Around Here...

While perusing the aisles of Target recently, I bought this laundry detergent based solely on the fact that I loved the box.  It's pretty.  It cost more than the stuff I usually buy.  It brings me cheer.  

And it smells good.  

I can't get enough of this Bible study by Beth Moore.  It has me reading commentaries.  And rubbing my temples because sometimes it makes my brain hurt.  In a good way.

I've been doing a little sewing.  Nothing fancy.  I made this little cushion for the rocking chair that Lucy got for Christmas.  She insists on not sitting on the cushion...she flips it up every time she sits down. 

Baby Alive goes everywhere.. is everywhere.  Lucy loves her.  She is also always naked.  I'm not sure what Lucy has against her babies being clothed.  

The Kindle Fire...it's dreamy.

I've been working on getting things organized around here.  Again.  The funny thing about organizing is that doing it once does not keep you organized.  Apparently it's an ongoing thing.  A Lifestyle.  Shocking, huh?  


I prefer the organize then get messy then organize then get messy approach to life.  Right now, I'm in the organize phase.  Which is sort of ridiculous since I'm also in the remodel/addition phase of our home.  


By the way, the downstairs of the addition got painted last week.  EEK!  But when I try to take pictures of it, well, let's just say it looks weird.  More on that later.

Messy faces...

 Thanks to pinterest.  Again.

I recovered the dining room chairs again.  This time I used a "laminated cotton" so it's wipe-able without being to plastic feeling.  So far, I love them.  

This hangs on the fridge...bossing me around every day.  

And that there is a whole lot of random.  As is our life.

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Knocking Out the Projects

Once I get the sewing machine out, I feel the need to just plow through a bunch of projects.  I found the idea on Pinterest from this sight.  It will be one of Lucy's Christmas presents.  They are fabric/felt letters, and they turned out super cute. 

This is the backside of the letters, I used a really pale pink flannel. 

And this is the little bag I made to store them in.  Turns out, draw string bags are easy.  I <3 Easy.

Lucy loves playing with her baby dolls.  I love that she loves it.  In these pictures, I was trying to empty out her doll cradle so you could see the cute pad thingy I made for the bottom of the cradle...but she was getting ticked at me.  Every time I took one out she scolded me and put all them back in bed.   

 Finally, here's the quilted pad.  I love this material, it reminds me of vintage 70's stuff.

And the babies are back to bed.  I've taught her well, I guess.

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Slipcover for Chair

So...the other day I mentioned the white slipcovers, and how the drop cloth one that I purchased for the chair (and intended to make into a fitted cover) was driving me crazy and NEEDED to get made into a fitted cover asap.  

How's that for a run-on sentence?

Well, I did it.  

And I love it.  It's kinda wonky looking in parts...because DUDE it's tricky to sew that much material...but I still love it.  

Trust me, when I tell you, that I am the last person that should be presenting a tutorial of any kind.  So consider this a tutorial on the tutorials I used.  

Here goes. 

If this were an actual tutorial I would have taken better pictures...thank goodness this is a tutorial on tutorials because craptastic pictures will do!  This is the chair covered in the "drop cloth" style cover...it was a ton of material and I tucked it around the chair to make it as fitted as possible.  Most of the excess material I shoved under the seat cushion, which made the chair hard as cement to sit on.   Good times.

I talk more about where I got the covers in this post (in case you're wondering.)

First I went to the thrift store and bought two old bed sheets to use as a template.  And then I washed them.  In 1000 degree water.  

Anyways, I found this picture on Pinterest and I used it as my visual.  Because I'm like that.

Source: thenester.com via Sarah on Pinterest

This is my version:

I followed the seaming of the upholstery already on my chair.  I wanted the seaming to be in the right places so that it didn't pull too tight on certain seams when we sat down...thus ripping them.  And I made notes to myself in permanent marker.


For the next steps, I utterly failed at taking a single picture, which is unfortunate because you could have seen my kids walking all over the material and me trying to KEEP THEM OFF. What I did was take the slipcover that I purchased, and laid it out on my living room floor.  It took up the entire floor.  And then I took the sample pieces on the chair (above picture) unpinned them and laid them out on the slipcover material, like a giant puzzle.  I had just enough material.  Then I cut around the pieces.


