Wednesday, December 9, 2009

It's the thought that counts?

In some ways, I actually have it together today when it comes to blogging. But in the most important way I've completely lost it.

I can't figure out what I did with my camera.

Yeah, I know! What good is a blog post without photos to share?

So even though I have our advent calendar nearly done (well, I'm behind on that, but Big Sis is only 2 so I'm sure I can sneak it in without anyone noticing my shortcomings), a quilt I've been putting together for Little Sister, some holiday ornaments and a special package I got in the mail that I want to tell you about—I can't.

So I'll leave you with this little gem that I learned last week:

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Apparently, you can't wash pull-ups in the washing machine. Or at all, probably. There went my money saving strategy!!!

OK, but seriously, no idea how that ended up in the washer. Surprised that it wasn't an explosion of goo when I found it though. And if I even have a spill and no towel, I think a diaper should clean it up pretty efficiently.

xoxo—Lori

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Contents of my pocket

The other day at work we were discussing how to make a giant book for a skit at our Christmas party. I suggested using screw posts—But no one knew what those were. So I pulled one out of my pocket.

They were so shocked that I had one in there that they made me empty my pockets to see what else might be in there (and take a picture of it).

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That's not so random, is it? Still not sure how I didn't notice I had a nail in my pocket though.

What random things do you have in your pockets??

xoxo—Lori

Monday, December 7, 2009

Our house looks like Christmas!

I'm late—but you're getting used to that by now, aren't you? Last weekend, after we wrapped up the Thanksgiving festivities, we pulled the boxes out of the basement and started decorating for Christmas.

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I love that special magic feeling of Christmas and it is so much fun to see the wonder on the girls faces as we unwrapped all our decorations which for me, are so full of memories.

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My family is a family of traditions I suppose. Every year, my Grandma gets each of us grandkids a special figurine. I always got angels, my brother Santas and so on. In addition, she would purchase an ornament for her own tree for each of us, which she just divided between all of us 2 Christmases ago. Just looking through those two collections put a huge smile on my face.

To carry on the tradition, my husband and I are doing the same for the Sisters: Big Sis gets snow men & Little gets Santas. It's so much fun searching for the "right" one which will be a cherished part of their Christmases for years to come

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Hope you all are getting into the spirit of the holidays!!

xoxo—Lori

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Christmas can begin—I've made peppernuts.

Traditions are a funny thing. Sometimes you don't realize how unique a family tradition is until you get away from your family.

So it is with peppernuts and me.

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Every year, RIGHT after Thanksgiving, my Grandma would start baking batches and batches of peppernuts. Growing up, I didn't even really like them, but couldn't resist popping one after another in my mouth. Peppernuts taste like Christmas to me. Simple as that.

So, imagine my surprise when I moved to Tennessee and discovered that NO ONE knows what peppernuts are! (My Kansas readers may be shocked at this news, but it's true.) Since moving here, every year, I get a package in the mail right after Thanksgiving from my Grandma full of peppernuts. (I guess some traditions can't be contained by distance) Even though I wasn't home I felt a little bit closer just by tasting those yummy little irresistible cookies.

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Once I got married, I too began to make peppernuts right after Thanksgiving—sharing an old family tradition with my new husband and my new family. I even started bringing them to work to spread the joy of peppernuts!

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This year was especially fun because the sisters were able to "help." They at least thought it was fun to stand on the stool and help pour ingredients into the bowl and watch the mixer's paddle go around. Big sister even helped make snakes—although I am somewhat confident that she ate all hers before they ever got to the oven.

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So for those of you who are new to peppernuts, here's my family's recipe. I know my Grandma has been making it for the almost 30 years of my lifetime and who knows how long before that. I hope you enjoy! And if you give it a try, I'm willing to bet that you'll be hooked. :)

Melt in Your Mouth Peppernuts

1 cup butter
1 and 1/2 C. sugar
1 beaten egg
2 T. dark syrup
3 and 3/4 C. flour
2 t. baking soda
2 t. cloves
1 t. ginger
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
1 t. anise oil

Cream butter, sugar, syrup and egg. Add dry ingredients and anise oil. Chill dough. Roll out into long rolls the size of you little finger. Keep chilled. Slice into small pieces and bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. (my gas oven only takes 7 minutes)

Let me know how you like them!

xoxo—Lori

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

The Holidays are Here

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Something new I'm trying—and loving.

