A hot date

Look at those blissfully employed faces. Not a care in the world.

Last Friday night, before this whole unemployment debacle, Zak and I redeemed his Christmas gift certificate for a Chinese Fusion class at a local culinary studio.

It was a fabulous time, even if we did only end up with the assignment of making Green Tea Ice Cream (we would have rather made the Cashew Chicken-YUM!). We were complaining to each other at first, but obviously couldn't even handle that recipe because Zak let it curdle on the stove. Embarrassingly, we had to ask for all of the ingredients again and start over. Thankfully, it was dessert, so everyone else in class wasn't aware of our mistake. If anyone ever wants Green Tea ice cream, we know how NOT to make it!

In job news, we continue to receive leads and apply to companies. But to be honest, today I was feeling quite anxious about our financial situation. My friend Kerry sent me a talk given by President Monson (the president of the LDS Church) recently. It was so timely. Thank you Kerry.

I loved this quote:

"Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith."
What a wonderful promise.

He also quoted a poem by M. Louise Haskins that really touched me:

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
“Give me a light, that I may tread safely into the unknown!”
And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than [a] light and safer than a known way.”

Amazing

The last 48 hours have been full of prayers, phone calls, emails, job leads, resume overhauls, prayers, references, more prayers, dinner offers, housing offers, Etsy purchases, hugs, messages, offers to babysit while I sew, blog posts, and good advice.

I am overwhelmed by your love. I have only cried once about the layoff, but I have cried many times as I have witnessed the blessings and support we have received from our family and friends. It is incredibly hard for me to accept help, so this has been an especially humbling experience for me as we have called in favors and accepted gifts from those around us.

Humility. Ironically, Zak and I had a conversation over dinner about a week ago congratulating ourselves on his recession-proof employment. Maybe this is what I needed to learn--that even the Titanic can sink, so to speak.

We continue to keep a positive attitude (what good is the alternative?). Zak has some good leads and is moving forward quickly with the search for a new job. The future looks a little daunting at times, but we are grateful that we have each other and our families/friends to lean on.

Zak summed our feelings up in this email to our Bishop today.......

I have to admit that I was definitely taken aback by my lay off, but after some thought and prayer Beth and I have felt the calm reassurance from the Spirit letting us know that we will be taken care of. I just feel that the Lord has a hand in my lay off and as we put our trust in Him, doing all we can, we will come out of this stronger in our faith and better off. I just wish I was at the end looking back to see the exact reason for this trial in our life.

Thank you all. My cup runneth over.

Another day, but not another dollar.....

Today's unemployment scripture:

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Bumpy road

Zak started out his week by getting laid off.
Gives a new meaning to Manic Monday, doesn't it?
The layoff was from left field. Totally unexpected. Shocking. Sudden. Unforeseen. Not in the cards. Abrupt. Unanticipated.

But we know everything is going to be okay.

As soon as Zak broke the news, I knelt in prayer. What were we going to do?

Peace. Calm.
I am grateful for a Father in Heaven who truly sees the big picture.
Although, sometimes that big picture consists of a fork in the road that we don't understand.

At first.
But eventually we see that all things happen for a reason.

Right now, it's a little hard to see the reasons.
And it's difficult to think about the change that will be coming. A move? New home? New job? At the very least a loss of income. Scary things.....

So instead we're trying to look at it as an adventure.
A great adventure.

"All these things shall give thee experience and shall be for thy good." D&C 122:7

Side Note One: So this means that currently, I am paying the mortgage with the Etsy shop. Hmmmm.... Handmade anyone?

Side Note Two: If you happen to know of any companies in your area hiring civil engineers, feel free to shoot us an email! We'd love a lead!

Christmas: Round Two

I realize that it's April, but I just barely finished my brother in law Tyler's Christmas present (ahem. from last year). It's partly his fault, but mostly mine. Or maybe mostly his.Regardless of fault, it is now complete and I no longer have the unfinished quilt staring up from my sewing table causing great amounts of guilt.

The fabric is the now discontinued Katie Jump Rope from Denise Schmidt. Although it is no longer being printed (to my knowledge) it is still availble in a few shops on Etsy. Out of all the fabric lines in the world, this may be in my top five. There are just so many great patterns for boys and girls-I'm sorry to see it go.

To add the photos, I purchased a package of printable fabric at Joann's. There are two kinds-a dry clean only fabric and a machine washable fabric. I used the machine washable on this quilt (Tyler is a poor college student, he doesn't have the money for dry cleaning). You run it through a normal color printer and then it sews in like any other fabric. So great for making personalized projects!

To continue the Christmas theme, Zak and I are redeeming his present tonight. I bought him a gift certificate to a local culinary school and they are finally offering a class we're interested in and we're in town for! Tonight we'll be whipping up a Chinese Fusion meal and hopefully learning a thing or two. Hooray for kidless dates and doting uncles who make them possible!!

