Burning the scrambled eggs....

Is anyone else a super messy cook????  NO, just me. Hmmm??!!! Well I cannot deny that EVERY time I finish cooking my stove looks pretty much like this...

 I am not sure if it has anything to do with my need for speed and dislike of low cook setting or what.  BUT WOWZA what a mess!!!  So I was so thrilled when I read about HOW TO CLEAN A FLAT/CERAMIC STOVE in one of the cleaning books I recently read ( not sure which one because they are already back at the library...oops!!).  Anyway...normally I use a special stovetop cleaner and a little elbow grease and get my stove pretty clean....when I manage to get the time to clean it at all that is.  BUT I found my new found tip so helpful I thought I would share.  HERE GOES....The answer is Baking Soda. YEP.  Worked WAY better than the stuff I bought in the store.  You just sprinkle it on (I use enough to cover the whole yucky mess) and then sprinkle some water over it. Then I used a toothbrush to scrub off the yuck.  I took a picture after just a few weak scrubs---comes off super easy. 

I also read that if it is REALLY cooked on.  Do the same thing but throw a little vinegar on top of the baking soda.  It is neat....it gets all fizzy...but I am not sure it worked any better than straight backing soda. 

In case you cannot tell...this totally rocked my world!!!!  Simple pleasures in the day of a stay at home mom I guess:)

Boy shorts

Yesterday I told you about this cute vest tutorial at B is for Boy....well I could not let the poor boy wear his cute vest WITHOUT some matching shorts!!!  I was a little bummed that the shorts I bought to re-purpose ONLY had enough fabric for the vest (I didn't realize it would be fully lined).  SOOOO I had to improvise.  I grabbed a brown skirt out of my GOODWILL pile and got to work. 

I followed the same steps as from over HERE when I made bandana shorts, except this time I used the pockets from the skirt to make the pockets of the shorts. 

It worked great.  I just cut the pockets RIGHT off the skirt.  I even cut the bottom layer of fabric and kept the button.  That means inside his pocket is a button that is only attached to a small circle of fabric, but since he doesn't REALLY use his pockets, I think we are safe:) I just sewed the pockets onto the front side of the shorts BEFORE I attached the 2 sides together.  I sewed them on by top-stiching and left the edges raw.  I think raw edges scream BOY, but I guess you could turn them under and have finished edges too.  ANYWAY....quick easy addition to our CHURCH attire and probably the last pair of shorts of the season.....now  on to making coats and pants:) 

B is for Boy!!

 Pheww...Summer is kicking my tail.  So  many things to do before the weather gets cool again.  Fairs, parties, birthdays, and this week....pre-school orientation.  How do I have a kid old enough for pre-school???  When did that happen???  Anyway...I did manage to get a little ALONE time amongst all of the chaos...and of course I headed to the sewing room.  I have REALLY been wanting to make something cute for my little Ethan boy for a while now.  It seems like there are TONS of cute girl things to make, but boy patterns are few and far between.  THEN I ran into THIS cute vest tutorial from B is for BOY.  I INSTANTLY knew that this was the tutorial for me.  So I headed to Value Village for some pants to re-purpose. 

Actually I found SHORTS to re-purpose, but I SHOULD have looked harder for pants.  WHY???? Because then I could have made him a matching pair for pants.  As it was, I only had enough fabric for the vest.  SOOO I guess I will have to make another one:) HMMM..better head to Value Village Again!!!

 This tutorial was great.  Easy to follow and well explained with pictures.  I LOVE PICTURES!!!!  There are only 2 things I would do differently. Both having to do with the top of the vest.  It tucks under the onesie flap, which works great.  BUT when the neck moves or gets pulled, the raw edges of the top of the unfinished vest show.  I did not like that...so I sewed a few stiches on the top flap through the vest...just to keep it all closed up.  I should have either made the vest tops narrower or folded them under and finished the tops off.  That is my only complaint.  I guess that is REALLY only 1 thing I would change...

 I think this would be SUCH a fun baby shower gift.  Quick and easy.  PLUS who doesn't love to dress their baby up:)

So for the sophisticated 6 month old....SUCCESS!!!!  Perfect for a morning at church, and comfy enough for an afternoon in the yard.  BTW....I LOVE THIS LITTLE BOY!!!!!



Giddy-Up!!

 At least 2 years ago I bought this cute little retro cowgirl outfit at a yard sale.  I thought it was kinda throw back Dolly Parton or something.  Plus little girls can get away with wearing totally ridiculous things....like fringe and horse head shirts.  Now at the time my little girlie was barely ONE and this was a TWO year old outfit, but I figured SOMEDAY my little girl would be a cowgirl...but it just never happened.  The fairs here are all during the summer and too hot for long sleeves and no other occassion warrented a fringy horse head.  SOOO this cute little number hung in the closet and got smaller and smaller.  BUMMER.  Well the other day a huge haul of thrifted clothes and a FULL closet required some mid-SUMMER cleaning, so I decided to discard all of the too smalls hanging out in Emersyn's closet.  I decided the horsies---no matter how cute---had to go.  Then I had AN IDEA....I have pretty much shortened the sleeves on every hoodie and sweater I own....WHY NOT A SHIRT???  What could it hurt??????

