My latest projects

I've done a bit of sewing lately and gotten some fun results. These are super fun skirts that don't even need a pattern and I made them for about $3 each.
Aren't they the cutest models even with their after church hair?
The patchwork took more time and I don't know if I would do one again but it turned out cute.
I also made some accessories with ideas from these links: Rosette tutorial and snaps

The girls really like their new clothes and it was fun to make them but I think I'm done for a little while. As much as I like the things I made, I don't love sewing!

I am linking this to Made by You Monday, All Thingz Related, Tatertots and Jello, and Works for me Wednesday.

Taking time to capture "a moment"

This was one of those moments that I am grateful to have captured together as a family. We all dropped everything we were doing to go out and marvel at this incredible rainbow, discussing where it ended, leprechauns, what rainbows are made of, and whether we could make it to the end. You can't see it in the picture, but it was a double rainbow, so we talked about the reverse order of the colors. When it had faded, we all went back to what we were doing but felt that much happier from sharing the moment together. This worked for us.

Our Summer Bucket List

I saw this idea on a blog and decided it would a good way to keep us motivated to do fun things together this summer. It also gives tangible evidence contrary to the "we never get to do anything fun" comments. We began with the disclaimer that this is an idea only list and by no means a guarantee! We have already checked off a few items. Although it is somewhat childish, this also helps me feel a little better about being the "mean mom" who makes their kids do chores during the summer.

We have been talking about "team Bruderer" and how we need to work and play together as a team. Last night for Family Home evening, we had a short intro and then went out to work in the yard. While Dad mowed, the kids and I weeded and replanted peppers that were destroyed in the worst wind storm last week. Because it was light for so long, we were able to work until 9:30 or 10. After we cleaned up, we took a couple of blankets out on the lawn and did some not so serious stargazing. We also did plenty of squirming and giggling. (Gardening, check. Stargazing, check. Summer fun, check.) We talked about constellations, and the possibility of other solar systems with planets with people on them. It was interesting to talk to my 7 and 10 year olds about the nature of their Heavenly Father, that we are His children and that any other children He may have on other planets would probably look like us rather than little green men. Christian then went so far to suppose that Heavenly Father would want them to know of the plan of salvation too and therefore they would probably have scripture too. Scripture written by different prophets. It's amazing where a conversation can lead. Paul and I have decided that this will be a fun, productive summer solstice tradition.
We will be making this list work for us and having a lot of fun doing it!

Chez Bruderer

Every once in a while my hubby has dinner meetings or continuing education classes and isn't here for the evening. When that happens, I don't feel like fixing a big dinner but I don't want mac & cheese either. I have recently discovered a way to cook multiple kinds of pre-prepared foods at the same time! Enter heavy duty, wide aluminum foil. I cover a cookie sheet with the foil, folding it to make "walls" between entrees. I then bake it all together. The kids and I each get a variety of choices, just like going to a restaurant without the hassle. The best part... no pans to wash, just clean up the foil!

Tonight I had broccoli and cheese stuffed chicken, Jordan and the girls had Mickey Mouse chicken nuggets, and Christian chose meatloaf balls (pre-frozen from last week). We all enjoyed Costco's Sweet Potato fries with brown sugar and chili powder. Now just so you don't think we eat this kind of food all the time I must say I have made 5 home cooked, balanced meals in the last week and 7 the week before. A night of battered pressed foods doesn't hurt every once in a while. Everyone cleaned their plates without complaint, and with very little clean up we had time for a movie night with popcorn ON A SCHOOL NIGHT! I was a fun Mom for a night without the nagging. It works for me!

When all I have are weeds

Unfortunately our house was finished too late in the season to plant any flowers or trees that would expode into fall glory. What we have is a whole lot of dirt and 2 lots worth of weeds next door. So when I wanted something for my front porch, something large, something seasonal, I decided to work with what I've got. I figured if people can put dried cornstalks on their front porches I can put weeds!

I used duct tape (everyone's friend) to tape two #10 cans together, covered them in construction paper to blend better, weighted it with rocks, and added our weeds. The kids had a blast helping me gather them, bringing me new and different weeds to see if they would look good in the arrangement. We talked about texture, color contrast, and fillers. As you can well guess, we needed some pretty heavy gloves for some of them. When we had it "just right" (couldn't fit another weed in the cans) I arranged some of my pumpkins and an artificial mum that were already on the porch to cover the can and add more color. It was a fun project. I like how it turned out, and the best part, when I get tired of it, I can just toss it all back in the field!

