Who's it going to be?

     Today we found out the gender of our baby chickadee.. About two weeks ago the boys had come home from Sunday school and told me how they prayed for this baby to be a sister...

Clean House

     I love to be pregnant. The wonder and joy of a child growing in my womb shows me daily of the great power of our Creator.

     Although the first trimester of my pregnancies is not always filled with joy and wonder, I revel in each and every single one. For me the first trimester is filled with happiness and excitement, but mostly I am plagued with all day, and sometimes even at night, nausea. The nausea robs me of all my energy and with it goes my strength to do my daily chores and activities. Mr. Chickadee then has to step in and help around the house, washing dishes, throwing in a load of laundry, sweeping the floor, making the boys do their chores, etc. Of course he is not able to keep up with the house like I would and I don't blame him. After 8-10 hour shifts at work as a carpenter, he is beyond exhausted and wants to come home to rest, not do my chores.

Pay it Forward

Thanks everyone for commenting on the Pay it Forward post!

Here are the pay it forward contributors that will receive a handmade gift from me:

1. Kitty
2. Margarita
3. Ohma

Please email me your address so that I can send you your gift.

yelenasnest@yahoo.com

I have until the end of this year to make and send them to you.

It will be a surprise and will arrive on your doorstep when you least expect it!
I am more than ever motivated to get crafting now :)

Pickled Watermelon

Yes you read that right,

I pickled some watermelon!
 

 
And it is delicious!! 

 

I won!!

Hey friends, remember Refashion Co-Op's book giveaway?

If not, click here to refresh your memory :)

Well guess what?! I won!!

I didn't win the book, but I did win

a coffee cozy AND a journal covered in refashioned bits!
 

I am so excited!!

Check them out, aren't they delicious?!!
 

Thank you Refashion Co-Op for letting me be a part of the giveaway!

A Fathers Day surpise...

     For fathers day this year, Mr. Chickadee got a really neat wallet that I made.. He loves it and shows it off every chance he gets and brags how his wife made it specially for him ♥♥♥

However, that is not all that he got! I had another surprise waiting for him...

Our Perfect Day

I woke up at 8 am yesterday morning, all alone in my bed and fully rested.

The chickadees woke up with out a fuss and happily ate

their каша [kasha] {cream of wheat} and drank all their milk.

When they were done, they placed their dishes into the sink and offered to wash them.

After every one helped to clean up, we all prepared for school.

 Simon, the oldest chickadee, found the right DVD and turned it on to start their class.

Through out our school day I had to remind the chickadees,

only a few times to sit down, pay attention, or do their seat-work.

And the two youngest ones played quietly in their room, interrupting us only a few times.

Lana's Inspired Creations

I would like to introduce to you...

 

my friend Lana

 

of  Lana's Inspired Creations 

 

And share with you today one of her many talents..

Ruched Strap Cover

After making Scrappy the Snake 

I want to use up more of my leftover fabrics.

So yesterday I made this strap cover for my camera.

Scrappy the Snake

I have a few scraps projects that I would like to do,

but just never seem to get around to them.

Thanks to the Refashion Co-Op book give away,

I decided to make a few projects this week.

Last night I made this snake from scraps of fabric.

Want to make your own?

Now you can...

Read on to find out how...

Refashion Co-Op Book Givaway

Refashion Co-Op 

 is doing a book giveaway! How cool is that?
 

This is the book and I'd love to win win it!

WHO WOULDN'T???!!!

Everyone has fabric leftovers and wouldn't it be

great to have more ideas for what to do with them??

So go on over to Refashion Co-Op, sign up and enter to win.

Russian Names

About 50% of my friends and acquaintances are not Russian

and most of them do not know Russian culture.

One of the things they ask me about is my name.

"Naming traditions in Russia include three names for each individual: a first name, patronymic name and a surname. The surname is handed down from one generation to the next, as do surnames in many other cultures. The first name is also referred to as the baby's given name, and the patronymic name is a derivative of the father's first name."

