cnydalynn

{thoughts} reflecting on today

2012-01-23T23:44:00.000-05:00

I have got to get a better system of getting my photos uploaded on the blog. It is driving me crazy. I need to take some things off of my laptop in order to get O X Lion. I really need to but I am scared. I have a backup hard drive but it still scares me to completely take them off of my computer. or at least a lot of them.

Here are the 2 that are worthy from today:

watering their garden.... well A was wetting her chip. weird.

She loves those fingers and that blanky. It is actually pretty funny but a habit she needs to break soon. :(

I NEED to take more pictures. I need to be more present. I went to the grocery store today with A. D was at pre school for a half day. I have been doing things like this on the mornings D is in school. It gives me some time with A by herself. I didn't take any pictures today though. We went to the grocery store and home depot. We then had so many things happen tonight. friends come over to eat supper and finally open Christmas presents. then we called grandfather and A talked and sang to him. Then we video chatted with Nana and the girls were in rare moods. D was in a bad mood at the end. A was talkative and hyper. Then D cried tonight because she was super tired. I don't think I need to record everything but still I need to take more pictures. I think I need to take some apps off of my phone. I think I need to just not have my phone more. I need to be more in the moment of what is going on in our life. I got the house organized this weekend and it feels great. I feel like some painting is next. yes painting. But first I have a TON of things to sew!!!!

~ Mrs. D.

Please continue to keep Samantha from The Handmade Dress in your prayers and thoughts. Her town was hit by a tornado last night.

GIVEAWAY WINNER ~ The handmade dress

2012-01-23T15:10:00.000-05:00

Yea I am so excited and I have a confession. lol I had to use random number because the kids are napping and I wanted to go ahead and announce the winner. YEA!!!! So sorry about that... I have a bad relationship with the random number thingy.

...................................................DRUMROLL PLEASE..................................................

brooke & anissa

I am also a sucker for the first person to comment:) So Jo I am going to send you an e-mail and see if I can't hook you up with something too. You were the first person to comment at the very first part of the giveaway! And I know you guys are thinking. Whoa this chick is so cool. Well yea I am :D BUT stay tuned... you never know when I have a giveaway if there aren't some hidden goodies for someone that doesn't actually "win" the giveaway. I have several giveaways lined up but more importantly lots of inspiration to come.

What are some things you guys would like to see from Cnydalynn? One of my top searches has been the ruffle booty onesies... would you guys like a tutorial on that? Let me know. Leave me some comments.

~ Mrs. D

edited to add: Samantha had a tornado go through her town last night! They are all safe but they are still doing search and rescue in the town from her last update! Please keep Samantha, her family, and her town in your thoughts and prayers! If you have a second please go to her blog or facebook (or both) and send her some LOVE!

{thoughts} growing, sewing, thanking, biking

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

There are many, many things I think about daily that I am thankful for. Sometimes I am thankful for the big things, sometimes the little things, sometimes the struggles, sometimes the achievements. There are so many things to be thankful for that I don't like to spend any time worrying, being angry, holding grudges, being mean, etc. There is one thing about our little family... we like to look at the good in things. We stay to ourselves pretty much and we like it that way. We don't try to over schedule our lives. We love our time together. Our girls are also super fortunate to have grandparents that live near and they get to visit them often. They also have a Nana that comes to visit often and we visit her house about once a month or so (she lives several hours from us) The girls have lots of family that stop in and see them, call them, video chat, etc. We feel like we are blessed, very blessed.

So here are some thoughts and happenings from the weekend.

Let her sleep for when she wakes she will move mountains

I was having a bad day the other day and when I checked the mail I found a package with this inside. My friend, Chen, who does so much for us sent this for the girls. She saw on Pinterest that I had pinned this. She had made an iPad cover with this quote on it with this Heather Ross fabric. I said I loved it and wanted to put that quote in the girls room. Well she made them a mini quilt!!!! What a great surprise!!! It now is hanging above their bed:)

growing

The girls planted a little garden in our backyard not that long ago. Well we finally have some cauliflower. This is called white broccoli by the girls:) We are excited about the broccoli and cabbage coming in too.

earning

We bought some bikes this weekend. We went on a little trip to get them... about a 30 minute drive to a cute little town. We took the girls. D had up chucked on me the night before but felt better the next morning. So we went on the trip. Well everything was great until we go to eat lunch and she wanted me to hold her so she could sleep. yep she upchucked IN THE RESTAURANT on me. good times. I brought her clothes so we changed her. I had to go to the consignment shop and buy something for me. It was a little dress that will now be a nightgown. lol It was funny. She felt better after she got all of that out. ANYWAYS... at the bike shop D found this bike and she REALLY wanted it. So she is going to EARN it. Yep. A chore chart is coming up... stay tuned. (she already has 2 bikes. she wants to sell those bikes and some toys at our upcoming yard sale to earn some money to buy this bike)

motivating

We have been riding some borrowed bikes since Christmas and we finally went out and bought some of our own. We decided that we really enjoy biking. The girls like it. We like to ride new routes when the kids are spending time with their grandparents. We did that today - a 6 mile ride. SO MUCH FUN! oh and that is the bike trailer in the background for the girls. They love riding in it. We have always walked and the girls rode in the double stroller but D is getting big. It was time to do something new. This has been a great new way to exercise. We have a lot of good hills in our neighborhood so it is an awesome challenge.

sewing

plugging away on the Dr Seuss quilt for the girls. I think it is going to be great! Really excited about completing it. I also made another dress, cut out 2 more to make, and got some supplies I needed. I plan on sewing lots of Valentine dresses this week. I have several to make. Fun things coming up. Stay tuned.

organizing

I have been putting off cleaning and organizing my kitchen for far too long. I tackled it today and got a lot organized and threw out a lot that was out dated. It felt so good to get it done. It looks so much better and makes me so much happier. :D

Okay... giveaway winner announced very soon!

~ Mrs. D

{favorite patterns} The Handmade Dress GIVEAWAY

2012-01-15T14:23:00.001-05:00

{favorite patterns series}

I have so many favorite patterns that I use all of the time. I have made then just like the instructions and some I have tweeked to make them custom. I love a pattern that lets you do that - make a pattern what you want it to be. Take away things, add things. All easy enough for the beginner and novice sewer.

Welcome Samantha from The Handmade Dress!!!!

Samantha is a stay at home, homeschooling, momma to four little cuties! She loves to sew and design children's clothing patterns! (Found here) She is also (patiently) waiting to adopt and has been waiting for three years. This momma is awesome! She is always doing crafty things with her kids and going on adventures outside. She inspires me to really show my kids the world around them. She has a heart of gold.... always helping those around her. She gardens, she has a little farm, she knits, she sews... this girl is crafty! Here is a great example:

Yes, she and her hubby beautified this camper and then set out with their family on an adventure to the Blue Ridge Mountains for 13 days. Here are the posts about their adventures.

That is serious people, let me break it down:

13 days

a small camper

FOUR kids and TWO adults

no plan but just to have fun

Seriously inspiring! So onto The Handmade Dress pattern shop.

I have used the Miss Madeline pattern several times and every dress has gotten RAVE reviews from everyone. I have done each one differently. I have to say I think my favorite are still the Dr. Seuss dresses I posted last week. So CUTE! Below are a couple that I have made with the Miss Madeline pattern.

(the first picture is D when she was A's age! I can't believe my baby is getting so big!)

Samantha has graciously offered 2 patterns to giveaway to Cnydalynn readers. You can choose any pattern in the shop HERE, either an e-pattern or a paper pattern. I have to say though my favorite kind of pattern is an e-pattern. They are so neat stored on your computer and you can just print the pattern pieces and cut for the size you want to sew. easy peasy. Oh and no waiting for the mail! But that is just opinion:)

How to enter:

Each thing you complete below is a comment and will get you entered once into the giveaway.

~ tell me your favorite pattern in the SHOP ~

~ subscribe to cnydalynn.com ~

~ like Cnydalynn on facebook ~

~ subscribe to The Handmade Dress ~

~ like The Handmade Dress on facebook ~

~ pin this post on Pinterest ~

~follow Cnydalynn on Pinterest ~

That is a total of SEVEN ways to enter to win a pattern from The Handmade Dress. Again please make a comment for each of the things you complete from the list above. I will choose two winners - I am going to let my girls draw the names. I think that will be more fun that that stinky ol' random number generator!!! The contest is open Sunday, January 15, 2012 until January 22, 2012. Good luck!

~ Mrs. D

A day at the park

2012-01-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

big sister coming home from the dentist with little sister waiting at the door for her

I love that little sister is always waiting at the door whenever big sister or daddy leave (and me too but she usually goes with me!). She loves to great them. She calls big sister D instead of her name and then dada. I love it. She loves to welcome family and friends.

little sister getting into my purse - her favorite thing to do

Daddy and his girls on the way to the park

helping little sister on the rocking horse

sisters

What a great day at the park. It was a Monday and daddy took the day off to take big sister to the dentist that morning.... leaving a day for fun. He promised big sister if she did good at the dentist he would take her to the park. We made it a family day - park, firehouse subs for lunch, home for a family nap. It was a great day!

~Mrs. D

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Christmas with family

2012-01-14T08:30:00.000-05:00

Nana with her two sons and granddaughters

Me, hubby, and the girls at D's Christmas show at school

My parents with D on Christmas day

~ Mrs. D

a recap: Big Sister's Oct Birthday party

2012-01-14T07:30:00.000-05:00

I wanted to make sure I documented this special event on the blog. I can't believe my baby is FOUR! She waited for a whole year to turn four... like the minute she turned three all she could talk about was turning four. She was ecstatic that the day finally came to have her party. Her birthday is in the Fall so we went with a tinkerbell/fall festival. It worked perfect. I am a super laid back person... I think parties for kids need to be about the kids and not all of the other stuff. We had some light snacks and cake. Nothing over the top. I let D help me make some decorations but nothing big. We set up some stations around the back yard with games, crafts, face painting, chalk to color on the privacy fence. The kids LOVED it and played the WHOLE time. Some cried when they had to leave because they were all just playing and having a great time. It was simple and a celebration.

FOUR!

After a cupcake and some face painting

D with the one she looks up to the most, Miss Alanis

This is one of my favorite girls for my kids to hang out with. She is such an awesome, awesome, awesome teenager. We love her and I am so privileged to call her mom my best friend and to watch her grow up. I think she is going to be a great influence to my girls as they grow up and as she grows into a lovely young lady.

