Handbags by Jen

First Cheer leading Game

2012-01-22T14:25:00.001-08:00

Claire's Halftime Cheer

Dribble It Pass It

Lilly getting introduced

Lilly's Cheer

2011-12-23T10:35:00.000-08:00

We did our family Christmas party last night. We held to a new philosophy this year when it came to gifts. Each person got one gift in the following categories: Need, Want, Wear, Read, Made.

It worked really well.

Here are some pictures of the festivities.

Before the fun begins!

Claire and Lilly opening their "Want" American Girl dolls - Kirsten and Kit

Girls with their "Made" gifts

Modeling their comfy "Wear" gifts

I made these dolls for Claire, Lilly and Emelia. Emelia will get hers up north.

I ran out of cards this year. Here is a digital version for those of you who didn't get one.

Hope that you and your family have a blessed Christmas.

Have I introduced you to my new best friend?

2011-11-15T11:16:00.001-08:00

Sometimes, when I want to avoid doing all of the other things that I should be doing, I sit on my couch and spend some time with my new best friend - Pinterest.
Have you met? She is one of those friends you can spend hours with and it seems like minutes. So many good ideas. So much good advice. She knows all of the tricks for cleaning your oven with stuff found in your kitchen. She has all of the good tips on how to get the best pictures of your kids. I look forward to the time I can spend combing through all of her knowledge.

Ok. Let's get real. Pinterest is this amazing site where you create virtual bulletin boards. Instead of tacking things to them, you pin them. I have boards for everything. I have over 800 pins on 27 boards. I can get to them from my smartphone when I am at Joann Fabrics and want to see what colors I need. It is so addicting and it makes you feel like you have been crafty and all you have done is sat on the couch.

You need an invite to join. I am happy to invite anyone who is interested. But, be warned, you will waste a ton of time on this. If you have an addictive personality, you may want to stay away. Seriously, can you handle the cuteness!

Craft Show Update

2011-11-05T15:06:00.000-07:00

Today was the craft show at Legacy Christian. It was also the debut of my newest line - turtle dove. This line is focused on children's accessories and fun items. We had a very successful day, but I do have some stuff left. I am listing the stuff here in case anyone is interested in ordering. If you want something, either comment here, email me or message me on Facebook. All items are first come first serve.

If you are local, we will set up a time for delivery.

Otherwise I will work with you on the most cost efficient way to get it to you.

A look at the booth with my new banner.

Canvas Totes $25

18w x 16t

Each has a gathered flower on the outside and is fully lined with a coordinating "fun" fabric inside.

The handle length is great for the taller girls as well.

Let me know what color outside flower you are interested in.

Magnetic Boards and Green Frame

Magnetic Boards are 12x12

includes 4 magnets

Can be used with dry erase marker as a message board.

$15

Only have the orange frame left.

Holds a 5x7

includes 2 magnets

$10

Lots of button magnets left 2/$1

Scavenger Hunt Kit

$10

Sold Out

Can order for Christmas

Includes cards and a collection bag.

Send your kids on a hunt for things like a lost toy, a piece of plastic where it shouldn't be,

a smooth leaf and many more.

Little Girl's Face Clutch

$25

Let me know the hair/skin color you like.

Each has a fun fabric on the back and a coordinating interior.

Only a few of these left.

A note card box that includes 4 gift cards.

Teacher

Bus Driver

Friend

Owl

Choose who you will give it to and put the card in the top of the box.

Comes packaged in a cello bag with bow.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Craft Show This Weekend

2011-11-01T06:22:00.001-07:00

I will be at the Legacy Christian Craft show this week Saturday, November 5 from 9-3. I will have a variety of items. None of my signature totes/diaper bags (those will be available for order), but some new things like scavenger hunt kits, eye spy pillows, face clutch purses, paci clips, and other new kids stuff from my new accessories line turtle dove. Swing by and check it out!

Halloween

2011-11-01T06:21:00.000-07:00

I know you are all expecting to see what costumes I made for my kids this year. Well, I have to admit that I didn't make them anything. They both opted for ready made costumes this year. We already had Claire's in the dress up box. She was a beautiful mermaid.

Lilly requested the Cha Cha Dancer from the Chasing Fireflies catalog. However, that costume was over $100! I was going to make one until I found this at Gymboree for $11! Who can beat it? I did make both of their treat bags to match their costumes.

I did make a costume this year. When Leah asked Jack what he wanted to be for Halloween he said a barn. We were not sure how he could be a barn, but then he changed his mind to tractor. Knowing how much he loves the John Deere store, we knew it had to be a green one. Here is the result. 3 paper boxes, a couple of cup cozies, foam sheets and lots of tape and spray paint turned into one of the cutest tractors I've seen. Maybe it is the farmer inside that makes it so cute.

Rumor has it that Leah even let Jack have some candy last night! Don't tell anyone.

Bedroom Face Lift

2011-09-27T18:28:00.000-07:00

The girls have decided that they want to have their own rooms for awhile. We moved Lilly into the "reading room" and Claire stayed in their bedroom. Each girl got to pick the colors for their room. We looked at fabrics, Pinterest, and magazines. Lilly ended up choosing grey and yellow. Claire chose a shower curtain that we found and my mom was able to find in Florida.

Here is Lilly's Room.

We got the desks from school last year. They each have one in their room. The curtains are actually tablecloths from Target. Their Dwell line is a great source for graphic fabrics.

The tablecloths were only $20 each.

I cut them down the middle and added tabs on the back to hang them with pleats.

The birdcage and stool are thrifted. The birdcage was red. We painted it and added a cute yellow bird. The stool was plain so I added a cushion that goes with the theme. I still need to make all of the throw pillows for the bed and she has requested wallpaper on one wall.

Now on to Claire's room

The jumping off point for Claire's room was the curtains. It is a shower curtain from the Jaipur line by echo. The bedding is very expensive. We purchased the shower curtain for $35 and made the curtains for the bedroom. Jim painted 3 walls a coral color and one green (Claire's choices).

The table and footstool are thrifted. I recovered the footstool with a fabric that coordinates with the color scheme. The chair still needs a slipcover and she too needs pillows, but it is looking good.

All told, these were pretty cheap face lifts. The girls are thrilled with each new thing that comes in the room. I'll take pics of the pillows as soon as they are done. I have some very cute designs planned.

It's been such a long time.....

2011-08-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

I have not been faithful to this blog lately. I have spent my summer with friends and family making lots of memories. I will post about all of them soon. I am also preparing for a craft show, so I will be sure to post sneak peeks along the way.

When I started on the PTO for our school, I gave up a girls ministry at church that I really love. So, now that I am done with PTO, I am back at GEMS. We are reviewing curriculum, planning crafts and special events.

Here is one picture from one of our summer photo shoots to tide you over. Much, much more to come.

NYC Here We Come!

2011-06-09T06:38:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow Courteney and I head down to Detroit to hit up Home Goods and Ikea before we fly out on Saturday morning. We will be meeting up with Vicky in Dearborn and staying there for the night. The three of us head out early in the morning and are in the city by 10:30 am. We will stay until Tuesday and have much planned. You will have to wait for all of that, but I did whip up some wristlets for us last night.
I did 3 large floral patterns with ruffles and vintage buttons. Did I mention that 2 button shops are on my must see while in NYC?
I didn't have a pattern, but they went together very easily. I did get some help from here on how to sew the zipper to both the outside and lining at the same time. It worked great.These would be a great gift for bridesmaids or maybe coordinate for a prom or homecoming.
I will not be sewing for about a week and then I have a couple of promised things to finish first. I am also getting ready for the Legacy Christian School Craft fair on November 5. I figure if I do a little all summer I will not stress out the end of October. Good plan, right?

Claire and Lilly's Birthday Party

2011-06-05T11:31:00.001-07:00

Time to celebrate the girls' birthdays! This year they settled on a butterfly birthday party. We used all of the china I have been collecting as well as my grandma's silver. It was HOT! So, we added a sprinkler for cooling down and the craft was moved inside.
We requested that in lieu of gifts, each girl bring what she would have spent on a gift and we would collect money to buy a water filtration system for a village in Haiti. Boy did they come through. All told, we collected enough for 2 filtration systems! My girls are still running around the house collecting change to see if they can get to 3.
The invitations were teal and orange so those colors spilled out onto the tables. I rented the tablecloths and napkins and it was more than worth it. I borrowed the tables from work and the chairs from my wonderful neighbor.
I cut fabric strips and ribbon for the back of the chairs. The chairs did not all match so this tied them all together. The tissue paper flowers were the pop of color.
Lunch was sandwich and fruit kabobs and jello. The girls made their own sandwiches using whatever they liked from the skewer. The rest they left behind.
We arranged the fruit on the kabob in the order of the rainbow. Each girl received a bag of goodies and a pair of wings. The bags had tattoos, rubber bracelets, rings, suckers and more. All in some form of butterfly. The girls strung bracelets and colored their backpacks with fabric markers. All of this was from Oriental Trading.The cake was made by Deb Penning. After sitting out in 90 degree heat, it started to lean a bit. However, it was delicious! We have so much we will be sharing for awhile.I bought face paint off of Amazon.com. It was GREAT! It went on very easy and washed off with little effort. The girls loved getting made up like butterflies.Another successful party. The girls all had a great time and I think that my girls learned that it is not the gifts that make the party, but the friends that you surround yourself with.

