Cover it

This is what we found when we uncovered our swing this summer. Or at least that's what the smaller hole turned into as soon as someone sat on the swing. So of course I had to do something about it and it was obvious that patching it wasn't going to work. The swing is made in such a way that you can't get the cushions off without taking the whole thing apart. So I decided some sort of slipcover would be the best option. I had no idea what I was doing, but dived right into the project anyway. Thank goodness for Trading Spaces - their slipcover/uphostery technique worked like a charm. I cut and seamed the fabric so that it would roughly fit the size of the swing. Then put it over the swing upside down and pinned it anywhere it looked like it needed a seam. I sewed along the pinned lines, hemmed the unfinished edges, and added velcro to the edge of all the sides. And it actually worked!

Here is my swing now. The stripes are actually brown, tan, green, and cream but that's hard to see in the photo. As you can see, the only thing I need to do is figure out some way to tack that sagging bottom part under.

Now on to the next project! :)

Gettin' it together

My dream as a mother: to be one of those people that has "got it all together." I'm not talking about an imaculate house and children whose clothes never get rumpled or stained - I know perfection isn't possible and quite frankly doesn't even sound appealing. But I do want to feel like I have my life under control. I want to look and feel good. I want my house to be something I'm not afraid to invite people into, even while cluttered with toys. I want to not feel stressed about not being ready for an upcoming event or a birthday I don't have a present for...you get the idea. So, once again I am hopping on the "fly-wagon."
Some of you have heard of flylady.net and if you haven't you really should check it out. It is a website about one very smart lady's methods for dealing with well, just about everything in life. While I am not trying to become a full-fledged "flybaby" (because you will NEVER get me to wear shoes all day every day :) ), I do really like a lot of her ideas. I believe that routines, schedules, and planning are key to living a more calm, enjoyable life. So I have been taking some time to re-vamp what FlyLady calls the Control Journal. My term for it is simply my "book" because Control Journal sounds too...well, too controlling :)
Inside this binder I have things like daily and weekly routines for myself and the kids, phone lists, a calendar, important info like emergency contacts, menus, family fun ideas, a section I can pull out for babysitters, gift idea lists, and a "project" section. I have started to update some of these items - my phone list, menus, routines - and will eventually make my way through it all (baby steps!). I am determined to get myself on track and stay that way this time.

Funny side note: Kaitlyn has obviously inherited my "plan ahead" gene. Every day she comes up with plans - to go on walks, what she will eat for lunch so she can get a treat, what friend she wants to invite over and what they will do. Well today she made me grin when she came up to me holding her Princess Mouse Ears (from our trip to Disneyland) and said "Momma, I want to have a mouse party. (pause) When I am six. I want to have my Aurora party (that she has been planning for months already - an Aurora party with a horse pinata) when I am five and a mouse party when I am six." :)

Dora/Diego Backpacks

When Kaitlyn turned 4 she had a Dora birthday party. I made all the kids their own backpacks and maps. And Kaitlyn's set has resided in her dress up box ever since where she will pull it out periodically. Recently Katy got it into her head that Tyler needed a Diego backpack and a map and would not give up until I sewed one for him. I just finished up the face and the velcro this morning. And luckily I had a couple maps left over from the party so I didn't have to recreate one for Tyler. They are both wearing their backpacks around the house this morning :)

I got the original instructions here http://www.nickjr.com/parenting/activity_finder/games/dora/indoor_games/doras_backpack.jhtml but I used felt instead of craft foam and sewed it together so it would be more durable.