My brother with little sister... those two love each other!

Opening her present in her "4" shirt I made with some tinkerbell fabric

I am not a fan of gifts at birthday parties. For little sister's party this year we asked everyone to bring books to donate to the library in lieu of gifts. Everyone loved it. They could bring new or slightly used books and I put something in the invitation explaining this. I got the best response. Back to big sister... she is older so I gave her options A) you choose a charity and everyone does something for this charity (library, women's shelter, church, kids in need) or B) you are allowed to get presents but you have to donate something that you like, something some other kid will also be excited to get too. So she donated a big doll house she had and two bags of toys. The dollhouse went to her preschool class who expressed wanting it and the toys have been given to various people. We will be keeping this tradition in our family!

Little Sister - not sure what she was doing but this is a priceless picture!

I want to recommend making a simple number shirt for your little one's birthday. It makes identifying which birthday you were celebrating and really stands out in pictures. I made this 4 shirt with simple fusible and fabric.

~ Mrs. D

coming up a recap of little sister's party that I didn't post about back in April! It was a heart party so it will be perfect to debut now with Valentine's Day coming up.

Dr Seuss dresses

2012-01-13T15:55:00.000-05:00

The majority of my pictures of the girls together are like this - one with a great smile and the other one with a weird smile. I love it because this is a good look at what it is usually like around this house:)

We are huge readers in this house... and we LOVE to read Dr. Seuss. We are kind of obsessed with all things Dr. Seuss. We have many of his books and when we visit the library we always check out a couple to read. A friend in the moms club asked if anyone wanted to travel to a Dr. Seuss play about an hour from our house... I jumped on it. I knew then that I had to make these dresses. I knew then that I could talk my husband into letting me buy a stack of fat quarters. I knew then exactly what I wanted to make - two dresses and eventually a quilt. The dresses are made and the quilt should be done soon too.

Little Sister

Big Sister

I used the Miss Madeline pattern from the Handmade Dress. I have used this pattern many, many times and I love it. It is simple with very, very clear directions and pictures. It is easy to customize. It is a pattern I go to over and over.

THING ONE AND THING TWO

Onto customizing the pattern to make these dresses:

On big sister's dress I shirred the bottom on the sleeve to make it puff out a little. I don't have a picture but I did have to sew a little corner onto the fat quarter to make enough fabric for her skirt and it really ended up looking so, so cute. It was a special touch.

On little sister's dress I also shirred the bottom on the sleeve but left about a 1/2 inch below the shirring for a slightly different sleeve but still had some puff to it. I also shirred the neckline instead of putting elastic in. I sewed several shirred rows using the foot on my machine as a guide. I think I ended up with about 3 or 4 rows. I was low on time and the bobbin was already loaded with elastic thread so that is the reason I shirred the neckline. I reallllly like the way it turned out. I will probably be doing this again. It was such a cute variation. The skirt is just strips sewn together to make enough fabric for the skirt. I was using fat quarters so I didn't have a lot of fabric in one piece and this was a good way to utilize what I had on hand.

I love the way these dresses turned out. I actually ordered the Dr. Seuss panel (it should be here today) to make a scrappy quilt with the leftovers from the dresses. I am going to say it again... I love having two girls to sew pretties for... and before I know it they will be sewing with me.

Would you like some tutorials on how to customize a pattern like I did? What would you like to see more of on Cnydalynn? comment away - let me know.

~Mrs. D

this is the fat quarter set I bought HERE (although I bought mine on amazon which at the time was the cheapest price I could find)

LOVES of my life

2012-01-12T23:11:00.003-05:00

Let her sleep for when she wakes she will move mountains!

Good night all I am going to snuggle these two little loves!

~Mrs. D

Raising daughters

2012-01-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

A SISTER is a little

bit of childhood

that can never be lost.

Those are my daughters up there. Mine. They grew in my belly. I felt them kick me in the bladder for a large part of my pregnancy. :) I gave life to them. I held them while they slept... watching them breath, looking at every detail of their cute little bodies, praying over them and their future, singing to them, nurturing them, and thinking daily about the kind of mom I want to be to them. Girls. I never thought in a million years I would have two daughters. Two beautiful, healthy, smart daughters. I come from a family of a lot of boys. I have a brother, my only sibling. I for some strange reason just thought I would have boys. So strange now that I think about it... because I would have it

NO OTHER WAY! God knew what he was doing (and He still does) putting these two little girls in my life.

I am so blessed to be able to stay at home and raise my children. I feel like it is such a blessing. I think EVERY morning when I am waking up beside my two little girls how very blessed I am. Some mommas have already had to wake up, get themselves ready then their kids and get out the door. Kids going to school or daycare and mom going to work. I think about that and how I know what they would love to trade places with me and snuggle their babies for a little longer. You see our little ones still sleep with us. And it is a decision that my oldest daughter loved and we welcomed it. When little sister came along she just felt comfortable there too. We are a family of snugglers. We love to snuggle. My husband and I know that the day is fast approaching that they will not snuggle anymore and want their own space. That will be okay but for the moment we are enjoying our time snuggling and reading books and being one big family. So there are moments each day that I stop and thank God for the blessing of stay at home with them. We have freedom to go to the park, the library, the grocery store, the grandpeople's house, to see daddy at work, to have a play date with friends, to have family stop by for a visit with no notice. We are surrounded daily by those we love. I get frustrated sometimes just like every parent but we know we are blessed. We live a blessed life.

So fast forward to today... my parent's came and got both girls to stay at their house for the night. ~BLESSED~ The girls love going over there and well they get spoiled rotten. That is okay... that's what grandparents are for. I am again blessed that my parents live so close that my girls can go over and see them often. Anyways... my husband and I went on a walk like normal but today we didn't have to answer 9 billion questions from the kids. (we love answering their 9 billion questions on the walk but a break is always a nice change) So we were talking about a teenage girl in our lives, whom we love to pieces. I am best friends with her mom. Her dad works with my husband. We are close to her. I feel like she will come to me and talk when sometimes she won't talk to her mom. I told my husband that it is like looking into the future for me. It is like free practice as a mom of daughters. She is a very, very smart and level headed teenager. MUCH MORE than I was at her age. I listen as her mom says what they talk about and how she handles certain things. She talks to her mom... about things I wouldn't have dared to talk to my mom about. She is dealing with serious issues with such a mature attitude. I want to be aware. I want to learn. I know I have a lot to learn. I want to listen. I want to learn to listen. I want to teach my daughters that they are sisters and always will be. I want them to love each other and respect one another. As I was talking to my husband about all of this and he looked at me and said I know, I know. We were on the same page. We have to take this and learn. We have to be aware of the world surrounding our daughters. We have to be who they go to and make sure for the times that they don't come to us that there is someone for them to turn to. As we walked we talked - we were a united front. My heart smiled because I know my girls are so blessed and even more blessed to have two parents who want to help them be the best that they can possibly be. We want to raise them to be well rounded, polite, caring, compassionate, smart, aware, creative young women. We are on a great path and I am excited.

I will share a quote from a great and wise friend, a mother of three daughters.

"I want to help them find

their passion in life

and not let the wrong

passion find them"

I had to write this down because I didn't want to forget it. I want to remember. I try daily to live in the moment... each day is precious. Each day is a gift.

~ mrs. d

knot dress with Sarah Jane fabric

2012-01-11T21:18:00.000-05:00

I can't begin to tell you my LOVE for Sarah Jane and her art. When I saw on Pinterest (yes I spend WAY too much time on there!) that Sarah Jane had a new line of fabric I think I actually squealed. I probably then ran back to show my husband like he really cared. lol I mean how much cuter can a fabric line get: little girls dresses, bicycles, children on parade, polka dots, children playing in wagons and with dolls, rockets, flowers, A FAMILY TREE panel. I mean this is like a dream come true for a mom of two girls! Even the boys prints have made their way into everything I have made with this line too - they are that cute!!!!

In November we had family pictures scheduled. I knew that this year and hopefully for the years to come the girls had to wear something momma made. It was a must. I knew I wanted to use Sarah Jane's Children at Play fabric line. I love the colors. The prints are timeless and whimsical.

We always use the end of the year for birthday pictures for D (who turned FOUR this year!) and also family pictures for Christmas cards. I was totally okay with these not being the typical Christmas card colors - I am embracing being a mom of two girls. The girls out number poor daddy so GIRL colors win. :) Pink pretty much has taken over this house!

I used this pattern from Whimsy Couture. It was a good pattern. This is a pretty simple dress to make but I like to use a pattern and not have to figure out sizes and things like that. I think patterns make my life easier. I did alter that way I made little sister's dress by piecing large strips from the Children at Play line together to make the skirt. I love how it turned out. I used the children on parade print for big sister's skirt part.

What a precious moment in time for us as a family. I am so happy I made their dresses but even happier that those are my daughters. I am one proud momma!

~ Mrs. D

A very special thank you to Lindsay from Cottage Mama for sharing some of her Sarah Jane with me! I can't wait to make some super cute dresses with one of her patterns!!!

All photos taken by the talented Wrenda Slaymaker Photography

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Pinterest style goals: a little update of sorts

2012-01-10T16:34:00.001-05:00

Hello there. I think I am going to like my goals being organized like I have them on Pinterest. I think it has really given me a clear look at what I want to accomplish and I have to say it feels nice today to mark something off already. YEA!

I love Philippa Gregory. I have read all of her novels. I think when I read them I put myself in that period of time. I love to read about the Lords and Ladys, dukes and duchesses, and well the kings and queens. It is all so interesting... heart wrenching at times but interesting. We have come so far but that is history. A part of history I find fascinating. I think maybe I like that things were done so much out of respect back then. Whether you liked it or not... you had to have respect and to teach your children respect. Okay I know there were so many things in this era that were so not awesome but very, very brutal but I like to take from it what I want. yep it is a book that I read and this is my blog:)

So the latest novel was The Lady of the Rivers. It was so interesting to read an account about not the queen or king but the Duchess that served the Queen throughout her reign. I love the way Gregory writes - it makes me feel like I am there. I loved this book and can't wait until her next novel is released... she is a phenomenal writer.

Okay so one thing checked off of the 2012 list of books I wanted to read. Onto Don't Panic Dinners in the Freezer - which looks like a great book. I flipped through it when I checked it out at the library and I was impressed. Also Outliers. I got them both from my local library - people if you don't know your library you are missing out. Public Libraries ROCK!!!! I feel like I have a deadline when I check books out from the library which for me is good - I do better under pressure.

