Attention stylish people: help!

so here's the deal.  I took the arms off a huge 100% wool sweater the other day so that the body could become a Christmas pillow.  It was cold, and I'm me, so I stuck the arms on my legs for safekeeping.  Happened to walk past a mirror and think, "hmm....any chance that would work in public?"  I decided to rip the top back a few inches and add ribbing (you can't see from the picture, but it gaps a lot in the back), and now I'm having second thoughts on whether or not I'd be allowed in public with sweaters on my legs.  so...help!  what do you think?

Should I
1) knit more ribbing so they're over my knees and try to figure out what footwear to put with my now stylishly warm legs?
2) bind off, do the same thing on the other one, and never.leave.the.house. with them on? (but of course wear them in the house all winter long because they are SO warm)
3) rip it all apart and make normal wool socks instead
4) something else?
5) ps: no those aren't the needles I stabbed myself in the chin with...and you don't know what I'm talking about, pretend I never mentioned it.

too big for my britches

 so... I got dolled up Thanksgiving weekend to have dinner with my inlaws.  "new" skinny jeans, "new" cowgirl boots...and I don't remember the rest of the outfit because I was that happy about the first two items.  well.  Before we even started eating I ripped the seat of my pants open!  Either I needed bigger pants (ahem.) or this was a classic case of the most comfy pants are probably also threadbare. 

 Now, some people have moms that baked cookies with them in grade school, and now they make great cookies.  Those of you who know me know I tend to put weird things like applesauce in my cookies, so that tells you how much training I've had in *that* department ;-p  However, my mom didn't leave me totally lacking in the skills department.  After years of watching her repair work jeans for my brothers and dad, I like to think that when the need arises I can mend a rip almost as well as she can.  And, Mom, if you are thinking of this as a challenge, I have a pile of boy jeans in the mending basket just waiting for your competitive fingers.)

I'd show you the inside, but apparently Max is enjoying the morning sun.

for all the bed stuff.

So our church is having a makeover (new sanctuary!) and part of the project involved removing the old pews to either repurpose or sell.  This past weekend my studly hubby unscrewed a few of the Bible/hymnal racks from the backs of a few pews and handed them to me with a "you had better come up with a use for these fast or they're going back" look on his face.  I'm pretty sure I'm not the only wife in all of creation to ever get that look ;-p  Yesterday I screwed them into the wall next to the bed for 2 of my boys.  I thought perhaps they were for books, but apparently toys also fit quite nicely so there you have it. I love them! There may or may not be 2 more in the basement.  :) 

a vintage kitchen, one fire hazard at a time.

 Sit right down and I'll tell you a story.  No, not the story of that kid on the tv show in Bel Aire.  This story is much...smokier.  With no rap. You're welcome.

This is the pan of bean enchiladas that my oven baked perfectly. Side note: why does all the tastiest food look so gross?

Right after these came out of the oven, a loaf soaked sourdough whole wheat bread went in. It was nicely risen and smelled like it was going to be great.  WELL.  If you've been following some of my recent fb updates, you will not be surprised to know that at this exact moment my old stove went haywire. again. The temperature sensor quit working, the heating element shot up to 500+ degrees, and the whole thing refused to quit until the bread was burned, the house filled with smoke, and I finally realized we had a problem and I had to go downstairs and flip the breaker switch again. ugh.
Enter my new friend, Ms.  Shaw, and her lovely Bargain Bowl.  New oven: $20. 

I had to laugh when I realized that not only was the "new" oven older than me, it also matched my counters perfectly. 

 And, it turns out, my entire decorating aesthetic for the kitchen.

 About 2 hours after the old lady was properly installed I had a curried lentils and rice dish on top of the stove and a cobbler of some sort in the oven.  I am happy to report that nothing blew up!
the end.

still pinning

Sometimes hanging up the laundry to dry feels like one more chore to add to my busy day. I wonder why I can't bring myself to use the dryer sitting in my back entry like "normal" people. My fingers freeze as October takes hold. I know that inside chaos reigns, schoolwork forgotten the moment that storm door clicked shut. There's rain in the forecast, so I also know this particular load will probably receive a second rinse before I can make it out to the line again. If a certain little boy would finish potty training most of this load wouldn't have needed washing...and on and on I could go.

