Fashion Friday

With the help of my new serger, this skirt was created in exactly 29 minutes (Will timed me) from start (actually measuring and cutting the material) to finish (pinning and sewing the hem). The amount of time it took is of the utmost importance since I still have a March 31st deadline for some papers and the only time I can sew is when Mini is watching a movie or something...when she goes to bed, that is paper writing time, ugh! I used this tutorial from Freshly Picked, but of course changed a few things.

It's hard to tell, but this is a very sassy print depicting women with shopping bags and purses of all kinds and they are dressed to the nine.

The skirt is a little big now, so she should be able to wear it for a while. I'm thinking I will pair it with a sleeveless black tank this summer.

Nursery Wall Art

This is the nursery art I painted for a good friend of mine. I was inspired by lilblueboo, who creates AMAZING nursery art; mine is mediocre compared to hers, but it's a start I guess. My friends little boy will be named Seager, and he will enjoy a "sports" themed nursery; I tried to incorporate every sport I could think of, so hopefully I hit the nail on the head. I also included the poem I wrote...I know, it's cheesy! We are hosting her baby shower this weekend and are continuing the "sports" theme in the shower...I am so excited for her and her husband and can't wait to see her.

I'm crossing my fingers that she like's it and that it will hang somewhere where their sweet baby boy will get to see it.

Ticked-Off Tuesday

This week, I am totally "ticked off" at me, myself, and I. Why am I such a procrastinator??? Will asked me this very same question; I explained to him that I can either stress about something for months or I can stress about for 2-3 weeks...I usually opt for the latter of the two. So now I am rushing to meet a March 31st deadline for something that has the potential to raise my salary, and thus making myself sick from stress and lack of sleep in the process. Maybe this year, I will focus on not waiting to the last minute for EVERYTHING! Procrastination is not a good habit to posses, but I have myself convinced that I "work better under pressure!" I guess we will see if my procrastination pays off in November!

PS. I am writing this while Bella is finishing dinner. I guess sometimes it pays off to eat like a "teacher"...ie. you shove everything down in ten minutes or less because that is all the time you are allotted after you make sure your kids have everything they need.

Birthday

So Will and Mini out-did themselves this year for my birthday! Will got me a serger for my birthday which I have been dieing to have. What is a serger you might ask? Well just look at the side seam of the pants or shirt you are currently wearing, assuming you are wearing any ;o, and you will see a perfectly sewn and edged stitch, that is what a serger can do. It is this amazing machine that cuts and sews at the same time to make those perfectly polished seams. I used it for the first time tonight and WOW, I am so impressed...especially considering the low cost of this particular serger. Will kept trying to talk me into getting a more expensive one, but after reading reviews and taking into consideration the lack of experience with a serger(ie. NONE), I begged and pleaded for the less expensive one by a well known brand. Now granted it was a pain in the rear to thread as a first timer, but the time it took to thread was well worth the time it saved me to hem a dress for a friend!!!

Mini got me an iPod touch. Again, having never owned an iPod of any kind...i know, i know, I am so behind the times with MP3 players, I am equally as impressed. I am also amazed that Mini purchased it on her own...JK! I've been joking with Will that he got it more for himself than for me and he reciprocates with "why don't I buy you a Nano and I'll keep the Touch"...that would be a Big Fat, "NO!"

Not only did I get wonderful gifts for my birthday, but I also got to spend the day with some wonderful people. Mini and Will took me out to breakfast at one of my favorites, Panera Bread. Then for lunch, Will watched Mini, while I met some beautiful, amazing friends for lunch and a movie...would you believe that at the ripe age of 27, I still got carded!!! Afterwards, we went to see the Bounty Hunter...very cute movie! I also got lots of sweet messages and text messages from all of the people I love, wishing me a very Happy Birthday. Thank you to everyone!

I am truly blessed by God, my family, and friends to have so many gifts in my life. I am also truly looking forward to this year......

PS. I'm going to leave you with a ..... because I don't want to spoil any surprises ;)! I have lots of big plans for this year!

