Things I want to do more of

Ok so I am tired I can tell because my thought process has officially changed.  I usually can tell I have reached tired because my thoughts become morbid....meaning if I have a headache I think....oh my gosh I have a brain tumor, I am having a stroke.........

I get really silly and do not make sense when I am talking to Jeff, but in my head I make perfect sense.  I start to nit pick at myself....I am too fat, I am the worst mom ever to exist on this earth, if only my house was cleaner I would have more friends....

Ok so I think you get the idea I have thoughts that are not me......

Tonight my thought process is along the lines of things I want to do more of.....

I want to do more:
crafts with the kids
sewing
reading
exercising
relaxing
playing the WII with my girls
reading lessons for church on Sundays
reading my scriptures
cleaning
organizing
inviting friends over
work on reading and writing with my children
cooking


And yet as I think about these things I become exhausted with all I want to do.  But usually in the middle of my weird thoughts I am brought back to reality.....I am doing great, I do not need to do more I need to be better at time management.  I struggle with staying focused........

Hot Pad/Pot Holders

I am part of Grandmas Attic block of the month club and it is a blast.  At the end of 12 months you will have 12 blocks and can make a twin sized quilt.  This is year #3 for me and it is my time.  This year while I was there I saw some alternative blocks......meaning you use the block pattern, but your own fabric.

In the first class I found some fabric that I fell in love with and could not pass it up.  So I decided to buy and do alternative blocks.  I was trying to figure out what to do as I am making the alternative blocks and I was looking at my hot pads/pot holders and decided I needed new ones and bigger ones that actually allowed you to grip things and it was big enough to fit under a large dish.  So the idea came.....make new ones.  So here are 5 of them so far.

This 2 are my very first ones and I am terrible at binding. 

 This is the second one I did and the binding is a little bit better....I think

 

The more of them I make the more I am having fun with them.  They are bright large and fun.

 Color wise these are my favorite my dream kitchen is red black and silver and I love the bright read on this.

I think that binding and me do not agree.  I struggle with it, but I am practicing and I am sure that one day I will get the hang of it.

Ok this one is for my brother I made him 2 of
them and they have nothing to do with my quilt class.
He is a contractor.

Ok so this last one was a Christmas present for my brother he is a contractor and he does the cooking in his house.  I had the tool fabric from a stash that a friend of mine gave me and I immediately thought of him.  He loves them

All of the pot holder/hot pads are between 11.5 inches square and 12.5 inches square.  I like them because they are quick and fun and a great stash buster.

Homemade Laundry Soap

I finally did it.  I have been saying I want to for a long time, but I actually did it and I am excited.  A long time ago I was reading some different blogs and I have noticed that more and more people are making their own laundry soap.  I was curious and as I read more I noticed that people could make about 1 years worth of laundry soap for about $20.00.  My curiosity really sparked.  Jeff and I are trying to find ways to save some money and I had that thought....$20.00 for 1 years worth of laundry soap vs. the $10 - $20 every other month.  I gotta try this.  As I read some more posts, comments, and blogs I noticed that people that have kids with sensitive skin, the home made laundry soap helped a lot, not as many chemicals little to no dies.....Both of my girls have eczema.  So than I thought....hmmm can't hurt to try it.  

Every time I went to Wal-mart I would try to get the stuff for laundry soap, but it seemed that they either did not have any ingredients or they had all but 1.  Well they finally had them all.  I was excited.  Here is one of the MANY recipes.

http://happymoneysaver.com/making-your-own-laundry-detergent-worth-the-cost/

Like I said this is one of many different recipes.  In this blog she used a small amount of Oxy Clean.  But I used the entire 3 lb box because I have a husband who is a server and 2 small active children, I can use all the help I can get to clothes clean.  

Heres all of my ingredients

The finished product

It all fit in decent sized tub

What I like about it is that it only takes 1 tablespoon per load.  2 tablespoons for extra soiled clothes.  

