Down Time

On Monday Jason was sick. Early Wednesday morning Ella was sick. A few hours later Mommy was sick. Then Daddy came home to take care of Miles. Later that evening (I think it was evening) Miles was sick. So it's been a sick-tastic time around here. We are feeling mostly better, though Miles still has no appetite and slept a lot this morning. Now that I'm better I have clothes and linens and rugs to wash, bathrooms to Lysol and carpets to clean. Fun times.

Well, it's supposed to be good weather tomorrow for Halloween!

The "Red Room" - Do You Have One?

Do YOU have a "red room?"  I have been reluctant to have a "red room."  Let me explain.  We were at a friend's house a few years ago joking about how avacado green was so in back in the seventies and the other wife said "Well people will look back to our time and joke about the 'red room.'"  There is truth to it.  Lots of people have a "red room."  And so I decided I could not have a red room.

Then we had a color specialist come out and for our dining room she chose a "red" of sorts.  Actually it was a Benjamin Moore color called "Potters Wheel."  I was leary, but I hired her after seeing a few friends' before and after paint in their house using the colors this particular specialist had recomended.  I hired her for a reason.  But I was especially nervous with a red.  I've had friends who've tried red before and had to try many different shades before finding the right one.  When I expressed my concern to her about this matter she just looked at me (she was very nice, her look was not mean, just "duh").  Then I said "I guess you ARE the expert and I should trust you."  "Exactly" she said. "Trust me."

This weekend we carefully painted and detailed our dining room with Potters Wheel.  After a tiny bit of concern that the paint looked very PINK when it came out of the can, luckily it dried much darker.  Think clay, brick, dark terra cotta...  Here are the EXCLUSIVE Before and After photos.  Note that the before photos are also before the wood floors, the chandelier and some other minor design changes.

Before:

After (though I don't have all the stuff back in the breakfront yet) (also, don't know why blogger is making new photos smaller, click on them if you want to see more detail, if it will let you) (and excuse the darkness in the first photo):

I don't know about you.  But we love our new RED ROOM!

P.S.  Nilsa, that's a wedding gift for you and D. up there on the top right of the breakfront. ;-)

The Covered Crate

Did you ever have milk crates?

 

Do you still have them?  We  have a few around and they are actually put to good use.  Mainly in the storage area of our basement.  Well it's time to break them out again people.  People who can sew a very easy project that is.

I first saw this idea on Joy's Hope where she referenced the original free tutorial.  These are milk crate slip covers!!

I've made two now and am just waiting for a storage closet to be done (shelves put up) so I can proudly use them to hold some of my fabric and other crafty business.  I'm pretty sure I need to make more for other storage needs. ;-)  And when I need to take them out to use something in them.  They'll look great, instead of milk crate...ish.  The Heather Bailey fabric I used to make these was purchased from the Fabric Shoppe.  The natural colored fabric is canvas, but you can use a lighter weight fabric.  I just wanted mine to be really sturdy.

If you want to do this project but find that the dimensions of your crate do not match those of the tutorial, the tutorial tells you how to adjust the measurements for YOUR CRATE SIZE!

What a fun - easy - and pretty project!

In family news...

The whole family enjoyed the downtown trick or treating event on Saturday.  We also painted a room, had a date at a local Italian restaurant and then attempted to walk off the calories at the mall.  

Last week Ella graduated in her swimming class from Pike to Eel.  Both kids will be taking swim classes now.  Both kids are in DANCE class.  Yes, even Miles.  What's wrong with that?  He loves it.  The teacher picked out cute costumes that have a boy verson with trousers, suspenders, a tie and hat.  Cute.  

I am enjoying teaching 3-4 year olds in my 3 new classes.  I still teach an accelerated ballet and jazz class but just added two pre-ballet and tap 1 classes and one pre-ballet and tap 2 class to my schedule.  I am also doing some paper pushing for the dance program and... drum roll please... pretty much got a very nice RAISE this weekend.  

In less happy news, hubby is sick.  He never gets sick, so I'm worried.  I was gone most of the day teaching and taking kids to dance classes when he needed me. :-(  He is sleeping now, so I hope his body is healing.  Seems like he has the flu.  Glad I got a shot.  We don't need two parents out of commision.  Just hope the kids don't get whatever he has.  I haven't gotten them flu shots  yet...

Tune in soon for exclusive photos of our newly painted 

DINING ROOM!

Custom Mini-Wallet

Welcome to my little giveaway over at Sunnypond Home. And welcome to my blog! I love to sew and am giving away one of my little creations. I made two of these for a customer and had her pick her favorite. This is the other one!

All you need to do is go over to my store Sunnypond Designs, and leave a comment here on this post stating your favorite item. And feel free to buy something if you feel so inclined. ;-)

Good luck, and if you don't win, I can always make you a custom mini-wallet at a reasonable price, just ask!  I do not sell these in my store but can make one custom for you.

