Winding thru Winter: Catching up

I'm not sure what parents did before Pinterest. After I win the lottery, Pinterest will keep me busy with all the pictures I need to make using hands and feet, different games to play in the tub, and the dress-up outfits I need to construct for Bitty. Then I can think about the cat projects.

As Bitty turned three this year, I decided I'd ask him the Birthday questions I'd found in several places. I chose the list from "In the Mommy Business," because it seemed more straightforward. 

http://www.inthemommybusiness.com/2012/01/birthday-20-questions.html

Keep in mind, the boy has not read "How to Win Friends and Influence People."It's tough to get him to carry on a decent conversation that's not about Thomas. So a few days after his birthday, I corralled him and asked him as many questions as I could before he scooted past me and out the door. Here are the results:

1. Favorite Color: Pink

2. Favorite Toy: Salty (the engine; to be fair, he had it in his hands at the time)

3. Favorite Fruit: Oranges

4. Favorite TV Show: Pocoyo

5. Favorite Movie: Misty Island Rescue

6. Favorite Thing to Wear: Dress like a superhero

7. Favorite Animal: Pig

I was surprised at this one, but pressed on without further questioning. I was losing him. 

8. Favorite Song: Misty Island Rescue (which he has memorized)

9. Favorite Book: Thomas and the Naughty Diesel

10. Best Friend: Himself (perhaps we've pushed the self-sufficiency too far)

11. Favorite thing to Eat: Bread (that may be why he's his own best friend)

12. Favorite thing to Drink: Milk

13. Favorite Game: Paw Patrol Game (players guess which of four puppies is being described)

14. Favorite Holiday: Santa

15. What do you sleep with? Grammy and Pa

16. What do you want to be when you grow up? A leaf pile 

Here's hoping he makes more friends and learns better games in 2014!

Winding thru Winter (and on my loom!)

I still love my knitting loom, but I've been doing some gift projects lately that I'm not able to post. I don't know if the intended recipients would be excited about that or wince at the thought of another handmade something coming their way. It may depend on whether or not it's one of my better mediums. My dad has been really nice about receiving paintings despite my lack of what some would call "talent."

But back to my knitting loom, where my tension stays even and the ombre yarns come out looking great even when the skein is less than inspiring. I received a multicolored ball of worsted yarn from my mother, and although I was skeptical, I paired it with a solid black worsted and was pleased with the results.

In my search for an ear warmer pattern, I found a baby headband tutorial from Caring Caps, Inc. I have had great luck with her patterns in the past, and this was no exception. I increased the number of pegs used to ten and extended the pattern to 20 inches before finishing it. She explains the purl on the loom very well. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu2mgnLUHeM

I got a cleaner seam by first looping the first stitches back over the pegs, then executing a yarn-over to get the ends together. I then crocheted the piece off the loom as I would a flat panel and wove the ends back through the piece. 

And with the leftover yarn, I made a tiny Christmas ornament with my flower loom! 

I also came across an article that I thought was illustrative of the active, creative communities doing tutorials on the internet. It was neat to read about teens and tweens presenting helpful videos to aid others in their shared hobby. Tech isn't all bad! 

http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2013/12/rainbow_loom_is_the_biggest_tween_fad_of_2013_but_can_an_adult_woman_execute.html 

Now back to it!

Winding thru Winter Slowly

Yesterday I had a wonderful lunch downtown with a good friend that I don't see nearly enough. Afterward, since I had to pick up my husband and go pick up his car in almost two hours, I went to the public library and checked out Anne Lamott's book "Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope, and Repair." I knew nothing about it except that it was in the new nonfiction and short.  I hoped to begin and finish it before my husband called. 

It was a great way to spend the afternoon, especially since I was beginning to lament the lack of work I was going to be able to do at home that day. The book is about loss and the senseless sadness that life throws our way, but I also found myself inspired to live in the moment and enjoy life's unexpected joys. To appreciate the things that first seem mundane, but only because I'm lucky.   

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/pageviews/2013/10/anne-lamott-on-new-book-stitches-twitter-and-learning-how-to-mend

Today I tried to start the day industriously when I discovered some crumbs in the floor and got out my little floor vac. However, I soon found myself chasing my giggling toddler around, avoiding his crayons and getting nothing done. It was nice.

