one queen sized sheet = three little girl dresses

A while back I read an ariticle that said our generation of women is reviving our grandmother's mantra of "waste not, want not". Given that we are on a severe budget these days, it has definitely been true around here. And I like it. It's challenging to see how much we can save. If we weren't teetering so near the edge, I might say I enjoy living on less. But back to "waste not, want not", I learned this weekend that one queen sized sheet can make three little girls dresses. A while back I bought a bunch of old sheets at a thrift store for 99 cents a piece. (for you germaphobes out there, I washed them. three times. in bleach.) They have sat in my craft closet staring at me but I had no time to do anything about it. This weekend I made the time. Using some vintage dress patterns I made these:

This one is for Analiese. It's the first time I've done a pleated waistband. It's a little tight so I might have to go back and adjust that. The flowers on the bottom weren't part of the plan. She took one look at it and said, "It needs flowers here, here, and here." Ok designer; if you say so. Overall she was pleased, so I was pleased.

This one is for Sicily. It's a simple A-line with pleating at the neckline. It was super easy and only took me about an hour to make. It's comfy and fits her no frills personality. I like this one a lot. Once again my little fashionista insisted it needed a flower.

This is my favorite of the bunch. It's for Analiese. It's the same pattern as Sicily's. (She's a lot thinner than Sicily though. Shhh. Don't tell Sicily.) It's simple but really pretty on her.

And the ultimate test of a good dress: does it spin?



Yes, they spin very well. A very well spent 99 cents, wouldn't you say?

Friday Favorites

I decided to start something new. I'm going to call it Friday Favorites. There are so many things that we love and really shouldn't keep to ourselves. So I thought I'd start sharing them with you. I can't promise I'll remember every week (I do still have three kids you know) and I can't promise that it won't be a completely random selection. But I hope you can sort through it and find something that you love. And here we go.

We love this cd! The title track (Catch the Moon) is really beautiful and perfect for little girls. It also has classic children's songs like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star but they're just so pretty. My girls love to put on princess dresses and prance around the kitchen. But mommy gets tired of the Disney Princesses Songs (quickly). This is one I never get tired of.

This book was a great read, not to mention full of great recipes. I've used so many of the recipes that it now lives on my cookbook shelf.

My Calphalon omelette pan is the one piece of cookware that I guard with my life around here. I love it! And the omelettes practically cook themselves. ps: It will help you make excellent crepes too!

Muddled Reflections

I'm writing again, really writing. It's something I haven't done in a while, at least not in the light. And like the day after you've worked out muscles that haven't been used in awhile, it's ugly and it hurts. Steven says I've had a "to hell with it all" moment this summer that actually let a little bit of me slip out. I've started to climb out of this self imposed mold that I've worn for years. A mold built from self doubt.
Am I a good mother? Am I a good wife? Do they think I'm doing a good job? Do I look like I've got it together. I'm not good enough to be an artist, a writer, I'll stick to the laundry, thank you very much.
Along the way this ugly self doubt caused me to hide away the artist part of me. I have a closet full of paintings and drawings that no one will ever see. Secret writings threaten to spill out of my bedside table. When the creativity threatened to burst out I poured the energy into kid crafts and family meals. Good things no doubt. But the secret art, the me art, the art I pour myself into was hidden away, and before I knew it I was beginning to drown in my own self doubt. The creativity is my air, it lets me breathe, and I was suffocating.
At some point this year I snapped. At the point when I thought my melancholy was going to consume me I said enough and I started writing. I started writing in rambles of peace seeking conversations with myself and God. I hung a piece of my art on the wall because I thought it was good enough.
I'm still working through it all. I still have moments when I crawl back into the comfort of my shell. Though it's dark there, it's easy. Like I said, working out hurts.

summer indulgences

There are two summer treats that we like to indulge ourselves with around here. Now you're going to look at these and say, "those aren't indulgences. they're no where near sinful enough." And you'd be right, unless I told you that we have them for breakfast. There's something about having dessert for breakfast that makes it seem more like off limits calorie filled goodness.

