Tulle Pom Poms

In preparation for Genevieve's 1st birthday party, I came across decorative pom poms while browsing Pinterest. They were made out of tulle and appeared to be very easy to make.

Supplies I used:

Foam board

Exacto knife

Tulle

Scissors

Wire

First, decide what size pom pom you want to make. You can make them small enough to attach to a hair band or as big as the card board will allow you. This will determine the size of your circle and the amount of tulle you will need.

Using the bucket, I traced a circle on the foam board and cut it out with the exacto knife. I cut a small hole in the center and a thin section from the small circle to the outer edge. I did two of these, one using the top of the bucket and one using the bottom of the bucket so that I would have two different sizes.

I got 2 yards of tulle in 4 different colors. After lying the tulle out on the floor, I cut it into 12"-15" wide strips down the entire length of the tulle. So I basically ended up with 15"x6' pieces. I took the strips and began wrapping them around the circles. Wrap multiple colors for a multiple color look. I used 4 strips of tulle for the larger circles and 2 strips for the smaller circles.

Once the tulle was wrapped around the circle, I took my scissors and cut the tulle along the edges of the circle. I then had tulle sticking out on both sides of the circle.

Taking the wire (ribbon/string),I wrapped it around the tulle, close to the center and as tight as possible. Once the wire was secure, I removed the tulle from the middle of the circle cutout and fluffed it out. If there were any long pieces sticking out awkwardly, I just trimmed them up with the scissors to make them a perfect ball.

In the end, I had a perfect tulle pom pom.

These were sooo easy and I think they look very cute. They could be used for birthdays, wedding, showers, or even room decor. The wire was $3.99 and the tulle was $1.49 a yard, so they were inexpensive too!

Out of the 8 yards of tulle, I got 3 large pom poms and 4 smaller pom poms. These will be hung from the ceiling or entry ways (haven't decided yet) with ribbon or string.

Genevieve's Birth Story

One year ago today, was your typical Friday. Ashleigh was feeling under the weather, so she stayed home from school (all week) and I was working. I had a big project that I was tracking through the day and it had to be done by the end of the day. I had to go to the bank to make a deposit, so I figured I'd drive over at lunch and while we were out I would grab lunch for the kids.

I sent out latest report, grabbed the check and keys, and got everyone loaded into the car. When I got to the first red light, I had a contraction. Nothing major, but by the time I had reached the bank, I thought I had actually had alot of contractions. I wasn't really paying attention since I was driving but figured once I got home, I'd time them to see if they continued.

My manager called after I got home to check on the projects status and after filling her in, I told her that I was having some contractions. She freaked and said I couldn't have the baby until the project was finished. We laughed but Genevieve wasn't due for another month, so I told her not to worry about it. I called Paul and he had me time the contractions...they were coming every 5 minutes but not really painful. He works an hour away so he kept asking if he should come home but I didn't want him leaving for a false alarm.

Around 2:30 I finished the project tracking and sent off my final report. By 3:30 my contractions were coming every 3 minutes. Paul's boss finally made him leave and he came home. The kids ate dinner and our neighbor, Jenny, walked around the neighborhood with me. Since the contractions weren't letting up, I called the doctor and they asked me to come in around 8:30. I got a bath and did my hair and make-up. Jenny came over to watch the kids for us and we headed to the hospital.

When we get to the hospital, they tell me I'm 2cm but since my doctor didn't check my progress earlier in the week she can't determine if I am progressing or not. The registration lady comes in and seems upset because they don't have my registration paperwork (I mailed it in when I was 28 weeks since they don't have online registration). She asks a million questions( one of them being "do you feel safe at home?" which was right in front of Paul, I almost said no just for giggles) and finally gives me my bracelets. Paul and I walked around the hospital and when they checked me again I was at 2.5cm. Then 3cm an hour later. I told the nurse that my doctor has broken my water with all 3 of my other children and she tells me that won't happen this time since I am only 36 weeks.

I'm admitted to L&D and my contractions are coming every 2 minutes. Paul fell asleep in the chair and I am so uncomfortable that I can't sleep at all. The nurse finally comes back in at 4AM and asks if I've been able to sleep and when I tell her no, she agrees that I've been having a ton of powerful contractions. I am still only at 4.5cm so she offered me some meds (awesome meds) and I fell asleep almost immediately.

