Can't forget Kailyn

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from my little bunny

pattern here

Super Simple Fairy Costume

So I decided this year that I would take a stab at making the girls' Halloween costumes.  For Olivia, I went with a fairy.  It turned out to be really easy to make and is so cute!  Here's what I did:
I followed these instructions for making circle and pixie skirts.  I make 2 pixie skirts for the body of the skirt and 1 circle skirt for the lining.
I did a quick hem on the bottom of the pixie skirts and a simple overlock on the bottom of the lining.  Then I sewed all three layers together at the waist using an overlock stitch (making sure the orientation of my 2 pixie skirts were askew to create multiple "peaks" at the hemline).
For the bodice, I purchased a set of girl's undershirts (it doesn't get an easier - or cheaper - than that).  Then I lined up the waistband of the skirt with the waist of the shirt.  I turned the shirt inside out and slipped the shirt (right side out) into it.  For this step, it is important that the right sides face each other.  If you're not sure you've got the orientation right, then pin it and carefully open it up to see what you've got.

I then sewed them together just above the hem on the shirt (so that you can't tell its a separate finished shirt once its all sewn together).
Then, I took scraps of fabric from the pixie skirt and made 3 yo-yos using one of those cool yo yo gadgets and hand sewed them onto the bodice. 
And, after a couple hours of work, viola!

Everyone knows you can't have a fairy costume without wings. I found this wonderful tutorial.  Now, I just do not have the time to run to 3 stores to get supplies, so I just went to Michaels and Target.  I couldn't find the wire I needed at Michaels, so I ended up using some wire hangers we got back with our dry cleaning.  Instead of electrical tape, I used white floral tape.  I scored some glittery tights at Target which saved me a step also.  I found it easier to bend the stems of the wings into the approx angle prior to continuing.

Here's what the wings look like formed and covered with the tights:

 

 

I found some cool fabric spray paint (pump) by Tulip that dried super fast and made zero mess.  I just stepped outside, held each wing by its stem, and sprayed both sides, then hooked them onto my table to dry (a huge benefit of bending the steps earlier in the process). 

Here's what they look like sprayed and taped together:

And after I added the elastic and flowers:

And here are some shots of the wings and dress paired together on my sweet girl:

Hats, Hats, Hats

With autumn in full tilt, I've been inventorying the girls warm clothes and have found them lacking.  Living in So Cal means there is not much need for really warm clothes, but we are headed to WA for a wedding next week, so I decided to knit up some hats. 

I logged into Ravelry (if you're not a member and you knit or crochet, it's time to sign up!) and pulled up this pattern: spur of moment baby hat.  I love that the pattern includes instructions for making it any size you need!  I wasn't able to complete it in 1 hr, as stated in the pattern, but one evening (or about 4 hrs) per hat isn't too bad. 

Here is Olivia sporting hers:                                                                  And Kailyn chillin' in hers:

I created my own embellishments instead of using the flowers in the pattern.  See the directions below - all embellishments were crocheted using spare yarn and an appropriately sized hook.

Big flower (Olivia's hat):

Ch 4, sl st in 4th Ch from hook to form loop.

1st Round: Ch 3(counts as first dc), [dc in center space] 11 times, sl st in 3rd Ch of first dc

2nd Round: Ch 4, sc in top of first dc, [ch 3, sc in top of next dc] 10 times, ch 3, sl st into 1st ch of ch 4, finish off.

Leaves (Olivia's hat):
Ch 6, sl st in 3rd ch from hook, ch 3 sl st in 1st ch of leaf to close, finish off.

Small flowers (Kailyn's hat):
Ch 4, sl st in 4th Ch from hook to form loop.
[Ch 5, sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 3, sc in center space] 4 times, ch 5, sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 3, sl st in 1st ch of first petal to close, finish off.

30 Day Dine-in Challenge

Quite simply, we're tired of dining out.  Sounds crazy, huh?  I grew up in a family where dining out was a treat and I never thought I'd tire of having someone else prepare, serve, and clean-up a meal.  But, living in the LA area means lots of commuting and a fast-paced lifestyle that often leaves us too tired to even think about meal preparation.  The result: we eat out...a lot.  We eat out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  We eat out pretty much every time my wonderful husband is home. 
After 5 years of marriage, we are experiencing restaurant burnout.  Perhaps you are suffering as well. The symptoms: ambivalence about where to dine, restaurant food has lost its flavor, you run through a list of the "usuals" when deciding where you'll eat, none of the aforementioned restaurants even appeal to you....well, you get the idea.
As if restaurant burnout weren't enough, we've learned that its not actually "easier" now that we have 2 children in tow.  Here's our typical train of thought: It's already after 6 and will easily be 6:30 by the time we get home and well after 7 before we get food into our toddler's tummy, and then there's the clean-up issue.  Hey, let's just grab a bite out on the way home - it'll be easier.  The problem: it never is easier.  In fact, we've discovered its a lot more stressful.  Sure, it starts out great.  Our toddler, Olivia, busies herself with the crayons and our baby, Kailyn, is typically snoozing from the car ride.  But then it all starts to come apart: Olivia gets bored and Kailyn wakes up wanting to nurse.  The second half of the "experience" involves trying to scarf down our food while simultaneously entertaining Olivia and nursing Kailyn.  By the time we leave, our wallet is $50 lighter, we are stressed and exhausted, and we can't even recall what we ate.
So, we decided to shake it up.  The goal: dine on home cooked meals for the entire month.  The rules are simple: everything must be prepared at home.  The exceptions: deli-style sandwiches (we had to have one exception to allow for those harried days) and traveling.  The challenge: finding the energy to cook every day, pack lunches for work, and plan/grocery shop every week. 
Is anyone else out there experiencing restaurant burnout?  How have you made dining at home easier?  Any great dairy-free, easy, fast recipe ideas you'd like to share?  Stay tuned to see how it goes - we are 4 days in and hoping to make big changes to our habits this month!!