Tulip and Turnip

My Word for 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 02:27:00 +0000

I was never any good at resolutions. Case in point: my 2011 resolution was to do something about this closet:

Friends, I'm sorry to tell you that it looks exactly the same today.

So, this year, instead of coming up with a big list of resolutions, I'm coming up with a word that will {hopefully} define my year, guide my day-to-day, and move me along to bigger and better things. Perhaps, (dare I say?) it will guide me towards organizing this closet? I've seen this idea floating around the web, and it seems to be much more intentional and much less stressful than choosing specific resolutions.

My word for 2012 is presence. I'm going to try really, really hard to be present; to live in the moment within all of my relationships. To really listen to what people are telling me, and allow myself time to reflect and ponder. Aren't good listeners hard to come by? I find that sometimes I'm thinking more about what I have to do later, or what on earth I'm going to make for dinner, or how I'm going to improve my students' fluency than listening to what my companion is saying. 2012 is my year to be more present with my children, my husband, and my friends.

What about you? What's your word for 2012?

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Linking up here:

The Easiest Morning Breakfast

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:29:00 +0000

This is not earth-shattering news.

Smoothies are good.

Smoothies are easy.

Kids like smoothies.

Smoothies are one way to sneak some fruit and vegetables into your kids' diets (and yours)!

Here's our daily morning smoothie. My kids ask for it every morning, and I find that I crave it. My morning doesn't feel right if I don't start off with one of these. Please excuse the bedheads in the shots below.

Using two straws is optional, of course, but I find that it gives the smoothie a little extra something.

Here's the recipe:

GREEN MONSTER SMOOTHIE

one banana, broken into pieces

handful of frozen sliced peaches

handful of frozen pineapple chunks

handful of frozen mango chunks

big handful of spinach (about 1 cup)

1/2 - 3/4 cup of orange juice, more as needed

Blend and enjoy!

Countdown to Noon NYE Party

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:00:00 +0000

My little bonus baby turned three on December 30.

This blog was born back in 2007, when my twins were born prematurely. (Blog was "born" -- har har! Hilarious!) Tulip & Turnip was a way of chronicling for friends and family our journey with premature twins, but has grown into so much more than that. I have been very open about our struggle with infertility. It took several years, lots of dough, and eventually IVF to conceive Charlotte and Gavin, who are now four and perfectly healthy.

When they were about 13 months old, Michael and I went out for Chinese food. I saved the fortune from my cookie that night because I was intrigued: The love of your life will appear unexpectedly. A week later, we found out that Nathan was on his way, with no intervention at all (other than the divine kind). One of the FOUR loves of my life. I'm a lucky lady.

Since his birthday is so close to New Year's Eve, we decided to have a "Countdown to Noon" birthday party. I knew there was no way that I was staying up until midnight, so the kids weren't either. This was their chance to experience the festivities. Here are a few photos of the celebration.

The giant purple monstrosity hanging from my ceiling is a balloon drop, i.e two Dollar Store tablecloths "sewn" together with yarn. It worked!

I made the little memo book and crayon favor based on something I found here via Pinterest.

Knock-Off Decor

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 02:31:00 +0000

My DIY Oars were featured on a new website called Knock Off Decor. Check out the website to learn how to recreate the oars, and also see how other people are "knocking off" home decor!

Thank you, Beckie!

Happy 2012!

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Happy New Year, my friends.

Wishing you joy -- the kind that makes your stomach tingly and your arms wiggle.

Wishing you big, loud belly laughs that make tears roll down your cheeks.

Wishing you friendship, so you can greet the new year with confidence knowing that you're not on this journey alone.

Wishing you love, all kinds.

Cheers!

O Tannenbaum!

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 03:24:00 +0000

Oh, the unbridled ~~stress~~ joy of finding the perfect Christmas tree! We went to a local tree farm in the hopes of cutting our own. In reality, the precut trees were in much better shape. So we strolled around, saw-in-hand, playing the part. But in the end, it was a precut tree that caught our eye.

Charlotte wanted a tiny one.

Nathan found a "wand," and kept jumping out unexpectedly to cast spells on me. This kid cracks me up every minute of the day.

Gavin was just happy running through the rows of trees.

Based on something I saw on Jami's blog, we saved the sawed-off bottom of our tree to make a little ornament.

All in all, a good day.

One final note: look at our elf zip-lining across the family room! That crazy Jay. Michael and I were cracking up hanging him on the fishing wire. Ok, I was cracking up. Michael was shaking his head at my insanity. Really, how can you not laugh?!?!?

