T-shirt Ruffle Skirt-The Rainbow Version

Back in February I showed you my tutorial to make a ruffle skirt from recycled t-shirts.  At that time I said that I would be sharing a rainbow version in the future.  Well after what feels like a million other things going on in my life, I finally to it done and am super excited to share the idea with all of you.

Presenting Miss Sunshine with her rainbow ruffle skirt.

 I made this following the same basic tutorial that I used for the black one only this time I made it bigger and longer.  It was a bit trickier sewing the ruffles to a larger skirt because it was already gathered from sewing on the waste band first.  The thing though that I love about these is that they are full of flaws but you can't tell.  

I am not sharing a full tutorial here for this because it is made pretty much like the black ruffle skirt.  I will just share a few details:

 Each rainbow ruffle is made from a t-shirt.  I used 3 inch wide strips and cut through both layers of the t-shirt like this: (I start by cut at one end and then fold it over and use it as a guide for the rest of the cut)

 I cut 2 layers from each shirt this way and then cut one seam in each making them into long strips.  I sewed the 2 long strips together to form one REALLY long strip and then gathered one edge of that.  I pinned the ruffle to the skirt and sewed along my basting stitches.

Every layer after that was sewn the same way and pinned and sewn underneath the above layer.

I made 2 of these and the first one I sewed the waste band on first and the second I sewed the waste band on second.  I am not sure which method I liked more as they each presented a few of their own challenges (sewing if first made the skirt gathered and a bit tricky to pin onto and sewing it last made it hard for me to line up the waste band perfectly with the top ruffle.  This skirt I am showing is the one I sewed the waste band onto last) but in the end the skirt turned out so cute and bright and cheerful and my girls LOVE them. 

Works For Us Wednesday: The 52 Week Money Challenge

I have previously shared with you the envelope budget that I have been using and LOVE and the $5.00 savings plan with I also LOVE-both of which are so simple and so easy to use and they both are saving me money.  Today I want to share another simple money saving idea that we are starting in our house: the 52 week money challenge.  I just read about this and knew that this was something that we could totally do in our house.  Here is the breakdown:

So for 1 year you put away money once a week in increasing increments or decreasing (I read of some people that are starting with the large amount and working down-which is what I am doing) and at the end of the year you will have nearly $1,400.00 saved up.  The thing I love about it is that the most you will have to come up with is $52.00 in one lump sum.  My husband and I discussed it and both decided to start it now (yep in May) because school is just about out and if we start it now by the same time next year (when school is just about out and we are planning for the summer) we will have a nice little vacation budget saved up that we can use or save for one more year and double.  I love savings ideas like this; anyone can do this.  So I decided to share it now because many of you are also nearing the end of a school year and getting ready for summer and who doesn't need a little vacation fund, or renovation fund or adult only getaway fund.  I printed out the breakdown and taped it right next to our computer where we do our budgeting.  We are doing it online by transferring money from our checking account to our savings account each time rather than putting cash in a jar because we don't always have cash on hand. This couldn't get any easier.  I mean you aren't going to be able to retire on it-though if you did it year after year you could have a nice savings fund tucked away.  Man I love when I find stuff like this-just had to share.

Your Photo Studio - Giving You the Chance to Take Professional Looking Pictures

I love taking pictures of my kids.  With more than 13,000 digital files on my computer one might say I am a bit addicted.  But when you have cute kids what are you to do?  Well I have read many articles about making your pictures look more "professional" from camera settings, to lighting options, to making your own back drops.  There are so many things to try-sometimes it is a bit overwhelming. I have more than once thought, "Man if only I could go to ____________ and take my pictures there, I know I could take really cute pictures," or "If only I had the right lighting these would turn out so much better," or "Man I wish I had a cute backdrop to use-something that looks nicer than a sheet."  Well it just so happened that someone must have read my mind because not too long ago I got a message in my inbox about what I feel is the answer to all my photo shooting dilemmas it's called "Your Photo Studio".  What it is is a mini professional photo studio set up with backdrops, lighting and props all available for you to use.  The only thing you need to bring along is someone cute to take pictures of and your camera.  You can book in both 1/2 hour and 1 hour sessions.  You only pay to use the space.  Everything there is free for you to use.  You can use as many backdrops as you want and as many of their props.  You can bring your own props from home as well-pretty much anything (except food and pets).  The photo studio is located in Midvale, Ut at the Quilted Bear.  You can find out all about it on their website: Your Photo Studio.  The website shows you all of the options you will find in the studio, gives you photo ideas, gives a great tutorial on how to use the photo studio and lets you book a session online.  It is so super easy.  

