What I've been up to

Merry Christmas to all!

Working full time has put a crimp in my blogging, crafting and sanity. But, we made it through Christmas with lots of blessings and family. Princess Pinkie (formerly known as Pinkie) had an outstanding Christmas full of princess paraphernalia and sweet treats. Her aunties pulled out the red carpet with a new pink "biker-scooter" and a real Cinderella costume complete with light up high heels! The King and I (dad and mom) had a wonderful holiday with lots of days off and new toys to entertain the princess. {My Seester's Gift} I tried my best to do some homemade gifts again this year. This trend started 2 years ago by my friend, the PsychMom. I sewed 6 reversible place mats and 2 pot holders for each lady in in my family. That equals 36 place mats and 12 pot holders. The days before Christmas were crunch time, the sewing machine was going its fastest. Ugh, a deadline takes a little of the fun out... but I finished them and the ladies loved them!

{My Aunt Pami's Gift}

{My Aunt Kimmie's Gift}

{My Mother-In-Law's Gift}

My mom's and grandma's gifts were a tad late because I broke the sewing machine on Christmas Eve at 11pm. Turns out it was a simple fix, but I was really bummed to give IOU's to my beloved moms.

We cut down our tree again this year. My family always went to Bale's Thriftway to buy out trees. So, when Dad came along and said, 'Nooooo, we cut them down', I was thrilled. Pinkie really wanted a baby tree, but we convinced her more candy canes could fit on a bigger one.

And happiest of all, we celebrated Thanksgiving with our cousins, Brooke and Katelynn!!! They were baptized and we got to be there. Pinkie and Brookie are best friends and really, truly miss each other. Their phone conversations are so cute.

Hope you had a wonderful Holiday Season too!

homemade holiday

I have spent 2 months thinking of what I am going to make for my homemade holiday. I cannot count the hours I spent browsing the internet and of course, etsy.com.

I liked the idea of choosing one item to make for all. I believe I have found my answer.

We spent 1.5 hours at JoAnn Fabrics today. I spent $200 on the fabric. Now I must get down to my homemade holiday. Lots of sewing to do!!!

a prego birthday

In 3 hours 30 minutes or so, it will be my birthday. I'll be 26. I've been looking forward to 26 since I was 24. I've always felt that my year of 26 will be really great. Looking forward, it looks pretty awesome. I've got a full time teaching job, a stable income, a healthy 2 year old, a helpful husband with a stable job and a new baby on the way- due in May. My birthday is always a bit better than average because I have a twin to share it with.

Happy Birthday Seester!

I am 4 months pregnant now. Thank the Lord- the first 3 are exhilirating, tiring and scary. But, this time around my belly just popped. I think last weekend I fit in all my pants and this weekend, I'm wearing one pair of jeans. My adorable beanie and snazzy red (fav. color) water bottle are birthday gifts from David, Stacey and girls. I really love when gifts are something you've been wanting to buy yourself but don't. Thanks Wisconsin family.

Pregnancy fashion

When I was pregnant with Pinkie, I would not describe myself as a fashionable pregnant woman- more like figuring it out awkward. But, now with number 2, I have told myself I can try to be fashionable. Really cute maternity clothes can be really expensive. I figure that I'm working full time, I can afford some cute clothes. I need these jeans by Citizens of Humanity- only $300.- I need this sweater from Pea in the Pod- nearly $250.-

And this shirt in all colors please- around $30.- each

So, my grand total for one teaching outfit while pregnant is $580.-

I'm already thinking I won't be very fashionable this pregnancy either.

Camping 1st

We went camping this summer. It was my first time since grade school (not counting unprepared college camping) and Pinkie's first time ever. We chose Lost Lake up by Mt. Hood. It was extraordinarily beautiful. The nights were incredibly cold.John being an avid fisherman insisted his girls try out fishing from a rickety, rocking boat. I was terrified of falling over and that kinda rubbed off on Pinkie. We had to paddle around the lake, which is 10x harder than it looks. This is what Pinkie thought of our beautiful surroundings and "the good times of fishing".

Mount Hood looked incredible from the middle of the lake. It was nice, warm swimming weather during the day, but chilling, can't sleep cold at night. Not so weird when you realize you are sleeping at the base of a mountain...

