family

  • |

    Reboot

    ByHeather Bailey

    1406_Mexico5

    1406_Mexico4

    1406_Mexico

    1406_Mexico3_265Aaaah…yes.

    Wow.

    What a summer.

    I have been all over the place—everywhere except home.

    It was refreshing and fun, but I am seriously ready to get back to real life. And that's a great feeling. 

    I had a design project that was about two days off of delivery when we left town. Evan's chickenpox slowed me down just enough that I had to wait till we were back to get that wrapped up. I finished the work last week, unpacked, ran around getting kids set up for the new school year, took a few deep breaths—including a hike to our favorite waterfall last Friday with friends—and now I'm back in the ring.

    I've decided to have at least two Wonder Woman Days each week where I tear through my to-dos like I'm battling a horde of supervillians. I'm still debating whether this calls for a token tiara and gratuitous gauntlets to enhance my resolve or whether my invisible airplane is enough.

    1406_Mexico2T

    Yesterday was such a day. By the end of the day, my 'completed' list was five times taller than usual. Yikes. I really earned my stripes when I gathered up suit and tie for Elijah's senior yearbook photoshoot, picked him up early from his graphic-design course, shuttled him on time to his appointment across town, dressed and ready to go… and one last look-over revealed that the child had not shaved. We're talking 1/4" of growth or more—allbeit sparse—peppered all over his face. Not good.

    140722_SeniorPictures_04_470T

    140722_SeniorPictures_06_325Now, I don't shave my face. And he hardly ever does. Neither of us remembered this little detail. I was quite tempted to throw a nice little tantrum in the waiting room. This wooly diversion could set us back by hours while we waited for another opening or rescheduled for August. 

    I closed my eyes, took several deep breaths and it dawned on me that this was one of those bad-in-an-extra-funny-way moments I would look back on fondly one day. I gritted my teeth, then gathered my golden lasso and my shaggy son and we headed to the grocery store for supplies. He put his tee shirt back on, shaved in the restroom, re-dressed in his fancies and headed back to the photo studio to wait.

    140722_SeniorPictures_02_470T

    140722_SeniorPictures_03_470

    The shoot was much more involved than I expected, including shots of him in a cap and gown. Be still, my mama heart. I'm so glad he was clean-shaven. If I hadn't decided earlier to be Wonder Woman, I don't think we would have dodged that speeding bullet very well. I have so much to catch up on. Rescheduling would have been a defeat.

    140722_SeniorPictures_05_470T

    I was even nice about it. How about that? And I fed the hungry boy a giant's serving of Backyard Tacos to celebrate our victory.

    I love that kid.

    Today? Today is not a Wonder-Woman Day. It's a secret-identity day and I'm proceeding at normal speed — rebooting for another blam!-kerpow! day tomorrow.

    Glad to be back.

    SanDiego_Heather_C

  • Christmas Interview Goes Live Today

    ByHeather Bailey

    SweetSimpleSweet and Simple Magazine (SweetandSimpleMag.com) is doing a 25 Days of Christmas marathon with interviews, tutorials, recipes,  party ideas and other Christmas-related fun. My interview went live today, along with details on my family's ornament-party tradition.

    I'm working behind the scenes to finish up the new embroidery patterns so we can get those back from the printer with plenty of time to ship them out before Christmas. I plan to scent up my home with cinnamon and nutmeg—baking or candles, whatever it takes—then snuggle up with my kids and a soft quilt to embroider while we watch The Sound of Music or Gone with the Wind.

    Doesn't that sound fabulous? It's the picture in my head that's getting me through the last leg of this race. I should have some embroidery-pattern news here very, very soon.

    Happy Holidays!

  • |

    Giveaway Day 13 — Puj

    ByHeather Bailey

    Day13_HELLOgiveawayBanner

    Day13_Puj_Tub

    Today's giveaway is from my friend, Katie Richardson, who invented this crazy-cool folding baby tub and quickly expanded her business, Puj Baby, to include several other hip and helpful products for families.

    Day13_Puj_Tub2Katie
    is good friends with Isaac's sister, Maureen. She and I have met up a
    couple of times and every time I see Katie she's reached new heights in
    design. I'm incredibly impressed with her and her success.

    I discoverd the Industrial Design program at my university when I was
    just about to graduate in Apparel Design. I have kicked myself ever
    since for not learning about it sooner. At one point, after I had
    abandoned my plan to pursue Medicine, I had hunted for a degree that
    would lend itself to animatronics (mechanical puppets and special
    effects for the movies, that kind of thing). I wanted to know how to
    make anything and everything, sewn items on through to electronics.