Lilly's Birthday Gift

2011-05-04T07:10:00.001-07:00

I have been trying to figure out what to get Lilly for her birthday. She doesn't need anything. We don't need any more crap in our house. For their party with friends, we are not having gifts. Instead, we are collecting money for a water filtration system for Haiti. They need to learn that it is not about the gifts. They were not happy about it (maybe still not), but it is a lesson that we all need to learn.
Claire and Coco are getting her earrings. Jim wants to get her the game Mousetrap. I decided to make her some clothes for her hard-to-fit doll. We bought these dolls for the girls in 2007.I got them off Etsy from Jill Zurzolo. She was living in Japan at the time and started making dolls. I emailed her pictures of the girls, along with a description of their personalities, and she created these awesome dolls. The girls love them. I have had to "fix the hair" on these girls many times due to the sleeping with them in bed, playing and adventures.
They are custom dolls, so they are custom sized. Commercial clothes don't work. So, these girls are either in their cute dresses they arrived in or naked. Poor girls....
In comes my brainstorm.
I purchased a dress pattern from Avery Lane also on etsy, downloaded a free pants pattern online, and got started. Oh, I also ordered a sweater off of etsy, but it will not get here by tomorrow. Surprise mail is always a treat though.

Claire's doll decided she would help model. I made a total of 3 dresses, 3 pairs of pants, and 2 jackets. I suppose I will be duplicating this work next month for Claire's doll, but they go really fast. Including cutting, it took about 5 hours. It will go even faster next time because my serger will be fixed. I straight and zig zaged each seam because my serger is on the fritz.

Notice my new logo side tag in the seam of this dress? Isn't it cute? turtledove is the name I have chosen for all of the kids stuff I do. It is often the name I call the girls.

Each dress has matching pants. Can't see them in this one, but they show in the picture of Claire's doll.

Anyway, I am very satisfied with my most recent project. I am putting it all in a little case so she can take her doll and the wardrobe wherever she wants. I sure hope she is as impressed with it as I am.

Teacher Appreciation Week

2011-05-01T19:10:00.000-07:00

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. I know I probably should have put these ideas up before tonight, but I just put the finishing touches on them this evening. Teach girl will bring their teacher one gift each day this week. We LOVE our teachers do doing something like this for them is a lot of fun for all of us.

Monday:

You are a lifesaver! Thank you for teaching me so much this year!

Hobby Lobby had their glass containers 50% off. We filled them with individually wrapped lifesavers so the teacher can use them as treats for the class if they want.

The printable for the top is available from eighteen 25.

Tuesday:

You really measure up! Thanks for making this year great!

Measuring cups and spoons. Our Meijer had these for $5 for the whole set!

I have seen this several places, but I know it is shown on Smile Monsters.
Wednesday:

You deserve a hand!

These are cut outs of the girls' hands holding a small hand lotion.

This was actually a Valentines Day gift idea from Baltimore Mommies.
Thursday:

Teacher survival kit.

This is filled with paper clips, binder clips, post it notes, candy, thumb tacks, etc...

The idea for this wonderful gift came from one of my favorite blogs eighteen 25.
Friday:

Thanks for helping me bloom!

This idea and free template is from Skip to My Lou.
Hopefully you will still have some time to work in some of these ideas this year.

A special "Thanks" to all of the teachers out there. You are appreciated.

A New Beauty!

2011-03-24T18:27:00.000-07:00

One last order wrapped up before I go on vacation. My cousin Lindsay asked me to make her a diaper bag similar to the one I made for a dear friend awhile back. She requested black, cream and pink.

Here is her finished bag. I LOVE it! The inset zipper came out great and I love the crystal button! I hope she likes it as much as I do.

Oh How Time Flies

2011-03-20T18:17:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it has been a month since my last post. Work (my "real" job has been so busy I haven't had a lot of time to sew. I have a few orders to finish this week, so I will be making time. I did sew 2 bags for the school auction. I have made them for the last few years and they tend to do pretty well.

Here is a new ruffle style that I labeled the Uptown Girl. She made $200 for school. Not too shabby!
This beach bag went well last year. This year this bag went for $90.

I also made some headbands for the girls recently.

The flowers are made by wrapping pipecleaners with fabric and then rolling them into a circle. Super EASY!!

Hope this is a little crafty fix for you!

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-13T19:34:00.000-08:00

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." John 13:34 NIV

Book Character Day

2011-01-27T08:06:00.001-08:00

Today is book character day at school. The girls had a blast planning their outfits.

Claire went as Fancy Nancy. She certainly was fancy.

Lilly was Lilly from Lilly's Big Day and Lilly's Plastic Purple Purse. She was so cute! I painted her brown worn out boots bright red with a white star to match the book character. It took many coats, but they are really cute.

I was really surprised how many Fancy Nancys, Hannah Montanas and Disney Princesses there were. It made me miss the Laura Engles, Pippi Longstockings and Anne of Green Gables. Maybe I need to encourage my girls to broaden their reading.

I am sure this will be a very fun day for both girls.

The Last Christmas Party of 2010

2011-01-27T07:53:00.000-08:00

I know that it actually happened in 2011, but this was the last Christmas party scheduled for 2010. However, my beautiful niece was born on December 28 and I postponed the party so I could go see her.

I invited some friends and neighbors over for a casual meal and an evening of gab. We were going to play a game, but ended up talking all night. Jim said "How was the game night?" I said "The night was good, but we just talked the whole time." He didn't get it. How could we just sit around and talk for 5+ hours.

Anyway, everyone brought a bit to pass. We had more food than we knew what to do with. I also provided soup and sandwiches. We made our own panini sandwiches and grilled them on the

George Foreman grill. They were great! I also made cheddar broccoli soup.

The table looked wintery and not Christmas. I changed the plan a bit based on the timing. I went with a brown tablecloth and gold chargers. Do you have chargers? You should. They can make a table. I got mine at Hobby Lobby for $1.99 each. They have silver, gold, red and black.

I also used kraft paper wrapped candy bars for the place cards. This was a dual purpose item as it was a place card and a favor.

Anyway, we had a wonderful time and mentioned several times during the night that we must do this more often. It seems that we all go into hibernation mode during the winter. It is pretty sad when I talk to my next door neighbors more on facebook or the phone and they live 50 feet from me.

We will do it again soon.

Ladies Christmas Party

2011-01-20T06:33:00.000-08:00

The last party for 2010 is actually being held in 2011. I am having some friends over from all different parts of my life. Some neighbors and some "school" friends.
My original plan was for Christmas decor, but my tree is down and my red and green have been put away. So, change of plan!
The new plan is for winter theme. We will be going with earth tones and cozy feeling. I had seen the sweater candles in catalogs, but never could bring myself to buy them. While at the dollar store I saw the glassware and decided to take a stab at making them myself.
I stopped at Goodwill and picked up several cable knit sweaters for $2.99 each. I ended up using only one for this project, but will use the rest for another decor project I'll share soon.
Here are the quick and easy instructions.
1. Lay your vase on the sleeve of the sweater with the cuff toward the top of the vase.
2. Cut the sleeve leaving about 1 1/2 inch overhang on the bottom.
3. Hot glue the sweater to the bottom of the vase and cut off the excess so that it doesn't tip.
I know what you are thinking. 2 sleeves does not equal 3 candles. For the third one I used the bottom band of the sweater and just hot glued up the side as well.

For the twine candle, I just wrapped twine randomly around the vase and hot glued the ends at the bottom.

The glitter candles are a mixture of Modge Podge, glitter and cream paint.

These beauties will all be displayed on a brown "velvet" tablecloth with gold chargers and linen napkins.

I will be sure to post a picture of the finished product later.

Claire and Lilly's Valentine Cards

2011-01-19T13:15:00.001-08:00

Here are the cards that the girls will be handing out to their classmates this year. I saw them somewhere (sorry, I can't remember where) last year and made a mental note that this would be a great idea for this year.

Each card will get an exacto knife cut on the top and bottom of the fist and we will insert a pink lollipop. Claire will write the message on back and Lilly will just sign her name.

Quick, Easy and Cute! All of the things I look for in a project.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-22T08:34:00.000-08:00

I think that all of my cards have made it out so I can reveal it on the blog.Huge thanks to my friend Jen Kroll for her time and talent. The pictures are amazing!

This past weekend we were in Chicago to celebrate Christmas with my parents and Leah and her family. We stayed in a really cool hotel downtown, braved American Girl Doll, went to ZooLights at the Lincoln Park Zoo and had a great time.For those wondering - no baby for Jason and Leah yet. She is taking her own sweet time!

