A League of Her Own

DIY: T-Shirt Quilt

2012-01-19T04:41:00.000-08:00

After I graduated from college, I made a t-shirt quilt with the t-shirts from my sorority. I had no idea what I was doing. I chose my shirts and some quilt fabric that matched to make the border. I do love the way it turned out, but it was not without challenges. I had no idea how to sew knit t-shirt material. Despite what the picture shows (or doesn't!) most of the shirt squares are pulled in the corners.

My second attempt went much better! I decided to make a quilt for my brother's birthday. He's transplanted to Denver, and I always like to make him feel ~~homesick~~ nostalgic. I bought a pattern from Maiden Jane. I had several questions that she happily answered through e-mail. Then I was off and sewing. I completed the quilt with relative ease. The final product was just what I imagined and I knew my brother would love it!

When I make the next quilt, I may merge the wonderful pattern I used this time with some of my favorite things about the first quilt I made. I do love the patchwork sashing of the sorority quilt. And I have big plans to adapt the pattern to make quilts from the All Stars' baby clothes in a few years.

Have you ever tried a t-shirt quilt?

DIY: Fabric Flowers

2012-01-05T19:08:00.000-08:00

Recently we had our family photos taken. The color combination I chose for our clothes had my girls wearing navy blue, so I wanted to do something to make their outfits more feminine.

My first thought and shopping trips were aimed at making felt flowers, but I just couldn't get the color right. I came home and researched fabric flowers instead. Cluck Cluck Sew had exactly what I was looking for. I made a pin for my older All Star who won't wear anything in hear hair. All Star 2 got a flower on a headband.

Flower pin method - I cut fabric scraps into circles starting with the smallest first. I used a nickel as a guide to cut the first one. Then I used each of those circles to guide cutting a bigger circle until I was satisfied with the overall size of the flower. I attached a felt circle (cut a bit smaller than the biggest circle) to the bottom of the flower with fabric glue. Then I picked a coordinating button to sew in the center and secure all the circles together.

I decided to actually just baste stitch the flower onto my daughter's sweater because it was fairly large and I didn't want it flopping over. Next time I would probably sew each fabric layer together with a couple stitches.

Flower headband method - I drew a rough shape of a petal to use as a pattern. Next, I cut petals out of the same fabric scraps. I also cut two identical felt circles out of a coordinating color of felt. I sewed the fabric petals onto one of the felt circles by overlapping them and then moving in a spiral. When I was done, I sewed the matching button from the flower pin into the middle. Lastly, I glued the two felt circles together around a pre-fab headband.

I love this smooshy face.

I adore the way the flowers turned out and think they gave just the right feminine touch to our family photographs! (Photo below is © Tamarie Photography - Do no copy w/o permission.)

DIY: Wedding Invitation Christmas Ornament

2012-01-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

My brother was married this summer. Not long after his wedding, I found this link on Pinterest for a Christmas ornament made from a wedding invitation. I followed up with my mom who had saved her invitation and promptly claimed it for my project. I bought a clear plastic bulb ornament, ribbon in colors matching the wedding theme, and a cute charm defining love. The whole thing cost me less than $3.

Hot pink and apple green for brother and SIL

Supplies:
1 wedding invitation
scissors or rotary w/ cutting mat
a pen with a round barrel (not hexagonal)
1 clear Christmas bulb ornament (I used plastic)
ribbon in colors coordinating to wedding theme
charm (optional)
something to attach the charm (I used several tiny split rings)

Directions:
1. Cut invitation into strips.
~ I used a straight edge and my rotary tool to slice the invite into strips. I lined up the straight edge to be sure all essential words would be visible and uncut.
2. Wrap the strips around the pen, creating a spiral.

~ You may need to hold each piece in place for a few seconds if the invitation is thick. I do not recommend spiraling by using the old scissor curling technique. It could shred your strips.
3. Put spirals into bulb.
~ I found that if I fed the spirals into the bulb, the spirals all became too loose. But if I coiled them into a small disk before pushing the whole round piece through the hole, they were all too tight. So, I did half of each and the mix left it feeling more diverse.
4. Replace the hook portion of bulb.
5. Attach charm. (Optional).
6. Attach ribbon for hanging and tie a nice bow.

Sometime after finishing the ornament for my brother and sister-in-law, my mom was cleaning out a box in my old room and found the invitation from my best friend's wedding. She was married almost ten years ago! What a great gift that would be!

Red and gray for BFF.