Christmas Decorations That Make Me Smile

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 03:40:00 +0000

You know how sometimes you put on a pair of jeans that you haven't worn in a while, and when you reach into your pocket, you find money?? It may only be $1, but it's still exciting to find something valuable you had forgotten about.

That's how I felt this year when I pulled out my holiday decorations.

My mom, my aunt, and I made a trip to our favorite flea market in September, and while I was there I picked up a few vintage decorations. I packed them away, and promptly forgot about them until we brought the Christmas bins out! It's just like finding a dollar. Or maybe a five.

I instantly fell in love with these place card holders. Aren't they cute? I'm glad I saw them first...pretty sure Mom would have scooped them up had she been the first to spy them.

Also, I've been looking for bottle brush trees forever, and they've been hard to find. Then I came across these. I bought all 6 for $10 -- a major score.

More holiday photos to come! :)

The Month That Gets Short-Changed and a Craft

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 02:56:00 +0000

Poor November. It always gets the shaft. I'm always all hyped up for Halloween, and then it comes and goes and leaves me tired, with no energy for November. My energy is back by December, which is good because there are birthdays and holidays to prepare for. But surely November deserves a little attention!

Here. These photos remind me that November is a beautiful month in its own right. (All images via Pinterest.)

To help me get in the November spirit, my students and I worked on a craft today. It's an oldie-but-goodie: handprint and footprint turkeys.

It's simple, really. Trace your shoe onto brown paper and cut. That's the turkey's body. Trace your hands on colored paper and cut out. That's the turkey's feathers.

Sure, there was a little of this...

But mostly, there was a whole lotta this:

See? They really do get it. :)

Happy November!

Happy Halloween!

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:00:00 +0000

I hope everyone enjoys a fantastic Halloween!! It's going to be a bit treacherous for our trick-or-treating tonight, as it snowed about 4 inches here over the weekend. In October. In Pennsylvania. That NEVER happens!

This was the way our backyard looked at the height of our Cousins' Halloween Party:

Needless to say, the bobbing for apples was a no-go. Since I never get to see my sisters' and sister-in-law's kids on Halloween, I had them all over on Saturday so they could show off their costumes. It was fun, and kind of hilarious to see our mums and pumpkins covered with snow. I still can't believe it.

Here are some photos from the party:

My newest niece, Molly. She was a cute little cat!

My niece, Madison, was a pink poodle. How adorable is that costume?

My nephew, Nicholas, was "blackmail." Teen humor!

Gavin as a scary skeleton

My nephew, Joey, is missing his front teeth. Perfect costume!

My nephew Reese.

My nephew Kevin was a hamburger. His costume was a little cumbersome!

Nathan as a skeleton, with runny makeup!

Me, as Mary Poppins

Charlotte as Cinderella

More runny makeup!

My nephew, Caden, the dinosaur!

The cutest pink poodle ever!

DIY: Easy Halloween Costume

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 02:21:00 +0000

The kids turned down my idea of dressing like chimney sweeps for Halloween. I was going to be Mary Poppins, with my three little chimney sweeps in tow. Alas, they failed to share my vision.

Charlotte insists on being Cinderella. My novice sewing skills couldn't handle that one, so a dress was promptly ordered.

The boys were a bit less opinionated. With the promise of some black and white face-paint on Halloween, they agreed to be skeletons.

I picked up Hanes sweatpants and sweatshirts at Wal-Mart for $5 a piece. Then, I bought 10 sheets of white felt. Using stencils of bones, and some artistic license, I traced the bones on the felt and cut it out. Then I used fabric glue to affix the felt to the sweatshirt and sweatpants.

If my children were in a cooperative mood, I would have gotten some shots of them actually IN the costumes. No dice.

Here are links to the stencils I used:

Ribcage Stencil

Bones Stencil

Have you come up with any easy Halloween costumes? Dish.

Free Printable: Halloween Cupcake Toppers

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 19:07:00 +0000

This is a repost from last year, but since I had about 2 followers back then, I thought I'd share it again!

For your next Halloween party...feel free to print these Halloween Cupcake Toppers. Use a 2-inch circle punch to cut them out. Enjoy!

To download the file, click here.

Fall Photo Bucket List

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 01:41:00 +0000

I saw this cute idea for taking fall photos on the Simple As That blog. Perfect for professional photographers or newbies, like me. Go here to download!

Her blog is definitely worth checking out...SO many adorable printables. Have fun!

Shabby Apple Sale!

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 01:13:00 +0000

Hello there friends! I missed you!

