A Sugar-Mamma's Thoughts

February 12th, 2010

If you read this post, you know that I have a new obsession…making hair clips. They are so much easier than I thought they would be. A little time + a little patience + cute crafting supplies = Amazingly easy hair clippies! Here are a few questions I have been asked and their answers.

What supplies will I need?

To get started you will need the following supplies:

Hair clips – alligator or snap clips
Ribbon – Various sizes will do depending on the type of clip you are wanting to make.
Glue – I have used both hot glue and a crafting glue called E600. However, I have found it is easier to make the clips with the hot glue (low heat) than the other. E600 has a very strong odor and gave me a really bad headache every time. Just remember, that a little glue goes a long way…Just a dot, not a lot!
Crafting supplies – Any kind will do…flower petals, jewels, beads, brads, and buttons to name a few. Pick your poison or mix them all around! I have even started using felt embellishments.

Where can I get supplies for hair clips?

I have gotten most of my supplies at Hobby Lobby (a crafting store). If you have a Michaels nearby you might check there. Other places to look are dollar stores (Mighty Dollar has some great selections), the Target dollar aisle (I have found brads and ribbon here), and any other place that sells scrapbooking supplies.

How do I make a hair clip?

Start by measuring and cutting the ribbon to desired length. Use a lighter to lightly singe the edges of the ribbon. Then glue the ribbon on the clip of your choice, being careful not to glue the clip shut. If you are using E600 you will want to have a dowel rod or something along those lines to keep clips open while drying. Once dry, add the embellishment of your choice. Scrapbooking flowers fastened with brads make cute clips. As do, unique buttons. Really, hair clips can be as simple or as in depth as you desire. If you are handy with a crocheting needle, crocheted flowers make cute snap clips. One important thing to keep in mind is the direction the clip will be placed in individuals hair. If you are using something like a bird then the direction will matter.

I am not crafty, so I can’t make these…

Trust me, if you can find some cute crafty supplies and use a glue gun, you can make hair clips. It is really a lot easier than it looks!

Happy clip making!

Tags: hair clips | Posted in Life |

Sugar Mamma’s Shop

February 11th, 2010

One of my students at school always has the cutest bows and hair clips. She is not overly girly, so her clips are pretty down to earth. Right up my alley! She even made MLK a few of her own (which Ben decided to put in her hair all at one time)!

After careful inspection (and a few conversations) with the mom, and some encouragement from a fellow teacher (who also braved the world of clip making) I decided to give clip making a try. It might look intimidating, but it is actually quite simple. After making my first clip I vowed to never again by a clip I could make. Here are what my first few looked like. Nothing too hard, simple ribbon glued on a clip with a button or two for some added glam!

This was fun for awhile, but then I decided I wanted to elaborate some. I got some flower petals and put them together with brads to make some bows. I don’t have pictures, but they look similar to the clips the parent made for MLK (pictured above). After making these clips for awhile, scouring multiple Etsy sites for ideas, and a quick sewing session with my dear friend Dacia I decided to venture into the world of felt. All you ladies (or gentlemen) out there toying with the idea of making felt creations I encourage you to do so. Once you get the blanket stitch down it is a piece of cake! Here are some of my favorite creations thus far.

My team teacher and I have decided to team up and host a table at a Spring Craft Bazaar hosted by our school (if anyone is interested tables are $25 and you get to keep all the money you make). Hopefully these little clippies will make us some money! Oh, and just for fun, I have coined my clip "shop", Sugar Mamma’s Shop. It is not a real shop anywhere, but I would love to sell some clips if you know anyone that might be interested!

I have made some other crafts lately, but I will save that for a later post. I have also been busy playing in all our fun snow with this little bundle of joy (and her daddy and Shiloh too)!

Tags: crafts, Etsy, hair clips, Mikayla, snow | Posted in Life |

She’s perfect…

February 1st, 2010

…even the doctor agrees! We already knew that she was perfect, but Dr. F. confirmed it this morning at her nine month check up. Those were his words…"she’s perfect"! Here are her nine month stats:

Height – 27 inches, up 7 inches from birth. Pops, I think we have a ball player on our hands. She has always been in the "above average" category for height.

Weight – 17lbs 5oz, up almost 10 pounds from birth (she was 7lbs 7oz in the hospital). This has been an up and down battle with us, but she is right at the 25th percentile. Dr. F. says that is great, so we will take it!

