Multiple Mayhem!

Butterfly Bushes Are Doing Their Job

Denise — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:43:00 GMT

Last year we planted several butterfly bushes around the kids' play yard, and this spring we planted a bunch of cherry bushes on the other side of the play yard. Of course there's no way that cherry trees would do well in our southern climate, but these cherry bushes were supposed to be hardier and we had hoped to maybe have some cherries next year. Unfortunately, only one of them made it through the heatwave we had this summer, and I don't think we're going to get any cherries without at least two bushes for pollination. The good news is - the butterfly bushes are looking beautiful and are doing their job!

Project Tutorial: Snazzy New Laptop Case Handle

Denise — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:03:00 GMT

I recently got one of those tiny netbook computers since I work mainly online, so that I can get online from anywhere without having to lug around a lot of equipment and now I don't how I ever lived without it Well I found this adorable hot pink case for it on eBay for cheap ($6 - it's awesome and has lots of pockets), but when it got here I HATED the strap. It was way too long, especially for such a small case, and when I tried adjusting it to shorten the length it became too bulky to carry comfortably.

I found some similar clips at Michael's and then had a great time trying to decide which ribbon I wanted to use. I really could've taken the original strap apart and used the those clips, but I decided to save the strap just in case I might need it at some future point.

I folded the original strap while it was still attached to the netbook case to figure out what length I wanted - I determined that I wanted the final length to be about 10", so I cut a 21" piece of the ribbon to allow for doubling and for a seam.

Next I laced the two clips through the ribbon, overlapped the ends 1/2", and stitched the ribbon closed so that it resembled a ring. Then I laid the strap out flat with the clips at either end, with the seam where I wanted it, and pinned it in place. The final step was to stitch within 1/8" of each long edge of the ribbon and across at each end to hold the clips in place.

I LOVE the new look and it's so much easier to carry now. Someone truly ambitious could even make a variety of different handles for their laptop or netbook case to suit every mood!

Jacob's Fifth Birthday Party

Denise — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:29:00 GMT

We were very lucky that Jacob's cousins, Sarah Lynn and Mark, were able to make it to his birthday party - this is the first year that their annual trip from Korea came near his birthday. Our cousin Chris was also able to make it down from Pennsylvania and the kids were all happy that he got to come to the party too.

Of course I think they were more excited about our surprise guest, SpongeBob SquarePants! Jacob is a huge fan so we sent him an invitation quite awhile back, but we were all suprised that SpongeBob was able to make it A HUGE thanks to Aunt Diana for hooking us up with SpongeBob and for an awesome party, and to all the guests who gave Jacob a special day!!!

Project Tutorial: Easy Breezy No-Sew Shrug From A T-Shirt

Denise — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:22:00 GMT

I saw someone wearing a similar version of this cute no-sew shrug, so it's not my original idea, but that shrug was made from an adorable, designer label t-shirt with a fancy finished collar and sleeves, while this one started out as a cheapo blank long-sleeved t-shirt that I got at the craft store for $3.

The first step was getting rid of the icky collar and cuffs, which I carefully cut off close to the stitch line and then stored in a sandwich bag for some future project.

Next I measured to find the center line of the shirt and drew in a chalk cutting line, I also drew in a bit of a V-neckline at the top by measuring three inches down the center line and three inches off the center along the neckline. For the tie strips I measured over two inches off the center line, and up ten inches from the hemline - which I later changed to nine inches as you can see from my chalk lines. I would recommend that you try on the shirt before doing any marking and figure out how short you want the final shirt to be, then mark it with chalk or a pin, so that you don't have to move the shirt around once you've got it nice and flat and have started marking.

The final step is to cut along the lines - you should cut the horizontal lines first, over to the mark for the ties, then along the outer tie lines up to the new hem, and then lift the ties to finish cutting the back hemline. Now you can lift the shirt if you want to finish cutting the centerline. There is no need to finish the edges since they won't unravel and they'll roll up quite nicely after washing. If I can find a pink long sleeved t-shirt, I might just go to the extra effort of finishing it with a lettuce edge using the serger.

