Posted by Megan Barr on Feb 20, 2010 in
Uncategorized Ryder, bless his tiny trouble-making heart, has recently become very interested in toilet paper. It started out harmlessly enough… he would gently touch the roll, and sometimes unroll it a little bit before moving on to something more exciting. That quickly progressed, and now, he grabs the end and strings it all over creation. OR, he unrolls it a bit, and then shreds it into a million pieces… but not before making sure to ingest some of it. When we try to shoo him away, he bats his eyes, and holds it up to his nose, making a cute little snuffling sound as if to say, “But Mama, I just needed to blow my nose!” (Blowing his nose is a new handy skill he picked up after being a veritable snot factory for the last several weeks. I say “handy” with a grain of salt, because sometimes he blows without a tissue, and sometimes he uses it as an excuse to TP my house.)
Several months ago, I suggested to Ryan that we invest in one of those toilet paper “locks” so that he wouldn’t be able to unroll it at all. He totally shot me down. Fast forward to yesterday, and now it’s a grand idea. 
However, I decided that it would be much more fun (and probably cheaper) to try to construct something myself. So I did!
I checked my ever-growing fabric stash, and found a bit of leftover hand towel from my Hooded Towel project (thanks to Beckie at Infarrantly Creative). It doesn’t match my bathroom at all, but at this point, it’s totally function over form, ya know? I grabbed a new roll of TP from my stash in the garage and measured the length and circumference of it.
I added a 1/2 inch to each measurement because I intended to fold over the edges and use 1/4 inch seam allowances. However, it dawned on me that using thick terrycloth might make that a little tricky, and not so attractive. I decided to use an overcast stitch on my machine instead, just to keep the three raw edges from fraying. (This was a trick I discovered while working with all that fleece over Christmas!) A zig-zag stitch would work too.
Then I sewed on some velcro… One two-inch strip on the “flap” part (with the pre-finished edge), and one that was approximately eight inches to accommodate an ever-shrinking roll of TP.
It’s not the fanciest or most attractive thing I’ve ever made (and apparently I still need to trim a few stray threads!), but hopefully this will do the trick… at least until he figures out how to get this thing off!
Tags: tutorial
Posted by Megan Barr on Feb 16, 2010 in
Uncategorized I enjoy changing up a few decorations here and there according to the seasons and holidays, but I’m not the type to go all-out. And I DEFINITELY don’t like the jinky-junk decorations that just clutter up the countertops and become bait for my curious 17-month old. Well, my mom came to visit this week and brought a really fun project idea along that was perfect for my decorating needs. (The original idea came from a Utah State sewing class, but I tweaked it slightly.) It only requires four seams and about 15 minutes.
Supplies:
1/2 yard “feature” fabric (12″ wide)
1/3 yard coordinating fabric – for back and border (18″ wide)
coordinating thread
iron/ironing board
First, wash and dry your fabric, clean up frayed edges, and make sure the fabric is cut squarely. Then, with right sides together, sew up one of the long sides. (I HATE pinning and tend to avoid it at all costs. If you feel the need, pin the edges together before you sew.)
Sew up the other long side, matching the edges. This will form a “tube” and will not lay evenly like a pillow case.
Turn your tube right-side-out, and center the feature fabric in the middle. Your backing should create a nice little border on either side. Press… (Sidenote: Lesson learned from my first tutorial… I need to wash my ironing board cover!!! LOL)
Next, with the “right sides” (feature fabric side) together, sew up the short ends.
Trim the corners, and then all you have to do is flip the ends right-side-out so that they come to a point. Press the triangles on each end flat, and…
Voila! You have an adorable (and reversible!) table runner. To reverse it, simply flip it over, and turn the triangle “pockets” on each end inside-out. You may need to press the ends again to make it lie flat. The table runner will now only show the backing fabric.
The way I see it, the possibilities are endless! You could attach tassels to each end, or sew on some cute trims. You could use pre-quilted fabric, or anything else that tickles your fancy. Try one for each season and holiday. They fold flat for easy storage too! (Tip, next time you buy linens that come in those handy zippered plastic bags, save the bag and use it to store things like this!) This is also a great project for using up your fabric stash, and would make an awesome hand-made gift for friends and family. I’ve already got a huge stack of fabric pairs just waiting for me to sew ‘em up…
Try it, you’ll like it! (And let me see it when you’re done!)
***UPDATE***
I finished up my pile o’ fabric, and this is the result (in seasonal order, of course… and enlarged to show detail)… I still have some gaps to fill in, but this is a great start!
