Monday, May 30, 2011

Happy Memorial Day!


Thank you to all those who have served our country and those that are currently serving to protect our freedom and this amazing country in which we are so blessed to live.



I am lucky enough to have my mom & 3 nieces and 1 nephew visiting from AZ this week. I miss these crazy kids so much and we are enjoying the time with them.  This morning we went to the parade in Cazenovia and this afternoon picnic then fishing at the lake. 

The crazy teenagers! {man I am scared for when my girls are this age!}



The cute little ones!



Sunday, May 29, 2011

Weekly Menu!

I have been invaded by 3 teenage nieces, 1 crazy 6 year old nephew & my mom so this weeks meals are all about being large enough to feed an army! ;)

Meal #1 Lasagna, tossed salad & garlic cheese bread
Meal #2 Tacos (chicken & beef) tortilla chips w/ salsa & spanish rice
Meal #3 Steak , french fries & fruit salad
Meal #4 Burgers & hotdogs w/ deviled eggs, macaroni salad & watermelon
Meal #5 Beer Can Chicken, pasta salad & salt potatoes

Also on deck for breakfast & snacks sometime during this visit -

Cinnamon Rolls
Granola Bars
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Smores outdoors using those super HUGE marshmallows...ooey gooey delish!

Friday, May 27, 2011

Friday FAB finds!

Coolest new website EVER!! It lets you "pin" things you find all over the web onto your boards & you can follow other boards as well! This is a lifesaver since I am always emailing myself links to crafts, projects, recipes, etc!  Now I have a place to keep & organize all these "ideas" I find online!

Super cute & easy way to embellish a plain ole cheap T-shirt!

I remember this when I was a little girl living in Tempe, I am glad Christy's family finally got some justice and hopefully now closure.

This is a must try since beef is so expensive but Dave loves a good steak!

Nice! Such a simple idea and so smart! Take advantage of those markdowns on winter/spring clothing and turn them into summer clothes!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Fresh Squeezed Lemonade!

YUM! Perfect on hot sunny days.  I am talking good old fashioned lemonade...not powdery mix from a can...water, sugar & lemons....over ice of course........Ahhhhhhh......so refreshing & relaxing!!!




Here is the recipe I use, not too tart, not too sweet...just right:

Lemonade

8 cups water
3/4 cup - 1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice {6-8 lemons)

In small saucepan combine 1c water & the sugar, heat until sugar is totally dissolved {simple syrup}.  Remove from heat and cool in refrigerator until chilled.  Combine remaining 7c water & lemon juice & simple syrup.  Serve over ice & enjoy!  We have even pureed watermelon, strawberries or raspberries and added before, super yummy!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Knot sundress part 2!

You remember here where I showed you Emerson's dress, well Savannah has been on me to get her dress made since then...Finally last night I got some help from my friend Lianne once again getting started and then I was able to finish it today!  She is thrilled and I am happy to have completed 2 dresses from this pattern & look forward to making the ruffle pants & top, bag & maybe even the headband too!


And here is the less than thrilled model showing off her new dress & funny face @ the same time!




Finally...just because...here is a picture of 1 of our amazing lilac bushes out back....this is the only one in bloom so far & it smells heavenly!!!!!!


Tuesday, May 24, 2011

You should see the other guy!

Emmie is my rough and tough kid..she is my girl version of a boy, whereas Savannah has always been all girl!  Well yesterday Em had her first major accident, not shabby since she will be 3 in just a couple months! 


While running across her bedroom to put something in the toy box she tripped and went face first into the corner of the box!  HUGE thud sound and she dropped to the ground, I run over, Savannah freaks out & blood starts pouring out...followed by screams and tears!  We got the bleeding stopped quickly but it was instantly black/blue and super swollen.  I went back and forth on taking her to urgent care & Dave looked when he got home and we decided not to, it had closed back up on its own and she was calmed down, other than complaining her ouchie hurt she was normal.  This picture truly doesn't do it justice, even today its a huge purple goose egg with a nice red slit across it. YIKES!!!

Luckily, its nothing a Popsicle couldn't fix!

We were off to the pediatrician this morning anyway since she has a nasty cough & yucky booger nose (as she calls it!) Her with her bruised goose egg & cut and me sporting a swollen eye since I got some type of bug bite on my eyelid last night & a black/blue thumb from slamming it in the back door of my car over the weekend....I just told them we got in a bar fight & they should see the other guy!?! :)  They looked at her head and said it should not scar so here's to hoping!