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I'm doing some other paper cuttings, but as they are going to be presents, you'll just have to wait! I'm sure I'll have more done soon that I'll be free to show.

Happy Holidays! (Don't eat TOO much tomorrow.)

xoxo—Lori

Monday, November 23, 2009

Dressers: Finished!

So, I realized that amidst the craziness of loosing the knobs and the upheaval that is my life, I forgot to share the finished photos of the dressers with you! (I know, you're not surprised in the least.)

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This one has taken over the role of changing table which enables us to get rid of one piece of furniture which helps with the overwhelming amount of clutter the girls have managed to collect in their short life times AND allows us to pass it on to a little someone who will be needing it more than us come early March!! (Yeah for babies!!!!)

(oh, and please ignore that window. . .Eek! It still needs some help. Speaking of which. . .any ideas on how to cover up an ugly air conditioner unit that is an absolute necessity in the summer? I would love to hide it somehow, but have not yet come up with a plan to do so while keeping it functionable. ???????)

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I am loving the way these turned out!! And to think they were on the brink of heading to the junk heap.

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It's especially great because these aren't just some random dressers I found. They were my husband and his brother's as they were growing up. And I'm guessing based on the style, that they had another life even before that. I'm going to have to get that story. . .. But I love pieces with history—but even more I love breathing new life into pieces with history!! Now every piece of old furniture I look at I want to recover, repaint or redo in some way!! My poor husband!!! I'm not sure he completely knew what he was getting into when he married me! Oh well, he has his quirks as well. . ..

xoxo—Lori


Thursday, November 19, 2009

VW Bus

I've been busy sewing, but not for myself.

At work we've undertaken the task of redoing a VW Bus with the intent of driving it to CES, an annual trade show in Las Vegas. As the resident seamstress in the marketing department, I was recruited to reupholster all then interior. I'm having fun as it's a little bit of a stretch for me—I've never done this level of recoving, but it's turning out nicely. Whew! Don't know what we would have done if it wasn't!!

Check out the the CES Bound website to see how we're doing, watch some funny vidoes concerning the project and at some point catch a glimpse of my handiwork!! Oh, and I'll probably never write about work again. . . but this is a bit of an exception. . . :)

xoxo—Lori

Monday, November 16, 2009

My New Toy!!!

Finally got my new sewing machine! I'm so excited. . .and little bit in love. . .. It's a Janome DC2010.

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Now off to go sew something!!!

xoxo—Lori

Thursday, November 12, 2009

An Awesome Book

I was just given An Awesome Book. You can tell it is awesome just from it's title. (It's actually called An Awesome Book.)


A co-worker of mine handed it to me for my kids when I walked into work this morning. As he was telling me about it, he had this expectant look on his face and I was actually kind of worried that it was a joke and something was going to jump out at me! But as soon as I had a minute to give it a read I understood his look. This book is incredible & I can't wait to go home and read it to my girls! It's full of wonderfully imaginative illustrations and a poem about dreaming big—like dreaming about “rocket-powered unicorns” instead of owning matching silverware.” The author originally wrote the book for his own five-year-old son and decided to have it printed up.

You can read the entire book online—and you should, right now!!! But don't forget to purchase a copy for yourself, your kids and maybe a few more for gifts as this would make a great gift for all sorts of people: little kids, graduates, newlyweds, your parents. . .you get the idea. :)

But another reason to buy the book is that for every book purchased, the author will give one away!! Sounds like a pretty good way to spread high and lofty dreams!

So what are your big dreams that seem like they might be too big to come true?
"Then once you've got that in mind please dream a million more. . ."
Maybe if we all start dreaming big, and encouraging each others' dreams, we just might start turning some dreams into reality.

xoxo—Lori

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

I made a bed.

Growing up, I had a beautiful bed. My Dad made it for me when I was two. It had drawers underneath and everything.

When I got married, I graduated to a larger bed which unfortunately was housed only on a mattress frame. Not the bed of my dreams, that's for sure!! Recently, we decided to ditch the mattress frame and just put the box frame and mattress directly on the floor. Good move for the tiny room as the lower bed helps open up the tight space. But then we just had our mattress on the floor.