I have a great deal for you today. Have you heard of Shabby Apple? I've been loving their dresses for quite some time now. They are an online boutique with a vintage flair, and their clothing is gorgeous. Don't take my word for it....have a look at some of my favorites!

The Summer Break skirt, from the new Academia line. A statement skirt!

The Champs Elysees. Love those peek-a-boo pleats!

The Garden Isle dress. I could totally rock the 50s housewife look!

Everything about this Gondola dress is perfect. LOVE.

The Adelaide skirt reminds me of a certain J. Crew bow skirt. Classy.

Shabby Apple also has an adorable maternity line. Not that I have any need for an adorable maternity line. (Deep breaths, Mom!)

Finding Out Dress

And also swimwear...

Isola

And lots more! Want to hear the best part? I can get you 15% off your order AND free shipping on all standard domestic orders! Just enter the code IVY at checkout. This offer is only good until September 30, so get busy!

Disclaimer: I didn't receive anything to write this post; however, I am a Shabby Apple affiliate. All opinions are 100% my own.

A Few Pins

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 01:00:00 +0000

Hi There.

I'm into the second week of a new school year, and we're slowly settling into our routine. My posts are going to be light for the next week or two...I hope you'll bear with me. Until then, here are some pretty things that caught my eye on Pinterest lately.

This mantel makes me want to scour thrift stores for platters. Gorgeous.

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Oh. Em. Gee. Would you look at this pantry? It would look like that for 5 seconds in my house before the kids tossed everything out looking for the Smarties.

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I want to have a brunch so I can serve juice in these sour cream glasses. You can come.

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While we are having brunch, you will chuckle to yourself, because you see this embroidery hanging in my kitchen. A little DMX with your crumb cake?

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And this tile. Wow. I hope one day my bathroom grows up to look like this one.

Enjoy! :)

Back to School/Work

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 01:11:00 +0000

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I hope you forgive the recent blog silence. I went back to school this week, and the first few weeks of a new school year are always crazy. Looking forward to blogging more very soon!

New Work Station

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 20:47:00 +0000

Our house was built about nine years ago. During the construction, we were so excited about having our own little plot of Earth --our first place--that we neglected to realize there was not a single storage space in our entire house, other than a teeny tiny hallway coat closet with the capacity to hold two coats. Also, no mud room. No place to store winter stuff (gloves, hats, scarves). No place to hang coats. No place to store towels. No place to store sheets. You get the idea. At the risk of sounding offensive, I'll tell you this: at least twice a day I curse the man who designed our house. I'm certain if it was a woman I would have a linen closet, at the very least.

For several years, I've had this cabinet in my kitchen nook. I've used to hold all of my baking pans as well as art supplies for the kids.

It served it's purpose well, but lately we've been having another problem. We really have no "family center." No place to store bills or sit down and pay them. No place (other than the couch) to work on my laptop or grade papers. And I'm sure that in a few years I 'll need a place to store all of the kids' paperwork from school, and sports schedules.

For two years now, my laptop has been sitting on the kitchen counter next to the stove, so every time I cook spaghetti sauce, I wind up cleaning the splatters off the laptop. I decided to move this big cabinet upstairs to hold towels and sheets, and create a little workstation here instead.

Remember this desk I picked up at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore?

She was part of my plan, but she needed a bit of work. First, I used some Goo Gone to get rid of all the tape on the front drawer. Do you see it there? I wonder what it's former owner was up to. There were also some nicks in the wood, but they were easily fixed with some wood filler. Then I just sanded the whole thing quickly...took about 10 minutes. I added two coats of primer, and two coats of paint. Here she is today!

I went big and bold with this one: Peacock Feather by Behr. I LOVE how it turned out. Since the handles are what drew me to this desk in the first place, I wanted them to stand out. So I used some Rub N Buff in Grecian Gold. Here's how my little "office nook/control center" looks now:

I've had that little chair for a while, but never knew what to do with it. It's a thrift store find, too. I recovered the cushion with some leftover fabric from the ottoman. Here's a shot of it before, in all it's french toile glory:

The Keep Calm print. I know, I know. They are EVERYWHERE. I'm sure you're tired of them. But seriously, that's my mantra. This one is from Pressureless on Etsy. Isn't is gorgeous? The frame is from IKEA.

Wanna see my FAVORITE thing about the desk? It was already there when I bought it. It's the paper that's lining the drawers. I love it!

Wanna see my other favorite thing? The photo I found in the drawer:

Look at those fabulous, fabulous girls. I am certain that they would approve of their desk makeover. Don'tcha think?

Gallery Wall

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 14:03:00 +0000

For a long time, I've been trying to decide what to do with a big blank wall in our family room. The only thing that was hanging on that wall was an enormous T.V.