As I was making it I was pleasantly surprised at how good it smelled.  At first I thought it was going to smell.....Soapy you know like the extra clean soapy smell (I cannot stand that smell), but this smelt wonderful, clean, but not soapy.

As I was grating the Fels-Naptha my arm got tired.  I used a fine cheese grater.  I really wanted to do it the food processor like she did in the blog, but I have a cheapo old lousy one.  So I opted to grate it by hand.  What a shoulder work out.  It actually went quicker than I had anticipated, but it still took a little bit. I want to say for all 3 bars it only took me about 20 minutes.  But I finished it and I am excited.

Because I used the Purex Crystals I am going to try not using addition fabric softener to see how the clothes turn out.  

Now all I have to do is use up the rest of my old liquid soap (which is almost gone).

Now to cross off another one of my 2013 to try/get done projects.

OUCH

On Wednesday, March 13, I got a phone call for Payetons pre-school saying that she was running and tripped (her face broke the fall).  They told me that she has a fat lip and few scrapes on her face.  But she is ok.

When I went to go pick her up after work this is what I was greeted with.

See mom I have a fat lip

She was trying to look pouty to make her lip stick out further

Even her gums were a little bit bruised

 

She was a trooper though.  Her teacher told me she only sat still for a few minutes with an ice pack because she was ready to go play again.  My mom had asked later that day what happened and Payeton told her that shew as running with a football in her hands and she tipped.

As Jeff and I were laying in bed. We were laughing because she reminded us of the movie "Fun with Dick and Jane" When Jane went it to be part of a research study for botox and she had an allergic reaction and her lips were puffy............I know I know it is not nice to laugh my daughter.....but it was funny.

The next the scabs were forming so it looked worse.

Bragging Time

So this morning.......was rushed........very rushed.  My alarm went off at 6:45am.  I have been trying very hard to wake up at that time so I can shower get lunches together......you know the mom thing before I have to wake up the kids. It is the intention that counts right?

So between late nights and Payeton fighting a very stubborn ear infection I over slept.....a lot.....by an hour.....That's right I did not wake up until 7:45 am and I have to leave my house by 8:20 to get the kids to school on time.  I am not sure what woke me up, but I jumped out of bed took a very fast shower, woke up the girls.  Saw that Jeff left his wallet at home, got medicine into Payeton and in her ear, got them dressed, grabbed lunch boxes and we went to Safeway.  I let them pick out a lunchable this morning.  As we were headed to the check out.  Jasmin said "mom you forgot to feed us breakfast" I stopped and thought..."CRAP I am terrible mom this morning" So we quickly went to the breakfast isle they picked out pop tarts that they wanted I grabbed some fruit snacks so they had a snack at snack time.  We went to the check out and checked out.  (The entire time we were giggling and pretending we were in a race)

When we got back in the car I ripped apart the lunchables and put them in their lunch boxes, opened the pop tarts and took them to school.  I was impressed because we were there at 9:00 which is what time they need to be there. As I was leaving them at school I reached into my pocket to call Jeff to tell him I had his wallet, but as I pulled out my hand I saw I grabbed my I-pod and not my phone.  So I power walked across campus to find his classroom that he was in.  I was nervous to go into his classroom as he is studying hard and trying to get work done, but when I got there they were in lab and I snuck in gave him his wallet and he had a huge grin on his face like a little school boy seeing his crush.  It made my day.  I walked out and I do not think anyone even noticed I was there.

I walked back to my car and came home to only realize how filthy our house is.  So now I am going to go tackle my house for a few minutes.

But today even though I had a moment of bad mom syndrome, I was very proud of myself that we got ready to go, the girls did not fight me but were giggling with me and my craziness, and we got to school on time.

I am blaming it on daylight savings time and how we have not adjusted!

Have a fantastic day everyone

Time for Change

Tonight at the dinner table in the middle of eating spaghetti Payeton announced that she wants her hair cut.  I reminded her that she wanted long Tangled hair.  She looked at me and said "not anymore".  Jeff first said no.  I grilled her and grilled her and grilled her and showed her pictures and she still said yes I want my hair short.  