I took my kiddos up this past weekend to test it out.  Now I have to say that even though this is a professional photo studio setting this does not mean that your kids will be magically transformed into perfect angels to have their pictures taken.  You will still want to plan the normal things one might plan for any photo shoot: make sure your kids are not tired, well fed, have plenty to drink and take plenty of bribes along.  I know this because I didn't do any of the above.  We don't live nearby so we traveled and spent the night with relatives and then traveled some more and by the time we got there everyone was hot, tired and hungry.  My little man has just learned to crawl so he did not want to cooperate, my little pumpkin had fallen the morning before and bruised her eye and had frazzled hair and my little Miss Small Fry thought her shirt was too itchy.  So the fact that I ended up with cute pictures at all was a miracle.  I loved all the backdrop options.  I wish I had the time to try every one of them.  And the props are really cool-great looking chairs, suitcases and tables.  Everything was really easy to use.  We had a 1 hour session and I managed to get pictures of all of my kids individually and a few group shots but like I said my little man was not having it.  I would love to add that I remained totally calm, cooled and collected through it all but that would be a big, fat, lie.  If I did it again (which I would love to) I think I would do individual 1/2 hour sessions for each kid and then use the end time for group shots (like book 3 sessions in a row).  I did feel a bit stressed with the time limit and that was a bit nerve racking.  After we left I was sure I didn't get a single good shot but when we got home and I got to look at all the pictures and do touch ups and things I was really, really happy with the way they turned out (even with frazzled hair).  Here are a few of my favorites:

This is 1 of 4 shots that I got of my little man before he wanted to take off.  I brought the wagon and props inside it from home.

My beautiful girls.  This aged wood backdrop is one of my favorites.  

This is the one of the only group shots that worked because my baby was so wiggly and cranky.  It is actually very true to how life is at our house-crazy.

This is the "my cheeks are hurting from smiling so much" look

I brought the purse and shoes from home too.  They have this beautiful big white back drop.  I love how these turned out.

Look how blue her eyes are.  

This is one of the suitcases they have in studio.  Wouldn't it look cute with a baby laying inside on a big fluffy blanket (and they do have lots of fluffy blankets there).

This is another one of their fun back drops.  I love blue and it sure helps to bring out my kids beautiful eyes.  

Doesn't this make you wish that you had a photo studio just like this near by.  I just absolutely love this idea. It gives anyone the chance to have great looking pictures without the cost of hiring a professional photographer.  I mean, you still have to know what you are doing (which I don't really know much about) but if you have a good camera and some fun ideas you can really end up with some super cute pictures.  Oh and did I mention that you can have anyone take the pictures so even if you don't feel confident as the photographer and you know someone who is-then take them along.  So many possibilities.  If you live anywhere nearby you have got to check this out.  It is probably a good thing I don't live so nearby because I might be tempted to take A LOT of pictures there.

Check out Your Photo Studio and start planning your session.

Smilebox Baby Announcements Promotion

Aren't babies pretty much the funnest thing to take pictures of?  I wish I had known what I know now about taking baby pictures when my girls were both babies.  As I look back at pictures I can see how I was slowly learning more things with each kid about how to take better baby photos.  I wish I had taken more of my little man when he was teeny tiny like this one:

When I had my girls I was "Miss Do It Yourself" and didn't want to spend the money on professional baby announcements.  But every time I get one in the mail I want to kick myself because I didn't do it.  

With so many women I know due to have babies practically any minute I wanted to share a great offer going on right now from one of my favorite companies Smilebox.  For those of you that don't know about Smilebox it is the perfect digital scrapbooking fit for anyone that doesn't have time to make a paper and photo scrapbook and also doesn't know how to navigate the digital scrapbooking world either.  It is the perfect fit for anyone who thinks, "I am just not creative" because everything is done for you.  It is the perfect fit for anyone who wants cute scrapbooks, photo cards, calenders, family newsletters, slide shows and much much more but doesn't have the time or money to put it all together themselves.  Smilebox has done it all for you.  They have tons of templates, tons of categories, music, cards, slide shows etc and all you have to do it plug in your pictures and add in captions.  It is really that easy.  I have made scrapbooks, DVD's, Christmas newsletters and collage prints on Smilebox.  You have the option to print at home or send it off to print.  If you want to do cute stuff with your pictures but you don't know where to begin then you need to check it out.  I am sure you will find something (or a whole lot of somethings) that you will love.  

