Some good news to (almost) share.

 typical nightime crazies before bedtime

I don't talk very much about my husband on my blog.  It's pretty strange when I stop and think about it--because off of my blog I'm always prattling on about "Charlie this" and "Charlie that."  He's just always on my mind.

Charlie keeps to himself, is pretty private and reserved--not boastful, not show-y.  So if he had a blog, he would never post about some good news he recently received in his professional life.

But me?  Well, when it comes to these things, I'm pretty much the polar opposite to him.  And so I would like nothing more than to shout to the world all the details, including how proud I am of him. 

But I can also compromise.  So I'll just put a hint out there--and it'll make sense to all of my military friends who check in (hi guys!).  A wetting down will be in order soon.  Insert proud goofy wife grin here.

After asking everyone to settle down. And I really wish I could say that it is unusual for Max to use Will's head as a footrest.

Fun experimenting: iron-ons from plastic bags.

Did anyone else immediately move Filth Wizardry's recent tutorial to the tippity top of their 'must-try' list?  I was staying off of most craft blogs last week because I was trying to get things done for the boys' party.  But then my friend sent me a link and I just had to peek--because it was for DIY iron-ons!  I did manage to wait until the day after the party before I tried it.  And yes, such restraint was hard for me.  I'm just not a particularly patient person.

For my first go, I decided to embellish a kitchen towel.  I figured it would be a good test on how it holds up in the wash.  Go to Filth Wizardry's genius site for the full tute.  But here's my shorthand version:

First, I asked Leo what home meant to him.  He said "love."  That boy can melt me, my goodness.  We wrote it down, then I reverse-traced it with a red sharpie onto a scrap of plastic (a ziploc plastic bag).

I placed it on the kitchen towel, covered it with parchment paper, and ironed it with a hot, dry, iron.

It took a fair amount of pressure to make it adhere, especially around the edges.  But adhere it did.  And I really liked how it turned out.  We'll see if it holds up!

I then decided to try out some other plastic packaging...

Totally cheesy design, I know.  But I really don't have much plastic to pick from around here (these scraps were left over from water bottles bought for the boys' party).  Cannot wait to experiment more--stay tuned.

Birthdays 2010.

The boys' birthday party was yesterday and it was a lot of fun.  We've never before held it outside of the home--definitely a new experience.  It takes A LOT of planning to make sure you haul everything with you.  But the zero post-party clean up was awesome.  Really awesome, actually.  And so I'm on the fence as to what we'll do next year.  Luckily, the boys have a year to decide--a fact they are none too happy about ("a whole year momma?").

The mini-theme I alluded to was 'spring'.  Not much of a theme, I know.  But we are planting a garden this year (Charlie just finished the raised garden bed!  More on that later...) and the boys are pretty excited.  So I made dirt cupcakes with mini shovel toppers.  To make the shovels, I assembled two types of pretzel bits to fashion a handle and used a cinnamon toast cereal bit for the blade.  It sort of worked...

Many shovels broke en route to the party, grrr.  The dirt cupcakes also sported sprinkles for 'seeds' and lots of gummy worms...

And because I was not 100% sure that the cupcakes looked even remotely like what I was shooting for (little garden plots), I put out a sign to hopefully clue everyone in...

 

For the favors, the boys helped me put together planter buckets.  We found tins in the $1 section at Target and we punched drainage holes in the bottom.  We threw in some rocks, bags of potting soil, and rounds of seed blanket (a butterfly garden mix that we cut down to size.  Found it at Home Depot--really hope it works!).

To top off the instructions on how to plant the seed blanket, I put together a "photo strip" of the boys with a little message (idea from Young House Love).

Once everything was assembled, I realized that some kids might be let down that there was no candy.  Specifically, my kids.  So I caved and added some gummy worms.

 

At the party, which was held at The Little Gym, the boys enjoyed stretching their muscles and running around like crazy ("run inside, momma?  Reeeeallly?!").

    

I completely forgot to take pictures of the decorated party room, but the background in some of the shots reveals that  the bunting did indeed make it.  Bunting makes me happy. 

And every year, after the party, I am reminded of a certain quote.  Some of you quote wise, historic figures.  But my mind holds onto quotes like these:  from over a decade ago, when my law school roommate, Jenn, and I were watching a Letterman interview with Janeane Garofalo (remember her?).  And in discussing her recent and significant weight loss, Ms. Garofalo revealed that her weight was a constant battle because she often "disguises the sin of gluttony in the nobility of not being wasteful."  Amen, sister.  I have more than a dozen cupcakes left over from the party.  And being wasteful is a terrible thing...

p.s.  I'm linking up to DIY Day over at A Soft Place to Land. 

Reverse applique, birthday shirts.