Our campground was great. The outhouses (which also terrified Pinkie) were just a short walk away. We had great fires set by Bear Grylls Jr. The Smores made the trip memorable- I ate an uncountable amount. You can't see it, but there is a sign on the table that warns you how common bears are. You have to pack everything up whenever not in use or else you can get a ticket, because of the bears. That freaked me out, but I think we will camp again.

My apologies

I have been absent from my beloved blog. The life of a working mommy has been a really rough change for me, Pinkie and John. We still aren't used to it. Will we ever be? I have tons of fun pictures from trips and family outings to post, but just haven't found time to download and catalog my pictures.

My favorite pieces of the last month are:I watched Stephanie Nielson of the NieNie Dialogues on Oprah today. I've been following her blog since before the accident and desperately praying for her and her family. I was thrilled to read and see her on Oprah today! She is truly an amazing mother and wife. I love how she and Mr. Nie look at eachother. Plus, I want her orange sweater combo- awesome.

{picture from Oprah.com}

CHER-cation took place last weekend!!!

My favorite women and I went to Las Vegas last weekend to celebrate our love of Cher. We rested, dined and partied in grand style at Cesear's Palace. Cher sang all my favorites, plus many oldies I didn't know. Her show was riveting- your eyes couldn't rest, there were so many dancers, sparkles and things to look at. She wore Bob Mackie dresses and all the lace/spandex/sparkles you could have hoped for. Truly, my stomach was in knots I was so excited. My seester and I do a pretty good 'If I could turn back time'. Thanks to the lovely lady who financed our trip!

And, lastly... we are waiting for Baby #2!

September was a really busy month

join me!

2009 Koman Portland Race for the Cure

Sunday September 20th

$25- for registration and t-shirt

I'm doing the 5K UNTIMED walk/run. Not going for any records here.

I think it will be great fun and a chance to exercise, get fresh air and chat with my friends.

Join me, Join me, JOIN ME!

summer craft roundup

I spent the whole summer with Pinkie and my sewing machine. We three made many a fun thing. I am particularly proud because I am self taught (aka. lots of seam ripping). I decided to find out how many sewing projects I completed this summer. Here is the count:

1. "Easy as a Cinch" backpack- we keep it in the car with quiet church toys. I actually made two, one for Pinkie and one for her cousin. {from Make it and Love it}

2. Grocery Bag holder- I was constantly vexed by the mess underneath my kitchen sink. I made this and it has solved my anger issues. No picture, but I used really hippy fabric and it looks, well... hippy. {from Make it and Love it}

3. a felt make-up bag for my seester. I forgot to take a picture, but it was FUNKY and cute- limes, lemons and buttons. I dig it.

4. Then came the dino-riffic tunic and pants for Pinkie. I used my own pattern- that's a big deal to beginner sewers. {pictured at bottom}

5. My biggest project to date was a Maxi Dress I made out of satin. I was meant for me! BUT I mis-measured and so it goes to my seester. It was gorgeous and I really did an incredible job. I used a very detailed pattern. Just cutting the pattern and fabric took 4 hours!

6. Then I was so sad the Maxi Dress didn't fit me I made myself a Maxi Dress / MuMu. It didn't turn out like I envisioned, but it's pretty comfy and cool. I might take it apart and use the fabric for something else when the weather turns cool...

7. 3 Reusable Grocery Bags- I made these from an old shower curtain. They are huge and roomy. They have turned out to be invaluable. I do realize you can buy them for $1-, but re-purposing is a good thing.

8. My favorite project turned out to be the Car Toy Tote- I am always annoyed by the crayons, dolls, tiaras, plastic zoo animals rolling around my car. So, this tote is the perfect solution. {shown at top from Make it and Love it}

9. Refashioned T-shirt dress- tutorials for this are all over the internet. I took a $1- t-shirt from the Dollar Store and made Pinkie a dress. It has ruflles along the neck line in front with lime green buttons and two darts in the back anchored by a lime green button. I think it turned out way cuter than a plain ol' t-shirt. {inspriration from luvinthemommyhood }

10. My last projects of the official summer were Cloth Baby Rings and a Bottle/Sippy Leash for our new, crazy cute niece. {from Make it and Love it} Hooray! for sewing moms and beginner crafters!

Dinosaur basics

My first bit of planning as a new teacher needs to combine assessment, learning, fun and prove to these kids that I'm like-able, interesting and knowledgeable. Because of the nature of the job, my students do not take regular tests or grouped into ability groups or in a specific 'grade' determined by 'age'.

