Finished! Trick or Treat Bags

Due to overwhelming demand (okay so one person probably doesn't count as overwhelming)....I give you.....

Trick or Treat Bags!!!

I am super happy with how these bags turned out.  They held a TON of candy and were the perfect size for my little munchkins to carry around. Now that I know the Arts and Crafts center on Post does embroidery, I won't hesitate to personalize something I'm making.  One day, maybe, when I win the lottery, I will buy an embroidery sewing machine.  Until then, at least I know I have options. 

The Birthday Boy

My little crazy man turned 3 years old. So many mom's I know can't imagine where the time has gone. How can my baby be three? Well, I've discovered I'm not one of them. It feels like forever ago that Charlie joined our family. It's a good forever and we still love that boy....most of the time.

The Cake

I had a more difficult time coming up with a theme this year. So far in his three little years the kids only been interested in cars. Lately he has really liked being a monster or dinosaur and roaring at everyone. He has an awesome roar. So I started asking Charlie what he wanted and all he could articulate was he wanted a blue cake. Blue cake? What goes with a blue cake? I toyed with a blue dinosaur and decided that was too tough, a blue whale, also a little more complicated than I was willing to tackle. At least the designs in my head where complicated. Being short on time the last month or so, I needed something I could crack out in a couple of hours vs. a couple of days. While the kids where playing at Mc'd's one afternoon, I came up with this monster cake idea. I really didn't know if I could make the image in my head match the cake. Usually I have grand images and a complete inability to make them come to life.

I was very pleased with the final results. It was fun to make and I tried a few new techniques and recipes. I had started icing the cake an hour or so before the kids went to bed. I had done most of the face and added the teeth to the monsters mouth. I put it in the fridge until I could get to it after the kids were asleep. Charlie came up to the bedroom and smiled a big, open, black mouthed smile. Uh, oh, I left the bowl of black icing sitting on the counter and he got into it. I was mostly annoyed because I had to brush his teeth again. Later that evening, I pulled the cake out of the fridge and low and behold, he was missing teeth, 2 teeth to be precise. Charlie had opened the fridge and pulled the monsters teeth and eaten them. He's my little monster and my muse. He's lucky I still had some white fondant left and could easily make replacement teeth. It could have been much worse.

Blowing out the candles

He's still trying to get the hang of it.
I think several of the kids helped him blow them out in the end.

The Presents

Leah was so excited for Charlie to open his presents. She couldn't wait for him to do it himself. He was too slow. We finally had to put her in a headlock so Charlie could have the pleasure of opening his OWN gifts.

Playtime!!!

I think all the "kids" were excited about the gifts.

All in all, I think Charlie had a great 3rd birthday. I for one am glad it's over. I'm always amazed at how much prep work goes into these things. But then, I am always trying to do too much.

Oh, this one's for Grandma

Derek and his broken wrist. He got a smaller cast 2 days after this picture was taken.

The captured Starfish at 3rd Beach in La Push, WA

Our Starfish. Washed up on the sand. We did release it back into the ocean before leaving.

Camping at Mora Campground, outside of La Push, WA

Family Pictures in June

Project Update -- Trick or Treat Bags

So this is one of the embarrassing projects that's been collecting dust...about 2 years worth of dust.

Here's the story. A little over 2 years ago, a friend asked me if I could make a collapsible Easter basket for her daughter. She had purchased one on E-bay for her son, but couldn't find one she liked for her little girl. I was up for the challenge of figuring it out. It turned out so discus tingly cute I HAD to alter the idea and create trick or treat bags for my kids for Halloween that year. Mind you I said, that year. I had every intention of finishing the project by Halloween. Over the summer I found some fantastic Halloween fabric, then I was hit with my first problem. I wanted it embroidered. I refused to do it by hand on the grounds that it would take to long. Seriously, I could have finished it if I'd just done the embroidery by hand. It wouldn't have taken 2 years. So, because I didn't know where to find an embroidery machine, and I wouldn't compromise the integrity of my idea, and I was too lazy to do it myself, I folded up the fabric and set it aside.