Little Fabric Headband Tutorial

The lengths shown here are for Storey (8 months), but you could easily add or subtract length for an older or younger child. This is a fabulous easy (10 minute) project for leftover scraps.

Cut one piece of fabric--3 inches wide and 13 inches long

Fold the raw edges over (wrong sides together) about 1/2 inch and sew down on both short sides.This is what it looks like with both sides sewn down.

Now fold in half, right sides together and sew with a 1/4" seam allowance to create a tube. Turn sewn tube right side out. Press flat with an iron. You want the seam to be at the bottom of the headband like this...This is the top of the headband-no seam.

Cut 4-5 inches of elastic (size 1/8" width). Feed about 3/4" into one end of pressed headband.Top stitch along the existing seam, making sure that you catch the elastic. Then do the same thing to the other end--feed the elastic into the tube about 3/4" and then top stitch down.Place your shiny new headband on a cute baby!The fantastic onesie Storey has on is from my friend Sabrina's shop-Noodles and Milk. Love it!Let me know if you have any questions about the headband tutorial. I'd love to help!

Those days

Do you ever have one of those days when you write things on your "to-do" list you've already finished because it feels good to put a line through something?
Even if it is EAT LUNCH?

It's been that kind of day.

Post Easter Dress

Since the blue sleeve dress won out for Easter, I decided to have her wear this dress to church today.

At the last minute, I added a little green headband to top off the outfit.
I love the way it turned out-I'll be making more of them for her! It's just a 3-4 inch strip of fabric sewn together with a piece of elastic in the back. Very quick and easy! And, surprisingly, it stayed on pretty well without making a huge dent in the back of her head.

Details from a week of celebration

One dinner of favorite foods: carrots and homemade macaroni and cheeseTwo atypical cakes for our picky eater: Rice Krispie and BrownieThree present openings: a skateboard, felt food, letter cards, a Leapfrog Toy, flannel quiet book, board and Nursery rhyme books, a bouncing ball and a dancing chicken.Four happy birthday songsFive spills on aforementioned skateboard

Six lit candles (three for each cake)

HAPPY THREE YEARS JAKSON!!

Side note: I've caught Jakson singing Happy Birthday to himself while playing. And last night when Storey was crying, he sang it to her as well. For some reason patting her chest and singing "Happy Birthday, dear Jakson" wasn't comforting. So he started patting her on the face instead.
Zak was forced to intervene. I'm glad to know the song has made such an impression.

The Kitchen Project

The original plan was to purchase a play kitchen for Jak's birthday. Because we have no room for it except along the back wall in our real kitchen, I didn't want a big crazy colored plastic one. Instead I wanted a nice wood kitchen. Cute, but affordable.

Apparently those are not easy to come by. Even the ones on Craigslist were around $100. And Jakson's only three. That's almost as much as Zak paid for his first car.

Then I decided to make him a cardboad kitchen from this pattern I found on Etsy. Adorable, right?

But I came to my senses, remembering that this is also the child that hangs from garage doors and drills holes in bookshelves after he rips them off the wall (oh, did I forget to mention that part? Yes, daddy left the drill within climbing distance and Jakson found it. Nice.) Cardboard was definitely out.

Wood or metal seemed my only alternatives, but I don't weld and we were facing a birthday deadline so carpentry didn't seem a feasible option. Then, I found this fabulous IKEA hack kitchen on Ohdeedoh. Winner!

Trip to IKEA to find parts. But after looking at the RAST night stand and realizing it was exponentially smaller than it looks in the pictures, we decided to go a different route.

So, using the Vattern sink cabinet (on clearance for $9.99) and some scraps from the as-is, we made Jakson a larger kitchen for less!

Before:This is the Vattern cabinet with an alternate top (the piece of wood that came with the Vattern had a large hole for a bathroom sink pre-cut) that Zak screwed on with L brackets. It already came with a shelf inside, which worked great for our purposes!

After:

Ingredients:
-bowl from Walmart ($8)
-PANNA coasters in black (IKEA--$1.99)
-faucet from Habitat for Humanity thrift store ($1.50-check to see if you have one of these in your area-they are AWESOME!!)
-scrap board for "backsplash"-(AS IS section in IKEA-$.99)
-MOLGER shelf painted leaf green-(IKEA-$4.99)
-BYGEL rail and hooks-(IKEA-$1.99/$.99)
-knobs from Target (on clearance for $.87 a piece)
-fabric for curtain is Michael Miller's Tortoise Plaid
All for about $35.

It's still a work in progress as I want to add a couple dishtowel bars made from handles at Target, but I'm waiting for them to go to 75% off. I'm so cheap.

