Bunnies on the Brain

I think by now you know that when I set my mind to doing something, I will not quit until I get what I want. Now this can be bad in some cases. But not in this case, I simply couldn't resist making these little bitty bunnies. I even had a hard time stopping blanket stitching during Lost, I tried to stick to the commercial breaks, but it simply wasn't enough time!
The parts were T-I-N-Y... not that I expected anything different.
The embrodery was fun. I haven't done much of that so this was a good tiny scale to do it on. Mistakes are not so visible when they are that little!
I just realized that this last pic looked really sadistic, I assure you I did not behead the Easter Bunny's baby.

See, here she is safe and sound AND whole. And bonus, she has a tail. Come on, what little baby bunny doesn't have one of those?
It turned out to be the perfect mini size for my Magoo's Big Footed Bunny.
Who, by the way finally has a face! (The bunny, not my Magoo! )
As Mr. Fantastic pointed out yesterday I must have bunnies on the brain. I was showing him a few treasures that I happened upon while I was at the fabric store the other day and I showed him this:
It was on clearance for a less than a buck. I mean, look at him, how stinkin' cute his he??? And for a dollar? I wasn't going to say no. And for the record I am not a huge fan of kit stuff. Not in general, but for myself, I don't like the limitations. However I do look to see what there is out there, you never know where you might find an idea. And there are an awful lot of insanely creative people that make those kits, so browse I will, idea steal I will (and give credit where credit is due of course), and buy for a dollar, you bet I will!

Mmmmm Pie, kind of ...

I started down the bunny trail today in an attempt to make the super cute Big Footed Bunny.
Everything was going smooth until I ran into The Big Foot. We had a few go rounds and in the end I won. It was a struggle, but this little bunny, although she has no face yet, does in fact have two, count em' folks, two feet.
I just love the tail! The dress was easy as pie to put together and will get further embellishments tomorrow. This sweetie little bunny is for my amazingly talented niece whom we call Magoo. Magoo loves little things, and so does Little P. So when I saw this:
In a book that I stumbled across I knew I would be making the little blanket wrapped babies for these bunnies to have as dolls. (click on the pic to see it bigger) Can you stand it???

I did manage to make a pie today, Lemon Meringue to be exact.
I have been craving this something fierce. But with all of that time at the gym, I am not about to undo it by eating pie. So I opted for a low fat, low sugar version. Pipe down with the gasps, and whispers of blasphemy. I know, I know, I know. I commited pie sin, but can you blame me? I can't be expected to really give up pie... But I am not doing another hour of cardio on top of the time that I am already there! I just want to have my pie and eat it to, and I haven't tried it yet, who knows how it will actually taste.

What else did I do today you ask? Let's see, um....OH YEAH, I picked up this ginormous mess like twelve times!!!
Do you even under stand how may dinosaurs are suppose to be IN the bucket??? It's a good thing Boots is ultra cute or he would have been headed for the dungeon today for sure.

What could they be?

Just what do you think I could be making with these?
Or these?
Or what about these?
Bunnies, bunnies and more bunnies, Big Footed ones to be exact!!! Thanks to Hillary over at WeeWonderfuls being her insanely creative self, and cranking out that pattern! I can't wait to sink my hands into this fantastic baby flannel. Perfect for such things that will be loved and hugged and be carted around don't cha know? Just in time for you-know-who to come hop, hop, hoppin down the bunny trail!

Mail for me!

This sooooo deserves another post all it's own!!! I finally get back home after running every where within twenty square miles and I go out to get the mail. I half heartedly open the box expecting the usual crap, crap and bills and I find package for me. When I saw the return post I let out a little squeal! What a fantastic unexpected surprise! Look at the plethora of goodies Jennifer, over at The Felt Mouse sent me!!!

First there are these cutie pie little food picks, I LOVE these!
The Monkey is my favorite.
When she posted about these picks I declared that I MUST find some all my own.
Well I never did, and somehow members of the blog friends network know all because they were wrapped in tissue waiting for me to open them!

She also sent these fantastic flat head pins, and with all of this sewing that I have been churning out I can guarantee they will not sit around gathering dust!
The cutest little strawberry print candy cups. I think these scream to be filled with a glorious chocolate truffle...
These are so sweet they make my teeth hurt!

Jennifer, you are fantastic and I just adore you! Thank you so much for making my day that much brighter!

