Fabric Blocks: Tutorial

Okay, so it's been a while.  I have been a bit busy. 

You know... obsessing about something else. 

Currently I am working on a little girl dresses (will be released later)... but to help me in my bulk sewing projects, I needed some weight (well, really more in my bulk cutting). 

Fabric weights. 

So, I did what anyone would do... went to the store to look for some.  And... REALLY?  There were these little tiny "fabric weights" that were like the size of a quarter and weighed NOTHING (I almost could have just used a quarter!)

So, I did what any logical person would do... thought about how I could use stuff I have around the house. 

Enter bricks. 

Enter batting that's been layin' around since my college girlfriend had her first baby and I never finished a quilt for her (He is 8 now--maybe 9!).

Enter leftover fabric from a rag quilt that I actually DID finish thankyouverymuch. 

Mix it all together and you get: Fabric Weight Blocks!!!

I used liquid stitch. 

Until I ran out.  Because let's be honest, what good is a half ass home project if you actually HAVE all the supplies???  So I am going to use my hot glue gun (hello 1987!) to finish these... after the kids get up (to get in their closet) and go back to bed (so I don't have to fight with them).

And there you have it.  Fabric blocks.

Isis

Answering the phone is EXPENSIVE!

"Your support will really help keep kids on the playground and out of the penitentiary."

That was today's telemarketing/fund raising pitch. Some organization of law enforcement that works with kids and sports and something like that... Well how can I argue with logic like that?

"sorry, I have to get a manicure"

In the last few months we have donated to 2 different police organizations and they call us ALL. THE. TIME. We get caught up on the phone with them and it is hard to say NO.

"we really need to eat out everyday this weekend."

"We can send you the information, if that makes you more comfortable"

"sure, that's fine, but I really already spent all my extra money this month at Target."

"Great, so can I put you down for $15"

"no, actually, I am a cold heartless bitch and I don't really care about the kids. or their drugs."

"Since this is a non-profit, the postage has already been paid"

"well, shit, I don't really have anymore excuses...do I?"

So, they are going to send me the paperwork. And I am going to donate 15 dollars to the keep kids off drugs so they stay on the playground and out of the penitentiary.

I am never answering the phone again. It is too expensive.

(repost from 8/15/2008, original "family" blog)

Reconsidering my career options...

Dear Resignation Committee:

Please accept this as my two week notice for the position of Family CEO.

When I started this position, the job description was not clearly explained to me.  I am willing to participate in an exit interview, but I will briefly highlight my reasons for leaving:

1.  I was not provided with any sort of employment manual.

2. My subordinates have absolutely no respect for my authority.

3. This position leaves little room for promotion.

4. I am unsure as to how much personal/sick time I am allowed to take.

5. Additionally, every time I approach human resources about item #4, I never get a clear answer.

6. It was my expectation to receive some sort of raise at some point in my 2 years of employment.

7.  I feel that my "concerns" are not taken seriously.

8.  It seems that I actually spend more money on work related expenses than are reimbursed.

9. I have yet to find the actual reimbursement office.

10. I have yet to receive any recognition for my hard work.

Good luck finding someone else to do this job.

Sincerely,
Me

We cook, too! Sometimes.

I am just like you, very busy.  I mean, I have to watch last night's tv on dvr.  I have to catch up on facebook with 450 of my closest friends.  I have to read some blogs.  I have to read a little bit of news.  I have to phone a friend or two.  I have a billion projects that need to be prioritized.  I have lists to make.  Lists to remake.

Oh, and I have the kids.  And the hubby.  And the dogs.  And the house.

So, as you can see... I AM just like you.

How do I stay sane with all these things on my plate, and still have time to make home cooked meals?

PRE-COOK!!!

Call it what you might (once a month, saturday suppers, etc), prepping some of your work beforehand is NOT cheating!

Today was beef day.  I bought 7lbs of ground beef this week (I usually wait until I see it on sale or whatnot).  I took half of it and browned it with onions and garlic.  I used about 1/4 of it and made meatballs (baked at 375 for about 20 minutes).  And the rest was made into hamburger patties (grilled).