When we move, someday—hopefully within the next 3 years. . .), we are planning on getting a king size bed since we can't get one now—Our room is just too small!! So whatever solution I came up with for this bed needed to be reasonably priced. I kicked around a few ideas and finally
decided to head to my local lumber yard (Home Depot :) ), grab 4 2x12s and build a box.

However, I am fully convinced that I can do nothing the easy way.

I love the feel of old wood. You know what I'm talking about? That old bench at the park made from a tree trunk that is worn absolutely smooth with the grain raised into the most interesting patterns? Well, I wanted that.

I again headed to Home Depot and picked up a wire sanding attachment for our drill and set to work sanding out the soft portion of the wood, leaving the harder grain raised up.

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Many hours, 3 steel wool pads and 2 blisters later I had brand new boards that felt like they had some history to them!! After not finding what I had envisioned in my head on the stain aisle, I opted to just go dark. I am second guessing that decision, but also realizing that's it really not that big of a deal and am trying to let it go!! All in all, I think it's a pretty nice solution for very cheap!

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Unfortunately, I'm not sure how well the pictures show the deep grain, but it feels wonderful!! Next, I plan to add a headboard. Exciting plans (for me anyway!!) for that as well!

xoxo—Lori

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

MISSING

A little over a week ago I redid the second dresser for the sisters which included these very cool knobs!! Aren't they pretty!

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One Problem:

WE CAN'T FIND THEM ANYWHERE!!!!!!!

I remember spraying them with poly and Little Sister helping me put them in a bag, but after that?
NOTHING!

We have searched EVERYWHERE in our house. Well, obviously not everywhere or we would have found them by now. We can't imagine that they are not in the house, but after days of searching, our confidence is waning.

The only thing we can imagine is that somehow one of the girls got ahold of the bag and. . .threw them away????

Needless to say, I'm a little sick to my stomach over the whole thing. It's not like I can just patch the holes and put new knobs on. The only consolation is that for some reason I did put one knob on a drawer. I wonder how much it would cost to have someone replicate them for me. . .????

Anyone have any ideas where else to look?

xoxo—Lori

*********************************************************************************

Update @ 8:15

WE FOUND THEM!!!!!!!

They somehow made it into the trunk of my car. . .very similar to bongo drums, Shelly.

Friday, October 30, 2009

While she was sick

I'm really behind on blog posts. Seems to be a common theme, eh?

My camera is full and I have some precious shots of Little Sister from when she was sick. The poor little peanut was sick for 4 days and ran about a 103.5 fever all week, spiking one night to 105.2. Scary stuff!!!

But on one of the rare occasions that she was awake I pulled out my camera to capture her sweet little face. I'm glad I did because I really love these shots.

Just too bad she was so sick!

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I'd like to say that she's signing "I love you" here, but really these next 3 images happened one right after the other and she was tired and rubbing her head.

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I've never seen this little one so sick and I hope it's awhile before I see her that way. Luckily, she has fully recovered and it seems has not passed whatever it was on to anyone else in the house. Not sure what I would have done if Big Sis had gotten sick too!!

Hope everyone is healthy at your house! (Especially as we start gearing up for Halloween festivities!)

xoxo—Lori

Thursday, October 22, 2009

A little. . .Creepy.

Funny things have been going on around here.

First, our weed eater was stolen.

Then, we found a brand new, never opened tube of chapstick in our backyard. A brand we don't use.

And finally, sometime last week Nate noticed some dog food was in these upside-down plastic bongo drums that the girls have outside. Very weird, but we didn't think much about it. Afterall, we do have a dog that does eat dog food and very often it's outside. Plus we do have a two year old as well as a five year old nephew who sometimes comes to play. You never know what that duo is going to be up to.

Now Nate had mentioned the dog food to me, but besides a passing glance I hadn't really paid it too much attention. But this afternoon I was doing something else and decided to see what the bongo/food combo was all about. Still didn't think much about it except that it was pretty odd.

Then tonight, I was scooping up some of Sully's food and realized IT'S NOT OUR BRAND OF DOG FOOD!!!!!

We don't have that kind ANYWHERE in our house and never have. Ever.

So, I'm feeling real safe right now (and looking up houses in other more, um, established neighborhoods. . .).