Cotton Candy Like Me

See I told you I would get it done!
I made some time this morning after playing pirates with Boots of course to sit down and hand sew. There is a huge difference in hand and machine and I am not just talking look or control. I get so much more gratification with hand sewing something. Well, that pretty much only holds true if it turns out like I want it to. But you have so much more control over detail and there is something to be said for holding a hand stitched item in your hand. I have a few things that my mom made that are entirely by hand. They are wrapped in tissue paper and stuck away. Partly because I want to care for them properly to make sure they don't have any unnecessary wear. And partly because it still stings to see them.

And there is more big news here... we have Ladybugs!
They hatched a few days ago. When they were first hatched they were a pale butter yellow and as the hours wore on they darkened into their signature berry red. The kids have been loving watching them. We are just waiting for a day to be warm enough to release them. From what I understand if you release them in the yard in the morning they will be likely to stay there for the duration of their life. If they will keep the Aphids from killing my trees this summer I would be more than thrilled to release them what ever time they want!

And by the way, yesterday I had one of those moments when I had some idea that I might be doing something right. After finishing up the dolls and handing them over to the kids, Little P who had been waiting rather patiently for hers to be done, held hers up to her face and inhaled deeply, I giggled a little and said, " What on earth are you doing?". She turned to me and said, "She smells like you, like cotton candy, and that makes me love her even more." God, I love that kid.

Finally Finished

I have been so busy with what I am doing that I haven't had time to write about it! So I finally finished the kids Make a Long Story dolls.
Little P wanted her doll to have a bun, so here it is, and I gotta say I think I really dig the way it came out!
Boot's Boy has a backpack,
He really wanted it to have some Scooby Doo somewhere, so I found this fabric for the lining.
I cut out the acorn backpack for Little P's doll
I will get to it when I have three seconds to all strung together to actually sit and do some more!

I did have time to teach myself to make fried dough!
This may seem simple to many of you, but for me this was a huge feet! For two main reasons, 1) I don't eat or make fried foods, I didn't even really know how to fry something.... 2) Until very recently I didn't know what fried dough was. I had never had it, it wasn't something I was planning on trying, but it smelled good, and so I thought, "Why not?". Since Mr. Fantastic hasn't been feeling his best lately, I thought he might like this beloved favorite of his, and I guess I did alright, no one dropped dead and they all had a serious sugar high for a while!

Happy St. Paddy's Day

Looks like our regional Leprechaun representative, Shamus O'Mally made his annual visit last night. This time he not only left a note, but he also felt that the children were well behaved enough receive some of his hard earned gold. It's magic gold don't cha know... it turns to chocolate.... and some special shamrocks, straight from somewhere over the rainbow. Gotta love Shamus...
After one gold coin each, they were ready for breakfast, and on the menu happened to be Shamrock French toast with green sugar sprinkles. I only got a before, they ate them too fast to get an after...
I personally think that Shamus felt more at home with finding our home grown shamrocks upon arriving. I will talk more about these tomorrow!
Shamus was a dear and also left something for us this year. A new cut glass shamrock wreath.... Looks like he knows my taste.
And you might notice from the last pic, somewhere from beyond the land of the Leprechauns someone thought to bring back the sn0w. Not such a thoughtful move on their part...

Hope your St. Paddy's Day is as colorful as ours!

Good Luck for a Buck

I spotted these cute little St. Patrick's Day Grow Kits at Target in the dollar bin. I tossed two in my basket and thought, " Who couldn't use a little more good luck for a buck?"
The kids have planted,
And watered these tiny little pots o' green with such care. And they have been rewarded for their efforts with tiny little green sprouts.
I gotta say I am kind of shocked, I never thought they would grow....

We could use a bit of good luck in the next week or so. I have always been one to go out there and get what I needed instead of waiting for it to come to me. Who knew luck was something I could actually get my hands on, and for a buck... that's good luck already!

Give the Boy a Book

We love books at this house. We have bookshelves upon bookshelves filled with them, every topic, every size, every level. We have college text books right along with basics shapes and numbers. I think you get my point that we heavily support the fundamentals of reading in this house. Not only do we support it, we actually practice it, a lot. We both have stacks of books on our bedside tables, at times so high they threaten to topple over. Our children seem to have taken on the same love of books.

