Three Sheets to the Room

A few years ago, I did a makeover of the Munchkin's bedroom.  As his 8th birthday approached, I realized it was time for another update - something to reflect the Munchkin of today.

We had already swapped out his sagging bookcase for a stacked cubby unit - which he has filled with books, LEGO models, and some other odds and ends.

And the table that sat in the middle of his room covered with LEGO and taking up ALL the avalable floor space was replaced with a Hubby-built LEGO desk, with storage shelves underneath for his sorting bins and more "odds and ends".


So -with all this LEGO going on, the robot bedding we had was just not doing it (for me - Munchkin didn't seem to mind).

So three flat sheets, a bit of cutting and a bit of applique later, and I had whipped up two new valences and a cover for the robot comforter.

Good to have the sewing machine back from being serviced -as I satin stitched all around the applique.

LEGO guy on the bed - his old comforter is inside the new cover.

LEGO cover and all his "buddies" hanging out.

New valances made from the cuff end of the striped sheets, with the remaining sheet used to make the reverse side of the comforter cover.

The other window (curtains tied up due to LEGO interference) his new cube storage stool, and the open space where the table used to be.

And now we are good... for a few more years perhaps?
 

LEGO rules!!!

In my house - in addition to all the quilting and sewing and cooking and gardening that happens - there is also a lot of LEGOing (it's a word - right?)... Munchkin was introduced to LEGO at an early age and has quickly added many new sets and bricks and minifigs to the sets he "inherited" from his parents.

Other members of my family are also LEGO fiends - and my brother Bill shared this set with me today:

(Lots of other great detail photos on the site so click through to the link.)

So he has a little bit of bias and good reason to share this - he is Adafruit Support for this company - and was told the following:

“please get everyone know to do the same. this is a good use of social networks - an adafruit workshop inspiring young kids to share this electronic maker adventure is wonderful goal.

 plus you'll all get LEGO versions of yourselves if we get this.”

Regardless of his connection - I think this is a cool set for so many reasons!  It shows a really cool, very realistic tech setup with a great female role model for those who like technology and science.  It's cool for girls AND boys AND parents.

So the way this works is if 10,000 people support this model, LEGO will review it and potentiallly put it out as an available set.

What do you say ?  I know there are some LEGO loving bloggers/quilters/crafters/gardeners/people out there...  help spread the word.

Here's the link:  http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/17491
 
Lots of other great LEGO ideas out there - you do need to register with the site to vote, but it's easy!

The return of Birth Month

Anyone who has been following this blog for at least a year may recall that in our house, February is "Birth Month".  This year will be heavily LEGO - as we are planning not one, but two LEGO themed birthday parties for the Munchkin - one with family and one with friends.  Nothing as ambitious as last year - but I am sure I will have some crafty ideas to share later this month.

Today was Day 1 - and we started off our FIFTH year of "Birth Month" celebration with a gifty for the Munchkin... LEGO of course.  He's taking more and more of a role each year in planning what gifts to GIVE - so that's fun.

We even have the extra little pocket for the 29th - our little bonus day to celebrate.  Now I have 28 more days to figure out what to do for that day!

Happy "Birth Month" one and all -I hope you will check in on us during the month to party along - even if your birthday is not in February you are welcome to party with us.

January is...

"organize it month."

Have you noticed how all the sales in 99% of the stores in January revolve around two items - fitness equipment (post Christmas Cookie Guilt perhaps) and plastic storage item.

This year our fitness equipment is revolving around the Wii we got for Christmas, with lots of boxing, bowling and golf taking place in our house, and more to come when Mommy can score a Wii Fit on sale.

Organization has always been pretty good here - we love our flip top lugs, our clear plastic "shoeboxes" - and thanks to Jill, we are now hooked on 12x12 Art Bins. Not for organizing our crafting supplies... although 2 of the 16 we now own are MINE... no - we use our art bins to organize our LEGO!!!

Many many moons ago - I organized all my LEGO by size and shape and piece type - tucking them neatly into fishing tackle boxes - tackle boxes that did not stack, tackle boxes that you had to open to see what was inside, and tackle boxes that rapidly became too small for the enormity of the task.

When Jill gave me an Art Bin for my quilting last year, Hubby started eying them for LEGO storage -and a few good sales gave us the opportunity to make the big switch. Two of the three tackle boxes have now been "retired" and we are working through the last box, plus a few more tubs and bins and boxes of unsorted pieces and parts from then and now. It's a big task, but the Munchkin loves to sort, and the boys have it down to a science now.

