Getting Back on Track?

The kids are back in school! My days will no longer be filled with this during daylight hours. It's only been a short week and short days so far, so I don't know how much I'll miss my boys until Monday. I'm sure it will be plenty. However, I've already benefited from having just the two girls home. 

While the baby napped, I went to the basement with my other daughter, put on some old and terrible mixed tapes and sorted sewing projects. They got put in piles based on time sensitivity and how long they would take. Both those gray bins are full of specific projects. There are other bins full of fabric for non-specific projects that I didn't touch. Oh, and there are sewing only projects. None of my other things. I'm hoping to start majorly crossing things off that big list there on the table!

I have been catching up on my family blog though and that has been super nice. I'm terribly behind still, but it is important to me, so I will keep on truckin.'

I'm going to be teaching preschool this fall, so that will add another "to do," but I'm very excited (albeit very nervous right now too) to start. Not only am I pretty sure I will enjoy it, but it will be nice to have a paycheck again and fill some of my time in a way that distracts me from my boys being gone all day. 

I'm still regularly trying out new recipes. I'm still so backlogged on post about all of them. Are they useful? informative? I like looking back on them and using them as a resource to tweak the recipe and find it again when I lose my paper copy.

Here's to getting more done in the next few months!

An Ad for Exercise

Wow, I didn't realize I haven't posted for such a long time. I have no projects to report nor recipes to review today (at least not right now). 

 Instead, I just wanted to share a success. That little box full of Xs is proof that I finished an exercise program! Now, lest you be too impressed, I did not do my 30 days of the "30 Day Shred" consecutively.  There is speculation as to exactly how it should be done. Some people say everyday for 30 days, others are of the a few times a week camp, and in a few places I have read that Jillian herself said it wasn't intended to be every day, but more like 2 days shred, 1 day cardio, repeat and then rest. Whatever the truth may be, I started a lot more consistent and felt I wasn't progressing and just hurt, so I dropped down to 3 times a week about halfway through it all. On level 3 I never could do all the "Natalie" moves, but still felt like I was getting my butt kicked. Maybe when I go for another round of this in the future I can handle the jump-training a bit better.

One of my favorite parts about doing the "30 Day Shred" besides the obvious physical benefit was my partner in crime. My 2.5 year old was super into it. She loved turning on the ceiling fan for me and getting sips out of my water "bottle" (it's a collapsible one called a Platypus and I LOVE it.) She loved talking to me about "the girls." Jillian and Anita were fine and all, but her favorite was Natalie, especially when she would occasionally talk. Some days she'd also exercise with me. On one particular day, still pajamas clad, she requested a ponytail on top of her hear like mine, got her socks and shoes on, and made herself some weights out of Trios. (I semi-stealthfully too this blurry pics that morning while trying to do my own exercises!)

And then she got her shred on. There were some exercises she liked better than others (don't we all?), but was always adorable, especially with that skiwampus form that kids have for proper exercises. One day in between my shredding days, I did a Pilates DVD and my daughter was NOT happy and said that is was not exercise. When I later showed her another Jillian DVD I had gotten from the library she was very excited, especially to find out who the two girls in the background were!

Today was the first Monday in a long time that I didn't start out sweating alongside my DVD player and Jillian Michaels tough, but also encouraging, love. Instead I hit the pavement to continue prepping for the long journey of training for a marathon this fall. The nice morning air sure beats the stagnant torture of a treadmill. Exercise-wise, running has always been my first love. I'm not great at it, but it makes me feel good. And I've been super proud of myself. My husband kindly laughs as I keep telling him how proud I am of my exercise habits. So, if you know you need to start exercising (and we all should be), let me be proof that even though it is hard at the start, it gets easier and more awesome. 

Once while running awhile back, I realized as I felt my muscles working hard and my lungs and heart really pumping, that exercise is really what our bodies were made for. It was sort of a silly epiphany, but it has changed the way I look at exercise. It makes it better and easier in some way.

(Extra info - I love keeping track of my exercise type, minutes, and distance if applicable on a spreadsheet. I'm sort of a little nuts about it, but there's something awesome about seeing it all logged in. I also use SparkPepople to track my exercise, though not always. If I'm on counting calories mode, I use it religiously for food and exercise.)

