Nerds

I've been working on shirts for Krissy and Bubba to wear at the Garden Grill meal we're having at Disney.  It is a character meal with Chip and Dale, and Pluto along with Mickey.  Krissy loves the Nerd Vinylmation that she has, so I decided to do tee shirts with the Nerds on them.  Chip is Krissy's favorite chipmunk.  He has the black nose (chocolate chip) and only one tooth.  This is her shirt.

Bubby is a Pluto fan.  The first time we ate there, he was so excited to see Pluto.  Pluto hugged him and kissed him, and Bubby was in his glory.  So, I decided to do him Pluto Nerd.

I love doing applique with characters, and I think they will be pleased.

It's a Happy Monday

I know that sounds like it's not possible, but it is.  First off, the Steelers won last night.  Rod and I went to bed before the game was over and the Steelers were losing.  But this morning, I read that they won.  Good news, not that preseason matters.

Second, last evening before dinner, Mary said we could all tell the kids that they are going to Disney with us in September.  I had made them the coupon books that I posted about, and Pam handed them to the kids.  Mary was busy filming with her IPhone.  When Krissy opened the first page, it was a title page that told them that this was a coupon book for their vacationing pleasure.  When she flipped the page and saw the coupon that said they were going to Disney, she began to sob.  It wasn't the reaction we expected. 

 Then she saw the coupon that said they were staying at the new Art of Animation resort, and the sobbing was mixed with disbelief.  She read Bubba's pages to him, and he was screaming, "What, no way.  I don't believe it."  I gave them their bags of pins to trade, and Krissy looked through hers and found 5 Whole Pins to Trade!!  The rest she wants to keep.  It was a good evening, and after the initial shock wore off, Krissy was making lots of plans for what she wants to do in each park.

Yesterday I went for groceries (and lots of other stuff).  I bought Izzy and Jake each a giant coloring book ($1.00 each).  Since school supplies are on sale, I picked up a pack of washable markers and a pack of crayons.  When I gave them to the kids this morning, you would have thought I was giving them the moon.  They are sitting on the floor, watching Bubble Guppies and coloring in their new books.  Evidently, Jake thought it was a good idea to give himself a facial tattoo, and THAT'S why I bought washable markers


Today's Crock Pot meal is Crock Pot Cube Steak and Gravy.  It is one of the easiest and tastiest meals that I make in the crock pot.   And this morning, Monday makes me smile.

Friday Already?

I can't believe that it's Friday already. For me, this week has flown by.  Kristin's new schedule took effect this week, and surprisingly, I adjusted pretty well.  Early in the week, I developed a head cold, and haven't felt up to snuff this week.  Pam and Mary helped out with lunch this week, and I really appreciated it.  I did manage to do some extra cleaning in the living room this week, (that means I threw some old toys away - sshh, the kids haven't noticed).  I also got my patterns for the towel swap traced.  Now I just have to choose my fabrics and get them started.  We have canceled our weekend trip - it's just not fun if you're under the weather.  Today, I re-designed my Chubby Bee Blog.  I have to go for groceries this weekend, so after I finish this post, I will sit down with the sale ads and plan my menus for next week.  Hopefully, the weekend will include some sewing.

Just Another Manic Monday. . .

I am beginning to believe that Saturday and Sunday do NOT have 24 hours like the other days of the week.  The weekend just seems to go so fast.  We had to go for blood work on Saturday, then to Walmart to pick up the fried chicken for Bubby's party. Mary had planned a beach party, but when the temperatures didn't get above 70, that wasn't quite possible.  Everyone had a good time anyway, and we got back home about 7:30 that evening.  On Sunday, I was able to finish all the blocks for Jake's quilt.  Sunday dinner was leftovers, chicken and fruit salad from the party and Pam made some stuffed baked potatoes.  She had used two of the bags of potatoes that our neighbors brought down on Friday, and we were able to put some in the freezer for another day.

