Bellaboo's Discovery Center

Click here to enter to win a family 4-pack of tickets to Bellaboo's Discovery Center.

Tucked away in the northwestern corner of Indiana, there is a wonderful play place called Bellaboo's. It's designed specifically for kids aged 9 and younger to explore, play, and discover. One of my very favorite things about Bellaboo's is that all of the play areas are sized perfectly for the kids. So much of the time kids have to deal with living in a world that is too big for them. Everything at Bellaboo's is just right. 

We had a chance during spring break to take my Sarah and niece, Aly, to Bellaboo's for the afternoon.  These girls wore us out. We were there over four hours. The girls ability and endurance to play literally outlasted mine and Jon's endurance to help and to watch them enjoy themselves. The grown-ups called uncle.

Our girls favorite spaces were the Dino Dig (pictured above) and the Jungle Gym. We also spent a considerable amount of time in the Pretend Village and the Art Studio. I'm not sure exactly how they count the different areas since some of them can be divided into smaller areas, but there are over 10 different areas for kids to learn while they are playing. Most of the areas are self directed, but there's even a Children's Cooking area where the kids gather to learn about cooking and good nutrition. This area especially is such a great example of exceptional design.

The Bellaboo's Staff stands in the sunken kitchen area (complete with all the appliances and storage facilities we all wish we had in our own kitchens). Meanwhile the kids are all seated on these adorable kid size seats. The whole set up makes serving the kids, interacting with them, and cleaning up simple and fun.

I really can't tell you enough about how much fun the girls had on our Bellaboo's adventure. Sarah even fell asleep on the way home and I can't remember the last time that happened.

I hope you'll enter to win your own family 4-pack of tickets to Bellaboo's Discovery Center. Our tickets were graciously provided by Bellaboo's so we could check it out and let you know how much we loved it! You can check out their website to get an idea of where they're located in the Lake County Parks System.

They have a whole week's worth of activities planned for Earth Week April 21-27th. They're also hosting a Northwest Indiana Preschool Fair this Thursday April 24th from 5:30-7:30pm. If you're in the northwest Indiana area, you might want to seriously consider checking out the registrations for summer camps at Bellaboo's. Your kids will have great adventures every day! 

The giveaway will run now until April 27th. We'll notify the winner on April 28th (and update this post to reflect the winner as well). I surely hope you'll enter and let us know how much fun you have when you visit! 

Elliott's Log Cabin

Just a short and sweet update for you today. The baby for whom this quilt is being made was born last night so I guess it's time to get it finished up. The top is done for now and as soon as I decide how to quilt it I'll get it basted. This is always the hardest part.

I also think it's funny that all of my quilts have fingers at the top and feet at the bottom so I decided not to crop them out this time. By the way, Jason is a really great quilt model for me. He never argues when I ask him to help me out. And he's always smiling behind there. I can tell.

This quilt has lots and lots of polka dots and letters, along with a few monkeys and giraffes for good measure. All the fabrics are from my stash (love that). It's basically a crib quilt that grew a bit because I decided to add the sashing and borders. At this point I think it would have worked either way but it's growing on my like this. Sometimes you have to live with a project for a while before you fall in love with it. I'll share more after it's finished!

Linking up this morning with SEWjo Saturday. Check it out. And also to Crazy Mom Quilts.

God Bless Baby Quilts

Year of the Log Cabin Quilt #2

(Yes, I managed to finish quilt #2 before I finished quilt #1.)

God bless baby quilts for providing instant(ish) gratification. I've been working on Log Cabin Quilt #1 and I have all the parts ready (top, batting, back), but I just don't want to do the required basting so that I can can get the quilting done. 

Basting. It's not my favorite.

So, I made the next quilt on the list which just happened to be a baby quilt for our brand spanking new nephew, Cody. In less than 24 hours I managed to put this one together. I'm quite pleased with that fact. As I write, it's in the washing machine getting it's first spin. 

The finished size is a whopping 36" x 36". Just perfect for playing on the floor, covering up in a stroller, or clutching for security. I hope that Cody and his mom and dad will love it.

It's definitely time for me to get over the whole sorting by colors for opposite sides thing and start sorting more by value. Obviously, this quilt would have looked even better if I'd switched the browns and the greens. I need to learn to spend more time on planning and not be so anxious to just get to the quilting already. 

Also, all of the supplies for this quilt came from the supply closet, even the batting. The fabrics were all left over from the Stripes for Charlotte quilt. So, if those two little ones ever have a chance to hang out together, they'll have coordinating quilts to play on.