Tags: decoration, table runner, tutorial
Posted by Megan Barr on Feb 10, 2010 in
Uncategorized Several years ago, I stumbled upon FlyLady.net. The concept of Marla’s cleaning and organizing tasks was wonderful, and something I wanted to attain. But I wasn’t in the right place in life to really stick with it so I didn’t. For the last several months, I’ve been feeling very overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that surrounds me in my home. Maybe it’s because I spend more time at home than I used to (due to a combination of having a baby and being stuck inside during the winter), or maybe I’m just realizing that we really don’t need all that extra junk. We’ve actually been enjoying setting out an empty box and filling it with items to donate. Then, when the box is full, we call the Children’s Cancer Society and they come and pick it all up for free. So getting rid of the junk is great, but it just wasn’t satisfying enough. I was still feeling overwhelmed because I couldn’t keep up with cleaning and tidying.
Last week, I decided to look up the Fly Lady again. According to the “flight plan” for February, we are to commit to de-cluttering for just 15 minutes each day. I can totally do that! And so far, I’ve managed to stick with it. In fact, my kitchen counters (a very common breeding ground for clutter) have remained clutter-free and CLEAN all week long, and the organization is now spreading all over my house.
Last night, we had a really long night… we were up all night with Ryder who is suffering from his first ear infection. This morning was a hectic maze of doctors appointments and other daily tasks, and normally, this kind of day would leave me dreading the moment when Ryder woke up from his nap. There’s always more to do, and not enough kid-free time to get it done. Today, however, was different. When he woke up, I was calm and content because I could look around my house and be pleased with what I saw. It’s nowhere near perfect… but 15 minutes a day really does make a difference. My home is already at a point where I could calmly and proudly answer the door if a friend dropped by unannounced. How cool is that???
So if you haven’t already checked out FlyLady.net, I’d strongly encourage you to do so. If you’re like me, you’ll soak in everything she tells you, and then let it manifest in whatever way best fits your home and your lifestyle, even if you don’t follow it to the letter. But I guarantee you’ll see positive changes very quickly.
In Fly Lady vernacular, FLYing means Finally Loving Yourself… loving yourself and your home and your family enough to get everything in working order and stop living in CHAOS (Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome).
I’m finally FLYing!
Posted by Megan Barr on Feb 10, 2010 in
Uncategorized Sixteen years ago, I gave my life to the Lord. My testimony doesn’t include any scary stories of addiction or abuse. I didn’t get saved during a near-death experience. I was just a normal 13-year old girl who decided that it made sense. Jesus died for me, had this AWESOME gift to share, and all I had to do was commit myself to Him… so I did. I went on to become super-involved in my church’s youth group. I sang with the worship band, went to winter retreats and summer camps, and became a youth small group leader.
But I had never been baptized.
Now, I know that baptism isn’t what saves a person. But I also know that it’s something God commanded us to do. I’m not really sure why I never did it… It didn’t seem like too big of a deal to anyone at my church. No one ever shared with me that it was the next logical step in becoming a believer. It wasn’t until several years later that I learned it was something I should’ve done. But by then, everyone assumed I already had, so I just let it go.
Fast forward 15 years… We’re living in a new state, attending a new church. Practically every week, baptism is mentioned. And we’ve witnessed quite a few baptisms during our time here. It’s such a HUGE celebration… lots of music and cheering. The more I watched, the faster my heart would start to pound. I wanted to celebrate too… but more than that, I began to feel God really pressing on my heart to FINALLY publicly profess my faith in Him.
I strongly believe that God has a plan for everyone’s life… that concept is easy for me to grasp. A more difficult concept for me is the fact that His plans are often different than my own. But the hardest thing for me to accept is that his timing is usually WAAAAY different than mine. It’s taken me a long time to finally give up control, and I had to learn the hard way.
Five years ago, when Ryan and I began our journey toward parenthood, I never would’ve imagined that I would suffer three miscarriages in a row. How could that possibly be in God’s perfect plan for MY life? I may never have the answer to that question. But along the way, He taught me how to fully rely on Him… to give up all control and understand that He knows what’s best for me, and wants to use my life to impact someone else’s.
Over the last year, I’ve really been feeling compelled to dig in to my faith. Beth Moore says it best when she describes believing in God with a “present active participle” faith (meaning that you’re actively seeking a fluid, intimate relationship with Him). I’ve found myself thirsty to read the Word, which has happened many times in my life. But for the first time, I’m consistent in my quiet times. I’m participating in an awesome Beth Moore Bible study called “Believing God” and really trying to live out her five-statement pledge: God is who He says He is. God does what He says He can do. I am who God says I am. I can do all things through Christ. God’s word is alive and active in me.
In many ways, I feel like a brand-new Christian. I guess that’s refreshing, in a way. But when I finally put my finger on the feeling, it kinda took me by surprise. I’ve decided to embrace the new-ness of it all in the hope that this fire will continue to burn hotter and hotter within my heart.
