Tackle it Tuesday

Okay, so this project isn't made of my scraps - but part of it has been made from my heaps of tshirts - that's kind of tackling my mess.

So, I found this really cute butterfly fabric the other day at Joann's when I was shopping with a few friends - and I love it so much. Lyssie loves butterflies and I thought it would be fun to make something from it. Since I had no idea what I was going to make, I only bought a half yard.

It was the perfect amount for a skirt and it paired really well with a striped pink tshirt I already had in my pile of recycled tshirts. The tshirt was a large women's shirt - so I cut it down and used the top part of my dress pattern to make a shirt Lyssie's size. I finished the bottom with a zig zag and stretched it so that it would have a lacy look to it. I'm really liking that look on the dresses and other items I've been making lately (the few that I have made this year).

The skirt is made from the bottom of the same tshirt. The waist doesn't have any exposed raw edges so that it's comfortable to wear.

I'm happy with the way the set came out and I hope that Lyssie will like it as well. I did make the shirt a little short (didn't really have a choice with the size tshirt I was working with) but I think it'll be perfect for summer... and if that little belly sticks out a little, that's okay by me :)

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Bento #9

This time, it was Lyssie's weekend to go to work with her daddy. And of course, she requested a bento lunch too. It seems to be coming a bit of a tradition now. And thankfully, these bento lunches do occupy them for some time.

I made her two separate ones figuring he might need two distractions and food tends to do a good job refocusing her.

Lunch: Carrots, corn, string cheese & a few veggie stix from Trader Joes. Peanut butter jelly sandwiches cut into hearts and skewered with fun little characters. Grapes to give it color.

This is the first time that I didn't keep all of one food together (spreading out the grapes). I like how it looks so I'll probably experiment with that a little bit more.


Snack: Grapes, Banana bread chunks and Ritz crackers. The little box is normally for mayo or something spreadable (comes with a little spreader) - but I used it to conceal a little treat for when she was done. Pink M&Ms!

My bentos still seem to lack color. I blame it on the lack foods that I have in the fridge that actually fit, stay fresh and the kids will eat. I need to start brainstorming some ideas for new foods I can include. Of course, the kids aren't complaining yet - so maybe I shouldn't try to fix something that isn't broken, right?

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Light at the end of the tunnel

Yep, today Lyssie and I witnessed signs that Spring is in fact, on it's way. We have a few flowers coming up and the contrast between them and the brown, neglected ground in the garden is amazing. Makes me want to get out and clean up all the weeds around those beautiful flowers.

We also witnessed the sun - I took a picture to capture it in case we don't see it for a while again. It was beautiful outside and I was reminded how much I love Spring time in Washington. Spring is the reason that people here live through such tough winters. Yep, our Spring is THAT great!

If you haven't visited Washington in the spring, you really should.

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Muffin Tin Monday - Orange!

Yay! I did a muffin tin on time and I actually followed the theme for the week!



While it looks cool - this could prove to be an explosive tin for Lyssie (crossing my fingers that it isn't).

Contents: Sweet potato chips, cantaloupe, Stegosaurus bread with peach jam, carrots, homemade wontons with sweet and sour sauce and orange veggie stick chips. And to wash it all down, they have orange juice.

We(I) have been giving her little bits of orange juice here and there and her system has held up so far. I'm a bit concerned about the lunch though because it has cantaloupe, peach and orange juice all in one meal. Since they are small amounts... I'm hopeful. If she doesn't eat anything but those than I'm probably in trouble.

Check out Her Cup Overfloweth for more orange muffin tins.

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Color Sorting

I admit that Lyssie doesn't get nearly the amount of one-on-one time as Robbie did when he was her age. Of course, he was our only child - and he was a first child. I used to do a lot of projects and activities with him which I think has helped him excel in school. So the other day, I decided to sit down with Lyssie and play with some buttons.

I pulled out the buckets I had purchased for a game at her polka dot party, turned them over so that the objects would be closer to her and so she could see them without having to look inside the bucket, and we started sorting buttons (and whatever else I've collected in thebox) by color. These buckets are great - they are a manageable size for indoors, they come in a rainbow of colors (red, orange, yellow, green, purple, blue and pink) and so far, they haven't cracked (knocking on wood).

The kids love buttons any time I pull them out. They can play for HOURS with the box of buttons... I just risk them getting scattered around the room (sometimes a risk I'm willing to take). I've collected (obsessively) enough buttons that it has become a bit of a sensory box. Running your hands deep in the button box is irresistible. So Lyssie had to bury her hands a few times before we could begin sorting.

She knows her colors really well already. But I think the sorting does more than help with color identification. We talk about the shape of the button, if it's bigger or smaller than others, if is shiny, dark or light, etc. It's great at helping her with her language. When we are talking one-on-one in the relaxed environment she listens to my words more attentively and I find her occasionally repeating a word if it sounded different when I said it than when she said it. And it's fun to give her the one-on-one attention that she doesn't normally get with us.

I really need to make more of a point of spending this time with her in the mornings.I think we both enjoyed the time equally. I pulled this box out in the morning when Robbie was at school and he and Lyssie played with them until dinner. It was a win-win

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