Life with Girl Boy Girl

The Last Minute Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!! (with free bonus pattern in post)

2009-12-05T07:37:00.000-08:00

The Last Minute Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!! (with free bonus pattern in post)

So cute.....I hope I win!

The Pleated Poppy GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-10-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

The Pleated Poppy GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!
I would love to win this! I have had the same one for 9 years and it is falling apart. The leather ones can't stand a chance against something so charming.

Summer gone by

2009-09-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

I love summer and always struggle with the blues when it ends. I wish I could bottle it up to pull out later. It was a good summer. As usual we didn't get to do as many of the things we had planned but it was busy and fun. Here are is a glimpse of our summer in photos...

Trophies, first recitals and new belts at Kung Fu.

Camping Fun..

Some thrifted treasures:
I found this feedsack at a barn sale. I am hoping that it is big enough to use for the backing for the quilt that I am working on for my girls. I got it for five dollars.

A vintage tablecloth. I was thinking about turning this into a skirt but I am afraid to ruin it.

Chenille Bedspread- 10.00

A vintage child's sleeping bag

Vintage patterns

This wasn't my find but an amazing gift from a friend.

This is a shelf I got for .50. It was a dark wood with contact paper background. I forgot a before picture. I spray painted it white and added some paper to each section.

Signs of summer.....

One shirt= two dresses

2009-08-31T10:29:00.000-07:00

I hope this is the first of many refashioning projects. I now find myself not being able to look at things the same way anymore. If it is time to get rid of it I wonder what else it could be. If I see something in the thrift stores I analyze it to see if it could have new life.
I found a ladies blouse that I would never wear in a million years. I thought the print would be sweet for a little girl. I snatched it up for .50 at Goodwill.

I took the whole thing apart cutting as close to the seams as possible and saving every piece.

I found this tutorial very helpful in making the first dress. I was able to reuse the buttons as they were. I opted not to change the waist more for saving time but hope to try it next time. I also added a belt/tie around her waist. It is a little hard to see. Perhaps I should have done something contrasting for that.

Dress 1:

Dress 2:

I got the idea of using the sleeves here. Instead of using the collar for straps I decided to make halter ties. My model was being silly so this is best shot I have. I actually liked how the buttons were offset.
Here is a back view:

Hopefully I will have more to post soon as my "to sew" pile is growing quickly.

Love September Favorite Skirt Pattern GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-08-31T06:54:00.000-07:00

Or even this. I have a feeling I would use this over and over again.

Love September Favorite Skirt Pattern GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Sew Cute Shop Amy Butler Birdie Sling GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-08-31T06:53:00.000-07:00

Or this....

Sew Cute Shop Amy Butler Birdie Sling GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Teachers Pet Cardi, Simple Tee and Poppy Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-08-31T06:52:00.000-07:00

I would love to win this..

Teachers Pet Cardi, Simple Tee and Poppy Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Flashback Friday

2009-06-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

S & G -Seven months

Flashback Friday

2009-06-12T14:37:00.000-07:00

G and S just shy of 5 months.

Blueberry Pie Refashioned Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-05-21T04:37:00.000-07:00

I would love this!

Blueberry Pie Refashioned Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

A first

2009-05-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

I am about to try a new project...a quilt. To be honest they've always seemed so intense and complicated. But when I saw this sew along it seemed like a great motivator and not so intense afterall. So in six weeks I should have a finished project. I hope to make one soon for the girls as well. Sometime soon we will be moving the girls together and I thought making them a quilt for their bed would be sweet. Hopefully this first one will go so well that I won't change my mind. I thought practicing would be a good idea. Anyone interested in joining me?

5 on Five

2009-05-14T04:20:00.000-07:00

Nobody told me that once you turn 5 you....

1. Start using all of your parents phrases appropriately.("I'm gonna nail this bad boy"- S about eating meatloaf and G "in any case.....")

2. Sounding out words becomes much easier. Especially when your parents are spelling across the room so that you don't know the topic and then you figure it out.

3. You are able to master the wonderful art of Eavesdropping. You excel especially during phone calls.

4. You can develop "man eyes." What are man eyes you ask? Have you ever sent a man to get something with very clear instructions and they swear to you it is not there. You go to retrieve the "not there" item and it is exactly where you said. Man eyes people!

5. Finally, once you turn 5 you start to enjoy the freedoms that come with being older. Like this....

Then in a flash I realized that although I used to carry two of you at the same time all the time...

the day would come that I could barely hold just one of you.