Until next time.

Mrs. D

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2012 - books for kids list PINTEREST style

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

2012 - books for kids list

To be honest with you this is a page that I will probably add to a lot as we read. One thing I do before library day is go online and reserve several books I KNOW I want to read to the kids and then once we are there the kids get a couple more and so do I (for them). It works out great. I don't have to try to find certain books with two kids in tow and we get to casually find some we want to try out. It is a good compromise. Again I love my library ladies - they are always so patient with me:) and my kids :):)

Click here to see the list with links on pinterest-------> 2012 - books for kids

Here is where I need your help - do you have any toddler book recommendations? I would love to hear them! Do you have a favorite from your childhood?

Like I said as we read books that we pick out while we are at the library I will probably add the ones we like to the list as a way to keep up on what we have read this year. I think it will be fun to do this every year with the kids.

~ mrs. d

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2012- books for me list PINTEREST style

2012-01-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

2012 - books for me broken down into categories

I saw on MoneySavingMom how she made a goal of books she wanted to read each year. I thought that was a great idea. There are so many books I really want to read but when it comes time to get them at the library I forget which ones I wanted to read. uhhhhhh and then with 2 kids in tow at our tiny library trying to find books is just NOT fun!!! so I have a plan. Our library lets you reserve books online and they call and tell you when they are ready for pick up. I have 6 different categories of books: fun, mom, devotional, parenting, cooking, motivational, and organizational. I looked at all of the books I selected and marked which ones were already available at my library. I am going to try to choose a couple from each category each month to read. As for the ones that they don't have I am going to interlibrary loan them... or sometimes they will just buy the book I request. I love my library!!! I really do! So try to read a couple from each category - planning ahead on the ones the library doesn't have to request them before I need them.

Click here to see the list with links on pinterest------------> 2012 - books for me

What books do you want to read in 2012? do you have any that should be on my list?

~Mrs. D

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2012 - sewing/crafting list PINTEREST style

2012-01-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

2012 - sewing/crafting list - something to make each month of 2012

Oh the things you can get inspired by on pinterest. You can pretty much find ANYTHING you want on pinterest, especially crafty/sewing projects. I always mean to make the things I pin but that doesn't always happen. I have two kids and most of the time life gets in the way of things. But I think with setting a goal to do ONE thing each month will help me to accomplish some of the things I really do want to make. I have tried to put some really time consuming things mixed with some not so time consuming things so there is time to not feel pressure. I have a love/hate relationship with pressure. I think this will give me a good balance between the loving and the hating.

Here is my monthly breakdown:

January: start swoon quilt AND make a jelly filled by thimble blossoms quilt
February: towel cover-ups (X2) AND need things holders for purse
March: wee wonderful dolls for the girls AND complete baby quilt for gift
April: make a wild thing by thimble blossoms quilt
May: masks for costume bin for the girls
June: Tie wreath AND (maybe) read, white, blue star quilt
July: Apron top (X2) for the girls
August: Oliver + S Jump rope dress for D for back to school
September: mini quilt
October: fabric hoops/flower/ maybe bunting
November: heart quilt to donate to hospice in memory of my grandma
December: finish up any lingering projects

Click here to see this board on pinterest with links--------> 2012 - sewing/crafting list

not on pinterest but want an invitation? let me know I would be glad to send you one!

~ mrs. d

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2012 - Natural list PINTEREST style

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

2012 - Natural list - something natural to try every month in 2012

I have a love lately of all things natural. I have been trying to eat more organic foods, gardening with the kids (although my mom is a MUCH better gardener and teaches the kids WAY more than I do), using natural remedies, etc. I want to make better decisions for my family and the environment. I want to teach my kids a healthy way to live. So once again I used all of the things I have pinned on pinterest this past year and picked 12 things... one to try each month. not 50 but 1. I don't want to overwhelm myself with this I just want to try some new things and see how it works.

Here is my monthly breakdown:

January: compost bin and/or homemade deodorant
February: homemade vicks rub
March: research oreganol/lympha rub
April: homemade bug spray and homemade fly repellent
May: homemade bubbles (not natural but it fit for this month)
June: reusable swiffer pad
July: dry shampoo
August: homemade cleaner
September: vertical garden
October: hair repair
November: orange vinegar and/or candied oranges (not totally natural but fit this month)
December: PICK something or do something we missed

click here to see the pinterest board for links -------------> 2012 - natural list

not on pinterest yet but want to be? let me know and I will send you an invite to join.

Do you have anything natural you love to make? I would love to hear your ideas!

~ mrs. d

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2012 - kids school PINTEREST style

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

2012 - kids school - one thing to try/do each month of 2012 with the kids

I have always loved pinterest for inspiring me with neat things to do with my kids... and most of the time they are so simple too. I always see these things, pin them, and then forget to go back to some of them. I wanted to change that but not try to do all of them at once but pick one to try/do each month. I actually got big sister in on this pinterest action and she loved it. I pulled up my kid board with her and she picked some things she thought looked cool. I then designated a month for each one. I tried to look at which month I put things in - for example I put the bubbles and water things in the hotter months, the advent things in the month of December, etc. I think this will give me motivation to try new things with the girls and also actually put pinterest to use in my life:) oh yea I did just say that... PUT PINTEREST TO USE!

So here is a breakdown by month:
(note: the letters in ( ) will be the letters from Impress your Kids)
January: toddler sewing (ABC)
February: handprint Valentine's cards (DE)
March: Respect verse (FG)
April: write a letter to a princess (yea yea she will love it)
AND painting with condensed milk (HI)
May: giant bubble maker (JK)
June: sprinkler fun (LM)
July: bubble snakes (NOP)
August: yarn globe (QR)
September: sensory table activities (ST)
October: shaving cream painting (UV)
November: Thankful activities (more pins on this to come) (WYZ)
December: snowflakes AND truth in the Tinsel for Advent (make up missed letters)

click here to see the board with all of the links-------------------> 2012- KIDS SCHOOL

I know that this is a lot to do, especially with the Impress your Kids stuff, but we can strive to do it all. Like I have mentioned before I am not a I HAVE TO DO THIS OR THE WORLD WILL END kind of person so if we miss some things that is ok. I don't sweat the small stuff and I want to teach my kids to not sweat the small stuff either!

Do you need an invite to join PINTEREST? let me know and I can send you an invite to join.

until next time.
~ mrs. d

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2012 - cooking list PINTEREST style

2012-01-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

2012 - COOKING LIST - recipes to try each month of 2012

Okay here is the 2012 list of things I want to cook broken down into months. Will I cook more than this? you betcha! But I wanted to make a commitment to cook one new thing each month. I am even going to say that I might switch months if I need to cook one thing one month instead of another. I am not OCD (like so many of my friends. love you guys!) so changing things up doesn't bother me. I want to not stress out about this and just make it fun. Make it something I want to do and enjoy doing.

Here is what I have so far:

January: homemade wheat thins

February: perfect popcorn with coconut oil (and beg hubs for a popcorn popper)

March: whole wheat brownie cookies

April: Rainbow Cake

May: Whole wheat pitas

June: healthy cookie sweetened with banana

July: Strawberry Jam

August: BEST chocolate chip cookie

September: homemade pretzel bites

October: homemade goldfish crackers

November: perfect orange marmalade

December: nutella cookies - OH YEA!

Click ---------> 2012 - COOKING LIST for all of the recipe links.

Do you want to join me???? come on. I know this will be fun and painless... well minus all of the exercise to work off some of these:)

~ mrs. D

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2012 goals PINTEREST style

2012-01-03T13:58:00.001-05:00

Pinterest... oh how I love thee. For a visual learner, organizer, doer like me - Pinterest is a dream come true. I am serious. It is a dream come true. So when it came time to look at what I wanted to accomplish, read, cook, make, learn, teach in 2012 I knew Pinterest was my answer. And it was. I am organized now for all of the areas I really wanted to work on this year. And to be honest it didn't take me a long time to get these goals together. To be totally honest it was fun.

I want to be the best I can be and I think this year is the first year I have a plan with SMALL GOALS that will at year end result in a BIG GOAL ACCOMPLISHED! this is huge to me. I mean I can visually see where I am going and what I have already done.

So follow me on a journey of a year of not just blogging but becoming a better me. I may not blog great pictures that have been edited in photoshop but what you will see is me becoming the ME I know I can be. I am challenging myself. I am excited (did I already say that:) about what is in store.

Here are some of my boards. I will post them individually too.

~Mrs. D

edited to add: So today is the day I am working on my blog and goals for 2012. My sweet parents have my kids and I am relaxing while working. I am looking at all of these comments I have gotten on posts on the blog that I never received! I am so upset!!!!!

I am trying to fix the problem asap. If you have commented and I didn't respond, please resend it to me or shoot me an e-mail at cnydalynn (at) gmail (dot) com.

and one more thing... how do I get my PIN IT button to work properly? help I am not a technical person. ekkkk

Thanks!

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Vintage Dresden LOVE

2011-09-30T14:53:00.001-04:00

A dear friend gave (well I begged for a very long time) a beautiful vintage dresden plate quilt top - no batting or backing just the top. It is vintage heaven! It has some holes, ie. character, and I was going to fix it.... Someday! Well I pulled it out and put it over the coverlet on my bed and I love it! It is perfect! I love all of the color. My girls and I lay on it and look at all of the different fabrics all of the time. I want them to appreciate things like this!

-- Post From My iPhone

Sewing dance bags

2011-09-20T01:02:00.001-04:00

My oldest started ballet and loves it! We have a great small group of girls in the class and I love all of the other moms... Which is nice. You can't wear ballet shoes outside so we have to carry them in and switch shoes - all of the girls needed bags. I said I would make some bags - the moms are going to just pay for the materials. Good exchange. I can't wait to give them all their bags tomorrow.

This is some very late night sewing for this now very tired momma!!!

-- Post From My iPhone

water drinkers

2011-09-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

My girls are HUGE water drinkers. I have so many pictures of my girls drinking out of their sippies. I know that sounds crazy but one day they won't do that anymore. I want to remember this... this is a constant part of our life right now. filling up water bottles, drinking all of them in one fell swoop, remembering them when we go anywhere, having them spill in the bed (arghhhhh), and all over again.

