xmas over here

Just a recap of our week so far preparing for Xmas..

Making Pretzel Hugs for Damian's class. Trying to keep little hands off of them all.

Which wasn't the scene a few days ago when my daughter was hoarding 15 Hershey Kisses behind the laptop. Thank you Ricardo. She was up until 3 a.m.





Plus we finally got our Xmas shot after 100 other shots of my butt, my nose flared and every.single.kid.moving.

But no one gets to see it until your mail comes! I love them and the woman from Etsy.com did a fab job! Oh. My photographer is quite the professional now too.




I made a dress and leggings for Mila to wear but you can't see it in the photo of course. She loved the layers of ruffles except it made her little booty look huge!



Messing her hair up and posing for the photographer. That's my girl!
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xo

sunday NOT a funday

Sickness is still among us.

It hit this little man next. BAD.



This was before. Jammin' to Van Halen.

This is now.



Still jammin' but with a big bowl next to him :)


And apparently the other day was Halloween again.



I found a pirate in deep thought



and a witch holding her purse Montreuil style.

Another reason this is not a FUNday..



I made this dress for Mila and she won't put it on..



and these are being used. I can't walk. or move.

But it's a lifestyle change that will go hand in hand during this journey.

One more week...yikes. A few of you know what I'm talking about ;)
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So that's a wrap of our Sunday. Here's a little farewell from the little witch that has taken over my house.




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xo

fun on the 4th

The 4th came and went and the kids had alot of fun with cousins, sparklers and a ping pong table!

I finally finished the shirts for the boys which really only takes 20 minutes to make but took me 2 hours. I had to keep stopping to answer questions about when we were going, how big were the fireworks and if there would be bread there. (That would be Damian)




I let the kids pick out their fabric for the ties and Damian insisted on red with little stars.



yes we shot this is in the bathroom while washing up



and waking up with our binky



please just TRY and smile..and put the bottle of tea down



we need to teach her



only good shot I had since Troy and I were trading off kids who were scared.

Hope you had a fun 4th!
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xo

one down

about 45 more to go.

I have bookmarked, flagged, copied and filed so many things I'd like to sew. This shirt was something I wanted to make as soon as I saw it. I loved the ruffled sleeves but was too lazy to do it on this shirt. So I went through my ribbon stash and found this ruffled trim from awhile ago.




Added a couple of buttons and it was done. Took about 1/2 a yard and was super easy!
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xo

what's wrong with this picture?

It's simple.

That is MY foot inside my 9 year old's shoe. He was walking around in flip flops, well he took 2 steps but that's big for him considering he hates them. Never mind.

I noticed they fit him perfectly. Then I noticed they were mine.

I frantically went around trying all my shoes on him! He loved the boots!

Then I had to see. And yes his shoes fit me. A little snug but they fit.

He is going to have huge feet and hopefully the height to go with it!

A day in the life of me...
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On another "what's wrong with that picture" note.

I thought I'd try and serge again and use some bright colors. I wanted the serging to show through on the outside like these dresses that I drool over.

Well everything went smooth until I was all done and noticed the shirt was a 4 5 girls and not toddler. Screwed the whole thing up and made the bottom part of the dress too small. AAGGHH! I treat that thread like gold! Wasted. I wanted to ruffle it but figured it would be a waste since I RUINED it!




Frustration=blurry photo.
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xo

keep your fabric away from me!

Yesterday I got this bright stupid idea that I would go out into the storm and drive to the fabric shop down the street. I don't even call it by it's name anymore.

My neighbor was there, we can sense these things, and the damage began. Well at least for me. I spent more than her.

We stocked up, bought fabric, stocked up again and then braved the ride home.

I wanted to get some fabric to make cheap and quick pilllowcases for Mila. I scored with some clearance stuff and thought I'd give my new serger a try. Finally.

For people that aren't familiar with it, serging gives you a professional and clean finish on your seams and what not. It cuts the fabric away for you and leaves the best finish.

I re-threaded the machine with the ugly colors it came with. I figured no one would see it.

It.was.like.butter.

Quick and easy.

I heart you serger.



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xo

showin off her dress

Yesterday my Dad took Eric, Damian and Brandon to see How to Train a Dragon in the theaters. The loved it because it was 3-D. So the little ones were left with Nana so Daddy and I could get away. They made cookies so I'm sure that makes up or it!

So I posted pictures of my new creation yesterday and I thought I should PROBABLY try it on the intended recipient to see if I really did do a good job.