Winding thru Winter: Alert the media

Proof that advertising works:

Yesterday I was sitting with Little Bit on the couch. It was a rare morning, because my husband and I were watching CBS this Morning and not hearing any guff about the lack of animation. Not that Charlie Rose isn't animated in his own way.

A commercial break began, and a Publix commercial presented the story of a little girl baking cookies for an unnamed recipient her parents assume is Santa. They exchange worried glances when she says she's going to deliver the goods personally, but at the end she meets her grandpa at the door with the cookies and a hug. Bitty watched until the end, leaned against me, and said, "Happy Holidays, Mommy" with a sigh.

Winding thru Winter: TSO

My in-laws came to town last weekend to visit. It was great to see them, and Bitty was able to show his Grandma all the things his Leap Pad will do. On Saturday, we watched football and had some Jet's Pizza, then we began an impromptu viral video show. I was really behind on my great cat videos, and Bitty demonstrated his moves to "The Fox."

We ended the weekend with the 7:30 performance of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, which was awesome!

The only way to listen to Christmas music.

Unfortunately, four of the seven scheduled to attend got sick and had to miss it. It's kind of a Christmas tradition, following the Christmas during which our baby gave everyone a stomach bug. Only three of us made it to "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo."

Fantastic live, but still not to be scoffed at on youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHioIlbnS_A

                                            

Winding thru Winter: Handmade tree trimmings

Thank goodness for leftover spaghetti! I was so glad I cooked a ton of it earlier this week so I could crash when I got home today. We're going to be running around this weekend with my in-laws, so after I recharged a bit I decided to try to get an ornament together for them. I made a tree ornament out of Bitty's hand on his first Christmas, and I had visions of him happily coloring a Santa this year. It was not to be.  

After tracing his hand on some junk mail, I cut it out with two folded sheets of construction paper. After finding some neat handprints made from the inside of the mail, I ended up with seven Santas. 

Little Bit declined the offer to color and play in the glue, so this ended up being a Mommy craft. Oh well; coloring is relaxing. 

I got the idea from this great compilation: http://handsonaswegrow.com/easy-christmas-crafts-kids/

Winding thru Winter: I think they liked them!

I got to give my snowmen to the Best Buddies yesterday, and it was so cute!

As you can see!

Little Bit's was the Abominable Snowman, and his friend's became "Honey."

The morning was not so photogenic, as Bitty was irritated that his Advent door only held a note saying he'd get his surprise at the babysitter. He eventually came around to the idea after it became a "Christmas message mystery."

Today he's getting a dime.

Finding Fall: Officially Three!

Bitty turned three with much fanfare last month. It was a blur! He had a wonderful time in AL with his Grandma and Grandpa and got a Thomas game with penguins. I wouldn't have thought of putting the two together, but it apparently it's a pretty compelling combo.

Then our annual birthday doughnuts, with a bowling set that went over well for about three minutes. And finally, a celebration with Grammy, Pa, and a cake covered with bugs and grass. He ate the grass icing and mooed like a cow, and Mommy was his gift butler as he opened his presents and immediately wanted them all out of their packaging.

He did find time to work with Pa in the basement taking things apart. He also discovered Pa's "leaf jacket" and shooting accessories.

These could be useful while ignoring the parents.

Now it's Advent, and he's discovered the Advent calendar for the first time. The tiny doors just fit his smallest Thomas trains. We got all our decorations out today, so I didn't have time to prepare the first door, but I'm so excited about his treat for tomorrow!

He and his best friend will get these, and I'm hoping to get pictures of both of them. Have I mentioned lately how much I love my knitting looms? I found the directions here: http://www.michaels.com/Knifty-Knitter%C2%AE-Snowman/c00297,default,pd.html

Finding Fall: Shopping for Christmas!

My mother, sister and I have a shopping weekend every year before Christmas, and last weekend we scoured Cool Springs for the best bargains and finds for everyone on our lists. We also hit Pie in the Sky Pizza; their white pizza is so good!

I hadn't noticed that kids can get pieces of dough to play with at a part of the restaurant near the kitchen. My mom-radar went off when I saw that this year. I would love for Bitty to make me some hand-tossed pizza some day!

