Lamb’s Wool and Easter Bunnies

At 18 months old, I’m fully aware that my son doesn’t yet grasp the “reason for the Easter season.”  But I figured that he’s old enough to have a great time picking up plastic eggs and jamming them into a basket or bag of some sort.  I’m trying hard to reduce the amount of clutter in my home overall, and make things easier to organize and keep tidy.  For that reason, I knew that a regular store-bought Easter basket just wasn’t gonna cut it.  They’re WAY too hard to store without causing some sort of damage.

I searched everywhere for patterns, but didn’t find anything I liked until I stumbled upon this tutorial from Reuse, Recycle, Resweater.  How cute is that???  It looked simple enough, so I headed to Goodwill to see if I could find any sweaters.  I was very disappointed in their selection… guess I’ll have to wait a few more months till people have donated their winter wear.  I ended up bringing home three very different sweaters, but apparently didn’t pay too much attention to “the rules.”  I should have bought a children’s sized wool sweater.  I had one wool sweater and one children’s sweater… but it wasn’t the same one  :)

I tried my luck with the (cotton) children’s sweater, and it just stretched itself into oblivion on the first seam.  So I abandoned all the cotton ones and went for the wool cardigan.  I almost felt guilty cutting it up.  It probably belonged to some sweet old lady who sat in a rocker with a vintage hand-sewn quilt over her lap.  But the guilt didn’t last that long, and my scissors and I made quick work of cutting off the bottom of the sweater.  It didn’t take long for me to determine that I wouldn’t be able to use this particular sweater the way the afore-mentioned tutorial directed me to.  From then on, I was on my own.

With some brightly colored buttons from my stash, some leftover denim from my hamper re-do, and some red bias tape, I turned this:

into THIS:

It’s slouchy, and soft so it’s easy to store without the fear of permanently damaging it.  There’s plenty of room for LOTS of eggs… especially if he shoves a couple extras in these handy pockets.

I’ll have to update this photo with one of Ryder actually hunting eggs, but in the meantime, it’s a hit!  Luckily for me, you can’t inspect it too closely from your computer, so you won’t know how imperfect it is.  But it’s certainly made with love.

I’ll be keeping my eye out for the perfect sweater, and maybe someday I’ll successfully create the basket I set out to make in the first place 

Tags: Easter, refashion

Pants on the Ground… a Toddler Belt Tutorial

My 18-month old son is still wearing 12-month pants… and even some of those are too big in the waist.  We really only have a couple of pairs that fit well, and the rest, we just tolerate.  I’ve tried buying the ones that come with that hidden adjustable elastic, but even those are too big.  My goal was to just make it to summer when length wouldn’t matter and I could buy smaller sizes that would fit him properly, but he’s growing taller already.  So I had to do something…  I remembered seeing something like this on the internet a while back, so tonight I set out to create my own.  To my surprise, it worked AND it was relatively easy!

Supplies: one length of 1-inch cotton or nylon strap, grosgrain ribbon (7/8 or 1-inch), “one-piece design” sew-on velcro (it sticks to itself, there are not two different pieces).

Please note… It’s a bit tricky for me to write tutorials.  Since I dislike pinning and measuring, I tend to “just do it” and not pay too much attention to those types of details.  This makes it difficult for the end product to be replicated exactly.  Hopefully there’s enough information here for you to try it on your own, but feel free to ask questions if you have any.  The following measurements are perfect for my son, and will allow for him to grow a bit more.  Please measure your own child and adjust the lengths of these materials accordingly.

Also please note… The ribbon used in the following tutorial photos was only 5/8″ because I had a hard time finding attractive “boy” ribbon.  I would highly recommend using 7/8 or 1″ for a cleaner look.

I cut my strap to 23″, and folded over the ends about 1/4″ and secured them with a zig-zag stitch.  I literally went back and forth over it about 5 times, just to be safe   Make sure that you fold both ends to the “wrong” side.  There really is no “wrong” side on a strap, but you’ll create one when you fold the first end over.

Next, attach one end of your ribbon the wrong end of your strap, and secure with a zig-zag stitch.  I cut my ribbon about 1 1/2″ longer than my strap.

Fold the ribbon over the edge, and pull the ribbon and strap taught, wrapping the ribbon around the other end… secure the second end with a zig-zag.  DO NOT sew the main part of the ribbon to the strap yet.  You will have created a full loop (for now).

Now it’s time to attach the velcro.  I used two 8″ strips.  Sew the velcro to the wrong side of each end, using a straight stitch.  Just be sure that you keep your ribbon out of the way.

All that’s left now is to secure the ribbon to the “right side” of the belt.  I used a straight stitch and sewed as close to the edge as I could possibly get.  When I was going through all three pieces, I kinda had to muscle the belt through my machine because the teeth on the velcro were holding tight to the feed dogs.  Again, I would recommend using wider ribbon than this, and when you do, the strap will be less visible.

Now insert the belt, velcro side up, through every belt loop…

Center the belt, and then fold each tab back on itself, sticking the velcro together on each side.