Now back to the subject of this post: babies.  Right now Smilebox has a great promotion going on.

Right now you can get 30% off professionally printed 5x7 birth announcements  and free shipping for Club Smilebox Members (sign up for a free trial today).  Use the promo code: BABY30. Birth announcements are flat, printed single sided and come packaged with white envelopes.  The offer ends May 28th so if you have been toying with the idea of getting professional birth announcements done then this is for you.  Makes me almost want to go back and make some for each of my kids just to have them.  And if you aren't having a baby any time soon this would make a great gift idea for a mom to be.  

"You are Berry Sweet"- A Super Easy Teacher Appreciation Idea

 'Tis the season for teacher appreciation ideas and so I thought I would share my quick and easy idea.  This is one that would  be perfect for those, "Oh garbage....I forgot to get a gift for the teacher" moments or it is also perfect as a gift for someone that doesn't eat lots of sugar or may have other diet restrictions.  I made this for Small Fry's ballet teacher who is my good friend.  I know she is trying to be "healthy" and I am pretty much a diet sabatoger but I decided that instead of giving her something that would be hard for her to resist I would try and support her healthy eating habits and get strawberries.  Add a bit of gingham and some lace and this free printable tag and you are set-perfect for someone that you feel is "berry sweet".

And as a bonus idea (this is just the idea-someone out there could definitely make this much cuter) "Do you Donut?....We think you are the best _________."  I made this for Small Fry for after her dance recital.  It was a last minute thing but I wanted a surprise for her to come home to.  Like I said, you could totally make this so much cuter.  This could be used for so many things-notes for kids, for grandparent or for fathers day or for a teacher.

There you go-2 super quick and easy appreciation ideas-especially if you need something at the last minute.

Make Monday: French Bread Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

I was feeling a little nostalgic the other day thinking back to my picky childhood days.  I was thinking about it because I now have a fairly picky child and I remember being a picky kid and hating it-mostly people always bugging me about what I did and didn't eat.  I hated having someone give me a lecture every time I went to their house or ate out and I hate having to now defend my child's choices.  She is picky in what she eats people...she is not a bad person.  END OF STORY!!!  I don't think I ever tried to make a big deal of it as a kid and when I went someplace and they served something I didn't like to eat, I just didn't eat it and I ate stuff I liked and went on with life.  And one of the things that I did not eat as a kid was pizza, in fact, I ate my first piece of pizza when I was 21, but my best friends growing up LOVED pizza.  Every time I went to their house for a birthday party they had pizza-pizza buns to be exact.  They took regular bread rolls, put pizza sauce on them and then pizza toppings and baked them in the oven.  I do remember they smelled good but I was never brave enough to try one-if only I had known what I was missing.  Well I am not scarred for not having ate pizza as a kid and I feel like I am pretty normal and now I go through spurts where I feel like I could eat pizza everyday.  Well this day was no exception-I was craving pizza-chicken, bacon, ranch pizza to be exact.  I wanted to be able to have everything I love about this pizza without the time of making a crust from scratch so I channeled my best friends mom and her house as a kid and remembered the pizza buns and created my own spin on that and came up with: french bread chicken, bacon, ranch pizza.

This is the perfect way to get everything you love about pizza but in half the time.  Here is what you will need:

French bread (I used half a loaf which was enough for 3 people though we all could have eaten more)

1/4 cup ranch dressing (may need less for half a loaf)

cooked chicken ( I grill mine and add a little seasoning) I use 2 chicken breasts

3/4 cup mozzarella 

3/4 cup cheddar cheese

2-3 slices bacon (chopped, friend and drained)

1 tomato (chopped)

2-3 green onion (chopped)

olive oil

Begin by slicing the bread in half and brushing each side with olive oil.

Place the bread on a cookie sheet and put it in the oven under the broiler until slightly toasted.  This step helps to keep the bread from getting super soggy with the addition of all the other ingredients.