Third Grade PowWow

2010-12-09T10:44:00.000-08:00

The third grade put on a great presentation for the parents last week. Claire was part of the Chinook tribe and her Native American name was Fast Tree Frog. After a wonderful program full of poetry and song, we had a Native American feast. Each child was instructed to try something they had not eaten before. This would not be difficult. The menu consisted of:
Corn, pies, roasted pine nuts, venison, goose jerky, fry bread, fruit, berries, mashed potatoes, and squirrel. Yes, you read that correctly. And yes, Claire ate some. The kids all learned a lot and had a ton of fun! Thanks so much Mrs. Pfruender and Mrs. DeHaan!

Advent Calendar

2010-12-09T10:40:00.000-08:00

I know I said I'd share projects earlier so you could have time to complete them, but this one slipped my mind.
I created a magnetic advent calendar for this year. I purchased different size tins off of etsy and ebay and covered them with decorative paper and the number.
Each day there is a little surprise. Candy, coins, cards, pens, lip gloss, you name it. The girls are enjoying opening a new tin each day.
Sorry for the horrible pictures. I snapped them on the way out of the house this morning. Not great light! You get the idea.

Countdown to Christmas

2010-11-30T07:53:00.001-08:00

It has officially begun. The madness that leads up to Christmas. This year will be different in many ways. First, we are cutting way back on gifts. The girls are not thrilled about this, but they will get over it.
Second, we will be celebrating with the DeRuiter side of our family early because Leah should be having a baby the end of the month.
Our tree is up and we are starting to get into the Christmas spirit. I put up a new advent calendar this year. (I will post on this later because I haven't taken pics yet)
One of my new buffet decorations is these glitter trees. I found the tutorial at eighteen25. I love her site. I also love the way they look in my house.
So simple and cheap! I got my candle holders at the $1 store!

I also worked on one of the girls' gifts last night. Lilly loves to play library. I saw a kit online that had all kinds of library stuff in it, but it was a little pricey. So, here is my version.Each girl has her own case. I got the little suitcases at Hobby Lobby (reg. $8.99 but 50% off right now) and filled it with goodies. There are reading awards and overdue book slips (both created in Publisher and printed on card stock), library cards (old gift cards with stickers on the front), a date stamp and ink pad, pen and paper. Oh, and a library id for the librarian. I added bar codes to the library card and ID to make them a little more realistic. Still to be added are the book cards and pockets. I think I will add a removable adhesive roll (used for scrap booking) for them to add the pockets to books without doing any damage.

Meet the newest Settergren

2010-11-12T06:38:00.000-08:00

I know. I said we'd never do it. Have another one. But, I caved.

Welcome Leroy to our family.

Every once in awhile Calvin lists animals for adoption. I saw his face and loved him. He is 14 weeks old. Most of their cats are already fixed and have their shots. When I went to check him out, he came right up to me and snuggled in. He had me at hello.

I picked up the cat and Jim got the girls. We sat them on the couch and told them to close their eyes. They were shocked to say the least. They love him a lot and want to hold him all of the time. He is extremely playful and chases yarn and balls all over the place. Melvin is still getting used to sharing his house, but they chase each other and I am sure will be good friends.

We spent many hours trying to come up with the perfect name. The people at Calvin had called him Gar, but the girls weren't into that. Coco came up with Leroy and it stuck.

The girls wanted to take him to Grandma Deb's today because they didn't want to leave him alone. I think they love him already.

If you are looking for a kitten (3 -4 months old) I highly recommend the WMRL on the campus of Calvin College. Their program is run like a well oiled machine. They take a lot of precautions to protect all of their animals from getting sick (you have to wash your hands and change shoe booties between each room). Their staff was very helpful and it was evident how much they care for the animals. More than once it was mentioned that "Gar" was a favorite. Check out the kittens they have for adoption.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T07:38:00.001-07:00

This is probably the last year that Coco will be around to Trick or Treat with the girls. She requested that we do a family theme like we did a couple of years ago with Wizard of Oz. We went with Alice in Wonderland for this year. Sorry for the blurry pic. Claire's friend Cameron also joined us as the White Queen

I purchased dresses for the girls off of ebay and embellished them to look like their character. Because we live in Michigan and you never know what the weather will be like on Halloween, I made each of them a short jacket to keep warm. I added a ruffle collar and cuffs to Lilly's Queen of Hearts.
Coco was the Cheshire Cat. She had a little to much fun with this one.We followed up trick or treating with handing out candy and Mummy Dogs for supper. Another great Halloween in the books.

Halloween Costumes

2010-10-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

You have seen the costumes my girls have worn in the past. Last year they were cupcakes.

The year before that, Peacocks.In 2007 we were The Wizard of Oz cast.This year we planned on being the cast from Alice in Wonderland. I bought the girls dresses, embellished them, made jackets, found wigs and make up. Then I was down and out for a couple of weeks so progress stopped. Now, Trick or Treating is tomorrow. The girls are set. Coco, Jim and I do not have costumes.
Claire is Alice.
Lilly is the Queen of Hearts.Even if the rest of us don't figure something out, they are still an adorable pair!

It's been awhile.

2010-10-29T08:46:00.001-07:00

I know that many of you have been waiting patiently for a post filled with my charming wit, unbelievable talent, and hillarious sense of humor. Well, this is not it. This is an explanation of this blog has been inactive for so long.
On September 18 I was in contact with lightening. It was not a direct strike (thank God!), but I did have some health issues because of it.
I have been so tired that I was working only part days, taking 3-4 hour naps in the afternoon and going to bed at 8:00 pm. If you know my usual schedule, you know that is not me.
To make a long story short, I am much better. My brain is "beautiful" to quote the Neurologist, they are monitoring my heart for another couple of weeks, but I feel 10x better.
I am back to working full-time and don't even need a nap (although I'd sometimes like one).
I promise I will try to get back to regular posting.
Thanks for all of the prayers.

September 11, 2001

2010-09-11T10:52:00.000-07:00

This is the same post I made last year on this day. I still feel the same way.

These are not my photos, but when I was in NYC last year we went passed this fence. It is outside of a firehouse at Greenwich Ave and 11th St. Someone organized school children and anyone else who wanted to participate and they created tiles to decorate the fence. All of the children had different reactions based on where they were and who they lost.
We all have our own memories of where we were, what we were doing and how we felt. In an odd way, this day pulls us all together.

Claire and Lilly's Birthday Party Featured on Ohdeedoh

2010-09-03T16:03:00.000-07:00

Today I received an email letting me know that the girls' birthday party would be featured on Ohdeedoh. Ohdeedoh is the children's division of Apartment Therapy.
Check it out!
The girls are very excited and think that this is going to make them famous.

A Day Late. Happy Birthday Coco!

2010-09-02T08:38:00.000-07:00

I tried to schedule this post for yesterday and the pencil post for today, but messed up on the dating of the posts. Oops.
Anyway.....Courteney is 20. I can hardly bring myself to type that number. Time flies! I met her when she was 4. Married her Dad when she was 5 and loved every minute of having her as part of the family. When the little girls were born, she sucked them up! She loved doing everything for them. She is the best big sister they could ask for. They start to cry when they think of her moving out next year. (She is living with us for her first 2 years of college and for that I am thankful.)
She has had a lot of ups and downs, but those things have made her the amazing woman she is today. Courteney is kind, gracious, considerate of others. She puts her needs on hold to help those around her. She loves her family and friends deeply.

Coco:
I love you very much. I am proud of you. You never cease to amaze me.
love, Jen

Back to School Teacher Gift

2010-09-01T08:25:00.000-07:00

I looked for awhile for a teacher gift for back to school. I wanted something useful and not just clutter for their desks. I found some great ideas online.
Here are a few I considered:

Crayon Initials. Very cute, but quite possibly clutter.School Supplies 6 pack. Loved this, but what would I do with that much Starbucks Coffee drinks when I don't drink coffee.
Ultimately, I went with this idea from Made with Love and Glue.

Her version was made with glass hurricane vases, but I found my cute ceramic container at Hobby Lobby for 1/2 off. Total cost of project was about $5.

I filled the container ($2) with pencils from the dollar store (2 packs - $2) and used a rub on initial and wrote the teacher's name with a paint pen (on hand). Packaged with clear gift wrap an tied with a bow!
Teachers always need extra pencils and the container can be used for multiple things after the pencils are gone.

Start of School Madness

2010-09-01T07:53:00.000-07:00

Typically I post pictures of the first day of school. However, having one in 3rd grade (which started Monday) and one in Kindergarten (which started with Camp Kindergarten yesterday and continues with the official first day today) it is more like the first week of school.
It kicked off with Claire's first day of 3rd grade on Monday.Claire was very excited that she got the teacher she wanted this year. Mrs. Pfruender goes to our church and the girls just love her. I am looking forward to having Claire in her class.
Claire and her best friend Cam hugged as if they hadn't seen each other in a long time. In reality they swam together on Saturday.
Tuesday meant Camp Kindergarten for Lilly.Her friend Zach from church met us on the way in. He is in the other class, but they will still be able to play on the playground.Lilly's teacher is Mrs. Bosma. The teacher that Claire had for K retired, so this is our first time having Mrs. Bosma. I can say that Lilly thinks she is great!