The Daffodils

Here are some pictures from the Daffodil field:

Stealing a kiss from Mini.

Daddy fixing a wardrobe malfunction.

Egg Hunt Birthday Party

Let me preface this post by saying that Mini has only been to one other birthday party other than this one while she has been able to walk; we've always been out of town or busy when we've been invited. With that said, Mini attended one of her peer's birthday party this weekend. The party was an egg hunt, and in order to make it fair, all the children lined up on the side walk and then the host said "go." Notice that Will is holding Mini...as soon as the door opened, she took off for the eggs and I had to chase her down, so Will was holding her to ensure we did not have a repeat.

Will holding her back...

And she's off!!

Mini trying to figure out if it is over!

Following the egg hunt, and Mini trying to steal an egg out of another child's basket while they were not looking, we went inside for food and presents. Mini proceeded to use this time for social hour...she visited all the parents and children and never really sat with us for more than 5 minute increments. When it was time to open presents, Mini helped the birthday girl by ripping off paper and tearing out tissue paper, which was fine because many of the other children were doing the same. Then she became "THAT" child...a box of clothes was opened, Mini proceeded to grab all the clothes and take off for the door. As soon as I got up and went after her, she immediately threw them on the floor....AHHHHHHH! So I scooped up everything, returned it to the birthday girl, and we made a run for it! So either we will not be attending anymore birthdays or we need to attend more so Mini gets more practice at NOT opening presents.

Fashion Friday

This week's featured dress was made out of one of Will's old shirts using parts of the shirt tutorial found on Made. The first two pictures were taken prior to switching out the buttons. The only things purchased were the buttons and the elastic band. I'm very excited about the finished product.

Mini's apparently working on her posing talents.

From the rear...

The Final Product.

Ticked-Off Tuesday

Yet another first for me, but it is so fitting for what happened on this very day. PS Thanks Carrie for the cool TOT button!

Nothing ticks me off more than a hateful person, especially when it is taken out on children. Someone, let's refer to her as Ms. Hateful, was ugly to my students for absolutely no reason. Now lets paint a clear picture...I am with my students for approximately 8 hours a day for 180 days, and even when they are driving me bananas, I still love them as if they were my own! Those of you who know me, know you don't mess with my dog, you don't mess with my friends, and you most definitely don't mess with my family! So when Ms. Hateful fussed at my "children" for stepping on "her patio" for the second time this year, I think my blood pressure went a mile high and I was "HOT MAD" to say the least! Luckily, my sweet babies came back in the room before I could unleash my anger on Ms. Hateful; however I'm not completely done with this...I'm thinking that since we're expecting such pretty weather the remainder of the week, I think I will park a chair right on "her patio" so that I can soak up some sun! ;) There is a saying, "if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen," but in this case "if you can't stand to teach, GET OUT OF THE SCHOOLHOUSE!!!"

Not Me Monday

This will be a first for me, but something happened this weekend that was so perfect for "not me" Monday that I had to share.

It was "not me" who pulled the chapstick out of a coat pocket prior to throwing it in the wash in order to "save" a load of laundry and then proceeded to put it on top of the dryer right beside the lint trap. It was "not me" who then knocked the roll of chapstick down the lint trap as I was cleaning lint from the lint trap. It was also "not me" who yelled "uh-oh" loud enough for her husband to hear and realize that she had made a BIG mistake. It was "not me" who suggested we put Duck tape on a wire hanger and shove it down the lint trap to try to get the tube of chapstick out, becuase tape and lint DO NOT work well together (for future reference). It was most definitely "not me" who made my sweet, patient husband take apart the whole back side of the dryer in order to get that tube of chapstick out, so that I could dry the load of laundry in the washer before it started to stink. I mean really??!!! Who would do such a thing!

Fashion Friday

Just in time for St. Patrick's day, Mini is sporting her new GREEN dress. The best part of the whole dress is that it was 98% free...it is made almost entirely of old t-shirts except for the black ribbing used around the collar and sleeves; therefore the total cost of this dress was about $1.00. I wish the skirt was a little fuller, but I ran out of T-shirt! This has been a very busy week, so I don't have a tutorial this week; however I will post a tutorial soon, this will allow time to improve the technique!

