{Halloween!}

Boo!

Happy Halloween!

{This is Halloween!}

I know I probably post this every year, but it’s one of my favorites!

3M, I have a MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR beef with you! BIG TIME!

I was sitting in my favorite chair last night, clicking away on my computer.  I heard a *peel* and a *thwack* and a very disheartening *crunch*.  And a wall that once look like this - Became a wall that looked like this (be sure to imagine the wails of one very distraught person):

And an expensive frame that once held my favorite picture of my daughter looked like this:And that fancy giant “H” was shattered too.  

I used your picture hanging strips, as I had envisioned this wall becoming an ever changing and expanding collection of FAMILY and whatnot.  Not so much anymore, you creeps.  Now I am going to *HAVE* to punch holes in that pristine wall. 

The other pictures fell too and have cracked frames.  While not overly expensive, it still makes me angry.  I followed all the installation instructions – the frames all have LARGE strips on them – 2 on the 8x10 and 4 each on the 11x14 and 18x24 frames.  Overkill per your weight/size recommendations on the packaging.  I even put them right where the directions said to on the frames.   I took down the little letters, each weighing only a half ounce or two for fear of them falling and breaking too.  That giant “H” was expensive and I am BEYOND pissed that something that weighed all of about 2 ounces was too much for 2 of your MEDIUM strips.

 

I have a big beef about your damn painters tape, too – but I’m saving that for another day.

 

I will tell you this much – not another 3M/Scotch product will be brought into this house ever again – no glues, tapes, craft supplies, stickies – NOTHING.   EVER.  And I plan on shouting to the world, whenever and wherever I can, that your  products are lousy and not worth a single penny. 

{JellyFish!}

I love jellyfish.  If I could have my own tank of them, I would in a heart beat.  In fact, on my list of things to do/get/see when I have a bajillion dollars there is the giant salt water tank with live coral and a specially designed jellyfish tank.

Anyway, my dad travelled across the county via train and spent the week with us.  It was a nice visit.  He was so different from when I was growing up.  He loved the babies, and they loved him more.  He spoiled me (and us!) – but more on that later.  We spent a day at the Shedd Aquarium where they have a small jelly tank.  (My favorite so far has been at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and I’ll post pictures of that sometime.)

{Oooo! That’s what she did with them!}

Just a quick post.  More details to come.  My Dad is here to visit, and between the volume on the TV and in the kids, I can’t think straight.

{Pay It Forward}

Let's have some fun!!!

1. I will make a little something for the first three people who comment on this post. It will be a surprise and it will arrive on your doorstep when you least expect it!

2. I will have 365 days to do it in.

 

What's the catch? To get a handmade prezzie from me, you have to play too.

1. You must have a blog.

2. BEFORE you comment here, you must post about your Pay It Forward on your blog to keep the fun going, and display the Pay It Forward button.

 

Ready? Set… GO!

{Tutorial: Jack-o-Lantern Porch Lights}

+=  

I was wanting a simple, clean and *very* cheap Halloween decoration because our house was pretty much the only one on the street that wasn’t decorated.  I guess they forgot to send me the memo!  While I wanted to participate in the fun, I didn’t want to spend anything to do it. 

Materials:

• existing porch light
• Trick-o-Treat pumpkin (steal it from your kid, or go spend $0.99 at Target
• Tinsnips or other really sturdy sharp cutters

Directions:

1.)  Take your pumpkin and snip off the handle

2.)  Carefully cut down the middle-back of the pumpkin.  The edges can get rough, so be careful.

3.)  Now it’s time to remove the bottom of the bucket.  Carefully cut around the lip that is the base and remove it.  After the first pumpkin, we found it easier to cut all the way across the bottom so you can really stretch it out and cut the base out.  (here is where I realized that I wanted help.  It’s easy, but I am a ‘fraid-y-cat with big scissors and forcing things – so I enlisted the help from the super handsome and pumpkin-y Xiris)

4.)  The end result:

5.)  Carefully stretch the  pumpkin around your existing porchlight.

6.) Wait for the sun to fall and enjoy your cheap-ass decoration!

{We Love Pocoyo!}

One of the cartoons we love around here is called Pocoyo.  Never heard of him?  Probably not, because I think he’s not broadcast in the States, but he does have DVDs!  I found him because there was a preview on a DVD I was letting the kids watch, and from that point on, they only wanted to watch that short snippet whenever we put that DVD in. 