It's been getting cool in the mornings and I've been LOVING having this shrug to throw on when I run my kindergartner to school. Unfortunately the hubby's been hiding all his shirts since I've been on the prowl for another that I can cut up and keep in the car for chilly days and the rare trip to Waffle House

Jacob's First Day of Kindergarten

Denise — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:33:00 GMT

Wow - our big boy is all grown up! Jacob started his first day of school yesterday and I'm so happy to report that he loved it! We've been a little concerned about how he would react to being away from us all day because he's never been in daycare or anything, all of his caregivers are relatives, and he's never been away from us for longer than a Sunday school class.

We've been working with him all summer long, making sure he can handle his own belts and buttons for bathroom breaks, letting him know that daddy and mommy will be dropping him off in the morning then leaving for work, but we'll back and waiting for him when he gets out in the afternoon.

Well, we both went together to take him on his first day and he was raring to go! We got out of the car in the parking lot at school and he says "give me my hug and kiss" then tries to take off and leave us there! We took all our pictures at home so we wouldn't embarrass him too much at school, but we darn sure weren't just dropping him off in the parking lot on the first day!

I took Jacob to an open house last week to meet the teacher and see his classroom, but even with all the preparation we weren't sure where he needed to go, so we walked him inside and he graciously allowed us to each hold a hand while he went bee bopping along, SpongeBob backpack just a bouncing. The teachers and school personnel were wonderful - on what has to be their longest, toughest day of the year they were all very patient with everyone and I'm not sure how we managed but all of a sudden we found ourselves back in the car without our baby, and he just didn't seem to mind at all when he said "see ya" and sorta waved bye as he disappeared down the hallway.

I don't know who was more nervous, Jacob, or Mommy, or Mamaw, or Nana.....but I know I spent the day kind of quietly freaking out, hoping he was doing okay and having a good time. I thought I was making it to the school early to pick him up (newbie mistake apparently) and ended up at the backend of a long line, worrying the whole time that he'd be able to find me. Of course all he wants to do when he jumps in the car is show me a new dance and sing a new song he learned. He had a wonderful day and is looking forward to going back tomorrow, whew, maybe tonight I'll be able to get some sleep

A Not So Friendly Neighbor

Denise — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:40:00 GMT

On the way to our house we pass over about six miles of dirt roads through the woods and we often get to see all types of wildlife like wild turkeys, armadilloes, possums, deer galore and more than our fair share of snakes. My husband insisted that we stop to check out this huge rattlesnake on our way out the other day, of course we did that from the safety of the car. He took this picture with my cellphone and I readily admit to being too chicken to even lean out the window to take a peek.

We come across snakes sunning themselves in the road all the time since there's never much traffic back here, but usually they slither away pretty fast when they figure out that we're coming. This guy was in no big hurry to get out of the way, acted like we were annoying him. Actually waited for us to figure out how to get the cell-cam going, then finally got camera shy and crossed the road.

The hubby insists on driving around any living thing in the road (even the multitude of snakes) to the point of scaring me with the swerving at times. I'm not gonna say what I do when I come across them while I'm driving, but this big fella better look out if I'm on my own the next time I see him.

Get A Free Potty Training Kit From Pampers

Denise — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:19:00 GMT

Thank goodness the kids are all completely potty trained, the diaper bill was killing us! Funny thing is, they've just turned it into a larger food bill Even though I'm happy we don't need it, I'm bummered that Pampers didn't offer this free potty training kit when we DID need it! Just go to the Pampers potty training kit page, fill in your mailing address, and they'll send you a sample of Easy Ups trainers, fun stickers and coloring pages, a progress chart, potty training tips, coupons and a Dora or Diego statue to reward your child's achievements.

Have Fun & Win Prizes in the 2009 Summer Activities Challenge

Denise — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 04:15:00 GMT

Education.com is sponsoring the 2009 Summer Activities Challenge where families have a chance to win prizes while enjoying fun summertime activities with their kids.

All you have to do is sign up at Education.com and select 20 activities from over 1,000 fun projects listed on their website. Whenever you complete one of the activities you simply click the "we did this activity" button next to the project and that activity will automatically be added to your Challenge Progress page.

Every family that completes the challenge will get a personalized certificate of achievement and they will be entered to win one of 100 Lego mini creator sets, or the grand prize Dell Latitude 2100 notebook computer.

