kirstencan

In Honor of My 317th Post

More scarves:

The boys needed some.  Well, they WILL need them when it starts snowing, and they'll thank me for it, then, right?  Even if they won't wear them now?

I put brown fleece on the backs this time instead of flannel.  So soft and warm.

Thomas wouldn't try his on until he saw that Monkey thought they were hilarious, then he put his on for a minute.  It's that rocket/robot fabric, Heather Ross stripes, and blue dots.

Monkey did think it was hilarious - especially to try and take his off and run around like a crazy boy.

His is from Heather Ross puppies and stripes, plus brown corduroy (I had to buy some - those pants reached their limit!).  And yes, I realize they will match his puppy pants - so much the cuter.

Eventually he just crashed on the grass.

But wait, weren't their three scarves in that top photo?

Why yes, there were.  The last one is to give away to one of you.  It is Heather Ross gnomes, stripes, and brown corduroy.  The boys picked which 'main' fabric they wanted, but I think the gnomes scarf is my favorite.

So, in honor of my... 317th post* (300 came and went) and just to thank you for reading and commenting on my blog (you make blogging much more fun) I want to give this away to someone who comments on this post this weekend.  If you know a little someone who might like this scarf (I tried to make it gender neutral - I think it would be way cute on a girl, too - and it's about the same size as Princess' - so probably it would fit anyone under 10 or so) leave me a comment and I'll draw names on Monday morning.

So come on, de-lurk, say hi, tell me a joke or what you're working on, or what you thought of The Office last night.
Have a great weekend!

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*Also to apologize for my lack of posting this week - it's been a little busy, and will stay busy all weekend.  I'm still basking in the glow of this amazing concert we went to (and am looking forward to one more, so woo hoo!) and am walking around in a bit of a daze.  :)

Fall Sewing

**First of all, thanks for all your comments and suggestions on my last post!  You guys rock, and I have many 'jumping-off places' now for my little lesson.  I will definitely share with you when I'm done!  Thank you!**

So, I decided that the Summer of the Skirt rocked.  I like wearing skirts, surprisingly, and it would be a shame to miss the Skirt with Un-Matching T-shirt fad, right? Or sweater, or...  It's too good to miss.

So I ordered some Fallish Skirt Fabric, but I wanted to test Simplicity 7229 with some cheaper fabric first, so I picked up this red with tiny white dots stuff.
I think Amanda posted about this pattern first (and kudos to her for looking at this pattern and seeing potential - I look at it and see Lori Loughlin).

The pattern went well - and it really did only take me an hour to make.  Much to my amazement...  I did add 2 inches to the length, though.

Just a really simple, easy skirt - which I think would be fun with my Bruce Lee shirt, too. :)

I ended up wearing brown with it to church on Sunday, but thought I'd wear black originally, so I whipped up this little brooch:

I love this vintage star button.  I've been saving it for something for myself.

Because I'm selfish.

This morning started out with a lovely migraine, which is partly why I'm posting so late today, but ended with some lovely mail:  some Black Apple prints (which I'll show you when they're framed and hung) and some more Heather Ross fabric (on sale at Reprodepot!).

Mail makes everything better. :)

Input, Please!

I need help!

My church does monthly classes for the women.  They can be about anything, crafting, fitness, reading, whatever.  I had the brilliant (stupid!) idea of suggesting a class about 'living greener'.  And then I was asked to teach it.

Teaching is no big deal for me - I love it, actually, and I already teach a Sunday class once a month, but I have a little over two weeks to prepare, and there's a lot more to do in those two weeks, too!  (And then two weeks after THAT, I got suckered into teaching a freezer-paper stencil class, too!  I'm so dumb.)

So, please, does anyone have any brilliant ideas/links for me?  I'd like to talk about several different things that everyone can do to make a difference:  being a better consumer (using the Better-World Shopping Guide), our homes, our yards, traveling... energy consumption, etc.

In the shopping guide book it has a list of the top 10 things you can change to be a better consumer - in order of importance.  I'd like something like that  for other aspects, too - focus on the most important things you can do.

What are YOU'RE favorite things that you do to be 'greener'?

Any links, books, suggestions would be appreciated!  And if you're interested, afterwards I could put the outline of my little lesson up here (or for download) so we can share ideas.

THANK YOU!!!  The class isn't really a big deal, but if I'm going to do it, I'm going to be well-prepared, you know?

Have an amazingly productive/fun weekend!  Next week I'll be having a little giveaway, so stay tuned!

Princess School

Since my school update was completely Thomas-centric, here's a little update on homeschooling Princess:

I really am lucky, as far as homeschooling goes, to have such a bright, self-motivated kid.  She does much of it herself, without being reminded. And the planner we gave her for her birthday has been a help - she loves it for her lists and loves checking things off!