For the "regular" readers as well as the new readers... I have a couple of fun things to post from recent projects, but hubby is sick with the flu, so I'll have post them on another day as I go now to take care of him.

Oh, and don't forget to click on the button up top to see the now over 800 other blog giveaways going on now!  I forgot to add that my contest is over at midnight on Oct. 31.  Also, the pics are a bit large, so you can click on them to see the full effect!  Winner will be drawn via a random number generator!

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Welcome to Sunnypond Designs for your Holiday Shopping Needs

Hello! If this is your first visit to Sunnypond, Welcome! I am joining in on a Handmade Holiday party hosted by Nester of Nesting Place.

I like to sew and have also come up with some little paper scrapbooks. I sell my creations in my Etsy shop.

Let me show you a sampling of what it has to offer. Think Gifts!

I have just added a variety of cute Headbands...



There are plenty of fun and fabulous Wristlets...



A few Market Totes...



And lots of Booklets...



I have a couple of Bag Tags and hope to make up some more soon...



Oh, and don't forget your little Ballerina...

Come on over to the shop to take a look around. And I am available for some custom orders of the styles you see in the shop and sold section at this time. If you make a purchase, let me know in the comment area that you saw me here and I'll take 20% off your entire order with a revised invoice! Again make sure to tell me in the comment area of your checkout!

Thanks for visiting!

Beautiful Wedding

On Saturday we attended the much anticipated wedding of our friends Nilsa and Dan. Jason has known Dan since childhood and their parents knew each other before either was born. We just met Nilsa last year and discovered her blog early this year. As evidenced by the outcome, Nilsa planned and executed a wonderful, meaningful and beautiful event!


The venue was, at first glance, in a bit of a sketchy neighborhood. But once inside it was perfect. Very sleek and modern. The ceremony was in the front of the building (which was once an electric company substation but completely gutted and remodeled). White wood folding chairs were situated facing the front of the building's large windows with etched modern circular designs and sheer fabric drapes. The ceiling had a skylight, beautifully shaded lights and was right next to/below the L train. So once in a while a train would run past and was very quaint, in a city person sort of way. A large beautiful modern painting was on the opposite wall of the room and a very large mirror on one side, into which, one could gain a different perspective of the room and ceremony.


Lining the aisles were tall square vases of water containing flowers and a floating candle on top. Only one was knocked over by a "hit and run" guest making a large crash and a huge mess. But that was cleaned up quickly by the crew. The guests were delighted by two Spanish guitar players who continued on into the procession before and after the ceremony as well as into the cocktail hour. There was an air of love and anticipation all around. It was wonderful to see the excitement of both sets of parents and the happiness of the bride and groom. All parties were meticulously groomed and looking quite sharp. The bride was a vision in her classic soft white hourglass dress. Emotions were heavy as the bride displayed her deep happiness and love which must have touched all in the room.




It was a beautiful ceremony combining very well the traditional faiths of each side of the family.


The cocktail hour was in the middle room, where the dancing was to occur later. Another beautiful, but bigger room with delicious appetizers "floating" around the room and plenty of time to catch up with guests. As we found our table in the farthest room, we witnessed Nilsa overlooking the balcony from the upstairs as her dress was being bustled.


The dining area was gorgeous with tables dressed with tidy linens, beautiful floral centerpieces, with calla lillies, orchids, roses and other flowers in autumnal colors, pretty triangular pats of butter and cards indicating a donation to the anti cruelty society and children's hospital in lieu of a gift. Dinner was delicious with scrumptious rolls, a salad with greens, strawberries and a light dressing, a chicken main course scattered with slivers of cooked peppers. And finally, everyone was ooing and ahing over the cake. People actually wanted seconds! Dinner was peppered by speeches and toasts by the bridal party, the mothers and fathers and the bride and groom (who also walked around the room to talk to each table). The evening was topped off by dancing. All had a good time!

Now they are in Costa Rica on their honeymoon and I think Dan wants to say this to us...

Anyway, congrats dear friends and hope you are having the time of your life right now!

Things that Make Me Smile

Being at my parents house with the kids yesterday after not being there (or seeing my parents) for a few weeks.

Getting some sewing done while there.

Receiving vinyl wall lettering in the mail yesterday and applying it today.

Getting 3 inches cut off my hair and feeling a little lighter. Ella took this pic.

Talking to the kids today about their in school field trip about riding the pony and petting the small animals that visited their preschool.

Finding more good books at a garage sale.

Witnessing the very good manners of my children when I bought them lemonade from the stand at the garage sale. WOW!

