to get around the pocket while sewing the handles and bottom band in...but then my sewing machine just quite working, so it seems I've lost some momentum with the whole project. It's all rather frustrating.

I have taken a few pictures of the bag in progress. I think if I can ever finish it, it will be a nice bag. Not entirely perfect by any means but it will look nice. If only I could just chill out and try to bring my blood pressure down a few notches...

This is a rough idea of what the front of the bag will look like. The main "band" is the black middle section, with two white bands on either side of it. The bag has black handles. Supposedly if I do this correctly, the inside of the bag will pretty much be in reverse of what you see. (Except for the side with the pockets)

Ok...so this is the inside of the bag, the side with the pockets. The black strip you see towards the bottom are the pockets already sewn in. (Go me!) I found a way to sew half of the handle on, but then the machine broke down so the rest of the handle is just hanging on for dear life.

Side by side view. Outside/Inside...

All in all I think this bag might turn out to be a bit larger than I would have liked. Oh well. At least I'm trying to use and improve my brain and thinking skills a little bit. I can feel it expanding as I type this post. The pressure is killing me!

Oh Look! I can grow a tomato!

Or two, or three...Oh yes I can! After three failed attempts at growing a beautiful tomato, we have a success story. This evening I picked three tomatoes from my kitchen windowsill. Included in this bountiful harvest was one roma tomato, and two yellow heirloom tomatoes. There are quite a few others that are still green...but I just had to try these three out. They didn't get very big, as you can tell in the photo, but both Mike and I thought that they had a nice taste. The best part? They didn't taste one iota like a cars exhaust or downtown...and the birds didn't even try to eat them! Yay! So we split them between the two of us (woowee! what a lot of tomatoes to split!) and had them in our salad this evening.

Apparently Blogger is having issues with me posting a title. Both in this and the other blog of mine I can't publish a title! Anyway...

On to something new!

Lately I have been feeling quite run down and pretty much blah. I haven't had much stimulation in any area and my mind has felt quite numb so I decided that the thing to snap me out of this...whatever it is...is a project. I'm really not so great at sewing but I thought I'd better give it a try. I have had my eye on some very gorgeous Vera Bradley quilted totes, especially the Java Blue, Capri Melon, and Petal Pink fabrics. These bags are so cute and stylish...and that says a lot coming from me because I normally don't like bags of any kind. I hate carrying around diaper bags, and purses...I hate all the stuff that goes inside of the totes...but these bags are just quite simply delicious. The only problem is the price of these great bags! So I thought that maybe I could just make one myself. I went so far as to find the exact fabric on ebay...but even that would have been a bit much. I would love to have that fabric...in fact, I had a very difficult time falling asleep last night just because I was debating in my head on how I was going to make it possible to have and make this purse! So I decided to head over to Joann fabrics and find a pattern (that was easy to follow) and some fabric. I had high hopes in finding something as cute and colorful as the Vera Bradley bags. I had no such luck. The only other option I came across was actually quite nice. Simple and elegant...black and white toile (or at least I think that's what they call it!) The pattern I found was a simplicity pattern, titled "Sewing Patterns for Dummies" and I'm sure I"ll even get some of the directions wrong here and there, but I have to at least try! I'm planning on making the smaller tote, and we'll see how it goes. Here's the fabric that I purchased for it. It's already quilted!

I also found some other scraps that I thought were really pretty, and I"m sure I"ll be able to find a good use for them, I just have to figure out what exactly. Maybe I"ll try making smaller purses with these. Not quite sure yet. But they are nice!


So, that's what's happening with me. Who knows how long it will take me to finish these projects. It seems that I can't get much done during the day, with the kids needing my attention. But I'll be sure to post updates!

Back to Scrapbooking...

