Easter buckets for boys

I've been wanting to try something like this for a while especially seeing all the patterns online for fabric baskets. I'm tired of broken baskets, plastic baskets, squashed baskets and think fabric being squishable and reshapeable might be a better option for toys.

I started with Easter buckets (there's a big egg hunt at Auntie Carolyn's house this year) which were made from an old pair of my jeans and an old pair of Mike's lounge pants as a lining. Voila!

Twelve inches of the bottom of my old jeans became the outside of the buckets and the same of Mike's lounge pants became the lining. I left the bottom hem of the jeans as the top hem of the bucket (they weren't all that tattered) and squared off the bottom. And of course, needed to add all kinds of ribbon to jazz it up. Does the ric rac look girly though?

So, if you really wanted to outfit your kids' toy room, one could take one pair of jeans and make a few of these buckets. I'm wondering what kind of bucket I might be able to assemble with the waist/bum part.... My intention is that after Easter the boys can store their Hot Wheels in these bags.

At any rate, the boys had a blast this afternoon with the buckets and about 75 plastic filler Easter eggs that they didn't know are supposed to house chocolates and other sweet treats. I hid the eggs three times before they realized, they too could hide the eggs. Hmmm-n. I know I'll be finding eggs all over the house for a while.

something to look forward to

Tomorrow is Free Pastry Day at Starbucks!
click here for your coupon
and enjoy between opening and 10:30am.

Tomorrow sounds like a good day for this (and considering how fabulous this Monday is turning out, it can't get here quick enough!!!).

Please print, share and enjoy: good in Canada and US!

spring in the air

It was a beautiful 9 degree day out here in Fort Saskatchewan. One not to be spent entirely indoors! The boys were up to their usual outdoor fun: digging. If any of you are acquainted with the famous orange spade, it met its match earlier this winter: Mike. Carter was most upset that "Dad broke my orange shovel" but a new one was promised as soon as they become available in the stores in the spring. I must say though, having only one kid-sized shovel has resulting in some fabulous 'taking turns' and sharing.

It's really hard to get face shots during outside play.
These guys are busy concentrating on some serious digging!

(this is a good shot of Logan's healing shiner, eh?
The first of many, I'm sure! as long as they're not all inflicted by his brother...)

Logan fell into the wet, mucky garden and was so upset: "MOM! irdy, irdy!"

Okay, he was so upset at first.

bump

So Kim W. told me that if I was going to have a pregnancy countdown ticker on my blog, there should also be 'bump pictures'. Here you go, Kim. I've never taken bump pictures, so it's a first for me. I even wore my 'big marshmallow' shirt for the occasion!

Well really, how many pictures did you expect to see? A bump is a bump is a bump. She's in there or 'inn-air' as Logan would say. Carter is still adamant that there is not a baby in Mom's tummy; it's just food but he does acknowledge that we will be having a baby girl join us soon. Carter says her name is 'Charlie'. No offence meant to all the Charlie's out there, but 'Charlie' is not a name that I want to stick!

a productive tuesday

Yesterday was a pretty productive day in the sewing department.
I got some nearly-finished projects DONE. and that feels good!

This is what came off my sewing machine yesterday:

Five girly receiving blankets, hemmed and ready. I do want to add some fancy-pants trim yet (ric rac and ribbon) but for now they are ready for use. --just in case I don't get to it!

A racecar rice bag for Carter. He's been using one of mine lately but one night I found it around his neck (it wasn't long long enough to strangle, it just looked like maybe it wasn't such a good idea). So, a racecar rice bag. I traced an outline of Lightning McQueen from a giant colouring book and tried to replicate some of the lines with stitches so it still looks like a racecar. Not perfect, but I think Carter will enjoy it. I guess I'll be making one for Logan too!

This is one of three Lighning McQueen superhero capes I've been working on. One for each of the boys and one for their buddy who had a birthday last week. You can find the superhero pattern here on The Long Thread, a blog and website that I very much enjoy!

Carter is here modeling his buddy's cape that was finished this past Saturday. Yes, the cape's logos are different, that was my mistake: sewing the lightning bolts upside down. ooops! The boys have not noticed and now I think there is less likelihood of Disney/Pixar hunting me down.

Carter did not want the cape at first saying that he didn't want to fly. Wow, if I could sew a cape that would make him fly, wouldn't I be mom of the year? I convinced him that since it was a Lightning McQueen cape and Lightning McQueen doesn't fly, he wouldn't fly if he wore it.

Logan and Carter ran in circles around the house yesterday to make the cape flutter behind them. Logan ran into a few things because he was looking at his cape and not where he was going. I think the capes will be fun outside in the spring and summer when they can run far and not collide with anything!

a first for everything

Tonight was our first night bringing one of the boys to emergency. Guess which one? Of course, it was Logan -- good guess! Carter and Logan were spinning and twirling in the living room, one hit the wall, one hit the coffee table. I'm sure you can imagine the rest.

And the short of it: Logan was far too upset and squirmy for the doctor (one whom I do not hold a whole lot of confidence in -- the benefits of small towns!) to figure attempting a stitch in Logan's lip was a good idea. "Plenty of ice", the doctor said. "Plenty of freezies", we heard.

Good bye Emergency -- until we meet again!

pumpkin muffins & variation

...because so many of you commented on them and asked for the recipe, here it is! Just a word about the strange measurements: the original recipe called for 2 cups of pumpkin puree. So, what do you do with the remaining cup and a bit in the 796 ml can? Adjust the recipe and add it all in! (Rachel L. this is actually your mom's recipe from the 97/98 Calvinette cookbook.) Skip to the bottom for a variation that Carter and I tried yesterday when Carter requested chocolate cupcakes: Chocolate Banana Muffins! oh, yeah! (say it like the Kool-Aid Man)

Pumpkin Muffins
.
Whisk together:
3 1/4 cups, plus 2 tbsp flour (substitute up to 25% with ground flax!)
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp allspice
1 1\2 cups chocolate chips, raisins, dates; you pick!

In separate bowl, beat 5 eggs and add:
3 cups/can of pumpkin puree
3/4 cup each brown sugar and granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix wet ingredients into dry, fill muffin cups 3/4 full (but you're using your handy-dandy ice cream scoop that scrapes the inside when you squeeze the trigger so all the muffins are the same size, right?!), bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. (my oven does it right in 16 minutes). Makes 3 dozen.


Chocolate Banana Muffins (cuz you've always got tonnes of bananas waiting in your freezer)
.
Whisk together:
1 3/4 cups, flour (substitute up to 25% with ground flax!)
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

In separate bowl, beat 4 eggs and add:
2 cups mashed bananas
1/2 cup each brown sugar and granulated sugar
1/2cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

Mix wet ingredients into dry, fill muffin cups 3/4 full (and you're using your handy-dandy ice cream dipper/scoop so all the muffins are consistent size, right?!), bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. (my oven does it right in 16 minutes). Makes 2 dozen.

To try next: Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Muffins? replace the cocoa with flour, sprinkle the tops with toasted chopped walnuts or pecans before baking...

HAPPY BAKING EVERYONE!