Our newest chicken, Candace.

On Sept 24th, we brought home out brand new gal, Candace! She's a 7mth old Ameraucana (Easter Egger if you prefer), and she has the most gorgeous coloring. And yes she's named after the sister on the TV show Phineas and Ferb!

Candace, once she's laying, will hopefully lay gorgeous light blue eggs for us to collect from the new coop...yes new coop. I'm about to construct a new one soon! The one we have is really just not the perfect solution for our very small flock that free range almost all day long in our backyard. And with us renting we want to make sure when it's time for us to leave, we don't leave behind any areas where the grass has been killed off because of our doing.

Anyhoo, back to our precious new gal!

She's getting a little more tame and used to rambunctious children, and so JBug is able to catch her occasionally on his own. She's started returning to her little temporary coop in the evening as it gets dark, so we don't even need to round her back up again!

However she's not 100% okay with the attention she receives just yet. Here she is pushing off his hands and flying off to freedom (in the yard of course). Sometimes she can be seen standing on his hands/ lap when Missy is nowhere around! Doesn't she look huge in this photo?! She's definitely bigger than the bantams, but smaller than our Marans, who is really a hefty girl.

So far the our three gals will tolerate her, so long as she doesn't:

• eat food they may consider eating, either now or at some point in the future,
• drink from their waterer,
• be in the spot they might want to be in,
• be too close to them.

So all in all, integration into the mini-flock going as expected but not quite as well as I hoped, lol!

Oddly enough it's our tiniest chicken that is actually the meannie of the bunch. Sadly the other two are following her lead, but it really surprised me that Meep is the one to go and seek a fight with Candace! I would have imagined Candace would look at her and squawk " I can eat you for breakfast you puny little thing." and they'd both know she was bigger and stronger and not work fighting with! Boy was I wrong! 

It's a good thing Candace is FAST and used to roaming quite freely, as she can definitely outrun them.

Hopefully if we keep them separate at night and free ranging together every day they will slowly come to accept her into their flock. If not, the new coop may end up being a more like two townhouses!

Little Man loves to sit and watch the chickens when they're in their coop. He can't pedal so JBug pushes him around the yard on Missy's bike and then he gets parked in front of the coop. And he just sits there watching them for ages and ages. When he's done and ready to move on he shouts for his big brother to move him!

The Newest Marvel Superhero!

I'm ashamed! It's been almost 2 months since my last confession...okay, more like blog post... and I swear I really HAVE been busy, I just haven't been blogging!

I would like to introduce the newest Marvel Superhero....or at least what young superheroes wear to bed. ;)

Is he Spiderman?

Or maybe Hulk?

Nope, he's just a handsome little Jbug ready for some superhero dreams!

Isn't that cool fabric? I seriously wanted to steal it from his pile of fabric and make a dress for myself!

His hair is usually flat as a pancake but I gave him permission to just pick a style for the photoshoot....20 minutes later he finally emerged from the bathroom! Lol!

Hmm.....what shall I ask Mom to make for me next time?

And by now there are a few of you reading this that are saying to yourself something along the lines of: "Doesn't she know the buttons and buttonholes are on the wrong side for a boy?". Why yes, yes I do...however my sweet guy BEGGED me to ignore my sewing rules, and put Iron Man on the top so that he would be able to see the whole picture. Who am I to say no?

Iron Man from and center!

Pattern: The ever fabulous Fishsticks Designs - The Pajama Party PJs in size 12.

Jersey Love Blog Tour - The Downtown V-neck & Giveaway!!

Welcome to my little corner of the blogging world. :) I am so excited you are joining me today on Day 4 of the Jersey Love Blog Tour!

I have never hidden my love for Fishsticks Designs patterns, and these Jersey Love patterns are no exception! I never have to guess if I am putting the neck trim in correctly, or if I am joining the correct pieces together. Bonnie always includes fabulous, step-by-step instructions and even a clear photo to go along with EACH step. And that, my dears, isn't always as easy to find in a PDF or paper pattern as you may think!

Our little minions in their Downtown V-necks!
(This one is going on the wall!)

I haven't used many jersey fabrics before, and even fewer stretch jersey fabrics, as they just aren't available locally. I'm also what I call a "touch and feel" sewist. I don't like guessing what a fabric will look and feel like "in real life". And I don't like it when fabric shows up at my door that was called "mid-weight" and it turns out that it will need another layer under it (thereby foiling my plans for it completely) because I can see skin through it! 

The littles running at full speed, while the tween ambles behind them!

This new stretch jersey fabric from Riley Blake is absolutely fabulous! The colors and prints are enough to make you drool. And fresh out of the dryer it is just buttery soft and I may *cough* have snuggled with it a bit because it was just so soft! Admit it, you would have too! ;)

Even better is the fact that they so very sweetly mailed us the fabric needed to sew up our goodies for the blog tour for FREE! Can we get a huge round of applause for the fabulous Riley Blake please? Thank you so much, I LOVE this fabric!