Hello Friday!

Hi. I'm just checking in to say hello. I started a post on Monday that began just about the same way this one. 

 I just finished my 15th day of "30 Day Shred" by Jillian Michaels.  Whew! Today is the first time I added weights (I only have 4 pounders) for level 2 and my arms are shaking just a bit still. I have never stuck with a DVD workout this long, so I am so proud of myself. I seriously love it and can tell I'm getting stronger.

  I haven't been doing a whole lot of projects this week. I did make some truffles yesterday that should make it to a recipe review "soon." (You know it's like an unwritten law or something that if you are exercising you HAVE to make treats.) I've been being a little bit better at my housework and doing projects with the kids. We made Gak this week and some kid jewelry. Oh, and my sister came over and helped me clean out my clothes. I got all the maternity stuff out (yea!!!) and filled a few bags of other clothes to donate (I think I was up to something like 25 non-maternity shirts that I got rid of among other things.)

 I have been reading a lot. The most recent 2 were "Little Princes" by Conor Grennan and "A Week in Winter" by Maeve Binchy. They were both good. The first was for book club and is non-fiction book about child-trafficking in Nepal. Very interesting and both sad and inspiring. Proof that one person really can make a difference. The second is the last book my favorite author wrote before she died last year. Maeve writes in a slow-paced full storytelling way. 

Anyway, that's life this week. I hope you all have a great weekend. :)

Blah Blah Blah

I'm sitting at the table again having just started the dishwasher again. I'm sort of craving lemon drops because I just refilled our Lemi-Shine container. I didn't know they sold a refill pack until a recent visit to the store. I like that. Saves me a few bucks. 

I'm happy to report that I do not need to babysit the dishwasher this time around. On Saturday we finished the plumbing that allows the kitchen sink to drain once again. By we I mean my husband. We went for 2 weeks without use of the drain. And of course after that mess got taken care of, our heater went out last night. It was 56 degrees in the house when I woke up. I walked the kids to school and after being out in 6 degree weather for 20 minutes, my cool house felt so very warm! We got the furnace fixed - a quick and easy solution that was less than free. If I had been good about changing the filter we could probably have avoided the cold night and the fee, but alas...

Other random thoughts? Well, I have been minimally working on recipe reviews and just looking at the food makes my week's dinner plans look so sad. We had a freezer meal tonight, a failed meal last night (I sort of liked it, but not really anyone else), and fancy things like pigs in a blanket to look forward to later in the week. I wanted some easy things and I don't think my kids have ever had pigs in a blanket and might like them.

Anyway, that's all I want to share. I started typing up this whole other thing about a line in the song "The Boxer," but decided I couldn't make it make sense how I wanted and that this probably wasn't the place for it anyway.

Oh, one more thing - I started sewing 2 little baby dresses. I'm excited about both of them and am using this pattern from Sew Much Ado.

Ramble On

I'm sitting at my kitchen table with the exciting task of babysitting our dishwasher. We have a portable one and you have to attach it to the sink for it to run. While mildly annoying, this isn't usually a problem. When you have an old house and your only set of pipes you haven't replaced get plugged up, then it becomes an issue. I have to keep a basin under the faucet so that whenever the dishwasher drains during its one hour cycle, I have to grab the full basin and dump it down the drain in the bathroom. It is tedious, but will do until the plumbing gets fixed. That's one of the downsides of living in a cute old tree and lamp lined street. That and our house keeps getting smaller and smaller somehow. We're about to put kiddo number 4 into the bedroom with her three older siblings. The plan is to build a loft for my other daughter and then cram them all in there until the day we finally get the basement done, or at least their room. 

So, as I am sitting here impatiently waiting for the next draining cycle, I figured I'd make good use of my time. I have my folder full of recipes I have tried and am updating more of the recipe reviews.