I had to take this last picture... I mean how cute is that belly and those LEGS! oh my goodness!

Little sister now on the left, big sister at the same age on the right! WOW! time has flown... I remember taking that picture of big sister like it was yesterday:) I love these two babies.

~ mrs. d

Baked Spaghetti from Taste of Home

2011-09-06T06:30:00.000-04:00

Photo by: Taste of Home

97% would make again

Read reviews (23)

Rate recipe

This yummy spaghetti casserole will be requested again and again for potlucks and family gatherings. From Westminster, Maryland, Louise Miller writes, "It's especially popular with my grandchildren, who just love all the cheese.

I was looking for an easy baked spaghetti recipe and I found this one. I loved it:)

I used ricotta not cottage cheese... it's what I had on hand. Everyone loved it.

This is an easy recipe to make and take to someone... I usually make it when someone has a baby. or sometimes when there is an illness. whatever. It is yummy, easy to transport, and easy to make ahead. I think this would also be a great freezer meal - I think the next time I make it I am going to make the recipe as it and split it up into two pans - eat one and freeze one.

Recipe found HERE

~ Mrs. Doodle

two princesses and a princess kitty

2011-09-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

Yes they are dressed up in princess dresses

Yes those are teal gloves big sister has on

Yes little sister is in the baby doll stroller

Yes big sister is pushing her around in it - they do it ALL of the time. even ripped the seat and I had to make a new one.

Yes I love how little sister always crosses her feet like that

Yes that is PRINCESS kitty little sister is holding - she is our family kitty for right now. She's super awesome. I am not sure how super awesome a real kitty would be around two girls.

Yes in the background of this picture there are numerous baby dolls all over the floor just laying there.

Yes this is a perfect picture of a normal day in our house

Yes these two girls are the absolute BEST! (when they aren't fussing at one another! :)

~mrs. d

Pioneer Woman - grilled ribeye

2011-09-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

MY MOUTH IS WATERING!

Photo from Pioneer Woman's blog

So we love to eat steak around this house CHECK

We love to eat onions CHECK

We love to eat blue cheese CHECK

We love to grill CHECK

Oh and we love cream 'cause it is so good for you:) DOUBLE CHECK

We are going to be making this very very very soon. As in I am running to the grocery store to get the stuff to make it tonight:)

Recipe found HERE!

~ Mrs. Doodle

Neil's pancakes from Martha Stewart show

2011-09-02T05:30:00.000-04:00

I love watching Martha Stewart. For one it is really funny when she is such a smart a^% to her guests... and they love it because she is Martha Stewart. lol But whatever I love the show and always have.

I saw the show where they made these pancakes and thought immediately that I needed to try them. I bet they are so light and yummy. So these are on the list of TO MAKE - maybe this weekend without the kids. Thanks grandpeople:) Oh and the recipe has whipped egg whites... like a meringue. Can you say light and fluffy!

Find out why the pancakes at Clinton Street Baking Company were voted the best in New York with this recipe from owner Neil Kleinberg. It comes from his "Clinton Street Baking Company Cookbook."

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Neil's Pancakes - Martha Stewart Recipes

Recipe found HERE!

~ Mrs. Doodle

Busy Bag fun

2011-09-02T05:00:00.000-04:00

I participated in a busy bag swap not long ago. It was mainly for the oldest but then little sister decided she needed in on the fun. She loved putting the pom poms in the bottle. (and I have no idea why there is a brush in the picture on the floor! of the kitchen at that:) I signed up for the swap because we were going on a trip via plane and I thought I would take a couple of the activities with me. We took them and she played with some of them but yea she really just wanted to play her school games on our phones:) kids and technology.

Madiganmade: coconut and chocolate bars

2011-09-01T20:44:00.000-04:00

My favorite dessert is chocolate and coconut... Oh and then I saw this recipe. I am going to be trying this one. Oh yummmmmmmmy!

Recipe found HERE!

Thanks Madiganmade:)

~ Mrs. Doodle

More dresdens in the making

2011-09-01T14:09:00.001-04:00

My friends there is nothing more in quilting that makes me happier than dresden plate quilts. I don't know why, they just do. Here is a string of them waiting to be made into plates, to be put on blocks, and then made into a quilt. I can't wait until it is finished.

sisters - around 15 months

2011-08-01T09:33:00.000-04:00

We went to my mother in laws this weekend and I saw a picture of my oldest daughter at the same age that my youngest is now. It was funny how much they looked alike... although my oldest has always had more hair. She had a lot of hair and still does. My youngest has a lot of hair too but it is totally different and has a mind of it's own but we LOVE it just the same. These two have such different personalities. It is amazing that you can have two kids that are so different. Okay just for fun here are some things that make them so different but oh so unique.

D at this age:

* happy

* easily to discipline

* had those cute pigtails

* easy to take out to supper - not a messy eater

* easy to travel with - a movie and her passi and she was good

* uhhh about this point she started co-sleeping with us:)

* loved her passi with all of her little heart

A at this age:

* happy but also a little grumpy - she grumbles a lot in baby talk:)

* she bites when she doesn't get her way - not sure where this came from

* she wants whatever her sister has at the moment

* she gets super upset and has a complete meltdown when she is disciplined

* eats really well - also loves anything with potatoes, will throw whatever she doesn't like on her plate on the floor

* she likes to travel but not a good long distance traveler

* loves to suck on her two fingers and carry around her blanket

They are both so different but so awesome. I love my girls. I am so blessed to be their mother. I am so excited about what's to come... we are approaching 18 months for the A and 4 years for D. These are some huge milestones. exciting. very exciting.

~ Mrs. D

baby apron towels

2011-07-31T20:24:00.000-04:00

I have been making them for a while but I am close to opening an online store. I am over the moon excited. I think these are a MUST HAVE for any parent. They make bath time for you and your child so much EASIER! More to come on these great towels.

p.s. that cute little man, well, he isn't mine. nope that cute baby is my friend Amy's little boy. She is a friend from High School that was in town recently and offered to take some pictures for me. She also let me use her little man in these pictures. THANKS AMY!

~ Mrs. D

WIP AMH Dresden quilt

2011-07-24T09:55:00.001-04:00

I have always wanted to make a Dresden plate quilt for my bed. I bought a fat quarter set of Anna Marie Horner's garden party fabrics a long time ago. I am finally cutting into it to make something for my bed. I can't wait to finish it because I know it is going to be so pretty and what I want. Perfect:)

It is in the beginning stages but look at those colors together:) heaven!!!

-- Post From My iPhone

Our 4th of July, 2011

2011-07-14T21:51:00.000-04:00

Our family - July 4, 2011
side note: I set the camera on a chair before everything got busy and took our picture together. I am so glad I did. I love this... it is so us. I made the girls' dresses which makes it even sweeter.

Dress pattern is the Out for Lunch Dress Pattern from HappyTogether. We did a swap and I am so glad I got this! It is a GREAT pattern - so clear with lots of pictures and easy to customize. I knew when I saw the DS fabric from Joann's that I wanted to make 4th of July dresses for the girls and it turned out to be perfect. It was just what I wanted it to be.... not too red, white, and blue but just enough that it works great.

my baby girl is becoming my big girl so fast. She is so dang smart and compassionate. She loves to dance and show off her skills to an audience. beware you'll get sucked in. She loves gymnastics... she's trying to perfect her cartwheel and bars. I did bribe her yesterday if she did back hip circle I would get her a happy meal. yep I was THAT mom! She currently has a contract with her dad and I that we will check out dance lessons if she takes her medicine for the rest of the time period without fussing - she's not doing bad but she's not doing great either. We are working on it though and the not fussing period part. She read a book to my mom tonight. she loves cheese sandwiches!

my baby girl. oh this one has a plan of her own. She is so dang sweet but so mean all at the same time. She is a little stinker. she has the cutest gap front teeth. she likes to bite and pinch for some weird reason. she knows how to cry, real and fake. she wants to do whatever her sister is doing... mostly just to make her mad.

She is so her daddy's baby. She knows it too. It is so dang funny. She gets so upset when she knows he is going to leave... especially if he leaves with big sister and not her. He is such a prince to those two girls too. He really does anything they want... he is able to really talk to them and get them into something. He has both of the girls brushing their teeth like pros. A grabs her daddy, leads him to the bathroom to her toothbrush, says, "ahhhhhhhh" and points to her brush and the water. Her dress was my own little creation. I love how it turned out too. I love the DS fabric on the skirt. That's my favorite print of the collection.

On an aside we went to visit some of J's family in Ohio for a several day visit. It was a nightmare getting their on the plane... Delta pretty much is not an airline we ever want to fly on again. uhhhhh. We had a great time once we arrived. We stay with J's aunt and uncle. His other aunt and uncle aren't too far from there. His cousin, her husband and daughter are close too. He also has other family members close. I was so nice to get to see everyone. It is so good for the girls to see everyone. J's dad's grave is close too so he made a point to take big sister on a daddy daughter trip. He needed that... they were able to have some time to share him together.

when we got home, my father was back in town (he had been gone for work). The girls were so excited to have him back. They have been having some major grandpeople time lately and loving every minute of it.

Talk soon.
Mrs. d

her first pedicure!

2011-06-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

I will admit that I am not one to get regular pedicures. I haven't found someone that I really like and I don't like to go to places where I can't understand what they are talking about. oh and it is hard to get the time to go, get someone to keep the little one, and actually get there. WELL a call to one of my really great friends and problem solved. I found the perfect person to give me and my oldest daughter perfect pedicures. This was her first one and she did AWESOME!

Her FAVORITE color is PINK. Ask her any time and that is what she will say.

She picked BLUE SPARKLES! yep... BLUE! I just couldn't believe it.

I was "allowed" to get pink sparkles on my toes:) she is such a nice boss!

I am so excited about these mother/daughter experiences. I have a lot of years ahead of me in a salon and I have to say I am excited!!!!

