We've crashed

Our computer appears to be dead. I'm not sure when we will be up and running. Matt brings his laptop home every few days so I can check email, etc. The main thing is I can't download pics from my camera. So I won't be posting much til we get fixed. :( I have so many things on there to share, like Easter dresses. But by the time I get back maybe the playroom will be painted and I can share my latest projects. If you are one to stop by regularly, but would rather just know when I'm back, you can sign up for email at the end of the blog...I think it's a 'subscribe to feed' button or something. I'm not subscribed to any of the blogs I haunt daily as I prefer to just go the old fashioned way. ;)

Hopefully will be back soon!!
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Spring is here!

And we have company. Mr and Mrs Bird. They are apparently expecting and decided to have their family live on our front porch. Here is the beginning of their nest. They are small blackish birds and Mr Bird has a red head. In the mornings they can be heard discussing the layout of their new home right outside our front door. It's been fun for the kids and I to track their progress. Here is what it started out like a week ago:

In the beginning most of the grass landed on the porch (and tracked inside our house). Now most of it stays put on the light fixture.

Can't wait to meet the 'kids'. :)

Kookie Cookie Cat

And her friends. I made these wacky looking animals for the kids the other day. Middle is pink Cookie Cat and brown puppy and black bear. They are inspired by this unsightly orange cat that Kalla brought home from preschool last month.
The original Cookie Cat. This cat is given to each child to take turns to take home for a weekend. We are supposed to journal his/her stay with us and read a book called Cookie's Week. I can't tell you how excited K gets when it's her turn. So I decided that this simply made kitty could be duplicated (in K's fav color of course!) as a surprise. And of course being the all wise mother of four, knew that Z and M would want one too. So I came up with the puppy (for M) and bear for Z. They were all so excited as stuffed things in this house are highly treasured items.

They are really more like pillows. I made them with baby wale corduroy and felted features. It was a satisfying project that was mostly done during my 'wind down' time on the couch in the evenings.

Now just to get their Easter bunnies done! Post on that soon!

Mmmm mmmm chess bars

Upon request here is the recipe!

Chess Bars

1 pudding in the mix yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1/2 C butter, melted
8 oz cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
1 lb powdered sugar

Mix butter, cake mix and 1 egg. Grease 13x9 pan. Press dough into pan.

Beat cream cheese with 3 eggs and vanilla til creamy. Beat in sugar til smooth. Pour over crust. Bake 350F 45 mins.

For chocolate crust, sustitute devil's food cake mix.

Some sewing

Just some gifts for a house warming. I made some things for a single mom and her daughter.
I made matching aprons for them (child sized in the picture) and matching pot holder and embellished towel, all folded neatly into a glass cookie jar. One day I promise myself I'll make my own cutsie apron. Maybe after that tote bag I've started for myself a year or so ago. ;)

Also for the young girl I made a pillow case, matching throw pillow with initial and a coordinating button frame.
And placed them all in this. I always wondered what I'd do with all these sheet casings that I always though could be used for something. :)

It was really refreshing to do some house stuff as I've been bogged down with baby gifts for some time now.

Speaking of, here was my latest baby gift. Made a hoodie towel and wash mitt to go in this bath themed gift.

Sunshine to Snow and back again

A week ago we had fun swinging and enjoying the warm weather and getting spring fever.

Then Sat we played in the snow. We had a tiny bit of accumulation here in the deep south. The kids had us out in it at about 8am on Sat morning. We didn't mind as aside from Zachary, the others had never experienced snow.
Daddy made snowballs for everyone and the boys immediately took pleasure in smashing them on the driveway.
Not real sure what happened to Kalla's though.
Then they made a miniture snowman on the deck with more snowballs. It was so small and fragile, all I could get in it was a few small sticks for arms. But they liked it anyway. :)All was melted by noon. This week we are headed to warm spring like weather again and I hope it's here to stay. :)