Deusprovidebit

getting ready

2012-01-12T09:36:00.000-05:00

for baby

caught red handed

2012-01-11T09:25:00.000-05:00

alternately titled...

Like Mother Like Daughter

Nobody Gets Between Me N My Cheerios

I Couldn't Help Myself...the Pantry Was Unlocked

and im sure you can all come up with a few more...

when i saw little a little arm sticking out of the pantry, loading up a plate full of cheerios

i just couldn't help but grab the camera

just what are these???

2012-01-10T09:31:00.001-05:00

Alien Baby Pants...
of course.

also known as...ABPS

they are my favorite new knitting project.

they are made with a sock yarn that is mostly wool,

so im hoping that they will work as a soaker over baby z's clothdiapers

and for potty training.

im almost done with this second pair of ABPS and can't wait to get them off the needles!

i just love how you never really know how the stripes are going to turn out when you use the sock yarn.

breakfast...

2012-01-05T10:39:00.001-05:00

lunch, dinner, and every snack in between....

and im not even exaggerating..

promise.

at 34 weeks....

frozen fruit, fresh fruit,

and almonds

...

and an occasional bowl full of fresh salad

(no dressing, just salad)

are ninety-five percent of my daily diet.

oh, and i also do my best to consume a small bowl of cheerios and a small portion of whatever we may be having for dinner...

but really....

frozen fruit and almonds are what this baby is made of

the latest craze

2012-01-04T11:26:00.000-05:00

care to play a round of Mexican Train??

on the fourth day of Christmas

2011-12-28T11:00:00.000-05:00

on Christmas Day

2011-12-27T13:25:00.000-05:00

a Dear Little Child was found lying in the manger...

please vote

2011-12-21T08:42:00.000-05:00

Which of these two fabulous taco dinners is more "gourmet"???

please vote...

A or B

in the comments

a family project

2011-12-20T09:05:00.000-05:00

in progress...

she's five

2011-12-16T08:24:00.000-05:00

and we celebrated!

two

2011-12-15T11:27:00.000-05:00

months to go...

the first real snowstorm of the year

2011-12-14T09:20:00.002-05:00

....started in the kitchen...

making its way to the livingroom...

with the help of a few sparkly little lights

the snow plows won't be here till spring to clear up its aftermath...

being "snowed in" isn't such a bad deal after all!

where's the hot cocoa and whipped cream?

preparing for a big birthday

2011-12-02T10:30:00.002-05:00

this year we are doing things a little differently...

each of the kids took 24 paper circles,

decorated them,

and wrote little "gifts" they could give to

Baby Jesus

for His

birthday this year.

as the pull one out of their envelope and do the task on the back,

they staple them to the string in the living room and make a paper garland.

i ran out of colored paper so we used white,

but

i think im going to have to have them refill their envelopes due to their avid desire to

"clean the toilet" "make mama's bed" "clean out the fridge" "fold the laundry" "dust the cobwebs" etc.

the next paper garland will be colored and i can't wait to show you how beautiful it will be

please tell me

2011-12-01T12:22:00.000-05:00

i'm not the only person on the face of the planet, who's advent wreath has already looks like this.

thanks.

yes, on day three of advent, our poor pink candle bit the dust.

it underwent extensive surgery.

thankfully,

surgery was a success

sort of.

belgian waffles

2011-11-30T09:07:00.002-05:00

were not meant to be made this way...

ever.

you will soon realize that flipping the waffle maker over onto a bowl, will cause much shattering of one of your favorite already chipped breakfast bowls.

(you may also realize that your ten yr old, is now wearing the same shoe size as you...as a matter of fact, he's wearing your shoes to help with the clean up...uh, when did that happen?)

your waffles will end up looking not so belgian...

and your toddlers will look something like...

this.

my advice..

put a lot of whipped cream on whatever it is, and call it good

fun times

2011-11-23T09:24:00.000-05:00

we made SPRINKLES!!

very awesome, very cool, sprinkles..

that somehow managed to turn

VERY army green...

thankfully,

its the week for being thankful,

and

fall colors just happen to be the ticket

anyway,

you should totally give these a shot!

way fun...

here's where i got the idea and recipe to make

Rainbow Sprinkles

oh,

and i would HIGHLY recommend using more than one piping tube

if you plan on making more than one color.

*wink wink*

guess what we're making

2011-11-22T20:32:00.000-05:00

guess where we are...

