the sky is pink

Valentine's Day is fast approaching. When you have a little girl in the house, it always seems like Valentine's Day. With the pinks. And the hearts. And all the girly stuff. So when I saw a pair of striped socks, I knew they would be loved as leg warmers. Year round. I didn't even notice the little "Love Me" hearts on the sides at first. She simply adores them. We made up a little, silly song about them. (I'll spare you.) Today, Spenser and I have an extra pair of Love Me Legs to give away. If you would like a chance to win, please leave a comment on this post. I'm guessing the legs would fit a child between the ages of four and ten (give or take). We'll pick a winner on Sunday evening. ( Sock FAQ : I have bought most of the socks at Walmart. They are ladies' knee-highs. They are on an end cap near the unmentionables right on the main aisle.) * * * * * * * * * * * Congratulations, comment #21: Diane of Little Birdies Nest! You are the winner of

I recently found some purply-red corduroy in my stash. I don't remember why I bought it. I started to wonder what could become of the cord. There wasn't enough for a dress. I thought maybe a new skirt. But, there wasn't enough for the pattern I wanted to use . Then it hit me: a wrap skirt. I had just enough to make the skirt. I did not have enough to make the ties, so I improvised. I grabbed a little vintage fabric from my stash and made the ties. I complemented it with a bias-tape hem. Just enough bling to work. I think. (Seen here with my winter-white skin. Now that's a whole lotta bling going on.)

Today is another snow day. I'm happy, though. Really. I'm happy because Taylor's Outdoor School has been postponed until later in the school year. So, in a sense, I'm sacrificing my sanity (today) for Taylor. And I'm good with that. It also helps that the kids have been pretty good this week, too. This morning I whipped up some very simple, but yummy cookies. Cake Mix Cookies: 1 box flavored cake mix* 1 egg 1/3 cup oil 2 - 3 TBSP water Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients together well. Drop on cookie sheet.** Bake for 12-13 minutes. Devour. *This batch was made from Triple Chocolate Fudge cake mix , but French Vanilla is extra yummy, too. (Coming back to report that I like French Vanilla better.) **I always use a Silpat lining . Don't forget to use your coupon there. They never expire.

We had another great weekend. In fact, it was so good, Joe decided to take off yesterday. (No, the truth is that he has had to work crazy hours lately. He had his midnight-night recently and he's had to be at work at 6 a.m. many, many mornings, and it's almost an hour and a half commute. And he still has regular work hours those early mornings, making him come home later in the evenings, still. And then he had to work on Saturday, all day, too. We just love the Army. You know, the running joke is that soldiers are issued everything they need when they join the Army. And families and spouses were not issued. We're "optional." Yeah, we just love the Army. But he's less than three years from retirement ...) On Friday night, Taylor camped out for the annual Boy Scout Klondike Derby. Carter and Jackson spent Saturday (day) at the Klondike. They all had fun. And they didn't freeze too much, which is always a plus. Saturday night I made dinner and took some to

Back in October, when Karyn shared her newest Martha magazine , I knew I had to have it (even though I had looked the day before and didn't see it at the store). When I saw the felted projects , I knew I'd have to make something. Specifically the hot water bottler cover. Oh, I used to love our old hot water bottle growing up. My older sister and I always used it when weren't feeling well. Or when we were just cold and wanted to be warmed. I started dreaming of my kids using one. I didn't know if they still made them, but I had to find out. So a few days later, on a trip to Walmart, I found the beloved red pink rubber hot water bottle. (I always thought ours was red , but faded. Apparently to Karyn, the Walmart worker, and the rest of the world, they are pink. WhatEv.) Then I noticed, on the box, something that disturbed me: There are attachments! I did not know there were attachments. I emailed Karyn. She did not know about the attachments. I called my friend, Kim. She

A few years back, I bought several yards of dark brown corduroy on sale. I made a skirt and a pair of pants/lounge pants . Oh and a pair of pants for Sawyer , too. And a bonnet . I also lined a few bags with it. I was a little obsessed. I think that obsession is back. Most recently I used it for a few Christmas gifts (which I keep forgetting to post). And then for Spenser's jumper . This dress is another Simplicity 3835. It's super comfy and warm. I like making new skirts and dresses for church. It makes it easier to get out of bed in single-digit temps because Hey! I have something new to wear! I think I need a new corduroy shirt. 3835, of course. Do you think it's bad to wish my entire winter wardrobe was made of brown corduroy?