Little P is in second grade. They have a certain level that the school system determines that they should be reading at by the end of the second grade year, she is well past that level already and is constantly asking to go the library. At that request I promptly take them both. I want them to love reading like we do. I want them to be able to get lost in a really good book. I want them to read and love reading forever. There is something about the poetry of words that can bring out emotions like nothing else. I love that our children love that. Boots is just now finding his way with books. He has always been read to, from the time that he was born. And he has always loved it. Most recently his favorite story teller is his sister. He will sit quietly listening to her make up a story, running around the room finding props and changing her voice for different characters. I think that a love for reading also nurtures a creativity that can sometimes get lost. The hours of pretend play that used to be, are now some times replaced with hours of video games and television for this nations children.

I am not saying that my children don't watch tv or that they don't play video games. They do, they enjoy them. But more often than not they are playing some kind of make believe reenactment of a story or a book that they read recently. Oh sure, I still get the "I'm bored, there is nothing to do...." whine every once in a while. But not as much as some parents hear it. They seem to be able to make their own fun.

So when our children express a love for a certain kind of book we try to find one or two, or six that fills that need. Boots loves pop up books. But here is the criteria, they have to have a story. And they have to do something other than just pop up when you turn the page. He likes when there are pull tabs to pull and wheels to turn and paper flaps to flip up, so when I saw this book I knew it was for him.
It also fit him perfectly because the kid likes scary stuff.
He doesn't find it scary, he finds it interesting and cool. Am I a little concerned that he draws zombies over bunnies and one of his favorite movies is the first Jurassic Park? Do I think we are nurturing a little Rob Zombie? Not really, and if we are, at least he will be creative....

N.S.E.C.T

Boots got some seriously cool stuff for his birthday. These are one of the coolest. They are Nsect, saw them before Christmas and decided that he would like to ask Santa for one. Well Santa couldn't find one then.

Low and behold I was walking through a store about three weeks ago and on the top shelf with no apparent organization were three of these lovely creatures. I just happened to glance up at the right time and they caught my eye. I managed to get one down and saw the price tag, $125.00, in turning it over to look at the back I noticed another tag, a clearance tag. They were marked at $10.00. I did a double take. Yep, it said $10.00, I bought two.... We figured that the kids would play with them together, and we were right. They shoot nerf like darts, they can pick up things with these scary looking pincher's in the front, they are a surprising amount of fun. What we didn't bank on was that they would join forces and team up against us! I should have bought that third one, who knew I would need reinforcements!

Cupcakes

I have a serious love for cupcakes. I happen to think that they are the perfect dessert. I am not a big fan of the jumbo cupcakes. The smaller the better. They are meant to be bite sized. So for Boots party I made these.
They are white cake with cherry whipped cream filling and marshmallow frosting topped of course with a cherry. These were SWEET! I don't know if it's because I haven't had anything like this in a LONG time, or it was just that sweet. But they are almost all gone and I made a ton so they couldn't have been to difficult to choke down.

For the past few years Boots has wanted these for his birthday...
They are frog cupcakes from Wegmans. There are a few places here that make them and only around his birthday are the available. Oh alright, they are available around St. Patrick's Day. But I like to think of them as being special for Boots! Anyhow, he loves them and it looks seriously cruel when you load them up with candles...
And I have to admit the eating process of this particular cupcake seems a little barbaric.....
But gross or not, this did not stop the boy from devouring it!

Bus or Birthday ?

Boots had his party at school this past Thursday. There are 12 children in his class and it is difficult for them to get time to eat a snack along with the other activites that they plan for the small amount of time that they are there. So Boots decided that he wanted to give his friends gift bags. We took a trip to the party store and picked out all sorts of wonderful stuff to fill the bags with. Pencils, bouncy balls, bubbles, a snack pack of animal crackers, erasers, a balloon,oh yeah... and a whistle. Those parents are going to love me!

These are what they looked like all ready to go....
I tried to get him to pick a little birthday tag, but he insisted on the bus. And who am I to argue with the birthday boy?
On a side note they were originally hanging out on the dining room table for the night, until I heard a rustle of paper and a bang. I got out of bed, it was around 12:30 and Merry, our 5 pound kitten had taken one the bags and was running down the steps with it. Now I think the bag was bigger than she was, so it was all sorts of awkward for her to run away with. She was trying not to trip on it and falling down every other step because of it... I got the bag back completely unharmed but decided to put them in the back of the car for safe keeping.