I desperately wanted ‘Cakes to have a little cook top for pretend play.  We scoured the earth looking for something to re-purpose and came home empty handed.  And then… the next day… the heavens opened wide, a bright light shone, and behold… there was a yard sale sign.  I followed the signs to my neighbor’s garage where I scooped up an end table for $5. 

I painted it during naptime with a few coats of white paint & then used black acrylic paint for the burners.  I mounted a small curtain rod on the front and then screwed a small board to the front of the table.  Of course, I have a ton of fabric in my craft room so making a little curtain wasn’t too much trouble!  The knobs are replacement parts for a grill & can be found at your local hardware store.  It’s not perfect, but it’ll do! 

Have you ever tried making something for your kids?  Let’s hear it!

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Things I’ve said today:

Welcome to the Football House!

Confession:  I have an entire bedroom in my house full of crafting supplies, paint, fabric, ribbons, stamps, decorating books, & paper goods. 

There’s a creative fire burning inside of me and there was only one thing I could do:  organize a hostile takeover of the dining room.  I have tried sewing upstairs, but my toddler trashes the room with crayons & notions like Amy Winehouse destroys hotel rooms.  The dining room table is sturdy & directly across from the new and improved “music/home office/playroom”.  After I finished sewing Babycakes’ jumper, I decided to make drawstring bags to contain all her blocks.  I love polka dots.

I have a few more projects up my sleeve for today — the first being toddler sized bibs.  For the most part, Babycakes feeds herself.  She is very resourceful with a fork.  Apparently, you are supposed to let your toddler feed herself messy things, too.  She fed herself some YoBaby yesterday and her clothes and the dog’s head did not fare well.  On a positive note, the dog smelled like blueberries. 

Feeling crafty?  What’s the last thing you made? 

#1

Someone has replaced my sweet baby with this tailless monkey.  It is entirely too clever, throws food & beverages, paints the kitchen floor with the thrown beverages, and climbs the gates that are meant to confine small creatures.  When she doesn’t get her own way, she stomps her little monkey feet. 

I mentioned yesterday that all I do is wipe up spills, change poopy diapers, and get my hair pulled.  I am also the recipient of the best hugs that a monkey can give because they use their arms AND legs. 

#2

When my neighbor asked if I’d like to join her booth at our town’s Christmas event, I knew immediately that I wanted to try my hand at painting a couple canvases.  I thought I could pump out a few cutie pie snowmen, but then I decided to start creating a border.  Now this snowman painting is making me cranky.  The black entered the scene after I made yet another mistake trying to paint peppermints.  I didn’t like the red swirls, so I painted the whole candy red.  Then I added buttons.  By morning, I hated it and picked off the buttons and painted the section black.  I have spent too much time for this painting to not hang proudly on my own wall.  Yes, proudly…  it might not be perfect, but it’s mine. 

SO, if I do decide to sell anything at her booth, it will be a scaled down version of Frosty.  It will probably cost $1 so that I don’t get my feelings hurt.  Someone would buy him for a buck, right? 

If I’m ever going to finish it, I best go…  the black sections are getting snowflakes.   Wish me happy thoughts!

Babycakes sporting her mommy-made shirt before the game.

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The blanket of clouds that threatened to dampen our Saturday afternoon lifted just as the game began.  And the sky was an amazing shade of blue.  Things I know about game day:  the parents will tailgate, the children will play, diet cokes will be served ice cold, & the grass will always be green.  Things I never know:  how we match up against the opposing team. 

So, how did we match up yesterday?  We fumbled the ball in the first few seconds of the game & the other team scored.  And that, my friends, makes you scream on the inside.  Causes you to clench your jaw in frustration.  What the darn heck was that? 

But, y’all…

We won!

staying focused? 

Life with a one year old is challenging.  I feel like I can never get caught up on anything — laundry, dishes, toys, & projects.  For example, on Thursday, while I tried to load the dishwasher, she stole the english muffins from the bread drawer, dragged them to the living room, and began taking bites out of each one.  Later that afternoon, while I was brewing a pot of coffee  (it’s a survival skill), she threw her binky in the toilet.  At least she doesn’t know how to flush… yet.  By the time Coach returned home from practice, the house was destroyed by HURRICANE BABYCAKES.  As I made one last attempt at normalcy — making dinner — our sweet little toddling girl ate a dead fly.  This is why I never get to work on any projects… 

The other reason I never get any projects done is because I am scatter-brained.  I want to do it all.  I want to sew a dress, make a quilt, paint a birdie, and learn to decoupage. 

It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.
-Eleanor Roosevelt

For Babycakes’s birthday party, I decided that I want to make some fabric pennants or buntings.  Cute, huh?  Yesterday, we went to The Quilter’s Loft which is just about the cutest shop EVER.  I felt very inadequate buying five fat quarters while others were talking about the quilts they were sewing.  I don’t even know how to use a rotary cutter.  I am, however, very good with scissors.  So good, in fact, that I used to help my kindergarten classmates cut out their work.  I got in trouble.  The other girl got held back.  Moving on…

Our football game is not until 6 pm — let’s see if this wife can actually get a project started & completed in the same day. 

Wish me luck. 

Here’s the #1 rule about creating things for your children:

It doesn’t have to be perfect.

When I was a child, my parents were always creating things for us.  My mom sewed dresses & made us baby dolls and painted murals on our bedroom walls.  My dad once built a kitchenette for me & a rocking horse for my sister.  The items that they made for us so lovingly, are the things that I have always cherished the most.  If they had worried about absolute perfection, they might have stopped  before the first paint stroke or first cut of lumber.  I think that when you’re creating something out of love for another, your determination level increases.  As I painted yesterday, I thought of that sweet baby and radiated pure JOY. 

“Don’t worry about mistakes.  Making things out of mistakes, that’s creativity.”

– Peter Max

I would say that I finally “found” some time to be crafty, but you all know very well that when you’re a mom, “extra” time doesn’t exist.  It means that somewhere there’s a pile of laundry & dishes in the sink.  It was worth it to feel like a little kid and get messy with Elmer’s glue & craft paper.  Sara from Sara’s Art House somehow has time to HOMESCHOOL her children & create the coolest projects and paintings.  I was inspired by her blog when I started decoupaging this box. 

This little box is sitting on my piano and it holds all my stickers & music flashcards for piano lessons.  In addition to being a wife & mother, I also teach.  We have children in and out of our house every afternoon – nearly 20 in all throughout the week. 

I imagine that some of Babycakes’ first words might be “F sharp!” or “B flat”. 

Here’s something that Eager Jane made me on Thursday while her sister was having her lesson.  Do you love the spelling as much as I do? 

 Signing off…  The Football Wife & Peyano Tetcher

Happy Monday!

The Big Reveal…