Buzz Lightyear Birthday

My Monkey Boy asked for a Buzz Lightyear Birthday this year. Our kids take turns having big parties where friends are invited, so this year was just a family party for my Jo. But, we still want to make it special don't we? And my mom was here from out of town to help celebrate, so that was very special already.

For the food, we went full on Pizza Planet. There was pizza of course, but we also had popcorn ball planets,Toy Story fruit snacks, and space goldfish snacks.

The Toy Story plates were 3D...

My big guys...

After dinner, the boys played pin the face on Mr. Potato Head.

The birthday boy!

And then they ran the Space Ranger Course that my husband had so thoughtfully planned out...

Jo loved this part. He loves to run about and be active. This was so up his alley. We'd planned to do it outside, but weather didn't permit.

The earned Space Ranger Badges

Then there were presents to be had...

My daughter is a bit drooly.

And then, of course, cake.

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this little boy.

I really think he had a great time. Oh how I love my sweet Jo!

He's such a gift to us!

My Late Fall Decorations

Man it has been a crazy busy fall. I got my fall decorations up late. And then I took even longer to blog about them. Halloween is today, and I am just now getting to it. 

I didn't do much this year that I didn't do last year. And I didn't necessarily do everything that I did last year. But...

My bats flying around my fly boys still make me happy.

The pumpkin my oldest drew last year still makes me smile.

And my raven above the couch, still sets the right tone...

And in addition, I made these pop out haunted houses for my sons to decorate. These were an absolute hit. My eight year old couldn't wait to get his homework done. He called it a great day, just because of this one little thing. It's those moments you live for as a parent. Warms you better than a hot mug of cider. 

For the houses, I followed the directions I found here.  Then I drew windows, doors, bushes, a path on another sheet of paper, and let the boys color them, then glue them where they wanted. They are both loving the dinosaur pop up book, and a couple of smaller pop up books that we have, so this was so great for them.

And that is it. It's all I could muster. But, I do have the excuse that I also have a birthday that has to be planned for this time of year. The party (a family affair) has been had, and that will be the next post. To Infinity and Beyond!

In the meantime, have a safe and sweet (and scary) Halloween.

French Bread Meatloaf

Yes, you read that right. This was my grandma's recipe, and I loved it growing up. Okay, recipe is kind of a stretch, since when I was learning to cook and I asked her for the recipe, she told me what she put into it, and when I asked her for amounts, she was very vague. Turns out, I cook like that too. So, technically, I don't have a recipe either.

Essentially, it's a pound of ground beef, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, cottage cheese, (I know, many of you are skeptical, you could add plain yogurt or milk if you prefer) ketchup salt and pepper. Or you can just use your favorite meatloaf recipe. Then you hollow out a loaf (or two depending on the size of the loaves) of crusty bread, throwing the bread insides into the meat mixture. Mix it all up, then stuff the meat into the crust. Place it on a roasting rack cover it with foil, and bake for an hour or so until the meat is cooked through.

Slice, and serve. I love it with a little extra ketchup. My husband loves it because it reminds him of a White Castle burger. The inside of the loaf is a little soggy, the crust is crisp and lovely. We had this last night with mashed potatoes, homemade applesauce, sliced homegrown tomatoes and peas. A complete comfort meal.

Sparkle Boots, New Boot Design

For the same friend of the family who ordered these little holiday shoes:

a pair of boots to give as a gift for Christmas...

I was originally going to make her a pair that matched Emmy's last year,

But, then I found this gray wool with a slight silver sparkle to it. Then, I knew I had to make this design. And I thought, I would let her choose which she preferred.

She chose these.

Can't say I blame her. Merry Christmas!

And the Winner Is...

Number 10, which between the entries here and on Facebook was Summerfield Soaps who chose the yellow and gray cuff!

Congratulations! Please contact me with your address info and I will get your lovely little accessory in the mail to you!

And thank you so much to everyone who entered! We'll have to do this again sometime. 

Breast Cancer Awareness

So many of us need no reminder. I know my grandmother has had breast cancer twice. We try to keep an eagle eye on it in my family. A couple of years ago, my doctor sent me to get a mammogram to examine something out of the ordinary. Two days later I found out I was pregnant. That was quite a week.

