Opryland Hotel

We love it when out of town guests come into town because we can visit the tourist spots that we don't frequent on a regular basis.  My oldest biological brother, Robert, came into town with his girlfriend so we tried to hit a few of Nashville's hot-spots.  We dined at Baja Burrito, Burger Up, and had Uncle Bud's at Murray and Jaime Sanderson's adoption fundraiser.  We stopped in Fisk University's galleries, which house some pretty amazing art (Nashville's best kept art secrets!) and a fancy, old Bible given to Abraham Lincoln by 'Colored People'.  I've never been all that interested in history but talking with Robert, who is an avid history buff, makes it a bit more palatable.  We also played at Centennial Park and spent some time at the Opryland Hotel.  Robert is not a big fan of country music so I didn't drag him to the Grand Ole Opry or to the local honky tonks but I think that the next time he visits, we'll have to hit a few anyway.
We got some great photos at the hotel!

 Alexander loves any sort of adult attention (and he loves showing off).  Robert kept giving Alexander dollars if he could read random words.  I wish someone would do that for me.  I'd read the dictionary out loud if I got a dollar per word!

 Even though this photo is a little blurry, I like that it looks like we're in a tropical paradise!

 Someone's legs got very tired!  They both had fun walking through the hotel like this!

LOVE! this photo!  Alexander just thought it was cool that he was nearly as tall as the horses!  Charlotte and Peter were at home while she napped.  They missed out on some fun and ice cream.

Auction success!

So, I totally forgot to do a post about the other auction item that I made for Murray and Jaime Sanderson's adoption fund silent auction.  I made a cute sundress and matching purse.  The sundress is from a pattern by Tricia Smith of Tricia's Treasures.  I actually learned to sew from Tricia; she teaches classes at the Children's Corner.  If you're ever interested in learning to sew, I highly recommend classes at the Children's Corner.  Every class that I've taken has been great!

I think my contributions to the auction were well received and I'm happy to report that the auction pushed the Sanderson family above their fundraising goals!!

Here's the dress and the purse

Close-up of the bodice

.

Favorite Book Character Day at Glendale

Alexander decided that for Favorite Book Character Day, he would dress up like Andrew Dubble from the book series, Andrew Lost.  Of course he couldn't just choose a cowboy, pirate, or spider since I already had those costumes.  The series is all about Andrew who invents all sorts of wacky things and gets into some precarious and hilarious situations.
I decided to make this costume easy and bought two clearance shirts at Academy Sports (they were less than $2 apiece).  I removed the sleeves off of one of the shirts then cut two pockets off of the other.  I sewed the pockets onto the first shirt and hemmed it.  The finished product is my version of a safari vest which Andrew wears in several of his adventures.  Andrew's best friend, a robot named THUDD, is always in one of the pockets so we made our own version of THUDD using a crayon box covered in foil, pipe cleaners for antennae and arms, and springs for legs.

'Safari vest' complete with THUDD the robot, and accessories!

THUDD

Alexander was pleased with his costume but I forgot to get a photo of him wearing it.  Oops.

To-go Tea party

For those who think I may have stopped blogging, rest assured!  I have about 5 posts in my head that I just need to get typed and posted!  I had the flu and it's taken nearly three weeks to begin feeling like myself.  And, now the kids are sick!  I am praying that they don't have the flu since Peter and I have a date scheduled on Friday and then we're all going to celebrate my brother's 30th birthday.  Matt, I can't believe you're that old!! (I'm pretty sure that he never reads my blog so no need to censor his old age!)
So, on another note, now that I'm well, I'm sewing again!  I can't tell you how many people who have requested that I sew something for them.  Well, your opportunity to purchase one of my creations is here!  No, I'm not starting an Etsy store, although I'm sure that Peter would appreciate me paying for my hobby.  I made an auction item for some dear friends of ours who are in the process of adopting a three-year-old girl from Ethiopia.  Her name is Dinkenesh and we're all so excited to meet her!  Check out the Sanderson's blog to read about their adoption journey!
So, what is this auction item that I'm hyping you up about?  It's a to-go tea party!  It's a little drawstring bag that flattens out into a table cloth and it holds round placemats, napkins and a cute plastic tea set!  I've had to put it away in a cabinet because Charlotte kept asking for the tea party, tea party tea party!  I did let her test it out and I think it will be a hit with any little girl who likes pretend play!  Oh, and just so you don't think that I'm the brains behind this fabulous idea, please check out the Prudent Baby blog with complete instructions on how to sew your own tea party!  Here are a few photos:

Charlotte pouring tea for her babies (and bears and pink dragons).