Product Review

A few weeks ago I was surfing the Internet and on one mommy blog I came across a "freebie" that I thought I'd try to go after. The freebie was a free Senseo coffee machine! I didn't really think it was real but today in the mail, I received one as part of the "Share Senseo" program. No kidding! Seeing as how we love coffee here, I might as well try it out. This coffee system uses pods so instead of taking your coffee beans and grinding them, then putting the ground coffee beans in the coffee machine...and waiting for the coffee to be finished brewing... you just simply put a pod or two in the holder, press a button, and 30 seconds later you have a perfectly brewed cup of coffee with a layer of froth on top. Sounded kind of interesting. But I wasn't sure it was going to meet my needs for a specific coffee taste. We have been using the French Press method for making coffee and the coffee usually has a "thick" taste to it, one that is deep and flavorful. I have grown accustomed to coffee being pressed by the French Press method and was a little hesitant to try this out. After washing the machine and flushing it with water, I had to give it a try. It was VERY easy to use. I plugged it in, pushed the on button, then the button for a small cup of coffee (four ounces), and waited. It was done in no time at all. I have to admit that with that layer of froth on top it looked scrumptious. Lip smacking good scrumptious. But would it hold up? It was hot and I took a sip. It wasn't too bad - (meaning...not too sure if Mike will like it or not). It tasted slightly bitter to my tongue, but I wasn't sure if it was just this particular coffee blend or not. After all, I'm really not a coffee aficionado. It's kind of a neat little gadget. We'll have to wait and see from Mike if it will deserve a thumbs up or not. In my humble opinion it might be nice to have around but will it be another one of those appliances that just sits and sits, begging to be used? I don't know. I appreciated the speed of the whole process and how easy it was to use. The taste was OK. But I can see how it could become expensive buying replacement pods to use. I'll have to try it out a few more times to know if it's the real deal or not!

Here are some product specs: This particular model retails for $69.99, and there are other, more expensive models that go up to $139.99. For a package of 18 pods, it would cost you about $29.99 although I did find one bag of 16 pods that is for about $16.99. Let me break it down for you - one pod will make one 4 ounce cup of coffee, and two pods will make you one 8 ounce cup. So if both Mike and I wanted just one cup of coffee, we'd use four pods...Yikes! We wouldn't even be able to make it through one week before we'd need to buy more pods. It means that we'd spend more than $120 a month on this particular kind of coffee. That is just too spendy for us folks. I mean, we aren't made of money people!!! That in itself would deter me from buying this. Even though it looks cool and trendy, I wouldn't be able to fork over the dough each week to feed my habit.

The box we received - states "With the SENSEO coffee machine by Philips you can enjoy a perfect cup of coffee - topped with a rich frothy coffee layer - whenever you feel like it. Each cup is freshly brewed so you're always sure of that pure, smooth taste. The patented SENSEO brewing system from Philips in combination with the special SENSO coffee pods makes sure you get only the very best in flavor and aroma from freshly roasted coffee."

Let the brewing begin!

Drip, Drip, Drip!

Mmmm...look at the froth.

Amanda's ratings (*=poor, *****=excellent)
Appearance - ****
Ease of use - *****
Cost - * 1/2
Taste -*** 1/2
OVERALL RATING: ~ *** 1/2

Resident Graduation

Last night we hired a sitter for the boys and were able to enjoy an adult evening at the Resident Graduation dinner. Mike and the other residents toasted a fellow resident who will be moving to NYC in a short while. We had an awesome meal of steak, a crabcake, some seasonal vegetables, and of course the chocolate cheesecake...which was oh so yummy! Each table had a really pretty floral centerpiece. We were lucky enough to come home with one!

A little home spa therapy...

A few years ago after I had come back from my music camp in Brevard, NC I had one desire to purchase a spa-like piece of equipment. You see, while we were in the thick of things in music camp, playing...oh...around eight to ten hours of music every day your muscles and joints would sometimes start to hurt. Yes, we all overdid the playing at one point or another. But to remedy the situation, the camp nurse offered free weekly 10 minute massages to the first fifteen people who signed up. You had to act quickly my friends. Those massages were like heaven. I still love them. I didn't go out and purchase a professional masseuse mind you. She turned me on to something else quite lovely. Something called Hot Paraffin Wax Treatment...or something like that. You might think that it sounds ridiculous sticking a body part into hot melted wax...why would anyone do that? Oh people...if you only knew! It is such a treat to the skin. When the wax has melted, you dip your hand (or it could be your elbow, foot whatever) into the hot paraffin six to seven times quickly. After taking your hand out, it is covered in waxy goodness so you must wrap them in bags. In my opinion, the bags help to lock the heat in, and seal in the moisturizing effects this has. After sitting for a few minutes, letting your mind do nothing but wander (because really, what else could you be doing while your hands are covered in wax?) you get to unwrap those bags and take the wax off and deposit it back in the crock. The whole process is so soothing...and that's why I brought it out of the closet yesterday. Yesterday was one of those crazy like days when my mind just couldn't stop the madness! The kids were constantly screaming for attention, if not screaming at each other, and there were a million things that needed to be done. My head was spinning and I was in a foul mood. Yes, it happens on occasion. Please forgive me. I needed something for myself. Something to soothe me. The answer...hot paraffin wax treatment. It's what I call a little piece of serenity in my house. You should try it!

