Sewing: a Family Affair.

Here it is. My finished nursing cover complete with a big fat button proclaiming my allegiance to the 'Pretty not Practical' regime. I made a cover for a good friend of mine, and loved it, so I made a another for me. (tutorial here)








Above are some pictures of my helpers. Sewing has been a family affair the last two weeks. Jess helps piece a quilt, Bridgey turns my machine off and on after every few stitches (it's not nearly so helpful as cute) and here's Fin and I sewing together due to my desperate attempts to finish my beloved apron.

Cape is to Batman, what apron is to Housewife?

My cheery Cleaning Apron. A statement of beautiful femininity. I have worn it just about everyday since I made it. I've cut the lawn, cleaned the house, conversed with the neighbors and sewn a few projects in it. It's like a superhero's leotard, it makes me feel powerful or at at least cute while I clean. (For those who've asked I tried to pattern this after a picture I saw online of the Emmeline Apron. It was fairly easy to make, straight skirt, gathered top, Wa-La!)

The prayers of a Princess

Goodnight prayers: "And, please bless that I can have a True Love Kiss on my wedding day."

Another prayer a few weeks ago went something like, "Please bless Princess Monson." (It's the thought that counts.)

In the car tonight:
Dad: "What's Fin saying?"
Ky: "She's just saying (high pitched singsong voice) Kyanne's a beautiful princess..."

Puffy Sleeved Princesses take a Magical Hiatus...

Just have to add another amusing conversation. Today the little boy from two houses over reluctantly asked Ky what she wanted to play in a polite attempt to be neighborly. Like any princess in waiting Ky replied:

"I want to play Get Married, it's the only game I like." The poor kid, turned around and headed back the way he'd come.

I hold Disney responsible and possibly my extra hour of sleep in the morning f0r Ky's preoccupation with princesses. At first I thought the princess craze was 'cute'. I naturally assumed the day would come when she'd realized there is more to life than "true love kisses", puff sleeves, and ballroom dancing. But instead, 'craze' is turning into 'crazy'. We discuss and often argue over modesty several exasperating times a day, we argue over wearing princess dresses every waking and non-waking moment, when I ask her to do something (wash her hands, chew slowly) she asks "Does princesses do this?", she even calls her dad Prince Robert, and today I was "the Queen, just the Ugly Queen, though." I've been demoted to Ugly Queen. Enough's, enough! (fabulous motherly one liner).

The time has come for the puffy sleeved princesses to take a magical hiatus. Harsh, I know. I'll miss them. I am a huge supporter of romance, "true love kisses" and big swishy dresses.

But Ky, I want you to know: This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you. -Another Mom one liner, but really a stupid one. It's like telling your boyfriend "we can still be friends" after you break his heart. I think my mom is actually guilty of using this ridiculous mom line prior to spanking my bare bum when I was 8. (For anyone who's wondering, I took a small box out of a random mailbox and opened it. To my pleasant surprise they turned out to be blank checkbooks with really cute panda bears. What else was there to do but, slowly rip each one off and watch as each blank check gaily floated away in the wind.)

"What the CRAP!" -Little Kyanne

Okay the title says it all. Our very own parrot.

Don't worry Aunt Meggie promptly washed her own mouth out with soap, and then Jess and I followed suit.

I guess this only leaves us with one choice when a vocal exclamation is needed: Pseudo swearing. Some of my favs being:

"Oh, snap", "fetchedy fetch", and "Oh, my heck!"

Summer Holidays!!

We have been living true to the our Motto "Larsen's Like to Have Fun"!

This summer has been nothing short of Fun! It's been one long holiday with trips to the mountains, sleepovers at the cabin, Pizza Parties, visits to the grandparents, the Canada Day parade, Jess' 10 yr reunion, Beauty and the Beast Musical, dirt biking, boating, horsebacking, hiking, birthday parties, Ky's ballet class with Mrs. Meg, kiddie crafts, and lots of sewing! It's been 2 months of holidays! Hooray for Summer!

