A fun weekend!!! Kids mini triathlon

I always say that my blog will be a blend of my world where I try to be creative and experiment with DIY type projects and then family life and today's post is all about a super weekend that we had with the kids. We love sports in our house and actively try to encourage the kids to put down their fun little electronic toys they love so much and go outside to play. This weekend was just that...except it was a Kids mini-Triathlon and all 3 participated with a handful of their friends. I have to say, all of use parents were beaming as we saw athletic abilities all over the map and kids who were all giving it 110%. What a cool thing to involve them in. If you live in the Austin area, the Cedar Park Kids Tri is a super time. There are 2 divisions and my girls competed in the longer course, my little guy in the short course. Just wanted to share a few highlights from the day and encourage anyone out there to give it a try with their kids one year.

               We got to track down our summer league coach and say hello before we started. Coach Kay is the best!

Bikes are all pumped with air, #'s on and ready to go

The waiting around is the hardest.

I take that back, getting those sticky swim caps on with all that hair might be the hardest!

What a fun way to start! They start all the kids off 15 seconds apart by coming down a giant curly slide.

This pic has one of my girls who has already started swimming in lane 1 and one just came off the slide ready to swim over and enter the lanes with the swimmers. I love this start method, really eases all the kids nerves by sliding in and making the start fun!

The 6 mile bike ride. I was informed we actually needed to practice this next year.

Always fun doing with a friend and sprinting together to the transition area.

The run portion wraps up the race.

The older girls all finished!

The younger girls, oh yeah, we're finished!

When it's all said and done, this shirt says it all. "JUST DO IT" It's a super time seeing your kids compete. They can participate as a group but can compete with themselves. There are no losers here, all winners!! A big lunch at Torchy's Tacos followed with all of their friends and that wrapped up a fantastic morning for all!

One piece of advice, this event sells out every year. This is our 2nd year to participate and as soon as I get the email we get registered just to ensure a spot.

A new mate for the Makena Collection

I love special requests! It's so easy for any designer to get in a mode of only seeing what they're seeing and some input from another set of eyes is always welcomed! I had a gal email me, she has twins. Oh, twins are always such fun reqeuests...double the fun! She wanted them to semi-match and could we mix things up a bit from the Makena dress that she liked.

So we came up with this new colorful version. I posted awhile back about it and have had a few requests to continue to make it so have decided to keep it listed in my shop! You can now find this in my Etsy store.

Aren't they sweet together?

And even sweeter when worn!

Envelope Pillow Tutorial - Simple and quick!

This project started out a little like this. "Mom, the stools in our kitchen hurt my butt, I really don't like them. I wish we still had our old ones." In my most sympathetic tone..."that's too bad, I like how these look in our kitchen. I like those rush seats!"

Well, once one kid lodged a complaint, it wasn't long before the others chimed in and soon they were snagging pillows from the couch and sitting on them. At that point, I waved the white flag and told them we'd make a stool cushion for each of them so I thought I'd write a tutorial alongside me doing the project because these are so simple and fast.


I've had lots of pillows over the years and for some reason, it's the one thing I can't seem to throw away. I always tell myself I'm hoarding saving them for the pillow forms inside and may use for a future project. I'm not holding onto old junk, just trying to embrace the reduce, reuse and recycle mantra!

I started out by finding some home dec weight fabric that I had on hand and then cut away the prior cover on my pillows that were stained and dated colors that used to be in my house. I selected home dec since the kids were going to be sitting on them but you can use anything you like. My prior pillow had the trim sewn straight into the seam of my pillowform cover so I ended up just cutting that all off too. I was left with just the filling but it was still somewhat shaped, we can work with that! If that's what you run into, don't throw it away, you're good. My piece is 16" square so if yours is bigger, just adjust your fabric cuts accordingly.