I've been spending every waking moment thinking about planning, planning and brainstorming. I'm thinking a DINOSAUR project is the way to go. I'm big on project based learning and here is my forum. Basically I want dinosaur reading, writing, math and science. I'm going for major fun factor and multiple ways to interact. Here's what I have so far... Ideas wanted... Dinosaur books Dinosaur coloring pages Dinosaur diagrams- label the parts (claws, arms, eyes, etc) Matching card game (pictures or pictures and names) Dinosaur puzzle Dinosaur plastic toys Dinosaur writing- If I were a dinosaur... Dinosaur design- My own dinosaur... Do you think dinosaurs are universally interesting??? I know my teacher friends read this, so more ideas please!!! :)

I'M A TEACHER!!!!

I GOT A JOB TODAY!!! I SPENT MILLIONS OF HOURS STUDYING TO BE A FABULOUS TEACHER AND NOW I HAVE MY SHOT!!!

i gotta breathe...

I lost my mind for awhile...

We've been BUSssssY.

It's supposed to be 'summer' which for teachers means sleeping in and relaxing, lunching with those who still must take lunch breaks. But, for me (with no job, yet) it's filled with applications, crafting to get away from applications and entertaining a very feisty toddler.

See Exhibit #1 above: National Family Night out, Pinkie got her face painted as a pink kitty. It was outstanding. I've never seen such amazing face painting. Then came the pizza, the cake, the soda, the popcorn...

Then when all other distraction methods fail, see Exhibit #2: high heels. Open the closet door and let Pinkie play with all my high heels. I have quite the selection but not many occasions to wear them these days. I am planning a real date night soon, so... Exhibit #3: For some reason I like to pack my weeks full of tutoring, applying, beginner crafting and keeping up with housework that has been delayed 10 or so months... so we needed a day of summer vacation to the beach. Sand can keep toddlers happy forever and they don't care if their chips are gritty.

And finally, Exhibit #4: this requires background... on July 26th I lost my keys- car keys, house keys, mail key. I don't often lose things so I was naturally perturbed. Luckily we had John's keys, so an extra key the van, share the house key. But then, on August 3rd (still can't find my own keys) I was on my way to a job interview (didn't get the job). I was prim and proper and appropriately flustered. So then I DROPPED HIS KEYS IN THE SEWER! I called him crying, borrowed my seester's car and off I went. The car dealership said the key wouldn't work once it had been submerged in water for 6 hours (till John got home- because I wasn't going in!) and why don't we come on it and pay $300 for a new key...PSYCH...

Not my spend thrift husband- he jumped in the sewer where he could 'feel things rubbing against his legs' and got our key!

After I lost my mind and got it back again- I found my keys at Target...

And now we aren't doing anything during the days and are actually relaxing.

Oh my Oprah

Late last week Oprah had some celebrity chefs on her show. There were some moms who needed help making healthy, quick meals. A realistic problem many people face. I'm lucky because I love to cook. I don't love to plan though. Being a budget conscious family, I must plan out detailed weekly meals. We do 10 meals for 14 days- two meals out and two nights of leftovers. Important factors: I rarely cook the same thing twice, I'm still a fairly successful vegetarian married to a dedicated meat lover, we have a two year old on a white carbohydrate only diet. So, after watching bits of pieces of this episode I decided to go online and look it up later. What I found was a complete 7 day, 21 meal plan and grocery list. I decided to take what I call the Cat Cora Challenge and follow her menu- to make my life easier and have a little piece of Oprah in my life :)

{pictures from Oprah.com}

Dinner #1- Greek Cinnamon Stewed Chicken with Blanched Greens

My thoughts- This meal was simple and delicious. After I made the sauce and added the chicken back in to the stew, I tossed in cubed tofu. It is so nice to eat new foods and flavors. Cheap, too.

Dinner #2- Southwestern Tuna Casserole

My thoughts- This really perked up Tune Casserole for me. I am kind of naturally against the traditional casserole because my family never ate them. But, this was spicy and interesting. My husband loved it. I did add an extra can of tuna for more protein. Very cheap also.

I'm so excited to try all these new foods and, sadly, so happy to be apart of something 'Oprah'. I do love her so. 5 more meals to make- I'll let you know how it goes.