Just in case you're counting ('cause I am)

We are currently on Diarrhea Day Twenty.
The pediatrician decided this morning that Storey needs to visit a pediatric gastroenterologist, as well as have a series of blood tests to test for Celiac among other things.
Oh goody.

As you can imagine, Storey also is suffering from chronic diaper rash. Not even the prescription rash cream can touch it. So, the doctor gave me her recipe for Magic Diaper Cream-she claims it works miracles.
I'm in need of one of those right now.

The magic recipe:
Equal parts of....
-Vaseline or Aquaphor
-Maalox liquid (plain or vanilla)
-Lotrimin AF Cream
-1 % Hydrocortisone Cream
You can use the store brand rather than the brand name. Mix together until consistency of regular diaper rash cream. Store in an airtight container (no need to refrigerate).

This is three?

Jakson has never been a destructive child. Spirited, but not destructive.

Until he turned three.

Since 10:35 April 14th-the exact minute he aged-he has:

-dug up the tomatoes in our square foot garden
-colored his felt birthday banner that Grandma made with a bright yellow highlighter
-hung on a floating bookshelf in his room during nap time until it snapped off the wall
-climbed into the cupboards while I was taking a shower, found the food coloring and dyed himself, his pajama top, and a dishtowel red.

Welcome to three.

And just because it needs to be documented----a story....

Jakson always rides the garage door when it opens. He normally drops off when the door reaches about halfway up, but Monday he decided that he was feeling more kamikaze than usual and wanted to take a ride to the top. Not only that, but he hooked his little feet up on the door as well.

I had Storey in my arms as I was yelling at him to get down, trying to get her situated enough that she wouldn't fall out of her carseat onto the concrete, but before I could reach him, he slipped. My heart stopped as I watched him fall and land with his arm under his body and his face down. As quickly as I could, I buckled the top of Storey's seat (didn't want two injured children!) and rushed over. I honestly thought he was dead because he hadn't made a sound.

As I got to him, he started shrieking and I just KNEW he was gonna stand up with his bone sticking out of his arm or something equally horrific. I picked him up and cuddled his convulsing body, all the while trying to get a good look at his arm, but he was being very protective of it. After about three minutes of cuddling and crying, he looked up at me and said, "Bobby, kiss." He held out his arm for me to kiss-no bones sticking out, not even blood, just a scrape. I have no idea how he escaped with such a minor injury. I swear the kid is industructible.

Did he learn his lesson?

Of course not. After naptime the same day, we were headed out to the store and, as the garage door was opening, there he was latched on for another ride.

Sigh.

Birthday Song Abhorrence

I thought he'd grow out of it, but apparently not.

Year one birthday song....
Year two birthday song....
Year three birthday song.....

Maybe it has more to do with the singers of the song and not the song itself. Hmmm...

An Unconventional Easter Bunny

Normally, we celebrate the bunny part of Easter on Saturday, but Zak and I realized late Friday night that we actually had done nothing to prepare--we've been quite caught up in Jakson's birthday project (pictures to come).

During our date on Saturday night, we stocked up at the dollar store and Target on little things for the baskets (remember the days when dates didn't revolve around the children? Me neither.). Zak and I weren't really excited about the idea of Jakson eating a bunch of candy, so we ended up with just one chocolate bunny and other odds and ends: a numbers puzzle, some goldfish crackers, and a pack of 4 toothbrushes.

What Easter basket would be complete without a tribute to dental hygiene?

Storey's basket consisted of large pretzels (great for knawing), plastic eggs filled with Gerber Puffs, and a couple pairs of capri pants. Seeing as Sunday morning, Jakson couldn't have cared less about the Easter bunny, we should have skipped the whole thing, stocked up at clearance sales and set out baskets a week late. Darn.

For church, I settled on the refashioned shirt dress for Storey and made Jak a little tie to match his vest. Jakson is in a "don't take my picture" phase, but we were still able to get a semi-decent family picture after the meetings, although I guess I should have picked something besides the parking lot as the backdrop. Oh well.
Holly and Phil had us over for a delicious dinner and an egg hunt in their back yard. Holly was brave enough to hide real hard boiled eggs-all of which ended up cracked because Jakson thought the hunt was a competition to see who could fill their basket the quickest.

Storey was having a hard time-she didn't find any eggs and she pooped all over her cute dress during dinner, so she gets to pose with borrowed eggs in a borrowed outfit. And in case you are interested in all the intricate details of our life, for our Saturday night date, Zak and I used the coupons that we got after signing up for the Give Me More Stripes card from TGIFriday's. If you order a drink at the bar (soda works), you get an appetizer for 1 cent and then sit at a table for buy one entree get a second for $1. Pretty good deal and we just stayed at a table in the bar area for both!!