I finished the boys' birthday shirts today.  I used some coordinating tees and went with reverse applique.  I've previously posted on how I sometimes use phonebook paper for more detailed appliques when I'm too lazy or rushed to cut out detailed shapes.  But with simple shapes and numbers, here's how I do it.

First, I head to my computer and use a word processing program to pick a font that has nice clean lines (so it won't be fussy to sew around).  I scale it to the size I want by playing with the font size and bold option.  I print it and cut out the number.

Next, I turn the t-shirt inside out and pin my contrast fabric to the area I plan to embellish.  I then just tape the number down to hold it in place.  

I sew a smidge outside the paper template...

 

...then trim and cut the t-shirt fabric away from the top to reveal the applique. 

I then repeat two more times because Charlie has not yet taken over dressing the boys to "man" things up a bit.  I think I have a few years before that happens.  Or roughly three more outfits where I use turqoise--whichever comes first. 

I think the boys will look nice in their special bday tees at their no-themed-party party*.  I'll try to get some action shots.  Because let's face it.  I do these primarily for the photo op.  Happy Friday!

 

*Incidentally, I just might be sneaking a wee bit of a theme into the no-themed-party party.  And I am well aware that this will shock exactly no one.   

Retail therapy.

I think you must know by now that Liberty of London launched at Target.  And if you do not know what I'm talking about, it's not a bad thing.  Not at all. Because it means you do not have to ban yourself from Target.  But me?  For me, it has required a self-imposed ban simply because I know I would not be able to resist picking up many, many things in one of Liberty's iconic floral prints.  I was doing pretty great, really.  My plan was to wait it out a bit, ponder what I really wanted, then just dash in for a few melamine plates or maybe a cute teapot.  The problem with my plan is that things are selling out left and right.

So when we headed to Cincinnati and I forgot to pack a swimsuit (a problem because we had planned a day at an indoor water park), I did not put up a fight when we headed to Target for an emergency suit.  "Get in, get the suit, get out," I said to myself.

And I'm happy to report that I did not spend our summer vaction fund on an entire line of Liberty dining and serving ware!  Okay, fine.  I can't actually claim that with any degree of smugness because truth be told, Charlie grimaced every time I held anything up and headed for the cart.  It just wasn't going to happen.  But I could not, would not, leave without the tunic  pictured below.  Charlie says it looks exactly like something his grandmother wore--to which I replied, "exactly!"

It's technically a swim cover up but I'm loving it as a belted tunic.  It even works tucked in because it is such a light fabric and doesn't get bulky when bunched up.  I just looked to see if it's available online and it's showing up as sold out--and it's going for almost twice retail on Ebay (which is where I snagged this photo...my tunic is in the wash because I may or may not have worn it four times in the past week).  Snatch one up if you see one.  It puts a spring in your step, I promise. 

p.s.  While on the swimsuit hunt in Cincy, we also stopped into Sears to check out Lands' End.  Ummmm, hello?  When did their Canvas line launch?  Holy moly.  I am now banned from there too.

And we're back.

Actually, we got back late last week and rolled right into Easter.  And we are never doing that again.  It's not that the boys weren't great on the trip to OH (they were), or that we didn't have a great time visiting family (we did)...it's just that I had no time at all to do any Easter crafting.  And that makes me a sad sack because I just love Easter.  Hmmph. 

We did manage to dye some eggs.  Last year, we used all natural, homemade, dyes.  But it takes a long time for the eggs to take on the colors from natural dyes (think beets/dissolved paprika/boiled spinach or red onion skins/coffee)--we had to let a lot of the eggs sit in the colored concoctions overnight.  But this year, in the interest of instant gratification, we went PAAS + crayons all the way.

We also managed an egg hunt.  The phrase "elbows out" came to mind when watching the older boys go at it...

We assigned my mother as Will's bodyguard and she led him to some discoveries... 

I should also mention, before I forget, that we had a wonderful time in Cincinnati.  I did eat my fair share, but I also got in the two training runs I hoped for--one was an easy 3 miles and the other was the longest run I've done yet--8 miles.  (Gah!  Cannot believe I just typed that.  Please remember that I am not a runner.)  It really helped that we ran at a lovely park--Whitewater, or something, I think.  Charlie's folks entertained the boys while we ran.

Then we all had ice cream.  With sprinkles.  They evidently don't skimp on sprinkles in Cincy.

I have lots more to share about the trip but I must turn to getting a few things ready for the boys' bday party this weekend.  Busy, busy, busy...and btw, how is it April already?!!

Happy spring break!

Just a quick post to wish everyone a happy spring break.  We're headed to Cincinnati to visit Charlie's family.  My goals for the trip are simple:  1)  not eat at Skyline every day; 2) get in two training runs; 3) not eat at Greaters ice cream every day; 4) survive the 8 hour drive (each way) with three kids in the car; and 5) not eat at Izzy's every day.  If you've never been to Cincinnati, this post will mean little to you. But if you have--then you know (and no I did not forget Montgomery Inn, there just isn't time!).  My extra chins and I will be back next week.