Camp Kindergarten was lots of fun. They made backpacks, bugs, snacks, took a hike through school and sang songs. Click to see larger

At one point Lilly looked at me from the reading circle and whispered "Will you stop taking pictures?" As you can see, I did not.

One more meeting tonight and then I think we are finished with their school stuff for awhile. Good thing my students come back next week, otherwise what would I do?

Tomatoes!!!

2010-08-07T13:47:00.000-07:00

This week we harvested our first tomatoes. We made tomato, basil, mozzarella cheese salad and BLT sandwiches and they were delicious!
Today we made a trip to the farmer's market for more goodies. Check out our loot!Beans, Carrots, Berries, Corn, Bread, Peppers and Honey Sticks. Yummmm!

No More Braces!

2010-08-05T08:01:00.000-07:00

Today Claire got her braces off. She was a little (read a lot) nervous about the removal, but Dr. Hannipal did a great job talking her through the whole thing.Once the braces were off he polished them all up and she has a beautiful white smile!

We go back in about 2 weeks to pick up her retainer. She chose bright pink with gold glitter. Who woulda thunk?!?

Do you think Lilly likes to cook?

2010-08-05T03:00:00.000-07:00

While Claire was fishing, Lilly was baking. This girl loves to cook, bake, anything in the kitchen - even dishes. I love her smile in this picture. Pure joy!

Beach Tea Party

2010-08-04T03:00:00.000-07:00

After the rain cleared on Saturday, we decided it would be a nice night for a beach tea party. I thought I'd get some great shots of the girls, but it turned out they were not interested for very long.

Soon the chairs moved into the water and it became a free for all!

Not really what I had planned, but they had fun and that is what matters most.

Most Recent Sewing Purchase

2010-08-03T10:32:00.000-07:00

I love Farbenmix. I have loved it for a few years, but never splurged on a pattern because they run around $15 and NEVER go on sale. So, when I was introduced to the book Sewing Clothes Kids Love by the founder of Farbenmix it was a done deal. Great photos, clear instructions and 10 - yes10 - full size patterns. I ordered it and have been soaking up each detail for the last few days. I love it! I don't know when I will have time to actually tackle any of the pieces, but I am excited none the less.When I was on the site, it recommended some kids craft books to look at. I was immediately interested in Ed Emberley's Complete Funprint Drawing Book. I took it up north with some ink and cards and let the girls go to town. It was fun watching them look at each page and deciding which designs they would make. We ended up with lots of inky fingers, but they had a blast.

I would highly recommend each of these purchases. And BTW, Walmart had good prices and 97cent shipping per item. It was on my doorstep in 48 hours. Not bad!

First Tomato!

2010-08-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

We picked our first heirloom tomato yesterday. It was delicious! We all had some and agreed that we can't wait for the rest of them to ripen.

A Mixed Weekend Up North

2010-08-03T08:22:00.000-07:00

This past weekend the girls and I made the trek up north to visit with my parents and spend some time on the beach.
Friday was great. Lots of swimming, and fishing.
Saturday was rainy. Dad and Uncle Russ took Claire (8) and Brody (3) fishing. They caught about 100 fish. Yes, read that right 100 fish. Only the little ones fished. Incredible! Russ' pond is stocked! Claire's favorite part - wait for it - peeing in a bucket on the boat. Unbelievable!

We swam in the middle of the lake. This was a highlight!

Baby Shower Gifts

2010-07-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

We had a surprise baby shower for a friend at work today. She was really surprised. Thought I'd show you what I made for her.
She is having a boy, but I didn't have the right fabric prints in blue, so I went with a green and orange combo. It has a ruffle because I like ruffles and think that if a mom is carrying the bag who cares if it looks girly. After all, she is a girl.
I also made a "quilted" taggy blanket. It has a layer of crinkly plastic in the inside so it makes noise. I love the way this one turned out!

Congrats, Cindy! I hope all goes well in the next few weeks.

Heirloom Tomatos

2010-07-20T10:28:00.000-07:00

Last year I planted a cherry tomato plant in a planter by our front door. None of them made it into the house. The girls snacked on them while playing outside. I didn't mind. Healthy snack.
This year my Mom and Dad bought some heirloom tomato plants. We have about 15 or so. They are doing great (I think) and we have lots of small tomatoes and blooms. Can't wait until they are all ripe, but here is a sneak peek.

This one is kind of a mutant tomato. It grew around a leaf. Should be interesting to eat!

VanderSlik Family Photo Shoot

2010-07-16T08:45:00.001-07:00

I don't do this very often, but Amy called and asked if I'd shoot some pictures of their entire family. It is hard to get them all together, but she came up with a time and I showed up with a camera. I do not claim to be anywhere close to a professional photographer, but when a friend needs help I will do what I can.
I hope you guys find something you like!

Girls Bedroom ReDo

2010-07-10T20:07:00.000-07:00

If you have read this blog in the last little while, you know I have big dreams for redoing the girls' bedroom. I already have installed the chandelier and completed the book slings and pillow cases, now it is time for the walls.
I found this image this week and I think this is the direction I will go.

Did you know that you can adhere fabric to the wall using starch or even an iron on fuseable webbing? I am now on the hunt for the right fabric. Once it is on the wall we'll frame it with trim.
I worked on these while the girls were gone.
I think I'll put them in an oversize frame painted in a funky color. They will be similar, but not matchy matchy.

Whatcha think?

The Greatest Fourth in the North!

2010-07-06T07:50:00.001-07:00

Once again we made the trek up north for the fourth of July. The drive was longer than normal, but thanks to a portable dvd player and an Ipod, the girls did unusually well. Traffic was crazy. Talk about staycations. I think everyone stayed close to home and hit the closest lake.The girls played in the water for a long time every day. They absolutely love it. Phase 2 of their swimming lessons starts next week and I am sure they will love it.

The parade in Lake City is always a fun time. Although, Claire had a rough start this year. Lilly kept getting more candy and stuff. We had to encourage her to go for it and forget about what the candy was and if she could eat it (braces) and we would trade it around after it was all collected. She should have her braces off before school starts!

Uncle Gord, Aunt Marcia, Troy, Amanda and Lauren came for dinner and to watch the fireworks. Here are the cupcakes I made. They were really good!
I stocked up on glow in the dark stuff at the dollar store before we went up. I could find the girls in the pitch black and it gave them something to play with. Our neighbors had some really great fireworks. Good thing! The city changed the location of where they set them off and we missed a lot of the show. They were at the opposite end of the lake and it was not the best spot for us to see them.

Another great weekend in Northern Michigan. And for all of you parents out there, my kids are still there. They are having "vacation" with Papa and Mimi for the rest of the week. I know you are jealous. :)

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-06-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

I know it isn't my birthday yet, but if you love me and want to buy me a present I have some ideas for you.
Last night Coco showed me a great etsy site that has the most wonderful jewelry. B rittany Chavers has necklaces, earrings, bracelets and more made from vintage pieces. Love it all!

Here are a few of my favorites.click on the image to be linked to the etsy item

The best part...there is a sale. Buy 2 get one free! Pool your funds folks and get a girl something nice for her birthday!

Jilly is getting Married this weekend!

2010-06-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

This week Saturday, Jill is getting married. Jill is Jodi's assistant for In Any Event and Gwyneth Paige. We have worked together, played together and had some great laughs together. This is going to be a great wedding!
Jill's style is classic and everything is being done right. The details are going to be awesome!
I am honored to play a part in her special day.
As a gift to her, I made a bag for her that encapsulates some of the details into one bag. Ruffles and buttons are big themes for the day. From the dress to the escort cards, there will be something special around every corner.
As usual, I incorporated her new monogram, but this time I accented the panel with buttons! I love how it turned out.
I will share many more details after the wedding, but I don't want to spill any secrets before the big day. Congrats, Jilly! Love you.

4th of July Inspiration Board

2010-06-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

Amanda commented on my last post that I should show my ideas before the actual holiday so that she can copy them. I decided that she is probably right. So here is my inspiration board for the 4th of July.
We spend the 4th up at my parents house and celebrate by going to the Greatest Fourth in the North parade, take boat rides, eat a great picnic type lunch and watch the fireworks on the beach.
Every year the girls get new red, white and blue outfits for the parade. This year I picked up some cute ones from Next Direct. They are based out of the UK, but recently launched a US version of their website. Love it! I am going to try and make some headbands or hair clips inspired by this great one from ESKIDivine on etsy. Maybe even one for me.