    Day13_Puj_Hug

    I am still mad that the Industrial Design program never came up on that hunt. I
    had grouped it in with Civil Engineering and passed it right by. If I
    could do college again, I would major in Industrial Design and minor in
    Apparel Design. The inventor in me still craves that education on
    materials and processes. Perhaps I can find a program somewhere yet and
    scratch that itchy itch.

    Day13_Puj_NubsWMy point is that Katie here majored in Industrial Design. As did her
    husband, Ben. And look what they have created! Isn't this impressive?
    Together they are a design power house. And I can't wait to see what
    they do next. You can too. Follow Katie and Ben's journey on their company blog and on Katie's "Secret Blog"—I sure hope it's not a true secret—Katie? Puj Baby can also be found on Instagram and Twitter at @PujBaby and on Facebook as well. Check them out.

    Without further ado, today's giveaway prize is a generous bundle of amazing inventions from Katie and her company, Puj. Winner will receive one Puj Tub, one Puj Hug baby towel and Puj Nubs, knobs to hang your Puj products on. A $90 value.

    By the way, the Puj Hug towel
    fastens gently around mom's neck so she can get baby from the tub more
    safely—without fuss. Or dad's neck. See how this works at Puj.com. I love inventions!

    I know some rad people.

    Day13_KatieandFamily

    Day13_PujLogoComment to enter today's contest. Be sure to include your email
    address
    so we can contact you if you win. You don't have to type your email
    address into the body of the comment if you entered it in the email-address
    field on the comment form; I can access that info from behind the scenes. Today's giveaway will close at 11:59pm PST on Tuesday 8/13/13. This one requires a U.S. address. And they can't ship to a P.O. box. Watch for the winner to
    be announced within a day or
    two at the bottom
    of the post.

    For more info on my August HELLO Giveaways, click here. Please
    share the word. Check back every day.

    Good luck!

    xo—Heather


    Read More “Giveaway Day 13 — Puj”

  • Goodbye October, Hello November

    ByHeather Bailey

    ProjectLifeProof
    I'm
    back from a whirlwind month, trotting here, there and everywhere. Let's
    see, Pennsylvania, Florida, the Bahamas, then Denver, Dallas and
    Houston as well. Some of these stops were lay-overs, but other stops
    included white sand, TV cameras,
    and my favorite fabric folks (Quilt Market). I've only been home long
    enough in between each trip to unpack, then repack again.

    I returned to a desk stacked with product proofs to review and
    approve—the HB world kept on turning while I was away—hallelujah. Here's
    the color proof for my new Project Life Olive Edition album cover with Becky Higgins. Yummy, yummy olive green.

    I went for a subtle, decorator-ly print with
    a mod bent so the album would look fabulous in its own right and
    compliment many of the Project Life kits. This way several completed
    albums can be stacked together on the shelf and make their own color
    statement in a room. The spines of the albums are solid green with a
    metal label frame.

    I believe this product line will be out soon. December, most likely.
    But, remember, Becky's Project Lifers are seriously dedicated. You have
    got to get in there and grab these things up the day they go live on Amazon or you might have to wait another couple of months for the next order to arrive. I know, it's impressive—go Becky!

  • Merry Good Cheer & Happy Christmas!

    ByHeather Bailey

    There are kids and cousins buzzing all around and Chopsticks is clanking on the piano in one continuous, clackity loop.  I am determined, however, to harvest enough focus from my buzzy brain to post a Hello and a Merry Christmas.

    Hello!  Merry Christmas!

    60sSanta_HB

    Today I learned that Lindor Truffles are an entirely different texture in cold climates than they are in the Arizona heat.  Did you know this?  It's a different candy.  Better.

    …and that my SIL, Maureen, loves kid-made ornaments and decorations as much as I do.  Her kids' hand-tlered reindeer drawings and construction-paper santas are framed though, and hung throughout the house.  Isaac, be warned, I'm into it.  There will be frames.

    This is the first Christmas we have spent with the Bailey bunch in quite a while.  Our niece, Izzy, is getting married on Tuesday — the first wedding amongst the kiddos.  With folks flying in all weekend, It's one big prolonged party this year.  Serious feasting too.  I'm hoping a good walk each day is enough to combat the bacon, cookies, chocolate, and chips layed out for every meal.  If not, I may need a new dress for the wedding.  This is caloric craziness.