 Other days I feel deeply appreciative that my father sunk posts for my "new" laundry lines on one of his very first visits to this house. It is a birthday gift that I have used week in and week out in the past year. I have doubtless saved hundreds on my utility bills. It feels good to be outside, all alone with my thoughts for just a few minutes. Schoolchildren need regular breaks; it helps their little brains coalesce information. The leaves are at peak and I would never have noticed the neighbors tree were I not pinning socks just now.  We are blessed with enough clothing that I could go days between loads and still potty train a two year old. There is no smell in the world like clothes fresh off the line and no sound like the snap of a towel in the brisk fall breeze.  I daydream about countless mothers before me doing this very task.  I hang contentedly.

how to: consumable workbook into re-usable

I have a pile of consumable workbooks that have been gifted to me over the years.  Some of them are nice enough that I have been trying to think of a quick way to stretch their usability just a bit.  Last week I came up with the solution!  I removed the staples, cut down the middle of the workbook, and put most of the pages in the front pocket of a folder.  The front and back cover, along with the title page, table of contents and a page protector sheet, were 3-hole punched and put in the middle thingy.  Yes, that is the correct terminology.  Lovely word, that "thingy." 

The page P is currently working on goes in the page protector, and the rest are clipped to the front of the folder to cut down on floppage.  Again, I use only the most accurate terminology.  This particular workbook came with stickers and a "money bag" to track progress through the "levels."  There happened to be extra space on the page the stickers were on, so I drew more coin stickers with permanent marker to be cut out and used with subsequent kids.

 I think this will work well.  It doesn't take up much space, is easily disassembled when I'm done with the unit.  Hooray for quick, free solutions to minor problems. 
 

Call me "Old Fashioned" if you will...

...but there is something about skirts, front porches, and sock darning that makes me smile.  A purring kitty never hurt either ;-p

What I'm wearing: skirt from a free clothes place (!), shirt rescued from a college student who destined it for the trash, bracelet from my mom's cousin Susie (btw, if you see this, I LOVE it and am reminding the H every month that I want matching dangly earrings for my birthday!), newly repaired favorite watch, wedding ring. 

What I Wore Wednesday

I LOVE this plaid wool skirt and was impressed with myself for sort of following a pattern/tutorial to make it. The gores are not all the same size because I was running out of fabric, but it is symmetrical and the colors are so great for winter. And, I always did want to be a librarian so it's OK if by the end of the day my glasses are a little low on my nose and my hair is in a bun. At least I have cute boots instead of the flats I was originally going to go with...pic courtesy the 5yo, and I also love it, crooked and all. Here's a close-up of our blurry smiling faces:
I'm pretty sure Puxatawny Phil was wrong, it sure looks like the beginnings of spring out there to me!

guilt-free sloppy joes

step 1: find your favorite recipe for sloppy joes.
step 2: replace the ketchup with tomato paste and maybe a bit of bone broth to thin.
step 3: add some chopped carrot in with the onion and garlic and celery.
step 4: replace the ground beef with turkey or (better yet) venison. Mine was sweet italian flavored and had a bit of pork sausage in with it.
step 5: use half as much meat as you normally would and add an equal portion of soaked and then really really well cooked beans (like lentils). Mash a bit if desired.
step 6: season a bit extra (b/c of the beans). I used creole seasoning.
step 6: serve open faced on whole wheat roll.
step 7: add a serving or two of veggie on the side.
step 8: don't tell anyone you did steps 2-6 until AFTER they say yum. Which they will.

rip. pull. stab. hook. tug. slip. repeat.

because of *course* I need another hobby. For the record, this is the tutorial swagbucks told me to use, and I cannot WAIT to finish my yellow and white patchwork duvet cover so I can make matching bedside rugs exactly like the ones in the tute. I've had a discarded jean pile for a couple of years (yeah years) with this project in mind. It took me all of 2 tv shows to dispatch of that pile, and as you can see this is not a very big rug yet! Anyone want to donate to the cause?

What a pretty plate

Our dinner was so pretty and so well received (Boy #1 had seconds of everything, Boy #2 almost finished his thirds, and boy #3 cleaned his plate...with a bit of help from the dog) I thought I should probably document the event. Except that's not really true. Really, I just wanted to show you the pretty Meyer China plates I picked up for $0.50 each at my local thrift store. They are the same color as my classic Buffalo China pattern, but prettied up a bit. I especially like that there is a little tiny lip around the edge; it's very helpful when spooning food AND keeping it on a plate is still a challenge.

What you see: mixed veggies, baked sweet potato fries, and baked lemon pepper tilapia with chives and collard greens (oops, thought I was dumping more frozen chives until it was too late). yummy. What you don't see: pictures of the kids eating. You're welcome.

fish filter on the cheap

so...we have this fish tank. In Mississippi, it was home to a blue gill and a placo for a long time while D was a single sailor. After we were married, a couple of crayfish were added to the mix and ate up just about everything else, so we started over with some cheapo Walmart guppies and goldfish. They were easy first pets, and kept both us and our other first pet (a precocious kitty) well entertained. Before too long Katrina hit and 2 things happened: the fish all died and precocious kitty turned into crazy kitty.


