StoryWorth - A REALLY Great Gift

I have lots of new posts in the works, but before I complete them, I wanted to let you know about a wonderful gift I received for my birthday. I have had a subscription to StoryWorth on my "wish list" for a while now and was so excited when Jana and Callie (and their families) gave it to me for my birthday!! Granted, I have only been a part for a couple of weeks, but I already LOVE it!

Each week for a year, question prompts are emailed to you. You can respond to the question either by simply hitting reply and typing your story, or calling a number to record your response. The questions can be chosen by the person who gifts the subscription, or StoryWorth will send random questions to you --- questions that you might never have thought to share with your loved ones. Your responses are then emailed to the giver or others that you choose. And the best part . . . at the end of the year, all of your responses are printed and bound into a keepsake book!  Isn't that awesome!!!

Here's a look at my most recent email prompt. You can write as much or as little as you like.

If you are stumped by a question, you can choose a different one, so there really is no pressure to divulge anything you are uncomfortable with. You can edit your responses at any time during the year and even add photos! What a wonderful way to share your story with your children, grandchildren or other loved ones!

I am so excited by this gift that I want to tell everyone about it! It would be such a great gift this time of year, especially for that person who is so hard to buy for. It could even be a great secret project that you work on to complete for someone special! If you are interested in getting this awesome project started, just click on this link for a little savings. I can hardly wait to see what next week's question is about!!

Solar Eclipse Birthday Fun

My son-in-law has a birthday coming up very soon and since I'm pretty sure he doesn't read my blog, I wanted to go ahead and share the birthday package that we are putting together for him. Several months ago, I ordered this book for him just because it looked like fun and something he would enjoy.

I tucked it away and waited for more inspiration to go with it.

Since that time, he and my daughter have decided to go on a short trip to celebrate their anniversary. It is a belated celebration, but perfect timing to put together a fun gift for him since the trip will fall right after his birthday. They are heading a little north to have a better view of the solar eclipse!  How fun is that?!

I picked up a magazine that is all about viewing the eclipse and then added some special glasses to view the sun with. While searching for the right ones, I read all about the need for safety glasses. Looking directly at the sun during an eclipse (or anytime really) can cause real damage at it is definitely not worth permanent eye damage. I looked at so many different ones and these seemed to be the best for the price. They are hard plastic and look more legit than the typical cardboard ones, so I even stitched up a quick drawstring bag to carry them.

(overnight, these seem to have sold out on Amazon, so here is a link to some cardboard alternatives (which come in a 5-pack).

Every viewing party needs a little food, too, doesn't it? I had the great idea to pick up some different flavors of Moon Pies, but, unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any name brand ones locally and the whole point is to have the name on there. So I turned back to Amazon to order these. (I sure love Amazon Prime with their free 2-day shipping!) They come in assorted flavors, and though I thought I was getting an assorted pack, they are actually all Salted Caramel. Oh well. If he doesn't like them, I feel pretty sure someone at my house would be more than happy to eat them. I love Moon Pies!

And last, but not least, I picked up some additional other-worldly snacks! They should be well-prepared with junk food.

Blue Moon Beer, Eclipse Gum, Starburst candies, MilkWay Bars, Sun Chips and SunSeeds

All together, it makes a pretty fun package of goodies.

Are you in line for viewing the full eclipse and are you doing anything special for the viewing?

And Now He's Three

Baby D is no longer a baby for sure. And really, he is not longer a toddler either in many ways. We celebrated his birthday this weekend and had such a good time. The boys came over to our house for a couple of hours prior to the party so that Callie could get things together at their house. I tried to talk them into a few birthday pictures, but I was the only person on board for that idea.

Jordan grilled burgers and hot dogs (one of his new favorite foods) for dinner.

After dinner, it was time for presents.

Toddler D seems to have a new confidence about him in many ways. As he reached for each gift, he asked who it was from and then thanked each person before he'd even opened it.

He was thrilled with everything!

As was his little brother!

One of the sweetest moments of the night came right after presents were opened. He suddenly realized that it was time for cake and he got so excited that he broke out into spontaneous song and dance!!

He had given precise details for what he wanted this cake to look like and his mama did a great job making that dream come to reality.