Close up view. (Thanks to my friend, Melody, who let me borrow her awesome sewing machine while mine's in the shop)

This is the bag with the drawstring pulled!
Just sling it over your shoulder!

Stay tuned for a few more pictures of a sundress that I'm also making for the auction!  Don't forget, the only way that you can bid is to attend the dinner.  You can find the dinner information on the Sanderson's blog; you will not go away hungry and your soul will be full as well!

Snow Days!

We are on day three of being home because of snow and ice.  We've ventured out the last two days and the roads seem fine but I hear that there are a few roads that are still pretty slick, probably back roads.  After the first day, Alexander, Irene (my mother-in-law) and I went out to play.  The temperatures weren't too cold and there wasn't any wind blowing.  Here are a few photos that we took after I slaved away we played. I don't remember playing in the snow being this taxing when I was a kid!

Our house, covered in snow.

Alexander thinks it's funny that I took a picture of our mailbox but I  just liked how it looked.  

The boy and our Nashville snowman

Look, I'm making an appearance in a photo!

Our fort to defend the house from enemies!

You won't see any pictures of Charlotte in the snow because she is not at all interested in going outside to play or even touch it.  She's much happier in her footie pajamas, snuggling with a good book or watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
I used to dread snowdays but we've had a pretty good time the last few days.  I am ready to get back to our normal schedule though.  I wonder if Metro will cancel again?
I hope to get a little sewing or crafting done this evening although my laundry pile has grown to an unmanageable pile again.  I'll have to check if we have any underwear left to wear!

Happy New Year!

The end of 2010 and beginning of 2011 had some very exciting happenings for me!

Let me start at the beginning.  My beginning, I mean. I was five weeks old in November of 1977 when my parents adopted me from an agency in Evanston, Illinois called The Cradle.  Mom and Dad talk fondly of getting 'The Call" and rushing to pick me up.  Glad that they didn't think that I was a Halloween prank, seeing as they got the call on Halloween! People always ask me if I remember a moment when my parents told me about being adopted but I don't have a specific memory.  I have always known that I was born to another family but adopted and raised in the Runkle household.  What a truly amazing feeling to know that my parents desperately wanted a child and I was chosen both by them and by God to be in their family. I had a wonderful childhood and was spoiled rotten, getting nearly everything that I wanted, save for a Barbie pool, but that's another story altogether.  I had every advantage and was so grateful that my birth mother had been so unselfish in allowing another family to raise me.
Fast forward to October 29, 2011.  I was sitting in a fantastic little Italian restaurant called Mama Mia's with my Dad enjoying lasagna for lunch when my phone rang.  I was expecting a call from my endocrinologist because I had just had my full-body scan (cancer recheck) the day before and was waiting for the results (in case I forgot to post, I'm still cancer-free!).  So, even though I was in the middle of the restaurant, I answered the call.  It turned out to be Nina from The Cradle.  I don't remember every portion of the conversation but I do remember her asking me if I was somewhere where I could talk.  I probably should have called her back but I didn't.  Her call intrigued me and I wondered what was up.
She began by saying, "We've had a match on the mutual consent registry." (So you don't feel left out, here's a brief description of the registry: Both the state of Illinois and The Cradle have a database where you can submit your name and contact information.  If both the adopted child and the birth parent(s) register, the agency will put the parties in touch).  So, my first thought was that my birth mother was searching for me.  Then, Nina says, "Well, it's actually a very unique and interesting situation."  She was speaking slowly so my first reaction was to think the worst, that someone had died or that someone was in jail.  However, as Nina continued, she revealed to me that my birth mother, who was barely 16 when I was born, and my birth father had gotten married.  And, to make the news all the more interesting, she told me that Debbie and Ed, their names(!), had three sons.  These boys are my biological brothers.  Nina kept asking me if I was ok, if I had anything that I wanted to tell the family, and if it was ok for her to send me a letter that Debbie had written.  I was in a bit of shock so I agreed to let her send me the letter and thanked her for the call.  WOW!  Now that was some information to absorb.
After receiving the letter, I found out more about the family.  The boys had names!  Robert, Jeff, and Thom.  Nice classic names!  Fast forward a little bit and we began corresponding by e-mail.  I got e-mails from Ed and Debbie and I also got e-mails from the boys.  I learned so much about them in the first few weeks, it was overwhelming and exciting.
So, instead of being patient, I decided that we better make a trip to Chicago, where (most) of the Lorenty (that's their last name!) clan call home.  Peter and I made flight arrangements and begged his parents to watch the kids for a few days.  THANK YOU Neil and Irene, we appreciate it so much!!
Can I just stop for a minute and let you know how blessed I feel to have a wonderful father who has been so supportive of me conversing with and meeting my birth family?  I know that his life partner, my mom, isn't here to bounce his feelings off of, something that must be unbearably difficult, and yet, he is positive and encouraging of my new friendship with the Lorenty family.  There truly is a God who listens and helps us through when we can't do it ourselves.
Fast forward, again, to December 29th, 2010.  We're off to Chicago!  I'm nervous and excited!  I hope they like me.  Friends on facebook assure me that the family will love me but I still feel apprehensive.  It turns out, that I had nothing to fear.  The family Lorenty is so welcoming and loving, I felt like a long lost friend.  The boys and I get along very well and continue to talk on the phone and share photos of our children and dinner plates; the whole family appreciates a good meal and they all like to cook!  It's so very interesting to find out what we have in common and what things I may have learned from growing up with Mom and Dad.
I realize that I've typed more in this post than in several posts combined so let me leave you with a few photos from our trip.  You can let me know who looks the most like me; I'd love to hear your opinions!  This won't be the last that you hear about Ed, Debbie, Robert, Jeff, and Thom.  It's the beginning a great friendship!

