A Day in the Life of Me

Some quick organization

2015-01-24T16:37:00.000-05:00

I've been doing some organization; not as much as I'd like, but some. I was looking at my kitchen towels the other day and decided six years was long enough. They were stained and ready to be replaced so I got rid of all the old ones and bought a bunch of new ones at Ross.
Another project was the throw blankets in the living room. This project has seen many iterations and I think I finally found one that works for me. For awhile I used a cheap, white shoe organizer but it was flimsy and kept falling apart. Then I saw the ladder idea on pinterest but do you know how hard it is to find a wooden ladder at the thrift store, IMPOSSIBLE. But I bought a crib for $10 only to get home and realize pieces were missing so I used one side as my new throw blanket storage rack. I tied it to the mantle support.

The last item today is the bathtub storage. I hate tripping over bath toys while I am taking a shower but it was difficult to store the bath toys because if you were taking them out of the bath, they needed to dry and then you forget about them until you trip over them naked in the shower (not fun, mormon cursing ensues). So I saw a trick on pinterest and did it myself. I added another curtain rod in the back and then found curtain rings at the thrift store and plastic baskets at the dollar store. Ta-Dah

Refashion catch-up

2015-01-19T15:51:00.000-05:00

Another post starting with long time no see. I'm not even going to look at when my last post was, way to depressing. But I'm ready to try again.
So first, a quick no-sew refashion.
Found this at a thrift store for $1

Took the red print polyester off, luckily the construction was an actual sweater with fabric pieces sewn on. I've seen it done different ways.

Now a cool outfit.

Shirt: Old, like really old.

Vest: thrifted $1

Skirt: $10 JC Penny

Belt: From pants somewhere

Boots: eBay $10

Here is an almost no-sew project.

My son needed new church shoes but no way was I ever getting my toddler shoes with ties ever again. I scoured thrift stores and couldn't find nice slip-on church shoes. Then I found really cute ones with ties for $3 and decided to fix them.

I bought thin black elastic from the fabric store with a coupon on sale (this is like the white elephant of craft shops, usually you can't use coupons on sale items but it was special), so only $2

Thread the elastic through like shoe laces, the hardest part is deciding how to thread them for visual appeal. At the top, make sure this part is hidden, overlap the two sides then hand stitch them together. Viola!

Here is an old one from when I was pregnant. I was going to a wedding and this is what i came up with.

I started with these two, thrifted for $1 a piece.

End result. I used a different belt and you really can't see but it accommodated my pregnant belly just fine.

