Headband Tower Tutorial

So, I am admittedly one of the worst people about birthdays. I have all our extended family birthdays written on the calendar, but for some reason I'm absolutely awful about sending cards and certainly not gifts. Have you ever read the book "The Five Love Languages"? Well, my numero uno language is Words of Affirmation. My least? Gifts. Hmm... not the best excuse, but might explain a few things.

Even though I can't remember the last time I sent Matt's mom a birthday card (yikes, sorry Laurie!), I did decide that I really wanted to make the effort to hand make a gift for my nieces' & nephews' birthdays each year. Since we don't do gift exchanges with them for Christmas, their birthday is the one time a year we can let them know how special they are to us, even though they all live far away.

And, being a crafty type, it gives me a great excuse to try all those ideas I find on Pinterest. Last year I sewed them all munchkin-sized bean bag chairs. This year, I'm gonna do something unique for each one.

Jaylene turns 4 today... Happy Birthday Jaylene! I decided a headband tower to store her lovely hair things would be the perfect gift.

Here's a step-by-step on how to make one for your own special chick-a-dee:

1. Materials:


2. Be sure you buy the BIG oatmeal container (5"dia), not the small one. Headbands will fall right off the smaller one. Open (and save) the lid. Dump all the oats into a bowl, but don't throw them away. You'll need them later.


3. Measure your container. Mine was 9.5" x 16". Yours will probably be similar.


4. Add 1.5" to the circumference of your can & 1" to the height. Cut your decorative fabric to this dimension.

5. Add 1" to the circumference and subtract 0.5" from the height. Cut your white fabric to that dimension.

6. Trace the bottom of your pillar candle holder on the felt. Cut out a circle slightly smaller than what you traced.


7. I found my wood disc and candle holder at Michaels. They fit perfectly together. Hot glue the disc to the top of the holder. Take outside and set on scrap cardboard to spray paint. 
( If you want to avoid the spray painting all together, find a pillar candle holder that is already a color you like. I would have used this gorgeous glass one I saw at IKEA, except I'm making it for a 4-year-old and had to consider the breakage factor. Also, the wood disc isn't a necessity - I used it to re-enforce the somewhat flimsy bottom of the oatmeal container, but you could fore go it and glue any candle holder directly to the bottom. )

8. Use your permanent spray adhesive (I highly recommend Super 77 from Home Depot), to coat one side of your white fabric. BE CAREFUL and do this outside. This stuff is wicked sticky - please avoid getting it anywhere you don't want it to be. ie: hands, driveway, patio, etc. I literally laid my fabric out in the street to spray it so that the overspray just went on the asphalt. Pick up the fabric gently, making sure it doesn't accidentally stick to itself. Lay the white fabric out on your workspace, align your oatmeal container, and slowly roll the container over it until it's covered. Don't worry about making it perfect, as this layer is simply to help cover the oatmeal label. Come to think of it, you could probably just spraypaint/paint the container white to avoid this step all-together. Or just peel off the label, if it comes off easily! Dang, why didn't I think of that earlier!!!


9. Use an iron and a small strip of fusible bonding web (aka: stich-witchery) to "hem" one short edge of your decorative fabric. Make it about a 3/4" hem.


10. Apply spray adhesive to the wrong side of your decorative fabric. Align the top edge along the open top of the container (just below the plastic lid rim) and roll on as before, ending with the "hemmed" edge. Make sure you smooth out any air bubbles as you go along. Secure the seam with hot glue.


11. Tuck the bottom 1" of fabric into the container bottom. It should stick there from the spray adhesive already on it.



12. Oops, I forgot to mention to also spray paint the oatmeal lid. After drying, I coated both with a clear gloss varnish for durability.


13. Hot glue the felt round to the bottom of your base. This will keep it from scratching whatever surface it sits on.


14. Now cover the entire bottom of your oatmeal container with gobs of hot glue. Or, if you're attaching a candle holder by itself, cover the top of the candle holder. Center your oatmeal container on the base and put your hand inside to firmly press all that gluey mess onto your base.

15. Remember how I had you save the oatmeal? Well, you want to re-fill the container about half-way. This helps add weight to the tower, so it won't tip over. But don't fill it all the way up or it may get too top-heavy.



16. Run a bead of hot glue on the inside edge of the lid before putting it back on top. This will keep your headband tower from turning into a hot-oatmeal-mess in the hands of a youngin'.