If you know anyone getting married soon or having any recent invitations laying around, do this! It was so easy and I know both my recipients loved their ornaments!

Cleveland Rave: Petitti's Garden Centers

2011-12-28T12:25:00.000-08:00

Petitti's Garden Center is a lawn and garden store with several locations around the Cleveland area. We live a few miles from their Avon store. Sometime before the All Star's first Christmas, someone recommended we take her to visit the Petitti's Santa. They let you take your own pictures, so we were sold!

2011

Since then, and as long as they continue to offer a visiting Santa, it is the only place we will go! They really do let you take your own photos! Every year the photographer has encouraged my husband to get up right behind him/her to get the best shot. They do have picture packages available for purchase as well. The same lovely gentleman has been playing Santa the 4 years we've gone. His partner is a welcoming and friendly Mrs. Claus.

2010

2008 (We did not love Santa in 2009. No picture.)

Mrs. Claus

As if that's not enough to get you in the spirit, your children will love Bertie the Talking Tree. She loves to meet new kids. She addresses them by name and happily sings songs with even the youngest customer!

Bertie

New (as far as I know) this year, was Petitti's story time. For several weeks during the months of November and December, Petitti's offered a wonderfully festive Storybook Hour. At the one we attended, vinyl tablecloths were spread out in front of Bertie for kids to sit on. Children gathered to listen to five stories read by a friendly Petitti's associate. In between stories, Bertie came alive to sing Christmas carols. Petitti's, leaving nothing to be desired, had a hot chocolate bar set out with marshmallows and candy canes!

After taking your children to all these fun events, you probably need some time to yourself. Petitti's holds a Ladies' Night, which sounds perfect to unwind with your friends! Wine, champagne, cupcakes, and local fare are available. Additionally, participants earn a percentage off their purchases that evening. I did not attend this year, but have a friend who did. She said it was crowded (maybe they will add more dates in 2012!), but relaxing and definitely worth it! I'll be going next year, for sure.

Of course, at each of these events, you have the opportunity to shop shop shop. You will not be disappointed in the holiday decor selection or the grand displays. Picture opportunities galore! This year, at the Avon store, guests walked into what felt like a giant snow globe.

Avon store entrance.

Don't forget Fido; Petitti's is pet friendly. Our mascot is a beast so we leave her at home, but I know she'd be thrilled with the dog biscuit buffet found in the pet section!

Thank you, Petitti's for providing an array of wonderful, family-friendly, and best of all - free (my favorite!) - activities throughout the year, but especially at Christmastime. Petitti's is definitely in a league of their own!

Lego KidsFest: Cleveland

2011-11-12T16:24:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, Cleveland hosted the LEGO KidsFest at The IX-Center. I was lucky enough to win tickets from Clue Into Cleveland. My husband and daughter went out for a Daddy/Daughter date and pretty much had a blast. (He's super excited that she loves LEGOs so much.) When they got home it was hard to tell who had more fun.

Information from the KidsFest website says: "LEGO KidsFest is a three-day show filled with hands-on, interactive and educational activities for the whole family. Get creative in the construction zones, meet LEGO Master Builders, help build the Creation Nation and Mystery Murals, experience LEGO Universe and LEGO Games, and see dozens of life-sized models made entirely from LEGO bricks." Additionally, my husband read (he can't remember where) that cities are selected for the tour based on LEGO sales. So, go Cleveland!

There were a variety of activities and stations for guests to participate in. Because our daughter is only 3, there were a couple my husband found to be just a little out of range for her understanding or ability. He thinks 5 or 6 years old would probably be the perfect age to enjoy all the activities offered. One station allowed builders to make a bridge then test its strength with weights. Another area featured all the LEGO games that are available right now. And I can't forget the the mountain of LEGO bricks (and a seperate Duplo mountain) set up for free-building (wishing my husband had taken a picture of that, just so I could have seen it!)

For their first activity, Johnny and the All Star made a flower from LEGO Bricks. For each flower created, LEGO donated $1 to Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital. Because she had to leave her flower in the garden, All Star was rewarded with a helicopter packet to build at home.

The All Star with her donation flower.

Another activity gave them two minutes to build a creation based on a topic given by the facilitator. My girl needed to create something that annoyed her. Based on the picture, I think they created something that annoyed Mommy! For this activity, All Star was rewarded with a build your own race car packet.

Bugs annoy Mommy!