From the back, the ribbon will not show.  (Please forgive the beet stains… lol)

Front view… If I had used wider ribbon, those seams be hidden.

Here’s the view from the sides, using a wider ribbon… a much cleaner look.

These are awesome because there are no uncomfortable buckles to mess with.  You won’t have to remove the belt for diaper changes, and your potty-trained kids won’t have to stress about getting them undone and re-buckled by themselves… but their pants won’t be on the ground either!  You’ll be saving money as well because A) this is an inexpensive project, and B) you won’t be wasting money on those cute outfits you couldn’t use because the pants didn’t fit.

Ryder wore ill-fitting pants all day today, and they continually ended up around his ankles (literally).  So while he was napping, I ran to JoAnn’s (don’t worry, Ryan was home!) and picked up the materials.  Before dinner, I whipped one up, and we tested it out by going out to dinner.  His pants stayed put!!!  I was teasing Ryan that I was glad Ryder was a boy because this project was so easy (and so rewarding!) that I’d make a million of them with all the cute ribbon that’s available.  But it’s much harder to find great ribbon for boys, so I’m forced to just make what we need. 

Here’s what it looks like in action

Tags: tutorial

An Attitude of Gratitude

Our church started a new series today… “Our Father… 66 Words you thought you knew.”  Each week, our pastors will be breaking down The Lord’s Prayer and really “unpacking” each verse so that it’s more meaningful to us.  If you’ve heard that prayer, you’ve probably heard it a million times, and take for granted its original intention… I know I do.  But it’s Jesus’ model for how we should pray, so I suppose it’s worth paying attention to 

So this morning, the verse was Matthew 6:9… “Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.”  The dictionary definition of the word hallowed is “regarded as holy; sacred.”  By beginning his prayer this way, Jesus is suggesting that we begin our prayers by praising God, worshiping Him for his holiness.  But the kicker is that worship shouldn’t only be reserved for church or prayer.  We are called to worship God with our lives – all day, every day.  Today’s speaking pastor, Shawn Williams, encouraged us to live with an attitude of gratitude this week… being thankful, even for the littlest things.

I definitely fall pray to periods in my life where my worship is compartmentalized, and only happens at church.  But as Shawn suggested, by changing my focus and being thankful all day, even for the seemingly insignificant, I won’t be able to stop worshiping.  It will come naturally.  So I’ve accepted his challenge, and found myself being easily conscious of everything I’m thankful for.

Today, I’m thankful that our week has gone smoothly (for the most part) while Ryan was out of the country.  I’m thankful that Ryder slept well, and allowed me to get showered before he woke up this morning so that we could make it to church on time.  I’m even thankful for the up-close parking spot we got at Costco so that we didn’t have to be in the cold wind too long.  (C’mon… you know you’re always thankful for that too!)

But my biggest “thankful” moment came when I picked Ryder up from Kids’ City after the service.  There’s a new leader in Ryder’s classroom, and I’m sorry to say that I haven’t even learned her name yet.  But I’m grateful for her and the impact she’s having on my baby.  Every week, even in the toddler room, they have a brief lesson that teaches them whatever the adults are learning, but in an age-appropriate way.  They always do some sort of craft, and are being taught how to pray before they have their snack.  When we pick them up, we get to take home their creation along with a little note explaining what they learned that day and encouraging us to continue the discussion throughout the week.  This is what we brought home today:

I know that this doesn’t mean much to most people… After all, it is just a bunch of purple scribbles on a page.  But this represents a million things to me, most of which I can’t effectively explain.  It reminds me that God knows even the smallest children by name, and wants them to come to know Him… He knows my son.  How cool is that?  But it also reveals one of my short-comings as a parent.  I have taken for granted the fact that Ryder is so young, and made the assumption that I don’t have to worry about teaching him lessons like these (yet) because he’s “too little to understand.”  And while it’s true that he probably doesn’t comprehend the meaning of what’s being read to him, it’s never too early to start trying to get the point across.  I just about burst into tears when his teacher handed him over the gate to me and cheerfully exclaimed, “He said ‘Jesus’ today!”  Again, I’m quite sure he doesn’t grasp the meaning of the word he repeated… but I can add this to my list of thankful moments for today.

I’m looking forward to the next few weeks we are given more insight into this most important prayer… and I’m hopeful that I’ll remember this day, and continue to live with an attitude of gratitude.

By the way… if you’re interested in hearing this message (or any other), visit www.communitychristian.org.

Ah, the Little Things!

I LOVE my reusable grocery bags!  I even remember to take them with me to the grocery store about 95% of the time.  But we didn’t have a great place to store them, so they just sat in an annoying pile on the dryer, and got in the way.  Not long ago, I was walking through Target and came upon some wire mesh magazine holders in the office supply section, and an idea was born.  I brought home two of them, and used one in the laundry room to hold our grocery bags, and one in the garage to hold our reusable Costco bags.  I just hung them on the wall using Monkey Hooks (which are AWESOME, by the way!).  This picture is terrible, but this is a Monkey Hook:

You can see one that’s already been installed in the wall in the upper right corner of the photo.  We discovered these bad boys when we first moved to IL, and promptly discarded all of our fancy photo hanging equipment.  These are cheap, easy to use, and in my opinion, much sturdier.