Thank you Riley Blake!

And for all the sewists out there, like me, who are nervous to order jersey fabric online...you don't have to have any of the fears I usually have, not a single one! This stretch jersey a great weight, isn't sheer, has wonderful recovery, the colors don't fade or run, and it sews up like a dream! Worth every single penny!

The boys look so cute in their matching V-necks! The trim being a different color on each of their shirts was just enough difference to make big brother happy, and for them to still look utterly adorable together. 

Honestly the most difficult part of this whole experience wasn't sewing 3 Downtown V-necks, or even mastering my twin needle for all the hems, as those two were easy..yes, even the twin needle! It was getting all 3 children to co-operate in one photo, all at the same moment! And because it was a weekday I couldn't even beg hubby to help me prep and wrangle children. *feeling a lot more gray than when we started this shoot*

Don't you just love cute little toddler toes?

Our yard is suffering from a bad case of Texas heat and lack of rain, so we went into town in search of green grass and cute photo spots. Thankfully the first place we tried delivered on both! Surprisingly our wild little toddler who normally tries to jump off everything in sight, wouldn't stand on the bridge's railing without some serious coaxing and help from Mom and big brother!

Happy bare-footed kiddos!
The kept professing their love for their new shirts that were "so comfy Mom!!".

Another wonderful thing about Fishsticks Designs patterns, is they are incredibly easy to adjust to fit your child! All of our children have had growth spurts recently, so I decided to sew their sizes without any alterations to length or width.
As you can see, the 3T on Little Man is as good as spot on. His toddler chubbiness means that I often need to shorten the length of clothing, but it appears his new height is evening things out.
Missy's size 5 is going to be great and fit for a long time, but for as petite as she is I could easily have shortened it to a 4T length in the body and sleeves.
JBug's size 10 is spot on, but as you can tell with the next tween growth spurt his sleeves may quickly become too short. I have to sew a size 10 for him because he's a tall bean pole kind of boy, but I need to remember to cut it to a size 12 length from now on to accommodate his ever-growing length!

And just as I typed it, is as easy as it will be to adjust the pattern to fit your precious child! Really! Bonnie's patterns are all nested (think Matryoshka dolls here) biggest on the outside, and inside are all the smaller sizes one at a time with the smallest in the center. Need longer arms for your tall guy or gal? Simply cut them to the next length line. Need a wider body and arms? Simple cut one size up in the width, and the regular size in the length!

The perfect portrait shirt pattern!

Let's go home, it's really getting hot out here.

Little man had to make sure Missy was going to be coming too!

Missy dashing to join her brothers.

As you can see these V-necks are fabulous for running and playing around, and looking cool at the same time!

Be sure to join us for every stop on the Jersey Love Blog Tour!

Tuesday, 8/13: Call Ajaire & Rock the Stitch

Wednesday, 8/14: imagine gnats & Busy, Beautiful and On a Budget

Thursday, 8/15: Shaffer Sisters & Blue Susan Makes
Friday, 8/16: Rooibos Mom & Mama Says Sew
Tuesday, 8/20: Designs by Sessa & Hopeful Threads
Wednesday, 8/21: Making More with Less & Sew Can She
Thursday, 8/22: Crafty Hour & Winter Wonderings ... Wanderings & Whatnot
Friday, 8/23: Little Kids Grow & Max California

GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**I did receive free fabric and a free pattern for this blog tour, but the views expressed are 100% my own!

Fidget apron #2!

Woohoo! Both "Fidget Aprons" are done and on their way to The Rag Bag of Shelby! I actually mailed them a few days ago, but I have been busy prepping for another project and haven't had a chance to get the post about the second apron up until now!

My handsome husband...and the face of a man up to nonsense! Needless to say, it was difficult to keep even a semi straight face during this shoot! 

The second apron was made using as many as possible of the wonderful goodies I received in the mail from Kristy, over at Hopeful Threads. All the goodies I didn't use have been kept aside to use in future Hopeful Threads monthly projects!

There are several big buttons, a spring, and a stretchy snapping strap!

Can I just say that I LOVE being able to help our with her monthly projects! I know I don't always manage to help out every month, but I know that even one of anything helps towards the goal! Kristy's post here is truly inspirational and a fabulous reminder of how much difference you can make with just 1 item: The Significance of ONE.

The pocket was edged in a pretty woven ribbon. There is a ribbon strung across with roses to move around. Also there are tags all around the edge to play with.

I added extra fabric ribbons, flowers and beads to help adorn the already gorgeous apron panel.

A removable empty magic tape roll was added on the left of the buttons.
Sorry for the blue color-cast on this one, my editing skills are better but for some reason the photos that day came out with strange color casts that I couldn't eliminate completely.

And then I added a ribbon with a stretchy hair tie and beads to slide back and forth!

And don't forget:

Hopeful Thread's August project can be found here:

Fidget Apron #1

Yay! I finally finished my first Fidget Apron for the Hopeful Threads July Project!