Squeek WorryWoo give away result.

According to Random.org's random integer generator, the winning comment is #7, written by Jessica, who said,

"Looks fun! Our oldest -- 4 1/2 -- is all about monsters lately. He'd LOVE this! :)."

Congrats Jessica!  Be on the lookout for my email.  Thanks again to Andi Green, creator of the WorryWoo Monsters, for generously sponsoring the give away.  And thanks to everyone who entered!

  

Running update.

I know I mentioned that I signed up to run the Marine Corps Historic Half marathon.  And that I started training.  But have I stressed enough that I am not a runner?  At all.  Some days, I want to be a runner, which in my mind means someone who truly enjoys running.  Really, I do.  Because so many friends run and love it.  And my dad runs, and Charlie runs--that makes an impression, right?  But most days, it's still the same:  when I run, my mind screams at me the entire first ten or so minutes, telling me to stop.  I sort of think this means I'm not meant to be a runner.

But I signed up for this race.  And I'm the kind of goal-oriented person that a training schedule really speaks to.  So I've been running, running, running.  It's week three and I can now go a bit over 5 miles.  I just have to ignore my inner monologue the first mile or two.  It's going well enough that I believe I will run and finish the race come mid May.  But I still don't know if that will make me a runner.  And I'm pretty sure that without a goal, I might give it all up.  So I emailed my good friend the following:

"As my only other non running friend who occasionally runs, thought you would appreciate this:  I did 5 miles the other day.  On my own (i.e. w/o Charlie shaming me into not stopping).  And w/o the ipod!!  But don't get me wrong, I still don't like it.

Wanna do the Army 10 miler?  Sign up is April 1st while you are away so we'd have to plan ahead (the race is Sun Oct 24th)."

Harmless enough, right?  Hmmph.  In return I get this:

"Dear Sender,
Thank you for your email, but I fear it has been sent in error. It was obviously meant for a person who thinks running is a good idea, and not merely something to be done to justify eating an extra Krispy Kreme donut. Or perhaps for someone who feels she should be prepared in case the latter half of the fight or flight instinct kicks in, and not someone who'd rather take a shooting class to better prepare her for the former half of said instinct.

In any case, I wish you the best of luck in finding a willing partner for your endeavors. Should you come to realize the error of your ways, please let me know so we can have a latte together at an open cafe and watch the insane masses jog by.

With best regards,
A sane person"

I laughed very hard and told her I was sharing.  I think I have just found a new goal!

p.s.  We had a lot of birthdays this past week.  Two were ours--Max turned 7 and Will turned 2, so we had two school celebrations, two day-of dinner celebrations, and one family party over the weekend.  We also squeezed in a family friend's birthday party.  We will not be quantifying the aggregate calorie intake.    

Birthday planning.

We are doing something different this year for the boys' combined birthday party.  Usually, we invite friends from all circles to come over to the house to celebrate.  It's great fun seeing everyone and the boys really love it.  They usually invite friends from school, preschool, the neighborhood, our play groups, as well as friends from their former day care...it's usually quite a group!  But this year, it's not really an option because our yard is a soggy marsh from all of the snow and recent rains.  And because we always rely on outdoor space for the kids to run around and play, we thought it best not to do it here in the spring.

Instead, the plan is to do a smaller party at a gym with each boy inviting a handful of classmates, along with other close family friends.  And we'll hold off throwing a big party until summer when our yard will hopefully dry out enough to set up some outdoor games.

So with that settled, I have discovered that I'm at a bit of a loss because there is very little to do in the way of planning for their party.  Usually we pick a theme and I go from there.  But since we're having it at a Little Gym location, the facility has their own format and timeline.  And there is a smallish room for food and cake after the gym play.  "Small" doesn't really work for the kind of food spread my family usually puts out at a party so I guess we'll go the pizza route?  But I'd still like to put out something for the grown ups to nibble on.  And I know I'll still do cake.  But can I fit in the dessert bar?  I think the boys might not know it's their birthday if there are no cut-out cookies.  And cake pops.  But we'd have to transport all of that, along with the kidlets.  Hmmmm.  Again, at a complete loss....

But I did send out the invitations.  I made three sets.  One for each of the older boys to give to their classmates and a combined one to give to family friends.  I was so excited when I saw this mini bunting card on How About Orange because I knew it would be perfect for my, er, I mean, the boys' non-themed-party party.  Because I'll tell you what.  Even if we're not doing any of the 5 (or 12) themes we started brainstorming about (think of how ahead we are for next year!), there will be bunting somewhere somehow in that little room.  My poor husband.

Happy Friday!