Ghost Feet in Kindergarten

The first time I saw a little foot turned into a ghost was when I got a little one made from foam in the mail.  It was so stinkin cute!!!  Impressed, I thought to myself, “I’m going to do that!” 

Never happened.

Then, I saw this:

Source: thejohansonjourney.blogspot.com via Janette on Pinterest

 

Two days later, my son’s kindergarten teacher asked me if I would be interested in doing a Halloween craft for the class. 

SWEET!!!!  LITTLE GHOST FEET!!!!

was all that ran through my mind for a split second.  I was very excited when she liked my idea. :)

Just in case you haven’t seen this around… all you need is white paint, black paper, and supplies to make the ghost face and VOILA!  You have preserved your little one’s foot forever.

The kiddos were giddy the WHOLE time I was in the classroom which was super cute.  (Yeah, I let a bunch of 5 year olds sweet talk me.  Some of them are smooth talkers already!  God help their future girl/boyfriends, seriously.) I helped them with the footprint and let them create their own face with googly eyes and a black crayon.

Then, I punched holes along the bottom of the cardstock and threaded a ribbon through the holes.

Each picture is topped off with a little poem that my sister and I made up together over the phone.

The little boy ghosts have a blue sparkly bow tie and the little girl ghosts have a pink sparkly hair bow (sparkle makes everything more beautiful… just ask Bella!)

I was so  impressed with each child’s creativity.  Even more, I feel so blessed that I was able to share in making this memory with all of them.

So, if you haven’t done this craft with your own kids yet…

GO, DO IT NOW!

I wish I would have done it several years ago the first time I saw it.  I am definitely doing it with all of my kids this year (even though Max’s foot is the same size as mine).

Linking up here this week!

CRAZY Rosette Hat

Late Thursday afternoon, Baby Girl told her lovely Mum that she needed a large colorful crazy hat for Friday…. as I’m trying to get her ready for gymnastics, Jack ready for his soccer game, Max ready for baseball practice, and some sort of nourishment prepared for everyone’s tummy.   She quickly picked the fabric (canvas for the hat and two beautiful batiks… she does have good taste :)) and described her vision.

So, after I got everyone to bed that evening, paid bills, and was just about ready for bed myself, I remembered the hat… (insert word of choice here).  Flashbacks of the excitement on her face as she told me what she wanted… the giddiness only a child can portray over getting to wear a hat to school flood my entire being with guilt.  I made a promise.  I must keep my word even though it is after midnight and I’m exhausted.

I tore strips of fabric (an even number I think) and just started creating.  She wanted a “big glob of fabric” on the front of the hat and “things hanging off” the side.  I’m thinking… I can do this…

I braided fabric for each side of the hat and pinned them on.  Then, I knotted a strip of fabric, formed it into an “E”, and hot glued it between the braids.

I sewed two strips of fabric together length wise, ruffled one edge, and hot glued that bad boy to the front of the hat to make a GINORMOUS rosette.  I think that definitely satisfied the “big glob of fabric” request.

So, at 2 am, I placed the hat at her place at the table so she would see it first thing in the morning.  Even though I couldn’t see straight 4 hours later as I was getting breakfast ready, the “Oh, Mommy…. It’s perfect!  Thank you,” made it worthwhile. :)

Linking up here this week!

Avery’s Cupcake

I have had the privilege and honor of creating Miss Avery’s  1st AND 2nd birthday shirts!!  Avery has a blanket  she calls “Manky” that goes EVERYWHERE with her.  Her mom has enough material to make an extra blanket when needed and wanted to incorporate “manky” into Avery’s birthday this year. 

The cupcake base is the ever coveted blanket fabric and Avery was soooooo excited when she saw it on her birthday shirt!! 

It was also Auntie Julia’s 15th birthday and Avery’s mom didn’t want her left out!!

As soon as I receive a picture of Miss Cutie Patootie in her shirt I will definitely post it!!

Partying HERE this week!!

Wordless Wednesday

I haven’t been posting as my sister and her family are here from Colorado!!!  This picture was TOO FUNNY not to share with everyone.  Jack and Cameron were very excited to have their pic made with the wrestling pigs. :)

Happy 5th Birthday Jack

 

My Jack Jack is 5 today….. FIVE!!  He was supposed to be my baby, my last, my finale.  We tried for over a year to get pregnant with him.  I remember month after month after month of frustration and meltdowns.  People would say, “At least you have a boy and a girl already,” “why tempt fate when you have two healthy children,” blah, blah, blah.  I wanted needed another baby to complete my family.  I was going to get to stay home with him (I worked 2,3, sometimes 4 jobs when Max and Emily were little) and experience every milestone that I  missed with the others.  My baby….

Now he’s five…. and he’s not my baby, my last as I had planned.  I cannot and do not want to ever fathom my life without Finley, but I feel that I have let my Jack down by not having enough time, energy, or emotion for him when he needs it.  He is my most demanding child and I become frustrated with him easily at times…. GUILT!!  I can’t help but think that I wouldn’t get so frustrated if he would have been the baby.  I know God’s plan is perfect and my family of six is the way it is supposed to be!!

