Toad's Treasures Lifestyle Family Blog by Emily Ashby: March 2011

EASY Free Stuffed Chick Pattern & Tutorial

{Spring Chicklet}

Hey there little fella'! You've been waiting a while to wave your wings at us & the time is finally here! How about we show these great crafters the story of your little life...shall we?

What's that? Oh, right...I'll be sure to tell them about the tutorial booklet that's also available.

{Simple Starts: From Scraps to Stuffing}

To follow along, print out the pattern and grab the following:

To see exactly how much fabric you'll need, just check out the pattern pieces. FYI: All of the pieces fit on one printable 81/2 X 11" sheet.

-Soft fabric for the front and back

-Scraps of fabric for the eyes, wings, and beak {FYI: My wings are made of Amy Butler fabric.}

-Approx 10” of string/ribbon for the legs {5” for each leg-depending on how long you want them}

-Stuffing

Aw, look at you!

But we all know that it's "not good for ~~man~~ chick to be alone"...

Ah, yes. That's much better!

{Printable Booklet} And now that you've heard the story, you must know all of the talk in the nest...

You can have this simple tutorial at your fingerprints in seconds!

The entire pattern and tutorial {as well as additional added tips and tricks} is available as a printable booklet for $3.50:

So what are you waiting for? You've got Spring Easter Baskets to fill, right?:)

{Bliss}
What's that you're saying Mr. Chick?

Aw, Happy Easter to you too!

And we hope you and your soon-to-be-made friends find their way into many Easter baskets this year!:)

Have fun!

Love, Emily aka "Toad":)

Delay of Game

{Downer}
Strep. Throat. Stinks. Alot. And it has totally kicked my trash. It was my 1st time ever having it & hopefully the last. Whoever named it "strep throat" didn't do it justice. It should have been called "a terrible flu-like bacteria that makes you think you are going to die and you probably would if it wasn't for antibiotics."

Maybe that's a bit long.

I had no idea what a crappy, crappy sickness it really was! Darn it.

{Upper}
So as not to sound like a total complainer, I have learned a few things during my misery! I'm still not 100%, so bare with me here people...

-When I'm healthy again, I'm going to enjoy every minute of it. EVERY MINUTE. That even includes jogging in cold weather and drinking less diet coke. {gasp}

-Kids really do need their moms to love, cuddle, and kiss them.   And to get them on the bus.

-Ralph can not only karate-kick, but dance. And that quiet confidene, those big brown eyes, and boyish charm sure haven't been lost over the past few years!:)    Oh, and I've also discovered "Bones" while stuck on the couch. Not bad.

- I'm sorry to all of you pregnant women...namely Tanya...who suffer from HG. I've had a flash back to life being pregnant and it wasn't pretty. You go girls.

{Good-Night}
Just wanted you all to know that I haven't been avoiding you. When I'm up to it I'll totally get that chick tutorial posted.  I promise.

I also have some other fun things I'm excited to share with you...

Just know it won't be tomorrow night...

I've got some Cougars to root for!

Love,

former byu alum

Toad;)

Plushie Chick Booklet

{Definition}
Plushie Chick Booklet [ˈbʊklɪt] n: an easy way to keep track of toad's spring chick tutorial. time saver. simple step-by-step clear picture instructions for the cutest & easiest chick ever.

pattern included.

download {$3.50}, print, cut, staple. {see below}

a great option if you can't wait for me to finish my "chick" post! {which i promise i'm working on...its just taking forever!}

in the meantime this booklet is hot off the press, it turned out so great, and I couldn't wait to share it with you.

{Sweetness}

These chicks have won my heart.

Not only are they a super fun, fast project, but they've helped me endure this "ready for warm weather" funk.

Thanks guys.

{Full Chick Post}
Coming soon.;)

No Pinching Zone

{March 17}

Green.

Rainbows.

Chicks.

What? Hey there. What just one minute!

What are you two doing? This is suppose to be a post about St. Patrick's Day not Spring or Easter! Stop your "cheepin'" and listen!

You weren't suppose to make your big debut for a few more days! You know how hard I've been working on your pattern and tutorial!

Listen, its almost your turn. Just hang in there. You'll meet our blogging friends soon enough.

And in the mean time while I put the finishing touches on these two silly birds,

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Love, Toad

I Heart Face: Best Face Photo from February 2011

{Couldn't Resist}

I just had to throw this picture into this week's photo challenge at I {Heart} Faces. There is something about a this little guy's contagious giggle that keep me coming back for more. I'd push him all day on a swing just to hear it...even if I wasn't his mom.;)

If you have a few minutes to kill I {Heart} Faces always a fun & inspiring place to visit! {You can even cast a vote this week! But good luck picking your favorite out of all the great photos!!}

XOXO-

Emily

Playdough & Progress

{Giant Gumballs}

Ethan: "Wow, that's creative Emily. They look like giant gumballs!"

