My Take on the Library Tote

If you are on Pinterest at all and you sew you have probably seen  this tutorial for a cute library tote all over the place.  I pinned it, I have no idea how long ago, and keep coming back to look at it. Then  I visited my mom's library when we were up visiting after the huge storm that took our our power. After that I decided it was time to get a library card at our local library since it's just down the road. Perfect excuse to make a bag!  And, bonus, doing one pinterest pin a week is part of my Summer Bucket List! So here is my spin on the tote!

I used a vinyl fabric from Joann's for the main body. I bought it to make a zipper pouch for my Nook but since you have to buy a yard at a time of this kind of fabric I had plenty to make the bag as well. And now... BONUS they will match!

For the out side pocket and reinforcement strip I used some Daisy Cottage. I purchased half a yard of this from UberStitch last winter and had it sent to my sister. She made a nook cover out of it for me. (Again, with the matching.)

The handle and interior pocket was some sweet Riley Blake fabric my mom purchased for me off of Pick Your Plum back in May.

The whole thing came together in an hour or two with fabrics from my stash. My kind of Wednesday night project! Next time I make it I'll be sure to pin the pocket on so that it's centered and I probably won't do the vinyl exterior with the cotton handles. (Josh says it makes it look a little less polished). But for a distracted first attempt I am rather pleased.

Have and of you made the Noodlehead library tote? I would love to see it!!

Bucket List Update

It's been such a full and busy summer it feels like. And yet when I look at the girls bucket list hardly anything is checked off!! Some things just aren't going to happen. The zoo and Abi visiting my sister probably won't take place as schedules have changed and shrinky dinks are hard to find!. However, many of the things can still happen. Today I am printing out paper dolls and letting the girls work with my markers (GASP!) I got an ice cream maker from my parents and ordered a fun doll pattern to make dolls with the girls. This weekend the girls are staying three nights with Grandma and Grandpa. Then it's time to get to work staying home and having fun!

Girls Summer Bucket List

o   Zoo

o   Finger paints

o   Water fight

o   Make Popsicles

o   Dollar Movies

o   Splash Park

o   Make ice cream

o   Sidewalk chalk

o   Photo booth

o   Bean Bag Toss

o   Fireworks

o   Make Shirts

o   Library

o   Potato stamps

o   Farmers market

o   Art project

o   Make Cards

o   Pillow fort

o   Mini golf

o   Sprinkler

o   Visit Grandma and Papa

o   Visit Nana

o   Visit Aunt Tabi (Abi)

o   Visit Aunt Marge

o   Cereal Necklace

o   Sleep in tent

o   Play Dates

o   Twister

o   Make Pizza

o   Make Box Car

o   Download games on Nook

o   Make Cookies

o   Plant Something

o   Play Memory

o   Collage

o   Picnic

o   Mommy Mummy

o   Build-a-Bear

o   Fun Center

o   Shrinky Dinks

o   Go Swimming

o   Bubbles

o   Paper Dolls

o   Make a doll

o   Fairy Jar

Lemon Short Bread Sugar Scrub

Last week after getting home from my parents house I was feel the desperate need to be creative. 

Since the house was a mess and my to-do list was a mile long I opted for a very simple project and whipped up some sugar scrub. 

My original plan was to make lemonade sugar scrub but a few things got in the way. First off I bought organic raw sugar because I love the texture. However that mixed with the olive oil and it was impossible to get a white or yellow mixture. I ended up with brown.

I also really wanted to use the lemon rind but since my blender and food processor are broken I couldn't pulverize the whole rind and was only able to use the zest I got with my fine grater. The scent wasn't quite strong enough for my liking so I added almond and vanilla extract and ended up with...... Lemon Short Bread Sugar Scrub!

I finally tried it out today and loved it. Just the right about of scrub and left my skin smooth and not oily. Perfect!!

If any one is interested in trying here is the recipe such as it is:

Ingredients:

"White" Sugar 

(I used organic raw sugar because I wanted a rough scrub)

Brown Sugar

Oil

(I used olive oil since I had it on hand)

Lemon Zest

Almond Extract

Vanilla Extract

Directions:

1) Combine 1 cup of white sugar and 1/2 a cup of brown sugar and stir.