Because apparently he's not going to clean. I found this display while we were out:

Bitty had just tried to steal a little friend's toy Dyson over the week, so I'm sure he'd be surprised to know that it's a chick toy. 

Count down to the big 03!

Busy week last week, and wild week ahead with Bitty's birthday coming up! So I put him to work on Sunday.

It's pretty easy to get him to pitch in when he gets to eat cream cheese frosting.

Finding Fall: With the kiddos.

We had the best time last Thursday babysitting our niece- I only wish my husband and I weren't so old. We can't keep up with the kids. We were yawning and knocking back coffee at 10:00. 

But we did have lots of fun. Bitty and I had gone to the dollar store the day before and picked out some tiny tote bags to decorate with acrylics and fabric paint. My niece made one for her American Girl doll to carry, then another with a big sparkly snowman on it. Bitty did his usual swirling expressive brushwork. 

Then, Bitty and I painted on some scraps of cardboard for my turkey centerpiece this year. 

My niece thought to make a thankful path with some foam hearts Little Bit had. Yes, Bitty is grateful for witches. 

And we finished the night with A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, cookies, and hot chocolate, because we didn't have jelly beans or pretzels to go with our toast. 

Finding Fall: Chores!

This weekend was busy, although it was the kind of busy that makes it hard to say exactly what you've done. Nothing out of the ordinary, groceries and the playground and church on Sunday. 

Pteranodon! 

On Saturday, Little Bit got bored with his little slide, so I raked up some leaves for him to jump into. 

It was a hit, so I got his dad to take some pictures, at which point it was decided that we need to bag them up. Didn't sound so fun to me at that point, but to Bitty, it was a chance to show his stuff and be "really useful." He went back and forth from the pile to the bags and would have kept going had the sun not gone down.

  

He slept well, too. What are the odds that he still has that helpful impulse when he's old enough to make a dent in the leaf pile?

Finding Fall: Halloween Hauntings

Two days of Halloween are better than one, and why stop at two? The celebration is going strong at our house with the decorations still scattered around. We stayed in on Thursday, and I tried in vain to get Bitty to try building with homemade clay. The recipe was easy:

http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryactivities/a/modeling_clay_recipes.htm

Instead of working it himself, he commissioned several pieces, which were then baked and painted. 

The tiger seems to have a five o'clock shadow since I repainted his mouth, but I like him more that way. It gives him an air of danger. 

On Friday, Little Bit discovered the scariest thing about Halloween: the fountain in the Green Hills Mall is drained to prepare for Christmas decorations. He declared it "a disaster," and "a BIG problem." Trying to get him a sweater for our family photos was even more harrowing. 

We trick or treated at two houses in the neighborhood on Friday, but Bitty likes checking out other people's costumes much more than getting candy. He's still talking about the man who was a cheeseburger. Bitty was Thomas, and he took his maintenance duties very seriously. 

Another successful Halloween under our belts. Now it's time to think about Thanksgiving! 

http://americanfeltandcraft.wordpress.com/2011/11/14/a-cornucopia-of-felt-thanksgiving-crafts/

Finding Fall: Or Maybe Not

After I got done looking at Halloween indoor ideas, Bitty decided today that he wants to go to the beach. I was informed on the way to daycare that he didn't want to see the colorful trees; he wanted to build a sand castle and play in the ocean. He also told me, "I need a sunscreen." At least part of him is still rational. 

When I got back, the mailbox had tipped over, and three pieces of mail were in the watery ditch. After a fruitless search for a mallet in the shed, I got an edging tool and an ax. I slammed that ax head into the pole and ruined it, but it's back in the ground. I stabilized it for now with two edging bricks.  

The two other hunks of concrete came off my retaining wall as I used my industrial broom to get the wet leaves off the sidewalk and steps. I'm ready, just in case intrepid kids or storm chasers come to the door tonight for candy.

And during all of this, it was raining, as it continues to do. Trick or Treat! I think there's a Milky Way calling my name. 

Finding Fall: Halloween Indoors

While Bitty still refuses red meat, he was able to find something to enjoy at Red Robin on Tuesday night.