Now that's a actually a great idea! Who wouldn't love to get a sore jaw from chewing a gumball that size!:)

{And yes, sometimes Ethan and I are on a 1st name basis. Although its usually when other moms are around because he thinks its less confusing and he knows he'll get my attention. My dad doesn't really like it, but I don't mind. I just told Ethan only 2 people in the whole world can call me mom and he's lucky to be one of them...;)}

{The Playdough Recipe}

What do you do when you miss your cousin's 3rd birthday party? Make something fun for him of course! {Oh, and sorry we haven't mailed it yet Greyson! We'll get it to you soon!:)}

If you've never made playdough before.... well, you've never done anything so easy that is so much fun. You just mix it all up and heat it on the stove.

At first I thought it would be fun to send the playdough balls all wrapped up like this,

but then I remember I had this empty, clean ;) plastic mayo jar! Oh yeah!

This is what happened next...

And yes, another random printable to save the day. Want one? It would actually be pretty darn cool around a 2 Liter of pop too!

{PS I just have to warn you that the paper was about 1/2" to short when I put it around the jar. I just tapped it that way and it turned out fine.}

Click Here to get yours!

{Batman Baby}
And since Greyson was having a Lego Batman party... how about some memory/go fish/old maid/ or whatever else you can think of cards! I just googled the pictures, made 2 of each, and pulled out that laminator...

And what kid wouldn't be happy with this combo?!:)

Could I be any more random? Really?:)

{Open Eyes}
And on a different note...sometimes its hard for me to see how things or people close to me change over time. I think its partly because I've lost a few brain cells during pregnancy and I have a terrible memory {really, i'm not kidding;)}, but mostly because each day I'm so focused on the boys and trying to keep some sort of balance in my life.

However, these last few weeks my eyes have been opened to some great progress happening in our home...

{The John}

Ethan is totally growing up. Boo.

As I stood at the door of the men's bathroom at Costco yelling, "Are you Ok?!" over and over, I couldn't believe he was brave enough to go into the men's by himself. This was the 1st time in a public place I let him do it, but I guess any mother passing by could have told you that. Boy that makes me nervous. But we he did it.

Boo hoo hoo...

He's also been praying "the bad guys turn good" and "that the good guys will be happy." His teachers at church told me that in one prayer he asked that Satan will turn good. Hmmm...once again I'm schooled in understanding why we are commanded to become like little children...

And talk about growing up...he's also starting to really grasp the concept of money. As we left Costco he thanked me for spending my money so that we could have food. I know.

He is also trying terribly to save up for a remote control R2D2 so he's been trying to add items to his little Etsy shop. I can't tell you how thrilled he was when a cake decorator in AZ ordered some sticks. {Okay, I have to admit I was excited too...}

And here's the latest product added to Sticks and Things! I mean what pre-schooled aged crafter couldn't use a set of these!:)

{Hey, I wouldn't be a good mom if I didn't "plug" his shop...right?:)}

{Mountain Climbing}
Progress for this next family member has come in a different way. Aidan is 2 1/2 and is about 9 months behind in his speech development. The last few months have been full of testing, speech education, and many breakdowns for both of us.

Turns out even without any major physical, emotional, or cognitive issues, speech delay is somewhat common for boys these days. Aidan scored in the 90th percentile in his fine motor and problem solving skills and 1% on his speech. I've been learning a TON, but one of the most important thing is that early intervention is so important. By the time kids are 3 they won't qualify for help from most community programs...thank goodness for my Aunt Diane who encouraged me to "just get him tested."

And if I didn't love him so much...

Our frustration levels have been high. I'm trying desperately to understand and help him form new words, and he is doing his best to let me know what he wants and needs...

My empathy for parents with special needs kids has multiplied by a million. I think God blesses them with gifts the rest of us don't have or need to have.

Using the techiniques I've been learning from our awesome speech therapist and from my own reading and studying we've seen great progress. Aidan has gone from about 10 words to 35 in a matter of weeks. We still have a ways to go, but we've started hiking the switchbacks that will help us conquer this mountain.

{The Husband}
And I wouldn't be a good wife if I didn't tell Bob what great progress he making with his "lifestyle" change! He started on Nutrisystems in January and has lost about 18 lbs! Healthy? Yes. And look at those jeans starting to get a little baggy...;)

{Me}
And as for me? I've become a historian.

Okay, maybe not officially, but I've been compiling and editing the life history of one of the greatest examples in my life, my Grandpa Johnson.

Its taken many late hours and naptimes to work on it, but I just finished the 1st rough draft.

I'll be headed to visit him next week and we'll work out more details. By our next family reunion his posterity should have a book for the ages.

(This pictured was taken in 2006 at his 90th birthday party and family reunion.)

{Shy guy}

And as far as project progress goes...this little friend is just about ready to make his big debut! I'm in the final "pattern and tutorial" stages, and I'll see if I can't convince him to come out soon!