I picked up glow in the dark necklaces, bracelets, rings and wands from the dollar store. Amazing what you can find there.

The decor idea is from Make and Takes. She has complete instructions and they pack a lot of punch for not a lot of money. Gotta like that.

The cupcakes and strawberries help to tie in the holiday to the menu. Not too many blue foods out there, so work them in where you can. Most likely a dessert or a fruit salad.

So, I hope that gets your juices flowing and helps you to get inspired for a great 4th of July celebration.

Father's Day

2010-06-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

Every year I struggle to find something for Jim for Father's Day. We don't spend a lot on these kind of things and I like to get something that looks like I spent more than I actually did.
The pictures that he has on his desk at work are pretty old. I decided to do something to replace them.
I purchased wood letters at Hobby Lobby and covered them with scrapbook paper. Each kid picked a letter and away we went.
These will be printed wallet size and put in one of those frames that is actually 3 small frames hinged together.This one will be a 5x7. I like the way they turned out and I am sure that he will love them.

New Tablecloth

2010-06-14T07:39:00.001-07:00

I have been looking for a new tablecloth for awhile. I wanted something in vinyl with a cool pattern and not something that looked like it belonged on a picnic table.
Well, that plan flew out of the window when I saw this beauty. It was on clearance. Yes, clearance at Target. I looked at them the beginning of the week and couldn't find one to fit my table. Then Katy and I made a quick trip on Saturday and I found it on the clearance rack for $15!
I am going to find a clear plastic cover to go over it and save it from all of the strawberry and other stains that I am sure it would be covered with.
Now, if I could only find the perfect curtains for the girls' room on the clearance rack.

It is Finished and Hanging

2010-06-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

Last night I put the finishing touches on the chandelier. Crystal trim and tassels from hobby lobby. Then I left for a meeting. When I came home, Jim had it installed and the girls were sleeping under a new light fixture. They love it! Now we have to pick out a paint color, paint, get window treatments, new comforters.......
Project Total:
Chandelier: $10 on Craigslist
Spray Paint: On Hand
Silver Beads: 1.00 at Dollar Store
Crystal Tassels: $3.00 Hobby Lobby on sale for 50% off this week
Crystal Trim: $7.00 Hobby Lobby after 40% off Coupon

Drum roll please.......$21.00! Not bad if I do say so myself.

Look Familiar?

2010-06-08T17:17:00.001-07:00

We are getting there! I decided to paint the shades. I may add some trim, but the girls love it as it is.

I NEED this!

2010-06-08T11:40:00.001-07:00

I know. I say that about a lot of things, but look at this. It is beautiful! I love the font, the wooden handle, I love it all. Enjoy.

Oh, I probably should tell you where you can get me one. Check out Primele.

Critter Barn!

2010-06-08T09:00:00.001-07:00

Claire's last field trip for the year was last week. She is actually having her last half day of school today. I was pleasantly surprised by the educational program put on by the Critter Barn. The kids had tons of fun while learning lots of great stuff.Brushing a horse named Legacy

Feeding a goat named LinusHolding a chicken!Best Friend CameronFeeding a baby goat.Swinging on the bag swing

Clarie was very brave and held or pet every animal. The bunnies were so cute. If we didn't have a cat, we would have brought one home.

Let the Transformation Begin!

2010-06-08T05:18:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took apart the girls' bunk bed. Now there are 2 twin beds in the room. Now we need to paint and pretty it up.
Here is one of the pretty things.Well, it will be pretty when I am done with it. It got it's first coat of paint last night. The brass is now all silver. Tonight the cream will become aqua! Then on to shade decorating.

Happy Birthday, girls!

2010-06-05T18:02:00.000-07:00

Holy cow! Has it really been a whole month since my last post? I have a few things coming this week, but I will start it off with a review of the birthday party that we had for the girls today.
Inspiration started a long time ago when I came across the "Birthday Chicks" layout by Heather Bailey in Mary Englebright's Home Companion Magazine. I blogged about it in January.
It all started with the invitation. I used the template from Heather's site and then used Photoshop to layer different patterns. That way I could just print them out on a color printer and cut them out once rather than cutting each layer.(I don't have a pic right now. I'll insert it later.)Then I made the bags. I used some of Heather's fabrics and some of Sandi Henderson's. Each one is different, but they all seem to "go." I then stocked the with a feather boa, a big jewel ring, a bird whistle, and a lollipop. They were a hit!I borrowed a lot of stuff to make this happen. 2 chairs are mine. 3 came from my Aunt Judy. and 2 came from Jodi. I also borrowed all of the vintage china from Jodi. The chickens and tea pots came from my mom. The table cloths are mine. Thanks, everyone!The girls made foam crowns when they arrived. Lunch was served. They had finger sandwiches, fruit kabobs, veggies and dip and sparkling lemonade.After lunch they opened gifts and beat the tar out of a pinata. Then cake was served. I made 2 sheet cakes. One chocolate and one yellow and cut it into rounds. Each cake had one of each layer. I then frosted them and added a gum paste flower that I purchased on etsy from Sweet Bouquet. I saw something I wanted and emailed her a picture. She created her version and I am thrilled. They were beautiful and even tasted good (according to the girls).Place settings were great! I used the china from Jodi, a place card based on the same Heather Bailey party. I used the same pattern from the invites and made the chicks. The blocks were purchased from Casey's Wood Products. Always thrilled with my purchases from them.I think that about wraps it up. Oh, you want to see the kids? What? The decor isn't enough?
Ok...
My sister asked if it was worth all of the work. Well, tonight before she went to bed, Lilly said "Thanks for the wonderful birthday party, Mom." So, I guess it was.

Some of my recent stars

2010-05-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

If you use Google reader to follow blogs, you know that you can star things you like. My star list is pretty long. I will never be able to make all of the things on my list, so I thought I'd share some with you today.

Here is the final idea that we did for our teachers, school secretary, and principal. My Mix of Six has some great ideas for activities and crafts for kids. We are all using lots of hand sanitizer and this makes it a little pretty.

Is this not the most beautiful thing you have seen in awhile? I LOVE this idea from Holidash. I actually have bought all of the things needed to make this. Now I just need the time.

This Mother's Day idea came from BellaDia. Very easy and a beautiful commemorative item to give to mom.I love to make pillows. I have a couple in the works right now. One of the things I struggle with is the invisible zip. Here is a great tutorial from Sew Katie Did.Claire is very excited about planting a garden this year. I think that this would be a great idea for their bedroom. Just a mist of water once a week or so and you are all set. Thanks Curious Bird for the idea!

Last but certainly not least, The Gathered Clutch from Noodle via Dana Made it.
These are super cute! I love the combination of color and texture. Now, just mastering the zipper!

Birthday Party!

2010-05-06T07:58:00.001-07:00

When we got home from work, Lilly was ready to start the party. She began by opening the gifts that had come in the mail.She got a Spongebob camera and gardening tools from Uncle Jason, Aunt Leah and Jack. I am sure we will see many photos from her in the near future.Next came a box from Papa and Mimi. Their gift was "5" themed. 5 color books, 5 sticker sheets, 5 flower seed packets, 5 veggie seed packets, 5 pencils, a 5 candle, 5 nickles, 5 $1 bills, and gardening gloves (5 fingers on each glove)! She had a blast pulling each thing out of the box and counting to 5.
She got a $5 bill from GG and she said "Look Claire, I am rich!"Then we hopped in the car and went to Red Robin for supper with the Settergren clan. That is the place she always picks. We had a nice dinner and Lilly opened more gifts. Books from Aunt Barb, Uncle Chuck and Jenny and a great pencil case filled with goodies from Karen. Papi gave her money to buy whatever she wants. She got a LIV doll and a Slip and Slide from us and gardening boots from Coco.I think she had a good birthday. By the time we got home both girls were beat. They fell into bed and we didn't hear a peep until morning.
I still can't believe my baby is 5!

No Pictures

2010-05-05T06:58:00.000-07:00

So, I told you that I'd update you on the whole 5's morning activities. Well, they never happened. Jim, Claire and I went upstairs and sang Happy Birthday to wake her up, she came downstairs for her birthday breakfast and slid off of the bar stool and hit her head on the tile floor. Nice way to start your birthday, huh?
Needless to say, there was no picture taking and no fun stuff this morning. The time I allotted for the fun was quickly filled by the tears and cuddling.
By the time we left the house she was fine. Looking forward to bringing her cupcakes to school for her birthday treat. I will for sure have pictures from the Red Robin festivities tonight!

Happy Birthday, Lilly Grace!

2010-05-05T03:00:00.000-07:00

Today is Lilly's Golden Birthday. She was born on 5-5-05 and this year she turns 5. We are doing a lot of 5 things today. I will fill you in on all of them tomorrow when I have pictures.
Tonight we will be going to Red Robin (her choice) with Uncle Chuck, Aunt Barb, Karen , Jenny and Papi. She is very excited! She loves that they give her a balloon, ice cream sundae and sing to her.