2)Mix in 1 1/2 cups oil.

3) Add the zest of one lemon.

4) Add one teaspoon each of the extracts.

5) Stir

6) Spoon into a jar or bottle with a tight lid.

(All measurements are rough estimates as I made a rather large batch and mixed by feel. The mixture will separate as it sits so you made need to shake or stir before use.)

I have been saving my Starbucks Mocha beverage bottles for a while now. I simply pealed of the labels and used a squirt or two of goo gone on each side and the glue residue wiped right off. I had some black spray paint on hand so I sprayed the the caps with that and it made for rather pretty presentation I think.

I gave one to my mother-in-law as a thank you for watching the cat while we were gone and I kept one for myself because, well because I never keep things I make for myself it seems. I have one bottle from this batch left so lets have a little fun. I'll give it away to the first local person who comments on this post and can meet me some time on Thursday in town to pick it up. :)

Let's Go to the Fair

Friday night we headed to the Salem County Fair. I loved the fair of as a kid and have fun memories as a child and teen going with friends and family. I was so excited to take my kids! The Salem fair is an open gate fair and has free parking which means getting in costs nothing. Granted you can spend a fortune once you get in, but we were able to it pretty cheap.

Personally I was most excited about the exhibits, but was rather dissapointed in those. Nothing like the one back home, but all in all we still had a good time. We bought twenty tickets and took the girls on their first ferris wheel  ride.

As you can see Maddie loved it!

Abi's favorite part was the free petting zoo. We got to see and touch all kinds of animals. We even got to see two baby goats that were less than 24 hours old. So sweet.

We gave each of the kids ten dollars to spend on food or junk or games. But is started raining to we skipped out early and hit up Sweet Frog for dinner. All in all a summer highlight.

What have some of your summer highlights been so far?

Learning Lessons

I overbooked today. Way over booked. I booked walking with a friend at 9:30, a birthday party with the kids at 11:00 and another one at 5:00.

I had insomnia last night a long with my daughter, apparently (they stay with my in laws on Friday nights). I canceled walking this morning because I didn't sleep last night and had hardly been home all week so my house was a mess and the birthday gifts were not yet made. We made it to the first party... two and a half hours late. Despite writing down 11:00 am on ALL THREE calendars I some how got it in my mind it was at 1:00 pm. Even if I had been right about that we still didn't show up until 1:30. We went to a friends house afterwards because I didn't want to drive all the way back to our house only to drive out to the second party. Twenty minutes at my friends house told me all I needed to know about the rest of the day. There was no way we were going to make it to the second party. The kids were tired, ready to be home, and in desperate need of real food.

So now I am sitting at home surrounded by a hugely messy house and dealing with the guilt of having to break plans three times in one day due to my poor planning. My intentions aren't good enough any more, not if I keep failing to follow through.

A week of meal planning with only one meal cooked.

A to do list with nothing checked off.

Plans made and broken.

Home one week from being away and feeling as exhausted and drained as when I left, if not more so.

It's time to sit down and figure out what matters. What really matters, and weed out all the rest. Time to stream line and cut out the junk so I am better equipped to deal with the real stuff.

I know it's not about turning my life upside down, but rather making small choices that will affect the bigger out come. My first reaction when I got home today was to pull out a Starbucks mocha drink out of the fridge to wake me up and grab a cupcake off the counter to hold me over till dinner. But then I thought about how silly I would feel writing this post about changes and doing the same old same old.

  

So instead I poured a tall glass of water, cute up a cucumber and I am planning on an early bed time to make up for last night's lack of sleep. It may not change the world. But maybe some small changes will change how I see and interact with the world. 

Happy Birthday America

July 4th was a quiet low key day. A trip to a friend's pool. A cook out. Fire works in my parent's drive way. Thankful for all our troops who fight to make these quiet days of freedom possible.

Goose Turns Three

We are still up in Maryland enjoying the AC and other amenities having electricity brings. While we were here our little Maddie Goose turned three. While it wasn't quiet the party we had planned it was a lot of fun and my girls enjoyed a day with Nana, Colonel, Dad, and Mom. They even got to go see Brave!

I am learning a lot about flexibility and just how grateful I am to friends and family opening ups their homes to us.

It's been an interesting experience, but all in all a good one!