Just Call Me Martha

Stewart, that is. I've taken up crafting.

Stop laughing.

No really, stop it.

This is not a joke. If you were to tell me 5 years ago that in the fall of 2011 I’d have been married 3 years, have a beautiful 5-month-old baby girl, cook, AND craft, I’d have laughed in your face. Let's face it, I didn’t come into this world a domestic. But something I’ve discovered since becoming a stay at home mom: creative outlets are important.

And it’s the perfect time to dabble.  Now that we’ve graduated from the black hole known as “the newborn stage,” we actually have time to have some fun. I take Lydia places almost everyday. She stays happy for hours at a time. 

 She sleeps. She GRINS. Can we freeze this age? I’m a big fan.

A month or so ago, a friend of my mother’s said to her, “Sarah is so talented! Does she find it oppressive staying at home with Lydia?”

Me: “What does she think I’m talented at?”

Mom: “She didn't elaborate.”

Well crap. I'm talented...right?

I’m going to write a book! Okay...so it hasn't happened yet.

 I always got good grades. Annnd, I'm not in school anymore.

 I can make it through an entire p90x DVD.  And when I can stop doing girl push ups, I’ll count that.

Hmmm, I can make Lydie smile at the drop of a hat! So can the wall, you say? Okay...
Oooh, I can play “Hymns Made Easy” on the piano. Most of them anyway.

I make a mean crock pot chicken.  No really, I do.

Challenge me to a game of HORSE! Anybody?

I…I… wash. Dishes. Reeeeally. Well. Sigh.

Something had to be done. My self esteem was going wah wah waaaaah. 

So when my neighbor Karina invited me to a city group meeting called MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers), I caved.

They brunch. They discuss. They mingle. They craft.

And they taught me how to make this:

A fall banner!

You should have seen the look of surprise on Kyle's face when he came home to find a craft hanging on our window.

Yeah, that's right...your wife crafts. What whaaaat.

My friend Tawny and I went back yesterday and joined. Like actually paid a fee.

I am now a MOP.

A few days later, I heard rumor of a Relief Society activity in which women were making turkey wall hangings.

Don't mind if I do.

I still need to buy a frame for Walter, but he is patiently awaiting the month of November for Thanksgiving decorations to be showcased.

In the meantime, I've gone a little nutty over Halloween. I'm such a holiday lover. And all the wreaths I wanted to buy were $50 or more. But because the new (and now talented) Sarah makes stuff, I decided to create my own through a tutorial I found on Pinterest. 

A four ring base, 3 wooden letters, 2 coats of pumpkin paint, 1 coat of glitter, some ribbon, and a yard of black burlap later, and I had myself a Boo wreath!

But if you thought that stuff was neat, wait until you see my best creation of them all...

In order to create one of these (and who wouldn't?), you will need 4 equal parts.

1 part squish

1 part girly

1 part silly

And 1 part eyes

Upon completion, you will have 14.7 pounds and 23 3/4 inches of smiley squeak. This yields a model in the 31st and 6th percentiles for weight and height. 

Though it may be pint sized...

It can fly.