The Box (long and rambling version)

(I know I have some promised posting to catch up on - but I am going to take things out of chronological order a bit - bear with me)

Way back before Christmas, I signed up for a Valentine Swap with some of my Tran-Quilt-ity group members. Coordinated by Gina in Wales, we had packages going all over the world. My little gifties (pictured here) were sent off to Zarina in Malaysia. And once again, we were entrusting our little treasures to the mercies of the world's postal services.

As people's packages started to arrive, they posted pictures on their blogs and you could sense their excitement. And slowly slowly by process of elimination, I came to realize my swap was coming from Gina... and from a post she had made, I knew she had mailed it out at the very very end of January.

I waited - and waited - and waited. Valentine's Day came and went - no package. My birthday came and went - and other packages arrived - but no sign of Gina's package. Then February ended, and March came. Still nothing. April. Still nothing. I did not say much - I knew Gina had mailed it and did not want her feeling bad at something that was out of her control. I just figured it was tied up in customs somewhere. I pretty much gave up at ever seeing it.

On Monday I received a package - this was one I had been expecting from Jill (and one that you will have to wait until tomorrow to read about). And then on Tuesday, we found a "package slip" in our PO box. That meant we had a package that was too big to fit in our box, and the package pick up lockers were either too full, or too small. We were going to have to wait and pick it up over the counter... which would normally have meant waiting until Saturday.

Except I had a brain storm! The kids are off school this week, and my niece has her driver's license! Maybe she would be willing to do a pick up run for me... especially since I was curious as I was not expecting anything. Could it possibly be???

Low and behold... nearly 3 months after being mailed.... it FINALLY arrived. Battered and tattered and torn, but it arrived!!!

I was in shock - the customs forms were still there - the address was intact - but the box looked like an elephant had sat on it. One side was nearly split open, and you could see the contents through the gap.

But once I started opening it - I saw that although having been tossed and turned about, the contents seemed intact. Even a terra cotta flowerpot - it's box crumpled and torn - was uncracked and solid! As were my ceramic Welsh Dragon salt and pepper shakers! And the chocolates - can't forget those!!! Quilting and gardening magazines - Gina really knows my passions! Some wonderful lotions and soaps, a great pattern, and some other goodies! I was in awe that it all made it through - and that nothing had fallen out of the gaping hole in the box!


Gina and her daughter even planned on celebrating the Munchkin's birthday and birth month, and had sent a whole big bag of goodies for him! Luckily for us the package came before he outgrew the wonderful Thomas t-shirt they included. He spent the evening pouring over the magazines they sent, playing with the pretend walkie-talkie's and putting together Lego with Daddy.

Lego that included - of all things - a turtle!!!

Happy Happy belated Valentine's Day!!
Thanks, Gina!

Uncle Rick would be proud

I remember (I think) the first year my brother got Lego for Christmas. It was a fire station - and he played with it for HOURS - letting me play with it to0, if I recall.

He and I had many many different sets of Lego over the years - with my tastes running to the castles and medieval sets - and his predominantly in the city sets.

But I still remember those fire trucks.

And now my Munchkin has a fire truck of his own, thanks to his oldest cousin. And excellent taste in toys...

Yesterday as I put his coat on, he told me he needed a zipper in the back.

When I asked him if he needed a zipper so I could put his batteries in, like a toy, he said...

"Mommy, toys don't have batteries"

Sniff sniff - made this Mommy proud!!!

(and just to be honest - some of his toys do - but not many)

A Little Boy Grows a Bit More

Anyone who really knows Hubby or I well knows that we are both long time LEGO-fanatics. My "addiction" started back in high school, when I started collecting the castle sets. About 10 years later I stopped actively buying, but am just a few sets short of complete for that time period. Hubby has more of the space themed sets - and we each have them stored in our own style - mine sorted into tackle boxes by shape and size (about 4 boxes worth -plus a big tub for the baseplates and other large parts) with the instructions in binders - and Hubby's dumped into various sized tubs and all jumbled together.

Pre-Munchkin we would from time to time pull them all out and build something HUGE.

When the Munchkin came along we put them all up for a while, and have enjoyed a few years of DUPLO, knowing all the while that this "inheritance" awaits the little guy when he is big enough.

Today we took the first step - as the Munchkin asked me to get down the LEGO starter set I had stored in his closet. This set was HIS - gifted to us as a hand-me-down somewhere along the line and put away until he was ready.

Today he was ready.

We made a deal to sort out some of his neglected toys and give them away to others -and in turn we would make room for the "big boy LEGO."

He did great on the sorting and donating -which he has been resisting every time I have mentioned it.

Today he was ready.
Today my little boy got a little bit bigger.

And started following in Mommy and Daddy's footsteps.

It was a happy day all around!

It made me doubly glad I decided to purchase a small "big boy LEGO" set for his Christmas stocking (and one for Daddy's, too) - because I had decided that "I" was ready.

He just beat me to it!