On Tuesday, I am sending this to the DIY day over at A Soft Place to Land and Get Your Craft On over at Today's Creative blog. Then on Wednesday, to the Works for Me Wednesday carnival over at We are THAT Family. I have also added to 31 days of Autumn Bliss over at the Inspired Room.  Go check out what other people are doing!

If you ever get the chance...

If you ever get the chance to go to a model home furniture sale never, and I mean never pass it up. Our builder had a sale a couple of weeks ago and we hit pay dirt! We got some beautiful furniture and decor items for a steal! We bought a couch table for the entryway. It is definitely a scratch and dent but with a little TLC it will be beautiful. We also bought an incredible family room set with armoire for the TV, 2 side curios, 2 end tables, and a coffee table. We got it for probably 25% of the original price! Even if we hadn't bought furniture for the new house, the decor items alone would have been worth it. We bought plants, trees, wall art, vases, lanterns, baskets, woven balls, and as my dear hubby calls it, other knick knacky crap!

Check out what has worked for other people at WFMW!

Children's Miracle Music - WFMW

As we gear up to go back to school, I thought I would post quickly about something that has helped us get out the door in the morning and into bed at night. It is called Children's Miracle Music. It includes a CD for morning and a CD for evening routines. The CD verbally guides them through each step of their morning or evening, giving them the time it takes for 1-3 songs to paly to complete the task before moving to the next one. It has a tracking chart, stickers, instructions, etc as a reward and motivation system with suggestions for appropriate rewards. I also like that it includes an "act of kindness" or chore that benefits the family that I set up.

We took a break over the summer and did some different things to help it to be fresh and exciting again for when school starts.

Though we still had some grumbling occasionally about "doing jobs" this program really helped us! Go over and check it out! It worked for our family.

My parenting inspiration resource

My sweet, caring, hubby noted that I am more objective, loving and kind in rearing my four children on a daily basis when I have outside inspiration. An article from a magazine or a particularly great quote from a book can change my perspective. Even just taking the time to write down my own thoughts and reason through a situation can be therapeutic. Blogging can be that for me sometimes.
In this spirit of helpful therapy, he suggested I keep a file or book of things that inspire me by the bed to read before going to sleep. Reading before bed is my favorite time. My brain seems calm and collected enough at that time of day to really think and receive answers. So, I am putting together a binder with articles like this one or this one and things I have printed out from my blog such as this, this, or this.
Life is a whirlwind and I find myself just trying to hang on and cope, rather than taking control of situations and dealing with them calmly and rationally. I know this won't prevent kids from tracking mud through the house, vomiting on me and everything else, or 6:30 pm rolling around without a clue as to what is for dinner, but maybe it will help me change how I react to it all! I hope this Works for Me!

People have asked...

I thought I would describe a little about a couple of our projects that we have done. They were the least expensive with the most impact!

1. Framing the bathroom mirror - We had a gigantic mirror just glued onto the wall. I wanted more of a wow factor and something that looked upscale. I had seen people use moulding to frame their mirrors around the blogosphere but really got excited when I saw it on "Sell This House" and they used velcro! It was perfect because who knows whether a buyer would like it or maybe want to change the color. No problem, it's removable! I was grateful to the person who told her blog readers to be sure to paint the back too because you see it in the reflection.
   This project was so easy! Excluding paint dry time, it took me about an hour total to paint and assemble! I took my measurements to HD and cut the moulding to length right there, picked up 4 rosettes, and brought it home and painted it with one coat of paint (it was preprimed). If you have a miter saw, you wouldn't need the rosettes if you don't want them. I used 2" square pices of self adhesive velcro. All I had to do was stick one side of each piece of velcro onto the moulding, hook the other pieces onto them, remove all of the papers protecting the adhesive and stick the whole piece of moulding onto the mirror at once. The whole thing cost $25-$30. A framed for a mirror this size would probably cost $400. Love it!