2011-11-15T11:42:00.000-05:00

or were...

i sorta feel like this...amongst all the things i have to do over the next week or so....

but....

im finally getting caught up with pictures and blogging and all that computery stuff.

hopefully.

yet another picture that begs the question

2011-11-14T13:32:00.000-05:00

WHY!???

lots of crazy things happen

2011-11-08T14:19:00.000-05:00

...when your computer dies.

lots.

and...

its more than likely you'll find a photo like this one on your memory card by the time you get your computer back from the geek squad.

so, now that everything is back up and running, i'm going to try my hardest to catch up on all the awesome-ness that has happened in the last three weeks...

we've been to the corn maze

celebrated the birth of another nephew and a niece

knitted up some really awesome new hats

whipped up a few costumes

made homemade clam chowder

celebrated someone's birthday

gotten hair cuts

baked up some sour dough goodness

started on a new knitting adventure by accident

just to mention a few

.....

bear with me here...

i've still got programs to reload, and a bazillion pictures to edit...

stay tuned as a dig through the rubble...

this could be fun!

this just begs the question...

2011-10-18T08:31:00.001-04:00

why?

in this house...

2011-10-14T11:39:00.000-04:00

my hands are dyed pink and purple...

i hate wearing gloves

the glow-in-the-dark nail polish i put on the other night with my girls is chipping and coming off..

it really does glow in the dark...

if you were wondering

thats my wedding ring on my middle finger...

its been there since i lost my engagement ring ( which i did eventually find)...

that was nearly eleven years ago

i tie-dyed 7 white t-shirts and one onesie last night, with all of my children...

yes, that included one for myself

i let the kids put thier own dye onto the shirts..

im sorta crazy like that

the colors were much brighter before i washed and dryed them...

guess i should have waited the three more hrs that the package recommended, afer all

yes, im wearing mine...

no, im not going to share a picture

my boys are proof reading my post as i type...

i never use capital letters.

i had a photoshoot with my newest nephew this week...

i can't share pictures with you yet...

there are more apples in this house than i know what to do with...

if i don't do something with them soon,

bubba is going to make them into apple sauce...

he likes to sit on them.

my camera fell off of a pile of papers that need to be filed, in the middle of the night....

guess its time to file those.

thankfully its not broken,

i'll still be able to take more pictures like this....

Sunday was Birthday day...

2011-10-11T14:05:00.000-04:00

and this little lady turned eight!

sometimes...

2011-10-07T11:33:00.000-04:00

you find something special like this,

and you've just got to smile.

i broke this vase this morning, and since i was in a hurry, left it on the bathroom counter...

when i came back later,

this is how i found it.

triple bunks

2011-10-06T13:55:00.000-04:00

...mostly finished.

im still planing on staining these...

and obviously,

painting the wall behind them, but i just wanted to share.

you see, im pretty excited to finally be able to use the afghans that i've been storing for years!

these two were made for my girls by their great aunt...

and this one,

my grandmother made

its fall...

2011-10-06T08:10:00.000-04:00

there's no denying it

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-05T16:14:00.000-04:00

Bubba turns 3

2011-09-27T10:40:00.000-04:00

turning three is tough...

really, really, tough.

the toughest part is trying to keep your cool, while dad takes pictures...

and your cousins on the other side of the table (and cake)

taunt you..

you know this is going to be a battle...

the battle of who blows out YOUR candles..

its you or them...

you've got to keep your eyes on them...

cause they are quick to the draw...

really quick

and hey, its only your first day of being three...

this stuff takes practice!!

so, when you lose the battle, you strike back with all you've got...

yes, this is WAR!

you may have lost that battle....

but not the war!

blow them out kid...

as fast and as furious as you can!!!

and enjoy the rest of YOUR day!

Happy Birthday Bubba!

from seeds to jars

2011-09-21T11:26:00.000-04:00

its fall

2011-09-16T13:13:00.000-04:00

and im in denial,

which means that i forget to have my kids grab sweatshirts when we go places...

but the warm, summer weather quickly turns chilly as the sun goes down.

so to solve my problem, i like to keep a bag full of sweaters in the car for those "emergency" moments

this means i need a bag that hold NINE sweaters...

yes, i said NINE!!

where does one find a bag that holds NINE sweaters with room to spare?

my friend Jane,

from Maiden Jane has the solution!!!

check this out!

all NINE sweaters not only FITS in this bag, but there is plenty of room to spare...

i even have room to add a little extra cargo

wordless wednesday

2011-09-14T08:48:00.000-04:00

operation cucumber

the moment you've all been waiting for..