I'm not sure if I'll ever hand sew another binding. I'm just a really big fan of knowing that binding is going to stay secure, especially on a quilt made for a kid. I fully expect this quilt to be washed many, many times.

And I went ahead and just labeled it directly on the backing. We'll see how it holds up to the first washing and maybe I'll embroider it if it looks like it's going to fade too quickly. 

So there it is. The first finish for 2014 and first finish in the Year of the Log Cabin Quilts series. Hopefully it won't take too long to get to the second finish, quilt #1, of course.

Public Service Announcement - Say Excuse Me

In our recent travels I've noticed that many adults have apparently forgotten some things that I think they should know. For example, if my six year old daughter is standing in your way, staring at the back of her head will not make her move. But, if instead you simply say, excuse me? She will hear you and she will move.

Sarah stalking pigeons in Chicago.

And, if she doesn't hear you because she's busy being completely engrossed in being six years old? I am way more inclined to encourage her to move for you than I would be otherwise.

In conclusion, grownups, please say "excuse me."

You're welcome.

Artists I Adore - Sarah Crutchfield

This past week was my Sarah's 6th Birthday. I can't think of a better artist to spotlight this week than her.

She wrote in permanent ink on the floor. We left it for a while and did manage to eventually get all of it off. 

Sarah's first sewing lesson. I made the mistake of buying her a kid's machine another day thinking it would be better for safety. We quickly abandoned it to return to this machine. She does a great job watching out for her fingers and this machine actually works.

She has a very special sense of style.

AND  - she lost her first tooth today while she was at school. Wow, was she excited.

This girl is going to do great things and I can't wait to see. 

In case you missed it - Sarah's first sewing lesson

Not too long ago I wrote an article about Sarah's first sewing lesson. Hope you'll click through and take a look. 

Personalized Pillow #4

Aidan Pillow

Today was my nephew Aidan's birthday. He had a pretty fun Angry Birds party. And I actually finished his birthday gift an entire hour before the party. I really need to get better at planning ahead for this stuff. 

Before I left I asked him to pose with his pillow. He's such a good kid he humored me for my picture. I really enjoy the light saber battle going on in the background.

I know this one is blurry but he looked so stinkin' happy to me when he opened it. It made me feel pretty good.

The stitching looked really cool on the inside before I turned it right side out. This was the first time I've tried satin stitching using my new sewing machine. It's not as easy as it looks, that's for sure. 

Pre-Stuffing

Post Stuffing

So, that's one crafty finish for me. And one happy birthday for the Birthday Boy. 

Quilt - Stripes for Charlotte

I decided to start the post with the cutest picture because everybody loves babies, right? 

Jon's brother Jeremy and his wife Cassandra has this beautiful baby girl, Charlotte, in July and we got to visit her this past weekend. She's a little peanut baby and I rocked her right to sleep. I've still got that mama rock down.

Now, back to the beginning. I was so excited because this gave me an opportunity to use these pretty fabrics that I have been eyeing for quite some time. 

I have a couple in there from BFF by Elizabeth's Studio and the majority are from Down Under by Shelley Comiskey for Henry Glass. It's a real occupational hazard that I see every new fabric that comes in to the building at my job. There are so many I want to use for making quilts.

I chose a simple pattern because I wanted to get this one done as quickly as I could and wanted to be able to quilt it myself as well. We had planned our trip so there wouldn't be time to send it out to be quilted by anyone else. I'm really looking forward to the day when I'll have a quilt that I will deem worthy of being quilted by a "real" quilter, rather than a novice such as myself.

Here's the finished product, such as it is. It's far from perfect but I think it's awfully sweet for a pretty baby girl. 

I put this label on the back so she'll know her favorite auntie made it for her when she gets bigger. I also told Jon that I'll make her a much more complicated one when she goes to college. Here's hoping my skills are vastly improved by then. 

This quilt was inspired by this one from Cluck Cluck Sew. 

Oh yeah, if you want to see where I collect quilty inspiration, here's my Pinterest Board for that. 

Loves

Have you ever looked around and realized "there is absolutely nothing I can do to show these people what they mean to me?"

Ok. I might be feeling a little overly emotional tonight. Or this might just be who I am.

Stop and look around.

Those people. Think for a minute about what they really mean to you.

Now go and find a way to show them.

Loves.

Blueberry Gump

I feel like Forest Gump.