Anticipation for experiencing a friend's wedding tomorrow. Jason knows the groom from his childhood and I've been getting to know the bride through her blog.

Random Things

It is (almost) official, I'll be teaching 3 dance classes for the next session. The evening accelerated class and 2 morning pre-ballet/tap classes on two different days. Though this is what I wanted, I'm not sure it is what I really want now. But it's what I've got, so I'll try to embrace it.

My doctor has me on so many medications right now it makes me nervous. I've always wanted the least amount of medicine in me as possible, but I guess I have to think of it differently. The doctor thinks I have seasonal indoor allergies. Whatever I have, it keeps me at some level of sickness throughout cold weather (long) season. So if this medication can keep the post-nasal drip to a low, maybe those secondary infections won't be as much of an issue. She also drew blood to do allergy testing. I'd been hoping someone would do this for a while, because I'm still not convinced I really have allergies other than to dust and smoke. Still waiting on the results...

It seems that someone has stolen our credit card/credit card number? I know that I have my card, don't know if Jason has his. I hope that all is cleared up today!

I mentioned not too long ago that I reconnected with my college roommate. After some prodding from me for communication, I received a note from her with an explanation as to why she kind of "dropped" me many years ago. I had met her for brunch in the early 90's with my then fiance (not my current husband). She hated my fiance and claims he spoke down to me and treated me poorly. I didn't think he did THEN, but what did I know, because he sure did later. She was so sorry for her thoughts and actions. She wondered if I was mad at her. Mad, no. Confused, yes. Anyway, I am looking forward to hearing about her life since college. She wrote one installment to me which pretty much refreshes my memory up to when I last saw her. I am just wondering if we can be friends again.

Our household seems to have a bit of a dark cloud over it lately. I am hoping it lifts soon.

I watched "Gandhi" yesterday. Great movie. I would love to learn more about the man.

Barn Wedding 2007

Tote Bag Blues

I am not sure where I am going with my sewing and my shop. But I do know that I'm tired of making adult sized, lined totes. Just so much fabric and only so many designs. I think smaller handbags are more appealing at this time. But I'm not sure. Maybe it is time to give up the shop (sure, just when I bought a personalized stamp with my shop url on it!), and just make what I feel like for the family and as gifts.

All I know is that this last tote bag left me blah. And I have one more to finish up. And as I write this post, I am procrastinating. But I feel when I finish up this last one I'll have a strange feeling of freedom. Because these bags were cut out last year and have been waiting around to be put together. Ok, well then there are the headbands I cut out as well as pieces of a doll nightgown...

I do have a cute kids dance bag done though. That was actually fun. I hope to list it soon in the shop.

October in Chicago

Shorts weather. Ha!

Balance, Prioreties and Individual Threshold

I think I've been doing too much lately, and not enough of the more important things. And I am realizing that I can't do it ALL.

What I want to do that I think is most important (that has waned):

• Exercising
• Planning and Preparing healthy meals for my family and myself
• Spending time with family in the evenings
• Tidying and organizing the house
  

What I want to do that I think is acceptable (that I am doing):

• Reading
• Volunteering for one organization
• Some sewing

What I want to do that I feel I'm may have to give up/lessen:

• Teaching dance one evening (teach morning class)
• Sewing non-stop until project is completed with few breaks (sew when I have time and not obsess about completing one project)
• blogging (less)

Though I wish I could do it all, in reality I don't think I'm physically capable. I think this is why I sometimes get sick. That was definitely the case when I was working full time. I would always want to do more than was required and was often getting sick.

This morning I woke up with a UTI. At least I'm pretty sure. I think it is another sign to slow down.

As I've slowed down a bit this week I've enjoyed sitting and reading, structuring the kids' days a little more, tidying and organizing the house and enjoying the result, exercising more, planning meals a little better, enjoying not just the kids, but the cats more.

Hopefully I'll get this life balance thing down right.

Photo Contest

I am entering a photo contest over at sarcastic mom's blog. You can too!

"Friendly Flowers"

wa wa wa

At least the cats are getting along really well now!

At the risk of sounding like a whiner, I am now in pain. Back pain. I slept on my neck wrong Friday night and ever since my neck and upper back are stiff and in pain. Today is slightly better than yesterday, so I have hope I will continue to get better. Unfortunately because of this, coupled with still being sick, ugh, I did not go to my mom's to help her with the shower. I am so sad as I helped her with some of it and would love to not only see how it plays out, but be there to help serve. Luckily, one of her friends will help her out.

And now there is a crying boy who's sandwich fell apart. I can barely stand it. Jason left to go work on some things he has to get done. I was hoping the kids would behave for me. Or at least not cry over a sandwich that is losing its chicken.