    Case in point: last night's hot cocoa.  It was made with — not water, not milk — but cream.  Have mercy!  Mercy Christmas.

  • A Worm Named Snowflake

    ByHeather Bailey

    FabricStack
    We
    just returned from the best campout with my two brothers and their
    families.  Isaac set up a kitchen to feed an army, complete with
    stovetop, grill, wash tubs, canopy & a tank of water for clean up. 
    Fortunately for the rest of us, he also set up a hammock with its own
    canopy, so we could leisurely ooo & ahh at him while he cooked all
    of our meals — almost.  Cooking is Isaac's favorite pastime on
    campouts.  I prefer laziness (fatigue-ziness really — I'm not the best
    tent-sleeper), so it works out well all around.

    Boots300 We cooked, we ate, we sat about and we fished.  Then we repeated.  I haven't done that much sitting about for years. 

    Best Fishing Tip: 
    If you're fishing to make memories for a pack of little kids, pick up a
    tub of live worms.  The worms will keep the younger kids engaged while
    the older kids have their turn at the poles.  By the time we left
    yesterday, all remaining worms were claimed & named.  Every child
    left happy as could be, fish or no fish.

    Nothing like a bit of
    grime & a hot tent to help you appreciate a warm shower & clean
    sheets.  Works every time.  Camping is great that way.

    Giveaway News:  Thank you to everyone who participated in my Store Giveaway Promotion from the June Newsletter. Congratulations to Jennifer Dessert
    for winning the stack of
    Freshcut fabrics & strawberry pincushion above. If you'd like to
    find out first about future giveaways, tutorials, products &
    company news, sign up for the Heather Bailey Newsletter here.

  • Frozen Bozo

    ByHeather Bailey

    This photo cracks me up.  Can anyone guess what my concept was here? 
    That’s right, it’s a dessert interpretation of a 70s clown.  You’re not
    afraid of clowns are you?

    BananaSplit470
    My new ice cream recipe
    from Father’s Day this year is Double-Chocolate Banana Split ice cream,
    newly coined “Frozen Bozo,” presented with a waffle cone hat, a cherry
    nose and a doily ruff.  It’s interpretative.

    The ice cream isn’t just chocolate either.  It has bananas, cherries and brownies in it.  A fool-proof mix <3:o)

    Also, I’ve drawn up a list of tutorials I’m eager to post. Without
    revealing the specifics, where would you like me to start:  jewelry,
    paper craft, sewing project, home decor?  Lots of plans.  What are you
    in the mood for first?

    Ingredients470a

    Frozen Bozo – Chocolate Banana Split ice cream

    Chocolate Ice Cream Base
    6 C. heavy cream
    2.25 C. sugar
    3 T. pure vanilla extract
    3 C. milk or half ‘n’ half
    16 OZ. bittersweet chocolate

    Mix Ins
    1 C. sliced bananas
    1 C. maraschino cherries
    2 C. chocolate chip brownies (prepare in advance, then
           cut into bite-size pieces and chill)

    Prepare Ice Cream Base

    Icecream308
    Heat cream, sugar, vanilla, and half ‘n’ half mixture to near boiling.
    Meanwhile, heat bittersweet chocolate in microwave-safe bowl at 50%
    power for approx. 3-4 minutes, or until the chocolate is mostly melted.
    Remove chocolate from microwave and stir till all chocolate is melted.
    Next, remove cream mixture from heat and fold in melted chocolate. Stir
    until combined. Refrigerate mixture until thoroughly chilled.  Transfer
    chilled mixture to an ice cream maker and process following
    manufacturer’s instructions.

    After ice cream has reached soft-serve consistency, place ice cream
    cylinder in freezer, or leave in ice cream maker (if there is still
    sufficient ice) to harden for about an hour. Meanwhile, prepare mix-in ingredients as directed below.

    Mix-in the Good Stuff

    Chill
    a large bowl by placing it in an ice bath, or in freezer. When ice
    cream has chilled for about an hour, scoop it into chilled bowl.
    Immediately add all mix-in ingredients and stir till just combined.
    Return ice cream to cylinder or a prepared container of your choice*.
    Place ice cream back in freezer to harden overnight.

    *Try a new, food-safe paint can from your home improvement store, cleaned with bleach-water.

    Enjoy!