Now spread each piece of bread with the ranch dressing.  Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.  Add the chicken, bacon, tomatoes, and onions.  Sprinkle the top with the cheddar cheese.  Place in an oven preheated to 450 degrees and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the top is toasted to your liking.  What you end up with is a crispy, light crust with all the pizza taste you could ask for.  The flavor was incredible and it was so quick and easy.  In fact I have been tempted to make this for dinner 4 or 7 days this week but resisted because it isn't that low calorie for sure.  Next time you are in the mood for pizza without all the pizza work give this a try: French Bread pizza.   I think you are going to love it.

Easy and Adorable Personalized Dino Hoodies

If you have the cutest twin nephews in the world like I do then it isn't hard to want to make them really cute stuff.  These two are totally boys loving everything that has to do with farms, trucks, animals, sounds, jumping on things and wrestling.  Dinosaur hoodies were of course a perfect fit for them.  These are really easy to make with I guess the exception of sewing on the letters.  That part is a bit more tedious but not difficult.  Of course if you don't want to tackle a project like this I would be happy to make one for you.  I'll leave the details at the end of the post.

For this you will need:

1 zip up hoodie

1 old t-shirt (for the letters)

felt (for the dino spikes)-I used the rectangular crafting felt pieces

Thread that coordinates with the dino spikes (which I also used on the letters for extra effect)

Begin by making the spikes.  There are a few tutorials out there on how to make these.  This method is the really easy method but I have seen and tried others that I like too.  Cut a strip of felt 3 1/2 to 4 inches wide and then entire length of the piece of felt (I am using one of those rectangular pieces of craft felt).  What ever you want the finished size of the spike to be is how wide you will want the felt piece cut.  If you are making a coat for a littler boy you will want smaller squares and bigger squares for a bigger boy.  To save even more time cut a second strip of felt the same size and place one on top of the other.

To make squares fold the end of the strip up to meet the side to form a triangle (like so) and cut across the top.   

When you unfold the felt you will have neat little squares.  Now to get the triangle spikes cut these in half-corner to corner making 2 triangles. 

 Now before sewing anything I line all of my spilkes up approximately where I want them on the hoodie to see how much I will need to space them and if I have enough to cover the whole hoodie (keep them in layers of 2-you need two triangles stacked on top of each other for each spike).  Depending on the size you choose for spikes you may need more or less to cover the entire back and hood.  You also may need to cut them down in size slightly if you just can't make them fit.  My hoodies were size 4T and I needed 6 spikes.  

 Once you have figured out how many you will need sew the triangles together leaving the long side open.

 Now pin all the spikes back onto the hoodie.  It is pretty tricky getting the spikes on the hood to lay how you want them-so give them an extra pin or two.

 Now sew up the back of the jacket along the bottom of each spike-I just sew in a continuous line from the bottom to the top.  The spikes will lay down (but they will anyway when a kid wears the jacket and sits any place in it).  You can iron them to make them stand up for show but keep in mind that you will never be able to get them to stand up all the time (and man would that be uncomfortable anyway).

 Now for the name.  I took a few of the letters in their first name and added them to "saurous".  I just used my Word program and picked a font that would be big and chunky, and typed the name.  The full name is going to be pretty long so don't make the letters too huge but you also want them big enough so they will be easy to sew.  Print the name out and trace is backwards (I use my window to help me with this) onto Wonder Under (by Pellon).

 Now iron the letters onto a piece of material cut from an old t-shirt.  T-shirt material is my favorite to use for applique projects.  First it is super cheap when you can use your old shirts or buy them at a thrift store and second they don't fray at all.  After you have ironed then cut out each letter.

Before you iron anything onto the jacket play around with the spacing because with a long name you may have to offset the letters to make them fit.  You will have to sew over the pockets to make it work also. When you like the layout iron the letters in place.

 Now stitch over them with the same color that you used on the spikes.  I like the contrast it gives.  

 Here is a tip for appliqueing little pieces like letters-do not trim your threads in between each letter.  I sew one, then when my needle is up, I raise the presser foot, reposition my fabric and then put the presser foot back down and start sewing again.  I trim all the threads at the end.  This saves you time and it saves thread.

See it really was pretty darn easy don't you think.  I love how the yellow looks on the blue.

 And the name turned out PERFECT!!!!!

And my models look pretty darn cool in their dinosaur coats.

