I Tri and Craft

thoughts from a mother of boys, a marathoner, a triathlete, a crafter, a wife, and a scientist


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A bitter-sweet goodbye

I am a child of summer.

I love the feel of warm sun rays on my face.

I love playing in the water, being on a boat or just sitting outside reading a book.  I love the heat.

Growing up I always said I was born in the wrong region.  This area is not known for it’s nice weather.

I always get depressed when summer ends and the fall, meaning constant rain, begins.  Fall also brings weakened immune systems, the flu, bronchitis, and always being cold.  Have I mentioned how much I hate being cold?

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Well, I will now.  I hate being cold!  It is the worst.  OK, I know, there is really no such thing as cold, only the absence of heat.  Just another reason why I love summer; HEAT!

This year is a little harder cause fall also means my baby boy turned one!  And Ian started school! They are growing up right before my eyes!

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Here is the kicker.  I love the holidays that come with the cold weather months.  And I couldn’t possible spend a Christmas in an area that doesn’t require me to wear a winter coat.  Or where you don’t have to wear a layer of thermal and waterproof gear under your Halloween costume.

I know crazy right?

I haven’t always LOVED Halloween; I have always enjoyed it, but never really loved it.  Well I do now!

Not just the costumes but all the decorations and fun things.  It is another holiday where creative juices don’t just flow, they burst the dam with tsunami sized waves.

This is even more apparent now that we all have Pinterest.  I can’t believe all the great decorating and costume ideas I have found on there.

Both last year and this year I have let Ian pick out his costumes.  We do this while it is still summer, because if it has to be made, my mom doesn’t want to make it at the last-minute.  I am absolutely amazed how after he makes a decision about his costume he sticks with it.  For months!  Let me remind you that he is three.  It doesn’t matter how many times we look at costumes, once he made up his mind, it is set.

Since Sid is a year old and can’t make these kinds of choices on his own, I picked his costume.  And of course it is in theme with Ian’s.  They are going to be so cute!

Even as I am writing this I am looking forward to all the wonderful things we will be doing this fall and winter.   And I am getting happy and excited.  It doesn’t hurt that today the sun is shining through my window, even if I am freezing.

With not as much sadness as I would have thought, I am saying goodbye to summer and hello to fall.  Even if it means I have to deal with constant rain, wetness and cold.  Even if it means putting away the bikes, pools and lawn chairs and bring out our winter clothes and rain boots.

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Happy Fall y’all
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MistleToes Plates

Happy New Year everyone!!!

This Pinterest Tuesday is a craft project we made for some Christmas gifts.
I pinned this on to my Hand & Foot Print Art board many months ago with Grandparent gifts in mind.

MistletoesSource: igameals.com via Dawn Marie on Pinterest

The pin provides a link to the original source but I couldn’t find it on that website until I Googled it.  You can read her post here, she says she paid to have it painted.

My plates don’t have that nice distinct edge, so I didn’t attempt to paint a border.

I went to The Craft Warehouse (our new one) and they had a ceramic paint section where I found paint that said it was dishwasher safe if baked.  Now the paint isn’t FDA approved, but it is not supposed to chip off when cured.  I bought my plates at my local Fred Meyer store.

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After washing the plates with alcohol, as the paint directions state, the fun part begins…

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The plates are slippery so the wet feet had a tendency to slip.  So I would just wipe off the plate with a wet paper towel and try again, as long as the paint hadn’t dried.

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For Baby Sid’s feet I had to pull out the Bumbo

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We also made a couple of mugs with little hand prints, they did not turn out as well as I had hoped.  With the slickness of the dishes the hands got really blurry, but Ian loved making them.  (I did Baby Sid’s while he was sleeping)Mistletoes06

The curing process takes place in the oven.  You can let the pain air dry, but to make it dishwasher safe you must cure it.  Please read the directions on the paint first, and follow what it says.

Place dishes in a cold oven and then turn it on to the temperature the paint states.  Cook for about 30 min then shut the oven off, open the door and let dishes cool.Mistletoes07

We made a total of six plates and two mugs

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Ian decided he needed to help so I got to keep the sixth plate….

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I learned that the heel of the foot should not be at the top of the plate in order to have them hanging.   I also would have like a plate with a distinct border like the one in the pin, and maybe use a serving platter instead of a dinner plate.

I tried to write ‘mistletoes’ with a stencil because my handwriting is so bad, but that turned out worse and was way more work.

I would also like to try paint pens next time for the details.

I can’t wait to make more hand and foot print art, I just love them!

Happy Pinning

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Last Menu Plan Monday of the Year and Our Christmas Card

Happy New Years Eve!

Here are the Christmas cards I made this year, although they have not actually been sent out yet…

Something is wrong with my printer, and I have not been able to even try to figure it out.  I have really bad hand writing so I don’t want to address my envelopes, I can’t tell you how many times I have gone over to my moms to print out the envelopes or mailing labels and never got around to it.

This week I am making it my mission to send them out!

Merry Christmas

made with kits from Just So Scrappy

 

Menu Plan Dec. 31-Jan. 6

Mon: Crispy Chicken with Creamy Italian Sauce

Tue: Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes

Wed: Buffalo Chicken Soup

Thr: Country-Style Pork Loin with Parmesan Rice

Fri: Baked Ziti with Italian Sausage and Easy Parmesan Knots

Sat: Leftovers

Sun: Crispy Cheddar Chicken with Beer Mac & Cheese

 

Happy New Year of Cooking!

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Need more ideas?  Visit I’m an Organizing Junkie

 


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Merry Christmas!

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Here is Ian playing with his loot the day after Christmas.
I have been MIA from blogging because it has just been, and still is, too busy.
I have some more Christmas traditions to write about and how much fun we had with Ian this year. Plus I will be putting up our Christmas card. I will also have a new menu plan on Monday, not much eating at home this week.
Happy Holidays!

Another blogger nominated me for an award so I will tell you about that too! Lots to write about!