Dragonfly Designs

Keeping It Real ~ My Children are NO Angels...

2012-01-28T07:00:00.000-08:00

but I still love them to bits and pieces!

I recently watched a short clip of a comedian talking about parenting. She said "what if, before you had children, people told you 'you might not survive this'?"

No one told us that.

Being naive younger parents we were thinking of lollipops and rainbows. Would we have strayed from our quest to have children had someone said "you might not survive this?"

Probably not.

Had that person plopped twin toddlers in our laps for a month...

Maybe.

..........................................................

To start I have to be clear. I love my boys. I wouldn't change them for the world. I truly look forward to each and every stage of their being.

However.

I can honestly say that I was not prepared for twin toddlers.

Now you have to understand. My background, and career before kids, was in recreation and childcare. I managed large facilities, ensuring the safety and well being of up to 80 children. I would say that I was very confident in my ability to work with children, redirecting behaviors, providing structure and appropriate discipline.
I had it all together and felt that the general public perceived me in that way.

I was successful.

Enter twin toddlers.

Have I ever learned, and quickly, how different being a parent is from being a manager/facilitator. I now feel as if my success is derived from how well my children behave. And I am far from "having it all together".

What they say about the terrible twos was true for us. We really had a tough time with two, two year old, toddlers. Had you asked me how it was, having twins, before they were two ~ I would have said awesome. Really, we had great babies! But I am telling you, it was like a switch was flipped when they turned two and we had different children. We have struggled with bedtime routines, public outings and their behavior in general.

Bedtime
When they figured out that they could crawl out of their cribs, we were in trouble. And had I know then about those "tent/cage" things that you can fasten to the top of their cribs I totally would have used them! They wreaked havoc in their room; playing until all hours, pulling apart their toddler beds, making a giant mess... So after consulting with friends and my sister-in-law {the baby whisperer} we came to the conclusion that we had two options: separate them or try the Super Nanny Technique. I decided to give the Super Nanny a go. It was this. Follow your normal bedtime routine and put the children to bed. Turn the lights out in the room and sit in the dark with them. If they get out of bed, without saying anything or using eye contact, simply put them back in bed. I attempted this for three weeks!! Over and over and over again. And every night I was in their room, in the dark for over an hour!   We all know how I value my time when the boys are in bed. 7pm ~ that's me time baby! Sitting in the dark for hours was mommy torture!
What finally worked?

Separating them.
We put one of the boys down in our bed and when they fall asleep we transfer them to their bedroom.

Outings
I have always had this idea or image of how a child should behave in public. And before kids, I was the one to raise my eyebrows at the child having a temper tantrum in the middle of the supermarket.

Now.

That's my child.

The one that is screaming at the top of his lungs in the line up at Walmart?

Mine.

The one with his finger up his nose, on stage at Church?

Mine.

The one shoplifting a half eaten roll of wine gums?

Mine.

The one who just spat on the floor of the Dojo during Karate?

Mine too.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not a push over. When appropriate my kids have sat in time out where ever we are. I sometimes wait until we get back to the van to "discipline" and talk about consequences and how disappointed I am in their behavior.
I'm also human. I'll admit that I don't always follow through and certainly I use bribery and rewards. In fact, after sitting quietly at the dentist for an hour the other day, I rewarded them all with a lollipop! Ha! Now there's some good parenting!
And while one of the boys was driving me crazy this morning and I threatened to not allow him to go to preschool {a dozen times}, he still went. That two hours a week, where I don't have children, is my time to regroup. Sure he got to go to Preschool when he really didn't deserve to. But he was greeted with a Mommy who was well rested and better prepared to be the Mommy that he needs and deserves.

Perception
I get frustrated when people assume that we don't have structure or discipline in our home because of the boys' behavior. Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it doesn't happen.... all the time! I feel like a referee with a dash of drill Sergeant most of the time.

When I told their preschool teacher {who is wonderful} about the tough morning we had had she said this...