 

In other exciting parts of my life, this past weekend I finished up a book called "City of Bones ." It's a teenager series and the book was given to me. Let's just say I won't be reading books two and three. I did start another book that I am liking though. I read "The Thirteenth Tale" a few years ago and my current book, "The Monsters of Templeton " was a recommendation based on that by Goodreads and my library's website.
My husband and I watched "Dark Shadows." We both had low expectations, but not low enough. But, to make up for that, we started season three of "Mad Men" and we're plowing through it, each of us finding moments in which we can relate to the main characters. As for projects, I am working on scanning my kids' papers. I don't know how people do it. I want to keep every morsel. How could I not when my kid makes pictures like this?

I really think I'm going to open up an etsy shop for him. As his mom I'm going to think he's great, but I think the appreciation for his unique style could go beyond motherly love. Maybe not. Perhaps I'm just obnoxiously bragging about something that really isn't. All the same, I've been loving scanning m kids papers, even if just to revisit a younger version of them. It really is amazing what a difference a year makes when they are so young.

I've got to go dump some water now, so all done with my rambling for today.

Hello 2013

 Though I think New Year's is one of the silliest holidays, I do like starting a new year. I like putting up a new calendar (even if it is a freebie from my husband's work with old cars on it instead of my annual Madonna ones I used to put up), having a fresh start (even knowing that any day can be a fresh start), and just using it as a marking point to reflect on my life and record data (like tracing my kids' hands and noting their heights and weights).

So, with my fresh start, I have started counting calories (gotta get that baby weight off), deactivated my Facebook account for now, and decided once and for all, that this blog will be my mind dump. I've threatened it, but watch for it to be a reality now. I thought of starting another blog for it to separate it from sharing my projects but I have enough blogs to maintain already and this fits well for me. I don't know what kind of audience I even have, so if this new turn disappoints you, I apologize. I will still be posting my sewing and other projects, but added in will be me, however boring/awesome/random I may be.

I will just start now.

 We have been watching "Mad Men" on DVDs from the library for the past few weeks. Like, we watch at least one episode nearly every night. We just finished watching season 2. I love it and hate it. I can't stop thinking about it either. Probably because I have been watching it so much. It is really well written and I love that you have to fill in blanks on your own, but am also relieved when they fill in some of the blanks later. I remember a few years ago when people would go on online or TV about Jon Hamm. I didn't get it. I didn't know Don Draper then.

To me, Jon Hamm was just one of Liz Lemon's boyfriends on "30 Rock." (Well, and the same name of some guy I used to work with who liked to shock people.) We've been so into his serious role on "Mad Men" that I had to look up a clip on YouTube of him on "30 Rock" just to see Don Draper be happy. If you haven't watched the show this may not make sense.

Anyway, just something I've been enjoying.

Another thing I love recently was the book "Steal Like an Artist." If you are creative in anyway you need to read it. I promise am pretty sure you will love it.

Finishing Things

 Because of the new baby coming we have been emptying out the basement so we can finish it. Three kids in one room is squeezy enough. We can't do 4! Anyway, I was using a corner of the basement for my sewing space and have been evicted. I pulled out some "current projects" and sorted them in groups of things that could be sewn with the same thread.

Anything that isn't needed or can't be done (like altering a dress to fit a not pregnant me) before the baby got labeled and put on a list to wait until post-baby to even think about. There are 2 boxes full of this type.

I nicely folded my fabric around comic book cardboard (like suggested on this post at Smashed Peas and Carrots) so that when I can put them back on the shelf they are ready as mini bolts of fabric. And, I sorted my fabric by types and make great lists so that if I do NEED something, I know where to find it fairly easily. So, what have I done from my pile of things to finish? Quite a bit. Some of it small and some bigger.

Using some fabric that was given to my by my sweet neighbor Marie, I made my baby girl some much needed warmer weather PJs. I bought a 3 pack of undershirts (used the white one with these), and just added some little cap sleeves (thanks to the great instructions at Make it & Love it) to match the pants. The pants I just drafted by tracing around some bottoms she has that fit her. I think these are her favorites that I have made for her. she even started super posing for the pictures.

This is a pair I started a long time ago and just needed to hem, put in the waist band and sew the  applique down. They look like they are really comfortable.