A happy little boy named Pocoyo (LittleMe) is the star, and along with his friends Elly, LuLa, Pato (Duck) and SleepyBird he is guided along in lessons on friendship, cooperation and play by the narrator.  Narrated by Stephen Fry, the 15 minute episodes are sweet, educational, and calming.  The scenery is simple (often only a white background), and Pocoyo doesn’t say much – but the kids interact with him in a big way.  We love it!  I thought it would drive me nuts at first, but I often find myself entranced by the boppy music, happy kidlets and fun going on! 

I happened across a DVD full of episodes while shopping at Babies-r-Us, and I have also seen them at Target.  I *highly* recommend them if you have preschoolers.  It captivates them from the first little note.  There are 3 different full length DVDs available in the states (we have them all, and watch at least one everyday).  I am officially begging, pleading, and stomping my feet for more!  I hear there are tons of episodes overseas, so hopefully we can get them translated and narrated by Fry and onto DVDs here soon.  I’m begging!  Please?!

I’m on the search for Pocoyo and Elly stuffed toys for under the Christmas tree, too. 

I hopped onto the Pocoyo site to see if anything was available there, and alas there is not.  What is there though, is great.  An interactive world for the kiddos to play in.  It’s a pay site, so I haven’t gotten too far into it – but we did make little Mini-MissZ’s and Mini-SpacePirates ala Pocoyo.  The kids had great fun.  We played with Pocoyo, Lula and friends, and then had a little Halloween Dress-Up!

 

{Wonder what she’ll do with those?}

I’ve been working on these for some time.  I’ve had a few setbacks, but in the end everything was a great success.  This isn’t where they’ll be living, but I do really like them here.

 

{So much to do…}

…so little time…

Here’s a smattering of my CRAFT TODO list that I keep rolling on my computer.  This is just the more time sensitive stuff.  I have yarn and fabric on board for projects, but I’ll get to them later.

create my Halloween costume (it'll be jiggy, glowing goodness!)
MIL's Christmas cross stitch
mousepad for MIL
YOHOHOHO Cross stitch
finish Love Tree cross stitch
finish handquilting SpacePirate's quilt
apply binding to SpacePirate's quilt
finish piecing Christmas quilt, decide on final pattern
gingerbread men ornaments
figgy pudding ornaments
HOHOHO cross stitch
tutu for MissZ (tinkerbell)
cape for SpacePirate
hand turkeys with the kids
hand polar bears with the kids
turn completed stitcheries into christmas pillows
jammie pants for everyone in matching fabrics
christmas star afgan- crochet
get glittery w/ balsa ornaments

man… where am I going to find time to do these?  I’ve got Z’s school twice a week, the gym 3 times a week, maintaining the house, and starting a new discipline plan for the kiddos (more on that later).  Oh, and potty training both. 

{EcoStore Winner!}

#7 goes to 3carnations.  We’ll be in contact and I’ll have EcoStore send that gift code right away!

{WINNER!}

 

#2 would be the fabulously fabulous Kashmir Knitter.  Look for an email from YOU CAN MAKE THIS.   

 

CONGRATS!

{Finished Object: Beaded Poinsettia}

                            

A little kit by Mill Hill.  I’ve never tried beaded cross stitch before, and it was suprisingly easy.  I did this little ornament in a matter of a couple of hours.  Its really sweet and will look great on my tree.  The kit came with enough beads and floss to do another one (with the exception of the large beads).  I want to make a flock of these!

{Blogger’s Quilt Festival}

<--------------- Do you see that?  Cool idea, huh? 
I plan to cruise all the sites that are linking up for this little festival and hope to come away with a few good ideas.  I’ve got a ton of fabric waiting for inspiration and I am sure this will be the cure!

I’ve turned to other crafts such as quilting and stitching, as I just cannot make myself knit anymore for some reason.  I can’t get beyond casting on for a swatch.  I want my mojo back, but honestly, I will take whatever I can get – as long as my hands are moving.

For my entry into the Festival, I’ve decided to go with my most recently finished quilt.  I picked up the kit for this little throw/lapquilt/wallhanging from my local shop.  I couldn’t resist the sweet Halloween theme.  The line is by Sherri Berri, I believe.  While it’s a super simple quilt and only took me about 30 minutes of sewing time, I am really happy with it.  Truthfully, this is the first quilt I have ever sent out to have professionally quilted.  I am so pleased with how it came out.