Patiently Painting the Golden Gate Bridge

Tonight I decided to lounge on the couch instead of finish tidying up the house. I picked up Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, a fabulous book worth way more than the .50 cents I paid for it at a garage sale this morning.

(Tangent: Garage Sale-ing /(verb)/: the 2nd most beloved season of the year.

• 20 Bucks -(compliments of my sweetheart)
• Timmy Bits
• the kiddies
• a clean van to load up new treasures
• and my best GS buddy Keshia

No better way to spend a Saturday morning in the Spring).

Okay back to the book. It has a great chapter on comparing tending house to the continuous painting of the Golden Gate Bridge. By the time the painters reach the end it's time to start again at the beginning. I suppose their goal is not project completion but, instead to have a beautiful, well maintained bridge all year long.

Tonight I realized my domestic goals are unrealistic and the root of my frustration and charming outbursts. From time to time (as in just about every night), poor Jess (and Meg on occassion), have to listen to me have some sort of melt down about the messy pantry, untamed grass, or the laundry Blob that haunts me by day and by night.

While the truth is, at this time in our lives, Jess works more than usual I have 3 little darlings to run after, a vivacious quilting addiction to feed, not to mention my demanding Saturday mornings garage sale hopping! There's just not enough time to expect to keep house "just like mother did", so I've decided to be happy with Livable chaos instead. -"And, that's how we roll..."

Here's to more realistic expectations, a guilt free messy house, and becoming happier in my role as Domestic Goddess.

Hardware, doors, windows of the past.. you make my heart go pitter patter.

Hardware, doors, windows of the past.. you make my heart go pitter patter.

Thank you again to Nail and Hammer for their fabulous old windows. And, to the salvage yard in Alderside for these fabulous old doors. I can't decide what to do with the green one yet. I'm thinking maybe a chalk board on top where the window goes, with viynal lettering of the days of the week, and maybe a ribbon board on the bottom middle or a book shelf? Any ideas?

Baby Massage

Keshia and Nick got me an in-home baby massage gift certificate for Christmas. The instructor brings everything you need, oils, fancy mats, baby bathtubs, soothing music and even her own fake baby model that looks freakishly real in a creepy baby sort of way.

During the lower abdomen massage, I took Fins diaper off. I guess she couldn't resist the opportunity to mark her territory on the pretty yoga mat, because that exactly what she did.


Keshia and little Nixon came for the class too. I was surprised how much the two babies loved the fetal position bath afterwards. They looked so darling with their rolls all squished up like that.

The massage techniques are quite simple and she gave us our own instruction manuals, so I feel like it would be easy to teach it if anyone's interested.

"Well Belle didn't have a Mommy to teach her about Modesty."

I am so lucky! Just look at these handsome boys! I'm always trying to sneak in a few pictures on Sunday, the one day of the week that the children look less like orphans and I find the time to put on clean clothes. This week I'm trying to break Ky out of her princess craze and make her wear "clothes" rather than "Princess dresses" disguised as ragges and do her hair even if were just staying home. It's been a full year now, of tattern and torn dresses and wild woman hair. It's time.

Below is Kyanne emerging from the corner for about the 4th time that day for dressing immodest. We've explained the principals of modesty (as best we can to a 4 year old) and she just counters with, "But Sleeping Beauty wears her dress like this, and so does Belle, and Giselle". I've told her that "they didn't have Mommies to teach them about modesty" but she continues to "sneak" around the house with her dresses off the shoulders anyhow.

A delirious stupor...

I don't know why I continue to stay up when I'm so tired it takes conscious thought to keep my eyelids open. The stubborn child that hated sleep as much as brussel sprouts never matured along with the rest of me. I can't even sleep in on the weekends, afraid I'll miss the fun I suppose.

When really there are few things that makes me as 'fat and happy' as my fuzzy pink blanket and my pillow, who is more of a dear friend than a pillow. That pillow has seen me through sleeps, weeps, and happy occasions alike. She's like "Tree" in Shel Silverstien's "The Giving Tree". I'll have to give a loving eulogy when I finally send her off to her final resting place.

