Ruffle Hem Skirt

About a year or so ago, I came across  this adorable skirt tutorial at a blog called Cluck Cluck Sew. The style just struck me and I've really wanted to make this skirt! I always like the idea of wearing skirts more, for everyday even. I actually tried making this last summer, but was unknowingly using the wrong kind of knit and having gathering issues to boot, so it was a bust and I moved on to something equally worthless, albeit more successful :) Anyhow, my Mom passed down this dressy, stretchy fabric that I really liked and thought would make a nice skirt for Spring, so I gave it another try. I know the fabric I used still isn't actually jersey knit, but, hey, it worked!

It was as simple as two pieces sewn together, a casing created on top, a strip ruffled and then added along the raw edge bottom. I'm no model by a long shot, but I was happy with how it turned out and wanted to share. :) I actually wore my tall boots with it the first time since it was cold that day, but I'm anxious to be able to wear sandals with it now. I think my black sandals are actually out in the garage (ya, still there from when we moved last fall :/), so I threw these oldies but goodies on for a pic...

... and realized while I was wearing them that they are the very shoes
I was wearing in high school
when I got in a car crash and broke my ankle.
(Which is also the reason my ankles aren't exactly pretty!)

Anyhow... this made a really fun and easy skirt- I'd like to try it in actual jersey knit for one that I could wear more casually too! For the tutorial again, click Here :)

Easter Goodness

Even though our Easter Sunday was all too uneventful, the day before we had a great day together with my family at my sister's new house in Pocatello! With all four kids, spouses and kids together, it was a nice time to try and get a new family pic for my Mom and Dad's entryway... however, clearly these pics are proof that I should no longer be the family photographer! Nice try, but they just didn't turn out great. Photographers that can get kids to cooperate, while thinking about the light and the wind and the angle of every last body and, and and... I admire you!

After the photo attempt at a nearby park, we had a yummy lunch (is there such a thing as a bad potluck?!) and then chilled out for a bit before going roller skating! It was a nice addition to the day, though Cooper didn't enjoy it as much this time around for some reason. Taron did quite well, but Keaton didn't seem to be enjoying it too much- next time I daresay the extra $2 for in-line skates might be worth it! I gained a new most-embarrassing-moment out of the excursion by beautifully biffing it onto my tailbone! Yes, yes, I am one of those super coordinated types :P

My younger brothers and sisters, however... they make everything look easy! 

Then we went back and had a backyard egg hunt! The kids all got enough loot to last until Halloween :) My parents started a cool new tradition where they filled and hid eggs for their adult children! The eggs had little items like super glue, nail clippers, Lindt truffles, and dollar bills in them! Lundyn added a few trick ones that were full of funny things like cauliflower and pasta too! It was really a fun time :)

Grandpa and Grandma put a few dollar bills in the kids' eggs too and they were the highlight of the boys' treasures for sure! Cooper could have found that egg alone and been happy :)

Then later that night back at home, I got to have my fun filling the boys' Easter buckets! They got new sandals, a book, a fun little kite thing, silly putty, bubbles, a new shirt for Church, and I always add a Gospel picture. They were happy as happy with everything, simple and necessary as it was :) We have been loving the bubbles for sure! Cooper loved finding his hidden in the pantry...

One of my facebook friends' status on Sunday was that part of their family was sick also for Easter, so they would be doing faux Easter pics all gussied up next Sunday and I thought that sounded like a swell idea! So, next Sunday we'll pose instead! Our family pic from Easter last year is actually one of my favorites of us all :)

Thanks to my family for making our Easter memorable! We love you all!

he IS risen!

Ryder has a gnarly runny nose and Cooper has a random fever, so Easter Sunday, again, I am home from Church. I'm disappointed. Sitting on the sewing table are their cute little vests, still with buttons needing to be sewn on, yes, but they were made with intent for today. I feel strongly about Easter. I know He IS Risen! He Lives! And I want to be feeling the Spirit today, want my boys to be feeling how special it all is.

So I guess today particularly, our home is our Sunday School. We are watching Living Scriptures and listening to Hillary Weeks. Well, mostly I am, I guess :) Here's one that I thought I'd share below.

I'm struck that one of the most touching, for me at least, messages of our Savior being Risen is that, through it all, He knows US! I know that His suffering in Gethsemane encompasses all of us as individuals. Even when my strength seems to be diminished, when I might even want to sort of hide from Him for all my lacking, I still know that He knows me. Of all points of my testimony, this is one that is inescapable for me- ALL things testify of Him! I know He was Risen on the third day, that it was for US!

Happy Easter! I hope your day is full of whatever makes it special for you :)

Easter Prep and Sunshine

We are doing some fun things relative to Easter around here lately! We mixed shaving cream and paint on a small cookie sheet and dipped some egg shaped paper in- Cooper really enjoyed this and they turned out pretty cool I thought. :) Ry just played with his guys to the side- he starts gagging when he touches stuff like this!

I know I've mentioned before that putting Easter baskets together is one of my favorite things of the whole year! I was stoked when I found these big, colorful buckets in the automotive section at Walmart for under $2 each! They are like car washing size and I love the colors! I knew immediately I could just create some vinyl for them and they'd have the best beach buckets ever once Easter was passed!

I thought they turned out super fun... other than Cooper's is about to be switched out for black vinyl- the cream is too light against the green! Another awesome find I grabbed to put inside were these cute, classic little color/ sticker books from the dollar spot at Target:

I really don't put much of any "bunny" type stuff in their baskets, but I like the idea of them getting to know these classic stories and love the vintage styling. I can hardly wait to get their baskets all arranged and for them to find them on Easter morning! I think I like Easter baskets so well in part because the boys get them from their Dad and I, not from the Easter Bunny. It's nice to be able to talk with them openly about what they get! 

We also tried making these little cuties:

Source: blinghurst.blogspot.com via Sky on Pinterest

And decided it was pretty much a bust! Cooper didn't like the stickiness of everything in the process of making them. The beans ended up being sticky as a result too, just wouldn't be fun to wear I don't think. I was hopeful to make some of them to give to my nieces this weekend, but I doubt we'll take it up again! Maybe I needed Jelly Belly's instead of normal Brach's jelly beans?

Otherwise, we are loving the splendid weather lately! Today the boys are donning shorts for the first time :) I thought these sunny shots I got of the boys at my parent's house this last weekend were pretty fun, even if they were clearly less than enthused at me taking them! 

Dying Over Here

Another fun little thing we squeezed in while the boys were here was dying Easter eggs! For the first time I used plain vinegar and food color and it worked great! I usually buy a kit with color capsules, but opted not to and now I likely never will again. I also recycled these little babies:

Yogurt cups! These particular cups struck me as being big enough to fit an egg and indeed they were- I actually don't have an abundance of cups or mugs in general, so this was a nice way to save on dishes!

We rolled the eggs in glitter before we dyed them and I decided it was a bit of a bust... glitter eggs definitely need to be fake! I also tried to get my glue dots to stick to the egg shell to roll them in glitter for polka dot eggs and they wouldn't stick! Guess we'll stick to plain jane around here! They are still pretty in my opinion :) It was interesting to watch Taron and Keaton try a few more unique things with the colors.

Ryder was just happy to be included and loved the green color!

Cooper tried using a white crayon and writing his name...

No doubt we'll do this again this week- Ryder and I both love hard boiled eggs!

Plus, I still have hope for making a polka dot one :)