My model was way less than cooperative, but you know how they can be ;)...jk!

A view from the back...

And a CLOSE up!

Thankful Thursday

God has blessed us with the most wonderful families, but unfortunately, neither Will's nor my family live close. I feel that God planned it this way, because he has blessed us with such wonderful friends. We are so thankful for all of our friends, that not only love Will and I, but also absolutely adore Mini. These are the kind of friends who would literally give us the shirt off their backs, or have your back in a fight (dog or even bar...inside joke)! Just the other day, I was in a jam and couldn't get Mini, and without a second thought one of these very friends offered to pick Mini up from daycare. Mini had such a good time with her Aunt Sandy, Conner, Kay-Kay, T-T, and Mike that she didn't want to leave them; I think she would have stayed there for the rest of the week, especially if Mike kept giving her cookies! So today, I'd like to say Thank You to God for giving us such wonderful friends and Thank You to our friends for truly giving us a local family and for all your continued love and support.

Manic Monday

I left school at 3:00, which meant I had just enough time to run by the Sonic for Happy Hour, run to the bank, and run to Target before my 4:10 appointment. I made it to my appointment at 3:45 with a newly purchased book in hand so that I would have something to do while I waited. Turns out that my appointment is tomorrow! Please tell me that I am not the only one this has happened to. You would think that since I made the appointment this past Friday, I would get the date right, but apparently not. Oh well...round two tomorrow!

Chicka Chicka ABC

Bella's Favorite Book

Sunday Stroll

Fashion Friday

This is another wimpy edition of "Fashion Friday," but I just made Mini some new leg warmers and thought I would share. Some of you may have heard of the brand Baby Legs, which are the cutest leg warmers, but they are usually about $12 a pair! Here is how to make a more budget friendly pair of leg warmers. The best part is, they can be made for boys and girls depending on the sock design; they would be great paired with a onsie when your little one starts to crawl. They can also be worn on the arm to give a regular t-shirt a little more "funk."

Mini in her newest leg warmers!

Use an adult knee high sock and cut off the "curved" part of the sock.

Fold the foot part of the sock in half.

Turn the leg part of the sock inside-out and pin the folded part of the foot to the bottom of the "ankle" part of the sock.

Sew the two pieces of the sock together.

A serger would be wonderful for this part, but I don't own one...yet!

After you turn the finished leg warmer rightside-out, they should look like this!

Here is another pair of Mini's many leg warmers.

PS. Total cost = $2 per pair!!!

Opinions Please

I'm making a piece of nursery art as a gift for a friend who is having a baby boy. The nursery is going to be decorated in a sports theme. Please read the poem I wrote below and give me your honest opinion; I promise you will not hurt my feelings. If it is too long, or too cheesy, please let me know so I can regroup and re-write before painting it on permanently!!!

Son, don't bother counting sheep,
Instead count baskets and goals in your sleep.
You may want to play football, basketball, and more.
We will praise you no matter the score.
Thank you God for sending us this boy,
He has brought us so much joy.

Shopping Trip with a "Mini" Diva

Yesterday, Mini and I went to Raleigh to meet my mom, AKA "Nana" for a girls day of shopping. I wouldn't say it was a successful trip in that we found a lot of stuff, but we had a blast laughing at Mini. She certainly brought out the "diva-tude" yesterday. I have absolutely no idea how she became so opinionated?! Now don't get me wrong, "that apple did not fall far from the tree," but she's even more opinionated about fashion than I am!!! I picked up a cute hat and asked her if she liked it and she immediately responded with, "I don't like that!" Then Nana found a cute pair of shoes and said, "what about these," she immediately responded with "what size are they?" What???? Where is this coming from? I raised my child to like to shop...I might have trained her a little too well. The good news is she really has seemed to like everything I have made her, so I will keep crafting away to meet the high fashion standards my child has set.