penny carnival

Home organization when you have young children

I hope you didn't read that title expecting me to have some answers here. 

We keep our house relatively clean, but picking up toys, shoes and princess costumes is an ongoing battle. 

Magpie used to be our tidy child. Not anymore. Tonight, as she helped me make tortilla pie, she got all Julie McCoy on me, tearing up the corn tortillas and throwing them in the air like confetti. 

I've always intended to start a system where, at the end of the day, whatever is left out gets put away or donated. (I hate associating something negative with donation, though, so I don't think I'd ever do that.)

Ohdeedoh featured a brilliant and hilarious idea for this last week. Meet Gunny, the toy-eating sack. 

It's the brainchild of Cheri Heaton, of I am Momma Hear Me Roar.

Gunny's mouth opens up and he eats toys that get left out. 

I explained the concept to Bo today and told her I was going to make one (except a goat instead of a person since goats eat anything and since we have a garbage-eating goat in Spokane).

At first she thought it was funny, but as she started to think about it she decided she didn't like the Gunny Goat. 

She said, "Don't make it tomorrow." I said, "OK, I'll give you a few days to prepare (i.e., tidy the frig up!!!)." 

Then, after I put her to bed tonight she came out of her room to tell me she didn't want me to make one at all. I promised her I wouldn't as long as she put her toys away. If things get messy, I said, I'm sewing me a goat. (Only I used proper English. She has enough problems with pronouns, past tense, overuse of the word "poopy," etc.)

So, you see, I haven't even threaded my needle and that thing is already working. Thanks, Cheri!

Next project: a chores chart.

I have a couple different designs in my head. Stay tuned. That could be a tutorial soon.

I'm still trying to figure out the allowance thing, too. I don't want to tie it to chores. In other words, I don't want to give the kids a dime every time they do something they should be doing anyway.

But what happens if they don't do their chores? Do they still get their allowance? If I don't write my articles I don't get paid, right?

And how much do you give a 4 year old? A friend said half her age in dollars per week (so $2 per week). According to J, it should be more like 25 cents. I think he figures that if we did that, by the time she saved up for the Barbie doll she's always wanted, she will have outgrown Barbies altogether.

Considering she has decided that this year's birthday theme is "Barbie Goes Camping," I think we're kind of screwed on the whole keep-the-Barbies-out-of-the-house thing anyway.

Unrelated ... check out this beautiful greenhouse made from salvaged windows.

It was at the Red Barn Lavender Farm, which I visited while part of a culinary/agritourism trip last week. 

Sigh. I want. I hate wanting.

The tour took place in and around my hometown of Bellingham, Wash. I'm planning on writing a visitor's guide to Bellingham here soon, as well as one for Spokane (you know, just in case you ever stop by). More details then.

Also coming soon ... How to make birthday badges:

And sleep. Sleep is coming soon, too.

Coffee sack crafts and a reader's book sling

I'm supposed to be packing right now for a trip to my hometown, where I'll be taking part in an agri/culinary tour of local-foods restaurants, lavender gardens, bison ranches and shellfish farms this week. It's a work thing, but I'm certainly not complaining about eating in some of Bellingham's best eateries and staying in a beautiful hotel. 

My master plan was to lose five pounds before this tour started (in order to compensate for the expected weight gain and, you know, for the baby-weight gain from five years ago that I'm always asking to go away), but like that ever happens. Did I ever write on here about my wedding day? About how we couldn't get my dress to zip up? I seriously thought we were going to have to go buy something at Nordstrom at the last minute. I don't know if they just altered my dress too small or if I couldn't lay off the cream puffs in the weeks leading up to my wedding. I've never been good at pressure dieting. Dear Food, I love you.

We did manage to zip it up eventually. Never underestimate the power of my mother when she is in full-blown panic mode.

So just a quick note to direct you to this post on my Dwell Well blog, where I'm asking readers to give me some burlap craft ideas. I was given 15 coffee sacks from Doma, a top-notch organic coffee roaster in our area. My plan is to craft up those sacks and then write a tutorial or two so others can do the same, should used coffee sacks land in their hands one day, too.

Here are the sacks:

 

 

On my Dwell Well post you'll see links to what other folks are doing with coffee sacks around the Web. This, from Jayson Home & Garden, is my favorite:

  

Feel free to share any ideas you might have here or over on Dwell Well. Thanks!

On an unrelated note, look at this adorable book sling Sarah over at Trixie's Table made following my toot. (P.S. I realize other bloggers spell that word "tute," but deep down I am really, really, really immature.)