Another pair for my daughter. This time I used some t-shirt left over from a pack I bought from my boys when they were smaller. As far as PJS are concerned, I think using cheap (and I mean cheap as in 5 shirts in a pack for $5 or less cheap) is just fine. For her shorts I so just didn't want to hem them, so I found some left over trim (I think I bought it to make hair clips that I never got around to) and just sewed that on. I think it makes the pajamas look a little more girly.

I'm short, but I don't like short skirts. Well, I should say I don't like really short skirts and quite frankly, no one would want to see me in them. So, when I ordered some jersey skirts from Old Navy (like the olive colored one below) earlier this summer, I was sad to realize after I had worn and washed it, that I had accidentally ordered a petite size in one of the skirts (no wonder it felt like I was flashing people!). Anyway, I had seen these extender slips around and though that would solve the length issue and the "this is a little too see through" issue. Well, it looks weird with the jersey shirt, but I can use it with other things. The lame thing is that I bought a slip from a thrift store for practically nothing, but to find the trim I really liked, I spent too much. Normally I don't buy anything without a sale or 40% off coupon at the fabric store, but I had neither when I found this. So, hopefully it will at some point serve me well and will be worth what it cost.

There are still projects left in the "current projects" pile. I also have a few other things I was going to add to this post, but they are maternity related, so I decided to post on their own so someone looking for that type of thing doesn't have to scroll through my other rambling projects. 

Also, I have a ton of recipe reviews queued. Watch for another post about that tonight or tomorrow...or Sunday. I'll try to do 2 a week for awhile. there really are that many and they have 3-4 recipes on each post!

Bounty

I'm a fan of food co-ops. My favorite these days is Bountiful Baskets, but I don't feel like getting up early every Saturday morning. Well, truthfully, it's so much produce that I usually only go every other week. Today I tried out a co-op I used to use monthly, but now they have a warehouse open a few times a week where you can go pick and choose. It was a hit! I came home with plenty of fruits and veggies, and even some yummy bread. I will definitely go back.

Now I just have to figure how to make it into a meal!

Cuckoo

I'm still waiting for our desktop to get fixed. It's starting to make me a little crazy. I'm not awesome on keeping up on my blogs, but somehow not being able to get to get to all of my photos and post when I want to is feeling a bit like torture. It's not like I have earth shattering things to share. Of my list of April "to-do's," all I got through was acquiring fabric, the flour for the cloud dough, and making the cookies (that did NOT turn out so pretty). But, I feel like I can't really tell you about all of that yet.

I can't share my strawberry jam making time on one of the most perfect Saturdays.

I can't share one of our outside dinners of steak and salad.

I can't share the happy filling muffin-making.

I can't share my butterfly garden that I planted.

I can't share my vegetable garden either.

Boo-hoo for me. What I can do is let you know I am still here. I have miles long "to do" lists still. 

I have a pile of laundry to tackle.

I have a kitchen to clean. 

I have winter clothes to put away.

I have a bathroom to scrub (little boys are the best!)

I am planning on having a few girls (as in grown-up girls) come over later this week one morning to work on projects together. This means I HAVE to get ready - both clean house style and get my crap together to actually get some progress on a project done.

That's it. Just some brain dumping for you on this beautiful Monday morning. Have a great week.

In the meantime, the sun is shining

This Space

The more I think about this space the more I know it is a place I need for sharing stuff I make, but also definitely for my rambling. I started my first blog (lettieb- which is why this one had to be lettiebee) in 2004. I had no kids and went to work every day. I wrote about random things I watched on TV or ladies slapping each other at work. I could just sort of dump out my brain. I stopped writing there once my son was a year or so old so that I could have a place about our family, since "Lettie" is just me. It's been interesting to watch how my blog evolved into something that really was mostly reporting about what the family is up to. And I miss just having a voice. It's not a voice I want sent in email form to my parents or in-laws (since that is how they read the family blog).I just want to put it here and out of my brain. And maybe someone will read it and relate, but if not, that is fine. At least my mind will have a little more space in it.

All that being said, I do have a mini report on my to-do's, but our computer is on the outs and that is where my photos are. So, I am typing on the laptop, trying very hard not to bump the mouse pad thing because it will take me who knows where. I am very clumsy with a laptop mouse and normally just plug one in. 

Anyway, I know you are the edge of your seat about those 2 blogs I mentioned loving and about how I'm doing (or not) on my "weekend" projects.