(In case anyone is wondering I am actually 28 in the picture above....not 12 like you may have been tempted to think. Please Oprah...enough shows on helping people looking 10 years younger...how about help me look my age?)

Catch up

2009-04-18T18:00:00.000-07:00

Turning Two
Our little one turned two as I mentioned before. Here are some shots from our family celebration. She wore a tutu I found here. It came together pretty quickly...especially since it was a no sew. Next time I would either come up with some type of lining or I would choose really dark colors for the toule so it wasnt quite so see through. Since I was still putting it together at midnight the night before I ran out of time to make a liner. I went with a flower/lollipop theme this year so her outfit reminded me of that. A little over the top I guess.

The decorations came together pretty easily. I used the garland I made for the girls last year and made a new birthday banner. I had some leftover cupcake fabric to use up and I thought this would be a perfect way. It turns out that I like the back much better than the front. At least there is something to look at whether you are in the living room or dining room.

The large lollipops I happened upon at walmart. I thought they would make great flowers/ centerpiece.

The cupcakes were an idea I got from Martha. As it turns out the type of lollipop she used is impossible to find. Who knew? We improvised. I think they turned out ok in the end. Of course her's are much cuter.

As for her gift from us....well I will save that for another time. The amount of energy that it took makes it worthy of it's own post.
But this girl.....

oh how we love her. As much as we can't believe it she is clearly telling us that she is in fact Two.

Easter
This year was pretty laid back. Here are some pictures from the day.

Aprons

2009-04-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

Back in December I made two aprons for gifts. Since I forgot to take pictures of them my Mom and my dear friend Erin were kind enough to send me some pictures of them. I love how the same pattern can look totally different depending on the fabric used.

I recently made this one for myself. I think it turned out ok. If I make another I think I would change a few things. Now if I could just remember to use it. If anyone is interested in aprons or possibly even wanting to sew one be sure to check this out. I haven't participated yet but would like to.

Inspiration

2009-04-05T18:54:00.001-07:00

I would love to win this. It combines my three favorite things....vintage, sewing and thrifting. If you want to be inspired check out this blog.
http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/2009/03/summer-of-69-thrift-store-refashion.html

Two

2009-03-30T18:11:00.000-07:00

How quickly the time goes. It seems like yesterday you were like this...

And this time last year you were like this...

We love you bird! What a blessing you have been to our family.

More celebrations to come....check back!

Introducing....

2009-03-11T08:42:00.001-07:00

Mary Lou Retton!

H just starting taking gymnastics in a Mommy and Me class where I work. I was hoping being around other kids her age would help her catch up a little bit. Plus a size 2 leotard...how cute is that?

Seriously

2009-03-04T04:05:00.001-08:00

So another month has gone by since my last post. I gotta work on that. We have been pretty busy around here.
A couple of kids got older on me...

So we had a small pary.....

With cake of course...

And presents that they were really hoping for....

At the end of the month we get to do it again with this little one...

I have also been doing some sewing. I found two of these ugly peach pillows at the reuzit shop. I was able to recover them using fabric I also found at the reuzit shop.

I also made a fabric cube and a crate cover. I liked how they both turned out for the most part. I hope to make more to help organize things around here.

Five

2009-02-04T02:42:00.000-08:00

Five years ago today you were born. Two to hold, two to feed, two to care for and two to love. Both of our arms were full with two miracles. Today I marvel at how much you have grown and changed and mainly at how fast the past five years have gone.

Sewing

2009-01-12T19:19:00.000-08:00

Within the last few months I have gotten two new books (thanks to my husband)that I would recommend to anyone who wants to begin sewing. I have tried projects/patterns from each and they went very smoothly. Most of my work was done for Christmas gifts and I will post some photos from those projects soon. Usually with a sewing book I like one or two projects but not enough to want the whole book. I have to say I would be happy to make anything from either of these. The projects that require patterns come with them...which alone is worth the cost of the book. Both of these ladies have blogs that are also inspiring. I hope someone can enjoy them as much as I have already.

Score!

2009-01-08T05:17:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago I scored the mother load at Goodwill. I couldn't believe it. They actually had fiesta mugs....for 2.00. They match some I received a couple of years ago for Christmas. I love that I now have a rainbow of colors. Now when people are over it is easy to know which is yours. I love the way they look all together.

While we are on the subject of Fiesta I had a Christmas miracle this year. I received this beautiful platter from my mother in law.

I was speechless. It is seriously one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I was glad to find the perfect spot for it above my kitchen cabinets.