Summer Fruit Pizza:

the "crust":
1 refrigerated pie crust
1 Tbsp cinnamon/sugar

the "sauce":
1 1/4 cups half and half
1pkg. vanilla instant pudding
1 cup whipped cream (homemade always best)

the "toppings":
any seasonal fresh fruit you have sitting around

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Unroll pie crust onto a baking sheet. (you can leave it whole, making it look more like pizza; we like to use cookie cutters to make mini shaped pizzas.) Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. cool completely. Meanwhile, pour half and half into a medium bowl. Add dry pudding mix. Beat with a wire whisk until well blended. Gently fold in whipped cream. Refrigerate until ready to use. Spread "sauce" over crust and top with fruit. Enjoy!

Watermelon Ice:

1/4 cup sugar
2 cups water
4 cups of cubed seedless watermelon
juice of one lime

Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan set over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow the syrup to cool.
Puree the watermelon chunks (it is fine if small seeds are still attached) in a blender until smooth. Pour the simple syrup, lime juice, and watermelon puree in a 9 by 11-inch nonreactive baking pan and stir well. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in the freezer. After 1 hour, stir the mixture well, using a fork. Return to the freezer for another hour, then stir again. This time allow the mixture to freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight (it is not necessary to continue stirring after you have done it twice).
Remove the pan from the freezer and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Using a fork, scrape the fruit ice and serve it in a small bowl.

my pajama/play dress clad kitchen helpers in too big aprons and with sticky cherry stained fingers

Bring on the fall

I slept in a bit today. I am using the word "slept" loosely here. The kids were in the play room, cd already blaring, games already being played. But I stayed in bed for just a bit longer than I should have today. Why? Because for one more day I can. Tomorrow starts early rising; trying to prepare my body for the predawn wakings of back to school. Two weeks from today school starts and parents everywhere celebrate the wonderful relief that is the public school system! Unless your children start school at 7, which puts you rising at 5:30 and dragging groggy, grumpy kids to the bus stop every day. Then you too cherish the lazy summer mornings that go by way too quickly. Aside from the early mornings we are all ready to go back to school. By the end of the summer we are all usually craving routine. We are all eagerly watching the mailbox for teacher assignments. Fresh school supplies are packed into backpacks waiting to be carried away. And the annual sorting of clothing that has been outgrown has begun. I say bring on the fall! A much different fall than the last one. But that's a post for another day....

Snapshots from our week of rest...

a bountiful farmer's market trip. I love summer produce! I woke up that morning craving goat cheese, so we had to get some. I know, I know, that doesn't happen to anyone else.

quiet meditation and reflection

comfort food. mmmm, banana bread.

lots of games and puzzles were pulled out and dusted off. Chris can beat anyone at Monopoly. Take him on, I dare you.

This week has been refreshing and necessary. We took a step back, slowed down, and enjoyed one another's company. We slept in, ate late breakfasts, and stayed in our pajamas until noon. We went out and explored. We walked through our quaint little downtown and stopped at the old hardware store to play with baby chickens because we were in no hurry to be anywhere else. I wrote and drew and sewed and released an abundance of creative energy that had been pushing at the seams to get out. We reflected and reset our course. We rested.

" Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you." Psalm 116:7

A Tired Lot

We are a tired lot. This summer, no this year, is wearing us out. Never before in the short history of our family have we been stilted for such a long period of time. We've had many times when we've had to readjust or realign our routine, but we've always been able to do that within a matter of weeks. We're going on months here, 7 to be exact. This year has been one event after another, so many people have needed our time and our energy, and of course there was the income loss that has shifted so much of our life. You may think I'm exaggerating (if you are one of my sister's, you don't, because you've heard all of this before. thanks.) but I'm truly not. Our oven door fell off yesterday. That's right, just fell off. Steven and I actually started laughing. Combined with everything else that has broken around here it's comical.
I'm rambling, I know. I ramble a lot lately. I think it's a sign of exhaustion.
My spirit is depleted and I think I'm bordering on depression. I struggle to peel myself from bed most mornings. We have a wonderful life and if any family is able to find fun in the mist of chaos, it's our family. I have so much to be thankful for. And I am, I truly am, but that doesn't change the fact that I want to be locked outside of my house so that I can't go back in. It doesn't change the fact that I feel like I'm sinking.
So I'm going to fade away this week. I'm going to spend some time nourishing my starved soul. I'm going to spend some time hugging my weary children. I'm going to spend some time loving my frayed partner. We need to mend our walls and we need our Lord to restore our spirits. We need to find a place of rest and beauty and to start fresh.