Lilly,
What a girl you are! You love to dress up in princess clothes, dance and sing. Yet, you are the first to jump in mud puddles and get messy. You are strong willed and test us every day. We love you very much. Happy Birthday!

Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?

2010-05-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

You all know by now that I have a bit of an unhealthy love for all things Amy Butler. She has beautiful fabric, great patterns, rugs I'd sell my children to own (ok, maybe not), books, you name it - I love it.
Imagine my reaction when I saw this. The gasp, the "holy crap, what has she done now?" Apartment Therapy spilled the beans today.

She has really done it now. I have to figure out how to use this in my house. I know it will be WAY out of my price range, so maybe one roll and frame many pieces on one wall. I am in awe of the patterns and colors.
Once again - "Well done, Amy. Well done."

Teacher Appreciation Week

2010-05-01T19:14:00.000-07:00

This week is Teacher Appreciation week at school. I looked online for ideas and loved the ideas from Rachel at Made with Love and Glue. I went to the dollar store and they had most of the things I needed. This makes me happy because it means they were cheap as well as cute! Claire has two teachers this year and so does Lilly. However, Lilly only goes to school 3 days and one day she will be bringing her birthday treat.A&W Root Beer 2/$3
Candy $1
Paper, ribbon and bag - on hand

Sweedish Fish $1
Paper, Ribbon and bag - on hand

Chocolate Bar $1
Paper - on hand

Smarties $1
Paper, ribbon and bag - on hand

100 Grand Candy $1 (there are 10 in the bag to = 1Million)
Paper, ribbon and bag - on hand

I hope the teachers like them and that they understand how much we really do appreciate them!
Thanks, Rachel for all of the last minute ideas!

Scrap Bag Winners

2010-05-01T19:13:00.001-07:00

Since I have 3 bags ready to go and only 4 of you commented, I am going to come up with another bag and each of you will win. See it pays off to comment on my blog. Sometimes I feel generous.
Email me with your contact info.
Thanks

Picture Day

2010-04-29T12:40:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I took pictures of the girls and "baby" Kailyn. She is our friends' daughter and she is a doll. The girls all love her! Yesterday, Coco seemed to have the magic touch and could make her smile. I am not a professional, but I think we got some good shots.

A funny shot to wrap up the evening! :)

Drumroll please.........

2010-04-28T10:46:00.000-07:00

There were 9 total comments. I used the random number picker outer and the winner is....

Comment number 5. Congratulations, Mindie! Email me and we will make arrangements for delivery.

Thanks to all who participated and remember to stop by and look for more giveaways this week. The fabric scraps are still up for grabs now.

Claire's Daisy Diva

2010-04-28T07:01:00.000-07:00

Claire needed a new bike this spring. We passed her bike to Lilly and went on the hunt. We looked at the garage sales in our neighborhood, checked out Craigslist and searched several stores. She couldn't find anything that she liked as much as the Daisy Diva we found online. She struggled with the decision because she did not want to wait for delivery and wanted to just find one and take it home.
The website said to plan on a week for delivery. On Saturday, she decided that she would only be happy with the Daisy Diva. I was very happy with her decision. It has a big seat, upturned handlebars, and it looked like a good bike for her.It came much sooner than we anticipated and showed up on our front porch yesterday. That is fast service for $2.97 shipping! Jim spent several hours assembling it. He said it was quite a pain in the butt. The breaks are still a bit tight and he will adjust them tonight.
The major glitch for us came in the fact that Claire still uses training wheels. 20" bikes are not intended for use with training wheels. (I know what you are thinking...What the heck are you parents doing? Teach this kid to ride a bike! Let me assure you we are working on it. Claire is gaining confidence in other areas of life which I hope will spill out into these small daily battles)
Anyway, Jim is going to fabricate something at work today to rig the training wheels so that she can really ride the bike.
In the meantime, here she is modeling her new Daisy Diva!

Give away #2

2010-04-27T04:30:00.000-07:00

As of now, there is not a whole lot of competition for the giveaway. Invite your friends! It is time to post about give away number 2.
You have no idea how many scraps are produced when making bags and other projects. I can't even think of throwing them away. They are just to pretty! Scraps are all different sizes.
Here is a pic of some of them. Designers include Amy Butler, Sandi Henderson, Heather Bailey, and many more.
I will make 3 bags of equal weight for prizes.
I'd like you to go to my website at www.handbagsbyjen.com and tell me what you like. Be sure to check out all of the areas.

Hermie is finally coming out to play

2010-04-26T20:14:00.001-07:00

Remember when we got our crabs? Well, Claire's little guy has been very shy and stubborn. He just doesn't like to come out and visit.

Today he changed his mind. He spent a lot of time crawling around on the girls' hands. They were very excited. Me...not so much.

A Week Full of Giveaways!

2010-04-26T04:30:00.000-07:00

I have decided to do some giveaways this week to see who is reading my blog.
Today I will be giving away a wool zipper pouch to one lucky reader.
I found inspiration (and a tutorial) for these beauties this week. My first attempt turned out pretty good, but I didn't have any beads or other fancy stuff on hand.
If you would like a chance to win this beauty, leave me a comment telling me your favorite part of spring.
I will use the random winner generator on Wednesday at noon. Good Luck!

Melvin found a new toy

2010-04-25T04:30:00.000-07:00

Meet my good friend Rhee

2010-04-24T12:51:00.000-07:00

Looking back, I can't believe that I haven't mentioned her before. Rhee and I are close. Although she doesn't know I exist. I read 3 of her blogs. That is right 3. She is a city girl who fell in love with a rancher. They have a bunch of kids, whom she home schools. She is currently on a book tour for her cookbook and she is a fantastic photographer. She is The Pioneer Woman.
This week I felt ambitious and decided to try one of the recipes on her cooking blog - Chicken with Mushrooms and Artichokes.

This is the picture from her blogFamily Fare had chicken legs on sale for 99 cents a pound. I picked up some, along with the other ingredients and headed home to start.
I learned a couple of things.
1. You really should measure when following a recipe.
2. Rhee really knows how to cook!
Here is how mine turned out
It was great! A little runny because I decided that I didn't need to measure the chicken stock or white wine and eyeballing would be fine, but good none the less.
The kids even ate it!
Claire was a little apprehensive about the artichokes, but she tried them and loved it!
I will definitely be trying more of her recipes.

Morning Checklist

2010-04-19T12:41:00.000-07:00

I know we all experience it to some degree, but my kids have a terrible time getting going in the morning. Lilly loves to sleep. She will sleep until 10 every day if we let her. Claire has a mild sleep disorder and is tired each morning. She also has a very hard time staying on task. This morning we started using a checklist. Each girl has her own list on a clipboard and has to keep herself on task. Lilly's has pictures since she cannot read yet.This morning we were actually early to school. Why didn't I think of this earlier in the school year?

New bag. Blurry Picture.

2010-04-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

Here is a blurry picture of my newest bag. I brought it and two others to our school auction. It sold for $275! Don't worry, I will not be charging that much.

I also completed bags for a wedding. Meet the Kinney bag.
This bag is pleated with a monogram band and has two interior pockets.

We have crabs!

2010-04-10T19:00:00.000-07:00

No, not that kind. Hermit Crabs.
Welcome Hermie and Mr. Krabs to our family. Hermie is the larger of the two. He belongs to Claire. Lilly picked a baby. I am sure this is going to be fun. Especially once one of them gets pinched.

Spring Break 2010

2010-04-08T19:50:00.001-07:00

We had a great time in Florida with my parents for Spring Break. The little girls and I went down and left Jim and Coco at home. I organized some of the 711 pictures we took into a quick little book to share with you here.
Enjoy!

Click here to view this photo book larger

New Do's

2010-03-19T07:09:00.000-07:00

Lilly hates having her hair done. And when I say hates, I mean screams and says your hurting my head. So much so that I have actually asked her doctor if it is possible for a kid to have such a sensitive scalp that it would hurt to brush her hair. He said it was very unlikely. So, I decided it is time for a haircut. The girls had their hair cut for school in September, but that was the last time. Hmmm....wonder if that is a good idea.
Claire decided she was having bangs. She has had them before and I really don't care, so she did it. I think she is cute and she thinks it is "adorable."
I decided that it would be good for Lilly to go short. That way she can do her own hair, not need a ponytail to keep it out of her face, and it was really cute the last time she did it.
So, without further ado, I present the new looks.

Update post

2010-03-06T19:20:00.001-08:00

I promised an update pic of the snowman family and the Lobies. Here it is.Not a whole lot changed with the snow family, but they did add a beard on Jim.

I cannot say enough about these Lobies. They shipped really fast and the girls couldn't wait to try them out. They love them! Both girls have used their Lobies with their Ipods and Nintendo DS systems. They are comfortable, and will fit any ear. You can coil them around and make them smaller for small ears like Lilly.
The best part is that once I got the order there was a request for a review. If I completed an online review on Amazon, they would send me a coupon code for 50% off my next order of up to 7 pairs. I love them so much I bought 7 pairs and will gift them out to friends with kids who could use them. If you will be traveling for spring break, I highly recommend Lobies!