Mom can I please get my hair cut

This is before we left!

So at 8:00 tonight we jumped in the car, drove the 2 blocks down the hill to Great Clips and walked in. I asked her again.  "Are you sure you want short hair?"  She had a huge grin and said yes.  We got her set up in the chair and they got started.  I told them a pixie cut and they lady looked at me like I was crazy.  I went pulled the book and said....yup like that.   She said ok, but told me her hair is fine and won't look like the picture.  I told her I know she is cursed with my hair.  

So this is the look that we were going for (her hair was cut at the end of summer last year)

This is my favorite hair cut on Payeton I have to see
 if I have a back view of it

I love it when they share.

And this is what we got 

Everybody Look Left

I know it looks a little choppy but after
 bath tub it does not look choppy at all

I have to laugh she is super tired and is not feeling 100%
but the deer in the headlights look cracks me up

When the lady showed Payeton the back of her hair.  Her eyes got huge and she had a huge grin on her face and she said she loved it.  I told her it was a little shorter than I had anticipated, but it is ok because it turned out super duper cute.  The gal that cut her hair was worried and thought I was mad at her.  I reassured her that I was not mad at all and that I think it turned out super cute.  

I need to remember to next time take in the exact picture I am after.  I think she pulls off the short hair look really well.  I love it!

AHHHHHH!!!!!!

Do you ever have those days where you brain is just swimming?  Well if not I am jealous.  Today I taught Relief Society and it was an amazing lesson on the Holy Ghost.  My lesson did not go at all as planned.  I have not taught Relief Society in a long time and I felt like it showed, but I had a lot of fun.  When I got home.  My brain just started going.  I have to run to my moms this evening, I need to get stuff ready to send to my sister, I have get sewing projects done, Jeff is trying to get projects done for school that are due tomorrow and he has finals coming up, I need to clean up the kitchen..........Ok Ok OK I think you get the idea.

These two awesome little girls want, the iPad, they want dad, a movie, mac and cheese.......the list is long today.

But when I stop and think about how lucky I am..........I relax and have a smile on my face.

This little girl cracks me up......she is starting to establish her own style and this is an outfit she picked out all by herself and she was doing a B-BAM thing that some of our friends taught her.

 My mom and I (ok mostly my mom) buys fresh produce from a food co-op and this past week part of it was fresh carrots.  This picture does not do it just at all, but the carrots are HUGE and they taste home grown garden fresh.  The girls have been "snacking" on them......Ok more like feasting.

This one cracked me up the most.  A few weeks ago we were hanging out and watching a movie.  The pajamas Jasmin has on are WAY TO BIG for her.  As she was getting comfy for sleep she had mummified herself.  Both of her legs fit into on leg of her jama's and her arms were pulled inside and she was snoring.  Jeff and I both were laughing so hard and we were trying hard not wake her up.

But when I stop and think and realize all that I have the stress of life melts away.  Until I get up from my computer and see everything needing my attention staring me in the face.

I Finished It

So my sister asked me to do a counted cross stitch for her.  Of course I said yes.  I am sucker when people ask me to do things I have a super hard time saying no.  Especially when it comes to my family. I am slowly learning how to say no to things.....it goes back to simplifying my life.  I am not super mom and I do not want to pretend to be super mom.  I want to be happy and less stressed in life.  OK sorry back to what I was saying.  My sister picked up a counted cross stitch in the Grand Canyon called "The Tree of Life" by NP Designs I was super excited because I thought it was the one the one that I have been wanted to do for a long time.  So she sent it to me and I was bummed.  It is a Native American design - it was fun as I am part Native American. 

But it turned out nice.  

I am glad to have it done.  Now I only have 5,980 other projects to get done. OK so that is a little bit of an exaggeration....but there are some days that I feel like that I have that many to do.