Again, my pillow inserts are 16" square so I cut my piece at 16" then I turned it and cut it again while on the fold so it was 20" across or 40" across when unfolded. **I like my pillows to be nice and taut when stuffed so I cut them at 16" for that initial cut. If that makes you nervous, cut it at 16 1/2". You will sew with a 1/4" seam allowance and will be fine getting it to fit in.


Along the short side, fold your raw edge 2 times and press down so that you are left with no raw edge. Stitch this edge down and repeat on the other short side.


Now lay your big rectangle piece print side facing up and fold your short sides in so that the width is 16" which is what my pillow form is. Your pieces will overlap several inches for your opening.
This is what you want because when the pillow is stuffed it will pull apart at that open seam and with the overlap you will not see your pillow insert or stuffing. Pin on both sides along the open edges.


Stitch down each side using a 1/4" seam allowance.


Turn your piece right side out, pushing out all the corners and give it a nice iron.


Stuff in your insert or fiberfill stuffing, whatever you are using.


Ta-Da! You are done and that literally took me about 10 minutes...15 because I stopped and took a few pictures along the way. My kids are happy, no more groans when they eat breakfast in the morning. Can you tell I made these weeks apart? One still poofy because it was just completed, one has been flattened from being sat on! Am I loving these here on my kitchen stools? Well, this is one of those design compromises I made with the kids. After all, it's their home too!

Such an easy project for even a novice sewer or something to try with your child who might want to make one for their room. Such a fast way to change the look in your home. If zippers scare you, then ease into pillows and try these. Easy to make and I made 2 pillow covers for less than $10.

Breathing new life into something OLD!

My fascination for things that feel old, things that have a history, a story and maybe even from another country continues on. I hope to write a bit about my trip to Round Top very soon. I still am in awe that it is miles upon miles of fields filled with vendors selling their treasures. I say treasures with a bit of a chuckle! There were a few spaces with some items that had me scratching my head wondering, who in the heck is taking these home! Anyways, more about that full trip later because one can write forever once you realize that Round Top actually spans a few cities and there are more amazing things to look at over at Marburger and truly the best deals over in Warrenton. Live in the central Texas area or Southeast over by Houston? This is a must visit and a great girls or mom and daughter trip!

One of my favorite finds has to be this set of chairs that I picked up. I've had cane back chairs on my brain for quite some time after finding inspiration from this pin on Pinterest, from blogs I follow and magazines I love to browse.


I met Kara from Atlanta who is just precious and I loved her booth. Her business name is Junkology. Oh how I wanted to change her name because the word junk just doesn't come to mind as I looked at all the gorgeous things she had. I get it though, these things were probably earmarked for Goodwill before someone decided to give them a new life. I love how she didn't paint the cane and just brightened the stain giving it that beautiful contrast I wanted.


Love the color paint that was used. The chairs have a creamy warmth to them without being harsh white. Chairs were painted in Annie Sloan chalk paint in the Old Ochre color.


Loved the perfect amount of sanding she'd done over the carved detail. Okay, now I have 2 chairs, my table seats 6. The hunt continues.


Why am I looking for new chairs? I bought a gorgeous trestle table awhile back for our breakfast room and figured, I'll start the hunt for chairs to go with it later. Well, fast forward a year plus and the same chairs have been sitting around it that are shown above! My ADD took over, and as much as I disliked the black and woodstained chairs that I had sitting around it that matched the table that had been there prior, we've used them for quite a while. They're sturdy, they're functional, they work. I wanted something lighter and airy, the black needs to go and I wanted the styling to look a bit older, a little bit Frenchy. Is that a word?


Well, this site was something that gets a little eye roll from the hubby when he comes home from work. He practices tolerance with my methods. It screams, did you just bring your grandmother's furniture home and put it in our garage? This is my Craigs List find. These chairs are so well made and sturdy and the cane is intact. Isn't Craigs list the best? In an effort not to spend a ton of money, I searched there since nice chairs can set you back quite a bit. If you have the endurance to search, you can find some amazing things others are done with. I see some paint and some new upholstery and my new chairs will soon be seated around my table. I can't wait to see this project come to the end and share photos!