Saturday Fun Day

2010-03-06T19:06:00.000-08:00

I had nothing special planned for the day. Jodi called at about 11 o'clock and said that her kids wanted to play with my kids today. She had called the bowling alley and they said they only had lanes open until 1. We decided to hustle over there and let the kids bowl. We actually only got about 7 frames in before we had to quit, but they sure did have fun. I guess we learned our lesson and if we want to bowl on a Saturday, we better get them there by 9.
After bowling, we went and grabbed some lunch. The kids played all day long and had tons of fun. We are so thankful for friends like Gretchen and Seth. Thanks for calling, Jodi!

What do you get when you mix Claire and a round brush?

2010-03-02T06:17:00.000-08:00

This is NOT Claire. It is very close to the adventure we had this morning.

This morning we were running late (as usual). I told Claire to run upstairs and brush her teeth and then come downstairs and brush her hair. I set the brush on the couch. Not very complicated. Simple actually. I should have known better.
A few minutes later Claire came downstairs crying because "This brush is stuck in my hair?" I turned around to find her with a 1 inch round brush attached to her head. It was jammed in there. I couldn't budge it. My first thought was "we are going to have to cut this out and she is going to have a patch of 2" hair in the middle of her head." Then I came to my senses and called my resident hair expert, my neighbor Shelly.
Shelly told me to find a pencil or a rat tail comb (because I have one of those?) and to loosen a small section at a time. Like 4-5 hairs at a time. Well, when she said pencil it dawned on me. I often use a pencil to clean a round brush. Running a pencil up the space between the bristles. This could work. I started to "clean" the brush and all of Claire's hair started coming off, along with all of the gross old hair that was on it.
Once the brush was out, we were left with a humongous tangle of hair. Now, I know you are thinking that I am exaggerating when I say humongous and I am sorry to report that I did not take a picture, but let me assure you it was a mess.
I told her to bite on something and hold on because I was brushing it out and we were getting her to school.
Needless to say, crisis averted. No weird haircut, not even late to school. The brush has found a new resting place in our garbage can. NO MORE ROUND BRUSHES!!!

Little Ears and Electronics

2010-02-28T17:56:00.000-08:00

This topic has been on my mind for recently. My kids don't use headphones very often, but when they do I worry about how loud it is in their ears. Most ear buds are too big for Lilly, but Claire uses them. Both sometimes complain that they make their ears hurt.
We will be heading to Florida for Spring Break and that means Nintendo DS and Ipods on the plane. I set out on a better alternative. I found something I loved. They are AirDrives. They go around the ear and the actual bud sits on the outside of the ear instead of entering the ear canal. I thought they were great until I looked at the price. $40! I know, I know...how much is my kids hearing worth. Well, at the rate they go through ear buds because they lose them or they get stepped on in the car, I couldn't bring myself to spend the money. I read through the comments and someone mentioned Lobies. I checked them out and they seemed like an affordable alternative.
They are soft, moldable for each kid, and regular ear buds go into them. I think that the they are going to like them. I bought the pink and purple glitter ones for the girls.
I'll let you know what I think of them after they arrive in a few days.

Salad on a Stick

2010-02-27T19:43:00.000-08:00

Leah made toothpicks with tomato, basil and mozzarella cheese for Jack's birthday party. I do the same thing in salad form in the summer. Lilly ate approximately 20 of them at the party. Coco and I made some up for dinner tonight. The girls couldn't even wait for dinner and started feasting on them. Again, I think they ate more than their fair share. Lilly called them Salad on a Stick. I guess that is what we will be calling this from now on.
This one is for the family. Lilly said "Look Mom, I am Uncle Gord."

Snow Family

2010-02-27T19:31:00.000-08:00

Today was a slow day for me. I am still recovering from the stomach flu so I laid low. Coco did me a huge favor and took the girls to see Planet 51. I took a nap while they were gone and by the time they got back I was ready for them.
Imagine my surprise when I woke up and found that they were all outside making a snow family.

They ran out of light and will finish them up tomorrow. I'll give you an update later.

Always the last to know

2010-02-23T20:36:00.000-08:00

I stumbled upon the jewelry at Forever 21 this week. I cannot tell you how thrilled I was to find such great necklaces at affordable prices.

Here are a few of the things I picked up.$9.80!

$10.80!

$6.80!

Then there are the hair accessories! Great for the little girls. Cheap! So, if they get lost or broken, it isn't a huge loss.

I got these in several colors. You can't go wrong for the price.

$1.50!

$3.80!

I can't wait to shop here each season to spruce up the wardrobe. Much cheaper than new clothes, just change up the accessories!

Mid Winter Break

2010-02-21T21:55:00.001-08:00

This weekend was Mid Winter Break for Claire's school. I took Friday off of work to do something fun with the kids. We ended up going to Chuckie Cheese with Jodi and her kids for lunch and then met them again for dinner. Saturday, Claire and I had a girls day and went to run some errands.
Saturday night I set up the tent and preped for Camping night.
After dinner, we made smores.I tried to find a smore maker to borrow, but thought our table top grill would work. I was wrong. It didn't get hot enough to even brown the mellows. So we went on to plan B.
This actually made excellent smores!
The girls watched iCarley in the tent and fun was had by all.......Until about 1 am.
That is when Lilly came downstairs and woke me up saying she didn't feel well. She was not lying. She stared puking at 1:15 and didn't stop until noonish today. We slept in 20 minute increments all night long.
Claire has tomorrow off of school, but I am going to go to work because I cannot handle any more excitement. I think I need a Mid Winter Break.

One Cute Headband

2010-02-18T11:03:00.000-08:00

I used two online tutorials to make one cute headband.
The first came from calico. She made some really easy and cute headbands and I love them!
Then I used a fabric flower making technique that was featured on Happy Find.

By combining the two techniques, I got a wonderful little addition to our hair accessory arsenal.

What 'cha think?

Do you need something to do on Thursday night?

2010-02-16T09:11:00.000-08:00

If you live in the Grand Rapids area, there is something special happening this Thursday evening.
Jen Kroll and her husband Jay are going on a mission trip to Haiti to build a school. There are many things that need to be done before they can go and one of them is fund raising.
She tells the story best, so go to this link to learn more about what they are doing.
You can help by attending a the Haitian School Fundraiser Gala on Thursday.
There are tons of great stuff to be auctioned off and you can contribute in many ways. They already have collected a suitcase full of toothpaste, toothbrushes, tampons, soap and shampoo. An international school in Florida has also donated hundreds of French school and storybooks and are shipping them to the new school.
I know that we sometimes watch the news and think that the need is so big that anything that we could do wouldn't make a difference. This is one thing that we can all do together and make a huge difference.
email admin@jenkrollphotography to reserve your space. It is going to prove to be an amazing event.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-11T19:23:00.000-08:00

I couldn't find any Valentine's outfits that I loved and were affordable, so I improvised. I took shirts that the girls had and made them lovable. I had some knit fabric in my stash and decided to make a "ruffled" heart and add some ruffles to the sleeves. I drew the heart and just fed the knit through the machine faster than the shirt. A nice "faux" ruffle effect.

I am currently baking heart shaped cakes for them for snack tomorrow.

We did basic Valentine cards for their classes this year, but now that I have found these great ideas, I am going to stash them away for next year.

These matchbooks are awesome!
How about some owls?

These are the cutest things I have seen in a long time. Lollipop Photos!

Owl Always Love You

2010-02-11T10:37:00.000-08:00

I have had a recent obsession with Owls. I love them. I love stuffed ones, jewelry ones, big ones, small ones, you name it. I decided I would share a few of my favorites with you.

First, let me introduce you to etsy. If you have no idea what I am talking about, get your butt over to etsy.com asap. This is the mecca of handmade goods. Here are the owls I found there:

If I knew how to knit well, I'd most certainly make these.

And check out this beauty. My favorite color combination and an owl in one! Can it get better?
Take a look at this beauty. This is from Old School Acres Flicker account.
Be sure to stop back tomorrow to see the Valentine shirts I made for the girls.

Amanda's Shower

2010-02-09T07:48:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we had a family shower for my cousin Amanda. She and her husband adopted a beautiful baby girl. They have had to travel quite the road to parenthood, but all of the hard work has resulted in a wonderful family.
Most of my aunts and cousins came to my mom's house and we had a "nesting" shower. Amanda received tons of great stuff and lots of diapers. The rest of the group got a chance to welcome Baby L into our family.Amanda and her mom came early so that I could take some pictures of Baby L. (Click on the picture above for a larger view) She cooperated most of the time, but didn't like the bowl. The bowl is a beautiful hand blown glass bowl that my mom has at her house. I wanted to get a picture of her in the bowl. She did not want her picture taken in a cold, uncomfortable, glass bowl. So we postponed and tried again after the shower. That is when I got my picture of Baby L in the bowl. Yeah!!!