Anyway… Now my grocery bags are neatly tucked away on the wall, and not scattered all over the counters and other horizontal surfaces.

Fast forward to yesterday… Ryder and I were on another trip to Target, and happened to discover other mesh baskets that were similar to the magazine holders, only they were shorter.  The best part was, they were on CLEARANCE!!!  So for less than $4, I couldn’t just leave them sitting there.  I bought three, even though I only had a for-sure use for one of them.  Our laundry room is very small, and serves as the passageway to and from the garage.  Keeping it clear of clutter is quite a challenge.  There are a couple of small wire shelves on one wall that hold my laundry detergent and cleaning supplies, but my Swiffer is always getting knocked down and usually ends up falling into the dogs’ water bowl.  With the help of the Monkey Hooks, I stuck one of the wire baskets next to our coat rack.  It’s now a great place to stash my sh-mop covers (www.cleanteam.com) and my Swiffer.  I’d like to get another basket to put on the other side of the coat rack for hats and gloves.

It didn’t take long for me to figure out what to do with the other two baskets.  Using the same strategy as with the grocery bags, I attached them to the wall above my sewing machine.  Now I can keep all the bits and pieces for my current projects in there where they’re out of reach of a certain curious monkey I know.  And the added bonus is that my sewing table is instantly clutter-free.  I’m gonna get two more baskets for the other side of the window to help minimize the clutter on my computer desk as well.  They’ll be a great place for assignments I’m working on, etc… and Ryder can’t reach them.  YAY!!!

This wasn’t a major undertaking… cheap and easy, which makes it even better.  But SOOOOOO effective.  Gotta love the little things in life, huh?  :)

Tags: decluttering, organization

TP Troubles… Problem Solved

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

Super-Easy Table Runner… My First Tutorial!

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

FLYing

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!

Making Waves

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!  :)

Catching Up

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.

Hamper Re-do

I LOVE Ryder’s crib bedding.  Ryan picked it out before we knew if we were having a boy or girl, so it’s gender neutral, and even educational.    You know how it goes… once you pick out the bedding, you can’t live without the multitude of accessories that accompany it: the lamp, the valance, the diaper stacker… and the laundry hamper.  In all honesty, we skipped everything but the actual bedding (which included the valance) and the hamper.  We didn’t get to set any of it up until about 2 weeks before Ryder was born because we moved, and then I got West Nile Virus.  But his room is one of my favorite places in the whole house.

I’m sure you can relate to a scenario I find myself facing fairly often: You set up a room, and you love it.  But then you live with it for a while, and use everything in it a certain way.  You find out (the hard way) what works and what doesn’t, and then you have to rethink your set-up.  For the most part, Ryder’s nursery looks the same today as it did a year ago.  However, I became increasingly frustrated with that blasted laundry hamper.  At first, it was great.  It holds a lot of clothes, towels, and crib sheets; and it has a mesh bag that you can pull out and take down to the laundry room.  But the more I used it, the shakier the frame became.  Eventually, every time I took the bag out, the entire frame would come apart, leaving me with a crumpled pile of fabric and wooden dowels.  So despite it’s attractive appearance and theoretical functionality, I HAD to figure out something different.

While walking through Babies R Us one day, I stumbled upon an adorable froggy shaped collapsible hamper… a one-piece masterpiece of green mesh and nylon.  It happened to be on sale, so I didn’t hesitate to toss it in my cart and take it home.  (I’ll have to try to remember to get a picture of it tomorrow since Ryder’s already in Dreamland.)  This freed me up to add the existing hamper to the Children’s Cancer Society donation box.  But every time I walked by the box, that darn hamper caught my eye.  I just couldn’t bear to part with it, so I had to find a new purpose for its life in our home.

The flap that covers the top was really the springboard for my new project… So I cut it off, and then disassembled the rest of the hamper.  From Joann Fabrics, I gathered some denim, nylon straps, and strap adjusters and set to work.  That flap turned into the back and top flap for Ryder’s new backpack.  I salvaged two nice pieces of velcro from the bottom of the hamper to serve as the closure (under the strip of brown suede).

Loosely measuring each part, and kinda piecing together as I went along, I ended up with another product I’m really proud of.  I used a little bit of leftover quilt batting from another project to pad the straps, and even added a loop to hang it from.

The lining is made from the main part of the hamper.

I was able to use it already tonight… I packed up some toys to take with us to small group.  It’s the perfect size for a few toys, a couple of books, and maybe a small blankie… which makes it perfect for plane flights to California.    I guess I’ll also have to try to remember to get a picture of Ryder wearing it.

I’m really getting a kick out of trying to look at the things I already own and trying to find ways to breathe new life into them.  Here’s to the next re-do!