Aaron has taken over science responsibilities - and good thing.  Chemistry was not my forte.  I've tuned in to a couple of their lessons and she's going to know more about chemistry than me in about a week.  And I probably have a better understanding than I did before - I should probably listen every time!  I think she really enjoys spending the extra time with her dad, too, which is always a good thing.

Princess has started piano lessons, too - which she loves.  I don't even have to remind her to practice.  At least not yet, anyway.

She's switched back to a more traditional ballet program.  For the last two years she's been in a very creative modern dance program.  It was amazing, but she decided she was ready to move on.  She's always loved ballet, knows the stories of all the 'big' ones, and after re-reading Ballet Shoes she decided she really wants to be en pointe when she's older.  And to do that she needs ballet.  I have to say it was fun picking out the prettiest pink leotards we could find, and buying ballet slippers again.

She really loves her new class (and the fact that her teacher looks like a Barbie I'm sure has nothing to do with it! :)

I think ballet is why she wanted to study french, too!  When we found out that we can use Rosetta Stone online for free through our library website, we let her pick what language.  Chinese.  She's wanted to learn chinese forever.  But it was more difficult than she thought.  She switched to french and is enjoying it a lot more.

A visit from the Tooth Fairy to celebrate her first top tooth gone is a great way to celebrate our first 3 weeks of school.

17 Brooches

A custom rush order for Etsy - 17 brooches... in 4 days!

Apparently there will be a lot of ladies in Indiana wearing them this week! :)

They went together pretty quickly, I usually do them in batches of 4 or 5 anyway (as it is always so fun to play with the darning foot!).

There were already 4 in the shop, thank goodness, so only 13 more.

I had fun playing with new color combos and (as always) digging through my vintage buttons.

Thank goodness for Fedex.  I hope they like them!

I am now working on a little shop update - I haven't really done that for a while, which is why I love Etsy - no pressure!  Just a few more shirts - they are really fun to make!

School Update

We're slowly getting the hang of our New Routines.  In a couple of weeks I'll be feeling much better about them! 

It's hard to get Thomas up and ready for school.  I've never had to do that - wake him, make sure he eats, pack lunches, etc.  How do you ladies do it all the time? He's just not a fast mover in the morning and I feel bad rushing him.

Princess, Monkey, and I have been out walking/riding nearly every morning after Thomas and Aaron leave.

I used to walk everywhere with the kids.  Rain or shine (I had a cover for the stroller)

I was out walking.  But for the past year or so it's been tough.  First because Princess couldn't keep up on her scooter (pre-two-wheeler) - or she'd get tired - and then because Thomas had no patience for sitting in the stroller and would start smacking Monkey... you can see why we stopped walking as often.

Thomas has been doing great in school.  Each day he comes home with a sheet of paper divided into sections of what he did that day, who with, and how well he did.  It's usually covered with things like: 'He's a joy to work with', "He did awesome!', or "He's so cute!'.  That's good stuff.  He seems to like school.  He's just beat when he gets home.  That kid crashes at night now - and Saturday he slept until 8:00!  I don't think he's ever done that before!  He's my 6:00am or earlier dude!

The long commutes have been tough on him, though - poor carsick little buddy.  Actually, the photo of our walk/ride over here is the day we turned around early because Aaron called.  He said, "He totally threw up, should I---"  and then my phone died.  So we RAN back to make sure everything was okay.

So, I'm trying to be better about keeping my cell on me and charged at all times, just in case.

He was getting sick on the bus, too - but I think we have that problem fixed.

We have to pick him up at a group bus stop every afternoon.  We've been spending a lot more time in the car.  New pet peeve:  I'm in my car with the windows down, door open to let in the breeze (it's finally cooled off a little, here!) and someone (or several) parks next to me, and keeps their car idling!  Yuck.  It makes me mad - people (esp. the ones in huge trucks) idling their car for 15 minutes with the A/C on, blowing exhaust in the air (and my car!)

...rant over.

Spending more time in the car also means we need entertainment for the kiddos.  We've started taking more books and coloring stuff (or leftover schoolwork) in the car for while we're waiting.

Getting used to Thomas' school has just required a new way of thinking (about everything!) you know?  But we'll get there.

   

The Rest of the Corduroy Pants

Princess needed a new bag.  She needs to tote piano books and library books.

I just loved the idea of the Heather Ross horses paired with more brown corduroy (repurposed from old cord pants).

She loves it, too!

