Carter is One!

I can't believe my baby is one and today he is actually 13 months.  Where does the time go?

To celebrate Carter's first birthday we threw a Mickey Mouse birthday party.  I had even ordered a Mickey shirt for Carter on Etsy, but I didn't arrive at our house until the day of the party.  I made my own shirt for him instead and think it actually turned out cuter than the one I had ordered.

I used my silhouette machine to cut out a mickey head the number one and ironed it on a onesie.

For center pieces I had Tim spray paint Styrofoam balls black and flower pots red.  I made mickey heads with the balls using toothpicks and then set them in the red pots.  Then I glued two white buttons to the flower pots.

In addition to the centerpieces I also made Mickey head garland that I hung around the patio.  I used my silhouette the cut the shapes and then just sewed them together with my sewing machine.

For dessert Carter had his own Mickey shaped cake iced with chocolate frosting.

I think this was his favorite part.  He did not cry when everyone sang to him and then had a great time demolishing the cake.

Now I just need to finish the thank you notes.

Read more...

Halloween 2011

I had grand plans for Halloween this year.  I dreamed of making Toy Story costumes for the whole family.  My dream did not become a reality, but finishing 2 out of 4 is not bad.

Trent of course was Buzz Lightyear.  That costume was very involved with many little pattern pieces to cut out.  At least I got to put my silhouette to good use.

The costume was constructed from a vintage simplicity pattern circa 2000.

For Carter's costume I used the pattern from Trent's first Halloween where he was a lion and adapted it to make an alien.

Of course he did not want to wear the hat.  Oh well, I will remember that for next year.

Tim and I even carved some pumpkins.

Trent had fun trick or treating.  We just went around our own block.

And even Carter got some candy.

I think Trent's favorite part of the evening was handing out candy at our house.  At first he was afraid of some of the scarier costumes but eventually he warmed up and answered every door bell ring.  

Overall it was a great night.  We handed out four Costco sized bags of candy by 8:00 and then turned off our light.  Next year I will miss trick or treating in this neighborhood.

Read more...

Toddler Photography

The other day we were over at our new house and I wanted to take some before pictures of the pool and some rooms in the house.  Before I could get all the pictures I wanted, Trent insisted that it was his turn to use the camera.  Here is what he documented:

He took pictures until the battery was dead.  Thank goodness for digital cameras.  Trent can take as many pictures as he likes with no film wasted.  The card can be erased and the batteries recharged.  I think Trent should put a camera on his Christmas list.

Read more...

Intro to Meat

One day last week I went on a baby food making binge.  Carter is now 7.5 months and it is time he starts eating meat.  While the kiddos napped I made apples with cinnamon, chicken with sweet potatoes and apples, and chicken with carrots, sweet potatoes and peas.

The applesauce was the easiest to make and smelled the yummiest while cooking.

Just skin and cut up 3 apples add a little water to the pan along with a cinnamon stick and simmer for around 8 minutes.

Puree and serve or freeze some for later.

While I was making the apples, I started on the chicken and veggies.  This required searing the chicken then adding chicken stock and the veggies, and simmering for about 20 min.  For the chicken I just used the frozen boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins from Costco.

Also to simplify I used carrots that were peeled and ready to eat (wish I had thought of this when I was making baby food for Trent).

Last I cooked the chicken with apples and sweet potatoes.  This recipe was basically the same as above but had a little shorter cooking time.

Apples and sweet potatoes

All done

Both of the chicken recipes were made using just one pot which made cleanup faster.

Next batch of baby food will probably include some beef and pasta sauces. 

Read more...

Sewing with Knits

When I first signed up for the sewing with knits e-course I didn't know I was supposed to be afraid of sewing with knits.  Now I know it is a lot harder than working with wovens. You need a special needle, a special stitch and you need to know how much stretch the knit has and in which direction.  I am learning a lot from this course.

First project a baby blanket.

I love this print.  I made two blankets and still have some left over.  Might make some dino shirts for the boys.

Next project a tank top.

Not to happy with the hem.

Looking forward to the t-shirt, pants and skirt.  I bought some Hello Kitty print to make some pjs for myself.

My cute model

Can't wait till class is over so I can tackle this knit pattern that I love.

Read more...

Button Holes

I have never sewed a button and I don't really want to.  I only have to do seven.  Wishing my machine had a one step button hole.

Hopefully I will have a finished shirt to show you soon.

Read more...

Sewing for Kids

Currently I am enrolled in a online sewing course conducted by Whipstitch.  It is a five week course and currently we are in week 4.  I have completed the skirt but unfortunately do not have anyone here to model it.

During week 2 we made pants and I made the size 3T for Trent.  They seemed a little tight when he tried them on and I realized I did not have the correct settings on the printer when I printed out the pattern.  Oh well they fit now, but there is barely any room for a diaper.

Modeling with his helicopter

The hardest part was getting Trent to stand still so I could mark where to hem them.

This pattern is great because it is really easy to sew and I love the little detailing of the mock fly.  Trying to catch up with my class this week.  Wish me luck.

Read more...

Dragon Slippers

Last month Made by Rae celebrated the boy with a month full of posts devoted to creating things for boys.  I now have a long to do list of projects I want to accomplish but I was able to cross one thing off my list: the dragon slippers.

Trent really loves the slippers and I really loved making them because they were so quick to finish.  To make the fleece less slippery on the bottom I wrote Trent using my hot glue gun.

Read more...