Am I crazy to want to start packing? Or just overly suspicious?

xoxo—Lori

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Home with Little Sister

My poor little peanut is sick, sick, sick!!

Sadly, she seems to always have something going on—runny nose, ear infection, crazy diaper rash. But she is honestly the BEST sick baby ever. I usually have no idea she's sick until I realize she has a fever. She just doesn't act sick.

But not this time. She's running a pretty high fever, and just wants to cry and be held when she's not asleep—but mostly she wants to sleep. I've never seen her like this. Makes me feel so helpless! Why can't I do anything!!!

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I even took her to the doctor yesterday because her daycare had called to let me know she was running a fever of 100.7. No big deal, but I needed to get her home. By the time I got her home, her temperature had reached 102.5 and a dose of tylenol and 45 minutes later it was at 103!! It freaked me out a little that it was moving in the wrong direction so I got her in pretty quick, but was just told to make her as comfortable as possible over the next few days and that hopefully by Friday she'd be ready to join in again! Poor Kid!

This is where I definitely wished I was a stay-at-home Mom, or even a work-from-home Mom (although I think very little would get done unless the girls stayed in daycare while I did that work from home!).

Now hopefully Big Sis won't get it too!!

xoxo—Lori

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Look what Big Sister got into. . .

Sometimes, Big Sis takes naps in our room for one reason or another.

And sometimes, after the nap, we realize that our room may not be as toddler proof as we thought, nor did the little munchkin go straight to sleep like we would like to believe.

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Despite what the package says, it appears that Daddy's deodorant does, in fact, NOT go on clear.

At least she didn't find a sharpie like the last time she wrote on our walls.. . .

xoxo—Lori

Friday, October 16, 2009

Photo session with Frogs and Faeries Photography

Just saw the sneak peek of our photo session from last weekend! So amazing!!! Can not wait to see all of them. Check them out at Frogs & Faeries Blog. What's extra special about this shoot is that my husband went to high school with Heather the photographer. Extra fun!!

!!!!!!!
Don't know how I'm ever going to chose!

xoxo—Lori

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

I'm really not this boring!

You think I'm boring, don't you? It would appear that way from my lack of posts, wouldn't it?

The truth is I'm busy. Too busy.

Last weekend we braved the rain and went to the pumpkin patch. This weekend Big sister and Daddy went to the pumpkin patch while Little Sis & I went to the doctor (she's fine) and then met up with them at their cousin's house for lunch and play time. After naps I sanded, primed, painted & poly-ed their stairs. I LOVE them. Before they were old, steep & creaky. They're still steep, but Nate put in thicker risers and I don't feel like I'm going to fall through now! The white paint really helps brighten the area up as well.

Then Sunday we spent most of the day getting things together for family pictures in the evening. I have this very old antique couch that Nate and I found about 3+ years ago. We were driving home and on the side of the road, in front of a restaurant supply warehouse, was this couch with a for sale sign on it. I made Nate turn the car around, track down the owner and buy the silly thing. Apparently so that it could sit in my mother-in-law's basement for years just to be in our family photos! When I remembered it, I just hoped that it was in good enough shape to look good in the pictures. It was perfect! If you don't look at the back or underneath that is. Springs are quite literally falling out the bottom! But I can't wait to see what it looked like in the pictures! And the girls too. . . :)

As with most things I talk about, one day I'll get around to re-upholstering it! I'll try to take some pictures of it before we carry it back down into the abyss. . .I mean basement. ;)

This weekend we have no plans other than trying to get our house a little closer to completion. Baby steps. . .baby steps.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Lisa Leonard Designs Jewelry

While I'm at it, I might as well share another favorite with you! (And if you know my husband, drop hints to him as well. I've made him aware of my love for Lisa, but a bit of reminding is always helpful.)

I used to think that I hated "mommy jewelry." But really, I just hadn't found the RIGHT mommy jewelry. For me, the right jewelry lives over on Lisa Leonard's website —instead of my drawer. . . at least not yet.

Her designs are simple, yet poignant—really speaking to the heart of the idea behind each piece. And very beautifully crafted. So after your done checking out Amy Butler's new line for the post below, go check out Lisa Leonard's site too.

