Addison's Dress and Accident

i love having my sewing machine fixed! i found a tutorial online that teaches you how to repurpose a man's t-shirt into a dress and three weeks ago i made this for addison:she wore it to church today with some white stockings. it's not perfect, but considering i haven't made a clothing item since i was in fourth grade, i was pretty happy with it.addison went to church in underwear today! she's done with potty training, but has trouble going poops on the potty. she's very good at telling us that she need to go poo-poo, but when we sit her down on the potty she'll get a scared look on her face and say "no!" the poor girl has sometimes even held it for a day or so because she's so scared. i put a diaper on her and told her to to poops in that last week, but an hour later she still hadn't gone. then, out of the blue, she ran to me in the office yelling "POO-POO!" so we went into the bathroom. when she saw the potty she started shaking her head and crying. i told her to just go in her diaper she had on, but i think she was afraid of getting in trouble. she started running around the bathroom on her tip toes and crying, trying to hold it. i felt so bad for her, but she wouldn't listen to me when i told her it was okay to go in her diaper. then all of a sudden she stopped crying, bent forward slightly, and her face went dark red. she couldn't hold it any longer. the past three days have been much better and i think she understands where to go now.

today she wore her new dress to church with panties and stockings. kyle took her potty just before and after the second. after church they came and waited for me to finish talking to several people in the YW's room. then megan oliver got my attention when she asked me if addison was potty trained and pointed to addy. i looked over and to my disappointment saw a huge puddle on the carpet between addison's feet. she was looking at the puddle, like she was curious about it along with megan's two little girls. so kyle took her panties and stockings off and cleaned her up while i soaked up the nice little puddle addison left behind. after seven or eight trips back and forth from the bathroom i was done. of course everyone who walked past me was wondered why i was on my hands and knees and asked me what i was doing. i think the whole ward knows by now that my baby marked her territory in the church building. all well.
now on to happy news. i went to the doctor on wednesday and found out i was 85% effaced and 2 cm dilated! hopefully this time around, i'll go into labor early and on my own. in the above picture (taken today) i am 36 weeks, three days along. three and a half weeks left. at this point, baby mac is so big that i often have to push my stomach back in where she is poking out to relieve the uncomfortableness - is that even a word? i'm hoping she'll be no bigger than eight pounds. cross your fingers for me.sweet addison kisses are the best thing in life - i can't get enough.

Recycled Christmas Ornament

so this cute craft is one i found on accident and i thought it was sooo adorable!! the website is http://crunchydomesticgoddess.com/. (i dont know how to type the word "here" and create a link so i posted her home address. if you would like to help me learn, leave a comment or maybe show me in person. i would appreciate it!) the blogger's name is Amy Gates and she is trying to make recycled holiday crafts - ornaments especially. i think this grinch is so cute, don't you?!

Supplies

Standard Light Bulb or Wooden Bulb

Pencil

Transfer Paper (if needed to trace pattern)

Aleene’s Premium Coat Acrylic Paint Colors: Holiday Green, Light Yellow, True Red, Burgundy, Yellow Ochre

Sponge Brush (spouncer works well)

#2 and #6 Shader Brush

Decorative Snow

Permanent Ink Marker (fine point)

Ribbon (for hanger)

Glue Gun

Clear Matte Spray Sealer

Directions

1. Wash light bulb and dry thoroughly.

2. Basecoat bulb holiday green using 2 coats, let dry in between coats. (hint: I use a basic socket fixture, the kind you affix to the ceiling to hold my bulbs while I base coat, otherwise you have to hold until paint dries).

3. Basecoat metal part of bulb true red using 2 coats.

4. Basecoat the face with light yellow.

5. Overpaint the face using a thinned holiday green (2 parts water 1 part paint). Let dry completely.

6. Draw or trace pattern on with pencil.

7. Paint the nose holiday green.

8. Using #2 shader dry brush (load your brush and then wipe off on a paper towel until the brush seems dry) holiday green in eyelids, under nose and mouth.