Creation Nation was a favorite for my husband. It's so large that he couldn't even get the whole thing in one frame. Apparently it travels from location to location so people all over the country have contributed to it. I do wish I'd seen this in person. It looks impressive!

LEGO Nation

By far, for my family, the highlight was all the statues and creations displayed around the event floor. They saw Indiana Jones, Batman, Sponge Bob, the cast of Harry Potter, dinos, sharks, aliens, and of course, LEGO minifigures! Here are just a few pictures.

Buzz and Woody

The All Star loved the LEGO minifigures the best! Johnny tells me there was one with a lumberjack beard that she insisted on visiting 3 different times.

Dinos!

Sponge Bob

In posing for the picture, All Star went to rest her elbow on the ninja, but bumped it on a corner of one of the LEGO brick edges. As Johnny snapped the picture, she yelled, "Hey! The ninja poked me!" Much to the amusement of the adults around her, I'm sure.

Lightening McQueen. I love the lady behind M checking the undercarriage. As if she doesn't have faith that it really is ALL LEGOs. But then again, she is also wearing a Steelers t-shirt.

Fun facts from the lanyard each attendee received (too funny not to share):

"With a production of about 306 million tires produced every year, the LEGO Group is the world's largest producer of tires."

"The LEGO minifigure represents the world's largest population of people! Over 4 billion minifigures have been produced in the last 30 years. This is almost 12 times the population of the United States."

"There are 915 million ways to combine six eight-stud LEGO bricks." WOW!

LEGO KidsFest is in a league of its own and we sure hope they return to Cleveland next year!

Recipe: Croissant French Toast

2011-10-04T15:46:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to try this recipe for awhile. Like pretty much all my fabulous ideas of late, I found it on Pinterest. We tried it out this weekend. Original recipe is from My Recipes. I tweaked a little because I didn't have or want to make Strawberry Syrup.

Ingredients: milk, eggs, butter, croissants and vanilla extract

As with all French Toast, this is super healthy! I kid.

Use day-old croissants. Whisk up the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Half the croissants then dredge them in the egg mixture. Melt some butter in your skillet or griddle. Cook croissants about 2 minutes on each side. I needed less time as the pan got hotter and hotter.

Plate up, cover with butter, syrup, whipped cream, fresh fruit, whatever your fancy. We used butter, syrup, and/or whipped cream. They were tasty.

We rarely have French Toast because I won't eat it if it's made with your everyday sandwich bread. And I don't like that I would have buy special bread, so this was an easy alternative. Flavor-wise, it's not any different!

Recipe:

Croissant French Toast

Ingredients

4 large day-old croissants
3/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
Whipped Cream (optional)
Syrup (optional)

Preparation

Slice croissants in half lengthwise.
Whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla. Pour into a shallow dish. Dip croissant halves into egg mixture, coating well.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add four croissant halves, and cook about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Repeat procedure with remaining butter and croissant halves. Sprinkle with powdered sugar; top with Whipped Cream, if desired, and Syrup.

Yield: 4 Servings

Recipe: One-Ingredient Banana "Ice Cream"

2011-09-29T09:49:00.000-07:00

You read that correctly. There is only one ingredient in this yummy treat. It is very easy and obviously healthy compared to the Moose Tracks in your freezer. I originally found something similar on Pinterest, but didn't want to use cocoa powder, so I did a little Googling which turned up this recipe and excellent step by step instructions.

First, take your bananas and slice them about 3/4 inch thick and place on a freezer safe dish. I used 3 extra ripe bananas which provided 2 1/2 servings. Place the dish in the freezer for at least one hour. You want the bananas to be fully frozen. Mine were in for about 3 hours.

Place frozen bananas in your choice of small appliance. I used my blender, but next time I think I'm going to try the food processor. The first pulse with the frozen bananas is loud! Warn the children in the room it's coming. Also, if you are a fan of Dippin' Dots, you can just stop right here and dish the bananas up. It looks just like that!

If Dippin' Dots aren't your thing, keep going! The remaining process takes awhile, but you will be rewarded. Puree, scrape sides, puree, scrape sides, puree, etc. You have to do the steps over and over. Don't give up! Keep at it. The first time we tried this, I almost stopped because I thought I must be doing it wrong. Just keep scraping the sides down. It will eventually turn into a creamy, cold, banana "ice cream" with soft-serve consistency. Yum!

I forgot to take progress pics. It wasn't quite this melty when we dished it out.

All Star #1, what do you think??