"you have two, very busy boys. They are always up here {she gestured above her head} when most children are here {she gestured to her waist} and it is hard for other parents to understand what that is like."

She always has great things to say about them "they are polite and listen well in class". And she told me about her daughter, a well-mannered teenager now, who was also a very busy child. I love that she gives me perspective and can see that we are honestly doing our absolute best to parent our twin toddlers.

I try not to announce to the world that I too, am a Preschool Teacher when I am out with the boys. They are not the best reflection of my work. Being a parent is very, very, different from being a facilitator. Sometime I feel like we're in the trenches, fighting the good fight. Struggling every day to maintain our sanity, maintain our sense of self, maintain our relationships and just get a chance to shower... uninterrupted! We don't have family in town and I have to admit, I am terrible at asking for help. I gain strength from those who don't judge but support me in these efforts. This is honestly the hardest job that I have ever had.

..........................................

All of these things don't ever deter me from taking them all out and at least getting a totally fake "we have it all together and had a great time" photo.....

I took all three children {who have never learned to skate} skating!

By myself.

Might just be a little crazy.

{Fake, totally posed photo using Timbits as bribery}

Here's what it looked like:

1:00 arrive at rink

1:10 finally sit on a bench after hauling in all of their gear (inc training chair thingys)

1:15 finish lacing up child one

1:20 finish lacing up child two

1:30 push/drag and leave child one and two on the center of the ice

1:35 finish lacing up child three

1:36 save child two from the center of the rink crying, drag to the bench

1:37 assist child three onto the ice with chair

1:38 assist child three from the ice, back to the bench

1:40 assist child two onto the ice with chair

1:41 assist child two from the ice, back to the bench

1:45 save child one, who's been treading ice the whole time and not moved an inch, from the center of the ice and back to the bench

1:46 take photos that look like we have it all together, praise the fabulous efforts and reward with timbits {the Canadian version of a doughnut hole}.

1:47 unlace all skates and load children and gear back into the vehicle

2:00 nap time for Momma

Lets make a pact.

When we become those well meaning older ladies at the supermarket let's avoid the "they grow up so fast" and "enjoy every moment" statements and instead say {as shared in this fab article}:

"Carry on warrior. It's only six more hours until bedtime."

Let's also support one another. One of my favorite random quotes is from the animated Robots movie.

"See a need ~ fill a need."

Allow a busy mom in line, in front of you.
Offer to bag her groceries.
Smile and make funny faces at her child in the cart.
Take her hand and tell her "everything will be alright".

I can guarantee that we will make her day. Just putting these thoughts and this pact in writing has me choked up. How touching would it be to be blessed by someone in this way, when we are buried, deep down in the trenches of parenthood?

"Carry on warrior."

If you actually read my ramblings ~ leave a comment!

I would love to hear from you!

The Year of Turquoise

2012-01-27T07:00:00.000-08:00

I love the color turquoise!

My favorite hoodie is turquoise, my latest Upcycled Knit Sweater Cowl is turquoise and I'm always trying to incorporate turquoise into my primarily gold and red toned home.

Here are a few of my favorite turquoise posts from last year:

Four Hour Facelift

In March I painted a new blog header {still lovin' it}.

Spring Felt Wreath

Decoupage Egg Tutorial

Summer Rag Wreath

Fun right!?
Makes me long for spring!

Thanks for stopping by.

Custom Party Murals

2012-01-26T13:43:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to be offering Custom Party Murals in my SHOP!

They are just the perfect thing to add a touch of whimsy to any party.

Please visit my Etsy Shop to check them out!

S'more Bars

2012-01-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

I have had S'more Bars on my baking to do list for a while now.

Having a Living Room Camp Out for the kids gave me just the excuse to try them.

Holy Cow Batman!

Amazing! Seriously so good!

Evil even. Especially when you're on a diet!

I used this recipe as my inspiration.

Start with:

1/2 cup margarine

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

Combine.

Add:

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

Mix:

1 1/3 cup flour

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Add to sugar and margarine mixture.