I ended up with 2 sets of burgers.  5 bags of meatballs.  And 4 packages of recipe ready ground beef.

Won't the beef taste like frozen beef?  Thaw the beef.  And then simmer it in whatever sauce you are using. (The burgers are already cooked, I highly recommend wrapping them in foil and baking when using)

For example:

Easy tacos--one package of ground beef and one can of RoTel.  Simmer (on a very low heat) for a few hours.  That's it!!!  (you can add a bit of taco seasoning if you would like.)

Easy spaghetti:  one package of ground beef (or meatballs) and one jar of your favorite pasta sauce.  Simmer for a few hours.  Serve with favorite pasta.

Meatball subs: one package of meatballs and one jar sauce...  Simmer.  Put on your favorite roll, sprinkle with mozza cheese, throw in toaster oven or regular oven until cheese is melted.

Hope this helps you in some small way!!

Isis

(Notes on freezing:  if you are new to pre-cooking and freezing--it is very important that you let the meat cool completely before freezing.  I usually put it in the frig overnight and then throw it in the deep freezer.)

Craft Crap Out

So, I said we were into crafts... when will we prove it, right?

Here is what I was working on today--before my sewing machine crapped out!!!

Which really blows because I only have limited time to sew between naps and whatnot... the kids naps.. not mine.

The fabric.

The almost finished project.

The machine malfunction!!

Grr... now I know there is a tension problem... I have to finally admit it and take it in for repair. I have attempted everything in my toolbelt of sewing machine repair.

Oh well. I have a machine on loan starting tomorrow. Maybe this will be a great excuse for me to get a new machine... DH???

Unacceptable!

Things are different these days. Maybe. Or maybe my parents just had standards. (My, OH, my, how you view your parents differently as you get older!!!)

Look at this picture:



Okay, the back story. A few days ago (or whenever... I have NO concept of time), we put this bedframe out by the trash (to, um, you know... THROW OUT!). It was leaning up against the garage (on its' side--with the legs sticking out--you see?).

Okay. Yesterday it was sitting in its' current location covered in the hay (which you see in the box). Oh, and the empty box was setting exactly where it is now. Important note to story: this is not our hay. Nor do we have ANY idea where the hay came from.

So... yesterday afternoon, I see a bunch of neighborhood boys (who are known to play in that area) cutting through the house and the garage (don't get me started on that!!)... so I ask them who did that?

Me: "hey guys, who made this mess?"
Kid #1: "it was my friend, he's not here"
kid #2 (simultaneously): "it was Scapegoat"
me: "okay, tell Scapegoat he better get back here and clean it up"
kids: "okay"

So... today. Kid #2's Mom was talking to me over the fence in that same area. I point to the mess and say "do you know Scapegoat? Kid #2 said Scapegoat did this". She says she will talk to kid #2 and find out.

Not much later Scapegoat's mom comes over. I show her the mess. She says "so you just want it cleaned up?" I say "yes."

And there you have it. This (above picture) is how Scapegoat cleaned it up.

Are you FRIGGEN kidding me? Did I mention the hay does not belong to us? Did I mention how the frame was previously leaning up against the garage?

Yeah, thought so.

Let me tell you how this would have played out in my house. My scared little ass would have been hauled down (by the ear) to the neighbors' house. I would have had to knock on the door, apologize to the neighbor, and clean it up while listening to my mom talk about what a worthless little shit I am.

It's a shame parents don't have the same kind of love for their kids today.

(Now to be fair--this never would have actually happened to me, because I was perfect... but I can totally see it happening to my brothers)

*as a side note/question: the bike that you can see in the background, the one leaning up against the other garage... go ahead and go back to the picture, I'll wait... um, yeah, that bike... it belongs to Scapegoat... would it be completely wrong of me to take that as collateral until this mess is cleaned up?

The Martyr, the choking child, and the link.

Okay, so I just finished "The Stay at Home Martyr" (Joanne Kimes & Jennifer Worley).****

Fortunately, I am not so far gone that I need a 12 step program or anything like that. (If you are a currently a mom, reading this blog, you need to get a copy of this book!)

