Whatnot: Family Reunion #1

(from left to right: J, R, Uncle Mike, Auntie Kes, littleA, Crazy Uncle Jon, AK, Auntie Erica, B, Jules, baby girl, Me, A)

Families come in all shapes and sizes, some are wrapped up all pretty, and some are scuffed around the edges.  No two families are exactly the same and no family is perfect.  But no matter the differences between us all, I LOVE my family more than words can say!!!

I haven't seen my sister in 2 years -yep years, that says YEARS!!!!  There is no rift between us, we love each other like...well yeah, like sisters ;o)  We'll just call it a 'series of unfortunate events' that has kept us apart (Oh, I'm not supposed to refer to my pregnancies as unfortunate... well...).  To sum it up, I got pregnant, my sister made travel plans, she got pregnant, travel plans got canceled.  I had babies and started figuring out travel plans, I got pregnant AGAIN, and all travel plans were off the table.  We live 14 hours apart.  So to say I was excited to see her would be an understatement.

I have also only seen my brother once in the last two years, and that was for about 6 hours 2 weeks after the boys were born - he was leading a mission trip to somewhere in PA, hopped on the Mega bus, spent the day with me, hopped back on the bus and resumed his regularly scheduled programming.  We don't call him 'Crazy Uncle Jon' for nothing (well there is that and the fact that there is a second uncle Jon and we have to keep them straight somehow).

Family reunions are an amazing thing - they bring people together, they seep laughter, and they can be wildly unpredictable.  There are somehow never enough hours in the day, never enough days, and never enough rounds of settlers played!  But through stolen moments, five minute conversations, and hugs to cover the year ahead - the family grows closer and recommits its love for one another.

I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!

(Nana with all SEVEN of her grandkids - 5 new ones in 14 months time)

gorgeous little AK

(Crazy Uncle Jon's beautiful family)

'I'm swimming naked in the paddling pool!!!'

Whatnot: Why I upcycle

 Have I told you that once upon a time I was a costume designer?  Well, in college I was.  And there began my flirtation with upcycling.
I didn't know that it was called anything (upcycling, refashioning, re-purposing, etc...) - I was just a poor college student trying to make ends meet who knew how to sew.  My very first project was an old pair of my dad's jeans (like old from when he and my mom were dating or first married or something like that).  For some reason my mom had them in a drawer and handed them over to me on my way out the door to freshman year.  They fit me loosely around the hips, but I didn't like the cut or length of the legs.  Luckily I had just entered a world where I had a costume shop full of scraps at my disposal - ahhhh the good old days. I chopped the legs off below the knee, added bell-bottoms made out of funky fabrics, appliqued a coordinating butterfly to the upper thigh where there were some holes and a sun to the back pocket (what can I say, I was in a hippy phase).  These jeans were anything but fashionable, but I loved their comfort, and they made me smile.

My mom taught me to sew, but college set me free to CREATE.

Upcycling has become popular these days, between a down turned economy and a generation attempting to go green; 'reuse, renew, recycle' when it comes to your closet seems a perfect solution.  But this trend is anything but new.  It isn't hard for me to conjure the image of Maria singing "A Few of my favorite things..." and creating play clothes out of the household drapes for the Von-Trapp children .  Going back to the 40's, women painstakingly took apart suits and dresses to turn worn collars and hide stains by filliping the pieces.  Wool and silk were hard to come by during war time as soldiers' uniforms and parachutes took precedent over new fashions.  Going further back in US history, colonial women and children used worn garments to create napkins, handkerchiefs and other items that helped them hone their skill at a variety of stitches.  Eventually their needlework made its way into their hope chests to be used for their own future families.

History lesson aside, upcycling has been around for a long time, and the trend seems to be here to stay!  I would love to say that I upcycle to create a greener planet, to celebrate the resources already at play in our wasteful world, to.... Eh, let's be honest, I'm just cheap.

I have watched my sister create gorgeous things out of t-shirts and other materials for her children over the years, and I love the knowledge that not only can I re-fashion for me, I can do it for them as well.

Here are just a few of the things that are staples in my closet that I have upcycled or made out of remnant fabric peices:

Knit Vest: one of my favorite spring/fall layering pieces

made from scratch

once long, now short

most comfy pj pants ever

favorite fitting tank from t-shirt

Awesome fabric my mom had laying about

 

I tie the bows around my bra straps so nothing gets out of place

Before (flirty dress with too low cut top)

After: perfect comfy skirt for all occasions

Before: Way too big (just trust me,  they were falling off)

After: Just right

Before: 2 too short shirts

After: Cute color blocking

And here are some new re-creations for my kiddos:

headband from onesie

my nephew D sporting his new hat

Before: Men's Shirt

After: Bucket hat

headband from t-shirt 

t-shirt to baby romper

So, my closet has become my home shopping network and I have a pile of clothes waiting for their turn on the chopping block. It makes me think of this quote:
 "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me"... and let me see what I can create ;o)


*Expect to see more sewing projects and tutorials in the future - any one have any requests???

