Simple Bags

Two bags - the first (yellow) I made for my little Sunbeam as a scripture tote. I love the fabric and ribbon she picked out but I made it a little too snug. Ideally I'll re-do it but we'll see. The second bag I made because I made the first. Confusing, I know. My 2-year-old wanted a bad becuase my 3-year-old got a bag. So I whipped the pink one up on about an hour. I used another pleated ruffle and I had a blast making it. It's WAY girly and super cute.

Storage

I'm a saver. I'm not compulsive about it but I really like to reuse containers. Recently I reused an oatmeal container and a bread crumb container to make some cute containers for my kitchen. One is covered in scrapbook paper, the other in burlap with a ribbon. For the burlap I used spray glue (which I have a love-hate relationship with) and the scrapbook paper is just taped in.

Also, along the same lines, I wanted to shove into this post a little picture of my kids' activity storage.  I store everything in sterilite-type plastic containers.  Here we have random craft supplies, puzzles, paint, beads, play-doh (the huge one), water color books, crayons, and a few other activities.  I like to store everything in tubs so I can see what is there but it's all organized.  I also like to store this out of sight so we can GO get an activity but then put it away.  We do one thing at a time and it helps me stay sane.

Flowery Skirt

I'm not much of a seamstress (um, I spelled that wrong the first time, ha!) but I do like to try to sew things I think up. This skirt was floating around in my head and even though it didn't turn out just how I wanted it to, I like it. I had NO IDEA how much fabric a pleat can take up - like multiply the waist measurement of FOUR and you'll have enough. ... If you want to do it like I did. Insane. I had to let some out in the back for it to fit Gwenna. ... The first time I did it, it was sized for a baby. Well, that's not true, I thought it was going to be large enough for Gwenna and it didn't even fit Meredith.

 

Gwenna was being cranky so no really great shots of her.  Oh well, it's the skirt that matters.  I sort of used this tutorial although it's obviously not the same skirt at all.  It just got me thinking about the pleated ruffle. At any rate, for my first real skirt I think it turned out well.  Some day when we're not flat broke I hope to make more skirts and dresses, buying less.  I like that I can make what I want and give my girls unique, modest clothing to wear.

White Chicken Chili

I have a picture I'll upload later but for now I didn't want to forget the recipe I concocted tonight.

White Chili
1 lb. ground beef
1/4 yellow onion, chopped
chicken stock
salt, pepper
cayenne pepper
montreal chicken seasoning
white pepper
dried parsley
1 can canelini beans

1 can pinto beans

light sour cream
Lime

Cook turkey & onions.  Add stock until turkey is swimming.  Add appropriate mix of spices, salt and pepper well, add small amounts of montreal chicken seasoning and white pepper, a dash of cayenne. Add a small palmful of parsley. Drain and rinse beans and add.  Simmer until beginning to reduce.  Add 2 heaping spoonfuls of sour cream, mix, and return to a simmer until thickened. Add lime.  Serve over cornmeal waffles.

Mer's Christmas PJ pants

We had the tradition in my house growing up of getting to open 1 gift on Christmas Eve.  It was always pajamas.  I don't remember how far back this goes but the first year I really remember doing it was 1998.  It was the first Christmas my family was in Arizona and my sister and I flew back to Chicago to spend the break (10 days) with my dad.  I wore my Christmas Eve pajamas (which we opened before Christmas) on the plane.  I still have a picture taken at my dad's after we had landed and arrived, in front of the Christmas tree, wearing the pants.

Last year my parents got my girls Christmas pajamas including robes - SO cute.  This year I made the spur of the moment decision, as I stood in front of the flannel at WalMart, to make them Christmas pajama pants to open up Christmas Eve. I let my girls pick out their own flannel.

I used this method, more or less. I just used folded flannel and hemmed them myself.  After all, if I can do it, it's NOT hard at all.  I only had to rip one seam, which, sadly, is good for me.

Gwenna's PJ pants will be next. Here is the flannel she picked out: