Quick skirt

I stopped at Joann Fabrics for some knit and found this on the red tag clearance. I bought 2/3yd (24")

It's nice because the bottom end is finished and the top already has the elastic attached...

I simply ran it through the serger, you could use a regular sewing machine too. 

However, the material was a little too long for the look I was going for. Instead of cutting and re-heming I used Stch Witch.

Simply fold to desired length, place the stitch witch I between the layers, dry iron (no steam) to fuse the material together.

Final product: 

Summer chalk game

I ended a quick game to amuse my daughter and nephews for a bit while we were outside. Plain old hopscotch wasn't doing the trick so I came up with this game, I call it:

Hop across the pond...

Driveways work better for this because you need width as well as length.

 

First draw some random lily pads on the driveway. (A lily pad is just a simple PAC man shape.)

Next draw a frog at one end and a house at the other. I added a cute aid that said "Mr. Frogs home"

Outline the whole thing with a wavy blue line. This makes the outline of the "pond"

The goal of the game is to start on the frog and hop to Mr frogs home. 

For added fun add a few flowers on a few lily pas for "extra points" and I drew an alligator in there too, just for added danger/fun. 

The game was a hit. They spent 15 minutes straight hopping all the various paths to Mr. Frogs house. 

Gift Card on a Paper Flower Pot

Thought I would give you a quick peek at a gift card that I made for my hubby to give to the secretaries at his office. 

I didn't make a full tutorial but if your a scrapbooker or cardmaker like me you can look at the pictures and figure it out. 

 

You can see that I made a double layer on the flower pot so it could function as a gift card holder.

Then I added a little stand on the back because my husband wanted the card to be something that the secretaries could use to brighten up their desks. 

Sending 7 sets of flowers 1/2 way across country wasn't an affordable option but sending 7 flower pots of paper flowers and a Starbucks gift card to the secretaries was a much more affordable and has more of a personal touch. 

So you have any projects you have done? I think finding inspiration from the ideas that others have is great. Any time you have a cute craft or project feel free to share. I'll gladly share it with all the blog followers of you'd like!

Fastest way to cut a cantaloupe

It is fresh fruit season and there are all sorts of delicous options out there! 

My daughter is on a cantaloupe kick. I can't deny healthy fruit but cutting cutting up cantaloupe is time consuming. 

I used to cut the melon into wedges, score each wedge, then cut each little section out. Long and messy!

Here is my new quick, easy, and less messy melon cutting method. Works for cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon and more.

First cut the cantaloupe in half and scoop out the seeds.

Then flip it back over and cut off the edges of the rind cutting deep enough to cut off the rind and green but the least amount of fruit. (I keep a bag right next to me and toss the rind in to make clean up fast and easy.) 

Next cut if the top/remaining rind then trim any remaining green areas.

Last cut the melon into slices  (I like one inch slices) and them slicd across the opposite way. 

Then you are left with perfect size cubes. So dive in and start eatting!

Genius idea!

I love those little tidbits of info shared online that make you say, "That's genius  yet so simple! Why didn't I think of that!!!!"

Here is a prime example of that:

Is always have trouble with shoulder bumps. I've tried all sorts if ways to hang my shirts. This is such a simple solution!

Have you found other genius ideas that you love? Please share.

Tuna lettuce wraps. A healthy success.

Tried a new excipients tonight. I've Ben testing out new 'healthy' ecru pies for my family and tis one was a hit with the hubby (not do much with the 4 year old.

I made tuna in a lettuce wrap. 

Wish I would've taken pics during the process, but I didn't know trey would be do good. 

I made a healthy tuna salad:

3 cans a tuna (packed in water) drained 

1/4 cup olive oil mayo

Some black pepper 

Some garlic salt

Diced up some leftover green pepper

(Sorry it's so unspecific but I kinda wing it when I make tuna..)

Then scoop the tuna salad onto medium sized lettuce leaves and top them with dices tomatoes.

(The hubby added some hot sauce on top and said it made it just right!)

What heathly recipes have you tried lately?

Another cute printable freebie source

Here is another link to some adorable printables.

If you have a little girl like mine who loves to color and create it is always a great idea to bookmark a few pages that have great crafts!

http://www.paperglitter.com/freebies

Gym memberships for moms....

As my month long gym membership trial comes to an end I find myself wondering if I should invest the money in a membership to try and 'motivate' myself to go more often. However, each time I have the conversation in my head it ends the same way.  I find it hard to find extra time to go to the gym and I don't want to sacrifice time with family and the few precious bits of free time I have to go.

It is very difficult for mom to find time to go to the gym and do a full "workout". I know there are those "supermoms" who somehow make time to work out every day and do all that kind of stuff and that's all  well and good but for me just working a job (at time multiple jobs) and taking care of the child (yes I only have one but it's still a lot of work) walking the dogs, finding a precious few minutes to spend with my husband, keeping up with general housework, shopping for groceries and other needs, preparing meals, and add in any other social and life requirements…. that leaves me with little time to go to the gym.

About a year ago there was a mom who made a statement about how everyone should work out and there was a lot of feedback both positive and negative towards her the link here. http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/17/opinion/navarrette-maria-kang/index.html

Everyone has their choices…  For some, going to the gym and doing a cardio resistance training work out is a top priority.  I am not here to judge, each person makes their own decision based on what they have in their life. Some woman may work part time or stay at home, some may have childcare, a housecleaner, and other help. I do not have those things.

Yes, staying healthy is a priority for me but sacrificing time away from the other things in my life to go to a gym isn't something I am willing to do right now. 

I would rather take the dogs and my daughter on a walk to the park and see may daughter play and enjoy yourself. I might do a few lunges and pull ups on the equipment while she's playing, in doing this I'm still getting exercise and I have happy pets and a happy daughter.

My two pups and I taking a stroll.

There are some great tips out there for moms of young kids on how to incorporate fitness into your schedule while keeping family first. This is one of my favorites:

http://www.alexharalson.com/2013/09/9-workout-tips-for-super-busy-moms.html

In the end i'm going to make the choices that match with my current lifestyle and fit with my priorities. If that means spending a summer day playing in the backyard to be with my husband and daughter may not burn a lot of fat and won't give me a deep muscle work out but I move, I get some exercise, and I feel a lot stronger mentally because of the choices I make. So join me in joining the motherhood gym where health is important but family comes first.