A Wandering: My Bag's Bigger Than Your Bag (nah-nah nu nah-nah)

When Baby girl turned 6 weeks old, I made my first solo outing to the grocery store with all three kids in tow.  For six weeks I couldn't lift my hefty little men (just for reference A is 25lbs and B is 30lbs @16months) because of the surgery from my C-Section.  So, for SIX weeks I was forced to have round the clock help.  To an independant mama who thrived on being able to tote her twins anywhere and everywhere, this was sheer torture.  I felt caged, trapped, stripped of all freedom; and although I am beyond thankful for the support and help I received over those 6 weeks from my own amazing mother and Chelsea (the wonderful recent college grad that God dropped in our lap at the perfect moment to help care for the boys), I could not wait for those 6 weeks to be over.
The moment the Dr. cleared me, I dusted off my car keys, hoisted all three kids into the car, and drove to the grocery store - ooooooooooooooooohhhhh EXCITING!  It took us about 45 minutes to grab 5 items, but I did it.  I did it, all on my own!!!
When I tell people this story (because I am proud of my accomplishment - it seems more appropriate than being proud of changing 3 poopy diapers in under 3 minutes flat, or dodging my way through lunch without a single launched food grenade landing on my clothes), their reaction is always 'HOW?'  Well, I pushed the boys in their double stroller in front of me with my left hand, stuck baby girl in her carseat on top of the double decker mini cart and pulled her behind me, and in a very halting manor made it from produce to dairy. (I am sorry, there is no pictoral evidence of this outing)
But, that isn't really the true answer to 'HOW', the true answer to this question is.... MY DIAPER BAG.

My diaper bag is huge, my diaper bag is zeebra print, my diaper bag could rival Mary Poppins for how much stuff can magically appear from within it's dark recesses.  And what, you may ask, is contained inside my diaper bag????  I am so glad you asked!
-Diapers (3-5 size fives, 3 size ones)
-Diaper Pad and wipes
-diaper trash bags
-Two Bibs
-two water sippy cups
-one Dr browns 4 oz bottle
-container of powdered formula
- spare set of boys clothing
-Epi Pen (yep - A is allergic to peanuts)
-Benedryl
-Adult tylenol
-travel sized container of stain remover spray
-assorted rattles, teethers, loveys, and books
-..... I might as well just show you!!!

 

Yep - this is a Kathy Ireland bag snagged on sale at TJ Maxx

the loot

socks are a necessity, we have an indoor playground that requires them (baby and mama)

formula for baby girl and snacks for the boylets

business cards and mini brag book

I am so grateful we haven't had to use this yet

 

there have to be some things for mama too!

  

With this bag I am ready to face emergencies great and small, conquer tears, and set the world to right again - or at least bring the noise level down a decibel or two.  Having this bag packed and ready to go gives me the freedom to get out of the house.  I have separate bags packed and waiting for road trips and pool days, but this is my daily diaper bag.

Think I am missing anything????   So, what is your #1 go to item in your purse or diaper bag.

A Wondering: Gone in 60 seconds

I have never been a neat freak - or a cleaning fanatic.  Just ask my mom, she'll be straight up honest and tell you I would just shove everything under my bed on cleaning day as a kid (and I had TWO beds in my room, all the more space to shove things under!!!)  As a wife, I wanted the cute clean house, but honestly I simply evolved from shoving under the bed to making piles.  Piles upon piles.
As a Mother, not only do I now crave organization - I want things to be semi CLEAN!

So I have started looking for ways to really clean and organize my house.  The first way way to hire a cleaning person- Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh my cleaners, I can not express what a joy it was to have the ENTIRE house clean on one day.  But sadly; small budget, less work due to maternity leave timing, and funding the needs of 3 kiddos, did not leave room for the cleaners to stay.  It was a glorious 10 months though!
Now, I search for cleaning blogs, home organization tips, and the knowledge of others to become a lean green cleaning machine.  There is tons of good advice out there, and a gazillion different ways of doing something - but through all of it I keep coming back to a magazine article I read 10 years ago in college.
Essentially it said if you can do something in 60 seconds or less, do it NOW!!! 
I doesn't sound that earth shattering, but WOW does it make a difference.  Instead of coming home from a photo shoot and piling my equipment on the table (where busy hands could potentially reach it), it goes straight into my newly organized Office closet.  Instead of junk mail getting thrown on the buffet, I scan it and toss it.  When making Saturday pancakes, I wash the batter bowl while the last pancake cooks - no more stuck on mess of pancake goo.  And so on and so forth, My house isn't crystal clean yet, and I still struggle not to make piles, but I am making progress.

So, what can you do in 60 seconds???  Tell me the most hellpful cleaning/organizing tip you have ever come across!

Here is the AFTER on my office closet - I could still use some small bins for organizing - but the 'before' was three feet deep of clutter over the whole surface of the closet floor!!! Vast improvememtn don't you think???

*Tip for cleaning out a closet - REMOVE THE DOORS!  It gives you better access to everything and can let you see the whole space at once. (the doors are now securely back in place!)

The right hand side is all my photography equipment and business paraphernalia. (those two huge bins hold all my baby props, hats, backdrops, etc...).  The left hand side is all of my party planning accouterments, some crafting supplies, and yes - that in the back is my wedding dress!   

And HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY from Baby girl!!!