~ Mrs. D

i can brush my teeth momma

2011-06-23T23:27:00.000-04:00

I will admit that the one thing I asked my husband to be responsible for was brushing the girls teeth. I don't know why but I just thought they might respond better to him with it than me so he took it on from the beginning. Well this little missy has perfected getting her little booty up that step stool, getting her toothbrush (or anyone's that she can reach) and preceding to yell for someone to turn on the water for her. It is quite funny. She does a great job brushing too. My hubby has really done a great job teaching them this MUST KNOW skill. :)

~ Mrs. D

my apron towels

2011-06-23T23:22:00.001-04:00

I don't really know why I have never posted a good picture of the apron towels I make. They make bathing your baby SO. MUCH. EASIER!!!! I first knew I needed to come up with an apron towel when I had my oldest daughter. She was in the bath and I had one of those small hooded towels carefully balanced on my arm... I pick her up out of the bath and yep there goes the towel!!!! I get all wet, she is all slippery, I am trying to get the towel, and well you get the slippery mess of a situation we were in. And don't think this happened one time. Nope it happened one too many times and I went and sat down with my sewing machine! I knew there was a better way. a safer way. a cozier way.

THE APRON TOWEL WAS BORN!

I have these for my girls and I have given them to several friends. We all love them! It makes bath time easier. You put the towel on while baby is in the bath, bath the baby, lift your sweet bundle out and onto your chest, bring up the towel to swaddle that sweet little love muffin of cuteness, and when you lay the baby down to get all lotioned and dress you simply untie the neck ties. It is easy to hang to air dry on a hook and easy to wash. It is the perfect bath time MUST HAVE. only $23 (plus shipping)

So do you think you would be interested in seeing more of these?

~ Mrs. D

raising READERS

2011-06-06T16:04:00.000-04:00

I often write about how important we feel it is to read aloud to our children. I don't really need to get into it right now... heck look at my last post. We usually place holds on books that I find in the read aloud handbook or online and then walk into the library and get them. Easy peasy!

One day we were hanging out at the house... the girls were playing in the playroom and I was cleaning up. I walked in to check on them and this is what I found.

big sister reading while little sister gets some books too

little sister looking at one of her books

with her PRINCESS leotard on she reads about dancing:)

grow little turnip... the first book that she "read" to us and her grandfather via video chat

We are so proud of our girls and the love they have for books. Big sister is really trying to learn how to read which is so exciting. I know a lot of parents want reading to come early but I am not pushing it. We read aloud to them and they will read when they want. I want reading to be fun for them. I know once they learn they will never look back:)

~ Mrs. D.

A few books that we have been LOVING

2011-05-23T16:51:00.001-04:00

My husband and I feel it is SUPER important to read aloud to our children. We have seen the results from reading aloud to our oldest daughter and now we are beginning to see it with our youngest daughter. We already had an established routine at night but when we read The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease we truly realized the importance of reading aloud. I can't express to you the importance of this book! Every parent needs to KNOW about the positive affects of reading aloud to your children.

SO I make it a habit to look through The Read Aloud Handbook, look on children's book blogs, and often look at lists of popular books on amazon, etc. I then log onto my library account and request the books I want. That simple. I have two kids and I need simple when it comes to going somewhere:) I am not a good super mom. When we arrive at the library I always let the oldest (the youngest isn't old enough YET!) pick out a couple of books from the library shelves and then when we go the counter I ask for my books on hold and there they are! no searching for anything. All of the good books are already there waiting for me. I felt bad about having the ladies at the library go and get my list of books - but when I talked to them they said they are more than happy to do that! I love my library!!!!!! So there an easy way to go to the library:)

ANYWAYS... here are some books that we have really enjoyed lately!

WHAT YOUR PRESCHOOLER NEEDS TO KNOW

this book is a great book for parents and kids. it has several sections poems, songs, short stories, art, science. We liked this book so much we are going to buy a copy!!!

SCAREDY SQUIRREL

This is a series and we have the next book on order at the library (our library only had this book) and we can't wait to get it. I can tell you that almost everyone in our family has read this book to my daughter and LOVED it. My aunt and my daughter even pretend they are in the unknown sometimes!

DR SUESS'S ABC BOOK

I will admit that my oldest daughter is now totally in love with Dr Suess! We are so excited about this as parents because we love his books too. I will admit that some are LONG and get me all tongue tied but they are all good books for kids.

ARE YOU MY MOTHER?

I saved the best for last. I love this book and so do the kids. we have a vintage copy and we will be passing it down to our grandchildren!

Sorry I am so bad about posting on this little blog. I have to say that being a momma of two gets overwhelming sometimes but I am getting better at it. I am feeling much better lately and summer sun sure does help! oh how I love sunshine!

~mrs d

One today

2011-04-13T20:10:00.001-04:00

I can't believe this little one is ONE today. When I was 9 months pregnant with her I had a severe case of poison ivy (my reaction was severe because I was pregnant and responded crazy to it!)!!! I couldn't take anything until after I had her! Like a week after! It was so bad! I thought I would never have normal skin again! Thank you Lord that today we are both happy and very healthy;) she is such a sweet and loving child. He is bossy although she doesn't speak words yet those babbles are enough to get her point across to us! She eats allllllll of the time! She isn't walking yet but trying really hard to get the hang of it. She can crawl sooooo fast though. She loves her daddy and her sister so much!

Xoxo little sweetheart! We love you!

-- Post From iPhone

Recipe Files - chicken/veggie nugget

2011-04-06T12:52:00.000-04:00

Sharing this recipe from another blog Rae Gun Ramblings. Go check her blog out... she makes some super cute stuff.

Back to the recipe that she featured on her blog!

I think I might have to make some of these up and not tell anyone... just serve them up. I am going to have to find some organic ground chicken. I like to use organic chicken for the girl's food.

Recipe found HERE!

I can't wait to make some of these... I want to eat them too!

~ Mrs. Doodle

Great app resource - PragmaticMom

2011-04-06T12:45:00.000-04:00

I was looking for someone for A's birthday party and found this great list of iphone and ipad apps. I am always looking for some and I thought you would like to look at them too. I love my iphone and the ipad but my daughter REALLY loves them both and she is really awesome on them too!

Go take a look at PragmaticMom HERE to find them.

Gotta run... party planning. So much fun stuff coming up! I am going to share all of the resources for A's party with you! Most were free printables too!

~ Mrs. D

Pioneer Woman Sliders

2011-04-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

More MOUTH WATERING!!!!

photo from pioneer woman blog

I am so excited about these. I made these with a chicken/turkey mix instead of beef the other day and they were yummy! We did think that beef would have been better. Of course the chicken/turkey was a little better for us. :) I have everything to make the beef versions and I will let you know how that goes.

Recipe found HERE!

here is the picture I took when we cooked them.. uh yea I ate some first:) and my pictures are so not as yummy and awesome looking as PW!

SO YUMMY! give this recipe a try... we have made it several times and it is always a hit. the heavy cream is what makes it awesome!

~ Mrs. Doodle

Centsational Girl: Sour Cream Enchiladas

2011-04-05T11:05:00.000-04:00

Okay I am all about the sour cream... and we love some enchiladas too. Why not mix them together. Okay sounds great to me.

I saw two different recipes so I think I am going to try using a little from both of them. I like that the PW has chicken in hers. I am so excited about making these!

First up is Pioneer Woman's Recipe... found HERE

Photo from Pioneer Woman's blog

The other recipe is from Centsational Girl. It looks so yummy too. Recipe found HERE

photo from Centsational Girl's blog

Happy cooking!

I wanted to wait until I had actually tried combining the two recipes... I actually just made PW's recipe but didn't oil the tortillas but just dipped them in the enchilada sauce AND added shredded chicken. Let me just say that I will not be making enchiladas any other way from now on. They were YUMMY! give them a try!

~ Mrs. Doodle

Ruffle booty & boy tie onesies

2011-03-20T08:37:00.001-04:00

Ruffled back of the onesie

This shows the front flower with the ruffled back.

Ruffled back of another onesie

Flower on the front of the onesie

Boy tie onesie

Boy tie onesie

-- Post From iPhone

Little stinkers!

2011-03-20T08:32:00.001-04:00

A turned herself around in her high chair the other day. D thought it was funny! They love each other... Even though they love to bug one another!

- S

-- Post From iPhone

Apron towels

2011-03-20T08:31:00.001-04:00

These are the apron towels I've been working on recently. I don't have a picture of the boy one because a friend came over and I gave it to her. Yep good friend:)

These towels make bath time sooooo much easier! You wear it like an apron with straps that tie behind your neck. You stay dry and your baby is all warm and snuggly in a thick full size towel. When you are ready to lay them down you just reach back and untie and you're done! So easy and so much better than juggling those thin, small hooded baby towels!!!!

These sell for $22. They are available at Doodle's Closet or contact me and I can make you a custom one!!!! Boy or girl!

-- Post From iPhone

for my BFF

2011-03-19T08:00:00.001-04:00

The thing about best friends are that they are SUPER honest, talk about things that you don't talk to anyone else about, and pretty much TELL you when they want you to do something for them. I am saying this because my bff and I do all of these things to one another. lol I can talk to her about anything, sometimes things that are just down right silly, and she will always tell me an honest opinion. even if it hurts. I love that about my relationship with her. I just love our friendship more than words.... she is such a special person to me and my family.

She has been dropping some major hints for a long time that she really needed some blankets or QUILTS for her house.... you know to snuggle with her hubby and kids while they are watching tv. Well I promised her this quilt for Christmas but she got it in February. She didn't care she was so happy to get it. FINALLY!

the whole quilt

So I had a set of strips that I had bought a long time ago. They are Moda... but not sure the line. I know her house and the colors she would like to have in a quilt. So I started with the strips and added some things I had in my stash. I like it but she loves it. (and so does my husband I think he would have stole it from her if I would have allowed him!) She thought the colors were perfect. So mission accomplished.

another big picture

the pieced back

close up of the back

I just quilted it straight lined along the strips. very easy and I like the look of straight line quilting. I don't like to over quilt because I think it makes the quilt too stiff. I like a soft, snuggly quilt.

the front... shows the quilting a little

binding... I did something a little different. I distressed it a little around the binding. I zig zagged in some places. I REALLY like how it looked. It gave it a worn, loved look. I might do that to more of my quilts... make it my signature on my quilts.

I am so glad she likes it. She has been dropping mad hints for a long time for me to make her a quilt. I am so glad I finally got around to it.

~ Mrs. d

ruffle booty onesies

2011-03-17T08:00:00.002-04:00

I have been making some ruffle butt onesies to sell at a local children's store. My friend owns it and she has bought some things from me several times for gifts. We have been talking for a while for me to make some things to sell in her store. I finally came to the realization that I really, really need to take the time to sew. It is so good for me to sit down and make things. It relaxes me and just helps me to be a better wife and momma. Ya get me? hey and with a glass of wine when I sew at night it becomes BLISS. :) So I am going to make a couple of things a month for her shop and use the money to pay someone to clean my house once a month. Yep you heard me. I would much rather sew than clean! There I said it!