It's still coming, but sometime after the computer parts do.

And just merely because I like posts with some kind of picture, I have supplies to make a ton of these muffins. I love them and they freeze well. (Maybe I could pretend that I whipped these up tis week and that I didn't borrow the pic from my 2007 archives)

Clothes Talk: Part 3

So, this is my last post about clothes that focuses on building up my wardrobe and finding a style that works for me and my budget.

As I mentioned in the previous posts, I have been using Pinterest and Polyvore to help find outfits that I like and color combos I would have never thought of. When someone pics something I think is cute on Pinterest, I go to the Polyvore page and look at all the other outfits that the individual who created the pinned one has made. Often times I love their style and other times I don't. And rarely do I like everything in the picture. So, above is an example of a few outfites I have liked and how I could make them sork for me. The first column is the original picture, the second takes out what I don't like at all or would never wear/have. The third column is how I would actually probably wear the outfit. If you notice all of the first pictures have scarves. I have tried to make myself like them but I can't. I think they look cute on other people and they can instantly change an outfit. I don't even think they look bad on me, but I don't like how they feel. When I was at my parents' house one weekend I wore one of my scarves for part of a day. It just bugged me, but I wanted something that would keep that extra punch a scarf can give. So, I thought of an idea.

I looked through a lot of the outfits that I had pinned and made a list of colors that seemed to keep showing up in the form of a scarf. Then, I looked at looked at jewelry online to get some ideas of style or presence of color (like some of the hot pinks ones above aren't so cute, but there is a lot of color). My mom is great at making jewelry, plus it was around Christmas that I thought of this and people needed some ideas of what to get me. Anyway, I'm still working on my jewelry collection as both a substitute for scarves, but also just because I am trying to accessorize more.

Another idea I thought of that can bring that same color or pattern that a scarf might to an outfit is belts and headbands. I just recently made myself a headband that I really liked and it fit well and was easy enough that I plan to make more, keeping my outfit choices in mind.

So here are some samples of outfits I have found online and my version of/inspired by them. As you can see, they don't match perfect, but I don't think they should. In fact (and maybe I said this in another post), I stopped pinning outfits because I didn't want someone to see me that follows my Pinterest board and say/think - oh, I remember seeing you pin that outfit. Some how it takes away from feeling like I am a big girl now wanting to dress like an adult and makes me feel more like someone had to pick out my clothes for me (which they sort of did). Anyway, it has been fun re-learning how to dress myself. It's funny to me how I was pretty on the ball in my high school days, but as a grown up I just plateaued on caring about how I looked. Not that I didn't care at all, but maybe not quite enough for my own expectations/wants. I am far from caring too much (and am saddened when people do because I want them to just like them for who they are and be real and know that I really don't care how they dress and would still like them if they wore potato sacks).

I hope these last 3 posts haven't been too rambling. I felt like I wanted to share about my style journey because a lot of other moms/not-moms might get stuck in a rut too and I just wanted to share that it doesn't have to cost a lot of get out of that. You don't have to feel like you fit into a mold and dress like all of your friends or co-workers or the girls on blogs. You can find something that works for you that just so happens to work period. Anyway, thanks for reading.

Clothes Talk: Part 2

So, here is a small sample of some outfits I had found on Pinterest or Polyvore. I noticed that a lot of them were things I owned already - plain t-shirt, jeans and sometimes a cardigan. (I ignore the bags and most of the shoes because I'm not into bags and I think shoes should be something you can wear with a LOT of outfits, not just a select few.)

In this group I saw that I didn't have a red sweater, the cream shirt, but most of the other main clothes pieces (not accessories) I had some version of. So, I made a mental list and headed to the thrift store.

I was able to acquire most of the items mentioned above and a few other that I had been meaning to get. These all came from Savers and Thrift Town. The blazer is a stretch for me, but I have a few things I wanted to wear it with, so we'll see if that happens. Sometimes I like clothes on someone else, but they just don't end up working for me. I just feel weird. The pink shirt replaced a crappy poorly made Old Navy tee shirt that I loved the color of, but hated wearing because it couldn't hold its shape. Navy sweater - needed it. Red sweater - I had been wanting one and actually got one for Christmas but it was the wrong size and they had no others in stock. So, this one filled in for that and I like the color even more. The buttons need to be replaced though. Oh, and this one was brand new too. I love stripes. I feel like I am in 8th grade again where over half of my shirts were striped - and that is a good thing! And the blue shirt was to replace a too short shirt of the same color. It was about $25 for all of this.