Blueberry pancakes. Blueberry crisp. Blueberries with ice cream. Blueberry jam. Blueberry sauce.

Today was opening day at the Blueberry Ranch and we came home with 24 pounds of yummy, delicious superfood. Sarah and I picked 14 of those pounds ourselves, the other ten we let the nice people at the Ranch do for us.

We went ahead and froze the first ten pounds. The other 14 pounds have been sitting on the counter for nibbling throughout the day. We even made the first blueberry crisp. I love the berries but I'm thinking about doubling the crisp next time. We like that part, too.

Sarah Bear was a trooper out in the hot sun picking today. When she was finished she found a nice spot in the shade to sit and eat her blueberries.

I can't wait to go again.

If you go to the Blueberry Ranch to pick your own berries, remember to wear your sunscreen. Also, remember to apply your sunscreen and bug spray in the parking lot because there are no aerosol cans allowed in the fields. We must maintain that organic status!

Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go get some blueberries to eat.

Family night craftiness

We had paper crafting night on Friday. What? That's not what you do on Friday night? Hmpf. Maybe you should.

Sarah started out like this. All nice and neat, clean and fully dressed.

And ended up like this. I bought smelly markers. It was inevitable.

Who wants to guess at what age she will get her first tattoo?

Jason meticulously covered almost the entire front of his notebook. Then promptly ripped off the cover and threw it away.

Artists. Whaddaya gonna do?

Evan took a little more time because he likes to tell us all about what he's doing and how he's going to do it. And he chose to let the cover remain on his book to be crafted another day.

They all love using mom's special papers and tools. Sarah got a great big kick out of the wave cutter and the boys really, really, really, really love the adhesive tools. Those boys are expensive even on craft night.

Jon helped keep the tattooed lady busy and relatively clean. He also helped with clean up. Isn't he great? I dream up and help create the mess and he helps clean it up.

And here's my craftiness for the evening. It's the cover of my "one notebook to rule them all." I'm going to try out a new way to keep track of some things.

With crafty inspiration from Sara Mincy.

That was our last family night. What does your family do for fun on a Friday night?

You just got pwned!

Ok, so, my boys love to play online games. Their current most favorite is World of Warcraft.

Jon and I created a single account to share so that we could play with them and better understand what in the world they were talking about when we called them to dinner and they said "But Mom! I'm in a dungeon!"

Honestly, our account is currently inactive because since I started my business I don't have time to play. The nice thing is that our characters live on and when we want to re-activate our account (resume paying the monthly subscription fee) we can pick up right where we left off.

I've been listening and learning quite a bit this week about author Jane McGonigal. Her new book is called Reality is Broken and I currently have it on hold at Barnes and Noble to pick up tonight so you'll have to hang tight for a review.

She has some crazy ideas (and we all know how much I love those, right?) about how gaming is good for us and that through gaming we can actually work together to solve some really huge problems. Her TED talk is here. I watched it last night and it really made me think differently about the time my kids spend online.

All that having been said, what if we could create a real life game for every day living? An iPhone app created by a group McGonigal works with is called EpicWin.


"EpicWin is an iPhone app that puts the adventure back into your life. It’s a streamlined to-do list, to quickly note down all your everyday tasks, but with a role-playing spin. (from the developers website here)"


I downloaded this app today to start "playing" so I'll let you know how that goes. But more importantly, I want to start thinking about a way to create a game in real life. One where the boys will earn points for things like brushing their teeth, one where they'll earn experience points for doing their homework, and for completing chores. 


I guess there should be ways to lose experience points, too; such as arguing with a parent, hitting each other, or failing to complete an agreed upon task. Of course, some activities are neutral as well. 


Ok, I'm kind of geek so this is starting to sound like fun to me. Now I just have to figure out how to make it work. What do you think? What would your kids call their game? How should I dole out experience points or remove them?


Now to sell it to the boys. Wish me luck!

Making Memories - Fall Edition

What does your family to do make memories in the Autumn? Our family breaks rakes.

It's true. Apparently we are very hard rakers. Some place in my mom's house there is a picture of me with a similarly destroyed rake. When I find it I'll add it to the post.

So this tree . . .

Became this pile of leaves . . . 

And while it is beautiful now, in the springtime this grass will be the bane of my existence. (OK, really Jon's but you get the point.)

Aly and Nana hung out being all cute and stuff.

What were you up to on this gorgeous fall day in northern Indiana?