2011-09-12T09:15:00.000-04:00

ok, well...

maybe not,

but,

these two have been!

a chicken egg!

the big flood of 2011

2011-09-09T08:49:00.001-04:00

the sun sets over the flooded waters.

under the water...

our park

the playground

the baseball fields and duggouts

the basketball courts

the parking lot to our grocery store

(which is also mostly under water)

the bank

a car

down the street...

a few more cars

the fire station

the city buildings

road dept

police station

post office

and

friends homes

day one

2011-09-07T08:34:00.000-04:00

2011 School Year

as seen in

2011-09-01T10:19:00.000-04:00

my livingroom

as seen in..

2011-09-01T09:04:00.000-04:00

my kitchen this morning.

a little glimpse

2011-08-31T08:18:00.001-04:00

of how we roll in the morning....

the littles draw pictures with chalk in the living room while the big kids trickle out of their beds...
of course, the chalk is strewn about the house, buy the time big kid #2 makes his way to the couch....
he steps on and crunches a few pieces that are in his path...
bubba now decides he's hungry and makes his way to the kitchen table...\
which still has my photo project on it from the night before...
baby z follows...
big kid #3 makes her way to the couch...
not enough room for kids numbers #2 and #3...
they have a kick war....
#3 wins......
bubba is still hungry...
#2 fetches z from the kithen pantry...
he decides to make pancakes...
baby z is not happy about being exiled from the kitchen...
she bites...
bubba, also exiled from the kitchen....
starts playing with the chalk again....
curly top sits on the kitchen table waiting for her burnt pancakes...
big kids numbers #1 and #4 are still sleeping...
or at least pretending to...
but no one really wants to find out...
so we just let them be till they emerge..
#2 makes an airplane with dad's new screw gun..
mama takes sits on the couch and drinks her coffee...
which someone put wayyy over there...

when #4 and #1 they wake up, we'll actually start our day...

with prayers...
and burnt pancakes.

because i knew..

2011-08-26T12:31:00.000-04:00

you'd be jealous

wordless wednesday

2011-08-24T18:43:00.000-04:00

zucchini disasters 101

2011-08-18T18:44:00.001-04:00

zucchini watermelon splash....need i say more???

when i was a kid my mom would "hide" zucchini in things like potato pancakes, soups and spaghetti...

she was awesome like that...even though i didn't really think so at the time.

im not so awesome,

i blatantly blend up horrible concoctions for my kids to try...

i know they are going to be traumatized for life.

this looks innocent enough, right?

what kid doesn't love a healthy snack?

lets just call these zucchini "chips"

(which no amount of photo shopping can even make look pretty)

the epic zucchini fail of all time.

if there was an award for that, they'd win.

hands down.

i wonder if the chickens will even eat them?

anyway, i've got a few more disastrous ideas up my sleeve...

what do you think?

zucchini candy
zucchini pizza
zucchini ice cream
zucchini marshmallows

ok, ok..i jest. promise.

and with the leftovers...

2011-08-12T12:01:00.000-04:00

i made ricotta :)

my first ever...

2011-08-12T08:54:00.000-04:00

mozzarella cheese!

thanks to my very awesome sister-in-law,

who sent me home with the ingredients and directions,

i successfully made my very first batch of homemade cheese!

what you all won't believe, is that it was incredibly simple!

just think,

mozzarella...fresh tomatoes...and fresh basil.

ok, im drooling.

wordless thursday?

2011-08-11T13:26:00.000-04:00

sure, why not?

some things are just to precious for words.

sometimes i worry about my sanity...

