Today...

Allie Ruth learned how to dress herself in Landon's clothes and Landon learned how to crack an egg!

Allie Ruth also kept telling me today was Saturday! It was like she knew we did not have to go to school. I knew the weather was going to be nice today so I had been telling the kids that we were going to the Zoo. Got to love Memphis weather- Snowed Wednesday, high of 65 on Saturday. After we cooked breakfast and played around the house, we headed out for our Zoo trip with Uncle Bub!

Allie Ruth wanted no part of a stroller or the wagon! 

All the animals were out enjoying the nice weather!

Memaw's apartment building in the background!

What a pretty day!

We looked at the animals for about two hours and then went and got lunch and took Uncle Bub back home. We were not ready to be done at the zoo and since we bought a membership, we went back and had Mimmie meet us. She had been across the street at Memaw's apartment.

Landon is wearing his adventure vest! Last weekend we went to Tucker's birthday party and Tucker got one of these and Landon really wanted one. He got it has a reward for taking all of his antibiotics for his ear infection. Yes, I bribe my children. Allie Ruth has not been feeling well, either. I took her to the doctor on Friday afternoon. She has been running a low fever and has an ear infection also. Despite all that, it was a great weekend. It was nice to have a taste of Spring weather!

How to Do a '50s Hairstyle

How to Do a '50s Hairstyle

So for Tutorial Thursday I am sharing this video on how to do a 50's hairstyle. Tomorrow is the Sock Hop dance at our school and I am debating if I should dress up or not. So I googled looking for ideas and this is the first thing I clicked on. I think I may be sticking with a spirt shirt. We shall see! And how many times can that chick say "pompadour"??

Tut Tut Tuesday!

This week has a bonus tutorial! So you're welcome! Just kidding:) I was just excited about this and everything was ready to post!

INFINITY SCARF TUTORIAL 

I'm going to show you the steps to make your own infinity scarf. An infinity scarf is basically just a large circle of fabric that you wrap around your neck a couple of times. They are very popular right now and can be worn pretty much all seasons except summer! I have seen a couple of versions at one of my favorite stores, Forever 21. My scarf is made out of one of my husbands t-shirts. Thanks Hon!

Materials needed:

- a t-shirt that you don't need anymore (or that you think your husband doesn't need anymore)

 If you want to be really daring, you could mix colors of the t-shirt.

- scissors, thread, pins, sewing machine, measuring tape. 

Bye Bye t-shirt!

Cut the shirt into strips. My pieces were 7'' wide. It really doesn't matter the length of the piece of material as long as they are the same width. They can also be wider if you like, that part is up to you.

I ended up with 10 strips that were 15'' long and 7'' wide.

Sew half of your strips of fabric end to end until you have one long piece. Repeat with second half of strips of fabric. A plus of using this t shirt material is that it stays in place so you don't need to pin it much. 

 So now you will have two long pieces of sewn together fabric. They are really the same length, but I had them clipped on the hanger uneven. oops:)

Now put the two long strips of fabric together with the wrong side facing out. Sew them together but leave an end open. 

Next you will use that opening to pull the right side of the fabric to the outside. Once your fabric is all put into place you will sew the ends together. 

I just sewed these two ends together but I wish now I had tucked them into each other and then sewn them together that way. But it really doesn't matter because you can just place this seam on the back of your neck and no one will notice. 

Now you should have a big circle of fabric!

Some things to remember when working with t-shirt fabric is that it gets a lot of lint in your sewing machine and this can cause problems. It can make your thread bunch up and not sew correctly. I use a small paint brush to clean out the fuzz. I did this several times during this project. Also you really need to make sure you have your stitch settings correct before you begin, so practice on some scrap fabric to be sure they are correct. 

You can get really creative with the colors of your scarf and the way you wear it. The possibilities are endless with the infinity scarf! Get it? LOL!!

Whats cuter than...

A little girl in footie pajamas?

A little girl sipping tea in footie pajamas!

Pinky up, of course!

Oops, spilled a little!

So cute!!

January Snow DAY(s)!