Heading to Round Top TX

Oh my, you cannot even imagine the excitement I'm feeling right now. I hope I can snap some pictures and share this exciting and fun treasure hunting trip! I've never been so about to put a check mark next to this other bucket list item that has been on my must do list for years.

No Bake Energy Bites ... by the kids!

I get this question a lot! Mom, can we make something? Since they are referring to cooking and not crafting, my practical self has that voice inside me going....."I know there is going to be a mess left for yours truly to clean up even when there is the promise to clean it all up themselves."

My reply? "Umm, what are y'all wanting to make" Those energy bites we had once! I'm thinking, well I sort of like having a stash of those on hand anyways so we'll see how this goes. Since it requires no actual cooking, only assembly, I figure go for it.

I first sampled these little yummies at a Pinterest Party I had at my house. We all brought a dish we had pinned and had wanted to try and then we did a pinned craft project as well. Lots of fun and it's a great way to sample all the things we pin! If you've never had one, schedule one with your girlfriends. I give you this promise, you'll have a great time!


So this recipe is originally on this great blog Smashed Peas and Carrots and I've copied it below. You've got a little flexibility in the recipe if you want a flavor upped a bit or maybe taken down a notch. My kids of course want lots of chocolate chips but I try to stay conservative on those. Got another ingredient you want in there? raisins? dried cranberries? Shift things around as you like!

No-Bake Energy Bites
(makes 18-20 bites)

1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/3 cup honey
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed.
Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy!
Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.


It really is as easy as just dumping in a bowl. Maybe the biggest stumbling block my girls came across was getting everything like the peanut butter and honey out of the measuring cups. This was probably the only part I got involved in so they could learn the purpose of the spatula!


They are ready to go and decided to skip chilling this bowl for the half hour....patience not one of our household good qualities!


Here they go making their balls. Mishapen, different sizes, every single one looks different but they still all taste delish.


They discovered the downside of skipping the "chill your mix for half an hour" part of the directions. Sticky messy hands!


Well there ya have it. No doctoring to their work has been done. Here's our gorgeous platter of snacks all shapes and sizes and I have to tell you, every family member loves them. If you love girl scout Carmel Delights, you'll love these. Give them a try, or if you choose, let your kids loose in the kitchen! These are perfect for after school snacks and we've even put them in their lunches.

I want wavy Beach Curls in my hair

This past weekend, my 2 girls had a weekend they look forward to every year. The annual Daddy/Daughter dance! Heck I look forward to this weekend since it's a ball getting them gussied up for their #1 guy. They love heading out shopping, picking something to wear and keeping it secret til the big reveal the night of the dance. It's such a sweet thing seeing all the pretty young ladies heading off for the evening.

This year they got very specific on how they wanted their hair and I know it's all thanks to Pinterest! They've searched all kinds of things you'd expect any pre-teen to check out. My oldest has been teaching herself to french braid and any help from me was not welcomed. She was going it alone with her hair. My younger daughter on the other hand announced she wanted beach curls like THESE that she'd seen on my Pinterest board.


Here is her normal hair, it dries VERY straight and it's thin and fine so I had low hopes of getting volume and waves but figured we'd give it a shot and wanted to share our results. Click on any photo to see it enlarged.



First we showered and blew her hair dry to where it was still semi-damp. Then I just sectioned off her hair. I'd suggest dividing up her hair however you like. I think we had 7 or 8 sections. Take each section of hair and twist it as much as you can and twist in the direction you want the curls to go. I wanted them to curl towards her face so we twisted that direction. It really only matters for those first 2 sections on either side of their eyes.


You can twist the other sections either direction. Keep twisting until the hair is tight and starts to coil up then wind it up in a tight bun and pin in place with a bobby pin.




