Reclaiming The Home

Doll Quilt Inspiration

First off an update for those of you who have been following along with me so far.  I'm still as sick as a dog, but I'm hanging in there.  I called about 30 childcare places today, to try to get some part time help with the kids while hubby is in the field or traveling.  So far, no luck (either they were full or were not taking part time kids).  I did get a few responses from an ad I posted, and will be doing interviews soon, so that I can get some help for things like Dr. appointments while hubby is away.  Thank you for those of you who have been so thoughtful and kind, and so generous with your suggestions for what might help.  It means a lot.

On to happier things.... Though my own creative abilities have been stifled with nausea lately, I have still been truly appreciating the works of SO many amazing crafters and homemakers out there.  Here are a few of my recent favorites:

This gorgeous doll quilt was lovingly created by LauraJay, and seen on Flickr.  I love how the patchwork is whimsical yet organized all at the same time.  Not an easy feat to accomplish but she did it beautifully.  Don't you just love that color palette too?  I want to decorate a room around those colors. :)

I'm starting to notice a color trend with my favorites lately.   More beautiful aquas and reds here.  Again, I love how the patchwork that upstatelisa did on this quilt is so whimsical.  It really gives it a fun, active feel, but it still leaves the viewer feeling balanced and organized as well.  So hard to do, and just lovely.

More blues and reds for inspiration here as well.  I love the vintage looking fabrics and the hodge podge of patches here and there.  It looks so beautiful and whimsical, and yet there is such an attention to detail.  I am really loving the left edge as well.  Makes you just want to reach out and touch it!  Lucyellen06 did a wonderful job on this!

What has been inspiring you lately?

Happy Mother's Day

To every mother, and to her children... to every father who plays both roles... to every aunt, sister, friend, or teacher who reaches out to a lonely child... to all who are building on dreams and hopes of mothering in the future... happy Mother's Day! :) 

Checking In...

First, I want to say I am sorry.  I didn't mean to disappear from blogdom for so long. 

I am still as sick as a dog, but I am trying to accept that this just is what it is, and that its for a very good reason.  After a week of living life much like a sad little mole crying under the covers, I have decided that I can't let myself give up on the things that are important to me.  I need to focus on and treasure those things right now so that my world is not consumed completely by feeling so sick.   I may not be on my game 100% right now, but I'm not going to just sit on the sidelines and pout because I can't play.  I may be limping along the proverbial race, but I will participate anyway.

I would have loved to share a photo with you this post, but my computer is about to endure an Office Space moment, for those of you who are familiar with the fax machine scene.  I am on a backup for the time being, but don't have a way to add in photos yet.

Things are going to be getting a little more normal after this post around here.  I'm looking forward to a little "normal" for sure :)

Sending hugs to each of you...

Short Blogging Break

I'm sorry all.  I've been on a short blogging break while I've been so sick.  Things aren't much better just yet, but its looking a bit like Hyperemesis Gravidarum.  The doctors have tried a couple of prescriptions.  I'm on B-6 and starting a new prescription today in hopes it might help. 

In the mean time I will try to check in and post as much as I can.  Sorry for the lag in updates.  *hugs*

Sharing

I'm sorry it has been a few days since my last post.  I have been having some intense morning sickness, and haven't been able to be on the computer much.  Thankfully the beloved nurse at my doctor office agreed to call in some anti-nausea medication to help, and we will be picking it up tomorrow, post haste. 

In the mean time I will share some of the lovely meals I've made when I have been able to stomach the smell of cooking, but that I sadly haven't been able to take part in eating the past few days...

First on the menu are Barbecue Wings complete with corn & green beans.  It was incredibly simple to make.  I simply basted the wings (frozen) with BBQ sauce and baked them for an hour at 350*.  Warmed up the veggies, added a little salt and pepper and presto!  A meal that the family loved. :)

The next night I thought I would try something a little more tummy-friendly.  I made a Caesar Pasta Salad with fresh tomatoes, steamed broccoli, one chicken breast cut into bite sized chunks (for the entire salad) and Caesar dressing.  It smelled wonderful and hubby gave it two thumbs up.  Anna loved it as well!

Finally, I made the beloved and esteemed Apple Dumplings that the Pioneer Woman gave a recipe for a couple of weeks ago.   Everyone loved these and I had to make a second batch to send with hubby tomorrow to a work lunch event.  The only thing that we changed in the recipe was to use Squirt instead of Mountain Dew (to cut out all traces of caffeine).  Based on everyone who tried them, we have a total of 12/12 thumbs up!

Now... the things I've actually been able to eat?  Hmm... ice-cold Spaghettios and corn dogs.  So healthy I know, but apparently it is all that the baby wants. LOL.  I am hoping this will change soon.