Every kid that participates will be a winner with great projects like paper making, creating outdoor stepping stones, and making a back to school calendar among many others!

Ryan & Angela Sitting In A Tree...

Denise — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:52:00 GMT

It's been about a year since Ryan left us to go into the Army and we've all missed him terribly so we were thrilled when he was recently able to come and visit for a couple days. Ryan had told us not toooo long ago that he'd met a girl he was crazy about and they had gotten engaged. Well they took the opportunity on their way down to visit us to stop in and visit her family in South Carolina and get married along the way

We hadn't met Angela yet and I'll admit that we anxious to check her out! Well I got the opportunity to interview her and I'm happy to report that, even though it was a little belated, Angela passed with flying colors. They're such a cute couple, obviously very much in love, and Angela really seems to have a good head on her shoulders. She's warm, personable, and is trying to take good care of Ryan and we liked her very much!

Ryan tells us that they're both supposed to be shipped out within the next two weeks. They don't know yet where, or exactly when, or even if they'll be sent anywhere near each other since they're both enlisted, but they're ready to go and they're making the most of every minute until they have to leave. Congratulations Ryan and Angela!! We love you and miss you already

Triplet Gives Birth to Triplets

Denise — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:58:00 GMT

A friend with twins forwarded me this article about a triplet who just gave birth to triplets. Amber Ali of Detroit, Michigan is one-third of a set of triplet girls, and she gave birth to boy triplets in May.

Amber told the local new station that she nearly passed out when she was told she was having triplets. That's the way we felt too - they told us for months it was triplets, then when they found our fourth baby we were literally speechless for at least an hour after we found out. Of course we wouldn't give them up for the world! Congratulations Amber!

Read more about Amber and her beautiful babies at AOL News.

Our Nocturnal Visitor

Denise — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:04:00 GMT

We have a skink, a rather large lizard, that lives under the refrigerator in the garage. He scares the mess out of me occasionally, even though I know he's there, he'll catch me off guard and it seems I just can't help but let out a scream. We don't mind him sticking around because he eats bugs, apparently lots of them given his size, so he's just a little more welcome than they are.

Just recently we've started having a problem with the garbage that we store in bags in the garage until trash day. Something has been chewing through the bottom of the bags and strewing the garbage around, and my husband suggested that it might be the skink. Well, as hungry as that big fella must be, I don't think he all of a sudden took a liking to our garbage.

So, the other night, the hubby goes out to the garage to get something from the freezer and the HE lets out a big scream. Turns out our garbage bandit was a possum. The possum was either too blind (or too dumb) to be scared of us so he wouldn't leave and we never did get our ice cream that night. He did pose for a few pictures, and we have since learned to keep the garage door shut at night!

Introducing the New Face Of.......

Denise — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:43:00 GMT

Unsupervised!

Can't turn your back in the bathroom for a second

Heat Waves And Haircuts

Denise — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:39:16 GMT

Wow - the heat wave here in Lower Alabama has been unbearable! Within seconds of stepping outside your clothes are already sticking to you and the gnats are driving you crazy. It's been so bad that we were finally able to talk the little boys, Brandon and Zachary, into getting a buzz cut like daddy. They were terribly sweet afterwards, asking everyone to feel their heads, then telling them not to mess their hair up

We gave the boys their buzz cuts while Jacob was gone because he HATES haircuts, so bad that we've resorted (more than once) to cutting his hair while he sleeps, and we didn't want him to be a buzz kill. Well as soon as he got back home and saw the boys hair, he decided he needed his done too! I still can't believe he let me finish - I think the only reason he let me start at all was because the boys told him it tickled. Hey, whatever it takes! And even though I kinda miss their hair, they do look adorable.

Our Kamikaze Cardinal

Denise — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:21:00 GMT

I get most of my work done during the kids afternoon nap - in fact that's the quietest time of day around here. They think bedtime at night means "wrestle around on the floor for an hour", but they usually settle in for naptime without much trouble. I always have a mile long lists of things to do during naptime so I'm usually sitting quietly at my desk, focused on my computer. Well a few months ago I was startled out of my seat by a loud popping sound at the window about 15 feet behind me.

