Thursday

Moving

I am packing up and taking my blog over to a new site!

DesireeDabbles.wordpress.com

Now it will linked in with my etsy and other things. Please move on over there for new posts.

You will automatically be redirected there in 5 seconds.

Wednesday

2014 Review

Well, it's the end of the year, and I am back to review what projects I have done or at least started this year. In January I posted a to do list, and now I'm holding myself accountable for what did and didn't get done.

House stuff:
Fire Pit - blocks bought, started to get the ring dug. The weather stopped us a little, and this has not been completed yet.
Side yard path and ground cover - not done. Still negotiating with the husband about the kinds of stepping stones to put in.
Finish shed - still no door. It's been over 2 years now, you'd think it'd be higher on the husband's list.
Desk for girls room - DONE! (I found one for a good price on craigslist)
Paint doors and trim - one room done, many more to go
Install siding on back of house - DONE! (thanks to my dad)

Organize:
Clean out closets - DONE! Did it this summer, probably have to do it again in the spring because the kids just won't stop growing.
Clean out toys - Got 90% of them out, now to sort and donate the ones still in decent condition
Food storage - Got a can rotator, still need to fill the water jugs and find a place for them to be stacked
Garage - one and a half shelves are built. Hopefully the other one will be finished soon.

Craft:
Disney items - DONE! And in time for our spring break trip.
Refinish boys dresser - Postponed. The boys climbed the dresser and broke it a bit, so we are decided whether to fix it or replace it.
Ruler growth chart - not even started
Family tree craft - Done! made a family history scrapbook of my dad's side of the family and have started work on one for my mom's side.
Hang picture frames above piano - Bought the frames, haven't filled them or hung them (I hae a hard time deciding on photos to display)
Finish stocking for child #2 - Nope, about halfway there
Sewing roman shades - got 2 done, 3 more to go
Playroom word art - not started

Misc:
Go camping - DONE! a trip to Yosemite, and one to Eastern Washington.
Potty train youngest - Done! well, he still has some accidents, but we are diaper free.
Learn to make macaroons - Nope, they still intimidate me
Find perfect dinner roll recipe - Sort of. I found a good one, but still not as light and fluffy as I'd like. Perhaps it's my oven's fault though, it's been giving me trouble lately.

Photography:
Family Yearbooks - Computer crashed, lost the yearbooks, have to start over.
Dance photoshoot - I shot a dance school, and my daughter was a part of it, but I haven't done a solo shoot with her yet.
'Kids were here' blogcircle project - Got halfway through the year and lost our momentum.
 Project 52 - Got to 48 weeks and the last month derailed me.
Monthly photo with my kids - got halfway through the year (seems like a theme with me, summer is tough)
Learn lightroom better - Done! I watched creativelive, and read the scott kelby book about lightroom. I think I understand better how to do things and what it's capable of.
Lifestyle photos of my family - not so much. I think I need to clean my house more for this one
On-camera flash - Nope, didn't use my flash much at all this year.
Clickin Mom's 'Creativity Exercises' - Nope. I had them listed out for myself, but didn't print it and keep it handy, so it didn't get done.


Well, I did get some things done, and others started. I'm pretty pleased with my progress. I have also learned that 'out of sight, out of mind' really applies to me. If I don't have something staring me in the face I forget about it. I think this coming year I will make a to do list into a desktop background for my computer. That way I will see it every day and maybe do more.

Baby Gift Set


My brother and sister-in-law are having a baby girl this month (they currently have 3 boys), so I made a small gift. The sweater is from the pattern "Helena", but I made it with buttons instead of a tie closure. The booties are "Furrylicious Baby Boot" pattern. These are actually the 3rd pair I've made from this pattern. Super cute and fairly easy to make. And the bonnet is "Béguin de Printemps". I liked how the picot edging matched the sweater. Hope my new niece likes it!

Tuesday

Genealogy Scrapbook

For Father's Day I made my dad a family history/genealogy scrapbook. It has 5 generations of info. I don't have a lot of family photos, so I filled it mostly with documents and records I have found online. I translated the stuff not in English. At the back of the book I also added a 9 generation fan chart. You can browse the whole thing at Shutterfly, where I had it made into a book.







Friday

More Disney Crafts


We just finished up our Disney World trip (and one day at Universal Studios), and it was amazing. Seriously, so fun. We spent the week hanging out with my family, and our kids had a blast together.
I made my kids t-shirts for each day. A vague take on various Disney characters.

-Mulan, Lightning McQueen, Snow White, Nemo

-the Incredibles

-Tiana, Adventureland-lost boys expedition, Rapunzel, pirate Mickey

-Mike (from Monsters, Inc), Jasmine, Simba, and Merida


-Harry Potter themed shirts for Universal's Islands of Adventure.

And I customized water bottles for all 14 of us going.

I also made an autograph book, though we barely ended up using it because the lines were so long.
I had it printed through Blurb, then got it spiral bound at Office Depot for about $4.