What can you get for $60

Last weekend's garage sale escapade was a bit spendy, a lot more than I typically spend.  It was a good thing James was with me with his wallet because I had to borrow from him more than once (he charged me %1 interest for everyday I forgot to pay him back).

Here's what I got:

Zooper   Single Jogging stroller (barely used, retail $450) - $35

Bike attachment for young bikers to ride behind their Daddy- $5

Cowboy boots - $1 

Rain boots - $1

Stride Rite sneakers - $1

Salt Water sandals - $1

Gap Velcro sandals - $1

Vintage handmade cotton blouse - $.50

Pile of designer kid's clothes ($.50 a piece, including Ralph Lauren, James Perse, Gap, and Old Navy) - $4.50

bolt of vintage cotton trim - $4.00

Books, toys, and other misc. - $6.00 

Paul gets nervous every time I come home with a load of stuff because we still have to pack a moving truck. I on the other hand am convinced that I can find most stuff I need and want at garage sales, the girls still have several gaps to fill in there Fall/Winter wardrobes so that is what the hunt will be tomorrow - wish me luck!

Check out my new ride

Paul called it "The People Mover"

The boys called it the "The Unschool Bus"

But I have yet to name it and this one is mine.  I've been begging for it ever since we had 3 children.  I learned how to drive on one of these, my mom had 3 different models that she drove throughout my youth.  In it you can fit a lot of stuff and even more fun, a lot of people.

Paul drove this back from San Diego just yesterday - it was quite a funny ordeal so I hope he'll write about it sometime.

You may notice the windows are untinted. I didn't notice that when I saw the posting on Craig's list San Diego but I'm not in the business of impressing people with my ride, maybe it gives it more character. One thing I won't need is a series of those back stickers representing how many kids you have, passing drivers will be able to count and see the kids themselves, some with footballs, some with big bows and certainly a few screaming babies.

My mom also drove a big white van with untinted windows. One of Paul's earliest memories of my family was seeing that van pull up to the elementary school, kids jumping all over the place (this was before seat belt laws were enforced) and my mom passing out brown paper lunch bags as we all piled out.

My favorite van memories were the times when all the seats were taken out (again, before seat belt laws). We would van surf and see who could keep their footing around turns and over big bumps. On one occasion all the seats were taken out for a trip to the Pepperidge Farm factory. My mom bought enough day old bread to fill the entire back at least 2 feet deep. The bread was cheap feed for the sheep and pigs but those who accompanied her on this errand enjoyed not only the treat of eating as much white bread as we could but also the thrill of jumping and swimming in piles of loaves.

I can't wait to see what adventures and memories await us with the new van and if I ever got chance at  MTV's Pimp my Ride, I've got a lot of ideas starting with tinting the windows and perhaps an intercom system.    

Never leave children unattended

Even for a minute!

The above photo was recreated within arms reach of a responsible adult.  It had to be documented. 

The three youngest were content watching Baby Noah while the older three were outside. I needed to run upstairs to chat with my mom for just a minute and made the mistake of telling Maryanna (not yet 4 at the time) to watch Henry.  She went above and beyond, this is what I saw when I ran downstairs not more than 2 minutes later.  I gasped loud enough for my mom upstairs to come down and check on us.

If it is not clear from the picture, Maryanna some how balanced Henry on a baby folding chair on top of a side table on top of a child size rocking chair.  It took me two tries to recreate that because the rocking chair is so unstable.  Not only that Henry weighs 28 lbs and Maryanna had to somehow lift him well above her shoulders with out knocking down the stacked furniture.  I honestly don't know how she did it and I am still wondering what she was thinking at the time.  I want to laugh but I'm also grateful because I know someone else must have been watching out for him at that moment.

I believe guardian angels are one of the tender mercies allotted to us mothers of  very young children.  I believe my mom could write a whole chapter on it and hope she gets to writing her book soon.      

New linen skirt

For those who have not noticed or cannot tell from the picture above I've added a new little widget to my blog to show our growing baby - baby #7 is on its way!  We are so excited but all of my maternity clothes have been in storage.  I either figured we wouldn't be staying with my parents so long or I wouldn't get so big so quickly - probably both.