Combine into a soft dough.

Press 1/2 the dough into the bottom of a greased 8x8" pan. Top with:

1 package {270g} milk chocolate chips

1 container {200g} marshmallow fluff

The marshmallow fluff can be challenging to spread. Try greasing the back of a spoon and spreading the fluff around with that. Top with the remaining dough. It may be helpful to flatten the dough first, then place it on the fluff.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

Definitely a keeper at our house. Too much so.

I brought left-overs to work and basically forced the girls to try them or take them home.

I could eat these allllll day! lol

Enjoy!

Inspiring Creativity

2012-01-24T19:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Inspiring Creativity!!

Thank you for sharing your creativity with us each week.

New to Dragonfly Designs?

Please grab a button and share the love!

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The rules are...that there are no rules!!!Thanks for linking up!

Potato Chip Supper

2012-01-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

A round of applause for this Potato Chip Supper!

I've combined my mom's and my mother-in-law's tuna casseroles into one recipe. It that taboo? I don't know. It sure is yummy though and got a "can you make that again?" from Darcy.

The goods:

600 g large shell pasta

10 oz can cream of mushroom soup

2 x 120g cans of solid white tuna

1 large onion, diced

12 mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup milk or heavy cream

250 g cream cheese {room temperature}

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

About 6 handfuls of Lays potato chips, crushed

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to directions on bag or box.

Saute mushrooms and onions until opaque and tender.

Combine pasta, tuna, soup, onion, mushrooms, cream cheese, 1/2 of cheddar cheese, milk and salt and pepper.

Place mixture in a 9x12" casserole dish.

Top with chips and remaining cheddar cheese. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the top is golden and the casserole is bubbly.

Enjoy!

Epic Camp Out

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

I don't know if I am cool enough to call things "Epic" but that's what this Camp Out was. The kids loved it, we loved it and it was a ton of fun!! It was like having a big Un-Birthday Party. An event for no reason other than making the kids happy and bringing back memories of camping last summer.

Darcy took the kids out and gave me an hour to set up our surprise Living Room Camp Out. They may have had some idea because all they can talk about, since September, is "when are we going camping?"

I made a cardboard, star-lit tent, pulled the sleeping bags out of storage and zipped them together, blew up the air mattress, filled their Camping Survival Satchels, hung the stars and set up the dessert table and activities in record time!

More Epic details:

3D Paper Stars were hung from the ceiling.

I covered the cardboard tent with a coordinating blanket from their bedroom.

In sneaky, momma fashion, I built this tent from a large piece of cardboard and poked Christmas lights through holes the night before our Camp Out {try hiding a giant cardboard tent in the house ~ challenging for sure!} Cheri at I Am Momma ~ Hear Me Roar shared this light-up-a-box idea last week.

I whipped out a picnic blanket and transformed the ottoman into a Camping Dessert table. We also served Hotdogs and Caesar Salad for dinner.

We had fixings for smores, a brownie campfire cake, smore bars and pretzels {my kids love pretzels ~ is that weird?}

The kids knew about these Smore Bars as I had done a few "test kitch's" to get them just right...
recipe coming soon!

Our Brownie Campfire Cake was super fun and inspired by this one.

You can't go wrong with Twix and M&Ms.

Our Camping Activities were awesome! I found these fantastic printables at 2 Teaching Mommies. I laminated everything so that I could use them as a unit during my Toddlers in the Park class this spring and maybe even bring them camping with us this summer.

Isaiah matching shadows.

The boys unpacking their Camping Survival Satchels.

Cameron kept saying "oh Mommy, now we have a purse just like you!" and

"where did my purse go?"

I laughed SO hard!

Darcy kept saying "no, buddy. It's your tactical satchel"

hee hee

Unpacking their camping fab finds.

Cameron wanted to "taste" the fire.

Testing out the tent.

Gazing at the stars.

