A secret project

I'm working on a special project. It may take me a while to finish it since we aren't sure if we have the space to complete it. But I'm stupidly excited because IKEA had a $1 hardware bin where you could fill a small ziploc bag up with as much as you want for $1.

Only partially full

 I ended up with a ton of things to use on my project that would have run me about $30 otherwise.

A towel bag

It's been in the 80s for the past few days so we've fished the beach towels out of the closet. Garrett is a big lover of all things water so we decided it made sense to keep a spare swim suit and towel in the car for him.  I have this great Paul Frank towel that came in a matching back pack tote made from the same fabric.  The bag had a draw string at the top that helps to keep things contained.  It was perfect for the beach because I could toss my sunscreen, flip flops, water bottle and a book and head out to sit on the beach and read.

 Similar to this, but with Julius on it

I decided I wanted to make my own towel messenger bag for taking to the beach or pool this summer.

I started by picking out a fun towel that was fun but not a dark color (so it wouldn't make everything in the bag hot).  Make sure your towel is large enough for what you want to make.  If you just want to make a small bag you could always use and old bath towel. I used a large beach towel and was able to make 2 bags.

I love the bright colors

I cut out my pieces. One bag I use the already sewn edge for my cord.  On the other I cut by the fold so I didn't have to seam the bottom.  I also cut 2 strips to use for handles.

A rotary cutter makes this much faster

For the bag with the hem already done on top you just need to sew the 3 sides together. Lay the pieces wrong side together, pin and sew.
If you used the fold of the bag for the bottom sew up both sides and then turn down the top and hem.  Make sure the hem is wide enough to accommodate the draw string you'll be adding.

hem all the way around

 Chose a cord.  I have a bunch to choose from because I saw them from old pants, shirts and pajamas.

Just a few of my choices

Thread through the bag.  I used a safety pin to help guide everything through. Tie the ends in a knot.

Just pull the cord to tighten everything up

All that's left to do it sew the handle.  Lay the piece flat with the right side up, fold the strip in half width wise (keeping right side to right side) and sew up the long edge leaving a little open at the top.  Turn the strip right side out and pin to the bag.  I turned the unfinished edges under and then sewed.

Pin the straps where ever you want them to go.

Now you have a great beach tote.  You can adjust the shape of the bags and length of the strap to make a bag that suits you.

Can you take a picture hun?  "Only if I don't have to get off the couch"

It's been 13 years..

On May 27, 1998 at 4:25pm my father passed away from Acute Myeloid Leukemia 9 months after he was diagnosed. I know, I was there.  I can tell you the death certificate is 5 minutes off because the nurses couldn't get the EKG to stick to his skin it was so dry.  I can tell you that eyes don't close so easily once someone dies, nor does the light instantly go out of them. You can see the pain and the heart break etched in to them. I can even tell you that to this day I feel guilty that I could not utter "I love you" one more time because I was embarrassed (which explains why I say things...good or bad...because I'd rather deal with the consequences than be haunted by not saying what I feel).

I got the call in the afternoon and my Aunt and Uncle (my father's identical twin) drove me to the hospital. When I got there my mother leaned in to him and said "She's here, you can fly away now." Within a few minutes he was gone. I was the last person he saw.

There was a file left on the computer at home (a Macintosh LC2) that my father had written before he went into the hospital for his last round of treatments.  He wasn't a religious man but he said that if there was a god he hoped that he judged not by if a person prayed enough to the "right" god, but rather by the good things they have done in their life. It was at that point I lost a lot of my religion. 

Garrett, my amazing little son.  His name was chosen shortly after my father's death, any man I had married wouldn't have had a choice of names for our first child. Garret is another word for an attic, my father spent a great deal of time in the attic grading his school papers. So much so that the story goes: when I went to my grandmother's house and realized she had an attic I exclaimed "Oh, does grandma have a daddy too?" So Garrett it was.

Some days are easier than others.  There isn't a day when I don't miss him. He touched the lives of so many people during his 30+ years as a biology teacher.  There is even an award named after him "The Gordon R Gilbert Award for excellence in Environmental Sciences".
I wonder how he'd feel about my cloth diapering. I wonder what things he would have done with Garrett. I wonder if he'd like Ben.  I wonder why my father and not his brother (who has no children).  While that may seem horrible I think he wonders sometimes himself.