Milkshake + Thomas studies = Bliss

We were so happy to see him after a long weekend with his Grammy and Pa. He's such a lot of fun, and now we can restart the Halloween festivities! Like putting on a mustache to go to daycare. 

The weather here may not be conducive for trick-or-treating, so I'm planning some indoor stuff for Bitty. I'll be eating candy, but he'll need to be occupied. After skimming the Pinterest boards, I'm thinking about homemade clay to drive his trains through.

More adventurous? There's slime: http://www.funathomewithkids.com/2013/10/edible-slime-or-gak-chemical-and-borax.html

And a neat idea from a new blog: trying some free-form creatures: http://thetrashmenagerie.blogspot.com/

Cake as Candle Holder

Last weekend was covered in icing, with both a birthday cake and some great Kentuckian cupcakes making an appearance. I'm just now coming off my sugar high. I think Little Bit has been reading too much on carbs; he only eats the icing on his cake. Mixed with ice cream for the calcium.

But don't try to get him to give you any. After I had no luck cajoling him into eating some chicken nuggets and broccoli, his grandmother had success by pretending she was fishing for him with broccoli bait. It was fun for all involved until he wanted to feed Grammy-fish the broccoli. I was very impressed that she took a bite, and the look on her face as she ended the game was priceless. 

Later, when dessert was served, Bitty was handing out no bites of cake, despite having a better probability of successful catch.

I mustache you to leave my face alone!

Last week, I worried that Little Bit wouldn't go for the mustache that I've planned for part of his Halloween costume, so I took my eyeliner and penciled handlebars under both of our noses. He thought mine was hilarious, and it was hard to coax him into giving me back my hand mirror once he checked his face out. He really dug it.

To the point that, when I had to take it off, I was public enemy number one. "I'm a mustache!" he yelled at me, as he fought to pry the soapy washcloth from my hand.

He must have seen this video with Nick Offerman:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z6VFJw5WTY&feature=youtu.be

And perhaps he saw that Burt Reynolds' mustache has over 4,000 Facebook fans.

http://www.rd.com/slideshows/13-things-you-didnt-know-about-mustaches/#slideshow=slide5

Finding Fall: Make Your Own Spirit

I highly suggest cutting felt while listing to a Pandora station based on the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. It adds a level of excitement to the task.

Bitty and I walked around Green Hills Mall on Thursday. Although we had plenty of time to ride escalators, apparently there was no time to go into the pop-up Crate & Barrel on the second floor, shimmering with Christmas ornaments and hard candy.

So, today I was compelled to make my own ornaments. Bitty knew I'd rather do that anyway.

Felt is the non-crafty crafter's best friend. As I went through my sheets, I was reminded of all the projects I still have in my queue. I had some extra that had already been snipped around the edges, so I decided to make owl ornaments.

Cutting was fast with a cute template. I folded the felt and cut through on both levels.

I modified the template I found at the blog below, which has tons of wonderful ideas: http://classroomcompulsion.blogspot.com/2012/03/owls-owls-everywhere.html 

A running stitch kept the beak and wings in place, and some primitive embroidery added expression to the eyes.

All that's left is a whip-stitch around the edges and some stuffing!

Next project will be a pancake stack for Little Bit's Christmas present, with camel felt accented with dark brown syrup and some yellow felt butter. There are so many things to be made out of this stuff - crayon rolls, Thanksgiving turkeys, play food, play purses- and there's still time before the holidays are here!

But I'm an amateur when it comes to play felt bananas, so I found a great one at this Etsy shop:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetPotatoStitches

Stash-busting: Traveling Triceratops

As part of my efforts to pare down my craft room, I dove into my felt sheets to see what I could get done. I began on the triceratops felt picture I did awhile ago. I never knew quite what to do with it. Since Little Bit travels with handfuls of trains wherever he goes, I decided to whip-stitch the top and make it a travel envelope for his trains.

Had I known it would serve this purpose, I would have raised the triceratops head higher on the sheet, but I still got a good size pouch by folding the bottom.

  I stitched up both sides.

Then folded the top down. I may add some ribbon or other closure as needed, but we'll see if this works.

No, it's not a clutch, it's a pouch. 

Cold Weather Looming

How much do I love my looms?