2. I'll be back to talk about the no sew curtains made from $4 Walmart sheets. American Idol can't wait!
3. Okay, got my dose of AI last night and I'm ready to show the curtains. I bought some twin size sheets for $4 each at WalMart and some clip on rings (if you click on the picture you should be able to see them enlarged). The rings were about $5 for a package of 7 so I used one package for each curtain. We bought the rods on clearance 3 or 4 years ago for $10. Sooo, this window treatment cost less than $40. These took practically no time! I folded them in half lengthwise to give them more fullness and turned them upside down to have a nice wide hem at the bottom. I then decided how long I wanted the curtains and folded the top down and tucked the inside corner up and in so it didn't flap out. Then I just clipped on the rings and hung them. So simple! By the time Dh had the rods hung, the curtains were ready. Less than 30 min. People can't believe they are cheap sheets! They look like designer curtains. It sure worked for me!
   
   Check out other frugal projects going on over at WFMW!

Help! Suction cup issues

This week, over at We are THAT Family, for the weekly WFMW, they are doing a reverse blog carnival. This week we get to ask questions!
We have a dilemma here. We found some really great suction cup hooks to hang in the shower to hang the kids puffs. Unfortunately, when we removed them toget ready to sell the house, they have left brown circles on our faux marble walls. They just don't match with the new shower door we bought for $200 and the new caulking job I stayed up until 2 am doing to really make the shower sparkle. I have tried bleach and a magic eraser neither one worked. Any other ideas?

DIY Before and Afters

Well, I imagine that most of my blogs for the next few weeks/months will be about getting this house ready to sell and planning the new house. It has become my obsession!

I have put a few before and after pictures of a couple of projects we have done, info on a fun product I discovered, and a disposable paint tray idea!

First of all, I hate to paint doors. I mean I REALLY hate to paint doors. I have spent days painting doors and door frames. The only thing I hate worse than painting doors is cleaning up after painting doors. One night, I was washing out a food tray from our ready-made dinner from Costco (We've been having a lot of those dinners lately). I looked at the ridges in the bottom and on the sides and thought "this would work great for the 3" paint roller I was using to paint the doors." I just put it inside the regular paint tray to keep it on a slope, covered it with plastic wrap between the (count 'em) 3 coats I had to do on the front door, and then threw it away! It Worked for Me! Check out other paint tips (here) we have learned along the way !


Before & After

I don't know if you can see the white front door, but we painted it the blue you saw in the paint tray and it really accents the otherwise monotone colors of the house. The new color and a planter on the front porch should add to the welcoming feel.

We had old brass colored light fixtures in the master bath. The finish was peeling and tarnished. I took them apart and lightly cleaned them with steelwool. I then used a new (to me) paint by Rust-oleum called "hammered" metal. You can spray it right over any metal surface, even if it is rusted! I chose a nickel type finish to match the new shower door Paul installed although I really liked the idea of the antiqued bronze. It is a little hard to see in this photo but the "hammered" finish has a lot of depth and really updated the look. It was an inexpensive alternative to replacing the fixtures!

Before & After

Here is a picture of the new shower door. I don't have a before, but trust me it was scratched and needed replacing. We chose the rain glass which I really like, especially since it is easier to keep looking nice and clean.












Well, I guess I'd better figure out what to feed my family for dinner and plan that Family Home Evening lesson!

My first giveaway! A science booklet

Here I am doing my first blogosphere giveaway! We'll see if anyone checks in or if I will just experience the sound of crickets. Enter BEFORE MARCH 7TH!!

Do your kids like science? My son Christian, when he was 6½ years old informed us that he wanted a chemistry set for Christmas. I searched everywhere and found nothing that satisfied me. The kits I found were $20 and basically included experiments with vinegar and baking soda...period! We had been there and done all that. So I started researching on the internet. I found some great websites and some things from my old teaching files and compiled my own book. There are more than 25 activities from the vinegar and baking soda volcanoes, to crystal gardens, to electrical circuits. The experiments use materials you can find at your grocery store and craft store. There is even a supply list on the back so you can gather it all and put it in a box, making a kit to use for a gift.

This booklet is a great to combat the summer doldrums! Making my own science kit worked for me! Check out more on Works for me Wednesday over at We are THAT family.

Leave me a comment to enter to win a copy of this fun booklet.

**Using a highly scientific (or seemingly so to this techno challenged mind) process at http://random.org/sequences/ we have a winner. And the winner is....Fairion. I will contact you by email! Happy experimenting!