And then I pinned the pieces around the chair, wrong sides facing down or in, or whatever.  The slip cover is basically inside out at this point.


Like so:

Next, I took a needle with black thread and basted (big huge stitches) where I had pinned.  


Side note:  On the sample bed-sheet version, I didn't baste it.  I took it off and attempted to sew it with just pins.  Not only did I get stuck with pins, I couldn't figure out what was what once I tried to shove that heavy material under the needle of the sewing machine.


Basting was so much easier to follow, definitely worth it.


Sewing it together proved to be the trickiest part, because it's just a lot of material, and at some points on the arms, there are three different sections of material coming together...and did I mention 100% Cotton Duck is THICK?!?


But, it was definitely worth it.  And I'd do it again.  It took me part of an evening and then the next morning to finish it.  

Ta da!

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White Slip Covers

 
Day 25and 26 of 31 Days of Happy


White Slip Cover Happy


I like white.  It's not practical, but sometimes...practical is over-rated, or in the very least not cute.


I blame Pinterest for pushing me over the edge into white-slip-cover heaven.

Source: theshowandtellblog.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: thepursuitaesthetic.tumblr.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: countryliving.com via Jenn on Pinterest

We are terribly hard on furniture.  I have proof...

I came across this blog, and was elated to find out she had a messy family like myself, and STILL loved her white slip covers.  She makes her own covers.  I debated about whether or not I thought I could make my own.  I ended up  deciding that my patience and skill level was not quite adequate to tackle a sofa cover (yet), but I thought I could probably pull off a chair/ottoman one.


After some internet searching I came across the website Ugly Sofa.  They sell high-end slip covers for a deeply discounted price.  Perfect. 


And when the covers came, guess what the tags said?  Pottery Barn.  I may have skipped around my living room for several minutes just from sheer elation.  

They even sent me this little monogrammed (Pottery Barn) makeup bag thingy as a surprise free gift.  Bonus!  

Before:  

After:

This is right out of the package...I am NOT ironing a couch.  For Realz.

Loose-fit cover

I ended up making my own ottoman cover *pat on back* 


And for the wing back chair, I ordered a loose cover, and am planning on making a fitted cover out of that.  But first I'm gonna have to practice with old bedsheets or something.  


The couch cover has been on for a week.  I thought I'd give it some time before I  blogged about it...so I could let you know how it's really going.  It  stayed cleaner than I thought it would.  I did learn that I need to put a blanket over the seat on the weekends though, because the boys go in and out of the house and then sit on it and it was looking a little grubby.


I washed it yesterday for the first time.  Easy peasy to wash, bleach, dry,  and get back on.  It makes me kind of grossed out to think of whats on my couch and never been washed off.  *shudder*  I really do love it.  It's casual, yet clean looking and it just makes me happy.  


I need to get crackin' on the chair slipcover, because the loose fitting one is driving me a little crazy.  I only paid $30 for it, and it is enough material for me to make the fitted cover.  It was far cheaper to go this route than it was to purchase the material at the fabric store.  ( all covers are 100% White Cotton Duck)


I also made some envelope pillow slip covers as well.  Because as you know...makeovers just keep spreading from one thing to the next.  Like the common cold.


I've made some other stuff too...I'm a sewing fool.

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Two Dollars

It's Friday.


{Deep inhale...deep exhale}


I'm so glad.  I love you, Friday.


Anyways...I do have a point to this post.  Sorta.  Last week, at the crack of dawn, I was lamenting to my running buddies about how sick I am of my summer tank tops being so low-cut.  I rarely wear tank tops alone...unless it's 100 degrees out (because my triceps are, well...missing), but I do wear them under low cut t-shirts and dresses in hopes of maintaining some sense of modesty.  I am not a fan of the cleavage.


(I  just had to actually click on spell checker for "options" on how to spell cleavage because I tried several versions that didn't work...see, not a fan ;)


So I came up with a genius plan.  At least it seemed genius at 6 am.  My plan was to shorten the straps of my tank tops, just tack them a little with the sewing machine.  Easy peasy.  Turns out, not. so. easy.  The material on tanks is streeeetchy, and doesn't stay together when trying to cram it under the sewing machine pedal thingy.  I thoroughly ruined about 3, and the other 3 look terrible, but I decided to wear them anyway.