Ed and Debbie, still together after 30 years of marriage!

Jeff, me, Robert (in the back), and Thom (Hey, Thom, notice that your shirt says, "Moto"!)

At the nature museum; can't wait to take the kids here!

We're all dressed up like bugs.
I want to know why it looks like the boys are all out to get the poor little ladybug!?!

Robert and me on New Year's Eve.
Yes, I know that the picture was taken on a cell phone but I look skinny so I had to include it.

Jeff, Debbie, Thom, me, Robert, Ed at the Lorenty's home in Chicago

Felted Sweater Purse

A friend of mine asked me for some tips on making the felted sweater purse so I thought I'd share my thoughts with y'all.  I'm going to do bullet points because I don't feel like typing in paragraphs.

• You need to get a 100% wool sweater.  If you have one that has even 10 percent acrylic, it's not going to work the way that you want, trust me.  I thought that I found a perfect sweater but it turns out that it had a little acrylic so I couldn't shrink the fibers enough to make it felt.  (I read on one blog that the sweater didn't have to be 100% wool but I think they hadn't actually tried felting it because I washed/dried that 10% acrylic sweater about 5 times and it's just not right.  You can let me know if you have one that does shrink enough to be felted).
• Stick the sweater in a zippered pillowcase with a couple tennis balls (or golf balls if your hubby plays more golf than tennis).  This will catch all of the fluffy stuff that comes off of the sweater so that it doesn't clog up your washing machine. This tip is from my awesome friend, Melody.  Thanks, Mel!
• Choose the hottest setting on your washing machine.  I also chose the longest wash setting.  Not sure if that's necessary but that's how I did it.
• Add a little bit of detergent to your wash cycle and fill the washing machine with just enough water to cover your filled pillowcase.  Top loading washing machines are better for this project because they agitate more.  Doing laundry agitates me.
• When the cycle ends, open the pillowcase, take out the fluffy stuff, and then put the filled pillowcase in the dryer on the hottest setting.  I took my golf balls out because Charlotte was terrified of the thumping sound.  I do have to admit that it did sound like a huge monster jumping in the laundry room.
• I had to run the sweater through two dry cycles before it was dry and then I decided that it needed a couple more washes and dry cycles.  
• My next tip is...get a pattern for a purse.  
• Yes, I know I made mine up.  
• It was frustrating.  And it didn't turn out exactly as I had hoped.  
• The good news is, it's easy to sew through the felt.  I was worried that it would be really tough for my machine to get through but it sewed it with ease.  
• To make mine, I cut a pattern out of cardboard.  I cut the front and back exactly the same and then figured out how big I wanted the flap to be.  I only lined the inside of the bag, not the flap, but in hindsight, I should have done both. 
• I added the handle next.  I lined it with the same fabric as the inside of the purse by sewing them wrong sides together and then turning them.  I finger pressed (squeezed with my fingers) the seams so that it would lay flat when I sewed it onto the inside of each corner of the purse.  I went over the handle seam twice so that it would be extra strong.  
• To sew in the lining, I folded about half an inch of the lining fabric down and ironed it.  Then, I put the lining in the purse, wrong sides together, and sewed around the edge of the purse.  The stitching doesn't show on the outside of the purse because the felt is so tightly woven that the stitches seem to disappear.  
• Then, I pushed and pulled the purse until it had a shape that I was fairly happy with.  I wrapped it up and smiled when my mother-in-law opened it.  
• Wished my mom was here so I could make one of these for her.  She loved purses!