Fast forward a few years and we're in a new house with new kitties and new fish. Same tank. After a few batches of fish, I think these ones are finally going to make it (apparently tropical fish like warm water. Who knew?!). New problem: these guys are DIRTY! Filters are ridiculously expensive, but thanks to the internet, padding ripped from some (new) prefolds, hot glue, and a carton of carbon, I have a solution. They seem to like it =)

benefits of a side yard: sledding hill!

Boy1 has decided it is his job to shovel this winter. Dad and Mom can help, but he will "be the one doing most of the work." No joke, the kid is out there every single time it snows, sometimes before breakfast. By the way, wool is spectacular. Check out the reinforced knees! After shoveling the sidewalk a few days ago (while mom did the driveway and the remaining 2 boys wreaked havoc inside watched from the window), we decided it was time for some fun!Thanks to a warm(er) day and the shoveling of one momma and one neighbor girl (thanks M!) we have our own pint-sized sledding hill in our side yard. It was great. Except, of course, when it wasn't. And then we went inside for spiced juice and lunch and a great nap, wherein I was able to mend 2 holes in my favorite slippers AND enjoy some chai in my new mug.

Today I wore a skirt

*because two days ago I didn't have to wear a coat outside.
*because I have a wonderful husband who takes care of the boys so that I can have time to craft.
*because I happened to find the perfect shade of turquoise binding in my Grandma's stash to go with this tablecloth skirt.
*because it matches my pretty necklace.
*and because it makes me feel just a little bit more girly in this house full of super boys.

26 weeks

*apologies for the sensitive of ear, the following verse has been stuck in my head. feel free to groan*

All around the mulberry bush,
the daddy chased the mommy.
the daddy thought 'twas all in fun...
pop! goes the tummy.



what's happening developmentally

note: shirt is thrifted, skirt is thrifted maternity shirt turned skirt, shoes are from a dumpster in Italy. go go cheap outfit!

sweet pea pilot cap and some "leftovers" socks

Sweet Pea Pilot Cap tutorial from meg, socks are all the yarn that was left after making a pair of socks for my MIL and another for Tonka. Baby boy #3's stash has officially begun to accumulate! A few more items have been finished (baby stuff takes much less time, thinking, and materials than adult things!), but I need to take a shower, and dumpster pics took forever to load this morning (which is why this post is not about them).

up to lately

(pics that didn't make it onto the blog yet) If you ask nicely, I might consider more words about particular pics.

1. DSC_0059, 2. puzza with yaeger, 3. duck eggs, 4. monkey's dedication, 5. vroom, 6. comparing gashes, 7. CA great grandparents, 8. NY great grandma, 9. schoolwork, 10. mowing, 11. balance bike, 12. fireman, 13. book reading, 14. superhero, 15. denise and erin's socks '09, 16. striped tank (+baby belly)

ps on the striped cami: I made it! tutorial here (part 1) and here (part 2).

Thrifty Thursday

a few weeks ago I found these skinny jeans and patent pleather flats at a local church-facilitated "free place" (thrift store where everything is...free!). here's hoping they are cute enough to motivate me to finish my to-do list for the day. Floors are mopped, kitchen is next (help!). UPDATE: well, skinny jeans are a bit formal when yoga pants are available, but apparently posting a before pic is motivation enough to produce this: yay :) the only 3 things left on the counter are all for dinner (red beans and rice with cornmeal muffins)

t-shirt recon

..because the "before" t-shirt was destined for the thrift store, and I needed something to wear this black shirt with (there are little black stripes on the pants, don't think they showed up in the pic). Besides, yoga pants are ridiculously comfy, especially when they have a waistband that is adjustable to accommodate either short or long tops.
tutorial here, on crafster. super easy, and fast. Just make sure you start with at least an xl shirt!

setting pretty

A pretty "new" table deserves pretty "new" placemats, yes? In a former life, the table (better pic coming at some point) lived at the Dr. B's house and the placemats were huge napkins Granny Boo purchased from the thrift store a couple of years back. The strips I cut off are long enough to do something with, I'm just not sure what yet. ideas? maybe coasters for the cups?


To complete the explanations, the dishes started at Texas Hot's, moved to the Salvation Army's church, and then to their thrift store, where they were nabbed by my mother for me. The silverware is the same set my Granny has; she picked up a second set at an auction and gifted them to me. The napkins were on the tables at my wedding and have been in almost daily use since...especially the ones I sized down for smaller fingers.

phew!