"A Handyman's Dream!"

I currently live in my in-law's basement. It has been a great experience for many reasons. One is that I am learning how to cook more Chinese dishes from my mother-in-law. My husband sure is a fan of that! 

While we are happy with our current living situation, the goal is to find and buy a home in the fall. Since I know next to nothing about buying a home, I have been asking advice from family and friends. I have also been searching for homes online. I'm a bit skeptical with how fantastic the agents make the homes sound in their descriptions, especially when there aren't pictures to prove it. There is one phrase I have learned to avoid. The phrase is, "a handyman's dream home!" The close second is, "great home needs some love!"

Oh boy.

But what is funny to me is that about a month ago, I found this little guy at the thrift store for $12, and decided it was worth getting and fixing up.

It has a pretty front,

an open back for play,

but it is definitely a handyman special. With all the carpet ripped out and the window glass busted out,

the paint chipped

and the wallpaper peeling.

Plus it's just plain dirty and dusty.

This little house sure needs a lot of love.

13 hours on a plane.

No joke. 13 hours. 2 kids. Why?

My husband's grandmother is turning 99 this year, and she lives in Taiwan. Partly for her birthday, and partly just to let her meet the next generation, my in-laws are taking my little family for a 10 day trip in the middle of February! I'm super excited to be visiting again. This will be my second trip to Taiwan.

But I am nervous about the flight from LA to Taiwan. 13 hours! That was a bit rough the first time and there were no children. Now there are 2. Luckily, we will outnumber them 4-2 with the in-laws coming.

13 hours...

And we all know that sewing and crafting is the answer to all of life's problems. So here are some of my plans:

• Neck pillow (for Hero and possibly for me. . . )
• Cozy Car Caddy 
• Make-A-Bib Clip (I know you know what I'm talking about, once I put it together...)
• Fabric High Chair

I know I will need to bring coloring books, crayons, reading books, movies, and music.

13 hours!

This post has two purposes for me. 

1. Keep track of the things I need to make
2. Get ideas from any travelers out there. What else do I need to entertain my 3 1/2 year old and my 10 month old baby?

Did I mention the plane ride is 13 hours?

Phantom Photographer

Have you ever wished that there was someone on call who could show up and take pictures of cute moments between you and your kids? I wouldn't want someone following me around all the time because there are plenty of moments I don't want recorded.

But this morning when I pulled out a new kit of play-dough (4 colors and a bunch of animal cutters), it was one of the moments.

We were all still in PJs with bedhead and sleepy eyes, but it was just a nice moment.

Pretty wasn't sure about the texture, and she only tried to eat it once (I didn't even let it get there).

Her bottle was more appealing.

The animals bonked into each other.

And they needed band-aids.

And to help him feel better, the elephant needed a nap.

Play-dough is amazing, isn't it?

After this, we played Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix. Did you know that when you aren't hitting the arrows enough, the voice that normally shouts encouragement (when you are doing well) will turn on you? We were booed. So mean!

look at that air!

Maybe I don't want that part of this morning photographed.

Flower Market Skirt

I have always wanted to make Dana's Market Skirt, but never had a good excuse until my husband's cousin and her daughter came to visit the last week of the year. I love the way the green compliments the the floral print.

And these pockets are just the right size for little hands. I decided not to add buttons, and I think they are a bit smaller than the dimensions the tutorial gives. I was having a total brain fart and the tiny pockets took as long to make as the whole rest of the skirt!

This adorable skirt is made even more adorable by my 2 1/2 year old niece*.

I am so sad these guys live in California and not next door! Can't wait to see you again soon!

*I know, she's technically a cousin once removed, or something, but I think I'll stick with niece. I have so few (2) that one more in the ranks is a good thing!

Twin Dresses

My sister-in-law and her family recently moved across the country. While they were here for Christmas, I decided that I would make matching dresses for her little girl and Pretty. I chose the "Pretty as a Picture" pattern from Anna Maria Horner's book Handmade Beginnings.

Her patterns seem to run a bit large. But I love that it comes in bigger sizes (up to 24 mo.) anyway. This means there's much more time to use the patterns. The girls are almost a full year apart in age; but being only an inch apart, they both measured out the the same size. I added about an inch in length to my niece's dress (on the left). Pretty's (10 months old) fits her a bit loose, but the 12 month size fits my 20 month old niece perfectly.

The hardest part of the whole process was picking the fabric for the center panels! There was a lot of voting by all the family in for the holidays, but I ended up picking some others that I hadn't shown them for the voting part. I wonder if they feel rejected? Even if they do, everyone liked the results.

Once I had the picking and cutting out done, the actual sewing part took only a couple hours to complete (per dress). I love that there are no fasteners. Just a wrap top that opens and some elastic in the waist.

please excuse my drooling slobber-monkey of a daughter ;o)

The dresses were a big hit!

*out of respect for parents' wishes, my niece's pictures won't appear here, but trust me, they looked SO CUTE together. :o)

The "New" Machine

The day before Christmas, I decide to make Pretty her doll.

I get sewing, and after 2 arms and 1 leg of the doll, my machine starts doing this:

That's right. There was a problem with the tension of the top thread. Meaning there was no tension.

I did all the tricks I knew to fix it.     Nothing.

I read my owner's manual.     Nothing.

I call my mom and tried her tricks.     Nothing.

It just keeps sewing crappy. I called a few places about fixing it, and it's an $70 - $80 repair/cleaning/service (for a machine that cost $100), and they were 2 weeks out!

WHAT ABOUT THE DOLL?!

Luckily, I live in my in-law's basement and my MIL has a sewing machine that she lets me borrow!

I sewed the doll, and I have fallen in love with this 30-year-old awesome machine!

It has exposed thread line, and tension that works.

My favorite thing is the reverse lever. Not sure why, but it makes me smile.

I might not give it back. :o)

Happy 2011.

My house is a mess.

My kids are sick.

My head aches.

My sewing machine is broken.

But I just watched Inception with a big crowd of family and now I'm making cookies for us to eat.

Happy New Year!!