Muffin Turned 5

And yes, that was way back in November. 5. HOW?!?

She has been pining for an American Girl Doll. Namely Felicity, the one they discontinued a number of years ago. I spent weeks combing Craig's List and Ebay hoping to score a deal, but nothin'. So finally I gave in to the reality that it was going to have to be a knock off, and when no red headed knockoffs were found, that it would have to be a blond. A blond, with my version of Felicity's wardrobe. (And to go with each of the dresses, I found Felicity books at the thrift store, 4 of them for about $2.00! HUGE score!) So here it is:

                                                              the Meet Felicity Dress

 Shoes- black felt, and trying to paint buckles with a wiggle-worm in the back pack is a pain.

Felicity's Surprise Dress

You can't tell from this picture, but the dress is two separate parts, and the pleating miraculously lined up perfect.

felt shoes again

Happy Birthday Felicity Dress- I never got around to the flowered hair band, I can't find flowers I like for it

Felicity Saves the Day Dress

The hat is supposed to have flowers, but as before, couldn't find what I wanted

The mob cap that goes under the straw hat

Green felt shoes

A cape. Because she needed one

Her night shift and slippers

The 2 mob caps, and her night shift are from actual American Girl patterns. They were detailed, but fitted together perfectly, serious quality.

Honey made her some school supplies (with a bit of help):

Horn book, notebook, and an inkwell with a chicken feather pen.

Biscuit made her a pearl doll necklace with memory wire.

She changes her into her night shift and tucks her in to her doll bed every evening. Good little mama.

Homemade Christmas

Around the beginning of November, I had an epiphany: I don't need to wait until *after* Thanksgiving to start my Christmas projects. Say What?!? I don't? So once I finished Muffin's birthday present, I picked a Saturday and did my Christmas shopping- Lowes, a local craft store, and Joanne's. I made a schedule. and I stuck to it (for the most part). All of my baking was finished by the end of the first week  of December, gifts were started and finished here and there, I wanted to be DONE and have everything wrapped by December 22, the house cleaned the 23rd. And I did. Except for the wrapping, which I did Christmas Eve while watching It's A Wonderful Life with B. I was in bed by 11:57. I  truly *enjoyed* the season for the first time in I don't know how long. Wanna see what I made?

A doll bed for Muffin- the braided rug turned out much smaller than I was planning. Oh-well.

A doll bed for Honey- the lamp is made out of a round jar and some lids.

Sprout doesn't play too much, not when there are so many exciting things to get into and siblings to pester. So I made him what *I* wanted and I. LOVE. It. Crooked paint jobs and all. The drawstring play mat is a little small and doesn't quite hold everything. So much for winging it.

Large knobs with flat bottoms. And the pig has no defined head.

A barnyard mooning. Ahem.

The one on the left is a duck

The poor farmers elbow is hyperextended carrying that bucket...

I'm a lousy sander. Fortunately the pictures hide it.

Biscuit has been bugging for a tent for a while. And he is most excited over the stick horse. He's been "Wanting one for years and years." The cookware was a wedding present we never used.

Beans (well, all of the kidlets are) is Daniel Boone (Fess Parker version) crazy.

So a Daniel Boone gift was in order. Vest, stick horse, "skoonkin" hat, long rifle (Biscuit got one too. Free hand drawn, prayed through the cutting out, stained, painted and some plumbing thinga-ma-bob used for the trigger),  

lantern, and furs. He wears that vest constantly.

Biscuit made this for the girls with a bit of help from me- a doll sized fire.

He made this hatchet for Beans, (again with help) which is Beans second favorite gift.

Honey made (with a bit of hot glue help) this bag for Beans- he keeps his furs in it.

She made these finger puppets for Muffin and Biscuit, with me painting the faces (since that puffy paint can be a big pain sometimes), and doing a little bit of the hot glue.

Muffin made play-doh for the 3 older children, and all 4 older kids made a book for Sprout, but I don't have pictures of that either.

A good time was had by all.

The Fair 2013: Part Three

Finishing up the fair pictures, much to everyone's relief I'm sure.

Tuesday, I was back at my parent's camper feeding the kiddos lunch when my Mom came back grinning like crazy. She kept glancing over at Honey so I asked if Honey had placed well with something. She said no, that I had. I couldn't even begin to guess at what, so imagine my shock and surprise when we came back that evening and I discovered I had taken best in show for canning!

I entered a jam display too. They mangled it during judging.

Hangin' at the camper/tent.

This little grunt had the nerve to turn 1 that week. : (

Yearly tractor picture

By Sunday, my children were positively filthy.

We were gifted a pile of ride tickets (thanks Elisha!) and B. took the oldest 2 on the ferris wheel.

Muffin and Beans went on the merry-go-round

(that's my dad with Beans)

And then the motor cycles.

The End.

B. and I said it was one of the best fairs yet, though we couldn't pin why.

I was SO excited that 2 of my oldest friends were there, I haven't seen either of them in over a year!

As always, Monday morning I remembered all of the pictures I forgot to take. Like the one I wanted of me, Elisha and our broods. The last time she was at the fair, I was pregnant with Honey and I don't think she had even met her husband yet. 9 years later, we have 8 kids between us.

Here are a  few detailed pictures of things:

They were all heirloom veggies, of course : )

This was how my jam display looked before it was manhandled: 

From L-R: Pepper Butter;  Baked Beans; Blackberry Jam (from our wild berries!); Peaches and Pineapple; Pizza Sauce; and Cream of Mushroom Soup.

And now, I'm done with the fair.