Lisa Leonard Designs Jewelry GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

xoxo—Lori

Attention all Fabric Junkies!!

AMY BUTLER HAS A NEW FABRIC LINE OUT!!!!

http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/products/fabrics_love_top.php

I almost wish I hadn't just purchased a ton of new fabric because this stuff is BEAUTIFUL! In actuality, I want to keep all the fabric that I have and just get more!! You have to go check it out—she's calling it LOVE.

While usually the quilting & fashion line is it's own line and the home decor line is completely separate with it's own designs, she has BOTH this time!! So if you really want to, you can cover your couch to match the new dress you just sewed!

Quilthome.com announced in their newsletter this week that they will be having a special sale on the new line NEXT week. . .so definitely check that out if you have some money to spend on fabric. . . or you could loan it to me.

If you need me, I'll be over at Amy's site, feasting my eyes on her amazing designs. . .

xoxo—Lori

Monday, October 5, 2009

Pretty, Pretty Fabric!

This weekend I received a package in the mail from what is quickly becoming my favorite online store: QuiltHome.com.

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Such pretty fabric, so many possibilities. . .

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What should I sew first?

xoxo—Lori

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

If you have a daughter. . .

Yesterday, I stumbled across a new blog via another blog. . .well, you know how the blog trail goes. I love it so much that not only did I add it to my BlogReader, I really wanted to share it with you too.

50 Pieces of Prudent Advice for my Baby Daughter
(click above to go to her website)

I currently write a journal to each of my girls sharing special events with them, thoughts or feelings that I have or words of wisdom that I will someday give them when the moment is right. (SHH! Don't tell them about it though. It's a secret.) But I really like the way she just has an ongoing list of sometimes simple, and sometimes quite profound little nuggets of truth to help her daughter navigate life. For example:

#173 When you're driving and someone lets you into their lane, thank them with a hand wave.


#48 When something tragic happens to someone you care about, make sure not to ignore them just because you don't know what to say.

And there are more. . .so many more. So just get over there and be prepared to stay awhile—and wish you had written the list yourself. Who knows, maybe you'll start a list or a journal for your own little one.

xoxo—Lori

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Yummy Soup

I must be more ready for fall than I'd like to admit because I have been craving soup for the last few weeks. So this weekend, I pulled out the giant stock pot and made some very yummy soup.

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If you make one soup this fall, this really should be it! It's a slightly spicy chicken noodle soup and definitely worth the effort.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

5 celery ribs
4 medium carrots, peeled
1 large yellow onion
2 medium potatoes, peeled
1 (14 oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes
1 (5 lb.) chicken, washed and cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
24 cups (6 quarts) water
creole seasoning (I like to use Tony Cachere's Famous Creole Seasoning) to taste (this gives the soup it's kick! Don't be afraid to use quite a bit!)
salt & pepper, to taste


Directions:
1. chop celery, carrots, & potatoes (into 1/4 inch pieces if you will not be following step 9. If you are, they can be bigger)

2. chop tomatoes—save all juice

3. put vegetables, tomatoes & juice, parsley, garlic and chicken pieces into a 10-quart stock pot

4. Add water, season with salt, pepper & creole seasoning

5. Bring to a boil over medium heat

6. Skim off foam that rises to the top; may have to skim 2 or 3 times

7. Partially cover and simmer for 2 hours

8. When soup is finished, remove chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool.

9. Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon and place in blender. With the pulse function, chop the veggies to very small pieces. Add back into broth.

10. When chicken has cooled enough to handle, remove skin and bones and return meat to soup.

11. Notes: Soup is best when served the next day. Refrigerate and remove fat that collects at the top. Serve soup with small stubby pasta such as ditalini. Add freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

This makes a lot, so be prepared to eat if for every meal for the next week, have a lot of people over or freeze some.

Enjoy!!

xoxo—Lori

Friday, September 25, 2009

You know what I'm horrible at. . .

Thank you cards.

AWFUL.

I'm embarrassed by my inability to get the silly things out the door.

I think about them a ton. I have even purchased cards this time around to send notes out from Little Sister's party. But now I can't find them.

This time I have an excuse—we started painting floors and rearranging EVERYTHING the day after the party so home life has been insanely chaotic. But really, that's just an excuse.

