Goin' a Little Crazy....

  Paper doll crazy, that is!  It all started out with me trying to find felt "paper" dolls and I did come across a couple of websites that sell them in sets.  They are not overly expensive, either.  I just was really wanting something a little different.  I found these on Etsy:



Little Pink House



maureencracknell

Totally loving these!!!  Alas, its not exactly what I am looking for, but close.  These both gave me a jumpstart on an idea formulating in my head.  I will ponder more and experiment and then post my result when I finally get around to it.

In the meantime, I am finding all these super cute paper doll templates online and printing them out.  I want to see what Ailey thinks about them.  Here are the ones that I really like and they are free! :



Savvy Projects Blog - by guest designer

Melanie Montes de Oca

She did such an amazing job!  You really need to see all the little outfits she made for the dolls.  So fun!  Gonna try it out.

Wee Wonderfuls by Hillary Lang

I love that this is a really simple one and all the outfits are ready and you just have to cut them out.  I'm thinking about attaching magnet tape to the back of the doll and the backs of the outfits for them to stick.  We'll see how that works out.  OR, just had a thought, I could get that magnetic paper....I wonder if I still have some of that stuff... NOPE!!!  Bummer!  Gotta put that on my list...

Zoe Paper Doll at Play Powerhouse

This one gives you the option of printing the outfits out in color or in black and white.  I'm not super crazy about the color combo of the first two outfits so, I am going to color in my own. :)

I think I might have more fun prepping these than Ailey will have playing with them. :)  I'll report on my findings. 


Since writing the above and printing out the wee wonderfuls one, the boys thought it was neat and said they would like boy ones.  This is what I came across:





True Town

There are three different boys to choose from and three pages of outfits.  Braden requested an alien one and so I just made up my own and also added an astronaut costume.  My scanner is not cooperating so here is a pic I took of my templates:

The boys had a great time coloring all of the clothes and costumes for their little guys and will soon be playing with them...as soon as I cut them out and put magnets on them. :)

I did end up putting magnets on the wee wonderful doll and clothes by putting a blank piece of cardstock behind the printout as I cut it all out.  I then stuck the magnet tape to the printout making sure to keep the poles on the magnets correct so they wouldn't repel and then using a glue stick, I glued the blank template to the back of the printed cutout over the magnet.  Now they just stick right on the doll!  Nice.  Here's what it looks like:

*Sigh* Since writing that last bit and making the boys' sets, Ailey has rebelled against the wee wonderfuls one.  I think she likes all the different kinds of clothes as opposed to the wee wonderfuls one that is all dresses.  She keeps trying to take off with Braden's!  Braden is not coping well with that.  Weeee!  Okay, so I went back to the site where I found the boys and printed out the girls counterpart.  It also has three different dolls.  It does crack me up that there is a dark skin tone, a medium skin tone and a light skin tone for the girls, but for the boys, there's a blonde, a brunette and a redhead.  The brunette has a medium skin tone.  Its just funny.  Here's that one:

True Town

Another neat thing about making them magnetic is that they will also stick to the fridge or a filing cabinet or other metal objects.....I'm thinking about getting a plain lunchbox type container from Hobby Lobby and spiffying it up for each kiddo's dolls. :)

Here are all the ones we now have in this house:

This is Braden's.  He likes to embellish stuff.  Notice the fire coming off of the feet of the outfit top left.  They are rocket shoes. :)

This is Zekey's.  Zekey is a one color for the whole picture type of boy, for the most part. ;)  He doesn't believe lines mean a whole lot, yet, and there is no time for details, for now.