We preferred the ice cream plain, but you could add cocoa powder, peanut butter, Nutella, Biscoff, or top with chocolate sauce. Go crazy and enjoy!

Recipe: Christmas French Toast

2011-09-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite recipes to make and to eat! It's called Christmas French Toast only because the woman who passed the recipe to me served it for her family only one day a year - Christmas morning.

Christmas French Toast

1 loaf French bread

6 eggs

1 ½ cups milk

1 ½ cups half/half

1 tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1 stick of butter, softened

¾ cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp. dark Karo syrup

1) Night before:

Cut bread into 1 inch thick slices. Lay in bottom of well-greased 9x13 pan. (Squish them down in there, fit as many as you can.)

Mix eggs, milk, half/half, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix well until frothy. Pour over bread.

Refrigerate overnight.

2) Day of:

Preheat oven to 345 degrees.

Mix softened butter, brown sugar and Karo syrup. Spread over bread. Bake 40 min or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes.

Recipe: Sausage Stew (Crockpot)

2011-09-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

* Recipe from my cousin.

* Hope to edit with pictures soon.

Sausage Stew

1 16 oz. smoked sausage, sliced

1/3 cup diced onion

2 15 oz. cans kidney beans, undrained

1 15 oz. can pinto beans, undrained

1 10 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 10 ¾ oz. can minestrone soup

1 Tbsp. Creole seasoning*

Combine all ingredients in crockpot. Cook on low for 6 -8 hours.

*You can buy Creole Seasoning premade, but I found a website that has a recipe to make your own.

For 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning:

3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder

9/11/11

2011-09-11T17:39:00.000-07:00

I don't know what to say today. I've struggled with Facebook, Twitter, and general conversations with family. 9/11 brings me such a crushing sadness that sometimes I don't even want to talk about it. I just prefer to sit alone and take in as many 9/11 TV specials as I can.

The worst part is, I didn't know a single person killed or injured that day. I feel like beyond the patriotic duty of being saddened, I have no right to feel this way. Then, I had discussions with some ladies on my local message board for moms. Turns out a lot of people feel this way. Or at least, a lot of those moms anyway. Women my age, some a little younger, some older all talked of feelings bigger then them. Feelings they couldn't understand. I was comforted to know that I was not alone.

Ten years ago, I was recently graduated from college, living with my parents. My only sibling was away at his first year of college. And my parents were leaving for a small mid-week trip to a bed and breakfast. My aunt called asking us to turn on the TV. I was glued to it for the rest of the day. She must have called early because I saw everything (the second plane, the towers falling, the Pentagon, Shanksville) happen live. I didn't move from the TV for hours. I spent much of the morning (from the chair in front of the TV of course) trying to reach my brother and updating my parents. I didn't leave the house until the reporters started speculating about gas gouging. I drove my car, then my dad's (a manual when I didn't know how to drive stick) to a nearby station to fill up. Then chatted with my college friends for most of the night. Just trying to talk out what was happening.

I am 32 years old. Our generation had no idea what a national crisis looked like. Yes, we'd seen things like devastating hurricanes and the OKC bombing. We'd all been taught in school about Pearl Harbor. However, nothing could have prepared me for that day ten years ago. Maybe that's where the confusing and and weighted feelings come from. I know only one thing. I will never forget.

Taken from a friend's Facebook status (and edited for grammar):

For the husband who told his wife I love you one last time before his plane went down in a field. For the wife who stopped in the stairs to call her husband to say I will love you forever. For the mothers and fathers who kissed their kids goodbye the morning they died. For the police and firefighters who rushed in and got others out only to die themselves. For the soldiers who fought back for ALL of US and lost their lives. For everyone who died on 9/11... I will remember you...

Recipe: Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken

2011-08-30T07:45:00.000-07:00

* Recipe introduced to me by a friend. If she blogged, I'd give her credit!
* Hope to update with photos...

Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken

4 boneless chicken breasts

1 stick butter (*I use 1/2 or 1/4 stick and it tastes just fine!)

1 package Good Seasonings Italian Salad Dressing mix

1 can cream of chicken soup (*I buy one of the healthy versions)

1 bar of cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup white wine

4 cloves garlic

1 small onion, chopped (optional)

fresh black pepper

prepared pasta or rice

In crockpot, place chicken, butter, garlic, onion (optional), a shake of pepper, and package of Italian dressing mix. Cook on low for 5 hours.

After four hours, add white wine.