I'm so grateful for all the things are family and friends do for us. It's so lame of me not to be able to follow through and tell them that! Plus I spend so much time planning the party or event, why can't I keep it together long enough to send out a thank you card???

While this is NOT a replacement for a thank you card, I do want you to know that if you did give Little Sister a birthday present: We love the gift & we love you! We are truly blessed to have you in our lives. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Now I'll try to find, write and mail those cards this weekend. . .

xoxo—Lori

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Shiny (& completed!!!) Floors

This weekend I was able to finally get to painting the girls' floor—sanding, priming, painting and putting down a couple coats of poly.

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This means that everything from there room has been residing in our living room. AHHHH!!! They have too much stuff!

But tonight, they will be moving back up to their room as the floors are now finished and cured!!! You have no idea how excited I am!

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I love them too! I was a little nervous about the whole thing going in, but the results are amazing. So shiny and bright.

Now the BIG QUESTION is: How long will they stay that way?

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Our checklist for the house is slowly getting ticked off. . .I might not be embarrassed to show photos of it soon! Nate—the construction project manager that he is—has worked out a schedule for us and has us set to finish in February. . .stay tuned to see if we make it!! Haha!

xoxo—Lori

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Picture day & New dresses

Today is picture day at school for the girls and I wanted them to wear the dresses I made for them.

One problem.

Big Sister's dress still lacked button holes and I lacked the equipment to complete them.

What's a girl to do?

Go to Target, buy a sewing machine, carefully note how it was packaged, sew the button hole, repackage the machine and return the thing the next day. Maybe not the most correct thing to do, but sometimes you just have to get things done!! (And Jenny, thanks for you're offer and I may take you up on it sometime between now and when I get my new machine, but I just didn't have time to make it to your house!!)

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Turned out pretty cute! I've made a few adjustments from the last dress and we'll give this one a few wears before I call the design complete.

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I made the skirt even fuller, because really, there is no such thing as a too-full skirt. As a child I was a firm believer that dresses were for twirling and if the skirt didn't fly up properly then the dress was pretty worthless. So basically, I'm trying to fulfill my childhood dreams of the perfect dress. Hopefully, the Sisters and little girls everywhere will appreciate my efforts!!

xoxo—Lori

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Such a bad Mom. . .

This morning could have been the easiest of all mornings.

EVER.

It's pajama day at school.

The good Moms all woke their kids up, changed diapers and had potty time with their toddlers, put their shoes on and headed out the door. (Breakfast is served at school)

Me?

Well, I forgot it's pajama day. So I had to hunt down pants, convince Big Sister to wear her dress, track down shoes that we had in our hands 5 minutes earlier, and because all of this took so long, figure out something for them to eat for breakfast as we had missed breakfast at school. Then we got to school and Big Sister is one of a very small handful in her class that are fully dressed (at least I'm not the only bad Mom).

So I feel like I've let me kid down, hope she doesn't notice and won't feel left out AND could have had a breeze of a morning.

UGH!!!

Will I ever get it together?

xoxo—Lori

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Rain, rain. . .

I love it when it rains. . .

There is too much of a good thing of course, but generally speaking I have to smile a little when I hear it pitter-pattering on my windows.

For me, it's permission to slow down & ponder. To enjoy simple things like a warm blanket, a cup of coffee and a good book or jumping in puddles with little girls as they scream in delight.

And lucky me! I don't work in a multi-level office building. I work in a converted warehouse, so I get to enjoy the rhythm of the rain all day. (Not quite as good as the book & blanket thing, but not too shabby way to spend your day either)

Hope you find time to dance in the rain today.

xoxo—Lori

Monday, September 14, 2009

Meet Sullivan

This weekend was supposed to be filled with prepping floors, priming and painting.

Instead, we got a dog.

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The plan was to get him next weekend, but Saturday morning, we got a call from the breeder saying that she was leaving town and if we wanted him to come and get him.

So Nate made an impromptu 8 or 9 hour trip and brought us this little fuzz-ball.
His name is Sullivan, but he will probably never get called that. Just Sully, unless he's in trouble.
So far, so good though. This guy came to us potty trained!!! How often does that happen? (never, just so you know)
He's not 100%—he is a baby after all, but he gets what he's supposed to do and as long as you give him the opportunity to pee outside, he won't pee inside.