Click here for the menu and grocery list from Oprah.com

Dino-rrific!

Here's my latest sewing creation- the dinosaur tunic and capri.

This was super simple, made one night after Miss P went to bed. It is made from Daisy Kingdom fabric my grandma bought when I was probably in 7th grade. She used to sew the most amazing ensembles- including several of my prom dresses and my aunt's wedding dress. Miss P loves her dinosaur outfit. I'm getting better and better at this sewing thing. I only had to take out maybe 3 seams :)

a tale of true love

During our trip to WI, we met our new niece Katelyn for the first time. She's 4 months already!

She's a happy, happy baby.

And Pinkie fell in love.

Here's how you know a toddler is in love:

*** Pinkie rubbing Katelyn's back

***explaining the intricacies of Barney and BabyBop

(I still don't get those two dinos) ***sharing a beloved blankey, 'snug as a bug in a rug' ***begging to kiss Baby Kate-win

(at least Baby Kate is still happy about a toddler

tickling her with clumsy hands and jelly kisses all over)

***kissing and holding Baby Kate all the time I think Pinkie needs a sibling?

Now that we are home, Pinkie tells me all the time that Baby Kate is hungry, Baby Kate is crying, she wants to kiss Baby Kate. I try to explain that Baby Katelyn lives in WI (really far away) and that Auntie Stacey is feeding her, hugging her and kissing her. We're not communicating clearly about this...

I think I want Pinkie to have a sibling too!

Canning our garden

We have an abundant garden this year. For Mother's Day, the Daddy fenced off a section of our backyard with pretty white lattice for my garden. We planted tomato, peas, strawberries, basil, thyme, parsley, mint, jalapeno, onions, carrots, beets, okra and pickling cucumbers.

The carrots, tomato and cucumbers have gone crazy! With our abundance we decided to try our hand at canning. I planted pickling cucumbers because we once got homemade pickles as a gift that were the best things I've ever tasted. I love pickles!

Supplies: canning jars, lids and such

Beets, pickling cucumbers, pickling salt, garlic, dill and other spices Our pickling cucumbers were so large that we had to cut them. They are huge! So we know have pickles 'spears'. They don't taste like regular cucumbers. These pickling cucumbers are kind of tasteless.

Washing the beets- I was so worried that the beets would stain our sink or counter tops. But their color is truly beautiful.

John was in charge of the beets. Here they are washed, boiled and sliced.

P.S. I hate beets.

So the basic process of canning is this:

Sterilize jars/lids, make a brine, put veggies, spices and brine in jars, seal by submerging in boiling water for a period of time, then let sit for a couple of weeks We have four weeks until we can taste our hard work!!! I keep checking the jars each day, hoping they taste so wonderful and we can give some of them as gifts. We'll be canning again shortly. Our garden is overflowing.

Crafty momma!

Finally!!!

I'm done with school responsibilites and have a huge list of crafts I've been meaning to do. I made a make-up bag for my seester, but forgot to take pictures. I LOVE to craft. I spend hours searching websites looking for things I need to make. You should see my 'favorites' tab...

Today, I started making the 'Easy as cinch' bag from Ashley at Make It and Love it.

Here's Pinkie wearing it. She put a bunch of Zoo animals in it. The bag took less than 1 hour. I want to make a few more for some little girls I know. And here is how it happened... I have found Heaven for crafting moms. My family owns a preschool in Beaverton. It's closed for the summer so Pinkie and I go there at least three times a week. I set up my sewing machine and brought my supplies. Pinkie plays and plays and plays, eats snack, then plays and plays. Tomorrow, I start craft project #3!

You are invited to play with us... call!

Recovering

3 Girls under 3 = official family vacation

Pinkie***Katelynn***Brooke We spent a week visiting family in Wisconsin. Planned for months, we readied the girls for sharing and saying eachother's name correctly. When asked "what are you doing tomorrow?" Brooke would reply, "Maddie". Pinkie would chant, "Baby Kate-win and Brookie!" The trip was an only child's paradise- someone to giggle with, swim with, bathe with and at bed time yell through the walls too. So very cute at bed time, yelling from room to room "Maddie?" "Brookie" "Maddie" "Brookie?" Parents- "girls go to bed!" We are still recovering. More fun stories and cute pictures to come. Especially of new baby Katelynn. My baby clock is thumping now...