Head – 43.5cm…we are moving on up. Her head has actually just made it on the average growth curve, she has always been below average in this category.

MLK has grown so much in these past nine months, I can’t believe she is only 3 months away from her first birthday! She has accomplished so much. Here are a few of her latest tricks.

MLK can crawl. If you have followed this blog at all you already knew that, but she is really moving these days. All over the place.
Pulling up. Again, she has been doing this for some time now, but has really perfected it in the last few weeks.
Standing on her own for around 20 seconds. It won’t be long now before she is walking.
Feeding herself. She actually prefers this method much more than us feeding her. She uses her hands (we will work on manners later) and makes a big mess, but she is doing great.
One tooth and one more on the way. This has caused quite the battle at night time, but we are managing.
Mimicking. She is at a really fun age right now because she tries to do everything we do. If we click our tongue, she attempts to click hers. If we wave our arms around, she will do the same. It is so cute!

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Snow Day – In case you didn’t get the memo, BG got a ton of snow this past weekend. A ton for us anyway. We got between 6 and 8 inches. It was beautiful. MLK wasn’t a huge fan of the snow, but really all she can do at this point is sit in it. Maybe next year. Here are a few pictures from our snow adventures, but please excuse her "snow suit". It is a Snoopy Halloween costume and it was the warmest thing we could find for her. She showed a little resemblance to Randy from A Christmas Story, but at least she was warm!

Tags: crawling, Family, Growing up, Mikayla, snow | Posted in Parenting |

Snow Day

January 29th, 2010

So we got a snow day today. I was pumped when I heard the news. A day off from school, an extra entire day with my baby, and snow to play in. Then I looked outside and saw this:

Nothing like a snow day in Kentucky!! Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining. The snow is supposed to hit later, I just found this to be humerous! Enjoy your "snow day"!

Tags: snow | Posted in Random |

Sweet Potato Fries and other yummy treats!

January 27th, 2010

Recently, Ben and I got a hankering for sweet potato fries. We found a recipe, altered it a bit, made it our own and then made it three nights in a row! Don’t judge us, they were delicious. Make them, I bet you can’t eat just one!

Here is what you need:

· 2 medium sweet potatoes

· ½ tsp ground red pepper or cayenne pepper

· 1 tsp cumin

· 1 tsp chili powder

· 1 tsp garlic salt or garlic pepper

· 1 tsp pepper

· 2 tsp brown sugar

· 2 Tbsp olive oil

· Gallon size baggie

· Ketchup (optional)

Step One: Cut sweet potatoes into thin slices. We tried both thin and thick and I prefer the thin ones.

Step Two: Mix cayenne pepper, cumin, chili powder, garlic salt, black pepper and brown sugar in gallon size bag. Slowly add olive oil until a thin paste forms (around 2 Tbsp).

Step Three: Add sweet potatoes, seal bag and shake until well coated.

Step Four: Place on cookie sheet (it took two for us). Spread in one layer

Step Five: Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes or until soft. We actually baked ours until the middle was soft, but ends were a little crispy. Serve with ketchup (if you are so inclined) and enjoy!

These were really yummy with BBQ chicken and broccoli and cheese casserole (see recipe below) – this was night two. We served them on night one with a simple Pasta Roni and green beans. Then the third night we had bunless burgers with sautéed garlic and mushrooms. Delicious!

Quick Broccoli and Cheese Casserole

Mix 1 bag of frozen broccoli (cook first), 1 can cream of mushroom soup (about 3/4 of the can), and 1/4-1/2lb Velveeta (depending on how cheesy you like it). Add a little salt and pepper to taste. Cook in microwave until cheese is almost melted. Mix 1-2Tbsp of melted butter and Ritz crackers (enough to soak up butter). Place on top of broccoli mixture. Cook at 425 degrees until lightly brown (10-15 minutes). Enjoy!

Tags: Cooking, recipes, sweet potato | Posted in Cooking |

Thinking of D-

January 23rd, 2010

I have been teaching for almost five years now. In those five years I have dealt with a lot of sadness, heartache and illness. But it wasn’t until this year that I ever had to deal with a life-threatening disease. Just before Christmas one of our students was diagnosed with leukemia. She immediately started chemotherapy and things were looking good…until today. I just got a call from a fellow teacher and my principal saying that the reports are not looking good. The cancer has spread to her bones and they have had to significantly increase her medicines She is still at home, which is positive, but she is about to be a very sick little girl. I am heart broken for her. No child deserves to endure such a sickness. I look at my little MLK and am so thankful she has had a healthy 9 months of life and I hope she remains healthy in the years to come. It is just hard for me to grapple what this little girl and her family are dealing with. It is so sad and hard to hear.