For Erin

2009-01-04T15:01:00.000-08:00

Busy

2008-12-23T05:12:00.000-08:00

Things have been busy around here. Crazy busy...but a good busy. So I have a few things to catch up on.
H. recently had her first haircut. I had it evened out so it is a little less mullet like.
Before:

After:

I have done a lot of sewing for Christmas. Most of it is for gifts so I will have to post about that after they have all been opened. One thing I did was make a felt garland. It was super easy and quick. The longest part was cutting out all of the circles. But I had lots of interruptions. I am pleased with how it turned out and am thinking of other ways to use this idea. Perhaps little triangles for a birthday party. This would be a great first project for someone wanting to learn how to use a sewing machine.
Circles cut out...

Sewn as garland...

On the kid's tree.....

A couple of weeks ago S and G had picture day at gymnastics. Here are a few shots. This is where I work one day a week.

Can it be?

2008-12-03T14:38:00.000-08:00

Nine years ago today, you asked me a question. You had a beautiful plan and it is one of the only ones to date that I didn't see coming. I can't believe that it has been that long. We have been through so much together over these years. I can't imagine sharing it with anyone else. I am so glad I said "yes."

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-30T09:59:00.000-08:00

This year we had Thanksgiving at our house for the first time. It was the largest sit down dinner we have had. Finding a place for everyone to sit was harder than I thought it would be. See what I mean? There was another table attached to the left of this photo.

I am happy to say that I think that everything went pretty well. We ended up eating an hour later than planned but everything tasted pretty good so it wasnt a total loss. Why is it so hard to get everything hot at the same time? I guess it takes years. I had lots of great helpers for the crunch time at the end. Thanks to my neices for their help as well. One helped me with the prep work the day before and the other the day after to clean up the aftermath.
We tried some new things like singing a hymn and a prayer said in unison. I think it gave special meaning to the day. Thanks to my husband for putting together some amazing booklets for everyone. Even if staples messed up the amazing font you had picked out...oh so perfect for the time period.

This Thanksgiving I was feeling particularly grateful for my children and realizing once again the enormity of the miracles that they are. Thank You Lord for choosing us.

Funny

2008-11-19T13:14:00.000-08:00

So our kids have been saying funny things lately. Well two out of three have been saying funny things....number three is just plain funny..see what I mean.

Ok...so back to the point.
A couple of weeks ago my husband was reading to the kids. The story mentioned bows and arrows. Being the excellent father that he is he went all the way up to the attic and brought down a case to show them first hand a bow and arrow. The case was huge and actually ended up containing other war like items like a tomahawk. They of course were in awe. Studying everything carefully. Since then the case has remained in our bedroom.
Well this past weekend my dear friend Erica and I did something totally crazy (since both of our husbands were away),we had a sleepover. It has been years and was just like the old days, except with the having four kids part. So she was getting her son ready for bed in a pack-n-play in our room. She needed to plug something in and a handy outlet was just behind the case. As I was moving it out the way S had to comment..."oh yeah that's my Dad's killing stuff."

This is the same boy who over the summer held up a candy apple kit (with the bright red apple picture), the kind in the produce section and said "hey Mom can we get some of these poisoned apples?"

A month or so ago we had friends over for a meal. Later the kids were enjoying popsicles. I look over and see G laying and trying to eat hers. I simply state that laying and eating is not a good idea. She sweetly replies so matter of factly..."but I am tired and hungry." Of course what was I thinking.

So this brings me to today. I was getting the play doh out for the kids to play with. I don't mind if they mix the colors up but today I got the dentist set out. I was explaining to them that should keep the white seperate for the dentist set. S says,"oh I know why Mom because teeth are white." Your right I tell him. G quickly responds,"no they are not Mom, they are yellow....like yours..see"

November 16th

2008-11-17T18:07:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to the one I love. Thank You so much for how hard you work for our family. We miss you when you are away....like right now. Why couldn't I find any pictures of you and I together? Guess we should work on that.

Skirts

2008-11-05T17:13:00.000-08:00

I stumbled upon this pattern for a lazy day skirt. Others have said that you can actually make it in the time it takes to make dinner. I would agree....if I didn't have so many interruptions and if I wasn't making two at the same time. I am happy with how it turned out mainly because it was so easy to make. Actually it was so simple I wouldn't even consider it a pattern. However, next time I make it I will make it a little shorter so that it hits right at the knee. I was trying to give the girls extra coverage and it just ended up making the whole thing look baggy. Also, I think I would like it better if the material had a smaller print. I would also like to try it where the fabric is solid and the ribbon has a print or pattern to it. So these will stay in the closet for couple of years until everyone grows into them a little more. The whole point of sharing this with you is if there is someone out there who would like to try their hand at sewing....this would be a great project to start with.