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And he's pretty chill. Likes to play, but doesn't go crazy if you're not able to play. He goes to sleep instead. I like that in a dog. Big change from the 2 Boxers we had before. (I love Boxers by the way, but we just don't have the time for that high energy of a dog these days)

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The girls LOVE him too. The first night he was here Big Sister kept getting out of bed and going to her sleeping Daddy and whispering "Daddy, where's Sully?" "He's asleep" (Then Sully would hear them and start whining) "Doggy Awake!!"

Too cute, all around.

xoxo—Lori

*******Seems I forgot to mention, Sully is a Soft-Coated Wheaton Terrior. Think Sandy on Little Orphan Annie. ********

Friday, September 11, 2009

I'm stuck

During the week leading up to Little Sister's Birthday festivities, my sewing machine died.

DEAD.

No hope.

It was cheap, I got it at Target. It's internal parts were made of plastic, so really what did I expect. It was a good machine for me while it lasted though. (Mainly because it was cheap :) )

So in the meantime, I'm borrowing an older machine from my Mother-in-law who is the maven of finding amazing thrift store deals. The machine I'm using is a Brother MV757 that she picked up for $15.
FIFTEEN DOLLARS!!!!
I really don't know how she does it! I never find anything when I hit thrift stores.

Anyway, the machine works great! I almost wouldn't mind keeping it in fact. There's just this one little thing.

I can't get it to make nice button holes.

I've messed with the tension and stitch length, etc, but just can't get it sorted. So I have a dress all done for Big Sister that she can't wear because it needs button holes for the straps.

UGH!!!

(it's really cute too! So I'd really like for her to wear it.)

So until I get a new machine I'm really not sure what to do. And no idea when I'll be getting a new machine. Maybe I'll just keep sewing and anything that needs a button hole will sit on a pile waiting for the new machine.

Or maybe I can convince my husband that I really need one now. . .and a serger while we're at it. . .

xoxo—Lori

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

And you think your morning was bad. . .

This morning was a bit. . .trying.

Last night I didn't sleep even though I was in bed, lights off at 11:30 (as I mentioned in the previous post). So I'm tired. And I don't feel too great. Scratchy throat.

Getting the girls into the car was not as easy and seamless as I'd like it to be. Big Sister climbed into the driver seat while I was putting Little Sis into her car seat. No big deal, right? Well, she was honking the horn incessantly. Neighbors were coming to their doors to see what was going on.

At daycare, both girls cried when I left which isn't normal.

Then I got to work. I grabbed my purse and thought, hmm. . .I should have something else.
CRAP!!! MY LAPTOP!!!

I had left it on the roof of my car. . . .might it still be there??

Of course not.

So I'm freaking out a little bit. I mean, what are you supposed to tell your boss when something like this happens?

So I'm praying that in some crazy miraculous turn of events I'll find it safely sitting in the grass next to my drive way.

I didn't.

So I start to retrace my drive back to work. At this point, I'm just hoping to find the stupid machine. As I'm turning onto the on-ramp Briley Parkway I see it, laying in the middle of the road. I quickly pull over, rush out into traffic—OK, not really but it sounds better—and pick up the laptop in it's bag. I can already tell the bag has some holes in it, but overall, it doesn't look too awful.

I open it up and to find this:
photo

All four corners were smashed up and it kept trying to eject an imaginary disc, but it still works even though I can't open it all the way. Whew! (sort of. . .)

My IT guy said he's going to get me a new one with a briefcase and handcuff attachment. And maybe ratchet straps to tie it down to the top of my car.

So I guess, it's turned out OK. I'm not fired. People are laughing. And I have a new haircut.

(although if you get a new haircut, I do advice that you don't do something that trumps the haircut—unless you don't want all the attention a new haircut brings.)

Hope your morning is going well!!

xoxo—Lori

Thanks for all your help

Thank you to all of you who weighed in on the logo/name stuff. It may not be customary to give you such options, but as I am created this business (someday) for you (and me. . .) I figure I might as well hear what you have to say on the matter.

You gave me more to think about and brought up issues I've already thought through, as well. In the end, I'm confident with my choice (for now at least!! We'll see how I feel in a few months!) and am sticking with my original design with Grey & Reese. Hopefully, that was the one you liked.

