Missing my bike.

As I was driving the Dadmobile on this glorious spring morning, I couldn't help but missing her.
I get that same feeling every spring. I started remembering the great times we had together, living life in the fast lane (literally). I still remember the day I made the decision to let her go. I gave her away to one very lucky guy. I can still see him pulling onto the driveway in his pick up truck to take her away from me. We didn't spend much time together anymore and as I was getting older I knew it would be wiser to go our separate ways. Even though she didn't like her, soon to be MommyO at the time said I would regret it but I didn't listen. Though we hit a few bumps on the road, we never had a fall out (thank God!). She wasn't my first one and I sure hope that she wasn't my last one either but as low maintenance as she was, I couldn't afford her right now. Sure I tried to replace her but it wasn't the same. And as I look in my rear view mirror and see Grace's gorgeous face, I wonder how well she would fit in the family. I know John would love her but would it really be safe?

Yeah!!!! He did it!!!!

Finally!
We had been strugling with John's toilet training. Not only did he refuse to poop in the toilet but lately he even started peeing in his pants too. We tried pretty much everything, even bribing him. Since the boys are into Star Wars (to the point that we feel like we live on the Millenium Falcon) we promised him a light saber...Nothing! Still pooped in his underwear. Even Matthew, his oldest brother, tried to persuade him...Nothing!
Since you are all avid followers of DaddyDayCare  you must remember the post I had written on potty training.
We had tried almost everything so today I went against my beliefs and I took out the old potty. He sat on it a few times during the day...Still nothing! So I didn't have high hopes.
This evening while at work I recieved the cutest phone call from little John: "Daddy! Daddy! I did it! I pooped on the potty! Can I have a light saber?"
I guess I'll have to rethink my theory on potty training after all ;)

Washcloth Cupcakes.

Eileen is invited to a baby shower on Sunday, so I thought I would make a gift for her to bring.
It actually gave me the opportunity to make something I wanted to try for a while: washcloth cupcakes.
If you decide to do this project, here is what you'll need:

 

-8 washcloths

-1 cupcake box

-4 cupcake holders

- baby theme stickers

-clear tape

Since we know that they are expecting a girl, I got some Baby Girl theme stickers and some pink and purple cupcake holders.

You will need 2 washcloth per cupcake.

Start by folding the washcloth in half.

Then fold it again lengthwise and position one washcloth over the other like so:

 

Roll the washcloth, making sure it's not too tight, and roll the outer fold down.

 

Secure the cupcake with a piece of clear tape, (you could also use a clear rubber band) and place it in a holder.  

Get some help if you need too. I always have my little helper with me.

 Repeat the process until you have as many cupcakes as you need. I made 4.

Decorate the box with the stickers and you have a very cute Baby Shower gift.

 

From old folder to personalized Nook cover.

Although the Nook I got for Christmas came with a very nice leather cover, I wanted to make a personalized one for it.
I started with an old folder and cut away the inside flaps.

 After that I placed the Nook on one side of the folder 3/4inch from he center and I traced it, leaving 3/4inch of space all around and I did the same thing on the other side then I cut it with a utility knife.

I decided to use some black and white pictures of the children to personalize it. I arranged the photos on the outside of the folder and when I was sure of my design I glued them with Mod Podge.

I allowed plenty of time to dry and I let it sit overnight under a heavy pile of books to flatten it.
I applied two coats of Hard Coat Mod Podge to the pictures, always working on wax paper, and one coat to the inside of the folder.

Once dry I used some decorative duck tape to reinforce the center of the folder. I am not crazy about the Zebra print but it was the only black and white tape I could find at Michael's.

I then trimmed and smoothed the edges to even everything out.

 And here comes the tricky part. 
I debated for a while on what to use to strap the Nook to the folder and I decided to go with some 1/4inch knit elastic glued with E6000.
And here is my finished personalized Nook Cover.

Welcoming Spring with Sir Elton and some snow!

As a Christmas gift to Eileen, I had bought a pair of tickets to see Elton John at the Garden. I am not as much a fan as Eileen is, but I like his music and I know most of his greatest hits. Unless you've been living under a rock for the past 4 decades you have to know most of his hits, and he's known to put on great shows.
So after leaving the kids in good hands, we embarked the Mommobile en route for the Garden.
And it was no disappointment, at almost 64 years old Sir Elton can still rock the house. He even had Leon Russell play a few songs with him. I have to admit that we had no idea who he was (and neither did 95% of the audience) so I googled him this morning and at almost 69 he is sill a fantastic piano player.
Except for his last album, Eileen had a great time singing (and dancing) along, to all her favorite songs and I had a very good time listening to some great music in very good company! 
As the saying goes, every good thing comes to an end and we woke up this morning to a thin blanket of snow and some freezing rain.
Happy Spring everyone!!!

Cute and "Springy" coasters.

Yesterday, Gracie and I took a trip to Michael's to get some Hard Coat Mod Podge. They had a lot of mixed items for 50cents each so we ended up going home with a lot more than what we came for.
Among other things I bought a set of 8 coasters but I didn't like their design so I also got some pastel theme printed cardstock paper.

I traced the coasters on the back of the paper and cut it up.

Using some regular Mod Podge I glued each piece of paper to the front of the coasters and let it dry overnight.
This afternoon, while Grace is taking her nap, Matthew is on a play date and John is watching Caillou, I applied a coat of Hard Coat Mod Podge to the coasters.

 

I had never used this Mod Podge before so I went light on it. I just checked on the coasters and they are already dry, however I will apply another coat later.

 

I can't wait to use them this weekend and share a nice bottle of Chardonnay with MommyO to welcome Spring.

 

St Patty's Day Pins.

I had planned to post a few projects this weekend, but unfortunately we had a lot of rain and our flooded basement (almost 4 feet of water!!) decided otherwise.
So anyway, here is a quick  project good to get you started with Dimensional Magic. By the way This product is amazing, since a got my hands on it, I feel like coating everything in Dimensional Magic.
Here is what you'll need:

• Wooden circles 1inch diameter
• Tie tacks with clutch
• St Patrick's theme stickers
• Mod Podge
• Wax paper, when working with anything sticky I like to put some wax paper on the table 
• Super glue
• And of course Dimensional Magic 

Choose some stickers that are 1 inch in diameter or close to it and stick one on each wooden circle.

Apply one coat of Mod Podge to seal it and allow plenty of time to dry.

Once dry, you can apply the coat of Dimensional Magic. As always start with the edge and work your way inside the circle. And remember that the first dot very often has an air bubble so make it on the wax paper.  

Again allow some time to dry. I usually let it dry overnight on a flat and dust free surface.
When the coat of Dimensional Magic is dry, go ahead and glue the tie tacks to the back of the circles.

 

The super glue that I use is actually a gel, I find it easier to apply and it dries very quickly.

So after a few seconds,voila!! 

I made about 10 of those that we'll proudly wear on our Irish sweaters.