So here are some of the onesies waiting to be sewn. I am loving this blue for the little girl onesies. I love my girls in blue.

SWANKY - oh how I love the colors of this fabric.

lined up on the back of the couch waiting their turn!

pinks, yellows, blues, oranges

I hope to go up to her shop and snap some pictures to show you soon. I forgot to take the pictures before she picked them up. I was so excited to get them to her... they were so cute finished.

~ Mrs. d

BOY stuff in the house

2011-03-15T08:00:00.002-04:00

I have been wanting to make some boy stuff... but just haven't had time. Well one of D's teachers and I were talking and I said I sewed. She needed a gift. I said I would come up with something. I knew I also wanted to make something to match because the gift was for her other teacher's grandson. We love all of her teachers!!!

Enter the TIE shirt. LoVe this! I mean I lOvE it. I did something like this on Saltwater Kids.

the other shirt with a little owl label appliqued on it. I used my sewing machine to embroider ALL BOY on it with a little doggie

The owl outfit with elastic waist shorts

The tie with matching linen shorts. I made these little flat front pants from this tutorial on MADE... yes siree I did. So proud of myself. I loved them and I think I am going to make some girl versions too. Well I do have girls!

Go check out Dana's blog for more BOY ideas since she and several other blogs are celebrating the BOY!

~Mrs. d

Rainbow dress for D

2011-03-14T08:00:00.001-04:00

When you have a little one in preschool you think about holidays a lot more. especially when you have a little girl and you like to sew. well I do anyways. I take it as my mission to find something for her to wear that has to do with the holiday. I don't always make what she wears but I really try to put her in things that are holiday appropriate. :)

Enter the need for a rainbow dress for St. Patrick's Day. Oh yes she is a girl that loves a good rainbow. She thinks they are so pretty. Yep and princess-y!

I had this yellowish Gap dress that had a little hole at the bottom. I knew I could make it into something special for her and this was a good project.

the flower I made for the top

basically the top of the dress is the same... at the bottom of the bodice I just added ruffles made from t-shirts to the skirt part of the dress.

dress before the flower... I thought it needed a little something extra.

I just marked with my nifty pen with disappearing ink:) I measured about every 3 or so inches and then sewed the ruffles on.

The stack of old t-shirts that now have a new life on a cheerful little dress.

I plan on making a little onesie for little sister with rainbow ruffles on the booty.

::booty ruffles::

Pictures to come very soon of both girls in their rainbow of LUCK!

~ Mrs. D

11 months old today!!!!

2011-03-13T21:41:00.004-04:00

:: 4 teeth ::

:: 4 teeth that she LOVES to grind ALL day long ::

:: she loves her momma - as in she is attached to me! ::

:: she gets so excited when she sees her daddy ::

:: wants everything her sister has ::

:: she loves her sister so very much ::

:: she loves to wake her sister up when she is sleeping, yea loves her:) ::

:: she loves to pull out every toy, thing, book, whatever that is at her height or lower ::

:: she doesn't really play with a lot of toys but likes keys, garbage bags, shoes, unraveling the toilet paper roll ::

::LOVEs to eat :

:: snacks are possibly her favorite thing to eat - yogurt melts, little kid cheetos, puffs, bread ::

:: she says momma, dadda, and sometimes her sister's name but mainly just yells out in general ALL DAY LONG ::

:: gets really excited when her sister is gone so she can play with all of the things that her sister won't let her play with when she is here ::

:: loves her grandma and grandfather and her nana ::

:: loves to drink water out of her sippy - no bfing or bottles for over a month now ::

:: she's a great people watcher... well as long as you feed her while she is watching everyone ::

:: loves our daily walks around the neighborhood ::

I love this little girl so much! Happy 11 months!

CHANGES!!!!

2011-03-12T13:43:00.001-05:00

Okay for many, many reasons I have wanted to change my blog name. I really wanted to think of a cool name. I have been thinking about this for a while now and I really wanted to do it when I moved to a .com -

WELL........

the time has come. Dancydoodle is now

www.cnydalynn.com

come on over and visit. so many things to come. I have been really busy sewing lately and I can't wait to show you guys everything.

Talk soon!

~ Mrs. D

The BEST chocolate mousse

2011-03-10T21:33:00.001-05:00

Okay I love chocolate. A LOT! My husband doesn't really love chocolate as much as I do... but he loves chocolate mousse. So I searched real quick the other night to see if I could find an easy recipe that I could make and hope I had all of the ingredients on hand. I hate when you really want to make something because you are craving it and you realize you have everything but ONE ingredient to make it. uhhhhhh Well as it turned out I had everything and the mousse turned out AWESOME! I mean it was so good!!!! oh maybe I should go check to see if I have the stuff to make it right now!!!! oh that would be so YUMMY!

Recipe found HERE

~ Mrs. D

Daughter of Royal Birth

2011-02-15T15:24:00.006-05:00

I needed a gift for one of D's little friends the other day. She had just moved into a big girl room so I wanted to make something for her new room. I remembered Lilly & Thistle and knew exactly what I wanted to make... Daughter of Royal Birth.

Would you like to make one of these? Well hop on over to Lilly & Thistle for the tutorial right HERE. While you are there check out her patterns on her etsy shop While They Sleep. I have personally made the pod swaddler and LOVED it! Great idea and the pattern was super easy to follow. She also sells customizable paper dolls on her website MiniMe. Those are much cuter paper dolls than I remember having when I was a kid. SO SO cute!

I hope to check in here a little more often! I have had a teething baby AND she has become a little storm in the house. Everything at her height is usually the path of her little storm. She is keeping me very busy!

We'll talk soon

~Mrs. D

Happy Valentine's Day 2011

2011-02-14T16:00:00.004-05:00

D (3 years) and A (9 months)

We hope you have a year full of hugs, kisses, and happiness!

~ Mrs. Doodle

Baking bacon

2011-02-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

picture source

Don't you love bacon? awwww come on. Bacon is awesome and yummy! I hate all of the grease that gets EVERYWHERE when I make it. I hate the time it takes to cook it. My stove never cooks it right - burning it most of the time... too hot/too cold. UHHHHH! And when I am making a BIG breakfast I hate that I always have to attend to the bacon while trying to make everything else. Okay it just annoys me to cook it. My husband won't cook it.

THEN I read somewhere to bake it in the oven. Really. just put it on a baking sheet and bake it for about 20 mins. It won't be overly crispy when you take it out but once you drain it on some paper towels it crisps right up. You can line your baking sheet with foil for super easy clean up if you want.

Oh this is AWESOME! You will never fry bacon on the stovetop again! seriously awesome!

Here is the recipe we refer to when cooking it up. so so so easy!

~ Mrs. D

Genius IDEA! hemming pants

2011-02-11T14:45:00.000-05:00

Okay this has probably been around forever. I needed to hem some of my new jeans and I didn't want to loose the hem at the bottom... you know so they won't look like I hemmed them. I wanted to not be able to notice. I was too cheap to send them to the cleaners to have them hemmed. SO I saw this tutorial (well actually another one but I can't find it - it was the exact same method) and knew I needed to try it. My BFF's daughter also needed a pair of pants hemmed but she is a teenager and I had to promise she wouldn't be able to tell I had hemmed them. Geesh!

So here we go!

a pair of my dressier jeans... wide legged. I loved how they turned out:)

This is the TEENAGER's pair. They looked so good. She wore them the next day and I couldn't even tell! yea I am awesome. he he

I will be using this method a lot in the future I am sure. I have two daughters so I know this is going to come in very, very handy!!!!

~ Mrs. D

Tutorial - pencil/pen cup

2011-02-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

I needed something by my file folders and bulletin board to put my pens and pencils in. I couldn't find anything that was well... FREE!

I just got a plain can (probably tomato sauce or something) and took the label off. Then I covered it in fabric. I had some fabric that already had an adhesive back. stuck that fabric on the can... and BAM a cute can. If you didn't have that kind of fabric... you could modge podge some fabric on the can.

Then I got out my trusty drill and drilled 2 small holes close together on one side. The side I didn't want to show btw. I found a twisty tie and pulled it through the 2 holes.

This is the inside view...

Attach the twisty tie to the file folder holder. Mine was a mesh like so it has small holes already. I just put them through the bottom and twisted them tight to get a snug fit.

The finished product. Love it... why you ask. BECAUSE it works and it was FREE!

~ S

directions from a 3 year old

2011-02-04T08:30:00.001-05:00

She loves these cracker and cream cheese little meals called Deli Creations. I get them for J to take to work because they are quick but some little 3 year old is claiming them more and more lately.

Directions from a 3 year old on how you are suppose to make these cracker and cheesies:

1. mom will you put the cheese on for me? Sure I will baby

2. Ok let me do the meat... you have to wrap it around the cracker with cheese

3. make sure you get the meat pretty even on the cracker

4. WRAP

5. EAT and ENJOY!

Our hopefully NOT permenant purple tree

2011-02-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

D and her daddy picked out this lovely jewel of a tree at Christmas. We decorated it with some kid ornaments I had bought on clearance last year at Macy's. The tree is still UP... yes it is the middle of JANUARY! She says we can't take it down until it is not cold anymore. yep. really.

There is one special ornament on the tree... D made this at preschool this year. It is her hand making the flag, her thumb prints make the flag pole, butterfly, and frog. I LOVE this and will keep it forever. FOREVER. I am allowed to... I am a mom:)

~ S

happy just looking...

2011-01-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

at all of this bling. all of this color. all of this beauty.

I don't wear jewelry a lot. I mostly wear my wedding ring, maybe some simple earrings, and every now and then I will throw on one of these beauties. When I do "throw" on one of these beauties it makes me feel so special. I love it. Okay reality check here people... I wear one of these and then I pick up A and she tries to eat it, pull on it, whatever. Then D insists and begs for me to let her wear it because she wants to be a princess. Yep... that is my reality right now. :)

I got a lot of them at yard sale and such. some given to me. some I bought myself... but that is rare. I don't usually look at the jewelry when I am shopping at stores.

I love this sweet flower on the clasp of one of the necklaces. I got this beauty for nothing at an estate sale. I love it!

A little sparkle in my day = a smile on my face

Wear them or not they still make me smile.