Monday, May 23, 2011

Ice Pop Cozy!

So..my girls love any and all Popsicles, especially Otter Pops & frozen Gogurts {I feel obligated to get on a soapbox here for a public service annoucement, PLEASE buy the simply gogurts & not those scooby, spongebob, unnatural flavored ones!! Be good to your kids because one day they will run this country!} BUT they also apparently have very sensitive girly hands since they need a paper towel wrapped around the plastic ice pop every time we eat them!!  So, in an effort to cut back on all the wasted paper towels being "green" and save money at the same time I made these ice pop holders!!  The other day it just came to me to make something reusable since we are entering serious Popsicle season and all.  I am sure I'm not the 1st person to do this but thought I would share.  I grabbed some funky bright colored tye-dye fleece {figured we would want something thick to soak in the condensation as it melted & to keep those sensitive little hands safe from the threat of frost bite.}

This morning I cranked out 6 of these little cozies in about 30 minutes.  Super easy and fast, my kinda project! :)  This is all totally obvious and simple to figure out on your own but I snapped some pics along the way and figured out measurements to share.



First, cut a piece of your fleece 5"x10"

Now, take the short ends and fold over 1/4" and then fold over 1/4" again, iron to stay flat & pin, stitch both ends down to keep them secure.




Now fold in 1/2 lengthwise (right sides together) and pin in place, sew down the side seam & along the bottom. You don't even have to worry about keeping these seams all neat & tidy since it will all be inside the finished product!



Flip right side out and voila, instant Ice Pop Cozy!


Give to your kiddo to enjoy & feel proud of yourself for being "green" & saving $$moola$$ on paper towels!!


**UPDATE**  Since making these I found a WAY easier method! {duh, why didnt I think to do it like this?!?}  check it out here

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Weekly Menu!

Meal #1 Flat Bread Margherita Pizza w/ tossed salad
Meal #2 Slow cooker chicken taco verde w/ cilantro lime rice & chips w/ salsa
Meal #3 Mac & Cheese w/ hotdogs & fruit salad
Meal #4 Olive Garden Salad & Olive Garden breadsticks
Meal #5 Goulash w/ drop biscuits & tossed salad


Things to try:

Banana Slush Punch - need to have a party so I can serve this!
Lemon Pull-Aparts

Saturday, May 21, 2011

New neighbors!

This Robin has moved into a planter on our porch that hangs just steps outside our front door.  We have been watching her build her home over the past week & yesterday 1 egg appeared, then another.  The girls are so excited for the babies to arrive and are really enjoying watching the momma bird too! I guess there will be no flowers planted in this pot for summer!


***** UPDATE 5/22 - now 3 eggs*****


And...here are some gorgeous yellow tulips {my favorite} in our flower bed out front for you to enjoy!

Friday, May 20, 2011

Friday FAB finds!! {+ May Silhouette giveaways}

PLEASE take the time to watch this video, I had NO idea & you might not either!

Homemade Cleaners
I have been making my own laundry soap for over a year now but want to try out some of these others too!

Pinwheel Hair Clips!
These look so cute, I have been wanting to try out hair accessories so maybe this is where I will jump in!

Road Trip Travel Trays
This is such a great idea for those summer road trips coming up! I know my girls cannot make it to Target without getting bored!


Silhouette giveaways - here I go again, dying to win one of these amazing machines! You would think after this long of trying they would just take pity on me and gimme one already! ;)
  Even if you don't want to enter check out these blogs, they are all AMAZING!!

Southern Hospitality
Tatertots & Jello
Bowl Full of Lemons
Grosgrain Fabulous
WhipperBerry
Thrifty & Thriving
Todays Creative Blog
DecorChick
With Style & Grace



Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Pattern Virgin no more!

Soo...I finally conquered my fears of the pattern I bought over a month ago....these ridiculously cute apron front knot sundresses have been everywhere & I loved them...but I did not love the price tag...........so found a pattern (I grabbed from ebay for under $5!) and got super cute Amy Butler fabrics but just could not force myself to jump in! There are super cute ruffle pants, headband, bag, & top in addition to the dress so I see myself getting a lot of use from this pattern!