Anyone else who may still be interested in the booklet, you can leave me a comment and we can work something out for the cost of copying and postage.

WFMW - Velcro in the laundry

My tip this week is simple. When we entered into the world of bibs, we began to discover that the Velcro closures would catch on everything. I began to put everything that would pull or catch onto that Velcro, into lingerie bags. You know those mesh zipper bags. Then I realized that if I just put the bibs in the bags it would save a lot of headache. I found a 3 pack at the dollar store and now I use them for my nylons and other delicates, but I use them more for those pesky Velcro bibs.

Those lingerie laundry bags work for me! WFMW has moved ro We Are THAT Family so, Click here for other fun ideas and helpful tips.

WFMW - preparing to leave the kids

I am posting my Works for Me Wednesday tip today because Paul and I are leaving on vacation tomorrow. It is so true that when leaving the kids, it requires 48 hours of preparation for every 24 hours you will be gone.
What works for me today is the way I get things together to leave the kids home. The best thing I have done is to write up the kids' schedules, meals, routines, allergies and other various and sundry instructions on the computer. That way, I can go into the document and just tweak it each time we leave.
Now, I don't have to write down our bedtime routine every time. Nor do I have to rewrite the warnings. For example, the last time we left, Paul's nephew babysat for us and found it hilarious that they would try everything on my list, including the slumber party in the family room on a school night!
I also have menu ideas and a virtual shopping list as I list options for meal preparation. I leave a list of things they can make that are in the house rather than dictate specific meals. That way, the wonderful people who agree to care for our 4 monkeys can choose meals as simple or complicated as they feel comfortable with and food that they like.
Finally, I print up a separate emergency sheet that has phone numbers, a signed note from me giving the holder permission to seek medical care for the children in case we cannot be reached, and insurance cards photocopied on the back, just in case!
This may be a simple thing that everyone else has already figured out but it works for me. I would love to hear any other ideas that work for you to simplify leaving your kids.
Be sure to check out what works for others here!

BTW, I have to say how excited I am! We did not celebrate our anniversary in Dec. or Valentine's Day, so we are going to San Francisco to see Wicked! We haven't seen it and I am positively giddy! Time to do laundry, tweak my list, grocery shop, pick up the lizard, shovel the snow......

WFMW - Magazine organization

I have tried a new way to organize magazines that I want to keep. I have some magazines that tend to be useful seasonally. I organize them in magazine boxes by month rather than by year. That way, each month I can pull out a stack of magazines that have articles, craft ideas, etc. appropriate for the month. For example, when I pull out the Family Fun magazines for Oct. I have a whole bunch of ideas for Halloween rather than just the ones from the current issue. Or, when I pull out the Friend magazines for December, there are plenty of magazines with Christmas stories and activities for all the kids to read at the same time. I try to photocopy any activities that require cutting, coloring etc. in order to keep the magazines reusable.

This method works for me. To see other ideas that work, check out rocksinmydryer!

WFMW - Take control of your garbage can

My sister gave me one of these wonders one day and I thought it was one of those inventions that make you say "duh, I should have thought of this!"

It is an elastic band that reminds me of a giant hair elastic. It goes around the top of your garbage can to hold the bag in place. No one likes to try to find the edge of that garbage bag when it has slipped under the garbage. Unfortunately, someone must have forgotten to take mine off before gathering the garbage and it disappeared. I thought I would have to make my own from some waistband elastic and hope it held up to constant bag emptyings until I found them at my local dollar store. I bought 5 just in case! :) These work for me! Check out what works for everyone else at rocks in my dryer.

WFMW - winter accessories storage

*This is a post that bears reviewing as we head into cooler weather (at least I have faith it will cool down). This has saved me so many headaches looking for that stray glove or having it all fall down on me from a top shelf somewhere.

I use hanging shoe storage pockets for many things including office supplies & craft supplies. My favorite use is for winter hats, gloves, scarves, ear muffs, etc. I hang mine on the inside of the coat closet. I like the clear ones. My kids can easily see what they need and because they are at their level, it is easier for them to put them away.


For other great ideas, check out Works for Me Wednesday over at We are THAT Family.

Fellow rednecks, go green!

You know you're a "green" redneck when you create snowpants for your toddler from recyclable plastic bags! supplies:

• 1 large plastic shopping bag


• duct tape (I used clear packing tape but on reflection, duct tape would be more in keeping with the redneck persona.)