Does that answer all the questions?  Do you have more?  Feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer or find the answers!

Salt Dough Ornaments

This is the most simple of projects but it's a lot of fun for the kids (and adults) who participate.  First, gather the ingredients that you'll need for the project::
3 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
That's it!

Next, you should find a helper to do the work for you as you dictate the directions. Mix flour and salt together.  Add water gradually and knead dough.  If dough is too dry, add water.  If it is too sticky, add flour.

 Roll out dough onto waxed paper about 1/4" to 3/4" thick.  The thicker the dough the longer the drying (cooking time).

  

 Use cookie cutters (or you can free-hand a design if you're artistic like that) to cut the ornament shapes and poke a hole using a wooden skewer or the end of a pencil.  

Transfer your shapes to an ungreased cookie sheet at bake.  I baked mine at 325 degrees for about an hour and a half (someone was in a big hurry to decorate).  The problem with baking at this higher temp is that your shapes rise a little bit and get puffy.  To get a flatter, neater ornament, I'd suggest baking at 200 degrees for two to two and a half hours.  Turn them half-way through the baking process, no matter which temp you use.

Cool on wire racks and decorate with paint.  Since I was decorating with a five year old, we just used a water based paint but if you want the paint to last, you could use acrylic and could even add glitter or seed beads to complete the look.

I forgot to take pictures of the painted ornaments and I just took down my Christmas tree yesterday. They turned out cute and Alexander was pleased to get to help with the whole process.  

More gifts

I think the gift that I was most excited to give was the one that I made for Charlotte.  I got the idea and tutorials from a great blog, Twelve Crafts till Christmas.  It's a baby doll play set with a bassinet and diaper bag filled with diapers, wipes, changing pad, and taggie blanket. Here are links to each of the tutorials: Bassinet Part 1 and Part 2, and diaper bag/accessories It's a hit with Charlotte!  My mother-in-law has stated that Charlotte's favorite part is taking the wipes out (every single one) and wiping her baby.  The directions are really very good and I didn't have any trouble following them.  I only cussed a little bit while putting the bassinet together as it's a little tricky to put the lining in.  Here are a few pictures of the finished products:

The outside of the bassinet.  I love the pom-poms!

Inside of the bassinet with a baby

Outside the diaper bag (ribbon strap because I was getting tired)

Inside the diaper bag

Accessories (diaper, wipes, and taggie)

Changing the stinky baby

All decked out in the owl dress made by Mommy, new puppy slippers, and her new bassinet and diaper bag.  She didn't have enough to carry so she took Lily's diaper bag too! Sorry that she's not smiling but she really is happy!

I also made a reversible dress for Lily using the Children's corner William and Winnie pattern.  My friend, Amanda, did the embroidery for me (thanks, Amanda!).  I had fun making this dress and it went together very easily.  I hope that Lily will enjoy wearing it this year!

I also put together a fun hooded towel for Lily and had hoped to add it as my first tutorial but I had to fudge the hood part to make it look right.  Hope to add pictures of that soon.  I forgot to take pictures so I'm waiting on a quick snap from Michelle.  The elephant turned out really well so I'd say it was a successful project but next time, I want a pattern!

And...I'm back!

My mother-in-law and Dad have complained that I haven't updated my blog in over a month.  So, I thought that I better get to it now that the major holiday push has died down.  I've been sewing and baking and wrapping the last month!

Here are a few of the homemade gifts that I gave this year:

I got the idea to make Homemade Vanilla extract, vanilla sugar, and vanilla pecans from my friend, Carrie, who got the recipes and awesome labels from this website.  I didn't realize until I had already made all of my pecans that the labels are for Almonds.  I tried for about 45 minutes to try to change the labels but got grumpy and made my own.  They're not as cute as the originals but they look like they go along with the other labels fairly well, I suppose.  :)  I highly recommend making some of the vanilla to give as gifts next year!

My poor little boy is always complaining that I never sew anything for him so I challenged myself to make something for him this year.  I went with a safe option first, pajamas.  The pants are fleece and I used a t-shirt that we already owned, just added an "A" appliqué and a few abstract appliqués because the A was crooked to add interest.

I branched out a little bit on the next thing for Alexander but this is something anyone with pretty basic sewing skills could conquer.  I made him a Superman hooded towel.  Both kids love hooded towels, we had two, a  duck and an elephant so I knew that he would be pleased with a more grown-up version.  I got some basic instructions for putting on the hood online here.  To add the "S" on the back, I searched online for the outline of the shape and found lots of options.  I copied one like this into word and sized it as big as I could to make it fit on one printed page.  Then, I traced it onto some yellow felt and sewed it on the towel using black thread.  I went over each line with a tight zigzag stitch, like a small satin stitch, so that the black would be accented and wouldn't fade when I washed the towel.  Alexander loves it and has used it quite a bit since Christmas.

