NOT fun AT ALL

I'm actually starting to enjoy blogging again. Our good friend, Tim, told me a great way to look at it that went a little something like this: it's for your kids to look back on & see themselves growing up. I like that.
So, kids...this week was NOT fun AT ALL. Thank you and no thank you very much!
There was much sickness in the Wood home this week. Suffice it to say that we've made a significant contribution to the good people working in the sewage plants & garbage collection. Bless you for doing what you do, and we apologize profoundly that we made your jobs much, much stinkier this week. Also, we are grateful to the PA & nurses at the local ER for helping Hannah & Sam feel better.

Here is the highlight from the week: Emmaly didn't get the nasty bug, so she was able to participate in her school's beach themed PTO fund raiser on Saturday.

They had face painting! She asked for a rainbow & she definitely got it! Other kids were walking around with tiny little butterflies on their cheek. Not Em!

She came very close to hitting the mark & dunking her very crazy principal.

And being the clever girl she is, when the ball didn't do the job, she knew how to git 'er done!

With all this going on, Ben was also determined to master crawling...which he did... And started pulling himself up on things! Boy are we in trouble...

I wanted to add a video, but the file is too large & I don't know how to change that on my fancy phone (if it can be done). Hey, Love? I REALLY need a computer! lol

On that note: Rachael is now selling the coolest thing since sliced bread; Jamberry Nails!

Vinyl wraps that are heat & pressure activated, come in over 300 designs and last up to 14 days on fingers & 6 weeks on toes. Even if you aren't "girly" (I'm definitely not), you're gonna want to try these things! Ask me all about them! And check out MY fingernails in the picture below. Snazzy, huh? If you think those are cool, head over to my website for more awesomeness mayrachaeljam.jamberrynails.net.

OK, back to the family.

Chris is almost done with his CNC course at the college & there might be some significant changes coming to the Wood family this summer. Hopefully we'll know more this week, so stay tuned!

A Not-So-Quick Update

So... Here's a very brief update on the Wood family-Tim, I hope you are paying attention, cause you're probably the only person who reads this!
We'll start with the youngest & work our way up!
Benjamin is 6.5 months old, crawling, starting to eat foods & has cut 2 teeth in the last 2 days! He is the happiest baby we've had & was extremely sweet even through his fight with pink-eye.

Samuel is becoming more & more clear in his speech and is constantly melting my heart with his capacity for love. He is also a frustrating three-year-old who does the funniest poses for pictures!

Hannah is our little dancer with her own unique sense of style! She is loving ballet class & reports from her teacher are all positive. Maybe a future ballerina! If only she would stop pooping her pants...but maybe the Cinderella ballerina barbie will do the trick! One week into 30 days, so far so good.

Emmaly has definitely had some challenges this last year. Two surgeries to get her on the path to having both her legs the same length, and being so totally bored to tears (literally a few times) with 1st grade in public school. But, she is not letting any of that hold her back! She is amazing & we are lucky to have her spirit in our family! She is also a SUPER big sister and a huge help to Mama. :)

Daddy is crazy. By his own admission. He is taking courses at the local college for a CNC programming certificate, rebuilding his dad's tractor hydraulics that he worked on 19 years ago, and contemplating a job change in the near future. He also lost some facial hair...and about 10 years!

Mama is also crazy(er) by her own admission! Home & children continue to keep me busy, and I recently joined the Jamberry team as an Independent Consultant. Ask me about how you, too can have awesome nails-even if you haven't managed to shower or run your fingers through your hair for 2 days! LOL

Here's a random pic of the kids being goofy. Cause I like it!

Well, that wasn't as quick as I thought! I seriously need a computer, cause doing this from my phone is a pain!

There ya go, Tim! ;)

Welcome, Benjamin!

Benjamin William born October 17th, 9lbs. 11oz. 21 inches.

Special thanks to Tim & Melissa Miner & their adorable kiddles for letting us stay with them for so long!

 Meeting big brother, Sam.

 Ready to go home from the hospital.

 Meeting big sister, Emmaly.

 Meeting big sister Hannah.

 Happy baby having good dreams!

 Snuggling with Daddy.

Little monster all tuckered out after trick-or-treating.

Christmas Spider Tutorial

There are many stories about the Christmas Spider; the most popular being something like this story about why we use tinsel, or this one. Here's a page about the origins of the legends.


Here's what you need for this project:

Ruler
Needle nose pliers
Wire cutters
Round nose pliers (if available)







Craft wire (22 gauge)
1 Large bead
1 Medium bead
1 Small bead
Bugle beads

Christmas Ornament Wreath Tutorial

So, I decided to start with this one since I took pictures as I was making it. Sadly, our external hard drive (where all the pictures are stored) is having some technical difficulties, so all I could find were the ones I had saved in a different location.
Before I continue, I have to give credit where it is due. I did not come up with this idea! My good friend Chelsea told me about this project she was planning to do based on a wreath she had seen some Christmas past at Joann's. Thanks, Chelsea!