It honestly didn't take me long to make as it's a quick and easy sew, but I kept getting distracted by the items  I was adding to "fidget" with! I kept thinking of new things to add. And I wanted to make the best use of the goodies I won in a recent Hopeful Threads giveaway, between the two aprons I am sewing up for donation.

Apron #1 was supposed to be modeled by my handsome husband, but with his current work schedule and my absent-mindedness...well...let's just say it didn't happen as planned.

So I had to BEG our big boy to model this apron for me, and he was MORTIFIED to be seen in an apron (ha ha!), so I had to promise his face wouldn't be in any shot - hence the headless model! He's also super slim, so I actually had to tie the apron around his body and arms to make all the fidget items show! LOL!

I turned the lace from Kristy into a flower and added a big button in the center. A cute owl iron on design will be smiling at the wearer as they look down at the apron. The purple shaggy strip is another item from Kristy and the perfect strip to add a few hanging items on ribbons, like buttons, beads, a stretchy band, and spring.

I had a big open space under the spring that I wasn't sure how to fill, until I spied a little pile of buttons! I made a very light outline of a heart with my washable fabric marker, and then proceeded to sew on buttons into that heart shape. I knotted the thread at the back after each button to help secure them for the many wash cycles they will most likely endure.

The beads and spring are on split rings (like for keyrings) and can easy be removed by those in charge of washing these aprons. I also made good use of my poly snaps and made up a little snap-strap. That strap can either be used to keep fingers busy, or to attach extra items onto the apron if the person can't easily unsnap them.
I also had fun using my prepped hexies to make a cute flower to look at, and I used the loop strip of a diapering brand of hook and loop tape as the stem.
The fluffy white strip and the blue bobbles below were both 1/4 yard impulse purchases at Joann for the apron, and I am so glad I grabbed them when I did. The white strip is so comforting and soft to touch, as are the bobbles.

I made a silly mistake when I started sewing up the pocket, and it ended working out fabulously! I sewed the backing piece to the bottom of the zipper instead of the slightly smaller bottom piece, which means I now had nothing to back the pocket with! I looked at the fabrics I had sitting on my cutting table and saw this pretty tulip print I've had for ages. And one *lightbulb* moment later, my pocket now has a fabulous contrasting inner that will be great to peek in and see!

I'll be starting on the other apron today using the panel and the rest of the wonderful goodies I won! Stay tuned!

KCW Day 4,5,& 6: The Lazy Susan!

Day 4 of KCW was really a bit of a bust. I was so tired and busy that I didn't do anything more than sew the dress's flutter sleeves right sides together. Yes, 2 lines of sewing ... that's all I did!

Day 5 was a much better day! I sewed up almost the entire dress, except for the buttons / buttonholes (because I didn't buy them beforehand, silly me) and therefore I couldn't attach the skirt to the bodice.

Day 6: My sweet husband dropped me off at Joann with only the little guy, which means I could take my time finding the buttons, thread and anything else that caught my fancy. And back home I finished up the dress in no time at all while hubby and the big kids went to watch Despicable Me in 3D! I was slightly jealous but I haven't had quiet sewing time in ages, and besides 3D makes my eyes hurt. So I wasn't too heart broken staying behind while Little Man napped. ;)

Without further ado: The Lazy Susan!

What's you secret to make the kids smile and behave for photos? Today it was promising her that she could make silly faces afterwards, and a few really weird sounds to keep her giggling!

Have a wonderful day!

KCW Day 3: 6 Boxer Briefs and 2 Tanks DONE!

This post is a bit delayed, whoops!

I spent quite a bit of time on Wednesday (KCW Day 3) finishing up the majority of what I had planned for the week. I'm glad I didn't plan more because on Day 4 I hardly managed to get any sewing done at all!

First up are 2 matching PJ sets for Little Man. Both were sewn using the fabulous and free The Tank pattern, as well as the fabulous Undercover Bottoms Boxer Briefs pattern that we love so much!

Set #1: Ooga Booga

Set #2: Dinosaurs

The poor dear has hit the terrible twos with a vengeance, and his days as a sweet and willing model appear to be over. And by this point he was DONE with me chasing him for photos! Ha ha!

Don't you just want to hug and love on his pitiful little self? Yeah well, don't believe for one second he would let me, he was so very upset with me for taking photos of him against his commands to stop!

And then we have 4 (I ran out of elastic and "approved" fabric) Undercover Bottoms Boxer Briefs for Jbug. He says he loves these and wears his mama made undies more than his store bought ones. Isn't that awesome?! :)

I think these are his favorites...I don't blame him. Those are some pretty snazzy cars!

And of course, no project of ours would be complete without coordinating woven labels! JBug was happy to choose the ones to match his undies, and his absolute favorite is the one on the pirate boxer briefs. That one says "Handmade to cover me booty."
And you can only imagine the almost never ending giggles that spilled out of the kids as I read that tag aloud!

Seeing as Day 4 was basically a bust, the KCW Day 5 and 6 post will be up soon!