When she comes back in around 6AM, I have to go to the bathroom. The nurse helps me unhook everything and I make my way over to the bathroom. As I am standing up in the bathroom, I notice I am not feeling so good. I start to sit down and I pass out. Next thing I know, the nurse is shoving an ammonia stick in my face. OMG... definitely the worst smell ever. I faint alot and have never had anyone use one of those on me.

She tells me that the Dr will be in at 8 and he's probably just going to send me home. Meanwhile, my mom is waiting to hear from us to see what's going to happen. I didn't want her driving 8 hours if the baby wasn't coming that day and I couldn't get an answer from anyone. Plus my neighbor was still at our house watching the kids. While Paul and I are discussing our options, the doctor comes in, says we're going to get the show on the road, and breaks my water.That moment I knew....I LOVE HIM! My mom starts driving down and they offer me an epidural. Since I am not one for pain or surprises, I am totally all for it.

Once they broke my water, things really picked up. As soon as I got my epidural though, things slowed back down but I was able to get some rest. Right around 11:30, the nurse said it was time. She explained how she wanted me to push and prepared me for a practice push. Practice pushing seemed odd since I had already done this three times but whatever.  As I was getting ready to push, she immediately told me to stop. She said that the baby was right there and that we needed to wait for the doctor. The doctor arrived and the Special Care team for preemies came into the room. The doctor told me to push and with that one push, our beautiful daughter Genevieve was born at 12:04 PM on Oct 2nd.

As soon as the Special Care team heard her cries, they knew she was fine and left. She weighed 6lbs 13oz and was 19 inches long. Perfectly healthy! Grandma Ginny got to the hospital around 3:30 and Jenny brought Ash,Coop and Addy to meet Jenna.

Great Wolf Lodge

On 9/19/2011, we went to Great Wolf Lodge's indoor waterpark for the day. Typically, you have to actually make reservations to stay there and enjoy their waterpark but a while back, I came across a link for a great deal. Tickets for the day were $5 a person M-Th! So for $25, I was able to get tickets for the entire family.

Where is your Mother?

You know when you're out in public and your child is acting like a total lunatic? Or when their precious little mouths open and they say something terribly offensive to or about someone else?

And this is where you wish you could say " Oh Honey, where is your mother?" and look around like they don't belong to you. Admit it.

Well, it's been a while since my kids have totally embarrassed me. They have their moments now and then but they've out grown it for the most part, at least out in public. At home, they stil act like lunatics...YAY! 
With G's birthday coming up and her starting to talk, I was just thinking...I am not looking forward to that stage with her. Just say'n.

No Sew Fleece Throw

I have always wanted to make a no sew fleece throw, but have never really had the opportunity. Today, while we were in Joann Fabrics (again!), I went to just look and see if they by any chance had any owl themed fleece. I found exactly what I was looking for and Paul was just thrilled that I was starting another project! LOL

DIY: Owl Birthday Invitation

After much debate,  I finally decided to go with an Owl theme for Genevieve's 1st birthday party. I am pretty sure that Paul is just about fed up with my "owl" talk but there are just so many cute ideas out there. I came across this invite and decided I would attempt to make my own.

We went to Michael's and picked up our supplies:

• Card stock
• Glue Stick
• Glue Gun
• Eyes
• Stickers (bow)
• Envelopes

Paul had drawn the template for me and I began by printing it out on the card stock. The worst part was actually cutting out the all the pieces.

• Outer owl
• Inner owl
• Greeting
• Details
• Nose (not pictured) 

Close up of the greeting:

Close up of the details (obviously, I missed my true calling as a poet):

I glued all the pieces together with a glue stick and I used a hot glue gun to attach the eyes. It probably took about 3 hours from start to finish and cost about $25, compared to spending $45 + shipping.

I opted not to make wings for my owl. I didn't want to cover up the flower pattern and couldn't have them sticking out since they were going into an envelope. Ash created her own owl with the scrap paper and she added wings (and a tree):

Toe Fetish?

While feeding Jenna today, she decided that she would rather put her toes in her mouth instead of the food. I was fine with that. One bite of food, one bite of toe. One bite of food, one bite of toe. This lovely pattern continued until she was done eating.

I wiped her off and set her down to play. I sat down on the couch, put my feet on the coffee table and then started to e-mail Mom. All of a sudden, I feel cold little hands touching and pulling on my foot. I laughed and went back to writing the e-mail, and then "Ouch", Jenna just flat out bit my toe!!!! AND she was laughing about it!

What kind of toe monster have I created?