Since I am a teacher, we love a good snow day around here! There is nothing better:) Last Friday we were out for our third snow day. 

I love this picture! Nothing sweeter than my babies in p.j.s on a morning with nothing to do but snuggle!! This was on a Monday after Memaw's funeral. We all weren't feeling super great, so only Dad and Landon went outside to sled. Too bad because the snow was perfect to build a snowman.

Snow Day #2

On this snow day we got out of school early on a Thursday afternoon and were out of school on Friday. Everyone was feeling better so we got outside to play. The snow wasn't as good, but it was still fun:) We played around in the front yard a little.

This was one of Allie Ruth's first times to really play in the snow! She seemed to like it for the most part.

Poor thing, had to wear some of Landon's old boots that were a couple of sizes too big. They did the trick though!

We are lucky enough to live across the street from a park with great sledding hills. We all walked over and sled down the hills a few times. Allie Ruth sled with mom and liked it, but was more interested in going to play on the playground. We also had a bit of an accident. Landon and Allie Ruth went down the hill together and busted! Allie Ruth bit her lip and was covered in cold snow. Time to go in! 

I made some hot chocolate, per Landon's request:) 

Landon had been a little grouchy and wasn't wanting me to take his picture at all this day. 

What a big girl, Allie Ruth!

"Dad, its good!"

Awww, There's my smile from Landon!

(sort of)

Playing around the house...

RIDICULOUS!!

After all this fun, it was supposed to be nap time. Allie Ruth has not taken a nap in the past three days. Not sure what that is about, but sister needs to rethink that! Landon took his rest on the couch and later started complaining about his ear hurting really bad. This usually ends in an ear infection for Landon. Poor thing, has his Dad's ears.  So since it was 3:30 on Friday afternoon, we went to the little clinic at Kroger. One ear pink and one ear very red. 

No wonder you were a little grouchy:) 

Tutorial Thursday!

Homemade Salt Scrub

A good exfoliator is essential for my hands during the winter. You can buy salt scrubs for around $30 , or you can just make your own for a fraction of the cost! I made 10 jars for just under $10. Salt scrubs are the easiest home spa product to make. It also makes a great little gift for your friends. 

Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup oil. Use sweet almond, grapeseed, or another light- textured  massage oil. Don't use simple cooking oil from your pantry. You can find this oil at your local health food store, such as, Whole foods.

- 1 cup fine sea salt. Don't use simple table salt- its too harsh. If you have sensitive skin you can substitute sugar, which is gentler. 

- 5-15 drops essential scented oil. The oil you choose for your salt scrub depends on the result you want. Lavender is relaxing, lemon is refreshing and rosemary is stimulating. I got my oil from Hobby Lobby.

  (Don't forget your  printed 40% off coupon if its not on sale.)

Preparation:

Put the salt (or sugar) in a small bowl.

Add the oil, mixing well with a spoon or wooden stick. The texture should be moist enough to hold together, but not overly oily. You can adjust the amount of oil to achieve that texture. 

Gently tap in the drops of oil and combine well. If you are interested in aromatherapy you can customize your recipe using different oils. 

So now you are ready to use your home-made salt scrub! 

If you don't have access to the cute little jars like I did, you can use small canning jars. They can be purchased at the grocery store in the canning area. You can get really crafty and make the labels in apple works or google printable salt scrub labels. I got the ones above from Martha Stewart. Make some scrub for yourself and a friend. Everyone could use a little happy during these blah winter months!

AllieRuth turns TWO!

                                  Oh, AllieRuth, I can't believe you are two. How quickly the baby years have left! You are such a sweet little girl!  

You have the best big brother and love to do everything he is doing. You and Landon get along very well for the most part. No more highchair for you! Thankfully you still like the occasional bottle and the paci. Its hard to let go of my sweet baby doll. You are starting to talk more and putting words into sentences. Very small, but mighty!  You love to play with your dolls and your kitchen. You will eat pretty much all food that is given to you. Your favorites include anything sweet and pretty much any food! You are just such a blessing! 