2011-08-08T13:43:00.000-04:00

but weekends like this, quickly assure me that i still don't have any.

so, what's crazy about going on a two day camping trip with seven kids?

nothing really.

its actually a great idea....

if there isn't a seventy percent chance of rain.

need i say more?

probably not, but i'm going to anyway.

i wish you could have seen us,

all packed and ready for our adventure...

honestly,

we had to take two cars.

what we packed:

one flashlight
two tents
4 very large tarps
10 blankets
8 pillows
enough clothes for each person to have three changes of clothing
1 sweatshirt for each person
a large umbrella to keep out of the sun (or RAIN)
toilet paper
potty chair
wipes
diapers

an ice chest stuffed with:

one watermelon
4 packages of hot dogs
2 1/2 dozen eggs
1 lb of bacon
2 lbs hamburger
sandwich meat

not to mention:

a 4 lb bag of salt potatoes
two very large cans of beans
enough granola bars to feed an army
2 cases of bottled water
chips and salsa
fruit roll-ups
bread and buns
one case of flavored water

for cooking:

one very large pot
two frying pans
hamburger flippers and tongs
knife
paper plates and cups
paper towels

and don't forget:

one canoe and oars
5 life jackets
enough fishing tackle to catch a whale
hatchet
stroller
ergo baby carrier

and most importantly:

my camera

and now....what we should have added...along with a u-haul:

a parka for each person
another sweatshirt for each kid (especially for the one who was playing in the rain pouring off the cover of the tent)
a few dry logs
an air mattress
another 2 1/2 dozen eggs
2 more lbs of bacon
a picnic table
a few towels
a broom
extra flashlights
a lantern or two
coffee

now, to make this long story short...

we packed for a two night stay...

set up our tents as it began to drizzle...

questioned our ability to make it through the night, as it began to down pour..

figured if we made it this far, we could surely brave it through the night..

the insides of the tents and the blankets were dry, even if we weren't...

the campfire was raging, even if the wood wasn't dry..

and one of the kids brilliantly packed the sun umbrella, which was the only way we all got dried off and kept the fire going, while we cooked our beans and hot dogs over the fire...

worn out from setting up camp and finding firewood...the kids ate their "cowboy dinner" like never before,

and were more than ready to bed down for the night...

everyone, including the baby...slept like babies...

except of course for hubs and i.

next time..

yeah, we're that crazy...

next time,

we buy an air mattress.

end of story..

we went camping in a torrential down pour, and had a blast...

the next morning,

hubs took a canoe full of kids fishing, caught a few whoppers,

gave a few joy rides to the little ones,

i stayed behind and made eggs and bacon over the open fire, best eggs ever..

(especially with the pine needle/dirt seasoning, compliments of bubba)

and then we packed it all up.

its fine to sleep on dry blankets, but when there is no sun the next day, and its more humid than the inside of a green house, its time to call it quits, and go visit friends who have air conditioning..

and that's exactly what we did.

pack up, drive home, shower, re-pack clean clothes...

and drive another two hrs to visit one of our favorite people, ever.

and this is perfect proof that my sanity is still non-existent.

my only regret is that i didn't take enough pictures,

it was so wet, and i was afraid to take my camera out..

i wish i had a picture of our "camp"...

clothesline and all...it was so classy

decreasing the surplus...

2011-08-01T10:52:00.000-04:00

one zucchini at a time.

this particular mission....operation dehydration

wordless wednesday

2011-07-27T13:05:00.000-04:00

these two

2011-07-26T11:35:00.000-04:00

just make me

smile...

laugh...

laugh so hard...

i want to cry...

they are the best of friends...

the worst of friends...

and the most trouble...

ever.

i love them.

a little update

2011-07-25T11:06:00.000-04:00

on Gramma Harv and our Knitting adventures...

as most of you know, my sister, Mellon makes awesome clothdiapers and sells them in her shop

bebeMellons

what some of you may not know, is that, Gramma Harv, has been knitting her heart away, and knitting matching hats for a few of the cutest bebeMellon diapers in stock!

take a peek!

wordless wednesday

2011-07-20T09:11:00.000-04:00

yet another case of....

2011-07-18T11:24:00.001-04:00

please don't ask.

picnic time..

2011-07-16T15:01:00.000-04:00

a blog post in which i beg

2011-07-14T16:04:00.000-04:00

for zucchini recipes...

let the fun begin!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-06T10:15:00.000-04:00

baby z's birthday bash

2011-06-29T13:48:00.000-04:00

a year in pictures...

2011-06-24T11:07:00.001-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!

wordless wednesday

2011-06-22T13:55:00.002-04:00

on this day

2011-06-17T06:52:00.001-04:00

11 years ago....

whats in your closet?