Tags: sad, sickness | Posted in Work |

Chatty Cathy

January 20th, 2010

Sometimes we just like to talk…that’s all!

Tags: Growing up, Mikayla | Posted in Life, Parenting |

I Have A Dream

January 18th, 2010

In case you haven’t heard today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. A day we set aside to remember the awesomeness that was MLK. He was a powerful, yet peaceful man who left a huge impact on our world. He had such an impact on my husband and I we decided to name our daughter after him, Mikayla Lillian Kickert. Here she is sporting her MLK shirt and marching (by marching I mean riding very snuggled up in her stroller) with us in the annual MLK march/service in BG interspersed with some MLK’s most impressionable quotes (in my mind anyway).

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.

Mikayla can’t yet grasp the prophetic significance that her name holds, but my dream is that one day she will. With that being said, here is my "I have a dream" speech for my daughter:

I have a dream that Mikayla will not look at the color of people’s skin, but rather their true being. Befriend who she wants and love everyone, even those she hates.

I have a dream that Mikayla will treat everyone as equals.

I have a dream that my daughter will grow up in a world that is loving and non-judgmental. A world that embraces everyone regardless of race, class or ethnicity.

I have a dream that Mikayla will succeed in her life dreams doing and becoming whatever she chooses.

I have a dream that my daughter will find a man that makes her as happy as Ben makes me. I dream that she will be blessed with a loving family.

I have a dream that Mikayla will always have food, clothing and shelter to meet her basic needs.

I have a dream that Mikayla will embrace her namesake and strive to make the dreams of Reverend MLK come alive in her world.

I have a dream that Mikayla will live in a world where she is free to make her own choices and not be ridiculed because of them.

I have a dream that Mikayla will always feel safe and loved.

I have a dream that Mikayla will be open minded and adventurous.

I have a dream that Mikayla will keep her innocence and inquisitiveness her entire life.

I have a dream that Mikayla will be a nurturer, lover and helper.

I have a dream that Mikayla will not only embrace the characteristics and qualities of MLK, but also those of Jesus.

I have a dream that Mikayla will love the poor, embrace the outcasts, and rescue the marginalized.

I have a dream today!

I have many more dreams for my daughter, but these are the ones that come to mind this evening. My speech is not quite as powerful as MLK’s was, but there it is.

Tags: dream, love, Mikayla, MLK | Posted in Parenting |

MLK Update

January 17th, 2010

Tomorrow is Martin Luther King Day, Mikayla’s namesake. Check back later for pictures and comments about this and how we celebrated. But for tonight, here are some recent pictures of our little MLK.

If you recall this post, you will be able to see how much MLK has really grown in 8.5 months.

Mom got MLK this little zebra at a consignment sale, and while she isn’t quite ready to ride on her own, she is enjoying it. Even Shiloh wanted in on the action! 2010-January 070

MLK was very eager to help me fold and put away the laundry yesterday. She was a great helper!

Tags: Family, Growing up, Mikayla | Posted in Life, Parenting |

Quick Potato Soup Recipe

January 17th, 2010

This won’t be a long post, but I wanted to share this very yummy recipe I found. It came from a food blog I subscribe to called Good Life Eats. The recipe for potato soup can be found here. It was quick, required ingredients most people have on hand, filling and perfect for a chilly, rainy evening such as the one we are having here in BG! I am not going to type the recipe out, because it is already done so very nicely on the blog and that would just be redundant. You can check it out for yourself!

I did make a few alterations, I mean after all I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t change a recipe a little!! I added a generous Tbsp of garlic, an extra potato, 1/2 cup extra cheese, some Cajun seasoning, onion powder (I didn’t have onion so I omitted this), and lots of salt and pepper. I omitted 1/2 cup of sour cream, mostly because I don’t like the flavor, and partly because I only had 1/2 cup. We topped it with some bacon and some shredded cheddar cheese. It was perfect! And there was plenty left to eat on for the week.

Mikayla didn’t eat the soup, but sure enjoyed some rice!

Tags: Cooking, recipes, websites | Posted in Cooking |

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