Please excuse my sudden absence. It was not intentional. I have to say (once again) that my readers rock . Thank you for your emails, comments, and phone calls. Nothing tragic happened to me or my family. We're all okay. Thank you. So, where have I been hiding and what have I been doing? Looking back it doesn't seem like much, but I know my days were occupied and pre-occupied. I'll give you a quick rundown. It will probably bore most of you, but hang in there. Thursday we got a teeny tiny bit of snow and school was delayed. I had an appointment (which deserves its own post) that I could not cancel (or even postpone) so I had to rush around delivering my children to different houses before school. By the time I got home, the kids were coming home from school. (Love those shortened days.) Friday I had all intentions of showing you the fab new dress I sewed. But ... after my morning run I got sick. Sick as in sneezing 50 times in two minutes and not being able to catch

I'm always finding little "collections" of things throughout the house. Legos. Rocks (they go back outside). And, Jackson's all-time favorite: "The world's smallest pencils." These are pencils that Jack has sharpened and whittled until there's barely anything left. Sometimes removing the erasers, so he can make them smaller. He's the artist in the family, so I'd like to think that he keeps them in his pocket for impromptu sketches. That would explain why most of these have gone through the washing machine. And for some, the dryer, too. What do your children collect? (Or what do you collect?) I should to a whole series on "You know you're getting old when ..." This happened to me again this morning. This time I was lowering the deck of the treadmill and sniffled simultaneously. I guess my body can't multi-task anymore. I could only run two miles today. The movement of my arms and the jarring of my neck hurt too bad to cont

Before Christmas I saw the free pattern for this bunny pouch . It was one of the things I wanted to make (just because), but pushed it aside for more important Christmas crafting. Last night I decided to sew it. It is made from vintage dark blue gingham and light blue linen. I'm not sure if I enlarged the pattern enough, because it's kind of dinky. I did not add the tail because I know that a little person in the house would just pull it off. I think I would make this again. I'd make a few changes though. The first being sewing it in pink . (What was I thinking?? How dumb am I?)

Last week, when I bought my thrifted oven , I found a bunch of vintage treasures, as well. Two Windswept (by Syracuse) cups. Manufactured between 1958-1970. I think these were like 20 cents each. A bunch of Pyrex mugs. My children use these mugs regularly for hot cocoa, soup, etc. They are the perfect size. Plus, I don't worry that they will break too easily, which is always a concern when living in a house of boys. These were 25 cents each. A vintage Homer Laughlin (Spring Garden) dinner plate. 35 cents. Did you notice the price for a replacement dinner plate? $10.99. Oh, I love this pattern. I would have bought more if there had been more. And a vintage Fire King one-quart casserole, in the Candleglow pattern. The pattern was made from 1967-1972. I think this was either 25 cents or 50 cents. The dorky previous owner had red and white paint on the inside and outside. With a little TLC, and a lot of elbow grease (and splintered thumbnails), it's back to near-perfec

So we're riding around in the car last week, while geocaching . The kids are in the back watching Where the Red Fern Grows (courtesy of Netfix ) and I keep thinking about the mother's dress in the movie. Now, the movie takes place during the Depression, if I remember correctly, so it's not "pioneer" times, but still. So, anyway, I'm thinking about her dress and looking at the bland, dead, wintry landscape (it was overcast and ugly that day, too) and I decided I should make a dress just like the mother's, inspired by the great outdoors. Except, when I got home, I realized I don't have any patterns like that. And there wasn't enough of the vintage brown floral fabric I wanted to use, that reminded me of the brown landscape. I dug through my vintage fabric jackpot and found this red calico: Or maybe it's deep orange. I can't really tell. The dress itself is another Simplicity 3835 . It had been awhile since I last made one . I used the