Really, really, really great time had by all! We roasted marshmallows over a tea light and made smore snowmen out of foam pieces too. Check out my Camp Out Board for more inspiration. The kids LOVED it {and so did we}!!

Notes for next time:
I would use a real pup tent as our cardboard one tended to slip off of the air mattress and only lasted through the night.
Plan to have the kids stay up REALLY late. Unlike real camping, they hadn't been outside, expending energy in the great outdoors. Ultimately we had to separate them with the boys sleeping in their room and only the little miss in the tent.
I would try to find healthier camping snacks... there's a good chance that too much sugar contributed to the late night :P

If you have an indoor camp out, will you let me know? I would love to see it! Thanks for visiting.

Linking to these fab parties.

Keeping It Real ~ the Weigh Scale

2012-01-21T07:00:00.001-08:00

My favorite blogs are the ones where I feel like I get to know the writer. Where I get the back story on the funny husband or a tale about a surprise visit with friends or even a heartfelt story of loss.

And while I have experienced all of those things I don't blog about them. I guess that I am a glass is half-full kind of girl so the everyday is pretty upbeat. And I'm not much of a writer, I would prefer to tell my story through photos.

But you know what? It's time to get real. I want you guys to get to know me better, just as I want to know you better! I've been inspired by a class that I'm taking through our Church that encourages us to do more journalling. The last time that I journalled was over ten years ago. And I'm pretty sure that it was about missing an old boyfriend... eek. I don't plan on 'journalling' here, just improving my writing and opening a window into my life. So anyway I hope that you enjoy my ramblings and tell me to stop if it's TMI {too much information}.

...............................................

Today's topic ~ the Weigh Scale

I've been on a diet roller coaster for years. Growing up I was always "big boned", "chubby" or "full figured". And you know what? It didn't really bother me. Remember I'm a 'glass is half full' kind of girl. I've been lucky to be pretty self confident and have a positive outlook on life. When I looked in the mirror I think "damn, you're looking good today".

My first experience with dieting came after high school when a naturally thin friend introduced me to food journalling. I didn't really take it seriously and just thought "what the heck, I'll give it a try". My weight just naturally fluctuated through college and university. When Darcy and I met and became engaged I joined Weight Watchers with my mother-in-law. In about a year and a half I lost over 80lbs! I was at my smallest since high school for our wedding, at 149lbs {which, for me, is skinny}. We joked about being like a bunch of heifers, led to the weigh scale each week. lol

{Me ~ post babies, probably trying to suck it in}

Darc and I struggled to have children {that's a whole other story} and again my weight began to fluctuate. Finally, to our complete surprise, we were blessed with twins. And while I didn't gain a lot of weight during my pregnancy {30 lbs} I was still quite heavy. After the boys were born {as most moms will attest to} my body had changed. My curves were in different places! Places I wasn't quite sure that I wanted them to be. I attempted going back to Weight Watchers a few times. But I knew the 'system'. And tended to cheat. Until the boys were two I joked that I still had my "twin tummy". I tried LA Weight Loss too but never stuck to it.

I have worked in the recreation field for a long time. Being active and healthy is very important to me. More than the size, shape or look of my body I want to be healthy for my kids. So that I can be a positive, active role model for them. So that we can continue to play and camp and hike for years to come.

{me ~ post babies, in the rain, with a bird on my head. Just keeping it real}.

So where am I now? Still on the diet roller coaster. Still looking in the mirror and thinking "damn, you look good!" And I am so thrilled to have started a new plan and chapter of success. In November I joined Curves Complete {a gym program that combines a 30 minute circuit and healthy lifestyle coaching}. I love it. The facilitators are super positive and upbeat. I am never sorry to have dragged my butt to the gym. And being only 30 minutes, I can MAKE the time to focus on me and my health. No matter where I am in life I need to make myself more of a priority {don't we all?} and it's HARD.

If I could just stop baking...
Yeah, that'll never happen.
Off to the gym I go...

Have you struggled with weight issues?
Do you have any tips or suggestions?

Thanks for reading!