But here's the good part.  Wednesday I ran into the local CVS (and by local, I mean 10 miles away) to get some {insert item I can't remember} and passed the seasonal stuff only to find THESE:

The neckline is PERFECT!  When I look down while carrying around a one-year old, I see no boobs.  Yipee!  Even better, they're $2 a piece.  TWO.  Yeah baby.


They do run a little small...which then made me think maybe they're made for a 10 year old...but I don't care, I'm totally wearing them.


Hello, my name is Sarah, and I buy tank tops at CVS.  


Good times.


Enjoy your weekend lovely blog friends...I'm heading to IKEA with some friends...perfection.

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Today and Yesterday...

Here's some random:

• I'm trying to make a menu for the week, but I can't seem to get past BLT's.  I guess we'll eat them every night.
• I'm in desperate need of a blog makeover.  I've said that before...but THIS time I'm doing something about it.
• This weekend I get to go on a little girls getaway.  YAY.  When we planned it, we didn't realize it was also Father's Day weekend.  Oops.  But what better way to help celebrate than to let our husbands have the kids ALL to themselves?  
• I've been painting lots of things turquoise:

 

You get the idea.  I've recently bought orange and grey spray paint, but haven't quite decided what to paint.

• My oldest is away at camp for the week.  It's his first time away...he was thrilled.  Letting go is hard.  And feels weird.  
• Ben and I had a date night on Saturday.  You know you're in a building project when date night involves looking at cabinets and flooring at Lowes.  Floor plans and details make my head hurt.  Starbucks helped make it better.
• I made a quilt this weekend. Well, sorta.  My mother in law cut the squares for me, because I have a TERRIBLE time cutting things evenly.  I still have to sew the back on, but here it is:

This little chicklet helped.  She liked to push the foot pedal to the sewing machine every single time I turned around to iron.   But with that smile, what can you do?!?

Side Note:  I now cannot stand the material I put on the chairs awhile back.  I'm not sure what I was thinking at the time.  Bleh.  I'm on the lookout for new material that fits in with my new "vision"...new cheap material ;)

• I have a new favorite skirt that I can't wait to share with you, but I have to take a picture first.  
• I love love love Summer.  
• I really have to go get groceries now.  Bye!

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I Lose Track...

Sometimes I lose track of time.  It gets away from me.

Like on the blog.

Or the month of March.

• I finished the 30x30 challenge!  But still never took any more pictures.  Ah well.  It was a good experience.  
• I've been sewing little dresses for Lucy.  

• I'm back at running.  Winter and the treadmill were not so great, but this week marks week 4 of running at least 3 times per week.  It feels good to be back into the groove.  I signed up for a 5k on April 2nd...which feels like tomorrow already.
• My friend Beth took some pictures of Lucy that are so cute I can't quit looking at them.  Hoping to get them posted tomorrow so that you can all ooooh and ahhhh...because that's fun stuff.

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Preview to the Preview

Yesterday I mentioned the 30 day remix I'm doing. Tomorrow I'm planning on posting the 30 items I've chosen, and then hopefully post pictures once a week of the outfits...let's say, on Mondays maybe?  Yeah, that will do.  I know you're all on the edge of your seats for this, I can tell from all 5 commenters yesterday.


If anyone's interested in joining me, that would be fun too.  You know you want to.   Let's inspire each other.  *tap, tap, tap*...I'm not sure anyone's even out there anymore...aw well, I'm pretty good at talking to myself anyways.

 I didn't wear this outfit today...it's from last week.  I'm just preparing you.  



You know what you will be seeing me wear a lot of?  These:

Why, you ask?  BECAUSE I MADE THEM MYSELF!  I found the idea through a blog that sells them.  I wanted to order one....very badly.  But remember I'm on Dave Ramsey's budget plan...meaning no cute necklace and bracelet for me.  Unless...I could figure out how to make it myself on the cheap.  I did.  A few hours and hot-glue-gun-burns later, I was done! It's not as perfect as the one I saw online.  But it's good enough.