This, of course, is Ailey's.  I colored hers because usually not only the paper gets colored, but whatever the paper is on and then she gets distracted, travels with the colors and walls and other furniture get art treatment. :)

Losing one's voice is not conducive to parenting... ;p

So, my allergies have been rearing their cumulative ugly head for the past 3 days and this morning I woke up and my vocal cords were covered in muck.  Any time the weather changes, I deal with major allergy mess.  I think all the smoke from the fires everywhere is involved, too.  Several years back, there were fires and the wind was carrying the smoke far and wide and my sinuses did a total revolt then, as well.  I'm not gonna complain, though, because I'd much rather deal with this than getting a virus or bacterial something or other.  So, yay! allergies! ;)

My voice is in hiding right now and I'm forced to drink hot tea with honey.  ichhhhk!  Not a fan of hot tea, normally.  This stuff isn't too bad, though.  Its Black Raspberry Green Tea a.k.a. Superfruit Tea and it has a good flavor.  Need to get some more of it for such times as these.  I'm thinking it would be waaay better as Sweet Iced Tea. :)  Voooiiiccce!  Come out, come out, wherever you are!  Right now, I sound like a hoarse frog and I'm having to whisper because my tonsils, vocal cords and larynx are sore.  Today is going to be a very interesting homeschool day....

A Mac Adventure

For some time now our Mac has been slowing down and we have had issues with the cdr/dvdr drive.  I had called about the drive before our warranty ran out last year, but since the nearest place was in Austin and it would mean we would be without our computer for a time as well as the driving there and back twice in a short period of time, we just didn't make it in to get it fixed.  Lately, it all seemed to get worse, so I called Apple to see if they would just sell me the part and maybe I could replace it myself.  You can laugh if you want to, but I could probably find a youtube video on just exactly how to do it.  I'm just sayin' ;)  Anyway, the phone call didn't go exactly as I'd planned.  Because I had called in about it and they had recorded it on our account and it had been within the warranty period, the guy I talked to got permission to open a ticket to fix it fo free!  I know right?!  Yay!  Doing a dance of exuberant happiness!  Okay, so, I had a choice of taking it in to an Apple store or having a certified technician that contracts with them work on it.

I went with the technician because he is located in Georgetown.  I called up Tyrosys Corp. and explained what was going on per the instructions from Apple.  Grant, the owner, was able to look my unit up on their records and verify everything and we agreed that I would bring it in on Monday, leave it there and come back Tuesday morning-ish;) to pick it back up.  I got there, with only a slight commotion where the kids were concerned.  (Ailey is also a seatbelt Houdini and I had to stop to address that concern.)  Grant had told me on the phone to call him when I pulled up so that he could come out and carry the computer in for me.  Yeah.  I'm a fan. :)  I followed him in to make sure of the arrangements and told him that I noticed the screen was a bit hazy and he confirmed my suspicions that it was probably dust.  I asked how that generally gets taken care of and he said that it gets cleaned when you bring it in for its yearly maintenance.  Hold up....what?!  I didn't know we were supposed to be doing any sort of yearly maintenance!  I didn't get that memo.  Oops!  I was used to the yearly upkeep of a pc, which means you hope it runs well for the first year, makes it through the second and then you most likely will have to get a new one after that...  Okay, so I told him that since it was there and he was gonna have it apart anyway to go right on ahead and maintain it. :)  So, I left it with him and had to stop at Taco Bell for a potty break and lunch for all four of us under $8.  Yep.

That night was pretty weird without the computer.  No emails, no surfing, no ability to work on lesson plans for co-op, no netflix, no zoodles for the kids, no facebook for Sam....weird I say!  Our computer is way too integrated in our lives....gonna have to ponder on that, I think!

Tuesday dawned bright and early thanks to my two girls who had apparently made plans with each other to both be awake before 7.  Really gonna have to work with them on that! Since, Braden's homeschooling on Monday went nearly up to bed time because we didn't get any done that morning, I decided to do several parts of it before we left to go pick up the computer.  It actually worked out well and we got a good amount done.  Then, we all loaded back into le van and headed back to Georgetown to go and pick up our very much-missed computer.  This time it was smooth sailing all the way there.  It helped that I had the ipod with the kids favorite music on there...like toby mac and their collection of vbs songs from all the vbses they attended this past summer.