Yesterday was a sad day, to be sure.  We took the playpen down.  It's the first time that there has been no playpen in my living room since November 2011 when Jake was born.  But two weeks ago, I was in the kitchen getting my breakfast.  I had put Jake in the playpen and put the gate up across the living room doorway. All of a sudden, a little voice said, "Hi Grammy, what doin?"  I asked him how he got into the kitchen, and he replied, "Jakey get out!"  He had climbed out of the playpen and pushed the gate out enough to crawl under it.  I knew that that my life would change.  Knowing that he is the last of the grand kids makes me sad, and taking the playpen down just added to my sadness.  But watching the kids grow up is all part of the fun, and he is such a sweetie.

We have 45 days until our Disney trip, which will carry over into October.  I have the month of October in the Towel Swap that I joined, and want to get the towels out before our trip.  So, today I am cutting the towels and deciding what to applique onto them.  Rod and I have reserved a room for Friday night, and will spend Saturday in Berlin, OH and the surrounding area.  We will be making a stop at the Amish Flea Market, and see what else we can get into .  Have a good day.

Friday Wrap Up

It's been a very busy week here at "The Hive".  In my blog post of June 27, I posted photos of a sampling of coupons I had designed for my grandkids for the upcoming September Disney trip.  Krissy and Bubby have no idea that they are going, and we've all been trying to decide how and when to tell them.  After designing the coupons, I saved them as jpg. files, uploaded them to Costco's website and had them printed as 4x6 photos.  I ordered some of these photo albums from GetSmart Products.  The coupons look so nice in the albums, and Mary thinks these will be a nice keepsake for the kids.  There are coupons announcing the trip and where they will be staying; coupons for meals, treats, special shows, rides, and souvenirs.

I have also been making cards  for our dining confirmations, which restaurants are counter service in each park, items that snack credits can be used for in each park, and what everyone wants to do in each park.  It's not exactly a touring plan, just a guideline. This is an example of one of the cards minus our confirmation numbers.  Those cards are all finished and ready for printing.  I ordered extra photo albums so that our cards can be put in albums.  I just put them on a key ring last year; and when they got wet, it was an awful inky mess.    

I found this pattern for a hipster bag, and loved it.  I ordered the pattern and plan on making some for Christmas gifts.  I ordered the hardware and zippers, and am ready to choose fabrics for the bags.  I'm hoping to use some of the fabrics in my stash.  Rod printed out the patterns for me, and they are cut and ready to tape together.  And finally, I finished fusing all the blocks for Jake's Bubble Guppies quilt.  I need to finish the outside edges of the appliques, and it's ready to put together.  I found a really cute sea horse fabric which I will use for the sashings.  That's two tops finished, and a third is traced.  So as you can see, this week I've been a very busy bee.

My Disney Designs

In previous posts, I showed the tee shirts that we have made for our Disney trips.  These designs have all come from people who post their designs on the DisBoards.  These designs are free, they cannot be sold due to copyright laws.  I decided that I should try my hand at my own designs for this years.  This was my first attempt at a tee shirt design.  Princess and the Frog is one of my favorite movies, and I loved this line from the movie.  I haven't decided yet whether or not I will put this on a shirt.

There is an embroidery design that I wanted to make for the twins, but it would only have been 4" x 4".  I wanted something larger, so I decided to design my own transfer.  Pat had told me that she really liked the designs with a Mickey head in them.  I found this Mickey head balloon, and decided this would be perfect.  Pam saw it this morning, and really liked it.  Maybe I will design more transfers for our next trip.

"What a Crock" Wednesday

Today's crock pot recipe is apricot glazed pork roast, but with some modifications.  I didn't have apricot preserves, so I substituted peach preserves (sugar-free of course). After reading the reviews, I decided to use only 1/2 half cup of chicken broth.  And I added my onion in chunks, along with chunked potatoes, carrots, and sliced mushrooms.  Before putting the vegetables in, I seasoned my roast with garlic salt and pepper.  By adding the veggies, I have made it a meal in one crock.

For last night's dinner, we took one of the pans of stuffed peppers out of the freezer.  Yesterday morning, I removed the foil from the aluminum foil pan, and set pan and all right down in my slow cooker.  It cooked on low all day, and at dinner time, the peppers were done.  We added a little butter and some salt and pepper and they were just as good as if I had made them fresh.  It was a positive experience, and I will definitely be making more "freezer meals".