2011-06-16T14:06:00.001-04:00

today,

i was forced to find out the hard way....

the shelving in my closet collapsed

and the only way to get into it to repair the disaster,

was to remove all the rubble.

oh.my.

i will now list some of the more interesting things i found today.

in no particular order of importance.

dear daughter's spica cast
my kindergarten papers and awards
an extra infant carseat
my wedding dress and cake topper
the leather snoopy jacket i wore in high school
combat boots
a crib bumper i'll never use
my snoopy figurine collection
"it's a boy" cigars
scrapbook supplies
grow boxes for boys and girls of all ages and sizes
one lonely flip flop
etc, etc, etc....

upon closer inspection, (four hrs later) i've also found...

countless coloring books
lost photos
the sweater my grandmother knit
pictures of my husband with Pope John Paul II
the plastic easter eggs i hid and couldn't find one day later

wordless thursday?

2011-06-16T10:16:00.001-04:00

sure, why not?

who thought

2011-06-14T13:24:00.000-04:00

of putting cereal in with the marshmallows?

rediculous!!

seriously,

we all know that the only good part is....the marshmallows.

also,

putting cereal in a plastic bag....

rediculous.

sprouty goodness

2011-06-09T13:53:00.001-04:00

thanks to Brittany

from

4 Little Men and Girly Twins

i got brave enough to try sprouting!

yes, the kids had thier doubts.....

but now they can't wait to taste the sprouty goodness!

find out more about sprouting on Brittany's blog!

so fun, and simple...oh, and super tasty!

for lack of words

2011-06-08T09:45:00.000-04:00

my wordless wednesday post.

planting day

2011-06-06T09:59:00.000-04:00

now,

take a second look....

wordless wednesday

2011-06-01T08:32:00.000-04:00

this, my friends, is why you don't ever take a shower without your eyeballs in

beat the heat

2011-05-26T13:09:00.000-04:00

have a pickle!

gramma harv knit

2011-05-25T11:20:00.000-04:00

....her first ever sweater!!

and we LOVE it!

a rainy day

2011-05-24T10:20:00.000-04:00

...and a quiet getaway.

i just love this place.

please don't ask....

2011-05-19T14:37:00.000-04:00

cause i really couldn't tell ya....

what goes on in the mind of my 4 yr old?!

not quite a Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-11T08:14:00.000-04:00

our seeds from Cubits on Etsy

a little bit of chicken farming in progress

and...

a lot of mud.

lovin this sunshine!

my "work space"

2011-05-05T12:05:00.001-04:00

for desuprovidebit and home school work looks something like this...

on a good day.

but my real "work space" looks a little more like this

everyday, i wake up to these beautiful eyes.

i get to see the world through these eyes each and everyday!

everyday, i'm thankful.

thankful for the amazing gift i've been given....

the gift of being a mom!

my real job, everyday, is to form these little people.

i must form them into kind, loving and charitable souls.

its the most challenging job in the world, but the most rewarding!

so really,

on a good day...my work space may look nothing like i wish it would

i may have a sink full of dirty dishes,

my laundry pile may be taller than i am,

the floor might be covered in play dough,

and

dinner might be a little bit burnt

but

if i held my babies and wiped theie tears,

laughed at the silly faces they made,

taught them to love one another,

danced with them in the kitchen,

held a hand while we looked out the window with fingerprints all over it...waiting for daddy to come home

then my "work space" was made a litttle more beautiful

and thats what really matters.

wordless wednesday

2011-04-27T13:56:00.000-04:00

*please note that son #2 didn't get the memo about the pastel color scheme ;)

Easter Monday Rules

2011-04-25T13:42:00.000-04:00

Easter Monday ‎Rules of the Day are as follows and not necessarily in order stated....

plastic egg throwing in the house is forbidden.
sneaking outside to have egg wars in the rain and mud is also forbidden
all candy consumption is forbidden before lunch
gum is candy
you may not store squished half chewed gum in your pocket for later
do not stuff or store your candy wrappers in the corners of the couch
candy wrapper collections are also forbidden
if you are desperate enough to eat the squished candy off the floor, feel free
each child must consume at least one hard boiled egg today
any and all eggs that you crack in egg wars must be eaten
overdosing on eggs is also not permissible
do NOT eat eggs with shells on
all unclaimed candy may/will be consumed by the mother at any given time

one egg shy

2011-04-23T11:18:00.000-04:00

of six dozen

believe it or not...

eggs aren't what its really all about around here...

tomorrow we celebrate something WAY bigger than the Easter Bunny...

just sayin

wordless wednesday

2011-04-20T13:58:00.000-04:00

bebeMellons

the great chicken hatch

2011-04-18T08:55:00.000-04:00

12 fluffly little chickens.

taking turns

2011-04-15T14:14:00.000-04:00

taking a peek at ....

when i say mile high...

