SUMMERTIME FUN IN THE KITCHEN - BAKING MY FAVOURITE COOKIES

Lesa's Favourite Gourmet  EASY Cookies

preheat oven 375'

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsps vanilla

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups total of dark choc chips & white choc chips & craisens.. any combo you prefer.. i like more white choc.

whip butter, add sugars cream til fluffy (few minutes), add eggs, mix add vanilla

in seperate bowl add flour, baking soda & dash salt..

mix into butter mixture... add chip mixture..

drop by tablespoon full on ungreased cookie sheets

bake 8 -12 min..  enjoy!

gotta have dark chocolate, white chocolate & craisens

My KitchenAid does all the hard work!

yum  !  ready to drop tablespoons on ungreased cookie sheet

BEAUTIFUL!!

Pretty and Yummy!

I AM IN STITCHES SEWING PEE-PEE TEEPEES!!

PEE PEE TEEPEES!

SO MEGAN TELLS ME SHE HAS A SPECIAL REQUEST AND OF COURSE I SAY WHAT DO YOU NEED SWEETIE!  SHE SAYS I WOULD LOVE SOME OF THOSE PEE-PEE TEEPEES, OK, I HAD VAUGELY HEARD OF THEM , SAW THEM WHEN LOOKING AT "BABIESRUS" WEBSITE, THEY HAD PLASTIC LITTLE SHIELDS YOU PLACE ON THE LITTLE GUYS, I THOUGHT " I GUESS ITS BETTER THAN GETTING HOSED, HOWEVER I THOUGHT THAT CAN'T BE COMFORTABLE, SO SHE SAID SHE SAW THEM ONLINE,  SO I GOOGLED "PEE PEE TEEPEE" AND  YAHOO, FREE INSTRUCTIONS, AND WOW THEY ARE CONES MADE OUT OF FABRIC, LITTLE MINI PARTY HATS!!! HA HA... AFTER A GOOD HEARTY LAUGH I PRINTED THE INSTRUCTIONS AND DECIDED TO COMBINE 2 PATTERNS TO ACCOMODATE HOW I FIGURED THEY SHOULD BE MADE (IN MY WORLD!).  SO TODAY I FINALLY HAD SOME TIME BEFORE PICKING JAE UP FROM SCHOOL AND WHILE MY BLUEBERRY COBBLER WAS COOLING TO MAKE A FEW.  WELL A FEW TURNED INTO 5.. THEY WERE SO MUCH FUN TO MAKE AND SUPER EASY AND FAST, I USED CHENILLE AS I THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE VERY ABSORBANT  (I FELT FLEECE WOULD RUN OFF RIGHT ONTO THE LITTLE GUY).  SO HERE THEY ARE... GET A GOOD LAUGH... I WAS IN STITCHES WHILE I WAS SEWING THESE.. THEY ARE SO FUNNY AND CUTE ALL AT THE SAME TIME!

MY PATTERN AND THE 1ST CUT

        PIN RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER

                                START IN CENTER AND STITCH STRAIGHT TO CURVED
                                 EDGE THEN BACK AGAIN LEAVING A OPENING TO PULL
                                 RIGHT SIDE OUT

  CLOSE UP OF OPENING, IT DOES NOT NEED TO BE 

                                    THIS LARGE, I AMENDED THE PATTERN AND MADE
                              IT A LITTLE SMALLER, YOU ONLY NEED TO PULL THROUGH

                               PULL INSIDE THROUGH OPENING REVERSING AND IRON

                                                                    CHENILLE SIDE

                                                   OPENING THAT YOU PIN CLOSED

                                          FOLD IT ON THE CHENILLE SIDE AND PIN
                      STITCH FROM TOP EDGE TO BOTTOM EDGE ABOUT 1/4 FROM EDGE

                                                     REVERSE WITH CHENILLE INSIDE
                                                                  PRESS WITH IRON
                                                 TOPSTITCH LOWER EDGE OF TEEPEE

                                                          INSIDE LOOKS LIKE THIS
                                            I MAY SERGE THIS SEAM THE NEXT BATCH,
                                        (MY SERGER NEEDED THREADING  AND I WAS
                           IN TOO MUCH OF A RUSH TO THREAD IT) SO MAYBE NEXT TIME!

UP CLOSE!

GOT PAINT!!

SO NEXT I WANTED TO DO SOME PAINTING FOR MY LITTLE GUYS
LAMP AND A SIGN WITH HIS NAME ON IT.  SO I FOUND THE
PERFECT "NOAHS ARK" LAMP AND PAINTED THE BASE, THEN I
FOUND THIS CUTE "VINTAGE" SWISS DOT FABRIC AND "VINTAGE
RIC-RAK... BOUGHT ONE OF THE STICKY LAMP SHADES AND
"VIOLA" ITS READY TO GO..  THEN I ORDERED WOOD LETTERS
PAINTED THEM AND BOUGHT THE "ANIMALS" PREPAINTED
AT "JOANNS".. GLUED THEM DOWN AND A CUTE LITTLE SIGN.
LOOKS CUTE ABOVE THE SHELF LEFT OVER FROM JAEDYNS
BABY DAYS..

