Picnic Blanket, Wreath and Fireworks

Growing up, we always had a blanket that was designated the "Picnic Blanket". I cannot recall ever having an actual picnic on it, but we definitely took it everywhere. We would lay on it to watch the fireworks, hang out on it at the park, use it for forts, etc. When I went home at New Years this past year, my mom had a ton of extra fabric she was willing to give me, so she said, "Here.. take this. Make a picnic blanket." 

and that's EXACTLY what I did.

Just the top at this point.

Tying the blanket on Gpa's quilt frames

Somehow I convinced Mer to help me :)

Ben and Mer were both great sports. Ben has super long arms and enough muscle to help pull the dang needles through the quilt and Mer was willing to push them back up from underneath... It was fun to have company while doing this. I haven't tied a quilt in probably seven years.

The back/binding.

I am so happy with the result! We've used it a TON since it's been finished. Baby Cal loves to roll around on it and wrap himself up in it. It's also nice because it can fit at LEAST four adults and a baby. It's wonderful!

My next project was the firecrackers to send to my mom and sister as a 4th of July gift. I bought all the stuff online (in a kit) and when I showed Ben he looked at me like, "You spent money on that? I could have made it for you for half price!" I wish I would have thought about that sooner. Oh well, now I know that if anything I want to do involves wood, I should ask Ben first! :) Although I think I knew what he was thinking, he never said anything negative. He thought it was nice that I wanted to make something for my sister/mom for the holiday. I love how supportive he is when I want to make something or do a craft. I guess he knows how bored I get after work (while he's doing homework) and is happy when I find something to keep me busy. :)

During the painting process and deciding how to arrange them before they shipped.

This one is mine, I LOVE how it turned out! I'm trying to think of what I can make that is similar to this, but for a different holiday... ideas?? Time to search Pintrest!

My last project was this wreath. I saw it online a while ago, and then my friend Shanna did one for her front door and posted a pic on Facebook. It was like a week or so before Independence Day and I couldn't resist! So, I took my coupons and went to JoAnn's to get the felt, stars, and to the dollar tree to get the noodle (used to make the circle). HERE is the tutorial if you want to make your own. I'm going to leave it up until Labor Day!

p.s. I didn't follow the tutorial exactly... I used hot-glue instead of pins. The glue was more difficult to work with, but I didn't want mine to fall apart like hers. I want it to last FOREVER! haha. (or at least until it is too dirty to keep any longer...

Well, that's all for now. Next up: Our camping trip with Ben's family and.... something else, I just can't remember at the moment. :)

late night frustration

I am THIS close 

to chopping all my hair off!!

I hate the fact that my hair makes it hard for me to sleep I also hate the my hair can ruin my whole day. Alright, enough whining... I just needed to express my frustration. 

Curly Hair Problems

So I've been hating my hair recently and really wanting to chop it off (like Emma-short) and dye it dark so I match the rest of my family. Then I remember that no matter how short or how dark my hair is, I will always have the same problems I do now. Why is this??  Because my hair is CURLY.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my curly hair! But some days it's just too much to handle and it doesn't do what I want it to (or what it did yesterday). On those days, I have an emotional breakdown (maybe two) and put it in a hideous bun or altogether skip the event I was getting ready for (usually a wedding reception or something...)

Then I found this tumblr page that has hundreds of "Curly Hair Problems". I can pretty much relate to ALL of them! So, I thought I'd share this with you just to feel a little better about myself... ALL of these things have happened to me or I have thought about them... ENJOY. 

#697: I'm pretty sure I'm related to Hagrid because of the similarities in our hair.

#641: My cousins really did this to me... more than once.

Clarification on #751, I always wanted to marry someone with curly hair, so my kids would suffer like I did when I was younger, then I realized it's really the parent who suffers so I was excited when Ben had straight hair... Turns out his hair is WAY thick and so my kids (and I) are going to suffer either way. They might even get the horrible in-between hair that some of my friends have and HATE...

#783: Ben can testify of this....

#791: and this.

Yes, #806 has happened to me... It was ALIVE.