I got a wild hair one day after going to a friend's fair trade purchasing party.  Someone had made purses using felted sweaters and I just knew that I could do the same!  So, I went over to the goodwill outlet store and braved the bins of dirty junk.  I found several sweaters and I brought them home to wash and dry.  And wash and dry.  And wash and dry.  And wash and dry.  Yes, it took several wash/dry cycles to get them to shrink to the size/shape that I wanted.  Then, I just decided on a shape and cut it out.  I added a lining and a cute button closure.  My mother-in-law, Irene, is the proud recipient of this little bag.  I had to make something cute for her since she always comes up with great ideas for me.
The outside of the bag and the inside of the bag.  I'm not sure why it looks so wonky in the first picture because it's not quite that extreme.  I did make up the pattern but I think I can sew a straight line fairly well by now.








I'll post some additional gifts tomorrow!

Another beautiful day!

Charlotte and I couldn't resist spending time outside today!  It was so warm that in the sun, it was almost hot!  I tried to have a mini photo shoot with Charlotte but she kept saying, "Mommy, put camera down!"  Here's one that I managed to snap before we made it over to the swingset where I'm pretty sure that Charlotte could have stayed all afternoon.

I want you all to know that I have and will be working on lots of sewing projects in the next month but I probably won't be able to share many of them with you until the first of the year.  I'm trying to make a lot of gifts and I want them to be surprises!  I did buy nearly six yards of fabric the other day, the same fabric.  A tiny hint...there are no children's clothes, that I can think of, that would take that much fabric.  You can speculate as to what I might be making!

Beautiful Day!

Wow, it was such a nice day today!  I fully intended to post about us putting up Christmas decorations today but I think I'm just going to brag a little bit about the seventy degree temperatures, blue skies, and white puffy clouds!  It was, in my opinion, perfect weather!  I've always said that the fall is my favorite season because I love the jeans and sweatshirt 'uniform' that I can wear.  However, Peter is not a huge fan of sweatshirts.  He doesn't own any and makes fun of me when I slip on my favorite hoodies.  So, in the last couple years, my sweatshirt collection has dwindled.  I still own several that come out when it's freezing in our house but I don't often leave home in one.  Thanks for helping my confidence, honey!  The kids and Peter played in the backyard while I made a quick trip to Joann.  They're having a $1.99 pattern sale (McCall's and Simplicity for those that are interested) so I grabbed a couple that I'm using to make a few Christmas presents.  I can't mention what those might be since I never know who might be reading this blog.  There's little chance that the recipients of the gifts are reading but maybe they'll get a wild hair and read my ramblings!
Here's a picture of the kids playing well together!  Peter said that they were so good and that Charlotte was following Alexander around, trying everything that he did.  It makes me happy when they get along!

Hospital Visit

This afternoon was not spent merrily putting up Christmas decor with Alexander as I had intended.  Instead, we had to go to the pediatrician and then the imaging department at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.  Charlotte was the patient. 

She doesn't look to sure about the x-ray!

 She had several episodes of weakness and pain in her leg that made her cry like a mad-woman and she wouldn't bear weight on her leg.  We visited the pediatrician who felt that it would be important to rule out any major problems with her hips.  He didn't expect anything to show up on the x-rays but didn't want to send her home if there was something going on.  Charlotte did very well for the x-ray.  I went in with her and wore a fancy, sparkley lead dress to keep from being radiated.  I think maybe she was terrified because she stayed very, very still (the most still that I've ever seen my active little girl be).  They took two x-rays and we talked with our doctor again.  The x-rays showed that her hips are perfect!  So, the diagnosis that we have for now is toxic synovitis which is a scary-sounding diagnosis that basically just means that there is an inflammation and swelling of the tissues around the hip joint.  We're treating her with ibuprofen for the inflammation and pain and warm baths as well.  She should feel much better by Monday and we're to report back to the pediatrician to let him know how she is.  I would have rather been at home buried in Christmas decor than at the hospital, worried about my sweet little girl!  I'm glad that she's going to be ok!

Today's our day!

Happy 6th anniversary to the best husband and friend that I could ever imagine!  Here's to many, many more years of growing and loving together!!

Yoohoo!.

See that?  Yes, it's a wagon.  And I've fallen off!  I had such good intentions to post daily in November but I haven't had much to post about the last few days.  So, I promise that I'm going to get back on tomorrow, even if it's just to say, "Hello!"