They were so tired

2011-01-30T22:06:00.001-05:00

D and her grandfather fell asleep watching something on the computer:) so sweet!!

-- Post From iPhone

Sophie has moved in...

2011-01-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

Sophie the Giraffe has moved in the dollhouse... she might even be taking the princess barbies' clothes:) yep she is one brave giraffe. the princesses better watch out!

I spy a Jasmine top, Ariel fin/skirt, and a Belle dress. Go Sophie!

She even has her own kitchen in her new digs complete with a mini porcelain tea set.

some Valentine's Day "outtakes"

2011-01-25T21:56:00.003-05:00

I bought the girls matching dresses (for a steal) at Old Navy the other day. I knew I needed to do a photo session with them and make some Valentine's Day cards to send out. I knew that would probably not be an easy task but hey I knew I could get some pictures - good or bad! lol Thank goodness one day this past weekend my brother and his girlfriend came over for a visit... ha they didn't know what I was going to get them to help me do! Yep I got them to help me dress the girls, set up the back drop, and get some pictures of the girls. I got some GREAT pictures. I thought I would share some of the outtakes - aka the ones that won't make it onto the Valentine's Day cards but I still love them.

D being silly with her scarf and A wondering why there were two people doing silly things to get her to smile!

Now look at that... She can be nice to her little sister! Well A was probably trying to get away from her! ha ha

the card worthy Valentine's Day pictures coming in February:)

the perfect MOM purse

2011-01-24T17:00:00.001-05:00

yea for Target. Here is the link but you can't buy it online:( bummer! I bought mine in the store. Okay run and go get one. Here is the rundown...

:: two pockets on the side for drinks - I always have a sippy if not TWO! or a bottle of water

:: small pocket in the front for my phone so it is easy to get to or put away. I also tuck the big sister's handle in too... see below

Go to Make it and Love it for the tutorial - it's the toddler handle:) It is genius! I made this one a while back and have used it a lot since I made it. Super simple to make and it is a life saver. I can feel when she is holding on to it so that makes me feel so much better. I am usually holding little sister when we are out and about. The handle comes into play when I am holding little sister in one arm AND I have a bag in the other - well no more hands left so big sister grabs the handle and there we go. LOVE LOVE LOVE this! She knows the routine and she actually really likes the handle so it is a win/win situation. AWESOME!

Okay now for the pockets for everything.

:: BIG one in the middle for baby stuff. I can fit a lot in that pocket... diapers, wipes, snacks, books, toys, etc

:: one side I have my wallet, a couple of pens, receipts

:: one side I have my planner, tissues, hand lotion, etc.

I LOVE this purse. Finally I love the purse I have:) that makes me one happy mom!

baby love - 9 months

2011-01-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

I love going to get her out of bed... she is always being so silly. sucking on her fingers. smiling but not taking them out of her mouth. So cute!

peek-a-boo

in the walker... yep still there.

finally they are gone but she is just wanting more snacks. no smiling for me or anything. love this baby.

I wasn't fast enough with the snacks!

She is one awesome chic!

2011-01-22T21:20:00.007-05:00

Here is the awesomeness of Bethany Vermillion:)

If you haven't had the chance to friend Screamin' Deals on facebook yet... run over there right now and do it!!!!! You will not regret it. Bethany is awesome and posts some GREAT deals!!!!

When you finish "liking" Screamin' Deals... then head over to her blog Vermillion Rules and subscribe to her feed. She is so inspirational. She blogs about everything - sewing, crafting, her kids, autism (her son is currently in therapy), deals, and LIFE.

She just turned 31 and did 31 random acts of kindness in one week... go see her post HERE on what she did. You will think differently about your birthday this year and what you can do daily, weekly, monthly, yearly for someone else. RANDOM ACTS of KINDNESS!

Okay I am not done yet. She is one BUSY woman. She also has a GREAT photography blog - Beth V Photography. So much information and so easy to understand. there is the great part... SO EASY TO UNDERSTAND!!! love it.

blueberry pie

2011-01-22T09:00:00.001-05:00

The is a common site in my house. My 3 year old plays in her kitchen all of the time and she is always making me this lovely "blueberry pie" as she calls it. Yep that is a bowl full of change but to her it is her blueberry pie. I beg her to put it in her piggy bank because little sister is starting to crawl and get into everything... this is a choking hazard. Nope she gets so upset when I suggest it. So there are rules about the "blueberry pie" - the pie has to be nowhere near where little sister can get it. She knows the rules and is pretty good about following them. Mind you I am almost always with her when she plays with it and then it gets put up. I wanted this picture to remember these special moments:)

Dollhouse shelf

2011-01-21T20:43:00.001-05:00

I found this at a consignment store and KNEW I had to have it. It is something I can always use to decorate with - I mean I have 2 daughters. It was a no brainer. lol

I have just put some things on it that mean something to each of the girls. A special pair of shoes, the "it's a girl" container was given to use with flowers in it when my oldest daughter was born, a special ladybug baldwin ornament I bought for the girls

Christening shoes that my youngest wore to her Christening. A really cool block someone gave her - it has her birth info on one side, initial on one side, who gave it to her on one side! I love that block.

The different papers were already on the different little spaces but I would eventually like to change them to something different. I have some Heather Bailey scrapbook paper that I would love to use. One day, One day:)

The new KID FRIENDLY playroom

2011-01-20T23:54:00.002-05:00

I LOVE change. I live to change things in my house - just ask my husband, family, bff. They will all tell you! :) I mean it makes me so happy to change things up... mostly so something that isn't working will work better for us. I am at home all day with 2 kids. One who loves to imagine and dress up as of lately. One who thinks crawling to anything her sister is doing and bugging her is fun. They needed a play space that was close enough for them to play but also allow me to get some things done while they were in there. I can let them play and clean the house up and check on them very frequently all at the same time. Nice! It works so much better for all of us. I notice that my oldest daughter is playing WAY more than she used to because she has instant access to all of her things.... mostly her dress up stuff. The younger one can crawl around after her but mostly me and be pretty safe. Well except for the occasional fall but we are working on her "skills" and she is going to be walking before I know it. uhhhh a whole new challenge.

ANYWAYS... here it is. I am so in love with it. My bff comes over and we just stare at it. We really think it works so much better. :)

bookshelves on either side of the tv with her dress up "station" on the left

tv with chest under for storage and bookcases on either side

the bff gave me that little couch and my mom recovered it for me. the rocking chair was my husband's when he was little

This is a little Jack and Jill lamp I got at a yard sale for cheap. I love it. The piece of wood you can faintly see behind it with crayons... that is something my parents found in their attic recently. I drew that when my parents were building their house back when I was a little girl. Awesome! love it. I will have to post a better picture. :)

Thanks for stopping by.

~ S

9 months old

2011-01-18T08:47:00.005-05:00

She loves those two fingers and now has a new found love for her blankie:)

Who needs toys...

2011-01-17T10:13:00.002-05:00

Not her!!!! She doesn't play with toys! Garbage bags, remotes, keys, etc anything but a toy. So opposite of her older sister.

-- Post From iPhone

I want to:

2011-01-16T22:02:00.006-05:00

Thanksgiving 2010

:: post so much more on this lovely blog that is so neglected! I really do. I wish that I could just post all of the things I think about at the end of the day. I have so much going on in my head that I want to put on here to sew, things to do, things I want to remember, how blessed I feel everyday in so many ways! I need to take the time to post on here way more!

:: sew more than I do and when I do sew post it on here. I have been sewing but I forget to post it on here. Uhhhhhhh I even made the girls stockings for Christmas! Well I am going to make them different ones next year - I had a grand idea after I made the ones this year:) They are going to be cute too. I liked the ones this year but I am going to make them the momma and daddy ones for next year and make the girls the new ones. he he

the stockings I made this year:) better next year!

:: get off of the computer and my phone!!! I love to look at everyone else's blogs but I really WANT to do more with mine! why don't I just do it then! WHY!!!!!

:: Post more and write more about my everyday life... especially my two sweet baby girls and my husband

Like this sweet picture from Big Sister's school Christmas program - this makes my heart SMILE!

:: write and keep myself accountable more about getting closer to God. I want to be a better person. I want to be who He wants me to be. I have to stop letting everything else come up and focus more on Him! I need to do this for myself and my family. It will only make me better and happier:) I know it will.

:: I need to get off of facebook - I mean it is crazy how much I pick up my phone and get on there. I need a break!

Start today being a better person and doing things that better me and my family. Stop reading and keeping up with everyone else. Stop being inspired by everyone else. START INSPIRING OTHERS WITH WHAT I DO!

xoxo - S

Vintage highchair redo

2010-11-14T16:00:00.001-05:00

I bought this Costco highchair for $1 at a yard sale... BEFORE I had kids:) my friend said I had to get it... She was so right!

It was in good condition. The seat had a tear in it and the foam was starting to come out a little. We used it when my oldest daughter was little for her outside Popsicle highhair. She loved it! I really wanted to use it with my second daughter because it is so easy to store. It is so much easier than the big bulky thing we bought. So selling big bulky and using good old vintage:)

I recovered the seats with some yellow polka dots from Ikea which I looooooove! My uncle rubbed it down with some type of jelly to rub some of the rust out - it is safe for kids. It really looks great!!! I am in love with it... A lot!

***** sorry no before picture... I was too excited to get those polka dots on:)

-- Post From iPhone

hop on over to On the Lap for a great giveaway

2010-09-16T12:24:00.003-04:00

Go take a looksie at my guest post and awesome giveaway on On the Lap - a reading blog for parents. You are going to love it. It is from the awesome company A Story Before Bed... a website that allows you to record yourself, your child, grandparent, whoever reading a book and watch it over and over. We are giving away a free year subscription.

Baltazar and the Flying Pirates

Read by Author, Oliver Chin

Baltazar has always enjoyed hearing pirate stories. But did the boy know he was related to the legendary scallywag Greybeard? The Captain of the infamous Corsairs does, so Redlocks travels to recruit young Baltazar and to locate long lost treasure. But now the amusement park "Treasure Island" sits atop their buried booty!

Series - Berenstain Bears

2010-09-12T16:40:00.007-04:00

Big Sister: (looking at all of the books in the series on the back) Mommy which one is this one? Oh this one is No Girls Allowed we need to look for this one at the library.

Me: Okay I will get that one for you.