BY THE WAY, THAT LITTLE BOOK "THE BEE SNEEZED" IS GABRIELS DADDY'S 1ST AUTOGRAPHED BOOK FROM WHEN HE WAS IN KINDERGARTEN..

Back to Gabriel !! Crochet Baby Hammock Photo Prop

I am a bit nutty when i want to make something without a pattern,
I totally loved those sweet little Crochet baby hammock photo props, but
I am tooo cheap to pay 50 bucks for one when I have basic crochet skills!
SOOOOOO  I decided to make one!! lol.. it was loads of fun.... (not really),

2 weeks later this is what it looks like ..


then the next task was waiting til I had the baby and Mommy was not around so i could surprise her with pics,.... that took some time, and in the meantime
my little pastachetti (nickname for Gabriel) was getting bigger by the minute,

long story short i finally had to just get him in there and snap away.. he's a little big, but the shots came out cute as can be..

Funky French Burlap Purse

So i have been sewing for my Gabriel and decided i wanted one
of those awesome Burlap French Themed Purses.. Actually i 
wanted a smaller version that i could throw on, carry only my
necessities and i wanted it long (like messenger length).. sooo
Jae & I found burlap at Joanns bought some to experiment 
with..  No pattern.. i cut out the size i thought would be best,
found a vintage damask that matched and thought it would be
a perfect lining..  then cut a inside pocket..  then i found my
fluer de lis & other stamps and stamped the front.. loved it!
(seal with sealer), then i got my bins out and wanted vintage
trim.. viola!!  vintage tuxedo ruffle! yea!, a vintage rhinestone
button, vintage grosgrain ribbon,new velvet ribbon, rope for the
strap and silver rings to attach the strap to the bag, 
And i have quite a cute little bag!

 messy stitching!! i know i was tooooo lazy to change the bobbin! lol

Gabes Baby Sling

I  found a great pattern online for one of those baby Slings.. 
So i thought it might be helpful for Meg to have one..
I found some fabric i had on hand thinking this would be a sample...
but it turned out so cute we did not want to replace it..  I will take 
better pics but i sewed a pocket in front  made from fabric with
hawiian license plates on it.. too cute.. anyhow Gabriel & Meg both
love it..  On one shopping trip to target i put gabe in it  upright and he
loved looking at all to goodies, then promptly fell asleep!!

Swaddlers for Gabriel

my next obsession became those  infant swaddlers, although his momma did
a great burrito blankie wrap, grammys was loose and he always got un-swaddled, so i googled swaddlers and found a pattern that was not the easiest to follow, however, i never let a pattern conquer this obsessed craftster!  and i did prevail!!


this little "noahs ark baby" fabric is so sweet, lined in soft creamy white fleece, this kept my little angel warm and snuggly.

 this red one  is a summer weight one and a little larger..

Baby Hammock Update -- Gabriel bed

Round 2 for baby hammock 1.. I was going to make another one of these Hammocks for Gabriel as I
was sold on the concept after I saw Wyatt immediately stop fussing and fall straight asleep..  So when
Megan & Jordan announced they were expecting our 1st Grandchild i knew i would be making one
for my Grandbaby..  (with their approval, of course).. anyhow long story short, I called Larissa to get
the info for the instructions and where to by the hardware and she offered the use of the one we had
made for Wyatt.. I thought FAB  rather than making another one, sharing among friends is awesome, so
i asked Meg if that would be alright and she said yes..  so I did add the ablone buttons and my hubby
drilled a hole in the wood piece so that the ties could never slip down.. (don't know why were so
freaky it worked beautifully for Wyatt) anyhow here's the pics of the hammock in my bedroom,

which we shared with Gabriel til momma was feeling better.

The Baby Hammock

this Baby Hammock was not my idea.. I helped make this for my Best Friends Daughter,  She had this crazy idea of a pattern she saw on the internet from Austrailia.  I really thought she was nuts when she asked for my help.  so one day she and hubby and baby came over and we tackeled this strange concept.

3 1/2 yards unbleached muslin  a 3" steel ring, some weird spring contraption, buttons, elastic, tons of stitching, and viola!! a baby hammock..

I was sold the minute "wyatt" started fussing and immediately stopped and fell asleep when we placed him in the finished hammock..

Tyson "wyatts daddy" wanted to learn to sew, so i let him have at it!!

may the force be with you!!

wyatt asleep

Gabriels 1st week at Grammys House

my 1st week home.. Gabriel and Megan are staying with us for a bit. (she has severe anemia) and
needs extra help.. Were SOOOOO glad to help!

On Saturday April 30th Auntie Susan & Uncle Joseph drove over from Alameda to meet me!

 2 of my 3 "J's"  Jordan & Joseph

 throw in the 3rd "J"  Jaedyn, with Gabriel

 I love it when Uncle Joey plays classical music on the guitar, Gabriel stops fussing!