Crib Sheets

Winter is creeping in on us and that means there is ALOT of preparing that has to be done.  I'm nearly finished with Middle's sweater.   I've knitted several pairs of socks.   I've canned TONS of food including tomato sauce, pickles, sandwhich spreads, apple sauce, apple butter, pear butter, peaches, apple pie filling, cherries, cherry pie filling, beans, corn, well you get the picture.  

On last nights to do list: warmer crib sheets for Youngest.   Crib sheets really are a simple thing to make.   It's pretty much cutting out a large rectangle from the fabric of your choice, cutting 9 in. squares from the corners, a little sewing, a little heming, a little elastic and presto! Crib sheets!   Ok, so that wasn't a great tutorial.   Here's a better one at make-baby-stuff.com

Here's an example of what your corners should look like after they've been sewn (but before finishing the edges and adding the elastic).

And this is the finished product! 

All told it only takes about an hour and half.   So get over to the tutorial, then head for that sewing machine and have at it! 

Make Your Own Gummies!

If you are anything like me and my kids then candy is one of the greatest of the simple pleasures.   One of our favorite candies is the classic gummy bear.  
My kids are also incessently searching for things to do so we found a cute little blog that tells you how to make your own gummy candies.   I really like this recipe because it was one of the easiest that I found.   You can find the recipe at Skip to My Lou.  Enjoy :)

Danaus Plexippus

Otherwise known as the monarch butterfly:

This lovely little male specimen was warming up in the sunshine when we (oldest and I) snapped this picture. 

They visit us pretty much all summer and most of the fall, but not becuase we are good company.   They come for the food.

Specifically, this food.  Butterfly weed.

Another sign of fall...the pumpkin patch.   This was our first batch (we've since added about 30 to the pile) after it had already been pretty well picked over.   For the rest of October, my days will be spent sitting with the pumpkins at the pumpkin stand.  

Which means, I will have some free time between customers to do...

Crochet!  This modest little fellow is Sherman, Oldest's doll and my new model.

He is currently wearing the blue scarf I designed for a Christmas swap...hopefully nobody in that swap has my blogger address.

Also, while sitting at the pumpkin stand, I've been working on finally finishing Middle's sweater, doll clothes for oldest for Christmas, and a really cute fall/Halloween table runner.

And, just to leave you all with a smile, here's a funny little blast from the past.

American Girl Doll Nightgown

My days have not been completely void of crocheting.   I finally finished one of the several projects I've been working on last night.  Oldest wanted a nightgown for her doll so I found a cute pattern at Bizzy Crochet.  

This Christmas the majority of our gifts are going to be handmade gifts so I will be making several more doll clothes, several amigurumi animals, several play food items and hopefully a couple of hats and sweaters over the coming months.   Trying to get all of these things finished should be pretty interesting. 

Adventures in Homeschooling

One of the things that I appreciate the most about being blessed with the opportunity to homeschool my kids is that we can take "field trips" whenever we feel like it.   The freedom to go on outings spontaneously is a wonderful thing and we took one such outing a few days ago.

While I was going over Middle's preschool lessons about nature I decided to take all the kids on a scavenger hunt at the nature preserve a few miles down the road from us.   I gave the older two kids a list with different items that they should look for (eg. pine cones, acorns, pond, snake, etc.).   When they found an item they got to take a picture of it.   They had so much fun taking pictures that they didn't want to stop so they continued to snap away long after they had finished finding everything on their list.   

Oldest took this picture of the path that we were walking down.

Middle took this one of a field off of our trail.

Middle took this one of some fallen trees.

He also took this picture of the pond which you can just barely see beyond the overgrowth.

Oldest took this picture of the bald eagle that is part of the center's animal rehabilitation program.

Wow, I'm Really Behind

It seems like forever since I've updated, mostly because I haven't had much to say.   We've been cleaning the house in mad preparation for Gran's sister to come visit us all the way from Texas.   She has alzheimers and wanted to visit with Gran while she could still remember who she was.   Her son and his wife are coming up as well to make sure that her trip is a safe one.   So we've needed to clean and get ready for the three house guests as well as get some homeschooling work done and try to get ready for pumpkin selling season.   While we've been busy, it doesn't seem like anything we've been doing has been interesting enough to talk about.  

The weather here has been so unusually dry that most of our apples have fallen off the trees well before they were ripe so we don't have much going on in the way of apple picking, canning and baking.   We have had a bumber crop of zucchini this year though.  So far I've made zucchini bread, zucchini muffins, zucchini cake, fried zucchini, zucchini stir fry, stuffed zucchini and baked zucchini sticks.   I still have 5 zucchinis sitting in my fridge.  :)

Anyways, I haven't given up on crafting, I just haven't gotten much of it done lately.  I'm still working on knitting sweaters for each of the kids for fall, which is coming up on me way to fast.   And I'm still working on the afghan from hell, which is moving way to slow.   And I've been working on crocheting a comfortghan for a care package that will be heading for a good friend hopefully pretty soon.   The projects are in the works.  I know I've said this before but hopefully I'll get some pictures up before long.

Peanut Butter and Jelly People

I have been blessed with two very picky eaters.   The only things Oldest and Middle will eat easily are macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, and tacos.   Unfortunately a kid can't live on mac and cheese alone so I have to get a little creative sometimes with their food choices.  
Introducing:  Bob!

Bob here is a peanut butter and jelly person.   He's very easy to make.  Take a slice of whole wheat bread.   A gingerbread man (or woman) cookie cutter.   Cover in a layer of peanut butter.   Then put jelly of your child's choice in a plastic bag with one tip cut off or a piping bag and add some jelly details.   In Bob's case he has orange marmalade hair and raspberry jelly eyes, mouth, nose and buttons.   Ordinarily my kids refuse to eat peanut butter and jelly but, unfortunately for Bob, he looked delicious to them.  They even asked for seconds.   RIP Bob.