Look at what I made!

For Christmas this past year I got a sewing machine from my parents and let me tell you, I LOVE IT!! Within the first 4 days of receiving it, I made Ellie a dress (that was a little ambitious of me and required several late nights!). After that very difficult experience (I have VERY limited sewing experience and could hardly make sense of the pattern lingo), I decided to do something a little easier, so I made a skirt! That was quick and easy and successful and Ellie actually wears it and likes it! YAY! Since then, I've hemmed some pants and fixed some things here and there.

Just the other day I decided I needed a small project that didn't require I buy anything (I have some scraps from the dress and skirt I made). And so, this is what I made:

Can you guess what it is?

It's a....

Crayon roll!

It's a cute little case for Ellie's crayons! And the best part...she likes it! :)

Feeling inspired? Here's the link with directions on how to make it!

more pictures?

Not a lot of exciting news here.... so here are some pictures!

Ellie in her new dress:

Ellie's face after an "as a matter of fact" comment.

Siri in her usual location when Joe is home- right by his side!

Siri at church:

Family photo! (Ellie's hair was cut the day after this photo...It looks MUCH better!)

Thanks Grandma Donna and Grandpa Wayne!

A Fire!

Yep! In OUR kitchen!

To avoid utter humiliation I will refrain from explaining the exact details of what happened, but let's just say I don't know how to deep fry with oil; and should you ever attempt this, BE CAREFUL! Oh and if you do start a fire with oil, let your husband know that the object on fire is oil so that he doesn't run into the room and immediately attempt to pour water on it!

In summation:

Injuries:

1. A blister on Joey's finger

2. A blister on Kim's foot

Costs of the fire:

$25 to replace other things that caught on fire in the sink area (bibs and dish washing gloves etc)

$21 to replace fire extinguisher (This saved our lives!!!)

6 hours of scrubbing (Nothing was permanently damaged as long as we can get the soot off all of the cabinets and ceilings-yes, we're still working on that!).

Funny moments:

- The girls watched the entire event from the living room and were remarkably well behaved during that time.

- Joey ran from the kitchen through the living room with a burning pot of oil with flames at least 2 feet high.

- Ellie's fixation on fire for several days following the event.

Pictures:

Note: These were taken after a lot of scrubbing had been done. The yellow wall behind the sink and the sink itself were actually the blackest areas of the kitchen.

Ellie's report:

Where's your belly button?