Please don’t misunderstand this post… I LOVE EVERY ONE OF MY CHILDREN irrevocably, unconditionally, and enduringly (just to name a few).  Sometimes, as a mom, I just feel inadequate to meet their needs, wants, and dreams in life.  Sigh….

Peace…. Love…. Joy

 

Merry Christmas from my family to you this sacred day.  May you each find peace in your heart, joy in His gift, and love surrounding you this holiday season.  And, yes….. hubs pretty much always looks that grumpy in pictures.

RECAP OF CHRISTMAS MORNING….

Finley (2)wouldn’t even look at the Dinosaur Train guys Santa left for him…. all he wanted was Star Wars guys like his big brothers.  He did warm up to them after about 5 minutes… :)

Max (10) was completely stoked about his acoustic guitar and even graced us with a few strums of random notes.

Emily (8) was also happy with her zoobles and zooble world.  Little House on the Prairie seasons 1 and 8 surprised her in her stocking and she proved to be in utter bliss at this surprise. 

I was sooooo super excited for Jack (4) this Christmas.  He is completely into Star Wars like his older brother.  Santa brought him a gumball machine just like he asked.  He also wanted “Star Wars Guys.”  I found a ginormous AT-AT clone trooper vehicle at Target for him.  I just knew he was going to LURVE it more than life and have the best Christmas ever.  He plowed through his presents….. and instead of telling me I was the best Mommy ever after he opened his present that I had been so excited about, he burst into tears.   YES….. tears, sobs, full fledged sadness… his heart was broken…..  he didn’t get his Star Wars Guys…. SERIOUSLY?!?!?  I actually had to send him to his room so I didn’t ruin Christmas for the other kids with a very big scene.  My mom gave him 2 Star Wars guys, 1 Star Wars guy came in the AT-AT, he got a Star Wars gun, and a Star Wars game that came with 2 little Star Wars guys.  In his little 4 year old mind, that box that was as tall as he was, was FULL of Star Wars guys….  When it was a ship, he was devastated that he didn’t have a collection of Star Wars guys that could rival his brother’s.  I have to remind myself that he is only 4.  When he came back from his room, he did apologize and tell me that he loved all his presents.  I guess that’s what I get for patting myself on the back prematurely!!

They are all snuggled in bed soundly after a miraculous white Christmas in Northwest Georgia.  All that playing in the snow tired them completely. :)

More pics soon of the many Christmas presents I made this year.  I hope I’m not naive in thinking everyone liked them.  At least, they said they did anyway!!

Tulle Frosting Cupcake Shirt

Jessi’s birthday outfit is D-O-N-E, done!!!  Jessi’s mom brought me a pair of her old jeans to add ruffles… I used black and white damask as well as Berry Whispers from Art Gallery Fabrics girly girl line.  I absolutely love the colors together. :)

  

 Now, as for this little cupcake here…. My embroidery machine was less than thrilled to undertake the task.  After restarting a few times, in addition to several choice words topped off with tears, this is the end result (before adding the trim).  I had to show her some serious tough love, but I think it was successful.

 

The completed shirt!! 

No time to rest… Max has a 102 fever, Finley wants to be held 12 hours out of the day, and I have to take a bath at some point today.  Sonya, I will swing this by your house today!!

 

XXOO

Linking up to a few of the parties listed HERE… go check them out!!

Holiday Pictures

So, anybody out there with kids… especially the more you have… knows how it is next to IMPOSSIBLE to get them all looking at you at the exact same moment with an acceptable look on those sweet little ornery faces.  Since we are already a week into November, I’m seriously feeling the crunch to get a Christmas card picture… although I did contemplate just forgoing the whole picture thing this year.  It’s really way overrated anyway isn’t it?  But then, voices of family members from far far away kept popping into my head, “Why didn’t you send a picture this year?  We look forward to seeing those kids, you know.“  Since we live away from 90% of both of our families, the guilt got the best of me…

 

They were all dressed in their Sunday best and lunch wasn’t quite ready.  I grabbed my camera, made a dash out the back door, and yelled, “Candy before lunch if everyone gets outside NOW and behaves for a picture.”  Boy, did that get them all running… even Finley!  I have truly come to appreciate the power of positive reinforcement. :)

I snapped about 60 pics in 10 minutes flat.  Good news?!?  I think I actually got 3 pictures that will work!!  Wouldn’t you know, my favorite 2 were the first and last I took.  But hey, whatever!  I will take it!

Long Time No Post

I have taken a temporary hiatus from blogging and creating..... for four reasons:

My dear friend, Karen, of Picturelily Photography took this beautiful picture when Finley was only a week old!!

I have definitely needed some time with each one of these little miracles and have enjoyed each and every minute with them. Sometimes life gets crazy if you let it....

I have been sewing again the past couple of weeks and will be posting some new creations soon!!