Anyway, we just wrapped up a series at church called “Finding Your Way Back to God” (which is also kind of our church’s goal… to help people do so). The speaking pastors mentioned that they’d be doing one huge baptism blow-out at the end of it all, and I knew without a doubt I had to take part. I was really anxious about it all day, and I’m not sure why. I figured I’d be a crying, blubbering mess up there on that stage in front of ALL those people. But I was calm, and excited… and definitely ready. There were two tubs set up on the stage, and the worship band was rockin’ out as usual. They basically just filed us up there one at a time. Luckily, the water was warm… and Ryan was the one who got to baptize me. What a special moment for both of us!
When all was said and done, more than 200 people were baptized along with me that weekend.
YAY GOD! :)
Posted by Megan Barr on Feb 10, 2010 in
Uncategorized It appears that I’ve been neglecting my blog for quite some time. The last draft in the cache is from just after Halloween… and truthfully, I’m even more behind than that! In September, Ryder turned one. A business trip opportunity arose for Ryan, and it turned into an early birthday celebration for Ryder as well. We got to have a lovely, intimate, low-key birthday party in my parents’ backyard in California. And even though it was three weeks early, Ryder had a great time seeing everyone and being loved on and pampered. He got to to swimming for the first time (which wasn’t exactly his favorite activity) and played with lots of fun new toys. I made Boston Cream Cupcakes, and Ryder got a sugar-free carrot cupcake with no frosting. I know, I know… I’m “that mom” who won’t give her kid sugar, even on his special day. But he loved his cupcake, and I’m totally secure in my “that mom-ness.” :) 
Ryder’s first Halloween wasn’t really all that memorable. It was warm, which would’ve been important if we were braving the neighborhoods begging for candy trick-or-treating. But alas, he was too tiny to care (not that it hurt my feelings!) so we stayed home and hid in the basement in the hopes that pumpkin-toting goblins would skip our house and move on to the next. Before we went underground, we had fun with a photo shoot in a cute sleeper and hat from Grandma Barr.
Smiling in his sleep
This time, however, Ryder had just turned one. I still didn’t really care to spend a gazillion dollars on a costume he’d wear for an hour to our church’s Harvest Party BUT I found an adorable pair of pj’s that looked like a fireman’s uniform. They were half-price (BONUS!) so I snatched them up for $10, added a plastic hat and some boots and had an awesome costume. He LOVES that goofy hat, and must have it on while he’s playing at home, or something’s just not right. We enjoyed a fun gathering with our Little Smiles group (from Meetup.com), and also the church party.
In October, we also discovered that I was pregnant. However, upon our seeing our first (early) ultrasound, we were devastated to learn that this baby would be born straight into Heaven. After going through five unsuccessful rounds of Cytotec (a medication to help my body pass everything naturally), I still had to have my fourth D&C just before Thanksgiving. My mom, sister-in-law and niece came out for a lovely visit in October as well. We spent a lot of time lounging in our pj’s and browsing the aisles of the fabric store. It was fun to see the kids play together and try to figure each other out. 
In November, we flew to California for the Thanksgiving holiday, and turned half it into a business trip since Ryan attended a few meetings at Gallo while we were there. It was a good thing we had to extend our trip since we all got the stomach flu the night before we were originally supposed to return to Chicago. We were lucky to have Ryan’s parents (who somehow managed to escape illness) to look after Ryder while we slept all day. UGH! Other than the flu, we had a great time visiting with family. This year, we started a new tradition… instead of wasting Thanksgiving morning just sittin’ around, we decided to burn off some extra calories and help hungry people in the process. Joined by some of the Shafar family, we ran the Stockton Turkey Trot. It was a beautiful day, and the scenery was great since we ran around the waterfront and into the Ports stadium. 
There were 18 of us around the table for Thanksgiving dinner… what a blessing it was! Ryder enjoyed it more this year too, since he could actually EAT the food instead of just staring at it. :) 
Three weeks later, we flew back to CA for Christmas. We had a great time at the park, visiting with family, and of course opening presents. Ryder was a busy little elf on Christmas morning. He reorganized all the presents under the tree, and then helped us rip them all open. The weekend following Christmas, we had our annual Clan McFarland gathering where all my aunts, uncles and cousins get together. Then, for the second year in a row, we celebrated our anniversary on a plane headed back to Chi-town. 
We rang in the New Year with a quiet evening at home, recovering from our trip. We got up early the next morning and headed into the City to run the New Year’s 5K. I say “run” with a grain of salt. We were on snow-covered ground in sub-zero temperatures, and ended up walking most of the way because my tired body just couldn’t hack it. BUT we finished it, and wear our shirts proudly. :)
Our only other big news for January was that we had to get a new furnace. Definitely not a highlight, but necessary anyway since our old one was slowly leaking carbon monoxide. And of course, it had to stop working on a day when the forecasted high was around 10 degrees (not including wind chill). Never a dull moment around here!
So here we are, ten days into February… So far, Ryan has officially registered for the Chicago Marathon, Ryder developed his first ear infection, and I FINALLY got baptized… more on that in another post.
Whew! Finally caught up… quick and dirty, but it does the job.