It so happen while I was working on the Countdown blocks I found myself in the Art's and Crafts shop on Post (that's an Army installation for you non-military folks). Turns out they have an embroidery shop. I talked with the lady for a while, we picked out the font and I brought my fabric in a few days later. I'm patiently waiting for the embroidery to be completed. I'd love to be impatient, but really, after 2 years, I don't think I have the right to ask for a rushed job. I should have it in my hands the first week in October. So please wait on the edge of your seats (because I know you are) for the finished product. The kids will be sporting them THIS trick or treating season, no really, they will.

Project Completion #1 -- Countdown Blocks

Alright, so this many not have been a project I've had lurking in the depths of my closet, but it's still a completion and it marks the beginning of a series of completed projects. This project taught me the skills I need to complete a whole pile of projects.

I was asked to teach a class for our wards upcoming Super Saturday. These are all the supplies for the class I'll be teaching. I'm really happy I bought some vinyl at the coolest craft store I've ever seen. Hobby Center in Nampa, Idaho. It's a good thing it's in Idaho or I'd be broke. I was able to learn some mad new skills on this project.

I've never decoupaged anything in my life.

I've never used vinyl lettering.

I learned how to do both, plus I realized I had everything I needed to cut the vinyl letters myself. Very cool.

So this is my finished product. Holiday Countdown Blocks. They were fun to make and I'm looking forward to the class.

New Goal---I'm a finisher

I always find these fun projects and things I want to make. I may even be bold enough to purchase supplies. Sometimes I even go as far as to actually start working on the project. Then life catches up to me in one way or another and that of so exciting, can't wait to start it project gets pushed aside, ends up in some dark recess of a closet and forgotten. Or forgotten enough not to never be finished but remembered enough that it's a nagging prick to my conscience reminding me that I WANTED this thing at one point and spent money on it. Now it's worse than useless. It's a half finished project. My life is filled with half finished projects. Good intentions gone awry. My new goal, starting now is to rid myself of these half finished monstrosities. And by rid, I mean actually finish them so they can become useful members of the household. I have some small and some large. A realistic goal is to finish one a month, no matter the size. I will post pictures of the completed project and if I'm ambitious a before pic of the half finished, project. So if any of you out in cyberland actually read this...help keep me accountable. This half finished stuff has to stop. Maybe if I can get rid of the half finished project problem I have I'll be able to translate it into all the other half finisheds of my life.

ps. I should make a list of all my half finished dust collectors but I'm afraid....I'll leave it at that.

We are still here.

First warm day, playing in the sprinklers.

Leah and Charlie and all their little friends.

Leah at the SLC Aquarium


Leah and Charlie at Grandma's

Charlie playing at the park

We've been keeping ourselves busy lately. I never seem to make time for this blog anymore. I do have pictures and one of these days they will make it from my computer folder into this blog. At least they have made it from my camera to the computer. That's a huge step for me. I have this problem of starting something and then leaving it half finished. I'm working on it and have been able to take a few projects to completion lately.

Leah will be in preschool again this fall. She's doing a 5 day program to get ready for Kindergarten next year. Charlie will be attending childcare at the gym. At least that's my plan while Leah's in preschool, hit the gym 4-5 times a week and get myself in better shape. I did good last school year, but I want to be even better this next year. I'm also hoping to finish some of those half finished projects to get prepared for this next move of ours. Sometime next summer if things go well, we will leave the rainy State of Washington for some sunshine and heat. I'm getting used to it here though and not sure about trading in my cloud cover for sunglasses.

We spent a fun month visiting family. I'm really happy we were able to see so many of them. My side of the family is enormous. I don't even know a number to put a number to it. I think I remember my Grandmother saying I have 62 or 63 cousins (and counting) on my Dad's side of the family alone, those are first cousins mind you. It was fun spending time with everyone and I hope next summer while we are moving we can do it again.

For those of you dying to have one, here is one picture. I'll try to make more follow soon.