Fears of being a parent with todays government

2014-03-26T15:03:00.000-04:00

Recently the state of Massachusetts has been awarded custody of a teenager. Her name is Justina Pelletier. She is from Connecticut. Her family, on the advise of her physicians, took her to Boston for some more treatments. Justina was diagnosed with a mitochondrial disease but was being treated and was able to have an active life, ice skating, going to school. A minor complication arose and her physician recommended she see a specialist in Boston. This is where the story takes a terrifying (for any parent) turn. In Boston, instead of being allowed to see the recommended specialist, she was seen by a resident in the ER, who decided she didn't have mitochondrial disease, instead she had somataform disorder- essentially physically symptoms with no physical cause, its all in her head. When the parents disagreed and wanted to take her back to her doctors the Boston hospital said the parents were committing medical child abuse and took custody of her. This was 13 months ago. Since then her parents have been allowed hourly visits. She has not been able to attend school since she was taken into custody (and her treatments for mitochondrial disease discontinued) because her condition has deteriorated so much. And now the judge has ruled the state of Massachusetts has custody.
This should scare parents to death. It scares me. We are living in a country that is beginning to adopt the idea that children do not belong to parents, they are community property. Parental rights are being taken away at an alarming rate. I would love to be honest with my pediatrician but I live in fear that if I admit I'm not always following the recommendations- not LAWS- my child could be taken away. I'm talking about things like car seats. AAP recommends rear-facing car seats until 2 years old, but the law only requires 1 years. I have, at times, slept with my newborn just to stop the screaming. Uh-oh.
What is real child abuse anymore, if the state can decide that a child should be taken away from their parents even when the child is getting worse in the care of the state.
Here are some situations I see that should illustrate my point:
Will they one day consider it child abuse if a mother decides not to breastfeed?
Will it be child abuse if the school decides the parent is not packing a healthy enough lunch, even though what the government considers healthy changes constantly?
Will it be child abuse if the parent has guns in the house locked up unloaded in a safe?
What about those parents that do not vaccinate their children? Could the state take a child away because they don't get the flu shot?
This one is already causing problems, spankings. Can a parent spank their child or will that constitute child abuse?
How about those parents who home school their children? With this new common core crap I foresee more and more proactive parents pulling their kids out of school. Will that be reason for the state to take the children?
The list goes on and on. I agree that there are some situations where interventions is needed for the well being of the child, but it seems that using that definition leaves a wide margin of abuse.
My two week old baby, over the weekend, developed a clogged tear duct. We knew what to do and had a doctors appointment on Monday so we dealt with it at home. It was almost completely cleared up by the time we got to the office. I wasn't concerned but mentioned it anyway. The doctor agreed it was probably a clogged tear duct but decided cultures should be taken just in case, an attitude born from the defensive medicine culture because of so much litigation. I would need to go to a lab in the hospital for the test. Here I am, with a brand new baby and an almost 2 year old toddler who spends all day throwing tantrums and I had to take them to the hospital. I did not want to even think about how hard that would be. I also looked and thought about taking two healthy children, one a newborn, into a hospital lab waiting room during flu season when we already knew what was wrong and it was almost gone anyway. My husband and I made the decision not to get the test done. Was this child abuse, NO. As parents, we believe that was the best thing for the health and well being of our children, and lets be honest here, that is OUR job. Not the doctors, not the states. They are there to help and advise but I am my child's parent and I have their best interests at heart. My baby is two months old, fine and has nothing wrong.
When I was 16 my dad took us to the shooting range, we had been many times before and we all were well versed in gun safety. While I was shooting a handgun I made a slight mistake and the gun hit me in the forehead on the recoil. It was an accident and I did go to the ER later that day when it didn't stop swelling. I had a hematoma and a headache but I was fine, better in fact, than many injured in football or other sports. My dad was scared to death child services was going to get involved because a gun was involved. A parent should not be afraid to seek medical attention for their child. I don't care if you like guns or not. I was not in danger, there was no abuse involved but every parent today knows that it doesn't matter. If someone with perceived authority decides you were abusing your child, that is it. It is no longer innocent until proven guilty.
We need to be reluctant to take children from their parents. I was reading an article somewhere about a Neo-Nazi father whose children kept being taken away because he was a Neo-Nazi. I adamantly disagree with his beliefs, I am sickened by his opinions, but he was not abusing his children. He was not physically, mentally, or emotionally abusing his kids. He was not endangering them with his activities. He was however, teaching them his beliefs. Does that give the government the right to say he shouldn't raise his children? If it does, where does it end? I am Mormon, and because I teach my children that the act of homosexuality is wrong, should the state say I am harming them and remove them? Never mind that I'll teach them all sexual acts before marriage is also wrong. We should only remove children under the most extreme circumstances and we need to start limiting what we allow the government to get away with. We need to be proactive parents who speak out for right, whether we agree with another's beliefs or not. I vaccinate my children for everything but the flu and I think it is irresponsible not to, but I will fight any law that takes away a parent's right to make that choice. I do not want to home school my children but that does not mean the school owns my kids, I will monitor what they are taught and make the it clear if I disagree. If that means fighting against common core now when my children aren't even in school yet, so be it. I also think parents should have the right to home school without being thought of as nutjobs. And yes, I know kids who would be better off in a different home but that does not mean they are being abused and should be removed.

Source:
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/03/26/justina-pelletier-to-remain-in-custody-massachusetts-judge-rules/

Journaling Idea

2013-11-04T12:38:00.002-05:00

I am really bad at keeping a journal, that should be obvious by the amount of time I spend on keeping up with this blog. So I thought of a way that may improve my efforts. I know I have a hard time sitting down and just writing, it ends up sounding whiny or on the other extreme, bragging. I thought maybe I would have an easier time if I did weekly prompts. If I came up with a list of questions to write about each week, I know there is no way I will be able to keep a daily journal so lets not set myself up for failure. I have been racking my brain for some good questions, so here they are and I am open to suggestions:

1) Spiritual experiences from the week: times i have felt the spirit, prayers that have been answered, promptings I have received, missionary experiences. This will help me recognize them as they come along and by writing them down I can remember them and I also think it shows Heavenly Father and appreciation for his blessings

2) Weekly achievements: mine and my families
3) Goals for next week
4) Events that occurred in the week
5) A funny story
6) any realizations I had during the week

Any other suggestions?

Pleated Purple

2013-05-12T16:24:00.002-04:00

I finished a refashion spur of the moment last night. In retrospect maybe I should have checked into it more. I took a purple bottom down polyester shirt that was a size 20W and took in the sides and shortened the sleeves.

It looked great with a purple wool pleated skirt I thrifted and yellow thrifted belt and yellow shoes.