For example, I completely follow the "don't clean the house because kids are healthier in the long run because of it" theory. In fact, I think my family invented that theory!

But I do need some help. I admit that nobody will ever watch my kids as closely as I will (including DH). So, I decided to make some changes.

Today, after our unscheduled walk and trip to the park (so the kids don't get to used to a real schedule), I threw some snacks on the floor (so the kids are allowed to have some creativity in mealtimes) and found something else to do (so the kids can make their own mistakes without me eagle-eying every move).

At some point, my DS (who is almost 2) started choking. Now, being that I was actually not paying attention, although I was in the same room, I was hoping as I hopped out of the recliner and carelessly threw DD (who is 7 months) on the floor that he was choking on the goldfish crackers that he was snacking on!

He, in fact, was. Whew!

So, I gave him the ever popular (cure all) "spank the back" method of anti-choking. He coughed, gagged, I swept his mouth with my finger, caught a goldfish, he gagged some more (from my finger down his throat), then he started crying.

And then he put more goldfish in his mouth.

Problem solved.

But this brought me to a distant memory of a blog I used to read and hilarious posting about games for one year olds. "Mom-101: Too young for Chutes & Latters, too old to just sit while you drink" One of her games is: Put things in your mouth you can choke on... TOO TRUE!!! Check it out at the above link.

Anyway, after all that, I need a good stiff drink:


ahhh... I guess I need to pay more attention.

****Stay tuned for more of my journey through martyrdom!

Meals for a (Half-)Martyr

Hi, my name is Isis, and I'm a Stay at Home Martyr.

Except when it comes to feeding my child. I don't really go all out... organic, homemade, lower sugar, blah, blah, blah...

However, my child always eats better than me....

I will exemplify this by sharing with you my menu for the day:

DS (almost 2):
cereal bar, OJ
eggo waffle, OJ
goldfish crackers
peanut butter sandwich, mandarin oranges, milk
more goldfish, water
macaroni & cheese, corn, milk

Me, (almost 35):
tea with a crap load of REAL sugar and a bit of milk
Totinos pizza rolls with a ton of ketchup
(I might have had some water)
handfuls of goldfish crackers
Uncle Ben's rice in a bag and chocolate milk (after kids go to bed)

It is SHOCKING to me that I:
complain about being a FAT ASS-- (seriously... Totinos pizza rolls--COME ON!!)
have ANY energy to play with kids at all
wonder my skin/hair/nails look like I live in the sahara desert

*note: we usually only eat like this on nights that DH will not be home. On those nights, swap out macaroni and cheese for something delicious, like frozen pizza. Or Hamburger Helper.

Isis

Is it bedtime already?

Note the sarcasm.

The weather is getting better, but still not really warm enough to take the little ones outside.

Plus, I can think of any excuse to not get dressed. Or not get off the couch.

For those of you who don't know (and since readership is exactly 2--everyone knows), my DH (damn, oops, I mean darling husband) works very long hours. He is rarely home before the kids go to bed. That makes for long days!!

I am confident I am losing my mind:

Tonight, I think it took me about 13 minutes to realize I was still watching Dora (and watching it interactively--if only in my head. Backpack, backpack.) after the kids were down.

That, my friend(s) is a sure sign of insanity.

Adios,
-Isis

Here we are...

This is it. This is us.

We are two work at home moms. Between us we have 2 husbands, 5 kids, 3 dogs. You figure out the division!

We love our kids. We love our husbands. (and our dogs, of course) But let's be honest, at the end of the day, there has to be more to life. Our mission is to find out what that is!! We love all crafts! You name it, one of us has done it. We are also self proclaimed crazies...

Join us on our journey through motherhood, wifedom, and all around badass-ness!

I will be known as Isis (all names have been changed to protect the innocent.) Isis was an Egyptian goddess worshiped as the ideal mother and wife as well as the patron of nature and magic. She was the friend of slaves, sinners, artisans, the downtrodden, as well as listening to the prayers of the wealthy, maidens, aristocrats and rulers. I think it fits perfectly.

Until next time...