A Split Family

We are a split family.  There I said it.  Let the eye rolls and comdemnation begin. 

I am a Step-Mom and damn good one too!  When I meet other mothers and it comes out that I'm just the Step Mom inevitable their tone changes. Some women get down right rude. Others just stop caring like I dont matter to the situation.  There's always an "Ohh..." to be heard. 

For years I've just smiled and been polite and gone and fumed later. Now I tend to have a less than civil response that sounds something like:  "Yes I'm their Step-mother. I have been since they were toddlers. We have split time, every other week. And yeah their mom and I aren't friends but we do get along because she knows how much I love them and take care of them.  If you and your husband every split you should be so lucky that he remarries a woman like me who would die (or kill!) for your kids and not end up with some woman that we've alllll heard the horror stories about!"

I hear "I'm sorry!  I didn't mean..." and "Oh you're right... I hadn't thought of that..."   Regardless, I get them thinking.

So to the point of this post.... I get asked about our schedule all the time and how the kids are able to keep up with it.  I've tried a lot of different ways over the years and this is the final solution that's working for us.  Its a simple calendar in our kitchen that hides in the pantry on the back of the door.  It is hung on a command hook and the pen sits in the top.  I have re-positionable stickers (blue for one house and red for the other) that we can move around when necessary.  We only write major events (holidays, birthdays, parties, recitals etc) so that its not cluttered.  This seems to work for us.

 

You can see here that October was an off balance month for us and some things has to be moved around. We had a Block Party to go to as well. The kids mark of the days as they pass so they can keep up.

My Sister Got Engaged!!!

My beautiful sister got engaged just before Christmas.  I was and am SO very happy for her.  I have not seen her this happy in a long time.

A few people thought there were rushing into things and were not as happy for her.

That.Made.Me.Mad.

They're both going into their second marriages.  They're in their 40's so they're not stupid naive kids.  He's not an alcoholic, drug addict, gambler, smoker, womanizer, abuser, big spender, or any other kind of asshat.  He treats her well and she's happy.  I've seen people who were together for years and years get married without sounder more stable heads on theirs shoulders.


Since I couldn't go slap the few who were rude, I wanted to instead send my sister a congratulatory and supportive card. Right then.  And since I'm crafty and don't have a Hallmark or Wal-Mart around the corner, I made it.

This one I just kind of went with the flow... no real plan other to make it girlie.

Here's the front of the finished card.  It is made out of cardstock, washi tape, ribbon, baker's twine, and little charm.

This tag was punched out of cardstock and tied on with baker's twine.  The little black birds on a wire are washi tape.  That little heart key charm seemed to fit perfectly.  Again, its just tied on.

 

This ribbon I sewed onto the card by hand. Honestly this was the hardest part just because the paper was thick and I hate thread.  If I knew how to use my sewing machine yet this could have been faster.

 

The trim at the bottom of the card is again, you guessed it, washi tape. Simple.

 

The cream cardstock in the middle I ran through my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the little hearts.

 On the back, more washi. (You're surprised right?)

On the envelope I just ran washi all the way around the bottom.  The blue bars are hiding my return address.

On the front of envelope, I placed more washi above the address.  Now, here at 11:00 when I was exhausted, I could not find my super awesome address stamp that I ordered from Pick Your Plum months ago.  So I had to go with an oval stamp and hand write Collins.

I mailed it out to her the next morning and she received it the very next day.  She said it really made her morning and put a huge smile on her face. I'm very glad that it did. She deserves it! :)

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Wise Men Still Seek Him

Here's another hold over from Christmas crafting...

This one I made several different versions of for family members to put up in their homes.

I have to say, this was the first time I had to place a larger continuous piece of vinyl in a confined area.  Trying this one at 1:00am on a weeknight right before Christmas was probably not my best idea.  I have to tell myself though that it doesn't have to be perfect to be good right? :)

For as simple as this is, everyone loved them. And that's what counts.

Cookies for Santa

Yes, yes I know it is almost April... I didn't post a lot of my Christmas crafts before Christmas because I didn't want the gifts' recipients to see them beforehand.  Then "Life" happened and I haven't posted much since. Oh well.  This is a hobby not a job right? 

This was a really simple but cute little gift that is easy to make with a Silhouette Cameo.  A lot of what I make involves vinyl because it is so EASY to use.  No I'm not paid anything by anyone to say anything. I just love easy projects.

This is a simple plate with the vinyl placed on top. Easy peasy

Let's Play Catch Up

I have barely posted since Christmas for lots of reasons all revolving around family and health.  I think I'm going to take some time and catch up on posting about all the projects that I've been working on.  I'm not the best at making tutorials because I get caught up and forget to stop and take pictures.  If you have a question about how I've done something just ask.

Hot Chocolate Bar

I had several get togethers with family and friends this Christmas. At each one I set up a Hot Chocolate Bar.  It was a big hit with kids and adults.  I tried to keep it simple and used a crock pot to hold the hot chocolate, and various little Christmas dishes and bowls for the add ins.  I set up labels for the things that weren't obvious.  I also lined up all the mugs on a cute Santa tray.

Here's the crock pot with hot chocolate, a ladle, tray of mugs, and some flavored syrups.

 We also had a collection of candy, sprinkles, marshmallow, and chocolate.

 

This was what was left at the end of one party.  Sorry but I kept forgetting to take pictures!

This is a really easy and quick way to have a fun twist at your next cold party. :)



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Vinyl Lettered Travel Cups

One of the first things that I made with my new Silhouette Cameo were cups like this for all the women at work.  I just used alternating pretty colors and places polka dots all over them.  They were a hit. :)

Land of the Living

It has been a whirlwind since Christmas with multiple illnesses and family issues so I've been MIA for almost 3 months. Sorry!  I am working on getting the rest of my crafty Christmas posts up and thinking of some new projects. :)

Wine Glass with Vinyl

I'm sure you've seen these all over the place, I certainly have.  This is  yet another idea for using vinyl to personalize.  This is just a basic wine glass (a tad oversized) with vinyl applied.

 

I hope she likes it! :)

Personalized Water Bottle

This is such an easy little present if you have a Silhouette.  I've never used a Cricut but I guess it would be easy for you too.

These plain water bottles I got for just $1.  The kids love having a gazillion of them so I thought I'd give the boy another one with his name on it.  Did I mention I got it for just $1 because it didn't have a design on it? heh.

And no that's not a spot on the picture, that's bright glitter on my desk..  Sorry for the lame picture but it kept rolling away so I had to prop it on the keyboard. :)




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