And, in case you're the kind that doesn't budget, then I give you the glorious website, Allora Handmade, where you can buy it, in all it's glorious perfection.  And if you can't, just go look and adore, because seriously, that girl has some skill to make all those rosettes...my fingers hurt just thinking about it.

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I Get Excited...

I get excited about stuff.  


I do.  It's who I am.  How I'm wired.

Unless you're new to me, this doesn't come as a surprise to you.  


There's an ebb and flow to life, and there's an ebb and flow to what I'm currently excited (and by excited I mean obsessed) about.  Kinda like seasons, I guess.


I give you my top 7 as of late:


7.  My Menu Board

6.  The Packers.  I love them, and though I've only been a fan for a few short years, I've invested myself fully :)  and my Noah couldn't have been happier on Sunday.

5.  Sewing.  This one sort of came out of nowhere.  But I'm having fun with it.

4.  Cityville.  It's a dumb facebook application that really should not be all that fun, but lately I find it completely entertaining.  I blame it on February in Iowa.


3.  New Tupperware.  Sounds ridiculous, but when did Tupperware get so cute?!?  A friend had a party and I got this stuff and I can't quit looking at it and smiling.

2.  Reading.  I've rekindled my love of reading.  I don't really get into fiction all that much, but anything else will pretty much do.  My husband (the pastor) also shares the same love so there are piles of books every.where.  One of the last books I finished, I actually read the last page and immediately started at the beginning again.  I love a book that grabs me by the shoulders and gives me a good *shake* to wake me up, make me think.  Crazy Love did that.  And it's ringing in my ears and heart daily that status quo is not good enough...it's garbage, actually.




1.  Spending time with my God.


I recently watched a friend walk through a really tough life situation.  Suddenly everyone who vaguely knew her wanted to be her friend in order to help...in reality, if they had really known her, they would have realized that some of the very things they were doing to "help" were actually causing her more grief.  Their intentions were good, but it irritated me no less.  And it got me thinking...


Do I do that with God?  Do I say I know Him, yet fail to spend time with Him daily, hourly...regularly.  


Relationships never grow without communication.  Ever.  And the closest of the relationships in my life are with the people I rub shoulders with on a daily or regular basis.  Sure, there's some long lost friends that I can go without seeing and then pick up where we left off...but it's picking up where we left off...not from a place of deep understanding of one another in the current.


And there is a difference.  


I realized I was doing this with God.  And I grieved.  


I want to know Him daily.  Because that is really the only way that He is able to transform me.  


Which leads me to this little book:

I notoriously dislike devotional books.  I'll spare you  my list of reasons, but mostly...they annoy me.  


It never fails that God works greatly in  my life through things I find annoying.


Over Christmas, I picked up a flyer that had the above book, Jesus Calling pictured in it.  And, because I judge books by their covers, and thought this would look super cute on my pile of books, I grabbed my cell and asked my mom to pick me up a copy at the store by her house.  It was very random...so I thought.


As soon as I picked the book up, I was hooked.  I read through the whole thing like a novel.  It's written as if Jesus is speaking right at you.  The "I," "Me," "My," etc always mean Jesus, while the "you" and "your" mean me, the reader.  


I fell in love with it.  The kicker:  It's a devotional FOR KIDS.  Crack me up.  


Oh it gets better.


About the same time I was searching for out next Ladies Bible Study material. We were wrapping up Forgotten God (amazing, by the way) and everything I thought was gonna be a great idea, just never quite felt right.


And then He hit me with it.  I wasn't the only one who needed to be spending time with Him on a daily basis.  I sat on the idea of it for awhile, hoping I hadn't quite understood Him right.  After all, the lovely ladies in our Bible study more than graciously put up with my craziness, however presenting them with the idea that our "study" is actually going to be a devotional book for kids was not really what I wanted to share with them.  Because who comes up with that?!?  


God does.


Without a doubt.


And because it's His deal, and not mine, they were totally game for it.


Tonight, we meet together for the first time after starting this "study" and I'm so excited to see what God's doing.  


I'll leave you with this little nugget from the book, that I've been chewing on since January 30th:

... whatever you think about the most becomes your god, your idol, the thing you worship.  From Jesus Calling for Kids

I can't get past it.  How many things do I think about more than Him?  He's changing me though.  Through this time with Him, daily, hourly...He's rising to the top.

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