Polar Papa

2010-02-06T10:17:00.000-08:00

If there was any doubt before, it is all gone now. My dad is officially crazy!
Today is a beautiful sunny day in Northern Michigan. It is a balmy 17 degrees.
So what is my dad going to do....Jump in Lake Cadillac.
The polar dip to raise money for the women's shelter in Cadillac is this afternoon and he is one of the crazy jumpers.
We took a picture in preparation for the big leap!

New Handbags Website

2010-02-01T10:42:00.001-08:00

I finally made the leap. I started the process about a week ago, but the new site is finally live. I am looking forward to taking new pictures of the bags and making everything uniform, but I needed to make the switch now in order to avoid upgraded fees on my old server. Please check it out and let me know if you have any trouble or thoughts.
I hope that you like it as much as I do.

Update on Character Day

2010-01-28T06:07:00.001-08:00

I wanted to get a quick picture of Claire and her teacher for Character Dress Up Day so we got to school a few minutes early today. What a surprise when Claire and Mrs. Brink saw each other!Again....Claire is really happy in this picture. I promise!

Book Character Dress Up Day

2010-01-27T17:11:00.000-08:00

Do you remember Amelia Bedelia? I remember reading her books when I was a little girl. Claire has enjoyed reading them this year as well. So when it come to "Dress as your favorite book character day" at school, I knew it was a possibility that she would pick her. I was secretly hoping that she would pick something easier so I wouldn't have to do very much, but that was not the case. I tried to talk up Fancy Nancy, the princess from "Princess and the Pea," but she was hearing none of it.
So of course I waited until the very last minute and started it this past weekend. I went to the thrift store and picked up a black dress and a white blouse. I took the dress in and shortened the sleeves, used the color and cuffs from the blouse and the dress was done. God blessed me and the hat was also at the thrift store. This was the part I was dreading most. I spray painted it black and added the flowers. The apron was whipped up tonight and it has all come together.
Claire is thrilled with it and is excited because she gets to wear her dress shoes to school. She can't wait to click her heels on the floors.I know she doesn't look thrilled, but she doesn't like to show her teeth when she smiles right now. I promise, she is very excited in this picture.

What was I thinking?

2010-01-21T07:41:00.000-08:00

What was I thinking? I thought I had a great plan. Claire (7) has been asking for a Nintendo DS Lite for awhile now. I explained that they are pricey and not something you just buy for fun. She should put it on her Christmas list and see what happens. Well, I found a great deal - $88 at Target last October. I bought one and hid it until Christmas. Then I had to think of something equally as great for Lilly (4). I came across a camcorder by Crayola at Aldi and thought it would be perfect. What was I thinking? Lilly thought the camcorder was cool - for about 10 seconds. Until she saw her sister's pink DS. Then she was MAD! How could I get Claire something so cool and not get one for her. I thought she was too young. I thought she wouldn't be able to play the games. I thought it was too expensive of a toy for a 4 year old. What was I thinking?
Now it seems that everywere we go all of the kids are playing with a DS. I know that is what I used to tell my mom - "Everyone has one except for me." But in this case it seems to be true.

Now for the point of this post. I need to find a DS. Cheap. Lilly has put one thing and only one thing on her birthday list. You guessed it - A Nintendo DS Lite. I don't want to spend the big money on a new one. A used one is just fine. Any color will do. I can buy a skin off of ebay with Disney Princesses on it to make it girly. Do any of you out there have a kid who doesn't use theirs anymore? Maybe you upgraded to a DSi? Can you help me make Lilly's day? I am looking to spend around $50. Please let me know if you can save the day and put a smile on this little girl's face.

The Last Christmas Present

2010-01-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

I am finally delivering the last Christmas gift I made today at lunch. I made this bag for Amy and we are just finding time to get together. This bag was not the easiest to put together (I broke 3 needles) and the topstitching is far from perfect, but I do love the way it turned out. Totally unrelated fabrics that somehow work together.I filled it with tea, lip gloss, cute file folders, note cards and an insulated travel mug. It is one of the travel mugs that you can fill with scrapbook paper or a picture of your kids. I decided to make it match the bag and used the fabric I used on the body of the bag.
I hope she likes it because I think it is really cute!

Claire and Lilly's Birthday Party

2010-01-18T20:11:00.000-08:00

I know what you are thinking "Lilly's birthday is in May and Claire's is in June. What the heck are you doing planning a party in January?" Well, I have to make an order to Oriental Trading for Valentine's day and a school treat so I thought I'd order what I can now and get free shipping. When I saw this party that the great Heather Bailey had published in Home Companion in the April/May 2008 issue, I knew I would use it somehow.
In the past, I have thrown the mother of all parties for the girls. We have 40-50 people and tons of kids. This year they are going to invite 6-8 girls and that is it. We are then going to have a Party Chicks Birthday Party.
I will make each girl a treat bag to hang from the back of the chair. We will have big floral tablecloths, button clover centerpieces with paper globe topiary, and a pinata. I will have all of the stuff to make the clothespin dolls ready and each girl can choose her head, dress and banner. I am really excited to see all of it come together.

Crafty Links

2010-01-18T08:18:00.000-08:00

Since I am working on getting the bags done for the wedding, I am making a list of all of the crafty projects I want to start when I am finished. I have come across some of the most adorable things online lately. I guess everyone has lots of creativity flowing in the new year.First on my list are these adorable clothespin dolls I found on A Little Bit Funky. These are so cute and could be customized for several different occasions. I bought all of the stuff to make them at Cassey's Wood Products. Each one will be less than $1 total!
I plan on having all of the materials ready and then the guests at Claire and Lilly's birthday party will make them as their take home favor.
Who can resist a vintage button? And who doesn't need another ring? This wonderful idea came from Vintage Ric Rac. I have bought the rings off of Oriental Trading and they are not very expensive. You could make them for friends as a sweet V-Day gift.

Another awesome gift idea came from one of my favorite blogs, Ruffles and Stuff. These beautiful slippers started as a pair of $6 cheapies from WalMart. Now they are fit for a princess!
This last idea from With This Ring will take some time and patience, but the result is so beautiful it will be more than worth it. I may make them for my girls as a surprise for their vintage birthday party in June. I am working on the design board and will share it soon.

Hope this gave you some inspiration for the day!

Custom Bridal Party Bag

2010-01-18T08:05:00.001-08:00

A new client phoned a month ago inquiring about a bag for her bridal party. She had seen the work that I did for Jodi Bos and wanted a similar bag. I explained that the In Any Event Bag is exclusive to them, but I would be happy to do a custom design for her. I sketched out 4 designs and she selected the style she loved.
This design is awesome (if I do say so myself). The pleated bag with a contrasting band is perfect for her bridesmaids and flower girls.
This is not her fabric, but it will give you an idea.
The final version will be Michael Miller Dandy Damask in Avocado with Amy Butler Full Moon Tangerine polka dot band and the monogram of each maid embroidered on the band.
I must say that I had a ton of fun with this one and can't wait to tackle them all.

Lilly's Preschool Christmas Program

2009-12-16T20:43:00.000-08:00

Lilly had her Christmas program today. I talked with her teacher who said Lilly is, and I quote, "such a quiet little girl." What did she just say? Are you sure you have the right Lilly? There are two in the class you know. So I found out today that Lilly is quiet, shy and prefers to play alone at school. I am making an appointment tomorrow to have her tested for multiple personality disorder.

I took a couple of pictures with the two kids in her class that she says she likes.
This is Lilly and Lily K. This is the only kid she claims to play with.This is Giovonni. This is the little boy that Lilly loves. He is a naughty boy. Who would have guessed that my little girl would go for the naughty boy.

Here is the proof of her multiple personalities.

Christmas Frame "Wreath"

2009-12-16T20:37:00.001-08:00

Do you remember the frame wreath I wrote about? Blue Cricket Design featured this a few weeks ago and I knew I had to try it. However, life got in the way and I never got around to making the ornaments.
I stopped at Hobby Lobby this week and they have 50% off all of their Christmas decorations. I found some that are plastic and will not break when they hit the door. I also found some floral picks that I thought would look nice. I dressed it with some fun ribbon and this is what I came up with.
Now all I need to do is dig out one of my wreath hangers and get it on to the front door.

Family Christmas Card

2009-12-08T11:35:00.001-08:00

I sent out my cards so I think it is safe to post about them.
Kelly Braman took some excellent pictures of my girls and they made for a great card. I designed it in PhotoShop and had it printed by Color Inc. If you have never used Color Inc for your printing, you are missing out. They do beautiful work and are very reasonably prices. You even get free shipping if your order is over $15.These were printed as a 5x7 flat double sided card in a matte finish. Be sure to stop by the Color Inc site and look at all of their great products and specials. They do a great job with Gallery Wrapped Canvases as well.