Linking to this fab party!!

Fleece Pocket Scarf

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

I tried to add a home-made touch to Christmas last year.

So I made all of the adults these fleece pocket scarves. They'd be super cute for kids too!

I'm loving the grey / blue combo.

Fleece is such an easy material to work with. I used about 2 metres of grey fleece to create 8 scarves. I simply cut the material into 8" strips and added pockets using scraps of material. No hemming needed. Yay!

I even added buttons and just cut button holes right out of the fleece.
Disney's Cozy Button Wrap tutorial was my inspiration.

Thanks for reading.

Have a great day!

Upcycled Turquoise Shell Earrings

2012-01-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

Is it weird that I have only just noticed that I am on a turquoise kick?!? I mean really, I think that all of my favorite projects in the last year are teal / turquoise in color. These earrings are no exception. Love them!

I bought these lovely shell pendants from Michaels on clearance.

And I had these gifted, many looped, earrings.

So I cannibalized the old earrings to create these new ones...

LOVE!

Stay tuned for a turquoise project round up ~ it's sure to be an awesome post!

Thanks for swinging by.

Inspiring Creativity

2012-01-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

I am so glad that you are here!

Thank you for sharing your creativity with us each week.

New to Dragonfly Designs?

Please grab a button and share the love!

Our winner of the $25 Amazon Gift Card from
the Wild Bean Vanilla Company is...

Link #8

And these clever closet dividers from Jessica at Vintage Mauve.

Congratulations Jessica! An email has been sent.

And our most viewed link from last week was...

these cool Duct Tape Wallets from Make Homemade Gifts.

Thanks for linking up ladies! Now lets party...

Cooking with Kids ~ Schnoodles

2012-01-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

We call these Schnoodles. I can't remember where I first saw them but they sure are a hit with the kids! I served them at the boys' Dr. Seuss Birthday Party too.

You just cut up a bunch of hotdogs.

Skewer them with uncooked spaghetti noodles.

And boil them until the noodles are soft and the hotdog is cooked.

Fun right?!

Try them ~ you're sure to get a standing ovation from anyone under 4 ft tall.

Enjoy!

Upcycled Knit Sweater Cowl

2012-01-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

I tried to simplify Christmas last year.
For each of the grandparents, great grands and my sister I put together home-made gift baskets. Inside each one was a selection of my canning, a copy of our Cookbook, crocheted wash clothes that I purchased at a craft fair and a scarf and/or cowl that I created for each recipient.

Here's the Upcycled Knit Sweater Cowl that I made for my lil' sis...

I love the color and the chunky knit.

I made one for myself too ~ how could I not?

My gorgeous little sister, Alicia, is modelling her new scarf.

And may I just say that I told her to put on something with long sleeves?!? Seriously, it's January!! lol

I wished that we lived closer. The upcycling possibilities would be endless.

This is the old sweater that I used to create two cowls.
I simply cut off the cowl neck, cut it straight down the center, sewed it back up and attached buttons.
Cheri's Upcycled Scarflette tutorial was my inspiration.

Thank you for swinging by.

I hope that you have a wonderful day!

3D Paper Stars

2012-01-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

We are surprising the kids today with a Living Room Camp Out! Darcy's going to take them all out while I set up an indoor, winter camp site. We've got camping crafts, camping survival satchels, camping games, smores, hotdogs and a camping dessert table. Lets not forget sleeping bags, lanterns and a cardboard tent!

I've been making these 3D Paper Stars to hang from the ceiling ~

on the down low, when the kids are in bed.

I had to strategically take photos in daylight while the kids were otherwise occupied. I'm feeling a little like a Black Ops Mommy. lol

I used this fantastic tutorial. I think they turned out great! Using double sided, patterned paper gives them added texture and interest. I'm planning on leaving them up as part of our winter decor and calling them 'snowflakes' after our camp out. :P

What do you think?

Stay tuned for the whole Living Room Camp Out ~ coming soon!