After you've done the entire head we sprayed some hairspray lightly all over the head and then hairdry the hair til it's completely dry. We put another light spray of hairspray on the hair, waited just a bit and then took out all of the buns. DON'T BRUSH! We just flipped our head over and back loosening up the curls and lightly finger combing the curls.


My daughter who has very straight and fine hair was so happy with her new beach curls that we were able to do in about 20 minutes and required no curling iron or rollers to fry her hair!


We added a few bobby pins to pull back off her face and then added some more hairspray. Never enough spray to make you think flammable 80's hair but enough to help keep them in place.


And there ya have it, one happy girl ready for the night and they were still there when she came home!

Handmade from the heart

I love ALL things handmade from the Heart

Yes, I absolutely love it all! I'm also guilty of throwing away a LOT of artwork that has come home. We've probably all been through the experience of our kids heartbroken faces when they found something of theirs in the garbage and then start a routine check of what you are tossing! Over the years we all know it's just impossible to keep each and every drawing, trinket, pottery pinch pot, paper airplane or whatever item has been brought home. Each of my kiddos has a big rubbermaid bin to store all of their favorite creations. Over the course of the years, we've stashed favorite art projects, journals they've written in and a huge variety of things they've made through the years. I know these will be precious memories for me when they are grown and gone.

Earlier this week I wore a very special necklace my son made for me when he was 4 for a Christmas present. (Sorry about the crummy pic, I just grabbed it sitting here at my desk on the webcam :) I just love it and every now and then pull it out to wear. He loves that and when I wear it, he likes to recall the story of when he made it. "Mommy, do you remember when I made that for you and I told you I was making it for someone very special but wouldn't tell you who?" Well of course I do, I may be getting older, the brain is getting foggier but certain memories like this are ones I hold onto dearly! I loved watching you lay out your pattern selecting the perfect colors and then watching you wrap it all while telling me it was a secret who it was for but that she was special. My younger daughter made me a splatter paint patterned duct tape bow yesterday. Hhhhmmm, I guess I'm going to need to wear that one day soon too. What have your kids made you that melts your heart whenever you see it? I love the ones they dream up and then I love spending an afternoon with them crafting and spending time together. Next up? Ugly Dolls!! My kids love these little stuffed fleece monster dolls and I see no reason why we can't make our own. Stay tuned to a later blog post on how those turn out.

Twins...Double the FUN

I love hearing from you! I love getting your emails, your photos and always enjoy special requests. Not too long ago I got an email from the mom of twins. She loves to match them but likes to give them a bit of their own personality by changing things up a little for each girl. I totally get that and I like her approach.

My own girls are only 18 months apart and when they were little I matched them all the time. It wasn't so much a matter of matching, but more a matter of liking something and then just buying 2 and then they tended to wear them at the same time. It sort of made life easy getting them dressed. The funny part was how many times I'd get asked if they were twins. Really?? that made me chuckle! They don't look like twins, are built entirely different and there was an obvious difference in their growth because of their age gap. Still, it never stopped the inquiries. Eventually I decided I needed to give them their own personalities, play up to their preferences and colors they liked and stop dressing them in matching uniforms!


For the sweet mom that emailed me, here is what we came up with. She liked the color combinations on the Makena Dress (shown below) and asked if I had anything that could be created to go along with it. It just so happened I had the exact fabrics in different colorways on hand. You know this girl loves fabric so I tend to have lots of options on hand! I have to say, I'm loving the change up and think these little 2 year old cuties are going to look adorable! I had to grab a photo to share before we mail them off today. Today I decided to hang them from my new shabby ladder. This is one of the gems I grabbed during my trip to Fredericksburg. It's currently in my house just making a wall look pretty but I have a feeling it might show up in more photos. The perfect little prop to hang things from.



So if you have an idea in your head of a twist on a design that I've currently got, ask away, I invite the requests!