Yesterday Joe had to go to a hotel/conference center to consider it for an upcoming Army training conference. It was about an hour from home and he asked if we'd like to come along. While he was in his meeting, Spenser, Sawyer and I headed to a nearby thrift store. I found a bunch of cool things, but this is my favorite. A solid wooden oven. I didn't even notice it at first. It was in with the toys, under a table. Since we really don't need any toys, I didn't even go to that section. It wasn't until I was in line buying my other goodies, that the customer behind me asked if I had seen the oven. After my purchase, I went back over, saw the oven, fell in love, and got back in line. It needs a little TLC ... ... but the kids have already given it plenty of love. They've baked cupcakes, cookies, birthday cake, and pizza in it. The oven is from Community Playthings . Just check out their prices! Our stove? $8. $8!!! * * * I want to know who snuck in and put nail

No, I'm not talking about "The Big Three" automakers. I'm talking about my blog birthday ! Today is my third blog birthday. Three. Years . Man, time flies. In honor of my birthday, I am having a giveaway. You don't have one chance to win. Or even two chances. You have three chances to win. I have three snowman dish towels and three bars of handmade chocolate-mint soap that need new homes. Just leave a comment (on this post) for a chance to win. If you can, please tell me how you found my blog, how long you've been visiting, and if you have a favorite/most memorable post, please share it. I will randomly pick three names some time on Wednesday. * * * * * * Wow! Where have you been all my bloggy life? I can't believe all the wonderful comments I've gotten on this post. Thank you! I wish I had 67 snowman towels and bars of soap to giveaway to send to each of you. I used a random number generator to pick the winners of this giveaway. They are as foll

Today is the boys' first day back to school. While it's sad to see them go back (it means Christmas is officially over), it's also nice to get back into a routine. Each year over Christmas break I find myself loudly singing the line from It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas that says "And Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again." This year, I don't remember doing that. It must have been a good break. Saturday we decided to have one last hurrah with the kids. We took them to Home Depot for their children's workshop. And went geocaching. (Someone placed two geocaches in our small town.) And I did a little sewing. This little baby for a little baby that was born in August. And she will finally get her bib and burp cloth , too. (I'm a little behind ...) But today I'm getting back to my routine. I ran . I'm on laundry load #2. I've taken down one Christmas tree (the last one is coming down today, too). I've taken do

I know this is long in coming, but here we are in our Christmas outfits . I found the pattern of this skirt a little confusing. And the sizing, on me, is all wrong. Eventually I will learn that I am not a medium . Or a large. I repositioned the buttons last night, and it's still too big. When I feel like removing and sewing five more buttons, I may attempt to reposition the buttons again. But that will be awhile. * * * * I wanted to leave you with a quote that has been running through my head since the new year began. It's one of my favorites and it's worth sharing. "The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more

... about burning 575 calories before you've had breakfast. Since recovering from my self-inflicted knee injury , I have been running only three or four days a week. I usually run Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, with the occasional Saturday evening. The Saturday morning after Thanksgiving, I ran my first three-miler. I didn't want to tell anyone, thinking it was just a fluke. Well, it wasn't a fluke. In fact, I've been running three miles three to four days a week since. Until this morning ... I decided it was time to pump it up a notch and I ran three and a half . Not fast, mind you. I tell myself "slow and steady wins the race." Not that I'm going to run any race ... It's just about endurance for me. I went from not exercising at all ... ever ... to running. And my body is a little old and achy. I do have to say, though, that running has greatly improved my back. Even when I can hardly get out of bed in the morning because my ba