Spicy Sausage & Tomato Pasta

2012-01-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

So I had totally forgotten about this recipe. I was digging around in my recipe box when I stumbled upon this oldie but goodie from my sister-in-law. One to add to the 'To Do' list : organizing our favorite recipes. :P
You have to try this one! It's sure to become one of your favorites too.

The Goods:

1 pkg ground hot Italian sausage

1 medium onion

1-2 Tbsp garlic

400 g pasta

500ml whipping cream

2 medium diced tomatoes

2-3 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

3/4 cup shredded Asiago cheese

salt and pepper

Dice and chop fresh ingredients.

Fry sausage and drain. Add onion and garlic. Cook until opaque.

Cook pasta. We used a spiral vegetable pasta that was really good.

Add cream to the sausage mixture and allow to simmer and thicken.

Add tomato, parsley and dried spices. Simmer until well incorporated. Toss this mixture with 1/2 cup of cheese and pasta. Salt and pepper to taste.

Top with a sprinkle of asiago cheese and wammo... a forgotten recipe becomes a family favorite. Enjoy! Thanks for reading and taking the time to stop by. You guys rock!Pin It

Fab Finds ~ Living Room Camp Out

2012-01-13T17:01:00.000-08:00

We're gearing up for a Living Room Camp Out this weekend. I'm starting to covertly collect supplies and goodies as we're trying to surprise the kids on Sunday.

The boys will be getting these Survival Satchels and I wanted to find some camping necessities that they could use now and in the summer. Here are a few of my Fab Finds so far:

Santa spinning flashlight {Michaels $1.29}

Snowman bouncy ball {Michaels $.79}

Spiderman note book {Michaels dollar bin}

Spiderman coin purse {Michaels dollar bin}

p.s. I think this is awesome 'cause the boys love to collect little bitty things and how fun is a Spiderman case?

Smores foamy craft {Walmart $.99}

A few things from the Dollar Store ~ mini camera water gun, tiny flashlight and bouncy ball.

Super excited!!!! :D

Fridge Cookies

2012-01-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

What's a girl to do when she runs out of flour? And has a hankering for cookies?

Why, make fridge cookies of course!

Serve with hot chocolate and marshmallows.

Guaranteed standing ovation from the four year olds in the house!

Let's do it...

Start with:

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup milk {2%}

Combine in a sauce pan and stir until they come to a boil.

Remove from heat and cool mixture for 10 minutes.

Now you'll need:

1/2 tsp vanilla
Be sure to check out the premium vanilla from the Wild Bean Vanilla Company and our fab GIVEAWAY here.

1 cup shredded coconut

3 cups Quaker quick oats

Add remaining ingredients to the cooled mixture.

Stir until well incorporated.

Drop spoonfuls onto cookie sheets lined with parchment or wax paper.

Refrigerate. Once firm, keep in a sealed container in the fridge. Makes 3-4 dozen cookies.

Mmmmm...

thinking about ditching the four year olds for a bubble bath with a side of fridge cookies.

Sigh... Divine.

Inspiring Creativity and Wild Bean Vanilla GIVEAWAY

2012-01-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad that you are here!!
It's time to LINK UP and get in on a great GIVEAWAY!

Is there anything better than the smell of your favorite recipe baking in the oven or simmering on the stove? How about making the flavor of that recipe really stand out?

Today's giveaway, from the Wild Bean Vanilla Company, will help you do just that!

The Wild Bean Vanilla Company is a family run business that specializes in vanilla extracts, beans and related products.

They use top quality ingredients to create their extracts, adding a subtle flavor to any recipe. I recently had the opportunity to review the Mexican Vanilla Extract from the Wild Bean Vanilla Company and I have to say that it is fabulous! I'm usually pretty thrifty when it comes to buying vanilla extract and usually purchase the artificial {gasp} vanilla extract. Martha's right, there is just no substitution for real vanilla!

