Birthday Banner

We are offically on count down until my daughter's 2nd birthday party and I am busy buy and making things! Today I am posting how I made a penant banner to hang either above the tables or on the tables.

Materials Needed:
* 1 -2 Fabric Bunting Pattern cut out to the size (or sizes) you want (found here.... http://www.chickabug.com/blog/2010/11/free-fabric-bunting-pattern.html)
* atleast 8 peices of colored paper. I used scrapbook paper. It offered the colors and sturdiness I was looking for. It was also super cheap! Like $.60 a page!
* 1 punch hole punch
* 2 spools of cordinating ribbon. I use 1/4" x 18 ft shear ribbon found at Hobby Lobby. I got it when it was 1/2 off, so it was like bogo!

 First I printed off the pattern and then cut out the sizes I needed. My original plan was to do 2 different sizes, but I only had enough paper to do the big triangles and was to lazy to go get more paper to do the smaller ones.

Next I traced the pattern onto the BACK side of the scrapbook paper. The last thing you want to see is your cut line on the front side of your banner!

Then I cut out the triangles and punched 2 holes at the top to thread the ribbon through. I tried to make sure they were evenly spaced. Also, I punched 1 triangle first, then used that one as my templet to punch the holes in the rest of the triangles.

Next I threaded the ribbon through the holes.

 My original plan was to have it as one long banner, but after starting to thread the ribbon I realized it was going to be too long. So I decided to break it into 2 sections. I cut enough triangles to have it say "Happy 2nd Birthday!"

I haven't added the letters because I haven't found any that I like in the size I need.

I did use both spools of ribbon to lace the triangles. I used one spool for the top section and one for the bottom. You will have a lot of ribbon left on the ends. That is ok, because it will give you room to work with when you hang it.

I don't want to raise a good child....

My day starts out every morning by rolling over and checking my phone for new emails and text messages. I have several friends that will send devotionals out if they think it is of some use to us other moms. This morning I got one that hit close to home.

If you asked me to describe Finley, I would say

She is sweet.

She is loving.

She is strong willed.

She doesn't like to share.

She doesn't eat.

She loves animals.

and She hates to be contained!

Sometimes these qualities can be frustrating. Especially the strong willed one. I can't put her in her carseat, she wants to do it. I can't buckle her anymore, she wants to do it. I can't put her shoes on her, she wants to do it and she doesn't want to wear the ones I picked out. She hates being contained. Which can make errands and grocery shopping hard and long. I sometimes get frustrated and upset that she isn't just sitting there quietly while I do what I need to do.

Enter this article....

http://devotions.proverbs31.org/2012/03/i-dont-want-to-raise-a-good-child.html

Today I will be thankful for those strong willed qualities in my child. I will also pray that she holds onto those. So when she is faced with decisions that all teenagers have to face (drugs, sex, alcohol, etc...) she will continue to be strong willed and say NO!

Sometimes we need a reminder that our strong willed children today will grow to be strong willed adults for God tomorrow. 

My Dentist Adventures

Today ended my almost 7 month adventure of going to the dentist. This all started in August of last year, when my husband and I had to make the decision to add our almost 18 moth old to our dental plan. If we didn't do it then, we would have to wait until the next year to add her and our pediatrician recommend that she start to see a dentist around 2. So as we made the decision to add her, and we started to discuss the fact that neither one of us had actually been to the dentist in YEARS! We have been paying for it, but never used it. Since we don't like being those "do as I say, not as I do" type parents we knew we needed to start going ourselves. How can we expect her to go and be good about it, if we aren't even willing to do it? The catch was, my husband wouldn't go until I went in. He has had some bad experiences at the dentist, and wanted me to go and let him know how it went. So I said OK, I mean the last time I had been to the dentist (in 2004) they said my teeth looked great (minus the impacted and infected wisdom teeth). So I scheduled my appointment and went. Everything seemed to be going fine, then they said "OK we will have to talk about your treatment plan..." Treatment plan?! What treatment plan!? Then the doctor said the dreaded words..... I had GIN-GI-VITIS and 11 cavities. That's right, I said 11.... all my molars except one. I don't think I have been that shocked in a doctors office since I was told I would have to have brain surgery (which is another topic for another day). After being in the office for an hour and a half, we had the plan set up and we were ready to get started, but not that day. I had to come back for 2 super deep cleaning sessions, one visit for each side of my mouth. Which during this process I learned that I am extremely hard to numb. At my first cleaning visit they used 3 Novocaine cartridges before they could start working. Once those were finished I was able to start having the cavities filled in. And today ended my long journey. From this point on, the only reason I should be going to the dentist is for my regular check-ups.