SOOOO here you have it....

HOW TO SHORTEN THE SLEEVES ON SHIRT OR DRESS SHIRT!!!

The process was a little bit different, but the idea is the same.  First I unpicked the arm from the shirt.  I think if you had a regular cuff you could do EXACTLY like a sweatshirt, but I needed to salvage my cute cuff.  Once the sleeve was off, I cut the TOP of the sleeve.  I just free handed it...but make sure to copy the SHAPE of the top of the sleeve.  You need the curve to make the sleeve look right.  Make sure you use the cut sleeve as a pattern for cutting the 2nd sleeve so that they are the same length....which is always a good idea:)

Then i just followed the steps from SHORTENING a hoodie sleeve.  Which are....
1. turn your shirt inside out. 
2.  put your sleeve (right side out) inside the arm hole.  This should put them RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER)
3.  Then line up the seams for the under arm and pin. Make sure that these seams line up...otherwise your arm-pit looks WONKY.  You don't want a HOMEMADE looking arm-pit!!!!  ALSO line up the middle of the top of the sleeve and then middle of the top of the arm hole and pin. 
4.  Pin all the way around. Your sleeve may not be the same size as your hole....just evenly disperse the fabric and pin well.  I left all of my extra at the top of the sleeve and made little pleats on the shoulder.
5.  Sew around the sleeve hole.
6.  Flip it right side out and enjoy!!!! 

I was so happy that this worked out. The shirt was perfect for a COWGIRL night at the fair!!!    That is just how my Cowgirl poses these days...not sure why, but you get a pretty good view of her sleeve..haha!!!

I would really recommend measuring how much to cut off.  I was on the safe side and didn't have my Cowgirl handy....I could have for sure gone a bit shorter.  But that didn't stop her and her bestie from having a fun old time at the fair!!!

She got in some good practice on her Rodeo Queen wave during her PONY RIDE. Seriously..what could be better than riding a pony IN a pony shirt?????  Nothing cuter that is for sure!!!

I think this NEW way of shortening sleeves will be great for me.  I have short stubby arms, so long sleeves never fit me quite right.  PLUS I like 3/4 better than long sleeves....so I will have to start QUARTERING I guess. 

Here is the whole HANDY family.  Don't feel bad for BABY BOY not having a COWBOY outfit...He had just already POOPED OUT his overalls.  Just so you know we are EQUAL opportunity with our Cowboy/girl attire over here;)

Happy "shortening" Ya'll.  Just a warning....it can be exhausting being so cute and cowgirlie...be prepared!!!!

Fact OR Fiction???

I have never been a big fan of non-fiction.  I am more of a historical fiction kinda gal.  BUT the whole fiction thing takes a bit of time and a few more brain cells than I have available at the moment.  I need something that you can jump in and out of and skip around in. PLUS I kinda like this little thing called LEARNING.  So I have started to check out a few non-fiction books from the library.  

I started with BABY LOVE by Norah O'Donnell and Chef Geoff Tracy.  This book was a good start for me to begin learning about making homemade baby food.  It DID have a few good recipes and tips, but it also had stuff that was WAY beyond me.  Like Baby Couscous.  When my kid is ready to eat couscous, I will probably just feed my kid what I have made us for dinner.  PLUS I don't even know what Flaxseed is, probably not going to figure it out just to make some yummy apple pie like baby food.  Just my opinion.  I am not a chef. I would have rather had more BASIC recipes...just my opinion.  Overall good information though...

   Next up, THE ONE MINUTE CLEANER by Donna Smallin.  It claims to give you 500 tips for cleaning smarter and not harder.  I need all the tips I can get.  This was a quick read.  Just brief little snipits about cleaning.  Perfect for reading while feeding the baby or during a 5 minute break from....feeding the baby again;)  It had great info about alternative cleaners and different ways to lift stains and odors.  It also gave some good tips on getting your house cleaner and more organized so that it is EASIER to clean.  Who doesn't want that??  I plan to read her other book...THE ONE MINUTE ORGANIZER....sounds like someone we need to hire at our house.

Next on the agenda, Real simple SOLUTIONS.  I love this magazine, so when I spotted the book I grabbed it right off the shelf.  I REALLY love the photos.  So clean and lovely.  This book (and the magazine) has great little tips for organizing and cleaning.  Actually solutions for everything...how to clean your hairbrush...the best way to ripen tomatos....easy decorating tips...you name it.  I also love that the pictures explain the process....easy and fun to look at.  This book really reads like a magazine.  I recommend!!

And last, 365 Activities You And Your Toddler Will Love.  This was one of those books where you think....I know how to play with my kid...I don't need a book.  AND you are right.  BUT this book did have some fun little activities that I will try.  Like songs with hand motions.   Or little craft ideas that I would not have done.  It is always nice to have a new fun idea floating around up there.  PLUS it is a good reminder to ACTUALLY do things with your little ones besides feed them, bathe them, and watch Dragon Tales with them.  I would say this book is geared more towards younger toddlers, 12 months to 2 years, but it did have some good activities and simple science experiments that would work with those crazy 3 year olds too. 

Happy Reading (and learning)!!