17. You're done! Technically you could stop right there and be on your merry headband-organizing way. But...















... if you're anything like me, you may wanna add some pizazz.

I used craft supplies and scrapbook paper that I had laying around to spice this baby up.

Make (or buy) a few cutsie headbands and you've got yourself a pretty sweet little gift!

Crazy 4 this boy!

4 months old today and this little cutie continues to capture my heart! I'm completely smitten with his hungry hamster cheeks, his slobbery bubble blowing, and that kung-fu grip on anything that dares get close enough to those chubby hands. He rewards anyone willing to spend a little time in conversation with HUGE toothless smiles and continues to exhibit a very easy-going nature.

However, a new shrill screech that I've nicknamed "the pterodactyl" has found its way into his vocabulary. Momentarily deafening if he catches you right in the ear!

At his check-up today:

- 16. 5 lbs (81st %)
- 25 in (48th %)
- 42 cm head cir. (57th %)

While I try not to compare my kids too much, it's amazing to note that Avery was 17 lbs - AT ONE YEAR OLD! Yup. At just 1/3 the age, Lear weighs only half a pound less! Same parents, same momma-milk, and two very different kids. I'm loving Lear's pudge rolls and excess creases!!!

Going It Alone

It's been a week since Matt took off for training. We miss him terribly and it brings tears to my eyes every time we come home from an outing and upon opening the door Avery yells, "Daddy, we're home!" I must have reminded her a hundred times already that Daddy won't be home for awhile.

We were incredibly spoiled having him around so much these last few months.

My steely, super-momma skills got soft having Matt pitch in with all the child-rearing responsibilities. Not that I'm complaining! Slowly I'm learning to manage a 2-kid family without the help of a husband. There is a very fine balance between it simply being easier to stay home all day and everyone going absolutely bonkers being stuck in the house. One major hurdle is giving myself permission to get maybe only one or two major chores accomplished every 24 hours. Trying to do more only ends with my frustration and the kids feeling bored or neglected.

As long as we've been married, Matt has spent good chunks of time away from home; deployments, extended training trips, and working overseas. Many wives/friends/family outside the military community have commented on how they couldn't imagine living life that way. While occassionally more difficult, there are also little perks to having your husband away for a time...

- No one asks what's for dinner at 4:30p.
And no one cares if you serve Cherrios. Again.
Because you just haven't made it to the store. Again.


-  If I feel inclined to wear my pajamas all day, make showering low on the priority list, not wear a lick of makeup and neglect that long list of errands - no one notices. (So long as I don't leave the house!)


- No nap guilt. When Matt's home, he never gives me a hard time about taking a mid-day snooze, but I put pressure on myself to always be doing something productive when the kids are napping. There's something about having a husband come home in the evening that makes me more accountable for my daytime checklist. When that accountability is lax, I take lots of glorious naps with my little ones.


- The TV is rarely on and, when it is, I'm in charge of the remote.


- We try to eat dinner as a family at the table. One of my stress reliefs is doing crafty projects, but they have a tendency to take over the kitchen table for days on end. The kids don't seem to mind. Avery and I just eat at the counter together instead.

- After the babes are down for the night, I have a couple hours to do as I please. When Matt is home I enjoy spending the evening with him watching an on-demand movie or talking about the day's news, but doing so leaves little to no time for those aforementioned projects (or blog posts!).


- No one eats my restaurant leftovers. You know, the ones you're really stoked to have for lunch the next day. ;)
(Haven't been out to eat yet, so I couldn't photograph any actual doggy-bag)

- By the time Matt sees my new shoes, I can honestly say, "Oh, these? I've had them awhile."


- In his absence, I've commandeered what is typically his computer nook with my sewing machine and fabrics! I love not having to dig them out of the closet, set them up on the kitchen table, and put them away when I'm done. When the sewing itch hits, I'm free to scratch.

- We love coming up with creative ways to show our affection from abroad. It's actually fun putting together care packages of things we know he loves, having Avery do drawings for him to put up in his room, and surprising him with funny photo texts of whatever we happen to be doing that day.


Of course, for every 1 "perk" of him being away, there are 100 reasons why we wish he were here.

Yes, wrangling 2 kids alone is tough and some days I feel like I'm gonna totally lose it. But, I'm glad that is the largest responsibility I face. I am so fortunate to have a husband that I'm proud of, who loves us, AND brings home the bacon. These seasons in our home/away cycle give me a wholesome appreciation for those truly single parents. Even though my partner is physically missing, I don't have to worry about paying the bills in addition to holding down a household.