Not bad. Need to work on the neckline so it stretches instead of chokes!
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We have our final and last party today! Since it's Brandon's party and it'll be just us two going I thought Damian could go see Diary of A Wimpy Kid today. Yes my kids are never left out. Yes he went to the movies yesterday. Yes I know they will expect it. Oh well. :)
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xo

!OPAH!

That's as close as I'll get to knowing the Greek language. Plus it's a fun word to say.

But maybe making a dress for my daughter with the remnants of the Greek flag on it will make up for my lack of knowledge in that part of my genetic make up.

Troy worked overtime last night which meant it was going to be a late night for me. The kids were all in bed early and I was bored.

So I whipped out my newly purchased pattern and got to work. (Troy is now conked out and surrounded by my unsightly mess.)

It's my first one so be gentle.

But this was the funnest and easiest dress I have ever made. It was like treasure hunting sorting through all the shirts Eric and Troy had thrown my way. The family reunion shirt was stained and the grey polo was pulled from a HUGE pile of polo's from Eric.








Man that thing is wrinkled! I love that the shirts are already all washed and shrunk up so it won't affect the size too much. I chose a 3T and shortened the dress for the ruffle but I think I'll make it longer next time.

Off to start another one. Found a new addiction.
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xo

a little sewin'

While I was waiting for the Oscars ALL day..I thought why not whip up something while I'm waiting? Try sewing with 4 under your feet literally.

I only had the patience for a refashion. I took some shirts that were too small and started constructing.

By the way, I was really only watching the Oscars to see if this Avatar movie was going to steal everything.

Plus all the dresses. Oh the dresses. Ugh the dresses.

And to shield my eyes from the annoying George Clooney. Sorry gals but he bugs.

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I cannot have a photo shoot with my kids without jumping or bouncing.







it's hard to see my mangled ruffled flower thank goodness





a shoot is never complete without a prop and big hair



bored and pooped



or not
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xo

Mr. Rogers would be envious

I haven't always been a neighborly gal.

Probably because we always lived in established neighborhoods that had alot of senior citizens and I'm quite sure they wouldn't enjoy a night out scrapbooking with me.

So 2 months after we bought our house, a family of 5 bought the house next door to us. They have been awesome neighbors ever since.

Especially the Mama of the house.

She ALWAYS listens to me ramble or complain when I need to and will accompany me to fabric shops and get excited over blog postings as well!

Once in a while I get a surprise in the form of food..my favorite kind of surprise. No snarky comments!

First it was yummy dinner for us after my minor surgery. She even took into account Eric's allergies, she unfortunately is familiar with it.

Tempura. TEMPURA! The girl cooks tempura. I tried and the fire department was on high alert. She gave me her tips and I have been successful.

So my new craving?



no it's not raw french fries. It's jicama with lime and cilantro and yummy goodness!

Mine doesn't look as nice as hers because I'm too impatient to cut anything small. I never know how good it would be the next day marinating because I gobble this thing instantly. I know this sucker is low in points too!
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I finally finished this dang bag. I have so many piles of fabric and old clothes to refashion and i told myself I couldn't touch them until this thing was done.



might make it smaller by sewing the sides in



this is the original..more like a book bag for the library




I had to post these pictures because I love catching the everyday chaos for y'all!



Getting ready to wait for Damian outside. It was finally sunny but my boys had to have jackets on. Plus make silly faces.



Yes Brandon you are kooky. Mila was starting to notice something.



Then it hit her.

SHE didn't have a jacket on like her brothers.



Then it hit us. The jumping up and down hootin' and hollerin.



trying with all her might to snag that jacket. Yes I did just stand there and snap 13 photos of her upset. Remember this time?



the required shot of Eric



secretly playing Wii Resort in his big brother's messy teenage room



We're not sure if it's okay that our 4 year old can make his way around the Wii world better than us or that our 2.5 year old can maneuver the computer and actually play the Bob the Builder game correctly.

We just keep telling ourselves we have smart kids. I think it's true. :)
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xoxo

another gloomy day..for them

Well it started raining again which meant lots to do inside. Well for me at least. They weren't too thrilled I don't think.




looks like he's protesting my plans already



thanks Brandon!



took advantage of my new sewing book and crafted a sewing machine cover which is much more prettier than the hard white plastic thang it came with



remember my before? Well it's organized at least and the apple cores and empty juice boxes are gone. Anyone have a small wood desk they wanna give up? This plastic desk is atrocious in this room!



tidied up my sewing area so hmm...I could SEW!



still raining??



still?



not too thrilled with my crafty plan



now that's more like it!

C'mon kids. It's not that bad! Mama got her sanity back for a few hours!!

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xo