9. Paint eyes using light yellow. Paint pupils burgundy and highlight with a small dot of light yellow. Paint top of eye using yellow ochre.

10. Use black permanent pen to outline the face features.

11. Hot glue a small loop of ribbon to the very top for hanger.

12. Using decorative snow paint over hot glue at the top and around the bottom of metal part for hat band. Let dry completely.

13. Spray seal with clear matte spray.

14. ENJOY YOUR GRINCH!

on amy's website she shows you how to also make a light bulb ornament into the character "mumble" from happy feet as well as snowman tea lights from baby food jars.

Crafting Sorrows

i found another craft blog today. i saved the link so you can check it out too. i could sit and read these blogs for hours on end. how are people so stinkin creative? it's really not fair. i get so excited reading these blogs and seeing the ideas they have. probably should stop moping (sp?)and try some of them out. problem is once i am done, where do i display them? my house is tiny and already has too much furniture and nick-knacks. second, where do i store them when they are not on display? i have already used up all my storage space plus more. thirdly and most important. the craft blogs i find are made by women who see potential with all kinds of things from thrift stores. okay, this last one is actually two different problems. #1 - i don't have the eye for seeing potential and #2 - kyle would probably be frustrated if i start spending what we are trying to save for a house and such. which, sadly, i understand that frustration.

i need something to do while my baby is sleeping. something constructive, useful, and cheap. maybe one project a month. then i won't end up with too much "junk" too fast and it would go easy on the pocket book. i could even give them away as gifts. (that reminds me. this christmas, kyle and i are having a homemade christmas. that way the season is more about the giving and quality of the gift than the spending. i have a few ideas of what i want to do for him, but would appreciate any suggestions. remember last christmas i made him a quilt? something like that.) so if you think of any crafts i can do to help me get off my butt, i would love you forever. that should totally be more than enough incentive for you.

What are We Up To?

eight things i did today:

*slept in until eleven thirty (kyle is so nice to take care of addison for me in the morning. i am going to miss that when he goes to work monday)
*cleaned the house (more or less delegated the cleaning)
*went grocery shopping (yeck!)
*loved on my baby (funny thing. in the shower today i bit her cute, little butt. and then i made a little growl. don't worry, it was a clean BABY butt. and i didn't bite it hard, but she made the cutest little pout and then cried. so i comforted her and then shaped my fingernails like my mouth and pinched her butt. at the same time, i growled again. i made sure i was softer than before, but still her little lip came out and she cried. maybe it just scared her, but it was so cute!)
*made dinner (lemon chicken: DIVINE)
*made homemade ice cream (peach, also divine)
*more cleaning
*cuddled with my hubbs (love him!)

kyle and i are babysitting again. this time for my parents. my dad gets home friday, but maybe we'll stay a few extra days and help out with my sisters until mom returns. they can be hard. speaking of them, i am very proud. they have seen my chore chart i made for them and have helped to keep the house in shape with hardly any sass. they want to see harry potter this weekend too much too sass or not do their chores. threatening their ticket does wonders. nice.

i think that tomorrow i am going to make orange rolls. delicious. in my opinion, which is the only opinion that matters, orange rolls are the best and are WAY better than cinnamon rolls. don't get me wrong, i love a good cinnamon roll on christmas morning, but the sugar on those things can be overpowering. besides citrus is the way to go in the summer. i have been craving them for a while. want to join? if you are near sossaman and the 60 tomorrow, come on over. you can finish off your hot roll with leftover peach ice cream. homemade, i swear. imagine. hot and tangy, then cold and sweet. perfect. dang, i just remembered that i am about a pound away from my weight goal. not that i have been dieting OR exercising. in fact, i don't even know why i am loosing the weight. but i am not complaining. nor am i going to start eating better tomorrow, so come over.

oh, and just a random thought. i have come across many craft ideas lately and want to try them out, but i need a crafting buddy. anyone want to help me out with that? i admit i am not the most creative, crafty person but i would love to try. ladies, you all know that it is more fun to do this kind of thing with someone rather than on you own. so come on over and we'll break out the glue guns. bring a friend or two with you and we will have a party.