My Magic Mom » Random Stuff From My Life

Labor Day Weekend

admin — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 03:25:28 +0000

It seems all we did this weekend was labor! It wasn’t quite the same type of labor as when Katelyn was born in the middle of Labor Day Weekend. That’s a whole ‘nother kind of laboring.

This weekend, Jon and I were busy…

For starters, our washer broke and after looking at the price of the new washer and dryer we want, we decided to try to figure out washing machine repair for ourselves. Thanks Mom and Dad for the suggestion! Turns out repairing a washing machine is not too hard. We pulled out the machine and diagnostics was quite simple…the broken part was sitting on the floor. Didn’t take Brainy Smurf to figure that one out. We had to drive over an hour for the part, but we had the washer fixed that night instead of sitting around with dirty laundry piling up around us while we wait for the UPS guy to show up.

So we had a few piles of laundry to move through the laundry room.

Jon cut the grass while the girls and I stayed inside and ~~played games~~ did some housework. I also attempted to fix the broken CD/DVD drive to the desk computer and fix the router…they are still broken.

Today we stopped by Lowe’s and grabbed supplies for a few other projects. I plan to make something for my ever growing collection of cute jewelry.

Then Jon fixed the toilet in the bathroom for the girls. There always seems to be something wrong with a toilet around here. I swear that there are only so many available flushes in the toilet parts before they break. Judging by the frequency we have to replace toilet paper around here, I’d day we quickly move through the allotted flushes pretty quickly.

This evening we grilled out and ate on the back deck. We enjoy eating outside and it was the first time in a long time that it has felt nice enough and cool enough to be outside at dinner time.

Tonight Madison woke up in pain. It’s another ear infection. So I got her all settled back in bed…this time with Jon and an ice pack. She is resting, but we will make a trip to see the doctor in the morning.

If I have a chance between comforting Madison and pricing some clothes for the local consignment sale, I will get my jewelry project finished.

I Stand Before You

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:03:00 +0000

This morning I had that old poem in my head that starts something like this:

I stand before you to sit behind you to tell you something I know nothing about.

Next Thursday, which is Good Friday,

There will be a Mother’s Day meeting for fathers only.

Admission is free, so pay at the door.

Pull up a chair and sit on the floor.

Remember that one? It’s full of contradictions. The contradictions remind me of raising children. So I came up with my own poem based on those thoughts. Keep in mind, I’m no poet!

I jump around in front of you while I make a mess behind you.

I don’t like my feet dirty. I refuse to wear a shoe.

I get along with my siblings. Only days that end in y, we fight.

I only got up 4 times when I slept through the night.

I can’t finish my lunch. I’m starving for a snack

I only eat the foods you give me. I sneak a cookie behind your back.

I don’t need to go potty. Will you wipe me please?

I only eat foods that are green. I won’t touch broccoli, green beans or peas.

I finished my homework. I’ll do it after dinner.

I know I lost the game. Just for this round, the loser is the winner.

I didn’t jump off the bed. I thought I could fly.

I know everything. I always ask why.

Please read me one story. I cleaned off the bookshelf.

I need you to help me. I will do it myself.

Enjoy your weekend!

Shrinky Dink Necklace Pendants Tutorial

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:48:09 +0000

Tuesday was Katelyn’s birthday. I still can’t believe my little girl is already 7 years old. I need to get the pictures of her birthday ready to share. She got her first American Girl doll and lots of fun stuff to go with her. I also made her a new dress to wear to school. I usually let the girls wear a pin to school that says “Birthday Girl” on it. After spending hours making a dress, the last thing I wanted to do with it was to put holes in it for the pin. So I decided to make her a necklace instead.
I found a Shrinky Dinks kit at Jo-Ann Fabric & Crafts. It was just what I needed. It came with sheets of shrinky dink paper stuff, a hole punch, jump rings, a chain and some colored pencils. That was great so I didn’t have to dig out my jump rings or my hole punch!

I made the birthday pendant and I ran a ribbon through it for her to wear.

This started more ideas in my head so this morning, I played around with them some more.

I have this cute dog fabric sitting in my stash waiting for me to make Madison a new dress. I decided to use it to make a necklace for her. Maybe it will inspire me to get more sewing projects finished.

This is a great way to coordinate jewelry and other accessories with clothing. Just trace the pattern or object. You can string the object on a pendant or leave off the hole and glue it on something, like a hair bow. These would be a cute way to make personalized wine charms. Then I thought buttons would be fun to make too!

So I’m going a bit nutty with this Shrinky Dink stuff. Here’s the process I used to make the dog.

I placed the Shrinky Dink paper over the dog I wanted to trace and colored it with colored pencils. The Shrinky Dink papers have a smooth side and a rough side. You have to be sure to color on the rough side.

Then I cut around the dog shape, leaving a small area at the top for punching the hole.

Next, it is ready for baking. I use the toaster oven because it’s easy to heat and keep a good eye on it while it’s baking. It only takes a few minutes.

I line the toaster oven tray with foil and then sprinkle it with cornstarch so the plastic does not stick. Almost immediately, the Shrinky Dinks start to curl up in the heat. Then they spread out flat again. Once they are flat, they are ready to come out. Don’t walk away from the toaster because it’s a fast process and it’s fun to watch.

I took pictures in the toaster, they aren’t the best, but you get the idea.

After it comes out of the toaster, I just rinse it off and add the jump ring and it’s ready to go. Here you can see the comparison of how much it shrinks since it was the same size as the dog in the fabric before I baked it.

After the dog, I made these two.

First, I made three pendants with the name of each of my daughters then I tried out a monogram.

Katelyn requested a mermaid and Emily is still thinking about what she wants. I am also going to make holiday ones for them.

Help Cure Juvenile Myositis

admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:12:37 +0000

Make Juvenile Myositis a Memory

If you have a minute, please click on the link above to vote and help cure Juvenile Myositis. I have a dear friend who has beautiful twin daughters. One of the girls has JM and winning this Pepsi project will go a long way to helping find a cure so these children do not have to suffer.

Thank you!

Voting ends today, so please don’t forget to vote!

Finally Finished Katelyn’s Tree

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:46:59 +0000

I’ve had this project half finished for many months now. Last night, I got back into Katelyn’s room with my little paint brush and completed her trees. All I had left was to paint the leaves on the bigger tree. So now it’s finished. On a whim, I added the love is all you need phrase up there too. She was playing in the backyard and had no idea I was working in her room so it was a fun surprise when she came in to get ready for the shower.

So left on my list for her room is:

1. Make new curtains

2. Repaint her mirror

3. Hang new/more artwork, maybe a bulletin board