Pinterest really came in handy, because I was able to find lots of photos for inspiration. In the end, I decided to do a gallery wall of photographs and my childrens' artwork. I kind of wanted the arrangement to be random, but Michael was adamant about it being symmetrical. I let him win this one. :)

Hmmm. That white return vent up there sticks out like a sore thumb. I'll be painting that the same color as the wall. Soon.

This Happy Place print is one of my favorites. I bought it on Etsy, here. She has really beautiful artwork with positive messages.

I also love this watercolor, created by Charlotte:

Seriously, don't you think this would fetch hundreds of dollars in a gallery? I love it.

And when I want to cover the TV entirely, I can still use the IKEA-canvas-trick that I ~~stole~~ learned from Maria at John's Journal.

The frames are really easy to take down and switch out. I have a feeling I'm going to want something different after a while. Like maybe botanical prints, or black and white photos. We'll see!

I hope you enjoy your Monday!

Measuring Growth

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 15:22:00 +0000

I grew up in an old, beautiful farmhouse. I loved it. I felt like I discovered something new there everyday. My parents still live there, and we're still discovering!

One thing that my sisters and I were (and are) obsessed with is this small, skinny closet door in my parents' bedroom. It opens to a small linen closet. On the inside of the door are marks, dates, and names measuring growth.

Of course, I wonder who all of those people were. There are SO many names. Is it a mish-mash of lots of previous owners? Or is it one extended family, who would line up there, maybe on Christmas when they gathered together? A mystery.

I've always wanted to do something similar, but didn't want to mark up a door or wall in my house. But then I figured, who cares? Charlotte doesn't.

So I started last August, much to Michael's chagrin. He likes things just so, and didn't appreciate that I did this to the pantry. But he's grown to love it too, even though he'd never admit it.

They love to see how much they've grown, and so do I. And now I'm off to clean my pantry door, now that I have evidence as to how dirty it is.

Our Week, Instagram-Style

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 12:55:00 +0000

Happy Sunday! I hope you all had a great week. We had an EXCITING week here! The biggest news: we have a new cousin/niece, Molly Eileen! Here's a snapshot of little Molly with her proud dad, Joe.

In slightly less exciting news, we are keeping a close eye on our watermelon crop.

Also, the kids have invented a new game in which they are babies, and these are their cribs. It's a super-fun game, let me tell you. It involves a lot of laying around and quite a bit of fake crying (my favorite).

We have some much-needed rain in store for the next week, which makes for some fun times in our boots. It kind of ruins the lawn. Don't tell Michael.

I hope you had a fun week, too!

Linking Up Here:

My August Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 21:14:00 +0000

Friends, the people running the internet have had it out for me lately. I've spent an embarrassing amount of time sitting in front of a screen with a spinning wheel. It's not my computer. It's my Internet Service Provider. They have to get their butts out to my house and figure something out. I hope I can post as much as I'd like to.

So.

I tried my hand at a vegetable garden this year. I figured I'd start small, particularly because my yard is teeming with animals and I was certain anything I planted would be eaten instantaneously. Seriously. We've got a zillion rabbits, groundhog, and even a fox. Also, I didn't know what would grow well, so I didn't want to get in over my head.

Here it was when I started. My friend picked up these raised bed kits for me at BJs.

We put wire around them in an attempt to keep the animals out.

And then I watered them every night, and kept my eye out for the bunnies. Those suckers are everywhere. This is what I saw from my house one day:

The photo is grainy; I snapped it quickly from inside my house with a telephoto lens. It's a groundhog, on his haunches, staring into my garden. That rascal.

Today, I'm proud to say, the plants are growing nicely. The "fence" worked well.

These are my little farmers. They help a little, and goof around a lot.

Have you harvested anything lately?

Our Week, Instagram-Style

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 12:25:00 +0000

This week, we had a trip to the library. It's one of the kids' favorite things to do. They love discussing the topics they are interested in that week (dinosaurs, trains, etc...) and searching for books in those categories.

We swam a bit in the kiddie pool.

Left unattended, Nathan decided to give Buzz Lightyear a makeover.

After being inspired by an episode of Bubble Guppies, the kids decided they wanted to start a "rock and roll band." What, you didn't know the Bubble Guppies were hardcore?

The kids asked Michael to draw a picture of Mommy and Daddy. This is what he drew.

You should have seen him trying to contain his laughter when the kids showed me. Aside from my pointy hat and broomstick, check out the muscles he drew on himself. I think that's even funnier.