A lot of items in my closet came from thrift stores and garage sales. You might be lucky enough to buy things all brand new at high end places (or even just Target). I actually really LIKE finding things at the thrift store (and I like new stuff too). So many times I find shirts or dresses that I would have probably had to go to store after store in the mall for. I'm not that kind of shopper, so I am glad that thrift stores serve me well. Almost everything in the photo above was bought in the past year and a half at thrift stores. (And I only have one gray and black striped dress, it's just on there twice.)

I got all this at a garage sale last year for under $10. Half of it I bought to use as part of sewing projects, but a lot of it is just great as is.

Same stash,just spread out.

And I don't just buy for me. So many kids clothes - especially little girl clothes.

I have just a few more items I want to get on my clothes list. I will continue to look at the thrift stores and watch for sales at Target and Wal-mart (yes, THAT store!). I used to hit up Old Navy during sales, but their women's section seems to be made up of really terrible quality stuff most of the time (at least the stuff I can afford), so I usually by pass them for me. I have a really small budget for clothes and am trying to not have an over filled closet of stuff that doesn't fit well, doesn't get worn, and is really just ready to be tossed out because of wear. Plus, because I try to buy clothes that are staples and not trendy, my clothes have a very long life. To take care of and prolong the life of even lesser quality items I usually hang up all of my shirts to dry. 

So, if the clothes are mostly how I want them to be, what's next? Accessories. And I'll get to that soon enough. I bet you can't wait!
In the mean time, I really want to hear your answers to these questions:
How do you decide what you need/want for your wardrobe? Where do you go to find it? How often to you get rid of clothes?

Clothes Talk: Part 1

So, remember when I said I wanted to talk clothes/fashion/style? Well, here I am. I actually feel a little dumb posting this, but I am really hoping for some responses as to how you choose what you wear and so on.

A few years ago a girl I knew made fun of me for how I dressed. I was annoyed and angry and really surprised that a grown adult would actually say something to another adult in such a 7th grade manner. 

Did I stay up with the latest fads? No. Did I accessorize? Mostly no. Did I wear things that flattered me? Not usually. Was I comfortable? Oh, yes! Comfort is very important to me.

I won't lie and say that her words didn't affect me. They did, but not so much in the way probably would have wanted them to. In fact, what made me rethink the way I was dressing myself was a post I read  years later that I wrote about on our family blog*. After reading it I realized that I could be comfortable and wear things that flattered me, all while staying true to myself and not buying into whatever the fashion industry told me was cute that particular year. (And, I don't care that skinny jeans are all the rage now. They have not, nor ever will be flattering on a body like mine. I am totally fine with that.)

Sorry, I think I accidental stepped on a soapbox with that. Let me move on...

Before the days of Pinterest, I used to occasionally tear out pictures from magazines or catalogs of outfits I liked or particular clothes items. I kept these nicely taped in a notebook. Once I started using Pinterest I saw the cute outfits (and not cute outfits) that people pinned. I thought to myself - hey, this can help me on my new quest of wearing comfortable and flattering clothes! And as I started pinning outfits I realized something.

I own most of what I would want to wear! I just never add a little flair to the solid shirts with jeans look. I didn't realize that THAT color looked really nice with THIS color. I hadn't thought about how a scarf (something I will address in a later post) or pretty earrings can totally change an outfit.