After five hours remove chicken and shred. Add soup and cream cheese and stir. Return shredded chicken to crockpot. Stir. Cook on low one hour more.

Serve over pasta or rice.

Total cooking time: 6 hours. Serves 6.

Pink Themed Birthday Party

2011-07-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

The All Star had one request for her birthday party. She wanted pink. In fact she told me everything should be pink. Pink decorations, pink clothes, pink cake, pink food. We did our best to grant her request. Literally. Everything was pink.

Hot Dogs (boiled or grilled)

Ambrosia Salad

Potato Salad (dyed pink)

Macaroni Salad (dyed pink)

Watermelon

Jello Jigglers (they don't really make a "pink" flavor. Boo.)

Pink Party Punch

Birthday Cake (cake and frosting dyed pink)

Hot dog toppings

ketchup, yellow mustard, ball park mustard, sweet relish, dill relish, onion, cheddar cheese, chili, Frank's Red Hot, sauteed peppers and onions, sauerkraut, salsa, and cole slaw

If you are here for pink party ideas we also entertained doing ham and mashed potatoes (dyed pink) but our All Star has a spring birthday so we wanted more summery foods!

Invitations: I used Socializr.com and we tweaked the "Birthday Star" invitation a little to be more personalized.

Decorations: I made tissue poms in varying shades of pink.

The pic was pretty bad, so just giving an idea of pom poms.

I had a great plan to do different sizes and shades and decorate our porch, but we didn't have wonderful weather like last year. It rained all day so we were stuck inside. Other pink decorations - serving bowls, tins for hot dog toppings, tableclothes, plates, napkins, and cups - all pink!

Everyone in our family wore pink. I didn't ask guests to wear pink, but many of them showed up in pink anyway.

Another bad pic, but we all wore shades of pink!

A Pinkalicious time was had by all!

A Letter for My All Stars

2011-04-10T09:08:00.000-07:00

Our local newspaper, The Plain Dealer, along with The Cleveland Indians recently held a contest for Indians fans. You were to write a short essay about your most memorable game. They received over 600 submissions. Originally they were awarding one grand prize winner a ball signed by Indians greats, 4 tickets to a game, and the chance to throw out the first pitch at a game. Four additional finalists would win 4 tickets to a game. Apparently they were so surprised at the number and sincerity of the entries they decided to award 162 (one for each game of the season) extra winners a 4 ticket prize. All 167 winning essays were or will be published in the paper. My essay was not chosen as a winner. I'm still not sure how since my children are named after Indians, but in any case, that doesn't mean it can't be published in some capacity.

I have been an Indians fan as long as I remember. Indians players are household names for us. Literally. My oldest daughter, Maris, is named for Roger Maris. Her sister, Paige, born in January, is named after Satchel Paige. I drove a car for 10 years with the license plate O MY OMR. I own enough Indians apparel to clothe the team itself. There is an authentic Indians jersey with my maiden name on the back framed and hanging in our Indians themed basement family room. I even wrote my 8^th grade “how to” speech about how Indians pitchers pitch.

So, each and every Tribe game I have been to holds a special memory. I saw my first games at Municipal Stadium when I was a child. I’ve attended playoff games that were so exciting you can’t sleep when you get home. My husband and I have traveled to Detroit, NYC, and San Francisco to watch the Indians play ball. I even got to watch my dad don an Indians uniform and play a game at the Jake – albeit a fantasy camp reunion game.

However, there is one game that stands out. July 29, 2008. The Tigers were in town and beat us 8-5. By comparison, it was probably a pretty boring game. That didn’t matter. I had my little girl, just over two months old, in her tiny little Indians onesie, at her first game.

Maris won’t remember it. But I will. And my mom and dad will. Three generations of Indians fans enjoying a game on hot summer night in July. A wonderful Indians customer service representative saw us and offered a certificate to commemorate her first game. I think he was just as enamored with the fact we named our daughter Maris as we were with his stories of his parents actually befriending her namesake many years ago. We ended the night with a group photo at the front gates with the field behind us.

My parents taught me to love Indians baseball. Being able to share my daughter’s first game with them was something I’ll never forget. All of us look forward to a similar memory when we take Paige to her first game this summer. The only thing that could make it better? Writing in her baby book that she helped us throw out the first pitch!

Polka Dot Birthday

2011-01-22T11:43:00.000-08:00

When we switched my daughter from Pampers to Target diapers, she was quite pleased. She'd run around yelling "Polka dot diapy!" So we figured that would be a fun (and easy!) birthday party theme. It was!