 You can see that the spikes don't stay up perfect forever but they still look really cute so don't let that stress you out.  What little boy wouldn't love to be their own dinosaur   And actually a little girl would look darling in a pink and green dinosaur coat.  

Now if you LOVE the dino hoodies but don't want to make one yourself then let me do the sewing for you.  The cost is $15.00 for a personalized dino coat (size 6 and under) plus shipping.  You can give me some color specifications and I will do my best to meet those.  If you are interested send me a message at smallfryandco@gmail.com

How to help when someone grieves

I know this isn't a craft or recipe related post but it is related to my life and since this is a blog about my life I thought I would share in hopes of helping at least one other person know how to help someone during the grieving process.

First I just want to say that these ideas are not universal and that this is not the Bible on the subject.  I am writing this list because before I actually went through the death of my father I really had no idea how to really help someone else.  I thought I did, but after having gone through this myself I realized that there are so many different ways to help someone that can really make a big difference beyond casseroles (which there is nothing wrong with casseroles).  I wanted to share some things that we experienced that were really helpful and also some things that I wished would have happened that would have really helped and hopefully the ideas will one day really help someone else.

1. The grieving process may begin long before someone passes away, and may not end for a long time after a funeral has taken place.  In our case, my family really has been grieving for 2 years now.  My dad's cancer was always considered terminal but he was blessed to have it go into remission multiple times in the last 2 years.  It was wonderful news every time but our family sure was on a roller coaster of sad news, happy news, sad news, happy news and in the end it was just sad news on almost a daily basis.  I am starting with this because any of the ideas that I share in this post can be done at any time.  They do not have to be limited to when a death actually occurs.  I had a dear friend bring my family meals a few different times over the last months-even after I got home from being at my parents house and having a funeral.  It is always nice to know that someone is thinking of you.  If you think, "But I don't really have a reason to go or take or stop by or drop off" do it anyway.  Chances are, most of the time you may not know why you feel a need to do something but the person or family you are doing it for most certainly does-it is because they need it.

2. Use your words.  Do you ever hear parents tell their children that?  Words are powerful.  Use them-share your feelings, share your thoughts or memories about the person who has passed away, use them to encourage and show love.  But be careful that the words you speak are genuine and meaningful.  Don't say that you "know how someone feels" if you don't really know.  Don't minimize what someone might be feeling.   If you don't know what to say then say that, "I don't really know what is best for me to say so I just want to tell you how very sorry I am."  It is better to say something than nothing at all.  One thing that I really loved was people who called our house to ask how we were, to say how much they loved my dad and to see if we needed help.  I also loved everyone who gave us a card with a personal message in it about our family or my dad or a memory they had.  Those kind of things just warmed our hearts.  One of my best friends called a few days after the funeral and it just made me cry because her voice was just like a hug-and I knew she would be giving me one if she was there right then.  Also one other note about words: some people may not feel like talking and that is okay too.  It might just be an overwhelming time and a phone conversation is not feasible at the time.  Leave a message or send a text or type an e-mail.  Friends told me that they didn't want to bother me, but I wanted to be bothered.  I wanted to read their messages and hear their voices.  I just wasn't able to get back to them each time but I needed to know I wasn't alone.  Express your sympathy and concern and don't expect anything back.  Your words will still be meaningful.  