~ Love to know baby.

Russian first names have different forms that are used during various situations.

Which is why some of my friends get confused

when they hear my family call me by another name.

Upcycle | Happy Father's Day

 About a month before Father's Day

Mr. Chickadee told me his wallet was getting old.

Was that a hint or did he really need a new wallet?

Mr. Chickadee is a very practical man (aren't they all?) so I took a look at it.

He really was in need of a new one.

I also realized he didn't even know that Father's Day is around the corner :)

So I decided to make him a new wallet from an old leather jacket.
 

Rib Roast

Normally we smoke ribs in our smoker,

but for the sake of trying something new

and because Mr. Chickadee is the only one in our family

who knows how to use the smoker,

(and he's been working late hours)

I decided to try this recipe.

Save money...

Without opening a savings account.

Water and air

Today the chickadees and I made a science experiment.

This experiment can be found in

101 Great Science Experiments

by Neil Ardley

Air and Gases: 

Seal with air

page 7

 Want to keep water from falling out of an upturned glass?

Buttermilk Biscuits

Pay it Forward

I saw this post on Super Stitches and thought,

"What a wonderful idea!"

It was posted in March and already has 5 comments.

Which means I can't participate in her generosity,

but who's to say I can't continue Pay it Forward anyway?

 

Fabric Flowers

I finally got around to making these last week for my mom's birthday..

(they're a bit squished from being under the glass in the back of the car)

I made the flowers in two days

and when my parents arrived from MN.

Chickadee3 (2) gave them to Grandma and I she loved them :)

Sewing Books

Look what was on my door step yesterday!!

(click on any photo to enlarge it)
A friend of mine borrowed this book from the library,

which reminds me I still have to give it back to you Stacy.

We looked through the book and I loved it!

I wanted to keep it, so I went to amazon.com and ordered it!

Laundry Detergent

I make my own laundry detergent.

This recipe is usually enough for 128 loads..

but it depends on how heavily soiled my husbands work clothes are.

It washes really well and best of all costs very little :D

Sugar Candy

My mom made rooster and fish shaped lollipops for us when we lived in Russia. 

And making these today brought back lots of sweet childhood memories.
 

Wanna make some?
You know you do!

Restyle | Skirt to Dress

When I first laid eyes on this skirt,

I knew I was going to turn it into a dress.

The colors just popped,

the print was lovely and it was silk.
And it was a size 10... way to big for me..
 

Ok, here we go...

Rags to Riches | Fun Chairs

I bought these chairs as a set of two from Goodwill a few years ago.
They were brand new (still in the box)
and I think I paid like $12 for them.

They're nice as is, but I just recently discovered mod podge :)
 

Roast Duck

(this is NOT my duck)
(keep reading to see MY duck)
 

Doll attempt #2

Soon after my
failed attempt at making a doll,
I gave it another shot...

I drew again a body, neck and head, then arms and legs.
This time I gave her a shorter neck,
longer-ish arms
and more tapered thighs.

Doll attempt #1

I have been seeing these dolls in magazines and the Internet
and think they're the cutest dolls ever!

Now I know I don't have a daughter to make a doll for,
but who says I still can't make one?

So I decided to give it try.

Ruffle Clutch

After making my cute purse I got the itch to make another one... 

I browsed the Internet and saw so many cute purses and clutches...

And then I saw this white clutch with orange ruffles...

I had to make one!

Sweet Nuts

Орешки [Oreshki] Sweet Nuts
This little buttery and nutty dessert is a favorite for weddings, holidays, and birthdays.
 

Restyle | Flowery Dress

I bought this dress at Unique Thrift Store for  $4.50.

I like the flowers,
but the dress had shoulder pads,

a neither-here-nor-there length
and the sleeves and arm pit area were too big.

Natural Fibers vs. Synthetic

A few reason I try to stay with natural fibers...