I added Mexican Vanilla Extract to my Fridge Cookie recipe {coming soon}. The vanilla really brought out the flavors in the cookie and a depth to what was previously a 'one note' recipe. I am also going to try Hot Vanilla {an alternative to Hot Chocolate} from the Wild Bean Vanilla Blog. Andrea from the Wild Bean Vanilla Company was kind enough to send me some Vanilla Extract with Cherry Flavor which I am just dying to try in this Cherry Clafoutis recipe from the Joy of Baking. I'm waiting for June, when cherries come into season here. Oh the possibilities! Yum!

The Wild Bean Vanilla Company is giving Dragonfly Designs readers a chance to win

a $25 Gift Card to Amazon!!!

Where it is easy to find all of Wild Bean Vanilla Company's products!!

Here is how YOU can enter {leave a comment for each}:

Visit Wild Bean Vanilla Company and pick out your favorite product. Tell us what it is. one entry.

"Like" Wild Bean Vanilla Company on Facebook – where you can find the latest products and updates. one entry.

Follow the Wild Bean Vanilla Company BLOG – one entry.

Link up YOUR projects. Each link = one entry.

Thanks to the Wild Bean Vanilla Company for the great giveaway!

Don't forget to grab a button

and let's PARTY!!!

Add a "Pin It" Button to Your Blog Posts

2012-01-10T20:24:00.000-08:00

Have you been seeing "Pin It" buttons pop up everywhere? Me too!

And I haven't found clear directions on how to do it.

Finally, after playing around in the new Blogger interface, I figured it out. Here are the visuals...

This is the "Pin It" button that allows readers to more easily pin your projects onto Pinterest.

***Update ~ In order to have it appear on all of your blog posts you'll need to go to this post from Clickin Moms ~ scroll down and copy the highlighted html code shown above. I found this link via Kim @ 733 via Mandy @ Sugar Bee Crafts ~ lets send them some love!

Now go to the new Blogger interface for your blog. Click on your Blog name ~ Settings ~ Posts and Comments. Paste the html code that you copied from Clickin Moms into the Post Template box {as highlighted above}. Save your settings.

***Update for the old Blogger interface***
Go to your dashboard ~ Design ~ Settings ~ Formatting. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and paste the html code that you copied from Clickin Moms into the Post Template box. Save your settings.

Worked for me.

Hope it works for you!

Little Boys Survival Satchel

2012-01-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

Pin It

All the boys can talk about is camping. When are we going? Where are we going? How far away is Old Cowboy Ranch? Can we go get the trailer now? No? Tomorrow then? Seriously...

It really is cute.

So I am planning a camp out in our living room {shhh it's a surprise} and I am probably just as excited as the boys!!! I have a ton of fun projects and snacks pinned. And I decided that the boys needed something to tote around all of their camping gear in. Flashlight, glow sticks, compass, whistle, rocks, real sticks, bugs... you know, the essentials. I was going to call it a Man Purse but Darcy came up with "Survival Satchel" just in time. Much more manly sounding.

Celeste, from Celestial's Creations, has an awesome Boy Bag Tutorial that I pretty much followed to a T. I've added more photos {'cause we know how I like my visuals} and tips here. Be sure to visit Celeste and give her some love!

I made two bags and bought 1 1/2 metres of plaid material, green material and interfacing.

Assembly line fashion, I cut out all of my materials.

The large pieces for the body of the bag were 14" x 30". The top section of the large piece, the front flap, was cut down to 10" x 9".

For each strap I cut two pieces {one plaid and one plain} of fabric 4" x 31".

The pockets were 8" x 9".

I used a 1/2" seam throughout.

I wanted to be sure that I had everything placed correctly before I started sewing. Here's where a pocket should go.

And placement of front flap embellishments.

I placed the bag together to really get a sense of where to put my snap closure. Here is the bag, unsewn, closed.

I fastened the snap to the wrong side of the plaid front flap material. This way it wouldn't show on the outside of the bag.

After I had things figured out, I sewed the edges of the green material together to create the outside of the bag.