We started with the invitations. I love Evite. It is free, saves on postage, allows immediate RSVP options, and even lets the sender know when guests have viewed the invitation. Even better they had a birthday invite with a polka dot background! We thought up a fantastically literary poem about birthdays and polka dots and sent the invitation out.

Decorations were easy too. I bought $5 worth of poster board, found four dishes in different sized circles and started tracing. Cutting turned out to be the hard part. I had almost 100 circles when all was said and done and my hand was significantly cramped/blistered to prove it. We found perfect polka dot table clothes at Old Navy during their 30% weekend and my mom bought 3 dozen daisies in beautiful bright colors. We slipped the "1st" off her birthday banner from last year (which was conveniently dot shaped) and hung that up. Decorations were done! We actually found polka dot latex balloons on Ebay for a great price, but didn't order them in time. The party store near us sold them for much more than we wanted to spend. It turned out not to be necessary. The table clothes, poster dots, and flowers were lovely all by themselves.

We incorporated polka dots everywhere we could. The cake had dots on it and I made jello jigglers in rainbow colors, cut with a biscuit cutter.

Lastly of course, we were all dressed in polka dots. Even the guests (using hints from the aformentioned literary masterpiece, I'm sure) brought gifts wrapped in polka dot paper or bags and some even dressed in polka dots themselves.

Thanks to everyone who helped make the All Star's Polkadot Pallooza birthday party a hit!

Blog Redesign {Lucky Girl Design Studio - Review}

2010-04-28T10:28:00.000-07:00

When I launched my blog in January, I never thought that just one short month later, I would win a valuable blog redesign package. Lucky Girl Design Studios was giving away their highest package on Today's Giveaway. I entered. I won!

Tonya from Lucky Girl was fabulous to work with. She has a great design questionnaire that really helps get the ball rolling. She asked questions that I didn't even think of. It helped to focus me and allowed me to think more broadly about not only how I wanted my blog to look but what I wanted it to be used for. Direction I definitely needed!

Even though I took my good sweet time in deciding what I wanted, Tonya was timely and kept in constant contact with me. I was able to view my design before it went live and make any changes I felt necessary.

From sidebar titles ($2.00/ea) to the Fabulous Bundle ($100), Lucky Girl Design Studio has something for your website design needs. Please check them out. I highly recommend.

Without a doubt, Lucky Girl Design Studio is in A League of its Own!!

What do you think of my new design?

How To: Make Any Children's Pants Adjustable

2010-02-16T20:30:00.001-08:00

Got a skinny kid? Me too!

My go-to stores for pants used to be Old Navy and Gap. Then for some God only knows reason, they stopped putting adjustable waistbands in 99% of their pants in sizes smaller than 2T. I was on the hunt for other stores that sold adjustable waist pants when some of the girls from my mom board suggested just doing it myself to all the pants she has or ones I like and buy.

After a little on line research, I set to it. And good news - it was easy!! It would have been even easier with my sewing machine but sadly, it's stuck behind a giant pile of boxes and junk. (We're reorganizing our attic crawl space - whole other post!)

Before
After

And here's how I did it!

Materials:

buttons
buttonhole elastic
seam ripper
scissors
safety pin
needle/thread and/or sewing machine

Procedure:

1) Use a seam ripper or very sharp scissors to cut two vertical lines on the front panel. I didn't measure. I eye-balled it and used the most space possible (she's really skinny), while still leaving room for the button (which I put at the sides, not the front, but you could do it either way). Make sure your ripped openings are long enough for the elastic to go through.

2) Cut a length of buttonhole elastic. Again, I didn't measure. I just held it up to the lines I had cut. You can see that I have it sticking out a bit on the non-button end. I wanted some security with the overlap. On the other end, I made sure that once I sewed on the button, there would be enough elastic to hook the button and leave the waistband in it's original size. You know in case she wakes up a chunky monkey tomorrow.

3) Secure the safety pin on one end of your cut elastic and thread it through the holes. (The safety pin is only used to pull the elastic through, so you can remove it when you're done.)

4) Hand or machine stitch the non-button end closed.

5) Sew your on button.

6) Repeat on other side of pants.

7) Wrestle or bribe your toddler into numerous pairs of pants so you can secure them at the appropriate size and Voila! You're done!

