The cheap-skate, last minute birthday party

I'm a slacker.  I wait until the last minute to plan things like birthdays or valentines or anniversaries.  I get tons of good ideas, but due to the last minute issue, I don't have any time to actually do any of them.  Right around Christmas Eve, I put aside a few sewing projects, telling myself that I would finish them for my little girl in time for her birthday.  Then I promptly forgot.  I remembered again, the morning of her birthday.

Maybe it was guilt that spurred me on to do an actual party for her.  Generally, I say a three year old doesn't need anything but ice cream, frosting and presents, but since the presents were lame, I felt obligated to do a little more.  So we had a Dora/Diego party, sort of.  Since I'm cheap and it was last minute, I had to  use what was in the house and what I could get through the internet.  So, for any other procrastinating mom, like myself, I'll share my Dora party equations.

One chunk of purple felt = a tiny backpack.  It was my first time making a drawstring backpack like this and I think it turned out well.

 Construction paper and some sketching time = Map.

Old flannel sheet = water, over which lies the troll bridge, of course it needed some repairs performed by a 3 year old girl.

Chairs of all varieties in the hall = boulders in Slippery Rock Canyon, of course.

Then we had the dark tunnel, which required a flashlight, obviously to be found in her backpack.

We also had construction paper stepping stones, one of which needed some sticky tape, also in the backpack.

I used some of Dora's friends to help along the way, and even Swiper made an appearance.

When she emerged from the tunnel, she found the cupcake tower and presents.

All in all, I think it was a success, even though I stressed myself out completely trying to come up with Dora stuff in my non-Dora brain.  The little one loved it and fell right into character, with her siblings helping her read the clues.

Maybe if I start planning now, I'll have a stress free birthday for her next year.  Or maybe I'll just try to finish her Christmas projects before summer starts.

My Valentine

These made me snicker this morning.  The top two are my favorites.

Since it's Valentine's Day, I thought I would share my exciting gift with you.  Actually, I was given this gift a few weeks ago, but we're calling it a Valentine/birthday present.  My husband started dropping hints about the amazing gift I would be getting and I quickly gathered that it was a pricey gift, which honestly drops a gift's value in my estimation.  I started warning him that I can't enjoy a gift that costs a lot.  When he informed me that it was free, I was excited.  His hints led me all over my imagination, but didn't help much.  Heavy, antique-like, not made of wood, useful, I saw it several years ago... I was lost.  Then he pulled up a picture of it on the internet.

I love old cook stoves and I have planned to have one in my someday house.  Honestly, the power goes out in Wyoming enough to justify having a wood stove hooked up.  My mom has an old Majestic stove in her basement, waiting to be cleaned up and put to use, but I don't think I could ever convince her to part with it.  Thankfully, my husband's past boss remembered that I'm a lover of such things and offered it to us when they moved, so now I have my own.
 
Of course, this is a picture of what it should look like, ours is not put together and had been sitting outside for several years.  One of the legs needs repaired or replaced, but all in all, it's a pretty good deal, if you ask me.  A little elbow grease and a bit of polish... plus a call to a parts place, and we'll  be in business.  Now we just need a house to put it in.

Mom's Majestic

Maybe next Valentine's Day?