So cute with the circle, huh?

I'm always so humbled when readers follow my tutorials and love to receive photos of the projects. To do so, either leave a comment with a link or shoot me an e-mail at megan.cooley (at) comcast.net. 

Thanks for sharing, Sarah! I'll add it to the, ahem, t-u-t-e soon.

Lots more happening and that I want to say, not the least of which is THANK YOU for all the wonderful comments lately. Must pack, though. Note to self: include a wide range of clothing sizes.

A party hat tutorial and treasure hunting

First of all, thank you thank you thank you to Ohdeedoh for featuring my little blog this week. I got all sweaty and panicky when I saw the interview go up, hoping like the dickens I didn't say anything stupid. So far no one has pointed out any major blunders--and if you see any, keep it to yourself, will ya? I love the way Alex from the Ohdeedoh team put the photos together. Makes me feel like this is a real blog or something.

Anyhow, welcome, welcome to those of you who are visiting Penny Carnival for the first time. Make yourselves at home.

Now for a new, old tutorial.

I'd made fabric-covered party hats for Bo's rainbow birthday two years ago and written up a quick tutorial then, but my directions were kind of lame and not illustrated with photos.

So, here you go, a new and shiny tutorial for making party hats over on my Kids' Parties site to replace the old one.

Those hats are for my dad's 70th birthday, which we'll be celebrating next weekend. The fabric (purchased at Jo-Ann's) reminded me of the neckties he used to wear to work in the '80s.

I keep forgetting to mention that last weekend, the girls and I attended the Funky Junk Antique Show, one of several wonderful vintage-goods sales in the Spokane area. You can see a few shots of the event here. It felt like the kickoff to our treasure-hunting season, and what better way to get the scavenging rolling than with this beauty:

Do you like how, out of habit, I'm treating it like a laptop there?

I am old enough to remember typing up homework on a typewriter. I'm pretty sure ours was electric, though. I remember having to use the eraser tape a lot, to correct all my goofs. 

This baby is fully operational. And for this price, how could I have walked away?

 

This was the view out my living room window tonight as I tested out the typewriter:

Happy weekend. 
   

Update: I swear that within the last few days someone either e-mailed me or left a comment looking for something from the blog's archives but now I can't find that message. I can't for the life of me remember who it was or what they were looking for. If that was you, please either leave a comment or send another e-mail. I'm happy to help.

Flannel nightgowns and kissing hands

Back in November or so, when it was really cold, I promised the girls I'd sew them flannel nightgowns. Now that it's April, and still cold at night but not November cold, I finally got it done.

One for Magpie ... (Photo by Bo:)

 
 And one for Bo:

Of course, she tested the twirl factor right away. And, yes, that left sleeve is bigger than the right. I've never been a perfectionist.

I started making the nightgowns following Butterick 6659, but please. The instructions for the sleeves and other trim details were ridiculous, so I only used the pattern for the main shape of the dresses.

And still they came out too big, so I tucked the fabric under a bit and sewed little darts, attempting to channel this dress by Spokane kids' clothes maker Chris Mark. (Check out more of Chris' cute stuff in her Etsy shop.)

 

Bo had picked out the fabric--Amy Butler Tumble Roses flannel in pink from her Love line--at Buttercuppity the other day.

The girls are pleased as peaches with their nighties. I don't have the heart to tell them the forecast calls for 70+ degrees this week.

Do you all know that book, The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn? Our school district included it in Bo's kindergarten registration packet. It's about a little raccoon named Chester who's afraid to go to the first day of school, so his mom kisses his hand and tells him that whenever he's feeling unsure, he should just put the "kissing hand" to his cheek and he'll feel his mama's love. I'm going to spoil the ending for you, but basically Chester decides that his mom needs a kissing hand, too. Yeah, I didn't quite make it through without my voice cracking the first time.

Even though the book was meant for Bo, Magpie has taken quite a liking to it. She's been carrying it around the house all week and kissing my hand in the sweetest, most I've-completely-forgotten-about-that-temper-tantrum-you-threw-20-minutes-ago way.

The last page of the book shows you how to say "I love you" in sign language. Here's Magpie attempting it on my lap this morning:

I've heard people say that "the days are long but the years are short" when you have young kids. Sometimes that phrase gets me through a rough moment. This morning could have stretched out a little longer, though. I wouldn't have minded at all.

Tutorial: The Henny Penny Apron

Okey doke. Here is the tutorial for the apron I showed the other day.