I pinched the corners and sewed a straight line to create more of a box shape.

And cut off excess material.

Finished with the outside portion of the bag for now.

I repeated that process with the plaid material.

The inner portion of the bag.

This is where I ran out of natural light and stopped taking photos. I sewed the strap together and assembled the bag with the wrong sides together and strap pinned to the inside. I left a hole to invert the bag to the right side and top stitched all around. Again Celeste has more details in her Boy Bag Tutorial.

They turned out super cute though right!?!?

I can't wait to have these full of goodies just in time for our Camp Out...

in the living room.

Thanks for reading!

Linking to these fab parties.

Test Kitch ~ Pizza Buns

2012-01-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

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This is my go to recipe for school lunches and easy appetizers.

Totally yummie!

I wrap them individually in saran wrap and freeze them for lunches. I have served them at our Mad Hatter Tea Party, this Poker Night Birthday Party and shared the recipe once before here. Everyone loves them! I hope that you will too.

The goods:

5.5 oz tomato paste

1 1/2 - 2 cups shredded mozzarella

40 rounds of pizza pepperoni

2 rounds of white bread dough

I use my 1.5 lb breadmaker to make the dough and split it into two batches.

That is enough to make 24 pizza buns.

Begin by spreading the dough into a large rectangle.

Spread half of the tomato paste over the dough. Leave one edge of the dough free of toppings.

Sprinkle with 3/4 - 1 cup of mozzarella.

Layer with 20 pieces of pepperoni in two rows.

Now begin rolling the dough into a log. Work towards the edge with no toppings.

Stretch the final edge over top of the roll and pinch the dough together.

Slice the roll into 1" segments. Repeat these steps with the second round of dough.

Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Go ahead. Betcha can't eat just one ;)

If you're looking for them to last more than an hour...

Hide Them.

Seriously.

Enjoy!

Skinny Jeans {for BOYS} Tutorial

2012-01-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, so before we get to the {super easy} Skinny Jeans Tutorial I have to give you a little back story. Unless you've watched my vlogs you might not know that I work part-time... at a children's clothing store! When the boys were born I decided that I really needed to get out of the house and have some 'mommy time'. Enter the Children's Place, a children's clothing store with great quality clothing and good prices. I mean really, have you looked at photos of the boys? I think that 95% of their wardrobe is from TCP. Anyway, one of the things that customers can never find are Skinny Jeans... for BOYS! Truly the cutest thing on little boys ever, are Skinny Jeans. After creating these jeans using a $5.99 pair of TCP straight leg jeans, there's no going back. I love them! So stop searching ladies and pull out your sewing machine...

Cute right?!?

Start by deciding how small you want to make the legs. I had Isaiah try on this size 4T and determined that I could take about an inch off of each seam. Invert the jeans so the right sides of the material are together.

Start with the inseam of the jeans and sew a new seam that tapers at the top to join the old seam.

Repeat for the outer seam.

Cut and trim off excess material. At this point you can top stitch the seams flat if you want. And use a product like Fray Stop to help prevent the new seams from fraying.

All done.

And rocker boy loves them. Which is all that matters really. He didn't want to take them off and said

"Oh thank you Mommy! You made pants special for me?!"One of the best feelings in the world ~ making my children happy, simply.

Linking to these parties.

Let's Hook Up

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

Join me on Facebook and Twitter {@twindrag}. For the latest projects, giveaways and sneak peeks!

Inspiring Creativity

2012-01-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

I am so glad that you are here!

Thank you for sharing your creativity with us each week.

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Thanks for linking up! Now lets party...

Paper Ornaments

2012-01-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

When two of my favorite blogs, I Am Momma Hear Me Roar and Sugar Bee Crafts, posted about these before the Holidays they went straight to the top of my To Do List. I just wasn't quick enough to share them with you before Christmas! lol But they are super quick to make and would be fun to use for Birthday Parties too! You can find the tutorial here.

Fun right!?! And a great way to use up those scrap pieces of patterned paper!!