New Twirl Skirt in the Cowgirl Lineup

If there is one thing I can't seem to get out of my system, it's got to be my cowgirl inspired pieces. Often times I think I'm done finding fabrics that work in a new twist of colors and pattern and then new fabrics just start to jump out to me begging to be paired with the pony print! Must be because at my core, I know I'm a country girl. Anyone who follows me on Pinterest probably already knows that!

This current piece, that is in my Etsy store, was even more fun to do because it involved a collaboration. Tabitha over at Vintage Lucy's sent me a few of her designs and let me create something to coordinate. Wait a second, need to backup, have you ever checked out Vintage Lucy's? Serious yumminess. Vintage graphics with an oh so fresh feel to them. Her store literally carries something cool for every person in the family, young and old.


Kids just grow up too fast and I think we need to fight the urge of adopting the slightly older girl styles until well...they're older! I know that's why I was immediately drawn to her brand, it's youthful, fresh and I delighted in the opportunity in designing a new piece around her graphic. I'm loving summer blues with soft corals and crisp white so this little # is definitely one of my new favorites. Add cowgirl boots and well..you've hit perfection!



After that comes together it's even more fun seeing the pictures come to life through a sweet little model and talented photographer. One of my favorite things is seeing my pieces through someone else's eyes. If you are lucky enough to live in the Birmingham, AL area, you MUST check out Heather Swanner Photography. What a talent behind the camera she is. You can see the full album of photos on my Facebook page.

I tried going GREEN

No I'm not going green using organic fabrics exclusively. I recycle as much as I can already so that's not the big change in our house. I went green in the kitchen! Green as in I tried the green smoothie recipe I'd pinned a while back. Like any household, we go through spells of resolving to add in more veggies and make an overall attempt to eat healthier. My kids are decent eaters but they definitely stay in the predictable zone of veggies they'll try. Corn, peas...you know the easy starchy ones. We've been on a smoothie kick lately ever since we got THIS kitchen gadget. Love it, works great!! Since we've been on this kick, I figured, that'd be a great place to mix things up and sneak in those things they'd normally never try.....spinach!


I grabbed all of the ingredients shown below found originally on this Skinny Taste website. but will throw in my own notes or substitutions. I didn't use Greek yogurt. I used the Yoplait light and fit vanilla yogurt just to cut down the overall calories. Love the creaminess of Greek yogurt but wanted to save on calories. I also ended up buying a can of pineapple chunks. I just have to be realistic about my shopping tendancies and buying the canned pineapple that can go on a shelf so it's there anytime I need was just a lot more practical. My grocery store didn't have anything that said light coconut milk so I just grabbed the lowest cal stuff I could find.

Skinny Green Tropical Smoothie

Ingredients:

3/4 cup light coconut milk
6 oz fat free Greek yogurt
3/4 cup fresh pineapple, cubed
1 ripe medium banana
1 cup spinach - tightly packed
2 tbsp sweetened shredded coconut
1 1/4 cups ice


I have to say, it was a great smoothie!!! It might look like split pea soup but it was great. Not quite as delish as ones we typically make filled with a lot more yogurt, using V8 splash juice for my liquid and naturally being overall sweeter but this is definitely something I'll make again. Considering how much spinach is in it, this gets 2 thumbs up. I did end up adding more ice, it wasn't the consistency I like so wanted to thicken it up. I know I'll have to get my kids over the fact that it's green but I'm certain they'll love it and I'll consider it a success we are all taking in that much spinach.

I kept a calorie tally of everything I put in. The recipe makes 2 servings, each 200 calories. Satisfying and takes the edge off the hunger pains that hit me hard mid-afternoon. When the kids get home from school this will be one of my new snacks I'm going to put into rotation to keep me from grabbing the bags of salt and vinegar chips I love so dearly!


My 2 youngest kids came home so I could get little people reviews. They seemed unenthusiastic as they asked what all was in it. I knew the color would throw them off. Happy to report, we got 2 thumbs up!

Enjoy and if you have any substitutions or additions you've used, please comment. I'm always interested in mixing things up in new ways.