So I was sitting in the foyer during Sunday School and Zane was very active. I stood up and one of the other women pointed at my shirt. All but the top button was unbuttoned. I mean I was completely exposed. So back to the drawing board after one very embarrassing event.

I was told it was not flattering

2013-05-10T16:41:00.001-04:00

I did a refashion recently and my husband really didn't like it. It originally fit me great but was too long. I thought it had a vintage vibe and when I shortened it it would also then have a modern vibe. Anyway, here it is. Bought for $0.75.

My Modesty Standard

2013-04-23T18:32:00.000-04:00

I am LDS and as many may know we live by a certain standard of dress, here it is:

Your body is God’s sacred creation. Respect it as a gift from God, and do not defile it in any way. Through your dress and appearance, you can show the Lord that you know how precious your body is. You can show that you are a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Prophets of God have always counseled His children to dress modestly. The way you dress is a reflection of what you are on the inside. Your dress and grooming send messages about you to others and influence the way you and others act. When you are well groomed and modestly dressed, you invite the companionship of the Spirit and can exercise a good influence on those around you.

Never lower your dress standards for any occasion. Doing so sends the message that you are using your body to get attention and approval and that modesty is important only when it is convenient.

Immodest clothing includes short shorts and skirts, tight clothing, shirts that do not cover the stomach, and other revealing attire. Young women should wear clothing that covers the shoulder and avoid clothing that is low-cut in the front or the back or revealing in any other manner. Young men should also maintain modesty in their appearance. All should avoid extremes in clothing, appearance, and hairstyle. Always be neat and clean and avoid being sloppy or inappropriately casual in dress, grooming, and manners. Ask yourself, “Would I feel comfortable with my appearance if I were in the Lord’s presence?”

Someday you will receive your endowment in the temple. Your dress and behavior should help you prepare for that sacred time.

Do not disfigure yourself with tattoos or body piercings. If girls or women desire to have their ears pierced, they are encouraged to wear only one pair of modest earrings.

Show respect for the Lord and for yourself by dressing appropriately for Church meetings and activities, whether on Sunday or during the week. If you are not sure what is appropriate, ask your parents or leaders for help.

I believe in looking deeper than just the words though. For instance, the terms low-cut and too short and too-tight are vague guidlines and open to interpretation. I believe the meaning is about the look and feeling the outfit conveys.

Our standard of modesty is linked to chastity- purity of body and mind. It is our job to make it easier to ourselves and others by not provoking impure thoughts and attitudes. In other words, if something is hot or sexy- thoughts are led to sex. Clothes can cover neck to ankles and still be immodest by the look conveyed.

When I dress I try to look elegant, put-together, attractive, clean, pretty. All this can be achieved without being provocative and sexy. So for my personal interpretation of the standard:

Length should at LEAST touch the knee but mid-knee is more comfortable for me so I can be modest sitting down.

Low cut is clevage. Clevage is the tops of your boobs= too low.

I really dislike cap sleeves because it seems like a cop out "what is the bare minimum", also, I really don't like to show my armpits. Eeww.

"When I consider the demons who are twins—even immodesty and immorality—I should make them triplets and include pornography.They all three go together" President Monson

This is a strong statement by the Prophet of our Lord.

This is not a superficial issue about appearance, this is a deep moral issue with far reaching effects. Pornography is becoming more prevalent and accepted today, along with a rise in immorality, adultery abuse, divorce, and a decrease in marriage and stable families. I'm not saying pornography is the only cause but it is a large one.

What is considered pornography today is different than it was 60 years ago. I think the main reason is because of the way society dresses. How society dresses now used to be considered pornography. The fact is that it can be seen in almost all ads, media, on beaches, in schools, and even churches. 60 years ago those outfits would have been deemed porographic, now it is common- even aspired to. However, the decline in the accepted definition of pornography doesn't change what pornography actually is. I will make a statement and I know some will be offended by it, while it is not the purpose I can't apologize for my belief. Immodesty is pornography.

this may seem strongly worded, many will disagree. That's fine. I don't expect others to live up to my standards, I don't judge them or look down on them. I judge myself by this standard. Again, my intent is not to offend or to pass judgement, my intent is to declare my belief.

3 finished sewing projects

2013-04-23T09:57:00.001-04:00

I have just finished three sewing projects, two were 'from scratch' and one refashion. The jacket and the vest I started before I was pregnant; my son is almost a year old so these were 2 years in the making. My problem is I get to a step like hemming or buttons/buttonholes and the project comes to a screeching halt. It is not that they are hard to do it is just that I don't like doing them. But I finally finished.

The leopard skirt is V8425 I made from a large floor length skirt from a thrift store find. Sorry no before pics.