I'm calling this the Henny Penny, because I think it'd be perfect attire for collecting eggs in the hen house (that my husband refuses to build) and because it’s a belated gift to this little blog, Penny Carnival, which I failed to say happy birthday to when it turned 2 years old last month. Sorry, Penny!

Here goes ... Let me know if you have any questions.

These directions assume you are using the same fabric for the entire apron and that the fabric doesn't have a particular direction to it. If you want to spice things up, read the ideas for "options" at the end.

I think it's helpful to have an idea of what you're aiming for before you start, so here's the finished apron spread out on my kitchen floor:

You will need 8 feet, 6 inches of fabric (2 yards, 30 inches). That allows for a little shrinkage.

Note: The white- and tan-colored aprons you’ll see here are made from 100 percent cotton muslin, which is perfect for this pattern because it’s lightweight and billowy. You’ll also see that I made the Henny Penny out of quilting fabric, too. "Gingko" from Jessica Levitt’s Timber line for Windham Fabrics. An absolutely gorgeous print. I couldn’t resist. But the muslin does hang a wee bit better.

Wash and dry the fabric. Then lay it flat and make the following cuts: 


One skirt: 44 inches by 28 inches

One bodice: 24 inches by 18 inches

Two side ties: 40 inches by 18 inches

Four straps: 4 inches by 32 inches


Start by making the straps. Place two of the 16-by-32 inch pieces on top of each other, right sides facing. Stitch them together along the two long sides and one short side. 
 


Stitch the short side at an angle, if you like:
 


Trim away excess fabric to reduce the bulk. Now turn the strap right side out:
 


Use some sort of turning tool to poke the corners out as much as possible. Knitting needles work great. 

FYI: I used two different color fabrics for the "right" side (white) of the strap and the "wrong" side (tan) of the strap to illustrate how to assemble the apron toward the end of this tutorial. Your straps will probably be the same color on both sides.

Iron the strap so it lays flat. There's no need to finish the raw ends, but you can if you want.


Repeat with the other two strap pieces. Set your finished straps aside for now.

Moving on ... to the bodice and ties.

You could cut the bodice and ties out of one long piece of fabric that's 104 inches long by 18 inches wide. Dividing the bodice into three sections saves you money at the fabric store, though, and it doesn’t affect the look of the finished apron.

Set down the bodice piece on your table, right side up. Set one of the side ties on top of it, right side facing the right side of the bodice so that the two 18-inch sides line up. Pin that 18-inch side together and stitch.

Repeat with the other side tie and the other side of the bodice so you now have a piece that's 18 inches wide by about 103 inches long (a bit shorter because of the seams).

Hem around all four sides of the bodice/ties piece, folding the edges of the fabric over twice and pressing with a hot iron first so the hems don't fray.
 



Set aside the bodice/ties piece.

Now for the skirt.  

Hem the two short sides and one long side of the skirt, just as you hemmed the bodice/ties section (by folding the fabric edges over twice, pressing and then stitching).

Set your sewing machine to the longest stitch length. Now stitch along the length of the skirt's remaining long side (the one that isn't hemmed), about 1/2 inch from the edge. This will be the top of your skirt--the part that gets attached to the bodice.

Tug on the ends of that thread to gather the skirt top. Keep tugging and gathering until the top of the skirt is now 22 inches across instead of 44 inches. Tie the two ends of the thread with double knots so the gathering you just created stays put.

This is how your skirt should look now:


You’re almost done. Let’s assemble the apron now.

1. Place the skirt on the floor or table WRONG SIDE DOWN 2. Place the straps on top of the apron so that the right side of the straps (if it matters) is touching the right side of the skirt. The straps should have a gap of 11 inches between them. The raw edges of the straps should sit slightly past the raw/gathered egde of the skirt and the sewn ends of the straps should be stretched out near the bottom/finished edge of the skirt.

3. Now place that long bodice piece on top of the straps, right side facing the straps. Center it in the middle of the skirt.

4. Pin all three layers together. Sew across all three layers twice.

Voila! Your apron is done. Now it’s time to figure out how to wear it.

How to wear the apron.

Here I am in just my dress:

No wise cracks about needing a tan!

Now here's the apron:

1. Hold the bodice against your chest, and then grab the straps and tie them around your neck.

2. Arrange the bodice so it drapes across your chest the way you want it to. Pull the bodice ties behind you, criss cross them behind your back, then bring them tightly around front again. Tie the ties in a double knot in front. They should be partially covering the straps that go up around your neck.



3. Cook something. Anything. Flounce around in the garden. Eat fruit right off the tree. Let the juices drip down your chin. Make love in the grass.