So I am treating myself to a milkshake....

On a side note, which really made me mad.... My husband only had 1 tiny cavity and gingivitis (but not as bad as mine). I mean really!?!?

Single Mom.... for a few days anyways...

It looks like I will be a single mom for the next 5 days. My husband has gone out of town and will not be back until late Wednesday night. This can only mean a few things.....

1. No cooking (unless I feel like it)! It looks like leftovers and McDonald's for the next few nights!
2. Girlie Movie Marathons! This is my chance to watch all the movies my husband refuses to watch with me.
3. Clean and organizing time! Well as much as I can get done with a toddler hanging on my legs. So I am sure there will be post about those changes being made around my house.
4. Crafting time!!!!! I have several projects I have planned to make, mostly for Finley's upcoming 2nd birthday party. So those will be posted as soon as I get them finished.

But on to tonight's project.....

Nutella and Bananas Ice Cream

I found this recipe online and thought my picky (almost) 2 year old would like it.
The original recipe calls for 1 cup nutella and 6 bananas. I ended up halving this recipe. Mostly because I didn't want to use all the nutella I just bought (that stuff is expensive!) and I only had 4 banana on hand. So I did....

1/2 cup nutella
3 bananas

Put it in a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a storage container or Popsicle molds and stick it in the freezer for a few hours or over night until the mixture is set (no lie.... that easy!).

I recommend using the Popsicle molds. I put mine in a Tupperware container and let it cool over night, it was rock hard that afternoon at lunch and was very hard to scoop out.

At first I tried to feed it to Finley, but she wanted nothing to do with it. So I ended up just leaving her with the bowl and spoon and walking away. When I peeked my head back around the corner to see what she was doing this is what I saw....

So from the pictures you can even begin to understand the mess she made! It was every where! It was on the table, down her shirt sleeve and all over her pants. I'm guessing she liked it!

It is totally worth trying! I'm not a big fan of bananas, but I tasted it and it was yummy!

Homemade Yogurt

My sister has been telling me for a really long time that she makes homemade yogurt. She said it was super easy and tasty. My husband and I are not big fans of yogurt, but our daughter is. So I finally decided to go online and figure out how to make it. I came across this recipe on Pinterest and it turned out fantastic, to bad my little one doesn't like it! Not that it tastes bad, it is just a bit tangier then normal store bought yogurt and can take some time to get use to. I have been told it is similar to Greek Yogurt. So I've been trying to give her some here and there and mix it in with some store bought yogurt until she begins to like the taste. I also use it in smoothies and she doesn't even notice a difference.

I also used vanilla yogurt instead of plan. I thought it would help the taste and Finley would like it more, since vanilla yogurt is her favorite anyways.

So here is the website that I used....

http://www.olymomma.com/2011/06/homemade-yogurt-say-what.html

It takes all day to make this and you can't really go anywhere for more then a few hours at a time. Also, you cannot use your oven. Your oven has to be cold, but you can use your stove top. The day I made my first batch I did not plan for dinner very well and we ended up eating Kraft Mac & Cheese.

St. Patrick's Day Wreath

A few weeks ago I was looking around online (Pinterest) for some neat things to make for St. Patrick's day when I came across this wreath. I thought it was really pretty and seemed like I could make something very similar. So I gave it a shot!