When I went in, he got the computer and gave me a run-down on everything he did.  Apparently, we had a whole colony of dust bunnies inhabiting our computer.  Ahem....oopsy!..sorry 'bout that!  3 years of no maintenance = dust gone wild!  We also were at 62% fragmentation.  Nice.  He repaired that.  Yay!  He also informed me of some other good practices that would help our computer live a longer and fuller life.  The fragmentation was due, in part, to our having our computer fall asleep if no one was using it after a couple of minutes.  Basically, we had our computer in a narcoleptic cycle that was throwing it into what amounts to computer bipolar disorder.  Another oops.  After that, Grant also gave some suggestions for future upkeep, like upgrading to more memory and getting an external hard drive to back everything up and then to upgrade our hard drive in the future.  He gave me a price list and I must say that it is all very reasonable.  I really love it when I find a place/person that gives me straight answers, does honest work and has decent prices for fixing things.  I found a mechanic, I have a favorite vehicle oil change/inspection garage and now I have a mac repair/upgrade/whatever-else-needs-to-be-done-on-our-computer guy.  I'm on a roll!

Before, I give all the details about this company, I do have to add that on the way back, Ailey was again practicing her Houdini tricks and I am considering investing in lots of duct tape.  Okay, moving on....

If you have a mac (or a pc, cuz he works on those, too:) and you want a calm place (unlike the Apple stores, which are always crazy busy and super noisy) to take it in to get it diagnosed/fixed/upgraded, here's the link for the Tyrosys website:

Tyrosys Corp

and here's the address and phone number:


2913 Williams Dr., Suite 220
Georgetown, Texas 78628
Phone Numbers:
512-686-0469 main
903-640-4951 fax


They also have a Dallas area location:

406 N. Center Street
Bonham, Texas 75418

Phone Numbers:

903-640-4900 main
903-640-4951 fax

Don't forget to tell Grant I sent ya! *

*(Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated or am I likely to ever be compensated for this unabashed plug for Tyrosys Corp.  I just happen to like the service I received and thought someone else might like to have the same kind of great experience I had.  AND telling him I sent ya just lets him and his staff know that word of mouth advertising is at work!)

Homeschool Mania! Week 1

This week was our first week of school.  I originally was going to begin last week, but decided to hold off for another week to see how the first day of co-op was going to go.  This semester I decided to go for extra craziness and teach two classes.  Here's a breakdown of how it goes.  There are 3 hours of co-op.  The rule is you have to either teach or assist.  You can teach one and assist one, teach two, or assist two.  Theoretically, you get one of the three hours off.  Many times there is a need to fill in for someone who can't be there.  Okay, so there was a need and I decided to go for it.  Yeah.  I'm enjoying the teaching part, but the prep part is challenging.  I got one of my classes' itinerary finished completely, while the other one is still in rough draft form and I'm finishing up the guts of it each week.  On the plus side, I've started going to the library lots!  I haven't been to the library for about 5 or 6 years.  I never really needed to...the internet is so stinkin' handy at times.  Anyway, I'm enjoying using the library resources and hopefully, the kiddos will get to where they enjoy going, too.

We went with Sonlight for Braden and Cait's Curriculum for Zekes and possibly Ailey....  I am waiting to start Zekey's next week because I ordered his curriculum late and I am grateful for the reprieve to get Braden in a groove first.  Its been a crazy week, but its been good.  Braden stays busy almost the whole day.  I've got to figure out how to plan play/down time into our day, but we'll get it.  The Sonlight curriculum is VERY structured and I'm going to have to tweak it a bit to fit us a bit better, but so far, I really like it lots.  I like how it is set up and the kinds of info that is integrated all together.  I love how I didn't have to put any of it together, though I must say it would have behooved me to study the instructor's guide quite a bit more before the first day instead of just diving in.  You kind of have to figure it out.

