WIP Wednesday . . .

So I stopped procrastinating and finished quilting this quilt for my sister, I just need to get the binding hand-stitched to the back.

But before I can do that, I need to finish quilting this beauty. This was made by a cousin and it's her first quilt! She was a little hesitant to quilt it, so I offered. It's a lapsize measuring 60" x 80" (is it just me, or do I make lap quilts really small, because this one seems HUGE!). Having the extra room in my new machine is helping immensely though, and I'm really loving the way it's coming out.

monkeys for my monkey . . .

I made a sock monkey quilt for a friend's babe a couple years ago and have had the leftover scraps sitting around ever since. So I finally cut them all up and made a little rag blanket for Justin with them. Now all my kids have a small rag blanket from me ~ perfect for keeping them warm on the way home when we go out for the evening, and for snuggling on the couch. And I have one less bag of scraps sitting around :)

gathered pouch . . .

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed in the craft room lately and needed a quick project to get inspired again. The gathered clutch tutorial from Noodlehead has been popular in blogland so I gave it a whirl ~ it didn't turn out perfect, but it was so nice to finish a project and I LOVE the gathered front, it's already inspired me for my next little project . . .And some beautiful fabrics showed up in my mailbox, Spring dresses for the girls are on the agenda . . . but not until I finish off a couple big projects that I've been procrastinating on . . .

Cheerios First Foods Giveaway!

And the winner is lucky #13! Congrats Melanie!

Every child is different, especially when it comes to first foods and being picky eaters. You'd think that by the fourth child I wouldn't have to go internet searching first foods all over again, but that's exactly what I did. And with my little guy's food allergies, the wealth of information out there was very much appreciated! Babycenter.ca and Cheerios has a new First Foods section full of tips and recommendations to help out with our new eaters. And I'd like to share a couple tips that worked for me:

• Keep trying! Just because they don't like those veggies today, doesn't mean they won't change their mind next week!
• Alternate between bites of applesauce and the food they don't like. They might be willing to eat both if it means the next bite is something they do like!

So want to hear about the great giveaway they've sponsored? You have a chance to win a Cheerios Prize Pack valued at $50! It includes a Cheerios On-the-go Tot Container, Cheerios playbook, Box of Cheerios, Bowl and utensil set and a $30 Cash Card!

All you have to do is check out the new Cheerios Food Section and comment on something you saw there ~ is there something you liked or didn't like about it? Did you find a helpful tip? Will you bookmark their site for future reference? Giveaway will be open to February 14.

Disclosure - I am participating in the Cheerios First Foods program by Mom Central on behalf of General Mills. I received a gift card as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.

my go-to birthday gift . . .

Another birthday invitation came home last week and another little apron was made. When I find kids cookbooks for a good price, I try to stock up and had one left in the house. My daughters and I counted up nine little aprons and six other handmade gifts that were given out this past year, and coming up in May there might be some doubles. So I'm on the lookout for more quick gifts, especially for little girls . . .

quilt contest . . .

Did you know the Quilting Gallery has weekly themed quilt contests with fun prizes? You just need to submit your quilt photo and description to enter. This week's theme was "favorite quilt of 2010" and so I submitted my Mod Circles quilt. If you'd like to check out this week's poll and all the gorgeous submissions, just click on the picture above. And if you'd like to keep up to date on their upcoming weekly themes, just subscribe on their website.

And if you enter a quilt in one of their weekly challenges, let me know!

something exciting . . .

Not too long ago, I received an interesting email from Mom Central offering cash for a blog post. Well that got me interested and I kept reading . . . to apply, I had to submit in 100 words or less an idea for a post that would help make the lives of busy moms and their families better. So I submitted my idea and forgot about it.

Until yesterday. My idea was one of ten that was selected, and I'm getting $250 to publish my idea in a blog post! So I'm spending some time this week writing and re-writing and getting a couple girlfriends to help me out with proofreading. I'm a little nervous to post the article since it gets a little personal, but that was the intention of this to begin with, right? To reveal and share something in the hopes of reaching, and maybe even helping other Moms.

Has anyone else entered something like this before? Have you been paid for a blog post? I've reviewed sewing patterns in exchange for a copy of a pattern before, but hadn't heard of anything like this. And why don't you enter too? The new round of submissions starts on Feb 25 and they run four times a year, so start thinking of ideas! And for their US site, go here.

Splitting this blog into two . . .

This blog started as a way to keep family updated with pics of the kiddos. Over the years it's turned into quite the mix of crafting and other personal interests, in addition to the family stuff. So, I've decided to split this blog into two separate ones.

This blog will remain for crafting and other interests. And if you'd like to keep up to date with our little family, you can find the new blog here:
http://ourbusylittlebunchathome.blogspot.com