I suppose it wouldn't be so hard to go to sleep if this wasn't the only time of day (10pm) that I didn't have an adorable needy little creature attached to me or calling my name: "Mama...mama" or (if I ignore long enough) "Stephhhhanie!" And, so I sit here in a delirious stupor, because I know once I put my dizzy head down I'll be out for the count and morning will come sooner than I'd like. But, alas off to bed I go!

Unplug your Kids

As I was looking for fun things to do at home with the kids, I came across this fun blog: Unplug Your Kids
It such a fun idea to give us mom's some motivation to get crafty with the kiddos this summer. She posts an Unplugged Project idea each Monday and asks everyone to post pics of their versions of the project they did with their kids on their blog, and link it to the Unplugged blog. Here's the link: Unplug Your Kids

This weeks unplugged idea is "Old".

I Spy with my little eye. . . (Fun Finds #1)

Homeade Chunky crayons. Bake your old broken crayons in muffin tins. 275 degrees for 7-8 min. Let them cool in the freezer and pop them out.






I Spy Quilts: How fantastic. Entertainment and snuggles all in one! Just click on the pics below to enlarge. They're amazing! (This for you Liz, although you've probably already made one for each of your kids, and sisters kids. ;)

Ice Treasure Hunting

You can put those misc. toys to use, along with loose change to go buy a treat after with the hidden treasure that was found.

Freeze ice blocks in layers to freeze hidden treasures through out.

This one has 3 layers.

Use a variety of treasure-excavating tools: salt, spray bottles with water (colored water too), droppers + warm water, and toothbrushes. The mom who did this said her girls easily worked away at it for 45 minutes, till every last treasure was collected.

You can also freeze individual treasures in ice cubes for quicker treasure-hunting adventures.

"Mom! He's trying to Kill me!!"

Now imagine that in a voice high enough to shatter nearby glass and you'll know just how panicked Ky was today when Bridgey tried to attack her with his. . . Teeth!

Dun...dun....dun! A Bitter.
This weekend I was officially initiated into the "Mommy of a Bitter Club". -Exclusive to desperate and shamed mothers of Nibbling Savages.

My sad apologies to little Porter Trim's now decrepit arm, and Kyanne and Olivia Larsen's missing fingers.

Any Advice???

Here's lookin' at you kid...

I had Tanya Woodruff's 2 little guys over to play for the day, and I realized as I tended all 5 kids, that it's really not much harder than having 3. It makes me think the random Walmart stranger I spoke with a few weeks ago was right when he said, "I have 6 kids and it never gets worse than 3." Seems about right. It took me a couple months to adjust to the changes we've had to make to enjoy our life as a bigger family, but I can say I enjoy life now more than I ever have before. So, here's to #4!! (Well, someday).

Murder at the Mason Mansion...

Dr. Pod-potty, Pod-locky, Podlonsky? The poor chap's dead, and the reading of his will was fabulous. It started out with light appetizers, a formal dinner, and then entertainment and dessert in the study. Detective Sniffer was fantastic at interrogating the other 9 guests deterring suspicions of his own whereabouts.

The entertainment following dinner was nothing short of entertaining. It's hard to pick a favorite amidst Scarlett's cat tricks, Mrs. Podlonsky's rendition of "Mr. Lonely", Gene Simmons gutairr solo, Chaquito and Taquito's Mexican wrestling, the Bollywood actress' (from Bride and Prejudice) palm reading, a scientific explosion and suburban cat roping from an authentic cowboy.

Here's some photos from that smashing night of inquiry and intrigue.

"Larsen's Like to Have Fun!"

One of the things I love best about being a mom, is that I can throw a party any time I want. We have all sorts of parties.

"It's Friday" parties, "Dad's home from work early" parties, Dance parties, "It's been a rotten day" parties, "Sat. morning Do-no (donut)" parties. Really, any reason is a good reason. Just trying to live up to our family moto:

"Larsen's like to have Fun!"

This picture is from one of our recent "It's been a lousy day" Parties. We all cuddled up, ate our weight in buttery popcorn and watched 'Ever After'. Having my own family is like having little friends around all the time. I love it!