September Pictures

Homecoming Princess....already???

Molly was chosen to be the Homecoming Princess at WCS's game and parade. She got to ride in the back of a convertible around the football field before the game with one of the candidates for queen and carry the queens flowers. Too sweet! I think her favorite part was wearing this sparkly pink dress. She did not want to take it off!

He finally said Mama

He's 13 months and FINALLY said Mama. Of course food came first...I understand its importance and was trying to not get my feelings hurt, but he finally said it!!

Grady said "cracker"

Well...it applies to all food actually....and sounds more like "ka-ka," but at least he's saying something. He gave us a little teaser a few months ago, but has since reverted to caveman like noises...grunts and crys...but, it works and he gets what he's asking for, so why fix something that isn't broken?

Crickets

You know the 'Eric Carle' book, "The Very Quiet Cricket?" I use to think that was the neatest little book. The girls love it, especially the part at the end, you know the part where you turn the page and cricket chirps? (Oh, did I ruin the ending! Oops, sorry!) Well, now...not so cute. See, we live in an area of the country where crickets are abundant. I seem to have one that lives right outside my bedroom window and despite the noise machine that churns out a white noise throughout the night and the baby monitor through which I can hear Grady's noise machine, I can still hear the cricket. He is a loud cricket. He chirps all night long. Every night. When I woke up at 2:30 this morning because of two little girls in my bed, I tried to go back to sleep after I returned the cherubs to their room, but no...that darn cricket. Chirp, chirp, chirp. So, I got up. And stayed up. If anyone sees me today, please do not comment on the circles that seems to be darkening under my eyes. You see, I have a cricket problem. It's been going on for a week now. I am so looking forward to the Orkin man's visit this week, because soon, I will be sleeping peacefully through the night. Now I just have to figure out how to change my husbands blackberry alarm from the cricket chirp to something a bit less irritation like a fog horn.

Molly gets glasses

Is she too cute or what? I love them on her. I was really surprised at how much of a non-issue this was for her. (It was probably more of an issue for me, who knows nothing about glasses or contacts, than for her.) I think she really likes them and has, so far, taken really good care of them. It's my understand that they might not be permanent. Apparently she has lazy eye, which kills me because one of my best friends is a pediatric optometrist (did I get it right Amy?) and I should know better. So to all my loyal readers...all 5 of you? take your kids in to get their eyes check by an actual eye doctor, not just the pediatrician. The earlier you diagnose the easier it is to "retrain" the eyes. We're hoping to strengthen her eye so that she won't have to wear them anymore. For now, all her drawings of our family include glasses for daddy and Molly, and mommy needs to figure out how to take pictures that won't "glare" off the lenses. (Any tips, Betsy?)

Creative Activities Coordinator for MOPS

I know...shocker...me taking on more stuff to do. But hey...this is a way I can guilt free do crafts and its for a wonderful cause, MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers). I love this group. Actually, its how we found our church and our preschool. When I found out we were moving to Bartlesville, one of the first things I did was looks up on the MOPS website to see if they had a local group here...and they did! YAY for me. Anyway, back to my post...I have joined the steering team as the Creative Activities Coordinator for this year. A bit more challenging that I thought. Come up with two crafts a month that you can do in a short period of time for 50 women without spending a lot of money. After brainstorming a bit and narrowing down my list of crafts, I come to my biggest stumbling block...small town USA. Not a lot of options here, so I'm spending a lot of time online researching and pricing. Oh well...I do that with everything! =) We have our first meeting in a week and I'm really looking forward to it. I've spent the last few days cutting paper and sorting to prepare for the first day. I'm sure I'll be posting the outcomes of the crafts and hopefully some pictures...of the ones that turn out. If you just happen to be in the area and want hang out with a bunch of fun moms, have you kiddos lovingly cared for in MOPPETS while you eat a yummy breakfast, listen to a speaker, enjoy time with friends, and be a little crafty...we'd love to have you. Our first meeting is Sept. 8. First Baptist Church of Bartlesville 405 SE Cherokee Ave Bartlesville, OK 74003 (918) 336-6172.

Tag Pocket Card

Fun! I was finally able to squeeze a few minutes here and there (quite literally) to do a quick little project that I promised the MOPS Steering team I'd do. (Sorry they're a bit late, ladies!) Once I figured out the dimensions, colors and embellies...super easy to make. I'll post a quick tutorial later...after the kiddos are asleep and I have some quiet time! Meanwhile...enjoy!

How to make a Tag Pocket Card

Materials needed:
1 sheet of 12x12 cardstock for pocket (I used textured cardstock), 1 sheet of white cardstock for tag, Scrapbook paper scraps, Punch, Button, 6” ribbon scrap, Scissors, Adhesive, Standard invitaiton size envelope

Optional materials:
Sewing machine and thread, Stamp and ink for sentiment on tag


Directions:

1. Cut 1" strip off of the top of the 12x12.
2. Cut your now 11x12 colored cardstock into a 4” strips. I used my Zutter DreamKuts and made three at once. Now you have 3 11x4 pieces.
3. Score and fold lengthwise at 5 1/2 inches, to create the 4”x 5 1/2” card. I used a Scor-Pal, but you can use any kind of scorer or bone folder
4. Score and fold down approximately 1 ¼” for the front pocket flap
5. I used my sewing machine to stitch down the edges and around the bottom, but you could use adhesive, brads or eyelets
6. Cut inside tag out of plain cardstock to measure 3” x 5”
7. Trim top corners on a 45 degree angle and punch a hole for the “tag” look
8. Thread ribbon through punched hole and tie

At this point you can embellish the front of the pocket in any way you’d like. You can punch any kind of shape out of scrap paper and adhere to the front. You could print and mat a sentiment. The options are endless. I chose some punches. The flower punch was made from 2 large daisy punches layered together. I added a button to the front and slightly bend up the petals of the daisy. On the other card, I layered a punched circle with a punched scalloped circle, and then matted a button with another punched circle.

Finally, write or stamp any sentiment on the tag, insert into pocket, add your envelope!

Here is a picture of how the petals on flower actually stick up off the page!

I've never really written a tutorial before, so if I've totally missed a step, or they are hard to understand....please let me know! =)