This much!

I have decided to do some stash-busting before getting into any new crafts, and I love new projects! So this week has consisted of major loom knitting to make toasty stuff for the winter.

I've needed my scarves for the last couple of days, since our heating unit met its fate this weekend. The new one is humming, and the crew was out here until 9:00 last night putting it in! I was very grateful. Especially since 70 degrees seemed sweltering this morning.

Bitty was also grateful to get back to his "reading nest" instead of having to sleep between Mommy and Daddy. I'm not sure why. He's the one who ends up sleeping on the pillows and edging everyone else off the bed.

Time to winterize the faucets and hope for the best!

Finding Fall: Cornbread and a Crushed Playhouse

Last weekend, we stuffed both days full of friends, family, and football, and we loved every minute of it. We even entertained in a house without heat- once you get the oven going, you barely notice!

I tried out a great maple cornbread recipe that took nearly every stick of butter I had. 

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/corn-bread-00100000068378/

Since I was making dip too (making my 9 X 13 pan unavailable), I baked it in my muffin tins, which brought the cook time down to around fourteen minutes. The bread was moist and only slightly sweet; it was great paired with Slow and Low barbecue. 

Little Bit had fun on Saturday playing with a new friend, but he did discover that not everyone likes to be covered in stuffed animals. They bounced with delight on the "reading nest," the name I gave his toddler bed when he was loathe to go to "bed." I may have to clarify the terminology later, but for now it was very cute. 

Then on Sunday, his cousin colored the cardboard playhouse we'd made out of a shipping box. It somehow then made its way outside, where she and Bitty demolished it in a stunt-man tricycle game. Bitty would pedal toward the board and close his eyes as he got close, a huge smile on his face. I loved it!

All that, and the Vols won, too. Go Big Orange!

Mail Came!

We got a large box in the mail on Tuesday. Sure, it had something in it, but whatever. I sliced it down the side and it became an indoor clubhouse.

I had a lot more fun than Little Bit in developing his new digs. He directed my Sharpie for awhile, then he began to study his Thomas the Train sheet. (We can't throw away the little sheet that comes with each toy and tells you all the trains and accessories you can get.)

Professor Bitty will teach you all about the Thomas universe.

While he was doing that, I continued to have a great time!

He did say his favorite part was the "leaves" on the bush outside his front door.

Hopefully I can get him to color it next! The house definitely needs some work.

Finding Fall: And trying to get other stuff done!

I've got to stop looking at pictures of babies in pumpkins- it's all just too adorable!

http://photos.ellen.warnerbros.com/galleries/babies_in_pumpkins

Little Bit was a pumpkin on his first Halloween. He's always been so spirited!

I pinned some Dollar Store foam onto a Dollar General shirt.

Going to get some looming done today. I've found a great way to make a shawl by looping the petals of my loomed flowers together as I'm making them. I use a tapestry needle to loop the yarn under as I'm winding, which means I have to precut my yarn for each flower. 

They could be stitched together, too, but this is making a nice open pattern that is more uniform than the stitched one I'm trying out. 

I'm not quite to this level, yet, but this is what's possible with the flower looms!

http://www.thesweetdiabetic.com/sherrycreates/2010/11/gorgeous-vintage-blue-loom-knitted-flower-afghan-throw-from-sherry-createscom-.html

I love the looms because you can do so much with them. This homemade loom wouldn't sustain my level of use, but it would be good for someone looking to try the craft without the expense, or for tailoring sizes: http://www.craftastical.com/2010/03/tutorial-loom-flowers-without-loom.html

Other people have such good ideas!

Finding Fall: Follow that Corn!

We met my sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and niece at Lucky Ladd Farms on Saturday to challenge the corn maze. I came home on that night exhausted, with the placement of my sandal straps still visible when I took them off. (I would not recommend wearing Tevas to a working farm.) And it was great!

We started with the corn maze after waking Bitty up from a short nap on the ride over. He was a little irritated until he saw the corn maze and quickly recalled that Curious George had once tackled one. So into the corn we went. Bitty wanted to follow his cousin at first, then took the lead on several turns, saying, "Follow that Corn!" Not a workable strategy, I know. 