"A heart-shaped chocolate cake with all the planets on it and candles in Mercury, Venus and Earth!"

And he got to eat Jupiter, his favorite planet of all!

I must say that it was quite yummy!

I was able to get a few pictures outside.

Then, there was time to relax and watch the boys play. Did I mention how much he loved his new binoculars?!

And now he's three!

We sure do love you a bunch!

Felt Campfire Set

We have a family birthday to celebrate very soon and I have been busily working on some homemade goodness to celebrate the birthday boy. Even though I've been a bit under the weather lately, I've had time to do some sewing and now have everything ready for this special 3-year-old.

Using felt, I constructed a toy campfire, complete with logs, flames and marshmallows to roast. I didn't take a lot of photos during the process, but I am working on a pattern and complete tutorial.  In the meantime, I will give you a brief description of how I did the logs and flames.

Log Supplies:
Dark Brown Felt (1 piece per log)
Tan Felt (1 piece is enough for 4-5 logs)
Tan Embroidery Thread
Scissors
Sewing Thread & Needle
Fiberfill Stuffing

Log Directions:
1. Fold the brown felt in half lengthwise and trim off about 1 to 1-1/2" from the open edge, allowing for a small "branch".
2. Cut out circles for the ends of the logs from the tan felt (2 per log). My circles were about 3 to 3-1/2" in diameter.
3. Using the Tan Embroidery Thread, I used a running stitch to create wood-like motifs on the flat piece of dark brown felt.  I didn't draw these out beforehand, I just made it up as I went, trying to keep the grain somewhat straight and making a couple of swirls for knots in the tree.

4. Make circles of running stitches on the tan felt circles.

5. With the felt folded in half lengthwise, sew that seam on the sewing machine, going around the branch.
6. While the log is still inside out, sew a tan circle to one end of the log. (This is not an exact thing--sometimes my circles fit better than other times, but they all ended up looking just fine.  Just go slowly and turn as you go.
7. Turn right side out and use a knitting needle or other stick to turn the corners of the branch.
8. Stuff with fiberfill. I used the knitting needle to be sure the fiberfill got into the small branch area.
9. Stitch the other end closed with a tan circle.  I put right sides together and stitched halfway around the circle before turning it and hand-stitching it closed.

Now, every campfire needs some fire, right?!?  These flames were super easy!

Flame Supplies:
Red Felt (1 piece per flame part)
Orange felt (1 piece per flame part)
Yellow felt (1 piece per flame part)
Matching Embroidery Thread
Scissors
Sewing Thread and Needle
Fiberfill

Flame Directions:
1. Fold the red felt in half and cut out a flame shape. (You will have 2 pieces now)
2. Layer the orange felt on top and repeat the process,  cutting these pieces about an inch smaller all around. (you will have 2 orange pieces)
3. Lastly, do the same with the yellow pieces. I just free-hand cut these and didn't worry if they didn't fit exactly.
4. Use the embroidery thread to stitch the orange and yellow flames in place over the red piece.  Remember that this is a flame, so it should be irregular.
5. Repeat with the other side (be sure that you are doing it on the correct side of the flame)
6. With right side together, stitch around the outside of the flame, leaving the bottom free for stuffing.
7. Turn right sides out, using a knitting needle or other stick to get into the points.
8. Stuff with fiberfill.
9. Stitch the bottom closed.

Given our birthday boy's fondness for s'mores, I stitched up some felt marshmallows and even a couple of hot dogs that would fit on the ends of "roasting sticks".  The process for these was a bit complicated to describe, so you'll have to wait until I can take more pictures and develop a step-by-step guide. (The hot dogs are a little bit wonky, but I think they will still be fun!)

Using an embroidery design that I purchased from NNKidsEmbroidery, I stitched some crackers, chocolate and melted marshmallows so that the pretend play can be complete. The design was quick and easy and stitched up really nicely.

Using some leftover canvas I had on hand, I made a simple drawstring backpack to carry all the pieces and we are including a pair of real binoculars and  this amazing lantern. Not only does it serve as a real lantern, but it also displays stars on the ceiling.  How fun is that!

Now, let the pretending begin!