Toddler's Surprise Contest Clue #3
July 03, 2009
Here's another photo of the surprise I'm working on for the toddler's third (*yikes*) birthday. I'm almost finished with it; all I really have left to do is a bit of gluing and adhering with products we don't have. I'll be making a trip to the hardware store soon. Maybe next time I'll even tell you what I bought!
Remember that contest rules can be found here, and the other photos are here and here. If you've been playing along, feel free to guess again; there's no limit. Just leave a comment on this post.
Hint: I will tell you that Barb's comment about it being a Jeep is the closest guess yet.
More hints and photos to come! Good luck!
Posted by jennifer at 10:24 PM | Comments (0)
If you can't beat 'em...
July 02, 2009
...join 'em. We had a blast one morning last week stacking and toppling Tupperware. I finally gave up trying to keep it picked up, and decided that playing with it could be fun. And educational.
I started by building Tupperware towers that were taller than the toddler and inviting the boys to knock them over. They had a blast, and the toddler now empties the Tupperware cabinet for the sole purpose of building things.
Who knew I kept a cabinet full of blocks in my kitchen?
Posted by jennifer at 09:39 PM | Comments (0)
The Big Dig
July 01, 2009
We're doing some serious upgrades to the curb appeal of our house right now. Yesterday it was time for to concrete stairs to go, and some really heavy machinery was brought in to do the job. The toddler, I think, enjoyed watching as long as one of us was holding him. Hubby and I were both armed with cameras; I'm certain that the guys doing the work, who see this every day, thought that we were a bit nuts.
I've been trying to sneak out and snap a few photos every once in a while to document the project and the progress. Hopefully I'll be able to share more of what we're doing soon. In addition to removing some massive concrete stairs, a full size basement window well into my studio has been dug out, enlarged, and replaced, and we have all new windows in the house. Still to come are a new front door and a new deck/roof-less front porch.
Posted by jennifer at 08:59 PM | Comments (0)
Toddler's Surprise Contest Clue #2
June 30, 2009
This is another photo of the surprise I'm working on for the toddler for his birthday. I think it's really too soon in this game to start giving you any clues other than the photos.
Remember the other clue photo is here. And the rules can be found at the end of this post, but as a recap, remember to post a comment on this post on the blog. Good luck!
I'm off to mount photos in an album for Hubby and knit feverishly on the June block for the SSS.
Posted by jennifer at 09:03 PM | Comments (1)
A weekend's worth of creating and a contest!
June 29, 2009
I spent much of my weekend (when I wasn't being an active mama...) creating. While I never get as much finished as I think I should, it's always good to look back at what I did get done:
- A cake for a very special 35th anniversary.
- A library tote for one of the toddler's friend's birthdays.
- A fabric envelope for one of Hubby's clients.
There was also frantic knitting on the June block for the SSS. I'm far enough behind the curve to be pretty certain June's block will just have to be finished in July. Oh well...
And the contest! Remember this entry? I've decided to post a knew photo of some part of this item I'm making for the toddler every few days. The first person to guess what it is correctly will be the winner. All you have to do is leave a comment on the post at the blog - some of you read these posts on Facebook and comment there; comments on FB cannot be eligable for this contest due to the time issue. I'll announce the winner and a prize as soon as after the first correct guess as I reasonably can. The next post should be tomorrow. Have fun! Oh, and be specific; I expect you to get it all right, not just the the general item.
Posted by jennifer at 08:10 PM | Comments (0)
Urban Alphabet - Cards
June 27, 2009
The Urban Alphabet book was my first idea for using all the letters we had. It wasn't until I watched the toddler playing with the letters from his room that spell his name that I thought, "Duh! We need to make cards with letters on them!" I took the same photos I used for the book and had them printed wallet size. I cut those apart and took them to The Supply Closet to have them laminated. I can think of all kinds of ways for us to use them.
Right now we are using them almost like flash cards to learn to identify letters and to spell out his name, but a matching game like memory comes to mind, more spelling, etc. Of course, the toddler's favorite use for them is dumping them all over a particular place and plowing them as if he were the human snow plow. Yep, that's why I spent all that time making these; it had nothing to do with learning the alphabet, reading, or spelling...