HUGE thanks to my friend Lianne - {seamstress extraordinaire} she walked me through using a pattern for the first time!  I finished up Emerson's dress today and now cannot wait to get started on Savannah's! 




Here is my little Emmie modeling, she was beyond thrilled with her fancy dress!




Sunday, May 15, 2011

Weekly Menu!

Meal #1 Easy Baked Tortellini w/ Dilly garlic bread & tossed salad
Meal #2 Crockpot Pork Carnitas w/ spanish rice & chips w/salsa
Meal #3 BBQ chicken, macaroni salad & watermelon
Meal #4 Minestrone Soup w/ rolls  & fruit salad
Meal #5 Popover upside down pizza w/ tossed salad



Things to try:

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Bread (I have yet to be dissapointed by any recipes from this blog!!)

Hot fudge sauce ( I have been wanting a hot fudge sundae all week for whatever reason so now MUST do! I will make vanilla icecream and put this goodness allllllll over it!)

Friday, May 13, 2011

Friday FAB finds!!

very handy ideas in here folks!

so cute & I just love Jenn's blog!

found this site through my friend Kara & this might just be my next sewing attempt! I have been somewhat hooked on skirts since they are worlds easier than dresses!

I have been seeing these commercials all week & must get there to try one, looks so cool and refreshing!




Patriotic Tiered Skirts!!

Hooray!!! Super cute RED WHITE & BLUE skirts for the girls to wear to the upcoming Memorial Day parade are done! I got all the fabrics on clearance at Joanns, I WAY over bought, I was not sure how much I would need since the measurements were in inches, the lady at the cutting counter tried to figure it out and I went with what she said....I didn't even use a 1/4 of the amount I bought so will have to come up with something else to make with what remains! 

These were not hard to make but pretty time consuming...lots of measuring and cutting and pinning and just farting around with them...Plus I had a super busy week so just squeezed in little bits here and there..Dave will be thrilled to come home & be able to see the dining room table again!  I am super happy with how they came out.  A few mess-ups here and there but I will just keep people a safe distance from their waist down so they dont notice! ;)



I used this tutorial, and the AWESOME calculator they have was fantastic for getting everything lined up the right way!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Weekly Menu!

Meal #1 Carne Asada Tacos w/ spanish rice & chips w/ salsa
Meal #2 Spagetti & meatballs w/ garlic ciabatta bread & tossed salad
Meal #3 Grilled chicken caesar salad w/ breadsticks & grapes
Meal #4 Burgers & homemade fries w/ sweetcorn & cantaloupe
Meal #5 Tuna sandwiches w/ deviled eggs & dill pickle spears (Savannah's request)

Things to try:

Knock you naked brownies - These could be dangerous..I am thinking I should make them then plan to immediately work out!

Cowboy cookies

HAPPY Mothers Day!


To all the moms out there ~ Enjoy your day with your kids no matter how young or old!






Note to self - get a good  picture soon with my mom since this is the best one I found, since having kids I realize I don't have pictures of me & my mom, only my girls & grandma!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

1st garage sale adventure of the season!

My good friend Lisa and I hit up a HUGE neighborhood wide garage sale this morning.  This was my first outing of the season, super excited since I have been jonesing for deals and treasures all winter long!

I spent under $15 which was AWESOME and while I did not make any amazing finds I did find some great fabrics, buttons, ruffle trim and a new iron!  Seriously..I think I have gone over the deep end with this whole sewing thing but I am loving it!  Plus who can beat 50 cents for 2-3 yds of fabric?!?!  With all this sewing, I have busted out my iron and ironing board more in that past month then I have in the past 10 years so when I found a super nice iron for only 50 cents I grabbed it & ran!  I was proud of myself for walking away from an antique china cabinet that was FREE!!! I still cannot believe it and I should have had my friend take a picture of me with it for proof because Dave doesn't believe it either! :)  It was in rough shape but still I am shocked I was not shoving it in the back of my SUV!

Here is to many more garage sale treasures to come this Spring and Summer!!!!!!!

Friday, May 6, 2011

Worth the wait.......

and the headaches, frustration, craziness, etc..........2 super cute smocked sundresses!  Thanks to my awesome friend Lianne for finishing what I could barely even get started!  She totally made Emmie's for me and all I had to do to Savannah's was add the straps and hem it.  She is an amazing seamstress who I am lucky enough to learn from & a great new friend! 