So, one day I tried it. I had on a white shirt, brown cardigan and jeans. Very Collette of an outfit and also very librarian. Even though when I just hang out at home I wouldn't normally wear jewelry, I decided to try adding a little something extra to my plainer choice. So, I pulled out this greenish necklace I bought at Wal-mart for like $4 and put it on. You know what? I looked so much better! And I felt better too. Just because I didn't have anyone but my own family to see all day didn't mean I couldn't look nice. And I was still comfortable. I started looking more closely at the things I was pinning (which, by the way I no longer pin the outfits I like. They all go into my One Note pages I have set up and used to organize things before I got in Pinterest.) I noticed that there were a few more changes I wanted to make to make my wardrobe "just so" for me. And I will tell you all about that later because I already feel like I have totally rambled and I want to keep you hanging (not really, but kind of), so I will continue on a different day. But, as you wait, you can share with me if you want why you choose to dress the way you do. I am sincerely interested to hear how other people figure all this out.

*My family blog is private, but here's a snippet of what I wrote in 2009 (which you will notice some sounds a lot like the above statements): 

I am not hip, trendy or cool. I am fine with that. I hate the ebb and flow of fashion. (Like why should I wear skinny jeans today when yesterday I was told they are not flattering on most body types?) I like the staples in clothing. The classics. The things that don't change. But, I also like some fun in my wardrobe. And as much as I like that by taking good care of my stuff so that it lasts, I also like to get new clothing now and then. I found this website called Sensibly Styled a few weeks ago and fell in love. My fondness grew after seeing THIS POST today. Now I just want to go through my closet and drawers (and truthfully the bin in the garage full of stuff that will likely never fit again, despite my want) and clean out. I have way more clothes than I actually wear, but still need just a titch more - solely for variety. (I am trying to step up my sewing to assist with this.) ...
I'm never going to be trendy. It's not me, it's not my thing. Occasionally there are trends that I do really like. The cute shirts with slightly puffy sleeves, the ruffles in the front, plaid shorts - I dig all of those (yet own none). I don't understand things like scarves and I doubt I'll ever put on leggings again (or heaven forbid - stirrups, which I saw in the store the other day!) Those are me in 4th grade, not now. But, I won't say never to them.

Another Not Project Post

I used to love doing laundry when I was younger. I loved the sorting, the separating the "hang up to dry" vs dry in the dyer clothes. I was actually pretty good at folding stuff up right as it came out of the dryer. And most of the time those nicely folded clothes got put away within the same 24 hours. Things are not quite like that now. Not at all. I have never been good at taking care of my clothes after I wear them. I remember being in elementary school and having a pile reach as high as my desk of clothes that had been worn, but were still clean enough to wear again. 

Multiply that bad trait, plus that I do laundry for 5 people now, and you can imagine my laundry/clothes pile woes. (My other blog where my sisters and I write about kid projects is aptly named "Heaps of Laundry," though no one should be tricked that it is all or even mostly due to all the awesome stuff I do with my kids as super mom.)

Where am I going with this? Well, I dazzled myself today by putting away all the clothes that have been piling up next to my bed waiting to be put away. (Okay, there are a few things like socks that are still sitting there waiting to find their mates.) As I was putting them away and finding my closet space fill up, I decided I wanted to blog about a few clothes things. Maybe this is totally not interesting, but it will get it out of my brain and make space for other stuff. Or who knows, maybe you are just like me and you will find it riveting (you won't).

I'm hoping that the 10 of you will join me in a discussion of sorts about how you build your wardrobe, what guides those choices, where you shop, fashion sense in general, fashion likes/dislikes, etc. I think it will be fun. So, I guess I will see you soonish.

Not So Wintry...Yet

So, here I am again, this time to report on how I am doing with some goals so far this year. (Two posts here so far, that is a good start!)

Re:Finishing stuff. I bought some snowflake ornaments, a styrafoam wreath thing and some tulle last month  so I could make a winter wreath. I have only made one other wreath in my life and it is far from amazing (though I bought my first glue gun because of it and was a little weirded out that I was doing something so crafty.)

As I wrapped tulle around my foam ring thing, I realized I had no idea what I was doing. I arranged the snowflakes a few times and it just looked bad, so I quit. This is my normal pattern. I get frustrated and just stop. However, this time I am going to finish it anyway.

I looked around on the internet and found a few wreaths people made with supplies similar to mine. So, I pinned them on my Pinterest account and hope to get it done and on the door by the end of the week.

In addition to that, I have a baby gift to make by next Monday and hopefully I will decided which other things on my list to tackle next.