Just yesterday I took the kids to the BYU natural history museum and unable to zip my jeans I left them open with a long shirt and a fitted tank to cover. The one thing about a growing belly though it takes up length as well as width and the shirts rolled up more than once. I told myself I was not going out into public again until I had something appropriate to wear. I made this skirt when I got home (check out my sewing blog for more details about the pattern) and then begged Paul to commit to a storage unit errand.  He was a  hero and came home sweaty with just what I needed, it was in the back and under everything else we don't really need at this time.

I am happy to have my bin of worn out maternity clothes but recognize I could use a few fresh pieces.  I just may take apart my worn out favorites and use them as patterns and do a bit of sewing for myself for a change.

My ultrasound is in one week and I'm thinking about not finding out the gender.  On one hand it would be nice to plan and sew but on other hand it would be fun to be surprised.  What do you think?  I've already got everything I need for both.

Quick Baby Gift

I made this little onesie dress for a new baby in the neighborhood.  I've made them before but have yet to document one.  This is super quick and fun to whip up but I have not come up with an equivalent embellished boy onsie.  Any ideas? 

Here are some pretty vague instructions:

1. Onesie and some fabric (enough for at least the length of the skirt plus seam allowances)
2. Cut onesie in half (you could also cut high or low depending upon the style you want).  Sew the fabric down the one side and run some gathering threads across the top.
3.  Sandwich all three pieces, the top, skirt, and snap bottom part together and sew 1/4" seam (you don't want to take up too much length with your seam allowance).  Hem skirt to desired length, I also thought about bubbling the skirt under and that would not only be cute but also eliminate the hemming step.  The flower thing is just a serged scrap that I ran a hand basting thread through and manipulated into a flower then tacked it down by hand.  

4.  Wrap it up in a serged tulle bag and tie with the scraps from the flower.

Building a Happy Home

I just returned from an impromptu trip to Michigan.  It was my turn to check out a new property so I left the kids in the care of Paul and my parents.  I left with hopes that this would be the place but it was already under contract before we had a chance to seriously consider it.  Its not that there is a shortage of homes for sale in MI, we are just looking for something very specific, we are looking for a small farm.

The difficulty of the search has surprised us but we have no intention of settling into a place that does not feel right.  As we have been diligently searching a few questions keep running through my mind, "what makes a happy home" and "can we have a happy home while we are technically homeless"?

We are certainly having fun spending the summer with Oma and Opa but there are moments when life feels unsettled.  One particularly hot summer evening I took the kids to Toys R Us to purchase a baby pool and pass some time browsing through toys.  When I saw this Lego house the song My Eternal Family  instantly ran through my mind and a light went on.  

I purchased the set with a great plan and lesson in mind.  The kids were more anxious to tear into the Lego set than fill up the baby pool which was purchased along side it but I explained that they would have to earn the set piece by piece in order to build the home.  We sang the song My Eternal Family and I explained that each time we said our prayers, read our scriptures, participated in family home evening, did a kind act, or helped in any way that that in fact was building our eternal family and worthy of a Lego building piece.  Building this simple home has provided a very visual demonstration of principles that help build a happy home no matter what our living circumstances may be.

I put the first piece down for free, it was a large green 16 x 32 plate that the house would be built upon. We sang How Firm a Foundation and discussed how our Lego home could crumble without this very important piece and similarly how our family could not thrive without being built upon a foundation of faith.  The children were very receptive and there has been an increase of cooperation, patience, function, and love in our family since implementing this Lego piece system.  About 250 pieces into the house James wrapped his arms around me and said "Mom, this was one of the best ideas you ever had".  We are almost to roof and there are 2 more different house styles yet to build within the set.  This was the best $35 toy purchase ever!

As for the baby pool, we only use it occasionally because it has become the preferred resting spot for Archie our dog.      

Walter Wick Day

Paul gave me the day off last Saturday and took the kids to the Walter Wick I Spy exhibit at the BYU art museum.  I suppose I missed out but I got through piles of laundry and even traced a few more patterns.

So I didn't feel left out Peter made the above arrangement and took a photo for me.  I told him I had my own I Spy adventure doing laundry because I found a dandelion, 2 cherry tomatoes, 10 cents, an army man, and several lego pieces in the clothes I was sorting.