The inside top is lined with more horse fabric, and the bottom with a pretty calico.  I used the pants pocket for the inside 'library card' pocket (and I used stiff interfacing for this bag and everything).

I was running out of corduroy, so the straps are made from the waistband!

Seriously, they are, see?  Here are the tags on the back.

And here's the other accessory - A matching scarf!

Much like my last scarf (only a bit smaller), it's also inspired by a project in Denyse Schmidt Quilts and Tiny Happy's lovely scarves.  There's also a tutorial for a similar one up on Sewmamasew's blog right now.

Very 'Autumn'.

I'm loving it.  You'll be seeing versions for my boys soon, never fear.

Not bad for a night's crafting, eh?

Puppy Pants

Cute new pants for Monkey made from old brown cords of my sister's.

They are much like his linen pants, but a little longer (he's grown) for fall. 

I am all about things that are pre-hemmed.

I never get those back pockets placed just right!  Oh well.

But they'll come in handy - elastic waist for easier potty-training! 

Ugh.  I don't even want to think about that, actually.

I used the cute puppy fabric from Heather Ross that I got from Sewmamasew to spruce them up. I couldn't resist (finally) and bought some others from the line, too.  There's a level of cuteness here that is just unbelievable.

Stay tuned for more brown-cord + Heather Ross fabric - I can't wait to show you!

...

P.S. I used to update my blog links on my sidebar every month.  Oops.

Here are my blog-links for September, all cool ladies - hopefully some you haven't seen before - check them out!

Blue Yonder
Small Wonders
Write Mama Write
Kloth & Bolt
Sarah P. dot

Fifteen Dollars

So, the other day at Target I found the CUTEST jumper for Princess (I'd link to it, but I don't see it on their website).  I didn't buy it, but I thought I might go back and get it later.  It was $15 - a great deal... or so I thought...

Now here's a good example of why I love to thrift.  I went to a thrift store the next day, and got these clothes for Princess:

A nice hoodie, which she needed, a cute cord tiered skirt, and two long-sleeve t-shirts.  Grand total:  $15.  The same price as the one jumper.  Not my best deal ever (and not as good as this other time I spent $15) but still...

I don't always shop thrift - sometimes you just need a certain color/kind of top (to go with the thrifted skirt), or cute stripy tights.  But it's worth checking the thrift store first! Especially for kids - when they outgrow/ruin stuff so quickly!  I always check for good brands and things in good condition. 

There is also the thrill of the hunt. :)

For the same price (or less!)as buying a cheap shirt at Target (which usually has ugly graphics - esp. for boys) you can buy a quality, name brand shirt at a consignment or thrift shop.  Hooray for that! 

My favorite thrift store is by my mom's house (Bonus!  I don't have to take the kids!) and I always manage to find good stuff there - I passed on a cute plaid Tommy Hilfiger skirt for her, too.

What are you waiting for?  Go thrift!

(I know, I know, I'm preaching to the choir, right?)

8 things

I've been tagged by Laura and Zoe (sorry it took so long!) for the 8 things Meme - photos have nothing to do with my post - but it was pretty cute watching Monkey pick peaches from our tree!).

...

1 - When I was in junior high, I was a Mathlete.  Yup.  Geek.  It was pretty cool, though.  I remember that one of the meets was on my 14th birthday, and I wore my favorite skirt (The one I was trying on during the 1989 SF earthquake - seriously, I was in the dressing room and it was shaking like crazy).  I got a perfect score that day.

2 - We don't have cable or satelite TV.  I do miss the discovery channel sometimes, and I'm sure the history channel would come in handy for school, but we already watch too much TV, I can't imagine if there was good stuff on all the time!

3 - This month we're going to go see two concerts.  In the same week, actually.  I'm way excited about this, as we haven't been to any since the summer before Princess was born, when we went to 3.  So fun.

4 - I would usually much rather email than phone people.  Maybe that's one reason why I like blogging so much. 

5 - If it lives in the sea, it's not for me.  Seriously, I can't eat seafood.  I can't even smell it.  People ask - What about shrimp? (or crab, or...)  No.  I really wish I liked it, though.

6 - I cannot stand country music.  At. All.  (No, not even Shania or Garth).  I don't like the twang, the sometimes froggy-sounding voices, the fashion, the lyrics, anything.  I do, however, like some bluegrass (the 'O Brother' soundtrack is really fun).

7 - I have jaw problems.  My jaw muscles get really tired sometimes.  I talk a LOT, and am usually only bothered if I sing a lot or whisper.  Weird.

8 - In high school I played field hockey.  I played just about every position, but also keeper.  Imagine an ice hockey goalie out on a field in 95 degree weather with 100 percent humidity. That was me. Fun stuff.