I've looked at a couple tutorials available online, and found some interesting ones. Here's a great one by Hazleruthe. And one with some neat embellishments by Elle's New England Kitchen. And yet another cool variation by Sharyn Carlson at Living Artfully. So, I'm just adding my own little twist! The biggest benefit I can see to the way I've done mine is that the ornaments are all the way around, so the front and back are both pretty. Since my front door has a window right smack in the middle, this was a plus for me since I mostly see the back of mine!

By Hazleruthe

Elle's New England Kitchen

Living Arfully

Here's what you need for this project:
1 wire hanger
1 or 2 strands of tinsel garland
About 50-60 medium sized "unbreakable" Christmas ornaments (I bought my "unbreakable" ornaments at our local department store, but I love the idea of recycling old balls from the thrift store)
Pliers
Hot glue gun and glue sticks

The first thing you'll want to do no matter what kind of ornaments you have is to hot glue the tops on so they won't pop off.

Once your ornaments are ready, you'll need to take apart your wire hanger and shape it into a circle. Use the pliers so you don't hurt your fingers! Also (this isn't in the picture) you'll want to bend the hook into a loop so its less visible and for easier hanging. Remember to leave the "twist" open, because you'll be twisting the hanger back together to close your wreath.




Next, string the balls onto the wire hanger in the order you want them. This can be tricky, so have some patience, and don't worry if you have to take them off and try again!


Once you get the balls on the way you want, you'll have to close the hanger back up. I went through this a couple times because I closed it and it needed another ball or 3, so I opened it back up and added some. No worries, just remember to use your pliers!

Now that your wreath closed up, you'll probably notice there are still some gaps. No problem! Take your tinsel garland, and start winding it around and between the balls "popping" it in the gaps so it stays. There's no right or wrong way, just put it where it looks best to you. You might go around the wreath more than once, and that's fine too.




You're all done! Wasn't that simple? Enjoy!
And, as usual, let me know if I missed something or if anything needs clarifying. I love feedback!

Future Tutorials

I had a couple Christmas project tutorials planned, but didn't have time to get them up here in time for anyone to make use of them this year.

The Not your Ordinary Tutu Tutorial got a great response, and was viewed more than any other post on my blog (not surprising since it IS my first tutorial), soooo... I've decided to make a list of things I have thought of making a tutorial for and ask for input on what anyone would like to see.

Here are a few in no particular order:

Christmas Ornament Wreath

Crochet Snowflakes
and
Washing/Blocking/Starching

Dream Catcher

Multi-Layer Applique or Patch

Bathrobe Without a Pattern

Shirt Sleeve Toddler Hat

T-shirt Toddler Costume

Not Your Ordinary Tutu Tutorial

So, I've been wanting to make tutus for my girls, especially Hannah who is my dancer girl! However, memories of my own tutu are of scratchy tulle things that ripped easily and weren't very comfy (tho they are pretty much in tatters, my mother saved them and I have them now!). So, with that in mind, a love for fantasy, and my recent experiences with belly dancing in its various forms, I came up with my own idea!

Here is my creation:

The "Scarf Skirt" or Not Your Ordinary Tutu!

I bought the blue sheer fabric to use for another project it ended up being not quite right for, and the striped fabric I bought at Goodwill a looooong time ago, and they just seemed to call out to each other!

Two yards of each ended up being enough to make 3, so I have an extra one that is size 4-5. It can be yours for only $20! Or, if you'r the do-it-yourself type, see the tutorial below for making your own super simple scarf skirt!

Make 6 total squares (or scarves) in the size needed and finish the edges (I used my serger, but you could roll hem or just fold and stitch). The math on sizing up or down and figuring out how much fabric you'll need is pretty simple, so I'll leave it to you! :o) You'll also need 18 or 16 inches (again easy to adjust for individual measurements) of 1/4 inch width elastic.

Pick a corner, any corner to start with! Lay two squares together (I did wrong sides together so all the seams would be on the outside). Measure 8 or 6 inches from the corner (A shown above), pin and sew along C (shown above and at right as red lines). Continue measuring, pinning and sewing until you have all 6 together. Complete the "circle" of squares by lining up the last corner and the first corner, measure, pin and sew. The arrows in the picture at right indicate which corners to line up and measure from, red lines indicate approximately where to sew.

Fold each top corner down along B (shown as a green line at left). This should measure about 12 or 10 inches depending on size, but slight variations won't make a big difference. To make the elastic casing, stitch along D as indicated in the picture at left about 1/2 to 3/4 inch from fold, back stitching and breaking at the edges of the "triangle", not sewing through seam C. This may seem wrong, but it is easier than trying to make the "circle" line up perfectly, and makes it easier when threading the elastic.

Thread your elastic through, and stitch about 1/2 inch overlap using a zig-zag stitch to allow for stretch and you're done! See, wasn't that simple?!

I don't have a picture of my girls in them because these are their Christmas presents this year, and I didn't want them to not be surprised!

Enjoy! :o)