If not, well, I hope you're not too disappointed and will soon be won over by the amazing dresses themselves! Besides, I'm the design professional—or so says the degree sitting in my filing cabinet. :) Perhaps I should do something else with that. . .Hang it on the wall? Seems so. . .boring. Very un-designery. (I'm completely making up words here—that's what happens at 2:30 in the morning!!)

Yes, I'm blogging at 2:30 in the morning. Can't sleep and was up with Big Sister just a little bit ago as well. She has taken to pulling off her used pull-ups when she soils them at night and then sometimes soils the bed as well . . .had to get new sheets.

Daytime potty training was easy, but this nighttime stuff is beyond me!! Ideas?

xoxo—Lori

Sunday, September 6, 2009

You Pick

OK, OK, OK—Maybe you won't actually pick. But you will greatly influence which one I pick. (and maybe we'll both pick the same one!)

Afterall, it is because of your comments that I'm even showing you another round, so your opinion does matter!!

I took into consideration some of the things that were said either on here, or on Facebook, and thought I'd look at the logo again to see if it works to reverse the order of the names. To be honest, I don't care. One doesn't sound incredibly better to me than the other. What's more important to me is the way they look on the page. I guess that's why I'm a designer and not a writer!!

So once again, here's Grey & Reese:
Grey&Reese_Final

and newly crafted, Reese & Grey:
Reese & Grey_Final

So let me know which one you like better. . .and why. Why always helps.

xoxo—Lori

Friday, September 4, 2009

I need your help

I've been working on a little something. . .OK, potentially a big something.
For me anyway.

See, I'd like to start my own business. I want to design and make fun, bold, whimsical dresses (perfect for twirling!!) and clothing for your little girls. Right now it is in the very infant stages. . .mostly in my head. But that's the way I work. I've been mulling and planning for awhile. And now, I'm taking baby steps.

This is where you come in.

I'm working on a logo. I mean after all, you can't have a business without a logo!!! I was wondering if you could give me some feedback and tell me what you think of it at this point. Love it? Hate it? Could care less?

Grey&Reese_Final

Oh, and the name. That's the sister's middle names. Charlie Reese & Peyton Grey. I love making dresses for my two little munchkins and seeing them happily twirling (well, just Charlie for now. we'll give Peyton just a little more time.) in the dresses I created just for them.

I hope to give that to your girls as well. And make them incredibly cute in the process!!!!

I've been designing clothing my whole life. To some degree. . .

When I was a little girl I made dresses out of socks for my Barbie dolls. In junior high and high school I designed books and books of ice skating costumes and wedding dresses—and then gave them to classmates to color. I've been sewing since my Grandma taught me when I was about 12. And I rarely use patterns or stick to them when I do.

Granted, at this point you might be thinking "I really haven't seen to many children's dresses on this blog" and you're right. And you might not for awhile. I sort of have this house to finish remodeling and a full time job and such. But you will see more. And one day you just might find yourself buying a dress for your little one from me.

I hope that day comes sooner rather than later!!

But please let me know what you think of the logo. Even if you've never left a comment before, I'd love to hear your opinion.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Yellow Birthday Party—eat cake

I made Peyton her very own little yellow cake. Not as elaborate as I had originally planned, but I excepted defeat early on the mini-bee cake and realized I just didn't have the correct supplies to pull if off.

Really, you should be proud of me. I don't usually take this route. Normally, I would forge on, stress out, cry, stress out everyone around me, and then realize there was no hope. So see, progress.

IMG_6743 copy_1_1

But actually, I really like the simply yellow cake. So sometimes it works out.

Now of course, the VERY first thing a one year old is going to do when you put a cake with a lit candle in front of her is try and grab the flame.

IMG_6738

Luckily Papa was to the rescue!

However, after the collective gasp/scream from the spectators, Little Sister was feeling a little uneasy about the whole thing!

IMG_6743

But she did warm up to it.

IMG_6748

IMG_6751
Big Sister helped with the candle.

IMG_6756
IMG_6759
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(I think she likes it!)

I wish I was allowed to eat cake with such abandon! Oh well, I guess I had my chance almost 30 years ago. . .

x0x0—Lori

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