Chore chart

2013-03-22T18:43:00.001-04:00

This chart is for me. Yes, I know I am an adult but I know how I work best and so far having a chart to mark progress is the most helpful. I made this out of an old wall calendar and packing tape. I use a dry erase marker to mark off tasks.
It is separated into sections of chores: daily, weekly, monthly, and blank space for temporary tasks.

80's homage

2013-03-13T10:36:00.001-04:00

This is an outfit I wore to church Sunday.
Skirt: refashion about $.25
Top: old
Cami: khol's. old
Shoes: target $9

Sunday Afternoons

2013-03-08T14:35:00.001-05:00

This is what happens Sunday afternoons. Daddy takes a nap in the ZCU (Zane Containment Unit) and Zane plays, usually slapping him in the face several times. This particular day Dad had to go to another church meeting after he took a nap. He carpooled to the meeting and sat in a 2 hour meeting. It wasn't until he was on the way home that he wiped his face and realized Zane had smeared animal cracker goop on his face. Considering he was surrounded by men, its a good bet to say they probably didn't notice anything; but if they did, no one told him he had stuff on his face. We laughed about that for a couple days.

Minimal to no-sew refashions

2013-03-08T14:30:00.002-05:00

Before

After: Goodwill $1.29 per pound. Took the bodice off and closed waistband

Before: Goodwill $1.29 per pound

After: Chopped the top off, folded over material to make waistband and created a system of snaps to take it in and close it since it was too big and I couldn't use a zipper.

Before: Goodwill $1.29 per pound

After. Took off halter top and now it is a high waisted skirt.

DIY Organization

2013-02-07T19:30:00.002-05:00

Okay here are a couple of things I did recently. I'm working on a new way to arrange my shoes because my old shoe shelf was leaning. So once I worked on that I had the left over shoe shelf, here is what I did with it.

I hung my necklaces on it.

Also, I saw on Pinterest the idea of putting all your user manuals in a binder. I tried that and it was extremely bulky and they easily slipped out the top. So I put them in pocket folders instead. I also put all our board game instructions in a clear pocket folder so they wouldn't be loose in the boxes.

Easy Shepherd's Pie

2013-02-05T09:59:00.004-05:00

Last night I made Shepherd's pie. I found the recipe 5 years ago but I don't remember where.

1 lb ground beef (I used pork because I was out of beef)
2 cups mashed potatoes
2 cloves garlic
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 oz cream cheese
4 cups canned or frozen veggies (i used green beans)
1 cup beef gravy

Preheat oven to 375. Brown meat in skillet. Meanwhile, mix potatoes, cream cheese, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and the garlic until blended.
Drain meat. Mix veggies and gravy with meat. Add meat mix to 9-inch dish; cover with potato mix and cheddar cheese.
Bake 20 min

Tie front blouse

2013-02-04T15:56:00.002-05:00

How do you tell if a blousy top is too big? I mean, it is supposed to be large so how do you tell if it doesn't fit.

Top:Goodwill $1
Skirt: JC Penny $11
Belt: Charming Charly's $5
Shoes: Shoes r 8.88 $8.88
Necklace: old
Earrings: Gift from mom

This top is an example. It fits in the shoulders and sleeves but I'm not sure if it is too full where it tucks in to the skirt. Also I know I am pale, too bad.

This is from today. I found this button up shirt that fits absolutely perfectly. I may have to try to make a pattern from this.

Shirt: Goodwill $1.29/lb
Jeans: Goodwill $1
Camisole: Walmart gift

DIY Expandable Baby Pen

2013-01-26T23:09:00.000-05:00

So we decided to make a 'pen' for Zane because he is crawling into everything. We decided to make it 6'x6'. It ended up a little larger because of the PVC joints.We used about 82' of 3/4" PVC pipe. 32 3/4" pvc T joints and 8 3/4" 90 degree pvc couplers. Also a plastic garden fance and zip ties. It toataled about $45 and took maybe a half hour.
Step 1: Cut PVC into 40-2 foot pipes and 16-2 inch pieces.

Step 2: Assemble bottom and top
one angle coupler, one 2 inch piece, one t coupler, a 2' pipe, t coupler, 2 ft pipe, t coupler, 2 ft pipe,t coupler, 2 inch piece, angle coupler. That is one of the 4 sides of the top or bottom. Once you have each side assembled, put the together to make a square.
Step 3: Put in Slats
Put the other 2 ft pipes into the open t coupler hole. Push everything hard to make sure it is all the way in.

Step 4: Put the top on
You can do this a couple ways, make the top like you did the bottom, once it is a square, lift it up an put it on top of the slats.
Or put one side of on at a time.