Big Sister: oh what about this one... what is the name of this one?

and on and on and on... the girl loves to not only loves for me to read these to her but she also loves to look at all of the books in the series.

I love these books. I love the characters, the illustrations, and the LESSON of each story. You know it is a good book when days after reading it your almost 3 year old quotes something from the book. Yea really! She really soaks up everything in these books.

Messy Room is one of her favorites - uh we need to read this one a lot more:)

She puts all of her BB books in one of her bigger purses/bags and carries them around the house, in the car, to the grandpeople's house, to daddy's office, EVERYWHERE. She announced on a family walk the other day that we were indeed the bear family. She asked her daddy about getting us a treehouse. Well people... not sure we will have internet in the treehouse:) Big Sister Bear has some special plans for us. :)

Sisters....

2010-09-12T16:36:00.001-04:00

Best Read - Library week

2010-09-10T22:08:00.004-04:00

I am really behind on posting my library post but don't fret... we still go to the library every week and get books. A LOT of books to read. I can "hold" books at the library online. So I usually go through The Read~Aloud Handbook and hold some of the books online... that way when I go in with 2 kids in tow I have half of our books ready for us to check out. I then let big sister pick out several more books and I pick out the others. It works so well for us. She is involved, I am getting great books from Read~Aloud that I don't have to search for, and I get to look for some books on-the-spot. We have really found some winners! I think it is important to find what works for your family when it comes to the library. I am VERY interested in reading aloud to my girls so I make sure we have at least 15-20 books a week to read. We read up to 3 a night and 1 at nap time. My oldest knows the rule about how many at what time so it is just deciding on which ones to read. Most of the time we read some of the books several times. Research suggests reading a book more than once is good for little ones so I don't fret when she asks for one over and over.

Okay so here are some that got lost in the mix of me not posting regularly.

The Fathers are coming home by Margaret Wise Brown.

Okay we all love her books... how can you not love her books. I really love this one just as much as Goodnight Moon. It has beautiful illustrations and a really cute story. A must read and I dare say a must for an addition to the home library.

Chewy Louie by Howie Schneider

cute book. about a dog that chewed everything up and then he finally grew out of it. Well.... parents are you saying OHHHHH awesome. Good lesson about changing habits.

Hopper's Treetop Adventure by Marcus Pfister

Okay I loved this book as much as my daughter. Hopper knew he could find that chestnut and while finding it he made some friends. Such a cute book.

Birthday Mice by Bethany Roberts

we are in love with the mice books. We will be checking more of these books out. My daughter loves anything birthday... so this was a great read for her.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett

I have heard so many great things about this movie but I knew we needed to read the book first. My daughter liked it but I think my husband and I thought the story was too cute. I think we are going to revisit this book when she is a little older.

Okay more to come soon. Have another list to go through... and some awesome series I want to post on.

First day of preschool:)

2010-09-02T11:07:00.003-04:00

She was so excited this morning! I was too but it was hard for me to admit she was old enough to start school 2 days a week. We all took her this morning - mommy, daddy, and baby sister. Baby sister was just mad she had to wake up for the occasion:)

Walking in for her first day:)

She sat down and started this right away! This is no surprise to my family... we all know the girl can eat with some chopsticks better than most adults. She loved this activity.

These are the moments that I cherish!

2010-08-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

The Read~Aloud Handbook review...

2010-08-26T22:56:00.002-04:00

Go check on my guest post today on Aimee's blog... Readers are Made on the Lap of a Parent.

It is my review of The Read~Aloud Handbook.... I am very passionate about reading aloud to children and I feel this book is a must read for any parent.

Oh and there is a giveaway!!!!

The roll over... check

2010-08-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

ohhhh you can do it....

See it wasn't that hard:)

Okay maybe this is a better way to chill out because mommy is taking my picture. She thinks I am so freaking cute!

Yep baby I sure do!

The Chen quilt...

2010-08-25T08:00:00.001-04:00

My wonderful bloggy friend Chen made us a quilt when little sister was born. She put a lot of my favorite fabrics in it. I LOVE it. She also put our names on each side of the quilt... AWESOME! So I took it outside to take some pictures of the girls on it. This quilt is going to be in our family FOREVER! It is soooo special to us. We love you Chen! Thank you so much.

of course... big sister with her eyes closed but I L.O.V.E. this picture so much!

Big sister is so precious in this picture to me. She is getting so big.

I love this one with the pearls.

Okay there would be more pictures of big sister but it so hard to get her to look at the camera. She is just going through the - when you say look at me and smile I smile but close my eyes or look at the sky! Love that girl... and would love to have some more pictures of her and not the top, side, back of her head and closed eyes!

precious moments with the girls...

2010-08-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

This is baby sister's current pose... I love baby toes so I am always taking pictures of those little piggies

She can't get enough of her big sister either... she just grabs her and won't let go:)

And laughing... there is a lot of laughing around here.... until there is a meltdown!!!!

Best Reads - library week - 8/8/10

2010-08-23T07:00:00.003-04:00

A new feature on DancyDoodle is going to be ~ BEST READS

every week I am going to pick a couple of our favorite books we got from the library. We meaning me and my two daughters. We go to the library weekly and we usually randomly choose books but also have some favorites. I want to share them with you guys. I know you will like them as much as we do... since we are so cool like that! lol

I am posting two weeks this week to catch up to where I want to be.

#1 - Vera Goes to the Dentist by Vera Rosenberry

My daughter LOVES Vera. This is the first Vera book we have read. We were looking for something on the dentist and the librarian said to try this one out. Well we had to re-check it out! So for the past 2 weeks we have read Vera EVERY NIGHT! She is really interested in going to the dentist right now and I think Vera does a great job at giving a kid's perspective of it. She does run out of the dentist office at one point and hide under a bench but does go back in and finish her check-up. My daughter is REALLY into that part of the book - uh oh for me! We talk about the reality of the actually going to the dentist every time we read it. She is going to go to the dentist with me on my next checkup and also with her daddy. I think that will help her get a better idea of the reality of the dentist - who, what, when, where.

#2 - Farmer Smart's Fat Cat by Chronicle Books LLC staff, James Sage, Russell Ayto

This was a cute book. It was about 3 farmers who were all having trouble with their fields being taken over by mice. They were all trying to find a way to get the mice out of their fields but Farmer Smart was the only one who had a perfect field. So of course he had discovered that cats are great for controlling mice:) My daughter woke up the morning after we first read it and pretty much recited it for me. She thought the kittens at the end were too cute.

#3 - Why by Richard Torrey

Why? Why? Why? I know we all hear this as parents of young ones. I know I hear it a bazillion times a day! This was just a cute perspective on a kid and his WHY questions. Great illustrations as well. We enjoyed this book. We didn't read it over and over but she did like it.

#4 - Katy Duck is a Caterpillar by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Katy Duck is a cute story about a Duck that wants the BEST role in the upcoming dance recital. The minute she hears there is going to be a recital she has visions of being the star but she gets picked to be the caterpillar for the Spring play. She has to realize that she may not having the starring role but she has the most important role in the play. She learns a valuable lesson that what you want is not always better than what you get... sometimes you end up a caterpillar turning into a butterfly.

I hope you enjoyed a peaked into what we checked out from the library. See you soon for our books we read this past week. You will love them!

If you want to check out some great ideas for reading to your child, please go check out Readers are Made on the Lap of a Parent. Great information. I also guest post over there from time to time. I will be posting soon over there on a book EVERY parent needs to read.

TuTu much!!!

2010-08-22T17:10:00.005-04:00

I recently made a tutu for Big Sister with the intentions that this would be a practice one and I would make another to donate to Samster Mommy's tutu drive. Okay you should subscribe to her blog she is totally awesome and she just had a baby and did this tutu drive! A*MAZ*ING! I used this tutorial from Happy Together and let me just tell you - subscribe to this blog too. You will L O V E it! She is awesome.

This turned out to be such a cute tutu. I think I will make more... especially when baby sister gets older. It took a little time though to make but I would say it was worth it:)

a princess helmet of course

2010-08-19T14:50:00.002-04:00

She is officially a big girl now... well with training wheels! Yea for a friend who told me she was having a yard sale - I had no idea I would score TWO bikes for $5 each. This is the smaller Dora bike and there is another Princess bike that is one size bigger for later. I saved SO much money getting these at a yard sale and they are both in GREAT condition. My friend even threw in the helmet for FREE! oh yea it is a PRINCESS helmet which was VERY important to big sister:)

the sling...

2010-08-07T12:28:00.001-04:00

I didn't use the sling much with big sister when she was small instead I mainly used the baby bjorn. I have used both with little sister because I need my hands free a lot more these days. Making breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, supper, art projects, cleaning, walking while big sister rides her bike, and the list goes on and on. Little sister is in the "budda" position right now while she is in the sling... soon she will move to hip position. I used the hip position a lot when big sister was toddling... heck I even use it now:) So baby wearing is a must these days and to be honest I LOVE it. It makes her happy and that makes me happy as well:)

This is her usual.... fist in her mouth!!!

the "girls"

Big sister trying to get her to laugh:)

She's has a HOLD on her daddy

2010-08-05T12:31:00.000-04:00

hubby walks into the kitchen last night like this with baby sister.... She really has a grip. Trust me I know this because she always grabs my hair when I hold her. You know that tender hair by your neck! oh yea she has a knack for getting that hair:)

the ultimate learning tool...

2010-08-03T16:20:00.005-04:00

Big Sister's first time on the iPad...

My husband recently got an iPad for work. He really isn't going to use it for work much but we knew that big sister and eventually little sister would be able to use it as a learning tool. Well right away big sister could navigate it like a pro! She has her own "page" of games, music, and books. She is awesome on it and it really does help her learn about all sorts of things.

I would like to try to highlight some of the apps for her that we really like. I am going to start today with the app that I love the most....

We love iWrite words. We only have the lite version now but we will be upgrading today. It is an awesome way to learn how to write letters. I highly recommend it:)

BOWS... a must have for a mom of 2 girls

2010-08-03T15:32:00.003-04:00

There was a scrapbook store that went out of business in town... and well you know where this story is going. I bought WAY TOO MUCH stuff and before my husband saw all of the new stuff and what I already had I had to use them for something. I have wanted to make hair bows for the girls for a while now... they have a lot of bows that were given to them when big sister was born but I really wanted them to have some made by me:) So while big sister was at the grandpeople's this weekend I had a bow making party! A really big one!!!

One of my favorites

another favorite