So after all the anticipation here they are...............

♥ LOVE EM ♥


Savannah's is Amy Butler fabric Peacock Feathers & for the life of me I cannot remember Emmie's fabric! I am in love with Cazenovia Fabrics, amazing selection of quality fabrics, lower prices than expected & ability to shop locally is priceless!


up close of the smocked part...SO awesome!


Friday FAB finds!


How smart is that!? We always have piles of shoes everywhere, this is now on Dave's "do soon" list {poor guy has multiple lists!}


Soooo cute, I have several friends with brand new babies & several more expecting..I wanna try these for sure. Super cute & personal handmade gifts!


I have seen these several places in blogland now, looks like an easy & CHEAP way to customize just about anything!


This has been in my "file" for awhile now, really wanna try to get this done for the playroom, the girls LOVE to make huge posters on these rolls of paper!


Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Double-layer skirt!

I was so mad about the whole messed up dress yesterday I was determined to have a successful project today! Dave was able to fix my machine last night, just a belt had slipped off so it was a quick fix.  I swear if anything else happens though this machine is going back and I am switching to a Singer or some other brand!  Rather than the skirts I made here, I used the double-layered {method 1} tutorial on MADE. 

Here is today's SUCCESS to make yesterday's FAIL seem a little less awful!



And here is my little model showing it off...super cloudy & rainy day but we slipped outside for a quick photo shoot! :)


Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Curse of the smocked dress! Seriously!?!?

Ok...so I have tried to make these super cute smocked sundresses twice now.  The first time I don't know if it was my machine, fabric choice, combination or what...now I am thinking the sewing gods are just against me! I went to my friend's today to give it another go with different fabric & my machine all tuned up..did several practice runs on scrap fabric at home and thought I was golden.........well I get through about 4 lines of the smocking with elastic thread and my machine (the BRAND flippin new one mind you!?!) goes kaput.......it won't sew...it sounds like its revving up as if winding a bobbin but the needle does not go up and down and nothing is functioning right?!?! AAAAHHHHHHH Why me?!?!?

I guess its humorous in a way & I was laughing about it but also incredibly frustrating since all I want are 2 cute little sundresses for my girls...just like the ones Heather Ross cranks out right and left with her eyes closed & 1 hand behind her back (totally sarcastic & completely jealous here) in that video....oh Martha & Heather why have you forsaken me?!?! My friend took pity on me & my insanity and kept the fabrics at her house to finish up herself with her machine.  Thank goodness for Lianne and the fact she has 2 boys which makes her drool over sewing cutesy little girl things.

I have contacted Brother with no help other than giving me the phone number for a nearby service center. Dave will most likely take a look at it tonight for me and if nothing comes from that I will be marching it back to Walmart and considering switching brands all together because how insane is all this?!?!?!

So...stay tuned yet again for these oh so elusive sundresses that will surely be coming to my blog soon thanks to my amazing seamstress friend Lianne! I guess I should be thankful for this cold rainy weather we are having since the girls would not be able to wear the dresses now anyway!

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Weekly Menu!

Meal #1 Chicken Tacos w/ spanish rice & chips w/ salsa
Meal #2 Beer in the Rear Chicken & potato salad & fruit salad
Meal #3 Grilled pork chops w/ green beans & watermelon
Meal #4 Penne w/ italian sausage, tossed salad & baguette
Meal #5 MYO pizza night w/ mozzerella sticks & tossed salad


Things to try:

Fruit Smoothie Popsicles - if these taste as good as they look I see us making these a lot during the summer!
Strawberry pie - gimme a tub of cool whip and this pie!!!

Totally 80's Bunco!

A bunch of girlfriends started up a themed monthly Bunco game & the kickoff was last night! I hosted the first game & we went with a Totally 80's theme! It was so much fun! We had 18 women turn out and every single one dressed up! I had made this ever so lovely sign in case anyone thought they could get away with not participating!





We had big hair, tight pants, shorty shorts, loads of makeup, pinch rolled jeans, tube socks and rocker girls galore!  Cannot wait to see what next month brings and here's to hoping we continue this monthly tradition for a long time!!  We missed several friends at this game but hope they can all join in the fun next month!