Hello

Hello, nearly forgotten about blog. I remember that you are here and I keep meaning to utilize you for more things. I have a folder full of project I did months and months ago (some even a year ago!) that I haven't put up. In part it is because I am doing other things (aka lazy) and also because somethings I fell like I need all these photos instead of just a final project, which is usually all that gets photographed. I hope to visit you more often this year, blog. 

I have a few other hopes for the year too. I haven't made resolutions in eons, but for some reason this year I feel like I really am wanting to turn over a new leaf. Could it be that 35 is looming ahead just a few month away? Maybe subconsciously. Is it because I feel suffocated in my house with all these unfinished projects, do-tos not done and just too much stuff? For sure. 

• One of my biggest goals for 2012 is to be better at managing my time, to be organized at least enough that I don't feel so scatterbrained. 
• I want to finish a slew of projects or just toss them out.
• I want to live my life in a more focused way. (If you have not read Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider, you should now. It's about living a better life, not just cleaning stuff.)

There are other ideas I am toying with putting on my "official" list, but I don't feel like I need/want to share them here. So, let me just end my post with something I made so that I feel like I am getting the blog back on track...

I made some freezer stencil shirts at the end of the summer. I don't make them often enough and they are incredibly easy. (Well, I still don't love the xacto knife work and long for the simplicity of a Silhouette machine, but alas...)

 Bike for the hubby who loves to mountain bike (a little too high on the shirt, but now I know for next time).

For the son that prefers a scooter over his bike, a scooter. A revers of dad's bike for the son who loves to ride is bike too.

So, I hope to be back again soon. :)

Some Rambling, Perhaps

picture from hermanmiller.com

I have this problem that maybe you can relate to. One of my very favorite posts I ever read was at Small Notebook. Go read it. Basically it's about not doing anything because you make a tiny task into a huge job. That is me. I laughed as I read the article because I have put off finishing the last touches on a project because I get distracted by some other project I have supplies for and want to start or because I find yet another new fun idea somewhere in one of the many blogs I read.

I collect ideas. Ideas for kid activities (which I blog about with my sister Rachel and my Friend Nicole over at Heaps of Laundry), recipes, sewing projects, craft ideas, and even exercise workouts. You know, the kind in magazines where they promise a better butt in 30 days?

And then I get distracted. I don't try the new activities with my kids, we eat the same things over and over, my mending pile has things in it that have been there for a year, my sewing "to do" list doesn't seem to have an end, I have unused craft supplies using up valuable space, and I certainly do not have a better butt!

So what to do? Keep sitting here looking for new ideas while ignoring the ones I have tucked away in a file? Wait until I have a hard deadline to complete a project? Nah. I don't like those options.

What about working on my projects because I truly enjoy the process and the outcome? (Ok, I really did NOT like trying to correct the tension on my machine for about 30 minutes so that I could repair 2 small holes in my husband's pants last week, but you get the idea.)

What about sewing all those blankets I bought fabric for and get my etsy shop up and running again?

What about planning ahead each week what new activites to do with my kiddos?

I'm actually pretty good with making new recipes, I just need to stop collecting so many more, so I'll just keep up with that one.

And the better butt? Well, I don't know about that, but I did commit to a Red Rocks Relay team, so I'm going to have to bust out my running shoes again.

Those sound like good ideas to me.

I know there are only like 20 people who read this blog and I'm cool with that because I didn't start it for an audience. However, I want to do better here for me and for you. I'm trying to formulate what my objective is now versus when I began. I can't post every day. I know that. But, at least once a week would be nice - get a little consistency going.

And I might go beyond projects. I think of things I want to share and would normally put on my family blog, but I really don't think my dad and father-in-law (even my husband for that matter!) want to read about clothing choices, accessories that I don't understand or whatever I might randomly be thinking about that day. I want to be a little more human here too, which is scary for me. I have been known sometimes as a girl who has a bit of a wall built around her.

Wow, this has gone on longer than I meant, but I just needed to get it out there.So, to totally steal from Nike, now all I need to to is "Just Do It." And like she mentioned in the Small Notebook article, "Today I'm going to keep my work simple."

Can I really do this? I hope so. :)