3. Go if you can.  You might think, "Oh they are too busy and it won't matter if I am there or not," or, "I don't want to be in the way or be a bother," or, "I don't know what I would say or do," but let me assure you that in most cases none of those are true.  Yes for a family member involved in a funeral service, it is a super busy day but never too busy to receive a hug from a dear friend.  We were so blessed at my dad's funeral to see friends that we hadn't seen in years and it was like a ray of sunshine on what might feel like a really cloudy day.  I have to say that I am a bit jealous of my brother and sister in law who had friends drive about 8 hours to be with my brother and his wife at my dad's funeral.  They didn't even know my dad but they knew my brother and his wife and came just to be there as support, to cry and to hug and to visit.  That is what you need at a time like this so if you can go and be there to give a hug and shed tears with a friend do it.  It will mean so much.
4. Take something.  When a death occurs many people think of sending food.  This can be a great help.  Who wants to think about what to make for dinner when you are in the midst of funeral plans and family coming and going and trying to make decisions when your head feels like it is spinning.  Here are a few tips I want to share about taking food:
-If you can, use disposable containers so that the family doesn't have to worry about getting anything back to you.
-While it is very popular to take a dinner meal you might want to consider other meals like breakfast or lunch.  I think breakfast is a great idea because it is hard enough to wake up in the morning and face another day knowing a family member has passed away, let alone think of making breakfast.  Muffins, doughnuts, a breakfast casserole, breakfast sandwiches, fruit and yogurt or breakfast burritos are all great ideas.
-If you think a family might have more food then they can handle then maybe consider a gift card to a restaurant to get something at a later date.  Remember that the grieving may go on for a while and there may be an especially difficult day down the road when this could be really helpful.
-Remember that there may be others taking food to a family and while any food is usually welcome, too much food may be overwhelming.  I know that we think, "oh well, they will have leftovers if I make a huge amount," but if they are getting a new meal everyday there may just be too many leftovers to take care of.  So take food, but take a reasonable amount.
Now if you don't want to take food, or don't know what food to take here is another GREAT idea of what to take: PAPER PLATES, BOWLS, CUPS, PLASTIC CUTLERY.  My mom and I decided this will be our "go to" idea for funerals (and I would include having a baby too, or during an illness).  Dishes are just overwhelming and who cares about them when there are so many more important things to worry about.  A huge bag of paper plates is a lifesaver during stressful times.
5. Offer service.  While it is really easy to say, "let me know if you need something," the truth is that those words really are of no help at all.  Why not say, "can I come do your laundry?" or "can I come rake your leaves?", "can I vacuum for you?"  They might say no, or they might say yes but it is better to come with an idea rather than waiting for the family to give you a suggestion.  Think about all the things that you do in a home on a daily basis.  Now add a death on top of all of that.  We were so busy the week following my dad's death that when my brothers friend arrived to be with out family I took one look around our house and said, "Oh crap...it looks like we are a sloppy bunch of hoarders around here." Stuff was piled up everywhere, dishes were piled up, the table hadn't been cleared off  and the floor hadn't been swept in days.  We just hadn't had time.  Our sewer backed up two days after my father died and my mom came down with a stomach flu.  There were plenty of things that could be done.  Another great service: taking the kids for a bit. Oh how dearly we love our children but it is very difficult to mourn when you have children to tend to as well.  They aren't as aware of what is going on and life just continues as normal for them.  They don't understand the stress of a household and it is such a relief to have someone watch them for a bit.  We had friends offer to take our kids during the viewing and also during the funeral service and I am forever grateful. The kids in our family were too young to go to either thing and it was nice to just have those few hours to be in the moment and really "feel".  It wasn't until the day of the funeral that everything finally hit me because I had a moment to breath and soak everything in.  Child care is such a necessary service that can be offered.
6. Consider a donation.  Many families have specifics about where or how they want you to donate money so do a bit of investigating first.  If you are not near by or don't have a clue how else to help then maybe you will want to consider making a donation.  We received many donations from family and friends and while it is hard to sometimes accept money from other people, it was actually very much appreciated.  There are so many extra expenses that come with a funeral and having family coming and going and when all the dust settles it might be just what the family needs: a little bit of extra cash on hand.  This might not be welcomed by all so be careful but it is a very generous gesture.  We used some of the extra money we received to help each of my siblings and I with travel expenses we each had with getting to our home in Canada.
7. Shed tears.  If you have the gift of weeping then don't hold back.  Some people are not comfortable with crying but some can't hold the tears back.  I share this because I just want to say that it is such a great comfort to be able to cry with someone you love.  The day my mom took my brother to the airport I found myself home alone with my kids.  Everyone else was gone.  I called one of my best friends and said, "my husband is gone, my brothers are gone and my dad is gone and I don't know what to do."  I cried and she did too and said, "I am just so sorry."  I didn't need anything more than that at that moment.
8.  Check back in.  You may do some or all of the above things and then move on into your normal routine but just remember while it might be easy for your to move on, the wound of death may take a very long time to heal for a family member.  It is very comforting to have support and communication during the actual event but when all of that tapers off or even ends shortly after a funeral it may be very lonely for the family.  So if you can, check back in.  Call a few weeks later and a few months later.  The family may have to be back to normal life too but I guarantee that there won't be a day that goes by that they don't think about the recent event.  You may even want to wait and spread out your service over time.  The paper plates may run out after two weeks but the desire to do dishes may also not have returned yet so maybe wait and take paper plates 2 or 3 weeks later.  Or just drop off a meal out of the blue with a message, "I was thinking of you and wondered if you might not want to cook tonight."  Offer service down the road.  In our case with the death of the father/husband of the family we also lost our mechanic, our plumber, our electrician, our garbage man, and our gas service attendant.  When my brothers left and my husband had left and it was just my mom and me and my kids I was so nervous that something might go wrong and I wouldn't know how to fix it.  Keep that in mind, "What roles did the person who passed away play in that family and what might they now need help with."  A phone call, a visit, a hug and a cry might be needed weeks later when everyone else seems to have moved on.
 I hope this list has been helpful to someone.  If you haven't gone through this then it is really hard to know what to do.  I hope I have been able to share what I learned from going through this myself and what I will do when someone that I know and love has to go through the hardship known as death.  Do you have any suggestions that you would like to add?