• 2 quart sized bags

Cut up the middle of the bag from the bottom and use duct tape to create an inside seam for the legs. Cut holes for their feet. If your kid doesn't have boots, then use the duct tape to stick the small bags on the bottom, sticking the "legs" inside.

To keep them warm, put them in long underwear with or without bum flap (non-redneck translation - thermals) . Aint she a cute little stinker?then sweats, (shoes if you aint got boots) and finally, your most beautifulest, home-crafted snow pants using the handles over the shoulders as straps. Top with a coat and mittens and they're ready to play.

Jenna really wanted to play outside with the other kids and we are trying to hold out until Christmas hoping Santa will bring new snow clothes, so.... I got creative. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the ziploc bags would be so slippery. She ended up face down in the snow and that was the end of her snow day!

Girls hairclip storage

I needed a way to store hairbows and flowers that wouldn't crush them. I came up with the following solution. I bought a colored embroidery hoop, wrapped ribbon around it, and hung various ribbons down from it. Now I can clip my flowers and bows without crushing them. I hang it on the side of a dresser or closet door with a removable 3M hook.

It works for me! Check out what works for others over at Rocks in my Dryer.

My Gift Giving Philosophy

I have a rather old-fashioned view of gift giving. I look at giving gifts as an opportunity to think about the things I admire and appreciate about that person. I want to consider what stage of life they are in, what may make their lives a little easier or bring moments of enjoyment for them.

I have received many, many thoughtful gifts over the years. Most of them weren't particularly expensive or extravagant, but most of them showed thought and planning. I admire a person who has the talent for being a thoughtful gift giver. Some of the most memorable gifts I have received:

• As a poor college student, my sister sent me a whole roast beef dinner in the mail including the potatoes, carrots, onions, etc!
• At the airport, leaving for my mission, I received a warm homemade loaf of bread which was wonderful for the verrry long detour we had to El Salvador and couldn't leave the airport. The only other thing to eat was out of a candy bar vending machine. What an inspired gift.
• When I had the February blues, I was given a beautiful bouquet of spring colored roses that brought spring into my kitchen
• For Christmas one year, we were given a small, golden, lighted Christmas tree made from small dodads that had meaning for us (seashells, smurfs (loved them when I was little, many a story there), our initials, glasses etc.) We learned that the giver had spent much time searching the thrift store small toy bins for just the right objects, glued them onto a foam base added lights and spray painted it gold. It is beautiful and makes me smile every time we unpack it
• Another Christmas we received a handmade story quilt and a story book. Reading stories on the quilt every night of December has become a family tradition.
• A hot, homemade apple pie for my birthday was an unexpected pick me up.
• The last season of my favorite guilt show on DVD (nope, I won't tell you what it is and you can't make me!)
• My frugal, practical mother always had a bunny for anything... I especially loved the Groundhog Day Bunny, or the St. Patrick's Day Bunny. Any occasion was free license to give a gift. It wasn't expected, just a nice surprise. She even bought "bunny" gifts for herself sometimes.
• My Daddy made me a beautiful handmade dollhouse complete with a post banister and hand split shaker wood shingles. Unfortunately, I did not appreciate it like I should have at the time, something I regret as I wish for a dollhouse for my girls.

I want to teach my children thoughtful gift giving. I think thoughtful gift giving inspires gratitude for gifts received as well. On those rare occasions, when I am on top of things, I talk to the kids about what they think the recipient of their gift would like. Sometimes we have to emphasize that their 5 year old girl friend would probably prefer a Polly Pocket set over a robotic transformer or set of pokemon cards.

I strive to be a thoughtful gift giver, though I am not as successful as I would like. I guess it is the procrastinator in me. It is difficult to find a truly thoughtful gift at the last minute. In fact, more than once, I have found myself at a superstore 15 min before a party or wedding frantically searching for SOMETHING to give.

I appreciate having my gift lists made in advance to enable me to ponder through the haze of my life and thus attempt to show others that I value and appreciate them. Now, I must give a disclaimer.... If you receive a gift from me that makes you go hmmm and wonder "WHAT WAS SHE THINKING?", know that I must have had a moment, day, week, month... and I will attempt to do better next time and still value you!

Thoughtful gift giving works for me. Head over to Rocks in my Dryer to see what works for other people.!