Your birthday morning started with Dad going to Daylight Donuts and bringing breakfast home. We never do this and you loved it! We spent the day playing,  cleaning and decorating the house for You and Mimmie's birthday party. 

For your Birthday party we had family over for dinner. Meme, Gammie, Mimmie, Shelly, and Sydney helped us celebrate! We had Nachos and they were so good! 

Some of your gifts that you love are the Rody horse, play mixer, tea set, and bath toys! 

Happy 2nd Birthday sweet girl!

Tutorial Thursday!

                                                   No Sew Shawl Collar Wrap
What you will need:
-1 yard of fabric
  (any non-fraying fabric like fleece, felt or wool)
-1 large button or decorative pin
-scissors
-hand sewing needle
-thread


      Ok, if you know me, you know I love to sew. But this project has very little sewing. You only need to know how to sew a button on. And if you don't know how to do that, then thats where the decorative pin will work. For example, one of those really cute flower pins that are very popular right now. So since this project is little to no sewing, I thought it would be a good one to start out with. (Plus, its super cute!) This is basically just a large oval of fabric. You can use regular fleece (like the one above), felt, or felted wool. Any type of fabric that won't fray because we are leaving the edges raw and the arm holes raw.  Ok, lets get started. First, I used a large piece of paper to make a pattern. This is not needed if you are going to make just one, but I made several for Christmas gifts, so it was just easier. The width of my oval fabric was 42'' and the length was 35''. I wear a small/medium these days, so you may need to adjust accordingly. The directions are the same if you are starting with a pattern or just going straight to the fabric. Fold the yard of fabric in half length-wise, then width-wise. Cut a quarter circle. Divide your length measurement in half and your width measurement in half and connect the dots with your curve. This will give you an even oval. Unfold your piece of fabric. As you can see, its rather large.

Measure half your width and half your length to find your center point. Measure the widest part of your back (up by the shoulder blades). Cut your arm holes 9''-10'' long in the center of the oval-they should be cut your back measurement apart. My back was 17'', therefore each arm hole was cut 12.5'' in from the edge of the oval. After you have cut your arm holes, fold over the top of the oval 9"-10", because this is the largest part of the curve. Try on your shawl to decide where your button or pin should be placed. As you can see, I added three buttons to mine, but one is fine. The possibilities are endless. Stitch your button in place. Cut two small slits on the other side of your shawl to use as the button hole. You don't have to do a real button hole because the fabric will not fray. Now, try on your new sweater! This is very cozy and warm for the cold winter days! Check out this blog for another version of this tutorial http://thecottagehome.blogspot.com/2010/10/comfy-sews-shawl-collar-sweater.html.

On a lighter note...

  

                                       I inherited the mother-load of sewing stuff!!

My grandmother made quilts. Therefore, she had a ton of sewing supplies! Such as: any color thread you could ever want, thimbles, needles, rules, etc.!!! I am the proud owner of her sewing box! And since she made quilts, she had a ton of scrap fabric! 

I went through and picked out all of the fabric that was still big enough for me to make something for Allie Ruth. I gotta get busy! 

Another reminder of my Memaw that I really wanted was this basket: 

She kept it beside her recliner and would quilt while watching t.v. Memaw made a quilt for everyone. All the daughters have one and all of the grandkids have a quilt made by Memaw. I am sure there are more.  Inside the basket is thread, scissors, and quilt patterns that Memaw made. There are also pieces of quilt squares that have not been completed.  You can tell where she had to stop and just could not do it anymore. This makes me sad for her.  I am going to finish this quilt one day. 

Oh and come to find out, this basket was made by my Aunt Brenda! Its really well made! Who knew?

I predict the completion of the quilt will be a LOOOOONNNNNGGGG time to come. It looks like a major task. I can't believe someone made so many quilts! Should be interesting! And lastly, the buttons.

These are buttons. They are not THE buttons, but they are buttons. I am glad to have them and like my cousins' husband said (who we just met and LOVE) "its just stuff." and it is just stuff. And like my Mom says " I  have my memories in my heart and I can pull them out any time I want."

It's fun to have new/ old sewing stuff!