Posted by jennifer at 10:38 PM | Comments (0)
Urban Alphabet - A Book
June 26, 2009
I know I mentioned the toddler and my hunt for letters earlier here. That book up there is our first finished product. I was super excited about its arrival today; the toddler hardly even noticed, even when I sat him down and made a big deal about it.
I'm hoping that it will grow on him. I thought making an alphabet book out of the pictures we took together would be exciting for him; that it would be a way to make the alphabet come alive for him. We'll see. Either way, he can't see the alphabet too many times and ways, right?
Here's a peak inside:
I have a couple of extra copies of this one that I'll list at Two Ply Two as soon as I do another update. And I can always order more.
Posted by jennifer at 11:37 PM | Comments (0)
In the works
June 25, 2009
There's a flurry of projects underway around here. We're hard at work in the yard clearing out weeds and headed for planning some big landscaping projects outback. Our new buddy Mr. Brian is working hard on our front yard and the outdoor entry to our house.
There's also a lot of learning going on around here. The baby is starting to settle into his feet and become a biped; he's not walking but a few steps, and only when prompted, but he's getting there in his own time. The toddler is getting a handle on the alphabet; he's learning letters faster than I can remember.
I'm just about finished with the project you see on my cutting mat up there, and I'm really excited to put it to use, and unveil it to you guys. I took both boys and a stack of cards to the teacher supply store yesterday to get them laminated, and the clerk really liked them. I'm guessing that some of you will want some as well.
We're half finished with so many things I can't even think of all of them, but I'll be certain to share things as soon as they are done.
I'm still cranking out the surprise for the toddler
Posted by jennifer at 09:33 PM | Comments (0)
Another Secret
June 24, 2009
The toddler has a birthday coming up soon, and I've been hard at work. I firmly believe that celebrations in our family should always include something hand made. We've kept up the tradition of presenting each of the boys with something one or the other of us has crafted so far, and this, the toddler's third birthday, will be no different.
I'm not telling what I'm making him, but you are getting a little glimpse up there. So far I've made purchases at Home Depot, Goodwill, an auto salvage yard, and a garage sale. I've used a jig saw, drill, hole saw, socket set, crescent wrench, paint brush, sandpaper, heat gun, screwdriver, and putty knife. All that, and I've spent well under $30!
I just revealed my project and plan to Hubby tonight. And I'm getting really excited about it! Feel free to guess, just don't expect me to tell you until the big reveal. I think the birthday boy should be the next to find out, along with all the guests at his party...
Posted by jennifer at 10:41 PM | Comments (3)
Picnic!
June 23, 2009
I came home from a birthday party in Lawrence on Saturday afternoon to this going on outside:
And this in the backseat of the truck:
We were simply going to stop by and pick up the steamed veggies we were taking to a picnic. Since it was just me and both little boys, we opted to hang out in the car until every one was awake, and then hang out at home until the worst of the rain was over. Boy was that a steamy and fun picnic.
The three of us went to the five year reunion of Done Naturally, the Bradley Childbirth classes Hubby and I took before the toddler was born. Both the boys were born naturally, and it was awesome to get to meet all the families and kids that our friends Summer and Casey have touched. Hubby and I are very thankful for the information we learned from them!
I did take my camera, but I had my hands so very full feeding and chasing the boy(s) that I didn't manage any shots at the picnic.
Posted by jennifer at 09:55 PM | Comments (0)
Father's Day
June 22, 2009
Father's Day was rather laid back around here. Oh, we celebrated all right, but we missed church due to a toddler meltdown of epidemic proportions at the exact time at which we needed to leave. So, we came back in the house, got everyone a snack, regrouped, and headed out to lunch. Later, we met up with Hubby's family for a BBQ. All's well that ends well, right?
Like father, like son. The toddler and his daddy curled up watching a movie.
There were baby smiles,
wrestling and tickling with daddy on the floor,
daddy drawn t-shirts for the boys,
a boy painted t-shirt for the daddy,
and corn on the cob among many other wonderful things. We truly hope that father's day at your house ended well too!