2011-04-07T08:45:00.003-04:00

i mean MILE HIGH!!

************************************************************

i've never actually made a lemon meringue pie all by myself before.

my sister mellon, would do all the baking when we were kids...and i would sit there, cheer her on, and eat the perfect looking dessert when she was done.

now, we're all grown up and she lives clear across the country. its very sad...

especially, because i now have to do all my baking for myself.

some of you may remember this baking episode.

so, about a month ago, i got a started to dream about lemon meringue pie.

when i finally got brave enough....i realized i was missing a few key ingredients, namely, lemon juice.

yeah, thats kind of a necessity.

after several trips to the store with out a shopping list, i finally remembered to pick some up.

a week later, i mustered up the courage, and closed the kitchen to all little fingers.

do you know how hard that is???

well, i did.

then, i called mellon,

got all the itsy bitsy details, tips and hints for pie baking perfection and kept her on the line...

just in case...

and

so pretty, isn't it !?!

now, im just wondering if it will taste as good as it looks and if i should share it, or save it all for myself.

finally!

2011-04-06T09:26:00.000-04:00

"cooking"

2011-03-30T13:15:00.000-04:00

eggs!!

yes, in my kitchen,

but not for breakfast...

a little bit of homeschool science project going on here...

2 more weeks to go!

last week

2011-03-25T09:06:00.001-04:00

i spent the ENTIRE week at my parents house.

yes, i slept on their living room floor, and let my children have the guest/craft room....

Why?! You ask?!

well...you see i had this plan...

craft week!

it was brilliant...

ok, ok...ALMOST, brilliant.

there were a few minor glitches...

you know,

sleepless babies, gramma harv got an awful cold, oh and i only had my moms point n shoot camera,

...that sort of thing

but all in all, we had a great week

we ate lots of popcorn, drank lots of coffee, and watched anne of green gables...

and made lots of fun things...

but this, my friends, is not even the coolest part of my week.

while i was busy doing all this...

my hubby and two oldest boys were busy doing this.....

eating gelato...

throwing pennies in the trevi fountain...

hanging on for dear life to the pillars at the top of st. peters

yes, they climbed the copula!

incredible veiw, huh?

chillin with the swiss guards

yes, that is the colosseum

and a trip to rome just wouldn't be a trip to rome without...

....visiting the Pope.

just for fun

2011-03-21T14:50:00.000-04:00

my aunt sent me to

Milas Daydreams

and i just couldn't resist when baby z fell asleep on my moms floor this afternoon

i sooo wish i had an umbrella handy

i must admit this is nothing compared to Adele's amazing work, though.

her photography is simply stunning.

another project in the making...

2011-03-17T17:48:00.000-04:00

bit off a bit more than

2011-03-15T20:18:00.000-04:00

i bargained for...but im gonna do my best to make ya'll proud.

is it possible to make four Easter dresses in ONE week?

i'll let you know.

lunch

2011-03-09T12:42:00.001-05:00

its that good.

snow

2011-03-08T09:31:00.000-05:00

LOTS OF SNOW.

LOTS OF DIGGING...

LOTS of FUN!

10 years???

2011-02-22T13:35:00.000-05:00

yes...ten years since i brought home this little boy...sigh.

Happy St. Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T09:36:00.000-05:00

*sniff. sniff.*

do you smell what i smell??

hope you're not allergic :)

since i can't leave well enough alone

2011-02-08T13:11:00.002-05:00

....

especialy when it comes to wool and kool aid,
i got all "creative" with this handknit wool soaker i made....

...

as a matter of fact, i get so excited..

.i can hardly wait to finish a project, before i give it a dunk in a kool aid bath

(see all the unfinished strings hanging out)

then i got really "creative" and decided to do a fade job..

so, here is what i did...

i followed these 10 easy steps

yes i said EASY! and there really are only 10!

...

1. Choose the object you wish to dye (i picked this unsuspecting wool soaker or diaper cover)

2. Bring a Pot of water to a rolling boil

3. Add about a 1/4 cup of white vinegar to the water

4. Add 2 packages of Kool Aid color/flavor of your choice

5.Decide where you want the dye to be.