Cal's Birthday Present/Party

So, most of you saw the picture I posted on Facebook of Cal's present when it wasn't quite done... Well, I finished it the day before his party and he LOVED it.  Here are a few pictures of the "before":

I didn't really take many pictures because I was busy doing the sewing. We found THIS on pinterest and scaled it down slightly so it wouldn't be too massive in Jami and Rob's apartment. Then, once Ben cut the PVC pipe to the right size, I started digging through my fabric box to see what we could do to cover it. I ended up having everything on hand but the yellow part. 

The sewing job isn't very high quality, but it works for a 1-yr old. I'm just glad I finished in time. I'm sure if I ever try to do it again I will be more precise and not rush it. Anyway, onto the good stuff.

This little man turned ONE! I've been spending more time with Cal recently and it's so fun when he recognizes me and wants me to hold him! I love being loved, especially by adorable little babies.

the birthday theme was "Dr. Seuss" and Jami did an awesome job! She had his cake shaped like the hat that "the Cat in the Hat" wears. She had goldfish (one fish, two fish...) and cupcakes with blue cotton candy on top with red liners (thing 1 and thing 2). We had delicious Green Eggs and Ham for lunch and there was all kinds of other fun candy and stuff to eat. It was so much fun to celebrate Cal's birthday. Little kids are adorable.

After we all ate, we put up the playhouse/tent thing so the parents and grandparents could see it. It was cool to see it up and used, but when they brought it over to just have around when he was opening presents, he was distracted by it! I was so glad he loved the tent, but I felt so bad that he was so distracted. He didn't even go near his presents until his cousins started showing him how to do it. I think he was still a little young to get the idea of ripping the paper off, but he enjoyed all the wonderful stuff he got.

Here's a few pictures of him enjoying the tent. 

Here's the finished product:

The next day we had the whole family over for lunch (after church) and cal was getting a little whiny, so I put him in our potato bucket and he LOVED it. I had to keep my legs around it so he didn't tip over, but it was pretty funny to see how much he enjoyed being in the bucket. When we have kids, I'm definitely just buying them their own set of kitchen supplies and a bucket. They will love it. haha. Happy day to baby Cal! Can't wait to see what Jami has in store for next year!

My New Favorite Mug

Professor Campbell just dropped this off for me as a "Thank You" for helping with the
NY Program this year. I don't know why, but I just love it so much! Isn't it awesome?!

Who knew that a mug could make someone so happy! It's probably because (1) it feels good to be appreciated and (2) I feel cool because there is a street with my name on it in Manhattan! I can't wait for it to get cold again just so I can drink my hot chocolate in this!
....On second thought, I live in a basement apartment and walk around in sweatpants and a sweater all evening because it's so cold, I'll probably use it tonight! haha. Happy 4th Everyone! I'm working on posting some things that happened in June and then hopefully I'll have something to post about July.
We're supposed to be camping with Ben's family one weekend, and they're in town right now for the 4th, so I'll try to take some pictures of our time together. 

Well, lunch break is over... back to work.
Cheers!

Chicken in the Yard & Another Project

So, it turns out it wasn't a rooster, it was a chicken. THIS is a rooster... 

I don't know how I could have forgotten how ugly they are. The chicken was not quite as ugly/colorful as the one in the picture above.

ANYWAY....When we found the chicken in our yard, Ben was sanding down our new TV stand that we acquired when Rex and Molly moved to CA. Ben wasn't bothered by it, but the closer it came, the more nervous I got for it to peck at Ben's feet or something. Like I said, he wasn't worried, but it drove me nuts that it kept hanging around, especially since we were going to paint after the sanding was done. So, I got some old tortillas and left a bread trail for the chicken and led it out of the yard. Not long after, it was BACK. So, we went inside and hung out for a while until the chicken left.

 After it was gone, we started to paint. 

 After we painted the first board to make sure we got the right color of paint, Ben sanded the last few boards over the next two weekends. He is such a trooper to sand everything for me. He definitely needs an electric sander for his next birthday/christmas present.

 Ben and I painted the remaining six boards early one Saturday morning, but we had to move everything inside after the first side because it was too hot to finish the other sides. The paint was drying too fast. Sunday after church, Ben started to put it together.... 

 Doesn't it look wonderful?! I love it so much. The purple is awesome.

 I also made a runner to match the ottoman I re-covered. It worked out pretty well. 

That's all for this post. I've got Cal's birthday and the tent to post (probably in the same one). But first, an afternoon nap. :)