It's a...

Looks like those of you who guessed BOY have ESP.

Baby Boy Leo will be making his debut pre-Christmas (hopefully) 2012!

Cheers,

Sugar and Spice or Slugs and Snails?

I looked up this poem on Wikipedia just to make sure I got it right.

What are little boys made of?
What are little boys made of?

Slugs and snails

And puppy-dogs' tails,

That's what little boys are made of.

What are little girls made of?

What are little girls made of?

Sugar and spice

And everything nice,

That's what little girls are made of.

This Friday, we learn whether this tiny baby should be dressed in blue or pink.

From these cute pictures I found on Pinterest - I am excited no matter what.

What do you think it will be?

Comment of the Month!

I love getting comments from people. They usually brighten up my day.  Some things you should know about me, Pepper, before I reveal the comment of the month.

ONE

I was and never will be an English major.  Thank you in advance for letting me know when I mispell or misrepresent a word or phrase, especially if you are sweet and understanding about it.

TWO

I spend a lot of time trying to edit and re-edit my tutorials so that they are easy to understand.  I hope you will forgive any small mistakes I make occasionally.  This is basically done for free.  If you would like to count the $40 a month I make in Google Adsense to the supply fees and my time it really won't make you envy my "blogger salary".  Did I just mis-use those quotations?  Sorry if I did.

THREE

I am pregnant with my fourth child, and my husband works about 80 - 100 hours a week.  Don't get me wrong...we play hard on the weekends.  The point is that I don't have a lot of free time if any, but I love sharing my ideas, and that is the main point of this blog.  I hope that you continue to follow for future ideas...even if I don't offer a giveaway and/or even a post some weeks.

FOUR

I am a huge fan of manners.  Table manners, personal space, verbal filters...which some people unfortunately aren't not born with.  It is a sad world when people can't nicely make a comment to help me out once in a while.  I don't like judgement placed on me for something minor.

After making those points...here is our comment of the month! 

"Dude. Plurals are not formed with apostrophes! Photos! Grandmas! Grandpas!"

Thank you for leaving that comment anonymously. That takes guts. I am sorry for the 10 seconds it took out of your day to write the comment, compared the hours it took me to prepare the post.  I gladly fixed the mistakes, and I can't believe it took two - almost three years for someone to tell me!  I guess people just enjoyed being able to follow a freaking cute tutorial.  Oh, and I am not a Dude.  I used to call people Dude too when I was 12.

I know that comment didn't seem like a big deal.  Sometimes there are worse comments, some have even had vulgar language.  It baffles me that people would even care so much to put a comment up that would make someone that they don't know feel bad.

Can you tell...my pregnancy hormones are a GO!

Cheers,

Simply Spray: Project Paint Review and Giveaway!

My girls have been begging me to have a Lemonade Stand since our first heat wave in April.  Having kids in school or really just having kids at all, there are always projects to be done.  Some are more complicated than others, especially when the adult has to do most of the work.  I finally caved on having a lemonade stand, but mostly because I want to try out a new Simply Spray paint call Project Paint!  If you remember my painted patio furniture, this is the same company!

Why I love Project Paint by Simply Spray:

Non-toxic, non flammable paint that KIDS CAN USE!

It is great to use on poster-board, wood and fabric.  This means it is perfect for birthday party t-shirts, banners, or school projects just to name a few!  Just my kind of paint. :)

We decided to hold our first Lemonade Stand...and to use Project Paint by Simply Spray for our sign!

I helped the girls cut out some stencils, and left the rest to them.

We took the poster-board and stencils outside and the girls placed them where they wanted.

I was impressed at their design abilities!  Then we got to painting.  Little Gal, almost 10 started first, and that is when we made one mistake.  Too close, and pointing the can down...a big streak of paint flew onto the poster.  Luckily, it was super easy to spray over.  We had to make sure that the girls were pulling the "trigger" all the way back to get a nice even spray.

  

Little Sister, 6 years old...took a turn as well!

Once we let it dry, we removed the stencils to reveal our lemonade poster!

Inside, Little Sister wrote Lemonade and Little Gal traced it in marker.

I love how it looks like a child wrote it, because they did!  

It adds to the cuteness and honestly pulls on heart strings of passers by.

Time to set up outside!  We happen to live across the street of a golf course,

so the kids had a prime location.  We had 7 golfers, 1 biker, 2 joggers, and 6 cars all stop for a lovely chilled glass of lemonade.  Price: Free!  Don't want to get in trouble with any officers of the law.  A donation jar was available and it collected almost $50.  I am still in shock!

  

One more thing I want to show off are the lemonade sippers that we are all using this summer!

Pictured below, my friend sells them from her darling Etsy shop, Bittersweet Lemonade!

Dishwasher safe, and free of any toxins because they are simple glass jars!

I love the old fashioned look.  

Now for the fun part...

SIMPLY SPRAY GIVEAWAY!

Simply Spray is so sweet to let me offer a giveaway!

