One day...

One day I will:

• actually get the hang of cooking a whole chicken (maybe even without gagging or cringing)
• find an effective way of sweeping up rice...or even better, find a way of keeping it off the floor altogether
• have a calm, happy, peaceful house for a full day
• be dressed and smiling when Ryan comes home from work

That said, today is not that day.  So I'm throwing in the towel; we ordered pizza and put on a movie.

Happy Monday! ;)

Crafting On: Super Easy upcycled skirt

 I'll start with a SUPER easy upcycle project!  I wanted to ease myself in...plus its been a busy week!  This tube top is super cute but a) my girls don't wear tube tops and b) its much too big!  So I ripped out some stitches and removed the top half (stashed the buttons though!).  Because of the smocking, I really didn't have to do anything else!  Its a nice comfy skirt, perfect for playing in!

 I'm also working on a Fiona Romper for Amelia but I think I'm going to have to rip back up to the sleeve because I made some modifications without measuring.  Its looking a little large.  Too bad Weston can't rock a romper...

 As always, joinging up with Nicole at Frontier Dreams.  Go on over and check out what everyone else is up to!

An Upcycled Spring Wardrobe

 As always, I'm joining up with some wonderful ladies for Crafting On!

There's this thrift store just outside of town that does 5$ bags.  You get a garbage bag and fill it up!  I've never actually paid the full 5$ either!  I got all the things below for 4$!  Its like a crafter's dream!  I have big plans for that pile!  That stuff there is going to be (hopefully) the girls' spring wardrobe!  There's some stuff for Weston in there too...but I find sewing for boys much more difficult.  Anything but shorts and pants is outside my abilities...so far!

 I started out with a simple pillowcase night gown for Brooklynn.  I think it is so pretty!  I love the dainty look, its extra sweet!  The tutorial, if you are interested, comes from here.

Then I did a simple pillow case top, also for Brooklynn.  I'm going to knit a little sweater that she can wear over strapless shirts to keep her shoulders covered. 

Finally, a skirt, made out of pj pants!  I just cut strips out of the pants, sewed them together to make a big piece of fabric and sewed a basic skirt!

I'm kind of excited to see what else I can come up with.  Refashioning is king of thrilling! ;)  Stay tuned for more!

Crafting On: Tiny Longies and Easter Animals

As always, I'll be linking up with Nicole at Frontier Dreams for Keep Calm, Craft On. 

For some wonderful, crafty ideas, go check it out!

This week, I finally got around to knitting up my Kool Aid wool.

It was such a treat to knit with.  It even smelled a little bit like Kool Aid still!  I'm working on a wee pair of longies for a friend's new babe.  Makes me a little sad though...I can't knit anything for my kids with only one skein!

 

 

I'm still trying to decide how to knit the cuffs.  

I also worked on some needle felted animals for the kids for Easter.  I've got a rabbit, a baby chick and a mouse with some cheese.  They all still need eyes.  I'm a very beginner needle felter and detail work is a little tricky for me...so I've been avoiding it (just like Amelia's sweater...sigh).

 Ryan is on vacation this week he and Brooklynn did a little creating of their own!  I love that he is painting and she is "making lists". She clearly takes after her mother. ;)

It's that time of year again...

We're dreaming, planning, hoping, and praying about our garden!

We are not avid gardiners yet but every year I look forward to this!  I know that we are going to learn a lot...and maybe, just maybe, we'll get more than a few beans and a tomato!

Unfortunately, we can't put in a real garden because this is a rental with a very small yard, no fence and a whole lot of animals who love to munch.  That said, we get to fill our deck with pots full of beautiful, yummy plants!  They provide shade, privacy and hours of entertainment for the little ones!

I can't wait for our little seedlings to start popping up.  The kids are going to be so excited!!

Crafting On: Upcycled Sweater Longies! Yay!

Joining up with Crafting On at Frontier Dreams!

I found a wool sweater at the thrift store last week.  I look all the time but never find any so this was exciting for me!!  I haved been coveting a pair of upcycled sweater longies for a long, long time!

I used this tutorial (She seriously has the coolest ideas.  There's a soaker tutorial I want to try too!).  It was super easy and only took about half an hour.  It probably would have taken less time but I sewed it inside out and had to rip it out and try again...sigh. 

Here they are!  I was so excited to try them on Amelia, I had a hard time not going in and waking her up from her nap!

 

 I think they look pretty darn cute!

Now I'm on the hunt for more sweaters!  I want to make some for Weston too!  And some footies too!

Spring Sensory Bin

I made our spring sensory bin last night!  I tried to keep it nice and simple since the last one I made didn't even get played with (but I'm not bitter).  I think that we'll start with this as the base and as we start to see more signs of spring, we'll add to it.  For example, when we start to see the squirells and cipmunks out, we'll add acorns.  That way, I don't have to put a ton of work in all at once and the kids won't fet bored by the same bin for the entire season!

So, to start out, we have egg shells and bird seed (er...left over hamster food.  RIP Steve!).  I've been saving egg shells for months and I was quite excited to find a use for them!

The kids loved it (phew!).  The egg shells were used as bowls and cups and, of course, B used them to practice cracking eggs! 

Originally, the thing that discouraged me from doing sensory bins at all was the mess.   I've come to realise that not only is it important for kids to clean up their own messes but they enjoy doing it!  So any time the sensory bin comes out, so does the dust pan and broom.  I think they like this part just as much as the bin itself!