Sewing Boy

Jr. took a sewing class last year and made a bunch of neat things. I don't have a lot of pictures but here are some of the things I do have pictures of.

He made a rice warmer. He lets me use it sometimes.

He made an apron. I told him my mom would be proud. She makes aprons.

 

He made a stuffed squid for Jet. Jet loves it.

 

He made a card holder (gift card holder).

Well done, Jr. Well done.

If You Give Nichole a Medium...

Nichole is taking a sewing/quilting class at school. One of the assignments was to make a bag.

I absolutely love the inside and I'm not talking about the Terry Pratchett book in there, though that makes me happy, too. She's really gotten into Terry Pratchett books lately. So fun. But didn't she pick such pretty fabric for the lining?

You can tell these pictures were taken a while ago. We haven't had this much snow this Spring.

Chocolate Covered Dragons

December 16 is National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day. Jr. made chocolate covered pretzels for the family while Nichole had a Young Women Zoom meeting where she taught the others how to draw a dragon. Way to go, Nichole. Way to go, Jr. Way to #LightTheWorld by sharing your skills with others.

Jr. also made Christmas muffins (banana muffins with either green or red food coloring in the batter) to go with dinner. He even made a couple mini muffins for Jet. Jr. won't have his food class after Christmas Break so he's going to miss it and wants to make lots of food at home. 

It's the same feeling for Nichole who won't have her sewing class anymore. She wants access to the sewing machine so she can keep sewing things at home. 

Change in Weather

Yesterday, Jeremy, Lucky, Jr. Jr., and I went up to Big Springs for Jr. Jr. to collect some leaves for homework. 

The boys had so much fun looking at different types of leaves and throwing sticks and leaves into water whenever we crossed a bridge.  The boys and I even played Pooh Sticks a few times.  There was one spot where the water was nice and slow moving under a bridge.  That was a great spot for Pooh Sticks. 

I enjoyed going on a beautiful hike.  I love nature.  We turned around when we reached a meadow.  Jr. Jr. thought that was the greatest thing- to hike all the way to a meadow.  So cute.

 
It was a lovely day and lovely weather.
This morning we woke up to snow. 

There was a bit off and on all day, but luckily not enough to make driving to dance class scary.  Jeremy took the littlest boys with him to take Nichole to dance class while Jr. and I went to an awards night at the school.  Nichole won an award of excellence for a dragon she sewed.  That was the school project she had been working on on Reptile Awareness Day.  Jr. accepted the award for her- the certificate, the coupon, the M&Ms, and the trophy.  What a good brother.  He and I also got to bring her dragon home.  Congratulations, Nichole.  On to the next level of competition for this project.

Here's a better picture of her finished dragon.  I didn't have the best lighting tonight.

Oh, and I made homemade bread since November 17 is Homemade Bread Day.  I can't believe I almost forgot to mention that.

Handmade Christmas Gifts 2011

Christmas 2010 I was able to make some handmade gifts for Jr. and Nichole. Christmas 2011 I was able to do it again.

Jr. is my kitchen helper so I sewed him an apron.

Nichole is taking a dance class and has been needing a skirt to go along with her leotard and tights so I sewed her one.

That's all I have to say. Thank you for reading.

KAT's Kreation

Boy, Christmastime is a busy time, isn't it? This year I decided to sew Christmas stockings for each of us, so we wouldn't be using impersonal Dollar Store stockings anymore. We each got to pick out which fabric we wanted then picked tops from the leftover scraps. I think they turned out pretty well. And they were pretty quick to do.

click on the picture to see it bigger

From left to right- Jeremy, Kristin, Nichole, Jr., Jr. Jr.

Phew. Now I can put away the sewing machine and ironing board to make room for our balloon Christmas tree.

Halloween Costumes 2011

So last year I sewed Halloween costumes for the kids and blogged about it.

This year I sewed costumes for them again. Jr. was Luke Skywalker, Nichole was Princess Leia, and Jr. Jr. was an Ewok (most probably Wicket).

I sewed the Jedi robe, Princess Leia dress, and Wicket hood. Nichole's wig is made from yarn. I got the idea from the October 2010 issue of FamilyFun Magazine.

Since I spent all my time making costumes for the kids, I didn't spend much time thinking how to dress up myself. I do like dressing up. So yesterday, I thought about my ruthlessness way back when and how I hadn't gotten rid of the Mrs. Claus coat. I thought if I put that coat on and carried a pizza sheet (let's call it a cookie sheet) to put candy on to hand out, it would work for a costume. When I told Jeremy that, he said he could dress up as an elf. So we had theme costumes, too.

And do you like our pumpkin Jeremy carved, er... I mean sculpted?

Happy Halloween.

A Generous Thought

In the September 2009 Relief Society Broadcast (part of the October 2009 General Conference), Sister Beck shared the following about welfare and compassionate service:

"Our compassionate service and assistance with the welfare needs of individuals and families are an outgrowth of visiting teaching. A Relief Society president learns of the needs of people in her ward through visiting teachers and her own visits to ward members. Sometimes she organizes us to help others, and at other times we serve “according to [our] natures,” following the promptings of the Holy Ghost. Many years ago I learned from Sister Camilla Kimball, wife of President Spencer W. Kimball, to “never suppress a generous thought.” By following her counsel, we can know with certainty that our Father in Heaven knows us personally because He sends us to be His hands and heart to those in need. As we do so, our faith in Him is strengthened. "

I've always liked that quote from Sister Kimball- "Never suppress a generous thought." My husband and I often quote it to each other when we've spoken out loud something we've thought of doing for someone else. We've found it a blessing to support each other in this way.
One day, Jeremy asked me to sew a rice warmer (you know- heat it up in the microwave then use it to warm whatever body parts you need- sometimes it's just relaxing) for one of the sisters he home taught who had been troubled with arthritis during the winter.

I was able to base it on a rice warmer a friend gave me for Christmas one year, with four sections so the rice doesn't get bunched up in one area. When Jeremy took it over to the sister, she was so happy. It was just what she needed. As soon as he left, she immediately put it in the microwave to use it.
I am grateful for those opportunities to support my husband when he is prompted to do good and I appreciate that he does the same for me.