His cousin was so sweet to take him on the Tractor Train with her. He was not excited to go. It consisted of cut plastic barrels on wheels being pulled behind a tractor, so I thought he'd really need to jump on to enjoy it. She reported that he tried to order the train to stop a few times, but as long as no one leaps from it, I call it a success.

Then we hit the corn box, in which children raked seed corn into dump trucks and buckets. Little Bit buried three of his trains in the corn, lost sight of them, and forgot about them. I made no friends in the corn box as I had to coax them from little tykes who thought they'd found buried corn box treasure. He'd remember Mavis sooner or later, and if she wasn't there, I'd pay dearly.  

He reported his favorite part of the day to be the slides. So many slides, and such controlled chaos. One hill looked like a Walmart shipping center, with kids flying off all sides. His cousin went down several with him.

He'll be asking for this renovation next.

Little Bit surprised me by willingly going up the Monster Slide. He laughed all the way down, then asked to go up again!

It was a fantastic day, but making memories wears me out! 

Finding Fall: Pumpkin Painting

After his babysitter painted a pumpkin bright red for him, Little Bit was in the mood to keep painting when he got back home on Friday. So we donned some painting shirts and got to it. Amazingly, the table was not ruined.

Bitty was focused, even when faced with distractions.

Mine was a little boring. To be fair, I was also trying to keep the paint from making the floor and furniture more festive.

And Bitty's pumpkin will be dry by next year.

We'll be at this level by next year, I'm sure: http://balzerdesigns.typepad.com/balzer_designs/2012/10/painted-pumpkins.html

Not Yet!

I recently finished some little Christmas peg dolls- Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Santa turned out not only to be very fit and trim, but also a little like the Wolfman. It's tough to control the paint distribution on such a tiny head!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034398/

I decided Bitty could play with him to try to get him acclimated to the annual picture, which last year involved me pulling him by the legs as he army-crawled out of the shot. So I came out of my craft room with the doll and my best Santa impression to tell Bitty Santa was here to visit. 

Little Bit was on the sofa eating breakfast. He turned and said, "Not yet!" and waved Santa away. Hopefully that had something to do with the calendar and wasn't not a sign of things to come. 

Finding Fall on White Bridge

On Thursday, Little Bit and I made our second trip to the pumpkin stand on White Bridge and just had a blast. He loves to sit in the metal chairs and have a conversation, but he would not sit on the pretty backdrop set up for pictures. I think he thought I was going to have him nap on the quilt. 

Chickaletta had fun, too- named for Mayor Goodway's purse chicken on Paw Patrol.

To the rescue!

Pumpkin climbing

We picked out some little pumpkins for daycare. Bitty enjoys picking out pumpkins with the receiver in mind. It was such a worthwhile diversion! 

Stuck on Fall

The eternal question with Little Bit- can he handle glue? The answer varies by day, even by hour. 

However, he did make an inspired picture for his grandparents during a brief visit yesterday. 

Untitled

He really enjoyed picking up the leaves in the grass and announcing their colors. 

I'm getting an extensive bank of ideas ready for when I can finally leave him with the glue while I cook dinner. Like this one, which looks more festive than store-bought decorations and is made out of paint chips! 

http://lizziejanebaby.blogspot.com/2012/10/paint-chip-halloween-craft.html

I may get this one together at the eleventh hour (is that the witching hour?) if I can find both a free minute and a scary enough picture of myself. Apparently, I'm not too awfully intimidating.

http://www.littlefamilyfun.com/2010/10/peek-boo-haunted-house.html

NIght Lights

Looking for a workout that you'll really enjoy? Take my toddler to see Lights at Cheekwood.

We trekked out last weekend with his cousin, aunt and uncle to see the installation, and it was beautiful. We knew we were in for something special when we had to park in the overflow lots and be shuttled over.

http://lightatcheekwood.com/exhibition.html

The shuttle, which became "Bertie the Bus" of the Thomas universe, was Little Bit's favorite part of the event. The field was my favorite; it is impressive. And my husband's favorite, I'm sure, was pushing an umbrella stroller up forty-five degree inclines.

That, along with my carrying Bitty (at thirty-six pounds) up the rockier slopes, meant that we were both sweating in the October humidity by the time we reached the mansion. But it was a great time and well worth the effort.