I just loved the colors of this shot, the binding before being attached.  I love a stripey binding. 

I chose to have it quilted with black in a fantastic Halloween pattern.  Witches, cats, ghosts, fall leaves and pumpkins!  YAY!

  

 

But I think my favorite part of the whole quilt are the corners, and the backing.  The corners are fussy cut, happy little spiders!  The quilter put the backing on upside down, but I didn’t know to specify that there was a top.  Now I know!

{$50 “Not So Scary” Halloween Giveaway!}

The fabulously talented Courtney over at YouCanMakeThis has offered to sponsor a great giveaway here at FuzzySheep.  To enter, leave a comment telling me what you plan to dress up as for Halloween.  Simple!  ENTER!  Spread the word!  Winner will be drawn Monday Oct. 12th.

I’ve made and love her filled tutu pattern, the instructions and pictures (tons of them!) are clear and precise.

The bundle includes the following books:

Fancy Filled Tutu with Bonus 40 Tutu "Recipes"
Pumpkin Polly Patterns
Paper Piecing Project: Pumpkin Patch Pillow

Frayed Applique: Too Cute to Spook!
Little Miss Spider Applique Patterns
How to Applique the Easy Way
Hocus Pocus Patterns
Just a Little Something for a Happy Halloween Table Runner

{Want to see me in a tub?}

This past weekend, I was given a luxury spa stay by my darling husband.  It’s good to know he appreciates me, and it was a bit of a reward for dealing with the MIL for a whole month.  Xiris sent me off for 48 hours of pampering at the Kohler Waters Spa in Kohler, WI.

 

Waiting for me upon checkin were chocolates and a really sexy Merlot.  On a side note: we toured this winery before leaving California, and I always love wines from here.

Afternoon tea and early evening cocktails and hors d’oeurves were offered in the lounge, everyday.  So, really there is no need to leave your room much!   When you sit down, someone brings you these sweet little strawberries.  I almost didn’t want to eat him, but I did and he was BEYOND delicious.  

 

A little dinner at the local bar and I raced back to start the tub.  The tub is so big it took quite some time to fill.  

Ready to see me naked in the super fancy tub?  

Yep, that’s me.  In the tub.  Naked.  With a sexy merlot and sexy toes!  Never thought you’d see it, did you?  It’s hard to tell how long I was in the tub, a half of bottle of wine worth.  The tub re-warms the water as the bubbles blow, so I didn’t get the clue that it was time to get out.  The bubbles were more like effervescent little clouds of heaven.  Warm, sparkly, soft clouds of heaven sent forth to ease my tensions and make life rainbows and unicorns! 

I was nice and soft and definitely pruney, happy, at peace.  I ended the evening like this: 

The next morning I had spa services scheduled.  Remember how I mentioned there was no need to leave the room much?   Yeah, the spa was right downstairs, so I went down in my slippers and the big plush robe they laid out for me during the turndown service the previous night.  The spa is sooooooo peaceful and I relished in the silence.  I had a Great Lakes Hot Stone massage, and let me tell you – that was THE BEST experience of my life.  THE. BEST. EVER.  The woman who did the massage had hands of gold.  She made pains I had since the babies were born go away and with one little push was able to get my nagging sciatic pinch to immediately release its deathly grip on my lower half.  I want to buy this woman and make her live in my basement so I can have hot rocks placed all over my body each and every night.  Seriously, she even put hot pebbles between my toes.  I don’t think my feet have ever felt so relaxed.

Afterwards, I spent the rest of the day in my swimsuit.  I took in the relaxation pool with it’s massage waterfall.  If you sit on the bench under the falls, it’s just like having a massage.  So nice.  Loud when it’s pounding on top of your head, but so pleasant you forget about the volume.

I wore a swimsuit, so sorry no more naked pictures:

Here are a couple of the sparkly, luxurious, relaxing touches around the spa.  I was the only one around for most of the day (it was a Monday, afterall) so I took a few pictures, but cameras were fax pas in the spa area (um, duh!).  I want to make a light fixture like this one with beads and baubles.  So sexy!

 

Jealous yet?  Stay tuned, there’s more to come.