(since i only wanted 1/2 of my project to be dyed, i used cooking tongs to hold half of my project above the water, like this

6. Dunk your project in the pot like this.

7. Let it sit in the boiling water until the water is clear and your project has soaked most of it up.

(this takes about 10 minutes)

8. Remove from heat and run under cold water. Rinse till the water runs clear.

9. Lay flat on a towel and roll to soak out some of the excess water.

10. lay flat and air dry (if its wool)

and now you know the 10 easy steps i use to dye things with Kool Aid

its been a stinky week

2011-02-04T11:46:00.000-05:00

around here.

(in more ways than one)

thankfully....when life gives these kids lemons...
they make lemonade.

when the "blizzard of 2011" is mearly a freezing rain storm....
and leaves massive sheets of ice on their best sledding hill...

they do this...

and build these with the frozen crust...

and tunnel underneath it to make these...

pretty cool, huh?

what do you do, when life gives you lemons?

dear spring,

2011-01-28T13:05:00.008-05:00

please,

come quickly!

love,

finally...

2011-01-26T11:23:00.004-05:00

a hat designed for pigtails!!!

or wait....

is that just what happens when you get a fun package in the mail from

OurLadyOfTheSnows

???

oh...

that's right!

baby z has been waiting for her new hand knit wool shorties!

and quite frankly, so has her mama.

we're taking cloth diapering to a whole new level here.

frightening, i know.

but judging from the smiles here...

we just might be taking a step in the right direction!

for those of might be wondering what the benefits of a wool diaper cover might be, don't ask me!

ok, ok...i jest..

from what i've heard..

when coupled with a cotton or hemp fitted or prefold diaper

the natural fibers of wool are...

more breathable than most synthetics
highly absorbent
provide an excellent waterproof barrier
a renewable resource
when properly lanolized...anti-bacterial
you don't have to wash the cover after every use????

( honestly...this is what made me steer clear of cloth diapering for the last ten yrs..but i'm brave enough to give it a shot since i've officially taken the leap...and been declared insane by a few unnamed persons)

oh! and one last deciding factor!!

when they are hand knit by Mellon the creator of Roozkins

they are amazingly adorable!

so, baby z and i are gonna give this a shot.

she's pictured here in her Roozkins and hiding under them is a really cute Good Mama fitted diaper

oh, and just for the record...

i've already talked it over with Mellon,

and we've both decided that she should also carry pigtail hats in her shop.

look for them soon.

no joke.

did you know

2011-01-12T08:46:00.005-05:00

that i actually made these MYSELF?!

yes me, the NO i DON'T knit...and i don't wanna know how, thanks.

yes, that me.

usually i come up with the crazy ideas,

and my mom

(aka. gramma harv)

works the magic.

she's awesome like that.

anyway...

i designed these hats AND knit them all by my very own self.

and....

if you want one

acutally, i should say...

one similar....

i just might

have one listed in our shop

it ain't like his mama makes it

2011-01-11T10:42:00.000-05:00

but it must've run a close second....

cause he took the pictures ;)

sometimes its really hard to decide

2011-01-10T11:05:00.001-05:00

what color combo is right for your photoshoot...

especially if its for twins or even harder....
triplets!

so, gramma harv and i have been working on a few color coordinated sets.

check them out!

decisions, decisions, decisions!!!

and on the 12th

2011-01-07T10:39:00.000-05:00

Day of Christmas

we started off with this...i kid you not.

no, i did not suggest it.

nor would i suggest it to any of you.

can you imagine 12 drummers drumming...uh...lets not go there.

anyway this was followed by a visit from gramma harv and a few of her hats.

see..

i really think gramma needs to make her photographer some fingerless mittens, don't you?

*hint, hint

so, that took up most of the morning and then it was followed by some REAL festivities.

the making and eating of our ...

King Cake

and who was the lucky "king" for the rest of the evening???

or should we say "queen"?

and with that....

i'd like to wish you all

A Very Blessed Christmas!

its been wonderful to share our

12 Days of Christmas

with you!

on the 11th

2011-01-05T13:55:00.001-05:00

Day of Christmas

this mama heard the song

THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

SUNG VERY LOUDLY

at breakfast

in six keys and five part harmony.

tomorrow, the Three Kings come!

warm up your singing voices!!