And for those who have been counting-yes, this is the THIRD week that Storey has had poop issues (a.k.a diarrhea) and we're going to the doctor to have her poop tested today. Hmmm...poop tester.... Glad that's not my day job.

Two Away

I just looked at my Etsy shop sales and realized that I am only TWO SALES away from 300!!
I really can't believe it! The Etsy community has been so wonderful and I am grateful to be able to earn a little extra money for our family doing something I love.

Because I'm so excited, I'll be including a free gift in the package for sales 299 and 300!!

If you have ever thought about starting an Etsy shop, I encourage you to do it!
I'd be glad to answer any questions you have about start up.

Mark your calendars

I get comments and questions from skeptics all the time.

"Oh, I can't make that because I can't sew."
You CAN'T sew or you DON'T sew?
Because frankly, if you can drive a car, then you can run a sewing machine. I know, the secrets out.
"I'm not creative enough" isn't an excuse either because that's what patterns are for.

Sewing is often cheaper (Storey's Easter dress cost me 50 cents!), cuter, and more fulfilling.
Wouldn't it be fun to wear something you, yourself made!?!

Put away your excuses because April 30th is the first of a series of sewing classes I will be hosting.
We're going to be making a simple woman's swimsuit coverup/dress or little girl's sundress similar to the dress below--your choice!Sewing machines will be provided for those who don't own one.

If you live in the area, come! Invite your friends and neighbors!
Experienced seamstresses are invited too!
Sewing is a skill everyone can use (and so is a bathing suit cover in this heat).
Thursday, April 30th. 7PM. Be there.

For a materials list and more information, email me at bethanycr{at}gmail{dot}com

Another Easter dress

Seriously, how many Easter dresses does one kid need? But, I've been seeing these men's dress shirt refashions everywhere and really felt motivated to make a version for Storey. I picked up a couple of dress shirts at 99 cent Savers Monday to transform.

My friend Gina's mom posted a really great dress from a women's top she made with a part of the shirt I hadn't considered before--the sleeve. I love the pleats and buttons down the front-so cute!!
Using the same basic idea, I cut the arm off at the shoulder, opened it up along the seam, cut out some of the body of the shirt for the back of the dress and some fabric scraps for a pocket. I think it turned out really cute although if Storey was even an inch bigger, it wouldn't fit her (because the wrist of the sleeve wasn't very wide). I'm hoping I can get larger men's shirts to make her bigger dresses as well.As you can see, she was drooling over the dress. She liked it THAT much.

I may eventually get around to creating a tutorial for the dress if anyone is interested, but for now, here are a few men's shirt upcycle projects to keep you busy.

• Button shirt to Toddler dress---this is the tutorial I used for making Storey's sleeves
• Shirt Dress tutorial
• Madame Librarian dress
• All sorts of shirt refashions-Clevergirl
  

8 is great!

Storey is turning 8 months tomorrow. 8 MONTHS?!?

It seems like I just pushed her out yesterday (and unfortunately, my weight isn't arguing), but she is nearing one year so quickly. In fact, she can even stand for a few seconds on her own. It makes me kind of sad. Baby no more. Especially considering she may very well be our last, I'm really trying to savor each stage.

When she was newborn, I used to hold her a lot and Zak would say she was going to be spoiled, but I'm glad that I held her then because she certainly does not want to be held now. She just wants to go, go, go!!Her funny little personality is already beginning to show. I love it.
We are so glad to have our little girl.

Horses are cool.

Jakson's very best friend Natalie is turning 3 tomorrow. Our kids are three already?!?

Currently Natalie believes herself to be a horse. She told her mother a couple of weeks ago that she wanted her mane cut and often informs me that horses don't eat pizza offered lunch. Natalie knows the difference between a Palomino and Appaloosa and even has her own cardboard stable, complete with trough in her living room. Her horse mania is especially entertaining at church when she is neighing in the halls.

So, what better present for a horse obssessed girl than a sock horse to cuddle?
You'll have to excuse the lumpiness. It was my first attempt at a sock critter. I used the helpful tutorial from here, a pair of women's knee socks (the reason for the horses' lankiness) and some yarn I had on hand.

Since that project didn't take as long as I had originally allotted for it (all day), I had some extra time this afternoon to try and figure out an Easter dress for Storey. After realizing that all Easter dresses are pastel, I decided to go with something a little more unusual. I've lusted after this dress from Grosgrain since she posted it last yearand wanted to create my own take on it--patternless in true Project Runway fashion. I changed up the style and added sleeves. I also knew that I wouldn't be able to figure out how to make such a pretty bow, so went for the cumberbun look instead. I'm really happy with the results, although the skirt ended up not full enough. Oh well. There's always next time, right?

I am really loving green right now.