Hedgy the Hedgehog Ornament

It hit me last week that I will need a Christmas present for Lovely's teacher....this week.  What could I get?  What could I make?  I love crafts, but I have so little time...then I came up with an idea.  A hedgehog!  It's the class pet, so surely her teacher would like it, right?  I thought of a design in my head, created a pattern, and got sewing.  Three hours and three hedgehog-wannabes later, I was no closer to a present good enough for someone who helps guide my daughter every day. 

What to do..what to do...And then I came upon this pattern on the web.  Check it out--it's adorable!  And sew easy!  One stop at the fabric store tonight and two hours later, I have a completed holiday ornament for Lovely's teacher!  Yay! 

This is the back of the hedgehog.

Here's the front.

Voila!  (Sorry, I don't know the symbols to use for this blog to properly write voila)

I did adjust the size of the hedgehog pattern, and I used flowered material for the front and striped material for the back.  I used felt leavish-shapes (hand-cut--I don't have the right die for my Sissix) for the quills, and I scrunched up some felt for the nose.  I used purple buttons for the eyes and pink ribbon for the hanger.  If a hanger is unwanted, you could actually hide it under the felt :) 

I feel so crafty today!  What's your craft story?

Almost There

Whew!  One paper DOWN!  Over 4,000 words, that is!  I don't remember working so hard on a paper--seriously!  I put off looking at my instructor's comments, only to find he hardly made any--and what he mentioned didn't seem very difficult to fix...maybe I'm missing something? 

So, in order to receive my credits for classes this semester, I only have a conference proposal to tweak and another HUGE paper to finish.  As you can see, I'm procrastinating.  It's my thing.  Don't judge. 

On another note, the holiday season has finally arrived and I'm going to have to face it:  Christmas is coming.  I have the presents bought for the girls, the present bought for myself, and the present bought for Hubby.  Only four presents to go, and I'll be home free.  I think I may put up our small Christmas tree, too, and decorate a little around here.  After I clean, that is.

I know--such exciting news.  I'm really just procrastinating.  I already told you:  don't judge. 

Weekend Accomplishments

I really should have pics to go with this post...but I'm too tired.  Here is my list of accomplishments for my time off from school/work:

1.  Christmas present for me-- purchased online and is now in transit.  Click this link to see what I got/am getting.

2.  Christmas present for hubby-- created and purchased and is now in transit.  This one's hush, hush, in case hubby sees this page (ha!)

3.  Christmas present for the girls-- ordered in store from warehouse and should be available for pick-up in 10-14 days.  Click this link to see what Snugglebug & Lovely are getting.  Now, I just pray it goes together easily and fits...

4.  Final paper for Writing Theory class-- started...lol...I know it's due on Monday, but I asked for an extension because I'm having formatting issues, among other things.

5.  Final paper for History of Rhetoric II-- I'm on page 4 of 20, baby!  lol  I'm seriously excited--I researched & wrote 4 pages today and I'm excited about working on it more tomorrow. 

6.  Presentation for History of Rhetoric II-- only needs to be 5 mins long, so I'm doing pretty well.  I figure I already have 3 mins down!  And boy, am I going to "disturb" my peers!  Postmortem portraits--with lots of visuals! 

7.  Laundry--mostly done.

8.  Turkey eating-- 3 days going strong.  Wonder why I'm feeling so bloated :/ 

What did you do with your Thanksgiving weekend? 

Thankful Thanksgiving

A Bountiful Feast 

A Restful Afternoon (no, hubby's not really grumpy, though one might wonder)

Two Sweet Girls Who Still Fight Over Getting To Sit In My Lap

Can you believe how old they both look?  (No, I don't mean me!)

Happy Turkey Day Eve!

Crazy Dayz

Last week was Spirit Week at Lovely's school, so we decided to get in the spirit!  These are pictures of Crazy Day, where the kids were supposed to dress as crazy as they could (within reason, of course!).  I tried, I really tried, to find something crazy for Lovely to wear, but she just ended up more cute than crazy...maybe I should shoot for crazy everyday?

 Even her hair turned out really cute, and it stayed in all day! 

While other grad students are either studying or having fun, I find myself sorting through children's clothes, digging through laundry, reminding Lovely to practice handwriting, and prodding Snugglebug to count.  Tantrums are common.  Snot is constant.  Hugs are all-encompassing.  Kisses are calming.  Stress is at an all-time high and yet, I love my Lovely and my Snugglebug and cherish each moment...

(Ok, not the AHHHHH...she hit me!  She kicked me!  She took my orange pig!  I can't find my other shoe!  I can't get my socks on!  Waaahhhh!  I want candy!  Knock, knock...who's there?  Me?  Me who?  Me big truck....knock, knock...who's there? [repeat 17 times] You just don't love me! Mom, she's licking me again!  Mommy, she broke your doll!  Ahh!  She's naked!) 

So, how crazy are your days?

Lovely, Frizzly Sixth Birthdays

There once was a fair princess named Lovely, though her loveliness was often hidden beneath the blonde frizzies of her hair.  She would frolick and play, all night and throughout the day, counting her fingers and contemplating just what it would take for her busiest of mothers to bake a birthday cake. 

Upon her 6th birthday, she wished for a fluffy white dog, and then proceeded to circle every other toy in the Toys 'R Us catalogue.  However, her wish for the dog was granted despite the dog's frequent bark, and a smile Lovely made, and her blue eyes were filled with a spark.

Yet, another gift, from Grandma, did come.  What could it be?  "Perhaps another dog?" suggested some.  Surely, they must jest!  But no--they were right, and another dog's bark was soon to fill the night!

Thank you for patiently reading through my extremely poor poetry.  I am not a poet--by any means.  I write, but as you can see, I fall very short when it comes to writing even the simplist verse!