But most of all I wonder what I would have been like if he was alive.  Would I have Garrett? Would I be as strong as I am now? Would he have been proud of me? That last one kills me...I would give anything to hear my father tell me he's proud of me just one more time.

1932-1998

I miss you dad.  And I can't ever say enough how much I love you.

5 Things I Wish I Had Space to Craft

Something fun for Nice to Tweet you Thursday!


Ever see some great crafts and say "man, I wish I had a place to put something like that"?  I do all the time.  Here are my 5 favorites that I wish I had the space for:

5: Making my own chalkboard paint to make a chalkboard wall.  How cool would this be in a play area?

 4: A nifty rug. I'd love to make my own personalized rug for each room to match the personality of each room.  There just isn't space for it.  But they sure are cute.

3: Painted upholstery furnitire.  It sounds weird but looks really cool.  What a great conversation piece.

 
2: Floor cushions.  I swear I would cover the floor in these.  They would also be perfect for a play area because they are good for sitting, climbing and jumping on.

1: Re-purposed play kitchen.   This is so amazingly awesome and I really want to make one for Garrett.
From this:

  

To this:

A humbling experience

I'm pretty sure I'm not the first person to burst in to tears in the WIC office and I'm positive I won't be the last.  The past 2 months have been hard on us and June holds a new hurdle for us, paying completely out of pocket for our health insurance.  If we use COBRA we'll be paying $1600 a month.  If we go through BCBS we could save $400.  It's still expensive and not easy to do when you have a mortgage and other bills to pay.  Especially in Massachusetts where we are required to have health insurance.

Last week we broke down and applied for SNAP (food stamps).  Today we applied for (and received) WIC and well as sent off our Mass Health applications.  The woman at the WIC office assured me it was ok to be on WIC and need assistance.  I just kept apologizing.  For Ben and I it's very hard to get to this point.  Ben was laid off during my pregnancy and despite having to declare bankruptcy we managed to make sure there was enough money (with some help from the family).  Now it's different, we have Garrett and his needs have to be met.

The reason we do this

And we sit there and look at our little guy, our reason for everything and we know we are doing this for him.  Because it's hard for anyone to be on these programs.  I'm not saying anyone should be ashamed, there is no way in hell I would be ashamed of doing the best for my child.  But again it's hard because we want to give him the best without relying on programs to help us.


Edited to add:  We went to the grocery store to use the prorated checks (our period starts on the 28th of each month because of Garrett's DOB).  We got $26 worth of groceries and only ended up spending 45cents.  It's going to take us some time to get used to our guidelines and weigh all our produce because we have to stick to our allotted amount.   Ben and I both felt a little mortified going through the store and checking our WIC checks to see what was covered.  But the truth is we got a lot of food that will make sure that Garrett has a full tummy and in the end that's the most important thing.

Best teething toy ever

 And it's not really a teething toy.

Garrett is getting his second molars and suddenly wants to chew on everything. It's not so bad when he chews on his toys but a big problem when I pull things like my Zombie Tiki USB drive out of his mouth. 

Do NOT anger the Zombie Tiki!

I also had to tell him that Adipose is for squishing and not for chewing.

"I'm waving at fat"

We were going to give him a freezer pack to chew on when Ben realized we have a bag full of reusable ice cubes shaped like citrus wedges. Garrett took to them right away.  They were the perfect size for him and the cold has really helped his gums.

Reusable ice cubes

And he looks hysterical.

mmm...cold

and the perfect size for his little mouth

20 minute toddler pants

Or in this case shorts.  I've already made Garrett a pair of pants but I wanted to make him some shorts.  I found a great cotton print and didn't really want to line them.  There's a super simple pattern for making pants/shorts that I found.  Even easier if you make them from an old shirt.

Check out those abs

Since I didn't want to use an old shirt I had to hem the bottoms as well as the waist.  They look adorable on him and Ben calls them his "golf shorts".   Now if only it would stop raining here so he can wear them.

Playing with daddy