This is the Etsy shop of the woman that made the original wreath (http://www.etsy.com/shop/daffadowndillies?ref=seller_info). Thank you for the inspiration!

Well this is what my turned out looking like...

How I made it:

Materials:

* Hot glue gun and glue

* a 14 inch foam wreath ring (found at Hobby Lobby or Michael's for about $5.00)

* White yarn

* Yellow Felt

* Green Felt

*Dark Green Felt

* Black seed beads for the center of the flowers

* Amber colored gems for the center of some of the flowers

* Green with white polka dots ribbon

First, I just wrapped the wreath in the yarn. I found it easiest to cut long lengths of the yarn and hot glue it to the wreath on the back and then wrap it around. When I was done with one length of yarn, I would line the next one up with the end of the last one, always making sure to end/begin on the back where no one could see it. 

Next, I started to make the flowers. For the yellow and regular green flowers I followed the tutorial on this website http://sewingin-nomansland.blogspot.com/2011/04/easter-bonnet-headband-tutorial-and.html (the tute is for a really cute headband that I have also made. I made the flowers and put them on the wreath instead of the headband. I also just made the felt flowers and not the fabric rosette. I have made the headband for a few different outfits and birthday gifts and it was a big hit!)

For the dark green flowers I followed this websites instructions  http://joyisathome.blogspot.com/2010/10/felt-flower-headbands.html. Then I just figured out how I wanted the flowers to look on the wreath and hot glued them on! Finally, I added the green ribbon to hang the wreath from on our door. From start to finish it took me about 4 hours to make it. I did this on a night when my husband was out of town and the baby was in bed.

*Note: I tried making the shamrocks, but it just didn't work out for me. I didn't like how they were looking, there wasn't enough volume to put them on the wreath next to the flowers. 

If you have any questions on how I did anything, please feel free to email me and I will get back to you as soon as possible!

Potty Training

Sorry I haven't been on in a minute... we have had a sick house the last few weeks. But while I have been tending to a sick home, I have been able to get some crafting done... So here is one things I have been working on the last few weeks....

Potty Training Treats Jar

We were out of school a few weeks ago, and I figured this is the best time to start potty training! My daughter is 22 months old (I know... that is so young to potty train... and you would be right!) and was showing signs of being ready to potty train. She will tell me when she is wet and needs a new diaper, and she will tell me when she is about to go #2! So I spent a few days before talking up the M&M's and how big girls get M&M's when they go on the potty. I also made this super cute jar to put the M&M's in. I got the idea from this website (http://www.littlelucylu.com/2011/05/potty-treats.html). I just made a few changes.

Materials Needed
* 1 small glass jar (I found mine at Hobby Lobby originally priced at $3.50, but then it was 50% off so it turned out to be $1.75)
* 1 hair tie
* A few cuts of ribbon, any color and any length
* Sticker Letters
* A bag of M&M's

First I made sure to wash the jar. I didn't want any yuckyness on the outside when I put my letters on or the inside when I put the M&M's in!

Then I took my hair tie and tied the pieces of ribbon onto it.

Once the jar was clean and dry, I stuck the letter stickers on it. I made mine say "Potty Treats," you can make yours say whatever you want. I thought about using my daughter's name, but then decided against it.

 I then put the hair tie on the jar and it was finished!

In case you were wondering... potty training was an epic failure! We started strong on Monday, going every 15 minutes and I got nothing. Tuesday was the same. Then Wednesday I ended up throwing out my back and we didn't get to finish out the week. It seemed as though as soon as I pulled up her diaper she went. She would also sit on the potty and say "Do it!" So I also had to go potty every 15 minutes. I had to keep a cup of water on hand all day, just to keep myself hydrated! I guess we will try again in the summer when she is a little bit older.

I have a few more projects I have been working on. Hopefully I will be able to get those up this week!