And Gavin continues to amaze us with his choice of outfits. He disappears at least twice every day and comes back downstairs, um...... accessorized.

Let me break this down for you, so you understand just what you're looking at. That's underwear on his head and around his ankles, socks on his hands, a shirt around his thighs, and a blue tongue from an ice pop. This leaves Michael and I shaking our heads in disbelief on a daily basis.

Hope you had a great week too!

DIY: Upholstered Ottoman/Coffee Table

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:16:00 +0000

Well hello there, and happy Friday! Today I'm going to share a project with you that has been a loooong time in the making.

I haven't had any sort of a coffee table in our family room for several years now. This is mainly because my children have inherited my clutziness (word?) and manage to beat themselves up on anything with corners. It's not really that I'm clumsy, it's just that furniture and other items tend to jump out in front of me. Two weeks ago, I was attacked by a Cheerios box, and still have the giant bruise on my thigh to prove it. Truly.

Anyway, I decided it was high time for a coffee table, but decided an upholstered one would be best due to our propensity for bumping into things.

I really had my eye on this one from West Elm, but I didn't love that it's $600:

So. I hit the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore and found a coffee table for $25. (I'm a terrible blogger because I didn't take a proper "before" photo. Here's what the legs looked like before. They were a glossy green:

Here was the top before. I don't know how to describe the color. Muddy coffee? And a bad paint job. You can see I've already painted the legs here:

So. I started by spray-painting the legs a glossy brown. (Well, actually I didn't START there. I started by trying to strip the paint off the legs. It ended badly.) It took two coats of brown paint, and then I spray-painted a coat of glossy enamel over it.

Then, using spray-adhesive, I added 2-inch foam to the top of the table, as well as around the apron:

Then, I covered the whole thing in batting:

And stapled my fabric around it. I've never upholstered before, so this tutorial was super-helpful. The corners were the hardest part. I wound up doing hospital-corners.

It's DEFINITELY not perfect. I have to beef up the batting in some spots. I'm also planning on going back and trying to rework the corners. (Also, I CANNOT get a photo with a clean house. That's just reality, folks. There are also always going to be toys on the floor. And there are always semi-dressed kids in the background. Cuz that's how I roll.)

But, for now, it works! What do you think?

Linking Up Here:

PreSchool Gear

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 10:00:00 +0000

I'm getting back-to-school flyers in the mail. Are you? Totally gives me the willies. I'm not ready for this yet!

But since we're on the subject, I thought I'd share two items that have been really helpful since our kids have been in daycare/preschool.

First are these Land's End tote bags. We had the kids' names stitched onto each one. In it, we keep changes of clothes, sippy cups, blankets, extra diapers, and whatever else they might need for the day. It's super-easy to carry them back and forth each day. The bags you see here are about 3 years old. They've held up nicely. no?

Second are these Wildkins nap mats. We had originally ordered nap mats from Lillian Vernon, but after a few washes they really started to show wear. We ordered these soon after, and they have held up beautifully. They are thick and plush (as far as nap mats go) and have a built in pillow and blanket. I have probably washed them 20 times each, and they look brand new.

So there you have it! Not the most exciting post, I know, but it's something that people ask me about quite a bit.

I hope you have a great Thursday. Thanks for reading!

Hot Car Crayons

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Holy Moly, it's been hot up in herrrre! In Pennsylvania, we are not only blessed with stifling heat waves, but also ridiculous humidity. It is seriously like breathing underwater.

Last week, on a 100-degree day, I decided to try something I saw on Pinterest and Come Together Kids. Hot car crayons!

I found this silicone heart mold tray for $1.00 last Valentine's Day, so I scooped it up. Then, the kids and I (okay, mostly me) unwrapped crayons and broke them into small pieces to put in the molds. I had read that Crayolas work best, since they melt quickly and evenly, so that's what we used. This time, I put mostly like colors together, but I think next time I would mix colors. I like that even better!

Then, I put them on the dash of my car and promptly forgot about them. (Note: my car was parked in direct sunlight, and I'm estimating it was over 100 degrees in there. I suppose this would also work in a cooler car, but it would probably take longer.)

After about three hours, I had this.

You can let them cool on their own, or pop them in the freezer to speed up the process. And then, color away!

Also, my friend Tracey from Art Recycles created these heart crayons as a Valentine's gift for her son's class. Just something to keep in mind for February, although I doubt you can melt them in the car then!

Linking Up Here:

Vacay

noreply@blogger.com (Tulip and Turnip) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 10:00:00 +0000

The kids and I are away with family this week...poor Michael is still home, working. See you next week!

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