OK. I’m getting carried away now.

Options:

1. For a different look, use more than one fabric. As you can see here, I made the neck straps brown when I used the Jessica Levitt Gingko fabric.

I also could have made the ties (not the center bodice piece) brown to give it sort of a lederhosen look.

2. Pockets are always nice. Add one or two to the skirt.

3. Add some sort of trim along the bottom of the skirt or up the straps. Rick rack, maybe? Ribbon? Bias tape?

4. Embroider or appliqué something onto the skirt. A chicken, perhaps?

5. Whatever you do, DON'T SMILE for camera's self-timer button. What's wrong with me?

This tutorial is for personal use only. Have fun with the Henny Penny. Make it for yourself, for a friend, for charity. But please don’t sell the Henny Pennys you sew. Thanks.

Update: There was a request on Facebook to see the back side of the apron. It pains me to do this, but here it is, folks. Presenting: my rear end.

 

My kind of apron

With all that cooking, a girl needs a new apron, don't you think? 

This is actually something I sewed up a while ago and put on the shelf. But I've been drawn to it lately for it's billowy, unrefined goodness.

And, no, I'm not pregnant. I'm just a sucker for a baby doll dress. Don't tell the fashion police.

Worth a tutorial? Or am I the only one who thinks it's 1930 and delusionally believes she lives on a farm?  

From scratch

We are back on the meal-planning wagon. Did I get that right? As in, we are meal planning again. We had fallen off for a while, but the culinary tour of Portland recharged our foodie batteries. In the past few days alone, we've made:

Paella (Bo felt it was necessary to polish the clam shells with a dish rag. It's a Montessori thing) ...

 

 

(FYI: We don't normally banish our children to a kiddie table across the kitchen. They thought it'd be fun that night to eat by themselves. We didn't complain.)

(Also, yes, we have a thing for those Catholic saints candles you can buy at the grocery store for $2. They're all over the house right now.)

Chicken and biscuits ...

(It's official. I'm no longer allowed to cook a meal by myself. No matter where the girls are in the house, if they hear the pots clang together, they come running to help. Yes, it's great for them, blah, blah, blah, but sometimes I try very hard to not make those pots touch. Never works.)

Pumpkin pancakes ...

There was a really delicious tuna melt one night, too, but I was too busy eating it to take pictures.

This is our (extremely complicated) meal planning method:

Choose one to three cookbooks for a two-week period. Sit down with J sometime during the weekend, flip through the books, choose recipes we want to try--preferably with ingredients that won't send him to the E.R. Someone please tell me why all the good dinners contain apples, mangoes or pears?!

Scribble out a calendar on notebook paper. Go through each recipe and write down the ingredients we need to buy. Add things to the list like "more Catholic saints candles."

Grocery shop.

Make those cookbooks easily accessible for two weeks, like by setting them on the counter. Rocket science, I know.

Cook. 

Cooking dinner at home means instead of buckling the kids into and out of car seats and hoping and praying they'll leave their shoes on at the restaurant, there's more time for writing on the chalkboard wall ...

Dressing up like Glenda the Good Witch ...

 

And dancing. Good golly, these girls love to dance.

As far as the kid-friendliness of the meals, the only thing they've really balked at was the paella. And that was just Magpie. After the first bite, Bo declared that that's what she wants us to serve at her birthday party. That birthday party ... always on her mind.

The cookbooks we're using right now:

1.1080 Recipes

That's where the paella came from, not to mention the outlines for the chalkboard wall.

2. Mother's Best, by Lisa Schroeder.

Schroeder owns Mother's Bistro, where we had our last breakfast in Portland. We have several pages from that book marked, so we might need to keep that one out on the counter for more than a couple of weeks.

Here's a shot of my corn flake-crusted French toast at the restaurant (the recipe is also in the book):

3. Cooks Illustrated The Best Recipe

Mmm ... Flaky, buttery biscuits. I didn't say these were healthy recipes.  

P.S. I am crafting, but I'm working on some secret projects right now. Shhh ... I'll write them up soon.   

A school-themed party

First, a confession. I have an addiction to all things vintage schoolhouse.

I wrote an article recently for the About.com Kids' Parties site about how to execute a school-themed party, and then I came across some gorgeous photos of a baby shower a talented gal named Whitney Smith threw for her teacher friend in the same style.

Whitney, a photographer, was kind enough to share her photos with the world on About.com (and too shy to let me link everyone to her beautiful blog, which is only for family and friends).

You can see the rest here. 

Um ... super cute, huh?