What are your tricks for an upset tummy?  Any favorite "sick tummy" recipes to share? 

thank you...

Thank you all so much for the amazing responses to the pregnancy announcement.  My heart is so warmed by the incredible community and friendships that I am so blessed to be a part of.  Thank you.

In answer to a couple of questions, yes, we are hoping to find out if it is a boy or a girl with the "big" ultrasound, but there is always that chance that we won't be able to tell (that's what happened with Anna afterall!).  We really do hope that we will find out though.  We are, of course, incredibly excited about either possibility. 

In other news, life has been carrying on as normal, if not a bit harried, the past week or so.  I have been working hard on finishing up the girls' summer wardrobe.  We still have a ways to go, but a few new outfits have joined the ranks.

Here you can see that Anna is sporting a new purple outfit.  You can't see them in this shot, but there are bloomers under there (the same purple ones that I showed in the Bloomers Tutorial).  Her hair tie also does not match at all, but she insisted.  Who am I to argue with creative expression?

Abbi is sporting a new outfit as well, though hers appears to be bunched a bit from sitting in her therapy swing.  I made this outfit from a piece of vintage fabric that I picked up at an estate sale last weekend for 50-cents.

The current count is 4 handmade outfits for Abbi and 2 for Anna, with plenty more in the works for both of them.

Those of you who have been planning some summer sewing, how is it going?  Any updates or photos to share? :)

In addition to my sewing endeavors I've been experimenting a bit in the kitchen.  I saw an incredible tutorial over at Berlin's Whimsy for a recipe for Picnic Bread.  I decided to give it a try today, and I am so glad that I did!  Mine didn't rise as high for the second rising as hers did, so I may try it again, and let it rise a little longer.   Even still, it turned out SO pretty.  It can be hard to tell in this sunken platter, but it is almost 4" tall.

For the filling I used sun dried tomatoes, garlic, and a generous sprinkling of Italian Seasoning.  It tastes just about heavenly.

Yum.

Where to Begin?

First off, I want to share my excitement about an amazing event going on right now over at the RTH Forums!  The Ultimate Household Challenge has begun, and members old and new are competing each week for prizes, reclaimed homes, and bragging rights!  If you want to join in, you can hop on over at any time.  There are door prizes for new members, live chats, games, and all sorts of motivation  & inspiration.  Most importantly there are so many new friendships to be gained, and a sense of community that is difficult to find these days.  Pop on over and join in if you like, or even sit back and watch the fun unfold! :)

Lastly, and far from least, I have some BIG personal news to report.  The winter of 2008 will bring us a brand new little bundle.   

This was something completely unexpected, but very very exciting for us.  I am still in a little bit of shock from the news, but it is starting to sink in, especially since the morning sickness and exhaustion are reminding me quite often of the new little addition!

The girls are quite excited about the prospect of being big sisters, especially Anna.  They keep rubbing my tummy and asking "baby?" which just makes me melt into an emotional blob right where I'm sitting. :)

This means lots of changes in our lives but will also mean so many amazing joys ahead.  With the baby due just before Christmas we will be planning and preparing for both the baby and the holidays with vigor, so I'm am sure you'll see some results of that on the blog here before much longer.

I could go on and on all day with the plans and surprises that all of this brought to us, but my slice of toast is calling me, as are my loving children who are anxious to spend a morning coloring with Mommy. 

I just couldn't wait a moment longer to share our news with you all.  :) 

Thank you for sharing in my joy!

Kristin :)

PS - check out the AMAZING artist who drew that lovely picture of a pregnant woman at THIS BLOG.  So cool. :)

Bloomers Tutorial

1. For short bloomers, cut pillowcase in half.  If using the closed end of the pillowcase, cut open the closed end so that it forms a “tube”

2. Measure your child’s inseam (this would be from the top front of the diaper or undies, through the legs and around to the top back of the diaper or undies on your child).  Take this number of inches and divide it by two.  Then add 2” to that number.  With your fabric laid out flat, using the number of inches that you got from the inseam calculation, measure from the top of your “tube” down on either side edge.  So if you measured 12” at your final calculation you will measure 12” down and mark this with a pin.

3. With your inseam marked on either side, you will need to cut a short bit from the bottom of your tube on the sides, in a line up to the pin.  Do this along the outer edges/seams.  This will determine the crotch/leg areas.  Once you have this part finished, its on to the sewing machine! 

4. If you have a serger, it would be a good time to go around and serge all of the cut edges so that they don’t fray.  If you don’t have a serger, zig-zag stitch the cut edges.  I do have a serger, but for this project am showing it with the zig-zag stitch.   If you prefer, you can iron over a ¼” hem and sew that  over all of the raw edges.  I just prefer this method, as it is faster and usually leaves me with a little more fabric.