So hug those you know who've been touched by this disease. Heck, hug those you love a little tighter, just because. You never really know. As I typed this, I learned of another acquaintance, a newlywed red haired stunner who captured my then five year old's heart one Fourth of July, was recently diagnosed with cancer. Pay attention to your body. Get checked. Take care of yourself! There are those who love and depend on you.

Pink silk shoe clips for a soon to be breast cancer survivor with prayers and well wishes. 

Finally a Pair of Boots

So, you've seen this design before. Well, some of you have. But, here is the season's first pair of handmade boots. Yay!

I have four more pairs in different designs cut out so hopefully they will come together faster...

But, it does feel good to have the first pair done...

The Thank You Giveaway

A little over a year ago I started doing this blog in a more serious manner. (Which means more than one post a year.) I had no idea at that time that I was about to start a business, which I totally call an accidental business. And I remember the first time I saw that I had a follower. It wasn't even someone I knew. I was so surprised I called my husband. I know I am a total nerd.

And now, here we are with 50 followers (Thank you!) and 200 likes on our Facebook page (Thank you!) So to say "thank you" how about a little giveaway? It's my first one, so we'll keep it super simple.

Because it is fall...

pretty fall leaves...

for your arm...

or your hair...

you get to choose the one you like the most.

Fair warning though...

if you choose the headband... you might have to fight Emmy for it.

So here's what you do, leave a comment telling me which you would choose. That's it! Though you do need to either be a follower of my blog, or have liked my Facebook page. I'll choose a winner next Friday. Good luck! And did I mention, Thank you!?

The Bows Have It...Apparently

When I was young I disliked things that were overly girly. In particular, I hated anything with a big bow on it. My aesthetic from an early age was clean and modern. Apparently, my tastes have changed somewhat. At least according to my Pinterest boards...

I have no source for this, but it is gorgeous!

Holly Stalder

Diane Von Furstenberg

J. Crew

source


It's even seeping it's way into my designs...

Good Little Things

Good Little Things

Good Little Things

The Daughter with No Shoes

You know that saying about the cobbler's children having no shoes? Yeah, I can see how that can be true. I find it hard to buy shoes for my darling daughter, since my business is sort of making kid's shoes. But, man, it's hard to make it happen when you have orders for customers you know are waiting for their shoes.

Still, I knew fall was coming, so I started (a long time ago) making her a pair that would be more appropriate for the cooler weather. Yesterday, she managed to destroy her pair of Cozettes that she was wearing, by taking out the insole and chewing it to pieces. Two things: 1) yuck and 2) I had failed to glue her insoles in even though I know better. I never do that with customer's shoes.

Luckily, I was one night of sewing away from finishing her fall shoes. So I got right to it last night.

My husband says that they fit her personality perfectly...

I love my husband, he's kind of awesome.

And I love these shoes. Though, my daughter has some crazily skinny feet, so most shoe patterns are wider on her than I would like. I alter them so that they're skinnier. Some times it works better than others. This pair is one of the others. Oh well.

They'll do till she gets a pair of boots made by mom. Stay tuned. Baby boot orders are next on the agenda. I am so excited...

Homemade Pumpkin Poptarts

Oh boy. I know you know about Pinterest. That incredibly dangerous stunningly fabulous place to pin all of the things that inspire you, the things you want to make, that you want to buy, that you want to eat. I have had an account for a while, but tried to limit getting on there, ever, because honestly, once you're there, you are most likely to be lost for at least thirty minutes pinning away.

But the other day I got on to look at the food board of a friend, and oh my... Inspiration is hardly the word for it. This week I made homemade fruit roll ups, energy bars, apple chips, and tonight homemade pumpkin pop tarts.

Yeah, they were as good as they sound. I used The Smitten Kitchen recipe for the pop tart dough, except that I used 1 cup regular flour and 1 cup whole wheat, and I added a little flax. And for the filling I cooked one can of pumpkin with a little sugar and spice until it was thick and brown and lovely. The icing is powdered sugar with plain yogurt in place of water or milk. And they. are. so. good.

Tomorrow, homemade fig bars...