It is a good idea to have your fabric kid tested and approved if you want them to be excited to wear it!

I know I have mentioned making pajama pants before but I have to admit I am obsessed with them. I thrifted these flannel pillowcases and immediately thought they would make cozy winter pajamas for S and G. They are quickly becoming their favorites as the weather gets colder. This would be another easy sewing project for someone to start with. All you need is an existing pair of pants to copy. I so glad I stumbled across this tutorial.

S

2008-11-05T16:44:00.000-08:00

I had intended to write this post immediately after the last one...you know even Steven as we say around here...but here it is a week later. So for the first time S and G are separated. It is great to see them enter a group without being able to rely on each other. S had a much harder time on his first day than G did. His choice...Kung Fu. He started in September and has already earned his first(white) sash. He loves going and we love to watch him. Unfortunately we are not able to take pictures of him during class so you will have to make do with this shot from home.

G

2008-10-29T16:56:00.000-07:00

In September G started ballet. She loves it to say the least. She is such a girly girl....the more sparkle the better. So of course ballet it is. I love to hear her using the terms and positions at home when she is dancing around the kitchen.

Photos

2008-10-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

Everyone remembers the first time their child imitates real life scenes....like talking on the phone. When S and G did this I remember thinking "wow this seems early for them to pick up on that....they are so smart." H has been doing this for quite awhile now. However, I did notice the other day that she is imitating me to a T....notice it is cinched between her head and shoulder. Classic.

Our children are obsessed with sunglasses...

They are also obsessed with playing dress up. It is their first choice in terms of playing. I recently scored a sweet Ariel wig....and now H loves playing dress up too.

I often think that S and G go through stages where they really look alike. Usually they don't but this photo strikes me as they look so similar.

Red Riding Hood Jacket GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

2008-10-02T19:03:00.000-07:00

This is one of my new favorite blogs. Check it out. It is inspiring and I can't believe all of the beautiful items she creates and then.....gives away!

Red Riding Hood Jacket GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Stickers

2008-10-02T04:30:00.000-07:00

A while ago I stumbled across these stickers I love using them for labeling around the house. The hardest part of our day is always while I am making dinner. Everyone is needy, hungry and usually underfoot. I was trying to come up with ways to make this part of the day smoother. The idea came to make one of them my dinner helper while the other one plays with H. It gives me one on one time with either S or G (which rarely happens) as well as encourages them to have special time with their little sister. So far it is working out really well. The stickers worked well as I attached them to a magnet. We switch these every morning when we do the calendar/weather. If anyone has any other ideas of how to use the stickers I would love to hear them.

Baby parade

2008-09-29T17:41:00.000-07:00

This year we had a really hard time coming up with an idea that fit. It took us forever to decide which one was right. We thought this would be classic yet not as time consuming as some of the other's we were considering. Although I loved the idea we were way off with the amount of time. It took me forever as the majority of the costumes were sewn. In the end it was worth it.

As an added bonus we ended up getting first place in our category as well as first place most original out of everyone. That was a surprise. I wish I had pictures of some of the other entries. These people really go all out. It was fun but I am glad it is over!

How Long?

2008-09-27T18:47:00.000-07:00

So it has been awhile since my last post. I have been so busy this past week that I hope I don't experience stress like that again any time soon. But in the end it was worth it. You see every year our town has the largest street fair in our state. It is crazy times around here people. The parade actually goes right by our front door. It is so exciting and I am glad my children will have this memory. We get to see them preparing days ahead which just adds to the build up. When we bought this house we had never even been to the fair. Then one day we realize that we are literally seated right next to the judges stand. This is a big deal for these folks let me tell you. We even have news crews live and on the scene. The fair itself runs from Tuesday till Saturday with the big parade on Wednesday. These photos are the view from our front porch.

So anyway...back to why I have been so busy. Every Saturday of the fair they have a baby parade. The first year S and G were seven months old. I had never even seen the baby parade before but it sounded fun...so why not. It ended up being really fun and strangely enough we won first place in our category. I think they definetly had the twin thing going for them...and the fact that they are so cute.