5.  Pin the cut bits together that you cut in step 3.  In this step you will be sewing the front & back of the legs together, and giving the bloomers a “crotch” area so to speak.   Please note that you want to make sure that the seam from the pillowcase is on the *outside* at this point.  This will help your seams to all be on the same side of the garment.

When you are finished with sewing this area, it will look like a large pair of shorts.

6. Pin down the top of the “shorts” about 1”.  Sew about ¼ inch from the edge of the fabric, giving you about ¾” pocket.  Make sure that you leave a 1” opening for the elastic to work through because This will be the sleeve that your elastic will go in later.

7. Repeat this with each of the legs as well, making sure to leave an opening for the elastic to come through.

8. Measure your child’s waist (near or just below the belly button, all the way around the waist.  Cut a piece of ½” wide elastic the same size.

9. Measure around your child’s thigh (just below the crotch area, and around the entire thigh.  Cut 2 pieces of ½” wide elastic the same size.

10.  Next you need to feed the elastic through the opening at the waist, and to do this, you will want to clip a safety pin onto one end of the elastic to feed through the sleeve.  Then clip a second safety pin onto the other end of the elastic, and pin it to the fabric just above the opening for your elastic to go through.  This will help your elastic’s “tail” not to get lost inside the tube. You will need to have both ends once you feed it through.

To feed the elastic through the band, push the first safety pin through the opening, scrunching the fabric down over the pin as you go.  With your left hand, hold the tip of the pin.  With your right, gently pull the fabric so that some of the elastic feeds through the sleeve.  Continue this all the way through the sleeve until it comes out the other side, making sure it doesn’t twist.

11. Once the elastic is fed through, pull both ends taught so that you have several inches of elastic on either side.  Once again, make sure that you don’t twist the fabric in this process.   Place the elastic pieces on top of one another about 1” overlapping.

12.  Zig-zag stitch  in 3 different places over the overlapped elastic.  This helps to secure it very strongly so that it remains sturdy and elastic without separating.

13.  To re-insert the elastic into the  sleeve, gently tug on the waist, until all of the elastic is in the sleeve.  Adjust the bunched up fabric until it is fairly even throughout.

14. Using your sewing machine, stitch closed the little opening you used to insert your elastic.

Repeat steps 10-14 for the legs as well

14. Flip inside out, and enjoy your new bloomers!

If you like this tutorial, feel free to use it, and you are also welcome to link to it.  I would absolutely love to see any bloomers that you make using this tute!  It takes at most 90 minutes (if you're photographing and writing instructions along the way).  I would say it takes under an hour in most cases! :)

Enjoy!

**editing to add** - Lisa asked in the comments of THIS POST if I make all of the girls' clothes.  The answer is that I have not made all of them in the past, though I did always have something handmade in their wardrobe.  This year I have a goal of making all of their summer clothing, along with a few select thrifted items (jeans especially). 

I figure I only have a couple of years left where I can dress them however I like, so I'm going to enjoy it while I can, and hopefully it will help them to love handmade clothing too (which is of course not to say that new clothing isn't fun and super-cute - this is just something I personally really enjoy).

The wrong way to eat cereal

A stray Arby's sauce packet and a bowl of mini wheats, complete with a big grin. 

Yes, she ate it all, and loved every single bite (much to my dismay).

Then... yesterday we had some cereal in a bowl for snacking during art time at the table while I was baking a batch of oatmeal cookies.  All I can say is thank goodness for washable marker.

Sometimes you just have to step back, shake your head and give a little giggle.

Sewing a Summer Wardrobe

I have been busy sewing and sewing and sewing.  I am working on a summer wardrobe for the girls, and have been spending as much time as I can trying to get that ready now that the weather is warming up.  I tried and tried to get a few pictures of them yesterday as they were running about the yard, but it is hard to catch a fleeing two year old in motion.  Hopefully this will give you some idea of what I have had in the works for Anna. 

The color appears to be a bit off in this picture, but you can at least see the outfit.  The tank top and bloomers were made from one vintage pillowcase that I picked up at an estate sale for 65-cents.  I have spools and spools and spools of elastic that will last me the duration of my natural life, so I don't count that in the cost of the outfit.  The ribbon I bought with about 100 yards on a spool at the thrift store for about $1.  Total cost was under 75-cents.  I really get such a little thrill from being frugal and making something new out of something old. 

Are you sewing anything for the warm summer months?

I have a tutorial for the bloomers in the works, that I'll be sure to post later in the week. :)