Double Trouble: A Dinosaur Sneak Peek

Hello everyone!! I guess I am officially back.  It has been a bit harder for me to get back to normal life-part of me feels like if I just go right back to all my normal stuff, normal daily activities then I am trying to forget the fact that I just lost my dad...and I don't want to forget.  I am totally fine most days and then all of a sudden it will just hit me, "my father passed away" and I catch my breath in my throat and just freeze for a minute.  But part of me also thinks that I need to get back to normal life because there is nothing to be accomplished by sitting around and feeling sorry for myself or my family.  So what I am trying to do is just ease back into the norm, welcome the moments that make me think of my dad and even the ones that bring tears and I am trying to move ahead nut at a bit of a slower pace-one which will hopefully help me enjoy each day a bit more. So as I am trying to get back into things I just wanted to share a sneak peek of an upcoming project: Dino Hoodies (modeled by the two cutest 3 year old boys I know).  Stay tuned for a tutorial or info for ordering your own from Small Fry & Co.  

A blogging Pause-Yet Again

Almost 2 years ago today everything in my blogging world was going great: I was gaining new followers, I was getting great comments, I was being asked to guest post and do feature projects, I had tons of ideas and had posts written up to 2 or more weeks in advance.  Then the news came that my dad had cancer-serious cancer and the prospects weren't good.  So I dropped everything and went home to be with him in Canada for a month or more.  Time went on, he went into remission and life slowly started to get kinda normal.  I however could not get caught up on blog stuff-though I tried hard to.  Fast forward a year and the exact same thing happened-the cancer was back with a vengeance   The outlook was not good and I dropped everything and went home again for over a month to be with him.  And once again he went into remission and life seemed to get normal except this time I was pregnant with my son and I had a hard time bouncing back in the blogging world.  Try as I may, I just couldn't keep up though I could not (even though I tried) give up blogging.  Since then I feel like I have been on the outside of a big building watching through the windows as bloggers that were where I was a few years ago are big now, with what seems like tons of opportunities and followers, comments, sponsors, even books.  I feel like I just can't break the blogging barrier and get on the inside.  It has been discouraging to say the least as I try to come up with fresh, creative, inspiring content and yet my page views seem low and comments are at an all time low.  And yet it is something I love to do and want to succeed at, and it fills my creative bucket and gives me a reason to create and so I don't want to quit even though I feel like I can't bounce back.  Well once again I have been hit with the hard news that my dad's cancer is back.  Only this time there is nothing more that can be done.  It is aggressive, and it is taking it's toll.  He is worse now than ever and time is not on our side it seems.  So once again I am dropping everything and heading home to stay indefinitely to be with him and let my kids be with him for whatever kind of days we have left.  So once again this blog will be on hold.  My parents just don't have technology in their home that is updated enough to manage blogging.  I was going to load a bunch of pictures so I could just write when I got home but my plan to leave in 2 weeks has been altered to leaving today as my dad took a turn for what seems to be the worst.  So I don't even have time for that right now.  Plus I am going home for family-not to blog.  So I am asking you to bear with me-yet again.  Maybe I will post something and maybe not.  I have lots of cute ideas to share but the timing is just not right.  Thanks to everyone who reads, those few who comment and everyone who "pins" stuff (pinning is my biggest traffic source).  I so greatly appreciate the support. I will be in touch.  I will probably add updates on my Facebook page.  I'll be back to blogging.....in a little while.