I have a bunch of fabric cut up to sew and well, just can't do it right now either. I got a special order Friday for some luggage tag handle wraps and got most of that done that evening. I managed to sew on the vinyl this morning, and that is about all I can manage right now as far as sewing.

On the up side, once again I'm having to relax and not do much, which is something I rarely do. A good thing too as I have 2 reading "assignments" to finish by early this week.

So I'd better go put that sandwich back together...

Goodies in the Mail

Forgot to post these fun items that arrived in the mail this week!  First are a couple of decorative plates I ordered from SayYourPiece on Etsy.  She has these in her store for new babies with birthdates, but I just wanted little personalized ones with the kids' names.  She also made up the little sailboat stamp at my request.  She has some really cute stuff!

The yard of fabric I won from Jodi of the FabricShoppe also arrived this week.  This is one of the prints from Heather Bailey's new Pop Garden line.  The main flower print is a little BIG.  Not sure what I'm going to do with it yet.  Maybe this (milk crate covers)?  Hmm, still the print may be too big for that. Any other thoughts?

All Over the Place

Sinnce I don't have any one interesting thing to post about, I will just show you a mish mash of little things going on in my little world. Meanwhile I am still not feeling well. Today is the scratchy, coughy throat, headache and shakiness. Hello perpetual seasonal illness, it's so not good to see you again!

Last night Jason went to a Chicago Area Camera Club where they had a photo contest. Both Jason and I had submitted several photos. One of his got Honorable Mention! Mine didn't do so well, but they are still sending 2 of them on to another contest. I couldn't go because I had a teen mom dinner and workshop to attend.

I don't know why I don't blog much about my cats. But I thoroughly enjoy both of them. Of course the kitten is so much fun and new. Very playful and sweet. She's growing so fast too!

I've gotten a few new fun goodies lately to create with...

I copied an image from a door mat I saw in a Crate and Barrel catalog to make this Halloween shirt for Ella.

I completed my "new pillows for family room couch" project to add color to the room. Our old pillows were the same color as the couch, they came with the couch and were starting to look quite beat up. I used them as forms for the new pillows (shhh).

I am seriously thinking of doing a tutorial for making a pillow (such as the above) with the piped edging.  I took pics of about everything along the way except slip stitching the opening left to insert the pillow form.  I thought about asking if anyone would even be interested, but actually I wonder if it is something that people would be able to find doing a search.  So that maybe a tutorial would reach more people than just my readers.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

More Than I Should, I Suppose?

This little guy has been coughing at night for almost 2 weeks. No other real symptoms other than the occasional runny nose. I took him into the doctor today, overruling other opinions. He had bronciolitis when he was a baby which was a little scary.



The doctor doesn't know what is wrong, so gave him antibiotic. If it doesn't work I call back and she prescribes an inhaler. Which, by the way, is what my doctor gave me yesterday. An inhaler. Never used one of those before.

So this morning, I got the kids ready for school and sent them on the way with our carpool. Then I folded all of the clean laundry and put it away. I then called Sears to find out how to handle a broken part to my carpet cleaning machine (long story - I'd called before to see if they could send a new part but was told I had to take THE WHOLE THING into a service center which then turned out to be closed down). Magically the nice service lady said the part would arrive in 5-10 days. I thanked her for not giving me the run around as I had gotten with several other service people. I think she thought I was nuts. Then called the Pediatric group to make and appointment for Miles. Next I went over to the school to observe again, only to find out that MILES hit a boy because he was "looking at him." (We have each had a long talk with him and HOPE he doesn't try that again). Other than that, observations seemed just fine. Next I run over to Hobby Lobby to buy a frame for my friend's kids' portrait that she just sent. I'd seen it yesterday, but wasn't sure about it at the time. Went back to the school to pick up the kids. Dropped off the other little girl, got home and made lunch, set the kids down to do a craft (ha) while I listed the new bag on Etsy. They did not do the craft, but rather got out of hand. I then put them down for quiet time and had to go up several times to separate them and/or help with a snap after a bathroom visit. Finally I had time to list 2 more books. Found a ton more people I knew on Facebook and figured out how to post links on there. 3:30 pm was there before you know it and I'm getting the kids ready to take Miles to the doctor. Today was the last day of the Farmer's Market, so I HAD to take the kids there. That is one of their favorite things. And I got them each a caramel apple. Ran over to the pharmacy to fill Miles' prescription. Got home and was about to drop dead. Jason had wanted to go to a Men's group. So I was alone with the kiddos. Somehow I managed to get them to bed without much fuss. Then I organized portraits to give to the grandparents, cut some material to be used as interior pockets for a couple bags. Wrote this post. And I'm sure I will be cutting more fabric to make bias strips tonight.

And those are the HIGHLIGHTS of my day. The week doesn't seem to slow down and in fact gets busier next week.

How do I do it? ;-P