This is the crock with the melted wax inside

The melted wax



Dipping your hand in the wax (yes, I'm odd for taping it, but a girl's gotta show you how to do it!)

Depositing the wax back in the crock

Now let it melt again!

Spice Rack pt. 2

The Spice Rack is up, and we're still looking for the perfect pull. It holds so many spices and I'm loving that it's not taking up extra cabinet or counter space. We love it. Mike did an excellent job making this. Way to go!

Paint and Stainless Steel

We have been slowing down in the kitchen department lately. I guess it can be difficult to paint an entire room when you have two children pulling on your pant legs! Mike has also been busy getting ready for his boards in July. So, this part has taken us a bit longer than we had anticipated. We have, however, picked out a paint color for the kitchen. It is called "Sensible Hue" from the Home Depot. I, on the other hand, prefer to call it "Masking Tape". It truly is a bit toned down and we both thought that having a lighter color in the kitchen would compliment the cabinets and counter nicely. The color is growing on me!
We have also been trying to put up the backsplash. Some of the stainless steel panels were a bit difficult to put up, seeing as how Mike needed to cut out the holes for the outlets and switch plate. But they are all up now, and the kitchen looks quite sparkly. It has a really nice modern flavor to it. Even though the entire kitchen isn't quite done yet it's looking marvelous!

Here, the flash of the camera is on but the under the cabinet lights are not on.

Let's add some pizazz! The lights under the cabinets are on!

The color - "Masking Tape" - whoops, I mean "Sensible Hue"...
It appears a bit darker in the photo than it actually is.

Sorry for the bad picture here. Just wanted to show a difference in the choice of colors. The previous yellow was a bit more mustardy than what it looks like in the picture. The white (or shall I say "masking tape" color) in the middle is the new color.

Now this picture pretty much is exactly as it looks. It's not too bad...for masking tape!

Stop right there!

I saw you for the first time about two weeks ago. It was dark so I couldn't see too clearly. You ran away quickly and hid before I could catch up.
Then just the other night as the lights were being turned off, you mysteriously appeared again, going into my bathroom.
This morning as my son entered my bathroom, you were there again. You tried to run but we fought and I thought I took care of the situation.
How could you? We thought you were long gone! I was sure the words I had spoken to you would ensure us that you would never return under any circumstances.
On my way to the laundry room I saw you again. You looked my way, ran and hid under the cabinet. You dirty little cockroach! And now I'm sure it wasn't just one...


BLEH!


From now on when I go into the boys' room during the night I pray that I won't happen upon you and squish the living daylights out of you. That would just be too gross. My foot would never be the same!

Spice Rack

Just to the left of our stove we had a gap in between the cabinets of a few inches. We discovered that it was the perfect size for a spice rack drawer. Unfortunately IKEA does not have any such thing to add on to the existing cabinets we already put up. What to do in a situation like this? Ask your husband to make you one! Mike was busy making the spice rack...and it's nearly finished. We just need to find the perfect pull for the front of the door and it will look like it was always meant to be there.

Installation Day!

Installation Day was yesterday and boy were we ever excited! The kitchen has gone through such a transformation, and it's not even completed yet! So, there will be plenty more pictures yet! Enjoy!
Here, Tony and the gang take the first piece out of the truck

Here the sink is being fitted for the space we have

Here the corner piece is put in!

The main piece is added

Here is a more polished look at the main piece

A more polished look at the corner piece

The beautiful sink! It's huge!

A closer look of the granite. It really has a lot of depth to it.

In this picture the under the cabinet lighting is on. However, the flash from the camera makes it so that you can't really tell they are on!

Corner again

Long view. Doesn't it look great?