I went to inspect but couldn't figure out what had made the noise so I got back to work. Darned if it didn't happen again! Every time I'd get back to work, I'd hear a loud crack against the window, but there was never anything there when I went to look.

Finally, feeling like a fool even though no one was around to see, I crouched behind a bookshelf at the doorway to the room and just watched for it to happen again. I couldn't believe it when I finally figured out what was going on - a gorgeous red cardinal was slamming itself into the window over and over. I could see a more brownish female cardinal in a tree not too far from the window, and my guess is that the male was probably seeing his own reflection in the window and thought he was scaring off the competition.

Unfortunately, I think the poor guy has sustained some brain damage because he comes back at least 2-3 times a week now to torture me during my "quiet baby time". He hits the window with such force that he's actually fallen to the ground in a daze more than once, only to come back time and again to protect his woman. Well you certainly can't question his devotion!

I've been on a mission for the last couple of months to get some pictures of him in action, but he never appears when the kids are awake (maybe the noise level? ) or when the cats are in the room, and if he sees me moving then he quickly disappears. I was finally able to get a few shots - these are taken through the window and the screen so they're not the greatest, but I'm proud I was able to get some pix of my kamikaze friend.

Make Your Child A Roll-Up Play Kitchen

Denise — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:41:00 GMT

Our kids have always loved playing in the kitchen, but our kitchen is actually pretty small and there are way too many kids to play in there Instead, we got them a cheapo plastic "kitchen", my Aunt Diana hooked them up with tons of dishes, measuring cups and the like from the dollar store, and we set them up a kitchen area in the playroom. They've had a blast with it whenever they're in the mood to "cook" and we've enjoyed watching them learn to "share" :S

Well I recently saw a tutorial for this great kitchen play mat. What a terrific idea!! I sure wish I had thought of it - what a great way to entertain the kids wherever it's convenient, you can roll it up and take it with you to grandma's house, or better yet, if you've got a whole crew of kids you could make one for each child in their own favorite color. AND you could save some bucks while you're at it! Get the free tutorial for the roll-up kitchen playmat at BalancingEverything.com if you'd like to make your own.

Our Favorite "New" Neighbors!

Denise — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:35:00 GMT

We recently had the good fortune to meet our neighbors to the north! We've been living "out in the woods" for around four years now, and our nearest "permanent" neighbor is about six miles away from us. The coolest couple have a hunting cabin on some acreage adjacent to us on the south - they're local so they live nearby and they both work real hard so they come out to their cabin to relax whenever possible, but we don't see them that often.

Well a week or so ago we were surprised by a knock at the front door - that's a huge surprise out here because NO ONE uses the front door (we're country folk remember) and NO ONE shows up unannounced because it's way too far to drive on the chance that we might be home

Mick & Sally Fee, the couple that owns the vacant land to the north of us had come down from Michigan for a visit and were checking out their property. They were probably shocked that our property had turned into a kids playground since they were here last so they dropped by to introduce themselves and we're SO happy that we were here to meet them!

Sometimes in life we're lucky enough to meet really remarkable people, its rare that we're fortunate enough to have them for neighbors! The Fees hung out with us for awhile, they even endured photographs of the kids (since they weren't here at the time) and a tour of the greenhouse and the bee house

We all had a nice long conversation and learned that we share a common stewardship of the land (and a love of honey). When we finally let them leave we sent them on their way with some of our prized galberry honey and some cinnamon and chocolate creamed honey.

How amazing to receive in the mail the other day a package from Sally with some of their favorite Michigan Star Thistle honey and cherry creamed honey, plus a whole bunch of wonderful books and stickers for the kids. Books (and sand) are their absolute favorite things in the world and they were just thrilled!! Thanks so much guys, we're so pleased to have had the chance to meet you and feel blessed to have made some new friends!

By the way, just two days after you left your field was cleared for the season and planted with peanuts. A few days ago they came back and put out fertilizer, which has made the grass just take off (although I'm sure that wasn't the intention). Anyway, it looks just beautiful right now and I thought you might like to see it.