Be yourself the rest of the year- it's Halloween!

My sister-in-law made a fabulous find at a sale, and Bitty is going to be Thomas the Train for Halloween. He's stoked about it and is already wearing the hat.

However, it's still fun to look- Halloween 2014 is closer than you think! And with that much time, I could really throw together an impressive homemade costume.

But these easy ones are awfully cute, too- and easy.

http://www.ivillage.com/easy-homemade-costume-ideas/6-b-139777#544842

I really liked the spaghetti and meatballs outfit. Before Little Bit gets "too cool" to trick-or-treat, I'd say we'll combine my love of yarn with his love of red sauce.

Drawing on Inspiration

Yesterday, I cleaned my entire craft room in an effort to find a small bottle of paint. The organizing, dusting and mopping were overdue, and I consider the day a success except that I never found what I was looking for.

I did, however, catch up on the organization of Bitty's artwork.

Thomas and Percy, marker on paper

It was stacked up on an old buffet by the wall, but I photographed each drawing and saved the best ones in his art folder, stacking the rest to be used as wrapping paper this Christmas. I got the fabulous idea to make a collage out of the photos here:

http://www.jenthousandwords.com/2009/10/picture-perfect-boys-bedroom.html

And there are lots of great ideas at the following link. It's tough to let any pictures go, but no one enjoys them in a dusty pile!

http://www.thenesteffect.com/2011/07/organizing-your-childs-school-work-art.html

This is also in my Pinterest queue, but I'm forcing myself to wait until the images are universally recognizable.

http://www.settingforfour.com/2012/05/turn-childrens-art-into-tea-towels.html

Untitled, watercolor on paper

Fall Applesauce

Ah, I love beads, and this is a great blog post.

http://schulmanart.blogspot.com/2013/10/diy-beading-from-natures-gifts.html

No time for beading today, though; I've got cooking to do! But before I set off, I'm enjoying some of my hard work from a few days ago. I made my third batch of applesauce, and I think I've got the hang of it.

After searching for recipes, I blended a few together and threw the following mixture in a crock pot on low for eight hours:

1 dozen apples
1 tbsp vanilla
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
couple shakes of cinnamon

Buzzed in the Magic Bullet until Smooth

Bitty doesn't like it. Since I have no apple corer, I put the apples in unpeeled, and it comes out pink and not at all like the sauce he likes. His loss is my gain, swirled in my oatmeal this morning with some almonds!

Let the spooky begin!

With the turn of the calendar, it's time to turn to Halloween. Bitty has always been happy to watch people come to the door in costumes, and he digs the candy. However, last year, we made it to two houses. Two! And he was the Red Baron, which had to be the coolest costume for an almost-two-year-old that year!

Little Bit wanted to go into the house of our neighbor, and he passively protested when we wouldn't let him go in and eat their dinner. The protest became more active as I dragged him back to the house. 

With those fond memories in mind, I'm starting with the basics: the treat bag. I've got several options, including a great Goodwill find, and I'll let Bitty choose. But a sweep of the internet found the adorable collection of bags below.

http://www.lilsugar.com/Fun-Trick--Treat-Bags-Kids-24997759?fullscreen=true&image_nid=24997759

 And the magic begins!

Toddler culture

Yesterday not only did we throw coins into the fountain at the Metro Nashville library, Bitty also chose to watch Thomas the Train in French. I've now learned "whistle" in two languages. 

http://www.wordreference.com/enfr/whistle

If that's not cultured, I don't know what is. 

Despite his enthusiasm for throwing things into water - my wallet almost went in, too - it was hardest to tear Bitty away from a piece by Red Grooms in the children's department of the exhibit. The cityscape was very impressive.  

http://www.sculpture.org/documents/webspec/redgrooms/redgroom.shtml 

I've also gotten some headway on finishing my clay beads. 

My favorite treatment has been to coat them with acrylic paints in metallic white with raw umber. It's an earthy tone that still has a lot of shine, and I think it works well in the rough surfaces of the beads. They should look great in the midst of more structured elements. 

Spider Sense

Bitty's grown a little big for his Little Tykes slide in the backyard, so I'm glad it's getting good use.