2 cans in your color choice!  You can choose from: Black, Blue, Green, Orange, Purple, Red, White and Yellow.  Winner must be a US resident.

How to enter: 3 ways

Tweet or Talk about this giveaway on your Facebook or Twitter account

Like Simply Spray on Facebook

Follow Simply Spray on Twitter

That means you get three entries!  Remember to comment on THIS POST with each entry you have.

Entries received until Friday, June 22nd.  Winner will be announced shortly after.

Cheers, and good luck!

Tutorial: Home Made Maternity Pants

I am in that weird stage of pregnancy right now.  I either have to use a rubber band to hold my pants together, or wear maternity pants that are a tad too big.  In my first and second pregnancies I wore my regular pants through the ENTIRE PREGNANCY.  But, now I am 30, and I am chasing around 3 other children and I just want to be comfy!  Light-bulb thought!  Why not just make some in-between pants out of ones I already own?  It gives me a great excuse to buy new pants later!  

Here is a nifty little Home Made Maternity Pants Tutorial!

What you need:

A pair of low-rise jeans (or shorts, or pants) with some stretch!

A sewing Machine

And old T-shirt

Step 1: Cut your jeans!

Lay your jeans flat.  Cut the top tab part of your jeans all the way around.

I also removed belt loops and any rivets that I wanted to be careful not to sew through.

The front of the jeans should be lower than the back by a few inches.

Step 2:  Cut out your zipper.  Tack down the pockets, and sew the fly shut.

Step 3: Cut your T-shirt!

I cut my t-shirt just below the arm pits, and a few inches up from the bottom.

The total length of my soon-to-be tummy band was about 15 inches.

Step 4: Fold your belly band in half.

Keep the finished hem on the outside, and place the unfinished edges together.

Step 5: Scoot your Belly Band over your jeans.  

Match the unfinished edges at the top with the unfinished edges of your jeans.

Line up your side seams of your shirt with the side seams of your pants and pin.

Step 6: Zig Zag Stitch your Belly Band to your jeans!

I kept my stitch tall and wide for extra stretch.

I actually got paranoid that I might bust a stitch or two as my belly grows,

so I went ahead and added a second row of stitching.

Step 7: Flip that Belly Band up and admire your work!

Then try them on!

Keep your new comfy Belly Band up...

Or you can fold it down...

These pictures are me at 12 weeks pregnant with baby number 4.

Any guesses on how much I will gain this time around?

Please send good Karma!!!

Cheers, 

Pepper, Where Art Thou?

I have to apologize...I didn't realize I have been MIA since April!  I feel guilty honestly, because I had big plans for this blog the last two months.

The truth is, I went in to my OBGYN for my favorite yearly exam and came out with a pregnancy.

  {I know...jealous aren't you?}

"SHOCKER" would be an understatement.

DUE DATE: CHRISTMAS DAY 2012

I was really excited despite the fact it wasn't planned, and also despite the fact that it would be my 4th baby.

2 days after that I was wishing I was dead.  I am hoping the last two months just sort of escape my memory because I have been SO SICK!

I just hit 12 weeks, and I feel like the days are getting better now.  I mean, today I didn't even fall asleep on the couch or gag when I opened the fridge!  It is uphill from here, I can feel it. :)

Oh!  And I found out that my baby will be born in the Chinese year of the Dragon.  So basically, my baby will be a genius and super successful.  Mr. Pepper and I don't have to worry about retirement anymore!

Kidding...obviously.  But still, I hope our baby will be a genius. :)

One sad thing.  I look more like I am 5 months along than three.  Come back soon to see me rip apart my jeans and turn them to the maternity side.

Cheers,

DIY Book Alert: Handmade Chic

I found a book you will LOVE. Seriously, this is one book you should consider getting your hands on pronto. I am in love with these projects.

Handmade Chic: Fashionable Projects That Look High-End, Not Homespun
By: Laura Bennett

The projects in this book are gorgeous. Laura Bennett includes step-by-step instructions with illustrations, so there's no guesswork. Just perfect instruction and even fun variations on the projects outlined (ie: how to use leather cuff directions to create a great belt instead).

I'm an amateur sewer at best, but that is not scaring me away. I'm so excited to make my own Kindle cover. And skinny belts! Or to make them as gifts for family and friends. How impressed do you think your best friend would be to learn that you MADE her a gorgeous tote or laptop sleeve? I know I could use some new furry slippers and, oh look! There's a section on that!

This is one of the best DIY books I've come across in a while. The projects are fully illustrated and the directions are simple and concise. The first section of the book is an intro to working with materials (leather, fabric, feathers, beads, hardware, fur), as well as sewing basics and terminology. There are 30+ awesome projects, many with variations.

Amazon has the hardcover, as well as a Kindle edition available. I'm starting to wish I had a Kindle Fire so I could have everything in color!

Have any of you seen this book? Or made any of the projects in it? I'm planning to try my hand at some--keep an eye out for future coolness! Thank you, Laura Bennett, for these amazing ideas and instructions!