Posted by jennifer at 10:00 PM | Comments (0)
The Library Tote
June 20, 2009
I noted in this post that we have a lot of kids birthdays coming up and that I needed an easy gift. This is my solution: The Library Tote. It's a 10 by 12 inch lined tote bag with a single pocket on the outside divided to hold a pencil and some post-its or index cards.
One of our buddies turned 7 last week and had a party today; I opted for denim with flames for the outside and Darth Vader for the inside. I knew I'd hit the boy thing just right when Hubby wanted to keep it! What I love the most about it is that it serves as a gift bag and a gift. I picked up a set of three paper backs for the birthday boy and just dropped them inside, then skipped the card and simply wrote him a note on the post-its I put in the pocket!
I already have the parts cut for two more of these. The sewing is quick and easy, and I should have all the measurements down pat soon, so I might even write a pattern for this one. We'll see, though.
Posted by jennifer at 08:33 PM | Comments (0)
Mystery Solved
June 19, 2009
After the trouble I had with this block, I was a bit hesitant to start on another diagonal block for the SSS. But I only had the one block on the diagonal so far, and I didn't think the finished piece would look right with just one. Plus, I didn't want the one block to be lonely.
So I cast on for another block on the diagonal. Now that I've knit so many blocks, I'm getting pretty certain of the size. When I was close and needed to measure, all I had handy was one of my quilting rulers. And it was a good thing, too. When I lined the edges up, it measured 6 inches, but when I measured just a single edge it was short. Hmmmmm... Yep, that's what happened. Lesson learned; always measure diagonal blocks in both directions at the same time. Easiest accomplished with a grid quilting ruler. Good thing I already have one!
Posted by jennifer at 10:46 PM | Comments (0)
From A to Z
June 18, 2009
I'd love to say that the toddler and I have been working hard on learning, but, truthfully, we've been having so much fun it's hardly work. We've been "working" on the alphabet. We headed out on two walks hunting down letters to photograph, and made two trips in the truck to find letters that we missed on our walks. We spent our time yesterday choosing an alphabet from all the photos we had, and I compiled them today.
I hope to have some finished results to share with him (and you) in the next few days. I'm also going to have some extras that I'll list in the next Two Ply Two shop update.
We've immersed ourselves in the alphabet, choosing at least a couple of alphabet books on each of our library trips in addition to the books we check out on a topic of his choosing. He even had me get down the letters I painted for his room that spell his name, and on a good day, he can put them in order and spell his name. We were, of course, so very proud of him that we told his grandparents right away. And Grandma made certain to ask him to show her when he was out to visit them last Saturday. He told her, "I can't spell my name at your house. I can only spell my name at home." Oh the world of the almost 3!
And in an effort to give you truly everything but the kitchen sink, I digress to tell you that the toddler has an ear infection. It started as the same LONG cold that the baby has (We are currently wondering if they will ever get well...), and resulted in a trip to the doctor's office yesterday after I observed him screaming and holding his ear during a morning tantrum. Tantrums have outnumbered laughs this week, so I've been a bit frazzled, which might explain me completely forgetting to get to the point in yesterday's post. So, we'll have to come back to the topic of emptying in the very near future. Maybe even tomorrow...
Posted by jennifer at 09:16 PM | Comments (0)
Emptying
June 17, 2009
There's something so satisfying about a clean, empty place that this kiddo can't help but make a mess to get one. We've tried put and take toys at our house, but they're not nearly as fun as the kitchen cabinets and drawers. And he's really more into the taking than the putting anyway. He's also been emptying the bookshelves in the toddlers room, the toy boxes, just about anything that's full of something! And since the toddler has to do everything that the baby does, well, he's been emptying some things too. His method is a bit more strong, though; he tends to dump, pour, and throw things in the process.
I've been slowly working on my own emptying, digging out weeds, planning on taking a bunch of stuff we have set aside to Goodwill soon, cleaning out the studio. It must just run in the family!
Posted by jennifer at 03:53 PM | Comments (1)