The reason for getting Zekey started later is I really thought that the My Father's World curriculum that I have was pre-k.  Its Kindergarten.  So I got online and did a thorough search for Chrisitan pre-k curriculum and came across Cait's Curriculum.  It is a cd-rom that has all the stuff on it.  You can print out however many you need.  No limit.  You can use it with as many children as you want, which was a plus for us!  It is comprehensive and all set up as far as structure and scheduling.  All I have to do is print the stuff out.  It was also not much more than I paid for the MFW, which is good, but not the way I wanted to go this time around.  I want something that I don't have to keep purchasing the consumables with and that is a much more put together for me.  I intend to have the littles go through this curriculum and then Zekes will start on Sonlight next year, too.  By the time Zekey hits second grade, we'll only have to buy the full curriculum for Braden each year and only the consumables for the other kiddos as we go along in each grade.  LOVE that!!!

Big time disappointment!

Back in December, I placed an order with Mabel White Laboratories. Its a DIY site for homemade soap, lotion, etc. and they have essential oils and bases for lotions and such. I was super excited because this site had the best prices in conjunction with the shipping prices for the essential oils and shea butter and container and what-have-you! Well, a couple of weeks went by and I still had not received my order, so I emailed them to see what was going on. I got a response that same day saying that she and her staff had gotten sick over the holidays and they were just getting back into getting the orders out. She told me that she would send it the next day by a much quicker way than what I had paid for and that she would also include a free gift for the long wait. Well, I can understand about being sick and having to get caught up. I told her that since I knew it was on its way, she didn't have to worry about the free gift or the speedier mailing process and that I was content to wait for my order to get here by the mailing preference I had paid for. I also gave her my hopes for a speedy recovery for her and her staff.

Okay, fast forward another month. Yep, it had still not arrived! So, I emailed again. I asked if my order had been shipped yet. I just figured that the catching up was still behind. I will give the benefit of the doubt for a while. I got NO response this time.

Now another month has gone by and I wrote again to inform them that I wanted a refund and that I was going to pursue reimbursement through paypal. Unfortunately, I can't because it has been over 45 days. Bummer! So, I did the next best thing I could think of....I contacted the Better Business Bureau in the state she is licensed in and filed a complaint and request for reimbursement. We'll see how it goes.

Now you all know that when I am excited about something I will do a post and promote it. The opposite is true when I come across a situation like this. I will do a post and warn as many people about it as possible!!! I certainly don't see the need for anyone else to pay for a product(s) they are never going to receive. So, here's my warning:

I would highly advise AGAINST buying from Mabel White Laboratories, Mabel White DIY or Mabel White Home Living Corporation!!!

Here is the web address so you know: http://www.mabelwhite.com/ and this is the supply co. I actually ordered from: http://www.mabelwhite.com/SupplyCo/index.htm

After not receiving a response for so long, I went and did a little google research and much to my dismay, I am not the only one who has had issues of this sort with this company. There are apparently many complaints about this company and if I had researched it more thoroughly, I could have completely avoided this whole thing. Oh, well, live and learn!

Stuffed Animal Storage Genius and a Pondering

Okay, so whoever came up with this is a GENIUS!!!

This is the Boon animal storage bag. It also doubles as a seat. Where was this when I was growing up?! I had stuffed animals out the wazoo! (Don't ask me what a wazoo is because I don't know. Fun to say, though. :) I am going in a different direction for Ailey's growing pile of cuddlies, but I just had to share this because it is such a fantastic solution! When I have finished maiming a towel we don't really use anymore, I'll show you the destination of the direction in which I'm aiming.

On to the pondering. There are times when I, in my preggo state, get awakened by an overly full bladder and must make a mad waddle to the bathroom before disaster strikes. If I have not weaned my water intake in the evening, sometimes said midnight potty rendezvous doubles and possibly triples. On nights like these, usually I end up not being able to go back to sleep for a long period of time and I start pondering things. The other night's pondering had to do with -clude. First of all, it really does sound funny if you think about it. Second of all, look at all the prefixes just for -clude: in-, ex-, pre-, oc-, con-, se- and those are just the ones I could think of....I'm sure there are more. Oh, and don't ask me why I was thinking about that, I'm just giving you a little peak into my brain activity at 3 in the morning...