So after Ragedy Ann and Andy we were hooked. The ideas for the next famous couple thing started flowing. So at eighteen months we tried Pebbles and Bam Bam. That was a fun one to make. We used a lot of sculpy for the bones, necklaces and bracelets. I don't remember if we placed or not for that one. We did however get a sweet picture in the local newspaper. Sadly this is the best photo I could find of both of them together.

At two and a half they were Jack and Jill. The well was the best part and my husband did an excellent job with that. Without it we could have been considered Hansel and Gretel.

In September of 2007 my sister's children joined in the action. It turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself. We ended up calling them "Half Dozen." We also entered my sister's town baby parade as well. We placed at both which was exciting. These kids deserved lots of treats after what we put them through. They didn't complain at the unexpected hot day or when the feathers were stuck in their faces. They didn't even complain about the bags of down batting that they each were stuffed with. I think this went so well because their were so many of them and they all looked exactly the same. This was a fun one to create.

At the second parade you couldn't have a wagon so H. lost her nest in place of the front pack.

So this brings me back to why I have been so busy. Check back tomorrow to see more!

Baby Bird

2008-09-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

The first time we saw H my husband called her baby bird. In all of her smallness she did resemble a baby bird. She was only 5lbs 2oz. and her cry was just as tiny. All of our kids have their own song with their name in it. How appropriate that hers include the lyrics "little bird". It only made sense to have her first birthday be a baby bird theme. Perhaps I will post some photos of that soon. I love her scrawny legs in the photo above...especially when you compare them to her current legs....um not so scrawny.

Although she is not talking much these days she does constantly walk around saying "mom mom mom mom mom"....all day. It is cute and quite loud. It reminds me of...well.. a bird.

Pajamas

2008-09-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

I had this crazy idea right before vacation to make all of the little cousins matching pajamas. It all started when I found a sheet at the ReUzit shop. My sister and I had this same sheet when we were little and shared a bed. I knew that I would have to make our girls matching nightgowns. But what about the boys? I obviously couldn't make pink pajama pants for boys. So they got stuck with material without sentimental meaning. At the first attempt in the two youngest girls nightgowns I wasn't happy with how they turned out. They seemed too wide. So the older two girls ended up with matching shirts as well. They actually looked pretty cute as shirts so I will probably end up doing that again in the future. With all of this practice I can't help to think of Christmas pajamas. Maybe I can find a cute print that is gender neutral. Hmmm...

Local finds

2008-09-10T14:08:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the latest treasures I was able to find thirifting. The best part is these were all in walking distance from our home. I love being so close to main street. I was able to find two pyrex containers and these tiny juice glasses. I am not sure if they are really old or not. The glass seems pretty thin and the etching was unique. So I told myself they were vintage too. The background is an apron I found earlier this summer. The material doesn't seem as old to me as the style of the apron itself. I guess I should have included a picture of that as well.

I thought this croc was swell. I love the color and the shape of the handles. It reminds me of Fiesta but alas it is not.

I love this bowl. I wish I knew more about it. They wavy divider is the best. Even G said..."hey Mom I know we can have potatoes on this side and corn on the other." So true. The funny thing is we never usually have either of those for dinner. It does however work wonderful for chips with salsa and cheese as dipping options. In case you were wondering.

Another pyrex...because well you can never have too many serving bowls....right?
I realize most people are thinking why am I wasting my time looking at this right now. But maybe...maybe there is just someone out there in blogworld that gets the same "oh my word I can't believe my eyes" feeling as I do. If so....I'd love to go thrifting sometime.

Playing

2008-09-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

I love this photo for several reasons. I love all of the people laying in the bed(look closely). I love the vintage toys that they always play with so well. I love how they are so into what they are doing that they don't even notice me. I love how nice they play together and that they think it is totally normal to have your best friend with you at all times. I love having twins. I love being the one that gets to be with them during the day.

I hope moments like this one are tucked tight in my memory. They are growing so quickly.

Sheets

2008-08-28T19:24:00.000-07:00

I have recently been on the hunt for vintage sheets to be used in place of fabric. I was able to find several this summer from our local ReUzit thrift shop. Here is the first one I discovered...

I decided to create matching pajama pants for the girls and myself. I needed to tweak it a little but ended up getting lots of practice. I will save that for another post.

Welcome to our life

2008-08-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

I finally entered the world of blogs. I went back and forth but thought my long distance friends and family would like more frequent updates and this is the quickest and easist way to do that. Now for the introductions...
I assume if we know each other you already know my kids names so here I will refer to them by their initials.
S and G my 4 year old twins

H, my 17 month old baby girl

And then there is Mr. S and I. Pictures of us later. Welcome to our life.