• My oldest son developed an allergic reaction to polyester when he was a baby... well I don't know if it was an allergic reaction, but he cried and was extra fussy whenever polyester was against his skin. There must be a reason he didn't react so well to it, and since then we pretty much stayed away from polyester for our children.
• My mother-in-law, who knows her stuff, has told me once and again that people should wear only natural fibers. She has more experience than me, so I trust her.
• In case of a fire, polyester can melt onto your skin… YIKES!! ... which increases the severity of your injuries.
• I don't know if there was a study done, but I have heard that arthritis is linked to polyester.

Happy Thrifting

When I go thrift shopping, there are a few things that I look for:

First, I look for colors and patterns that catch my eye.

Then I look to see if it's made of natural fibers:
cotton, wool, silk, bamboo, etc.

Vegetable Pie

I would tell you the original recipe that was in the cookbook,

but I added, took away, and replaced so many ingredients,

that I'm just going to tell you what I did.

Sewing

      I have been sewing since my mom (whom I thank to this day for this) gave me a needle, a spool of thread and some scraps of fabric. I was 8 years old. And for the next 2 and a half years I made countless of dresses, skirts, shirts, hats, socks, and yes even underwear for my dolls and teddy bears. Something I wish we could have brought with us when we moved from Moldova to the United States of America. Or at least had photos of.

Diaper Cake for Vicky

A few weeks ago I made a cute
diaper cake for my sister-in-law.
Not following any directions or tutorials,
I looked at a few photos
and just started making it.
At the time I didn't even think to keep track of how.
Trust me though, there are plenty of other people who have,
all you have to do is search.

Spring has Sprung!

I have done it! I have completed a big(ish) project in just 3 days!

My baby can now stare off into nature while dosing off for his naps.

On the first day I drew out in pencil an outline
of the tree trunk, branches and the owl.
It's hard to see the tree outline because the photo got compressed,
but you can kind of see the owl.

To dye or not to dye?

I got quite tired of having dark rugs in the bathroom and decided to get something light when we first moved to our current nest one year ago. After only one day I remembered why I don't ever buy white rugs. I had to wash them once a day! Of course I didn't.. who does? Instead I'd wash them, put them on the floor, then put them back in the laundry basket the next day; where they lay until laundry day.

So my bathroom has been without rugs 90% of the time.

While spring cleaning last week I found my bottle of brown dye.

Gooey Butter Cookies

These little cookies just melt in your mouth!!! And they go quickly!

Upcycle | A lovely pair of flats...

Before.... super comfy, but ruined...

I bought these super comfy flats at a thrift shop last year...
they were plain brown "leather" and did I mention super comfy?

Now even though they were new...
literally they were brand new...
I decided to throw them in the wash.
I was almost in tears when I took them out!
The "leather" had peeled and my flats were ruined!

Upcycle | Papasan Cover

Chocolate, cookie, and milk stains... oh my!

This papasan is in major need of a new cover.

Carrot Salad

Морковь по Корейски [Morkov' po Koreyskee] Korean Carrot Salad

This is one of my super favorite salads!! It is a marinated salad, with fresh carrots as the main ingredient. The dressing is a simple vinegar with fresh garlic, coriander, cayenne and black pepper.

Welcome to my Nest!

There are so many things I try to do that I enjoy, all the while still taking care of a family, that sometimes I lose my serenity.

"The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium." ~ Robert Platt.

This had always been true for me and until I had my second child I kept a diary. It has been 4 years since I had written anything down and I need an outlet!

When I don't write, I talk to my close friends and share my experiences. Every woman, wife, mother needs a friend with whom she can share anything with, to unwind, and not feel judged. I have a very few that have been there for me when I needed them. Whether it was to help me get through a tough time or laugh with and have a relaxing time. Thank you Lord for such a blessing.

I have decided to combine these two things to help me stay a little more sane. Here I will share with you a little bit of my life, my thoughts, ideas and creations.

Grab a cup of tea and unwind with me!