Free Infant Swaddler Pattern

Denise — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:01:00 GMT

Lotta Jansdotter's new book , Simple Sewing For Baby: 24 Easy Projects for Newborns and Toddlers ($16.47 at Amazon), has some terrific patterns in it including bibs, hats, blankies, a diaper bag that attaches to a stroller, and lots more, plus this adorable Infant Snuggler/Swaddler pattern that you can download for free!

All infants are comforted by being swaddled since it reminds them of being in the womb, and we learned right away when our quads were born a couple months early that its not as easy as to looks properly swaddle a baby. It's kinda like putting a tube sock on a snake Those NICU nurses could do it in seconds, even with all the tubes sticking out everywhere, but it took us awhile to get the hang of it.

I sure wish we'd had some of these at the time! This adorable swaddler pattern is made to stay put without all the hassle and I'm thinking some of these would be terrific baby shower gifts. Download your copy now at the Craftzine.com blog. While you're at it, you might want to also check out the new huggy style cloth diaper and baby sling patterns at Patterns2Go.com.

Toddler Potty Faux Pas

Denise — Tue, 12 May 2009 23:49:00 GMT

The quads are doing great on the potty training, we're down to only a couple of them needing diapers at night now and they take care of their own business the rest of the time. Of course its been well over a year since Jacob was out of diapers so we never have to worry about him right? WRONG!!

I do think the problem comes from living out in the woods though. We take the kids for long walks quite often and we rarely come across ANY traffic on our loooooooooooooooooong driveway so the boys have gotten into the habit of tinkling, if necessary, along the side of the road. Well being close to nature is great until you realize that the kids now take most any green spot as "nature".

Recently on a trip to the park the boys disappear one by one into a small "playhouse" made from pieces of fencing. Well mamaw goes in after them to see what's going on and catches them tee-teeing in there on the ground. When asked why they didn't just go the bathroom that wasn't very far away Jacob replied "cuz this our barn mamaw". So she tells them that only animals tee tee in a barn but he says "well, we are cows, and this is our barn, so we're just doing what we're supposed to do".

How do you argue with a toddler? At least it had walls I guess! Now we've just got to make sure he understands that when he starts school this fall, he will always be a little boy on the playground, and little boys excuse themselves to go inside to the bathroom

Thanks Willy - I Needed A Laugh!

Denise — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:57:00 GMT

A good friend sent me this joke and I laughed so hard that I had to share

A recently divorced woman was walking along the beach contemplating how badly treated she had been over the settlement, when she saw a magic lamp washing up onshore. She rubbed the lamp, and out popped a genie!

The genie sensed her anger and allowed her to vent her troubles to him. As a consolation, the genie informed her that he would give her three wishes. But he cautioned her that because he does not believe in divorce, he would give her ex-husband ten times the amount of whatever she wishes.

The woman is steaming mad, thinking that this is hardly fair, but she makes her first wish. The first wish was for a billion dollars. The genie granted her wish and she found herself sitting on a pile of one billion one-dollar bills.

The genie then reminded her that her husband was now the surprised recipient of ten billion dollars. The woman could barely contain her anger when she made her second wish. The second wish was for a beautiful mansion on the shore of her own private beach. In an instant it was granted, exactly as she had imagined her dream home, in every tiny detail. But the genie reminded her again that her ex-husband now owned ten of what she had wished for, and pointed out across the bay to a small development of ten such mansions.

Upon seeing this, the woman took her time to consider her final wish. Just as the genie was about to give up on her, the woman said she had made up her mind. But, before she could say anything, the genie again warned her that her ex-husband would get ten times whatever she wished for. "No problem," said the woman, smiling at last. "For my final wish, I'd like to give birth to quadruplets."

The Kids Get a New Playset

Denise — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 01:51:00 GMT

Nana decided that the kids had to have something better than the rickety old swingset that came with the house years ago so they've been very busy "helping" build their new playset. It feels like its taking forever though - it took a few days just to get the ground level enough to build on, then it turns out that each box we open (there are 4 in total and we've made it to box 2) is missing a piece so that keeps halting our progress.

The kids do seem happy with it so far though, at least since we filled up the bottom sandbox for them Hopefully that will keep them entertained while daddy waits on the missing parts! Thanks so much nana - I know you're as thrilled as we are that we no longer have to "hold the pole" while the kids swing into outerspace!