Aloha Friday

2010-02-12T11:19:00.000-08:00

I often answer An Island Life's Aloha Friday question but haven't ever posted one of my own. Thought it might be fun. If you want to participate as well, head to An Island Life to add yourself to her Linky Widget.

So, I wonder:

Are you doing something special to honor Canada while you
watch the Opening Ceremonies tonight?

We haven't come up with anything creative yet. Everyone I know (us included) ate Chinese food for the Opening Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. I suppose we could eat a pile of Canadian Bacon for dinner and spend the rest of the day saying, "Eh?"

Channeling Your Parents' Parenting

2010-02-03T11:26:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the weekly Blog Hop! Anyone is free to join in. Simply enter your information in the MckLinky at the bottom of this post, repost the MckLinky code in your own post on the topic, and enjoy your fellow bloggers' posts. Remember to leave some Comment Love!

This week's topic: What aspects of your parents' parenting do you want to continue in parenting your own kid(s)?

If my home were hit by some Freaky Friday type twister-oo and my mom and I were swapped 29 years, she'd be my age and mothering my daughter. I'd be 30 and mothering well, myself. And you wouldn't.be.able.to.tell.us.apart. I completely and totally model my parenting by what my mom and dad did. I figure they raised two smart, strong, successful kids (toot, toot), so if I do exactly what they did, I will end up with the same results.

I am so grateful to have a set of parents that I want to model after. I know many are not as lucky. As a I learn and grow as a mom, I hope that I will be able to add in my own twist to the methods. Some things will absolutely remain the same. Here is a list:

Bedtime. I had a bedtime until literally 11th grade. Eleventh grade. And it was embarrassingly early. Like 9pm. But I did well in school, I can't remember ever falling asleep in class, and I was a relatively well rested, pleasant teenager to be around. Perhaps it wasn't the sleep that caused all this. However, there are a "couple" articles/research studies/experiments that document the benefits of a good night's sleep.
NOT grounding. I was never once grounded. My parents didn't believe in it. I don't know why. I've never asked. (We are having dinner there tonight. Hello, dinner conversation.) It sure seemed to work though! The bro (he needs a baseball related nn) and I were never arrested, suspended, or otherwise in serious trouble.
Teaching financial freedom. I had to take classes in school. I had to save a percentage of all gift money. I did not receive an allowance. I may handle this differently than my parents, but it is so important to teach children how to manage money!
Be a parent. I feel it now, but I never once recall feeling like my parents were my friends. I felt loved, appreciated, valued. But I had rules, restrictions, privileges, and consequences.
Brag. Just enough. Just within earshot. Just the truth.

With all that being said:

I wonder a) how my husband would respond to the same question. He and I had very different childhoods. His mom and dad used different methods and also raised smart, strong, successful children. b) how he'd respond to my answers. I don't agree with a lot of methods his parents used and I am sure he's not in love with all of my parents' ideas either. I am a stay at home mom, so I spend the majority of the time with the All Star. I need to do a better job of making sure the Head Coach and I are on the same page. His ideas are important too.

Today is the Greatest Day of the Year

2010-02-02T20:55:00.000-08:00

Two reasons.

First, my brother came home to visit for the first time since moving in August. I was (am) crushed that he moved. He is my only sibling. We were super close. There are still many hurt feelings there, but now isn't the time to dwell on it. He is here. A street over at the moment and I'll finally get to see him tomorrow!

Second, LOST. ABC rocks my world for creating this show. I am one of the crazy intense fanatics. Luckily, so is my husband. I hear they have support groups for spouses of "Losties." It is so fun to be able to watch it together. Anyway, the season premiere was tonight. We all wore theme shirts. Even the All Star (though she was in bed an hour before it started).

We tried to have a themed meal, but seriously. I don't want to eat boar and beyond that, the options are limited. Fish biscuits anyone? So we made some dip, and buckled our seat belts for what would be the beginning of the final season of the greatest series ever created.

It was fantastic! Lots of questions answered, but still.posing.new.ones! Man these guys can write a TV show. I've decided not read spoilers this year. I want it to be completely and totally fresh when I see it each week.

It is a bittersweet season. I'm very sad it's coming to an end, but it's been an amazing show and I am so glad I can claim to be a fan from the very first episode!

What about you? Are you a LOST fan? What did you think?

February 2, 2010 . Greatest day of the year.

What Is Your Child's Favorite Food? Least Favorite?

