Monday, July 28, 2008

OK, apologizing in advance for the male model.
For those of you who know me and Christine we
only have boys in our homes, so we had to improvise.
(Nate wouldn't let me show Chase's face)
My dear friend Christine,
has created these lovely tu tu's.
She has many more were these came from.
You can even request custom color combos,
So what are you waiting for???
Crystals and flowers, lady bugs ...

Watch for our gallery link here
on Clemz Clozet, coming soon.


This little number is made
from a oval placemat folded in half...
LOVE ... LOVE ... LOVE ...
This is a regular placemat from Walmart...



For the TOMBOY...


FOR THE GIRLIE, GIRL
(2 place mats)
So today I was really bored,
Chase was at school and
Nate was at work.
I stayed busy sewing up
these placemats.
That's what I said,
all the totes are made
from placemats.
Bargain placemats at that.
Try 25 to 50 cents.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

On Wednesday, I didn't get to really talk to Chase after school, so I missed his funny comment for the day. On Thursday, after school, I ask how his day went and he responds by telling me that he did some (and I quote) "metal source testing". Stumped I ask if he learned this in science and he says no mom. I did this on the play ground. By then I was really intrigued. I pressed a little more and out comes this definition of "metal source testing":

I went to the monkey bars and used one finger to touch them. They were way to hot. I went to the swings and they were ok. I went to the cheese and it was hot, then I touched the turtle and it was so hot that I screamed like a girl until the bell rang.

I guess "metal source testing" is a 1st graders way of saying he was checking the temperature of the play ground equipment.

Then on Friday, I ask how school was and he says "sweet mom, we had compooters (computers) today, but we didn't get to touch them. We had to hear the rules first.

Here's to my little genius and his "metal source testing" and "compooters".

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Early this morning Chase says "mom, don't we need to get up so I can go to school"?, I tell him, "sure, in a little bit", he says "well, I'm gettin up now". So off to start our day a little earlier than normal.

We get to school and one of his buddies in another class is sitting on the ground where the teachers have them line up. His legs are criss crossed, his elbows are on his knees and his chin is in his hands and his eyes are a little watery. I ask if he wants to play with Chase as my heart is breaking for him. He gets up and says to Chase, "there arn't any first graders here", Chase pokes him in the chest then points to himself and says, "hey, we are first graders". The little boy smiles and I walk them to the play ground.

I leave and when Chase gets home he is full of funny stories about how they were catching frogs and playing with them. I ask if he washed his hands and he says well a frog kinda got in the class room and it jumped on Leo's table then to table 2 and back to table 1. But I sit at table 5. (kinda like this means he isn't the one who brought in the frog, but I still think he might have). Then his teacher made all the boys who touched the frog wash their hands "really good" as Chase would say.

I am so grateful that Nate was able to give Chase a Father's Blessing before school. I am so grateful for the comfort and confidence that this gave Chase as he started 1st Grade. I think it made such a huge impact on Chase and such a difference in how his first day of school went and how he easily comforts other children in his class and other classes. We are so blessed with his sweet spirit. Having the Priesthood in our home is priceless.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Chase wanted to take something "GOOD"
for a snack for the first day of school.
I asked what he meant by good
and he says "you know like zuchinni bread".
I told him some of his friends might not like it so let's make 2 things.
I found this receipe for these pin wheel cookies on a blog called
"A Pinch of This a Pinch of That" and thought
that they looked cute and seemed easy to make.
They turned out pretty good and really
are easy to make. Then I moved onto Chase's favorite
zuchinni bread. You'd think the kid would be tired
of zuchinni bread but he's not.
So here is the fearless wonder ready for his first day of 1st Grade.
He's alittle tired but otherwise excited to head off to school.
We get to school and he's trying to figure out where his water bottle, lunch box and back pack go.

Here he is seated next to Ryan and Jack. He's happy that alot of his
buddies from Kindergarden are in his class.

Just like the an old pro,
he settled in without any problems.




Saturday, July 19, 2008

OK, so while I was slaving in the kitchen
(I talked Nate into doing the daily
harvest in our garden,
which we both hate to do,
you end up with the pollen from
the garden all over your clothes)
Nate and Chase have been dying to
see the 2 hour last episode of
Avatar: The Last Air Bender.
So while they are in the living room,
I managed to get alot done,
while destroying the kitchen. Nate found some great tomatoes,
zuchinni and squash in the garden...
I turned them into...

Fresh zuchinni sauteed in butter
with fresh minced garlic and
pepper and then froze them
with my favorite food storage tool,
the Food Saver.
A few years ago I wanted one of
these for my birthday after
we gave one to my dad for his birthday.
Nate got the whole set up
for me but hated giving it
to me for my Bday
(I like practical gifts and Nate doesn't).



Then I blanched,
peeled and canned a bunch of
fresh tomatoes from the garden,
so we can have fresh canned tomatoes all year.
It has been about 4 years since I purchased
stewed tomatoes from a store.
Our garden always yields
enough for the entire year.

Whew, I think that's enough for today.
I still need to clean up the kitchen and finish
the rag quilt that I started the other day.
Happy Saturday...

Friday, July 18, 2008

... why when making something as small and simple as this...... you end up making a mess such as this? Me too. Just can't figure it out.
Then I hate having to clean it all up when I just needed a card.
Oh well, I guess it's why I call this side of me creative chaos.


Thursday, July 17, 2008

Meet My NEW SEWING MACHINE. Isn't she a beauty??? 70 stitches, push button start, she threads herself and positions the bobbin all by herself. I am currently working on the rag quilt that you see laying on her.

I managed to finish another one of the place mat totes and finally after 2 years of Chase having John Deere Tractor remnants as his curtains (sad to say they were hung with push pins) he now has curtains that match his new room. Which is under construction, so excuse the mess.



Tuesday, July 15, 2008

I love my Silhouette cutter.
Look how big the end product is.
The bird and big flourish are courtesy
of two Designers from Paperthreads,
the grass, just for you and egg are from the
Silhouette library and the
rest I finally learned to trace and cut.
I love the precision and detail
that this little beauty can produce.


Yesterday it rained so hard here in town that our yard and my garden were flooded. We drove down main street and the rain on the side of the road that was rushing to the North end of town, was all the way to the bumper of cars parked on the side of the road.
The picture is from my fornt porch. I loved sitting on the porch in the nice cool rain. Had to be careful that I didn't slip on the wet cement like I did back in May.
Then we went to Coolidge and it was hot sunny no rain in site, absolutely bone dry.