Step 5: Weave fencing around pen and then zip tie to pvc

Then add baby. We didn't trim the zip tie ends because a) he likes to play with them b) they are sharp when trimmed. We put his toy box in there and he loves it, now I can do chores or go to the bathroom without worry.

No-sew refashion 1

2013-01-25T18:58:00.003-05:00

Here is a quick no-sew refashion.
Bought at Forever 21 for like $3

Obviously it needed some work, it was way too short and it had a gaping hole in the back. So I chopped the skirt off and here it is...

Here it is just to give you a picture of how short it originally was. I promise I won't wear the top.

So, cute skirt for $3

2 Thrifted Outfits

2013-01-21T13:11:00.000-05:00

With and Without belt, what do you think?
Tunic: Goodwill Outlet $0.50
Pants: DI $4
Shoes: Target $7
Belt: Claire's $2

Yesterday's Church outfit
Necklace: don't remember
Top: Haven of Rest Thrift $0.50
Skirt: Salvation Army $3.00
Belt: Goodwill Outlet $1.29/lb
Shoes: 8.88 store $8.88
earrings: gift

Spring green

2013-01-16T16:19:00.001-05:00

No, green is not my favorite color. It just happens to be the color that has been photographed recently. I bought these at the goodwill outlet the other day. So far, no alterations needed but the pants are a little big so I may work with that a little.

Top: Goodwill Outlet $0.50
Capris: Goodwill Outlet $0.50
Belt: came with pants
Shoes: Charming Charly's $10

cooking 2013

2013-01-15T16:56:00.001-05:00

So far this year I haven't done too much cooking but I have a couple dishes I'd like to share.
Pineapple Fried Rice.
I cooked the rice in pineapple juice and then stir fried veggies, pineapple, and an egg then added the rice. It was very good. The rice had an excellent flavor.

I also made Cornmeal waffles with chili
I received mixed reviews from people about the idea but my husband and i thought it was good.

http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/recipe_view/cornmeal_waffles_with_spicy_chili/
I didn't use the chili recipes; instead I used canned hormel chili.

Green

2013-01-15T16:54:00.001-05:00

So I have been traveling with my family over the holidays and am finally getting back into the swing of things. I have had so much fun making new stuff but I'm trying to figure out how to get pictures taken of my outfits. I can't do it myself so I'm really going to have to work on my husband's photo skills. I have been working on alot of projects but I am a perennial 90%er, my husband says I always get a job 90% done and then have a hard time finishing. We laughed about that when my son was born 3 weeks early (he was fine), I couldn't even finish that, he said.
I did get to the Goodwill outlet store in Greenville, Sc. Loved it. I have absolutely no problem digging through bins and everything was $1.29 a pound. Clothes weigh more than you think, by the way. Most items weighed about 8 oz, or half a pound. A leather jacket I bought was 2 pounds and suit coats for my husband were more than a pound but most other stuff was half a pound. So $0.50 for most stuff.

This is a thrift store outfit Jacket: Goodwill $4
Skirt: Hospice of Upstate $0.75 (it has pockets)
Shoes: 8.88 store $7
Jewelry: old

Thrift Store Haul 12/20/12

2012-12-20T16:49:00.002-05:00

Thrift Store Sales today. Here is the haul.

All of these were from Goodwill for a dollar.

All of these were from Hospice of Upstate for $0.75 a piece.

Thrift Store shopping and refashioning

2012-12-15T10:27:00.003-05:00

I am changing sizes all the time because I am finally loosing the baby weight, I haven't wanted to sew because I am still changing sizes so I went thrifting (and yes, dad, its a verb). I'll start posting my hauls and refashions, if I remember to take pictures. So lets get started.

Several sizes too big but one quick seam down the side and tah-dah

Perfect fit. $1

Again, several sizes too big, but this time I took it in on both sides, removed the zipper and reinserted it and shaped the seam in the back.

Perfect fit. Probably still need to iron it though. $1

This was a skirt I bought at Khol's during my pregnancy but I never wore it because the pick ups looked so weird. I took the pick ups out and thought about just leaving it a maxi skirt but then I got an idea. Behold...

I opened the two layer waistband, sewed across the top, leaving room for my head and room on the sides for my arms, and then cut the excess and made little sleeves. I then pinched the seams at the side and tacked them together in the back to make it fitted. Viola.

I found these lovely, wonderful ankle pants.

Now an awesome pencil skirt. $1

11/13/2012 tearing apart a magazine

2012-11-15T14:17:00.000-05:00

11/7/2012 Zane giggle

2012-11-14T18:41:00.000-05:00

Zane and I playing.