Life is all about perspective and choosing your attitude in every situation. Today I'm choosing to find joy in these little things. Temporary separations make reunions all the sweeter - although I'll probably always disdain meal planning! ;)

Play Ball!

 

Last night we took Lear to his very first baseball game! Padres vs. Phillies at Petco Park downtown San Diego.

He liked it, or at least the first hour of it that he was awake...



Avery had a great time "writing down the hits," gorging on cotton candy, shakin' her booty to the music, and generally not paying much attention to the actual ball game at all. You know, typical 3-year-old stuff.



Such a lovely night for a game. (photo credit for the pic of me below goes to Avery! ha ha ha)

Nor Cal Fam Time

Last weekend we packed everyone into the car for our first road trip as a family of four. We were definitely due for some time with our Nor Cal family! Plus, many had yet to meet Lear.

Having cruised that route numerous times as a married couple sans kiddos (and not loving it then), I was so nervous about an 8 hour drive with a 3 year and 3 month old. There are so many scenarios where that goes horribly sideways. But, thankfully, we had the smoothest trip I've ever taken up the coast. No traffic to speak of (even in LA!), Lear slept like a champ, and Avery was entirely entertained by her DVDs and snacks.

Matt always drives with his hand like this... mine would totally cramp up in that position after 8 hours! So grateful I'm married to a road warrior who handled the wheel the whole trip.  :)

Daddy's seat sits pretty far back into Avery's leg space, but she improvised.

Ahh yes... the desolate stretch of mid-state I-5. At least my sparkly purple pedicure was fun to look at.

Our first stop was Foster City. Cari took the red-eye from Boston to spend the weekend with us.

And to hang with "her babies." Yes, Cari is actually starting to like kids. Miracles do happen.

Lear thought Great Uncle Tim was a hoot.


"Mom... I know I'm new and meeting family for the first time, but seriously, do I have to do a photo-op with everyone?"
Yes. You do.

Next stop was lunch with the McGahey gals. We weren't able to stay long enough to see Zack (insert sad face here), but very much enjoyed an afternoon of catching up. I am always so blessed by time spent with Rebecca. Moving every 3-5 years as a kid was great in many ways, but never afforded me long-term friendships. Being casual friends in high school and then roommates our first year in college, our active friendship of 13 years is a record! Although Facebook has reconnected me with many "friends" from my past, no one currently in my life (other than family) has known me longer. So amazing to have celebrated all our adult milestones together and that we both make the time and effort to reconnect at least once a year, regardless of distance. Others might take "old" friends for granted, but I know Rebecca is a genuine treasure.

Friday night we drove to Sacramento where Lear met his Aunt Jenn.

And his Grandma Mel and Grandpa Mark.

We spent Saturday at John's Incredible Pizza. Nothing like an all-you-can-eat pizza bar and games!
Avery and Jaylene rocked the b-ball hoop, Daddy at the whack-a-mole, and the girls on the hopper.

At this point I should mention that Kama, Keni, and their 3 boys met us at the Pizza joint, but I realized only after the fact that I neglected to get any photos with them. So now I feel like a turd, but we did enjoy seeing them if only for a short while.

The 3 Amigas (Kayla, Jaylene & Avery). These cousins had an absolute blast playing together.

Sunday we cruised over to Grandma & Grandpa Gaines' house. Laurie put on a huge feast for the whole extended family. We don't get to spend large amounts of time with each family, but we do try and make it quality time.

Grandma Laurie spoiled the kids (as usual) with HUGE Easter baskets full of goodies.

One last pit stop for lunch in Lincoln with the Streits and Aunt Lori before we headed home on Tuesday. The road trip back was a bit less smooth, but all-in-all no complaints. We are fortunate to have so much awesome family and to be able to see them all in a whirlwind weekend trip up north.

Avery's Antics 3.3

"Lear and I are best buds, aren't we Mom?"

"How long do I have to stay in my room for quiet time?"
"One Hour"
"That's too looooong!!!"
"Ok then, you only have to stay up there 60 minutes."
"Yes, that's better."

"Mommy, who's your best friend?"
"Daddy is."
**Pause while she thinks...**
"No, who's your best friend that doesn't live with us?"

Putting Avery to bed...
"Mommy, your breath smells like dead flies."

Me, to Matt, while flipping thru Netflix (very sarcastic) -
"YES! They've got Justin Bieber's documentary!"
Avery: "I don't really like jumpin' beavers."