2010-01-27T18:13:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in my inaugural post the online community of women (mostly moms) to which I belong. I talked about how supportive they are. Recently we all decided to support one another by making sure everyone who has a blog is posting regularly. These girls rock! One of our members, Paige, is spearheading our brand new AntiDramaMama Blog Carnival.

Each Wednesday Paige will post a topic (please recommend a topic as well!), write your answer on your blog and then link your post here (you don't have to be an ADM member!) in the Mcklinky below. If you are not a blogger feel free to answer the question in the comments section at the end of the post.

Today's topic is a nice easy one to get us started: What Is Your Child's Favorite and Least Favorite Food(s). Are you happy about it? How do you encourage a more diverse palate?

The All Star loves food. She is skinny. Clothes fall off of her. You wouldn't realize this from eating a meal with her! Her favorite food is noodles. Any kind. Sometimes it's the old favorite, macaroni and cheese. Sometimes we drizzle olive oil and Parmesan cheese on top. The AS will just chow down on noodles all day if I let her. She also loves fruit, veggies, bread, CHEESE, and even meat (finally). I say finally because she used to not like it much at all. Her molars came in, she could chew it, and now it's a favorite.

On the other hand, there aren't too many things she won't eat. The All Star is picky sometimes in the amount of food - "What mom? I ate 1 chunk of fish and 3 black beans. Then I finished it off with 2 rolls, 2 helpings of green beans, and a pork chop. What do you want from me?" - but she'll try most anything.

I look forward to the day when we all eat exactly the same meal. I always swore I wouldn't be a short order cook. I would not make PB & J everyday for my kids because they wouldn't eat different foods. Luckily I don't have to do that. I alter the All Star's food because The Head Coach and I are doing a no carb thing right now. Obviously I can't feed the child a diet of meat and vegetables alone.

I am generally quite pleased with how well she does with food. She was a breastfed baby who never took a bottle. There was a time when I thought I would have to go to kindergarten with her for snack time. So, to say she's healthy, happy, feeding herself and loving food makes me proud!

Blog Launch!

2010-01-26T20:37:00.000-08:00

Welcome to A League of Her Own!

Allow me to introduce you to The Home Team.

The General Manager:
I am a wife. A mother. A proud Cleveland Sports fan. My family - those that comprise The Home Team and beyond mean everything to me. I am a former teacher. I miss the little first graders I used to share my days with, but wouldn't trade how I spend my days now for anything. I love to cheer on the hapless Cleveland sports teams. They let you down year after year, but really - if you won all the time, what would be the fun in waiting "until next year?" If you haven't already noticed, my blog will carry a pretty heavy baseball theme. My favorite sport of them all.

The Head Coach:
The HC is one of those people who is good at everything they try. He does electronics. He does carpentry. He does cake decorating. He does music. He does sports. He cleans. He fixes. He heals. Did I mention he is the most wonderful father and husband?

The All Star:
She completes our world. The AS is a smart, funny little lady. Her favorite things are Elmo (even though we are a non-TV watching before a certain age family) and ladybugs. She's a tall skinny little thing but eats almost every meal like it is her last. Someday she'll thank me for the good metabolism but right now we just want her to weigh enough when she turns two to be able to turn around in the car!

The Mascot:
Our beast of a weimaraner. She is a crazy (with a capitol C) dog. She was our first baby and grew very attached to us. We were worried when the All Star came along that the dog would not handle it well. They are the best of friends and we couldn't ask for more. Like all mascots, this one will likely only be able to contribute support and a cheering section to the blog. But she's part of the family, so she's included!

Everyone, right down to the dog, helps everyone else on this team feel happy, loved, secure and safe.

Now that you know who we are, how about what we are doing jumping into the pond that is the blog world? I belong to a close knit online community of mothers. We started as a small group when planning our weddings and expanded when we started having children. The women I share that community with have given me immesurable amounts of advice, support, and friendship. I know that most of them would say the same. Being part of such a large group of women has also made me realize how different everyone's opinions are. I know that I have a lot to say about the things that make my life as a mom easier. However, I felt it didn't have to end there. My husband has strong opinions too. I hope that my daughter will one day as well. And my dog... well, just wait until you get to know her. She might be the strongest willed of all of us. The long and short of it is, I would like to create a place where parents and non-parents alike can come to gain information on a variety of topics.

I hope to include:

product reviews
crafts
recipes
guest posts from other moms
stories about my life as a mom
stories from the HC about his life as a dad
giveaways

Okay, enough with my rambling. Let's just dive in. Without further ado:

Play ball!