Jump for Jumpers!

A Penny Pickles first: jumpers!

As you may know, I have a basic knowledge of using a sewing machine.  So I've done a few things here and there, pillows, roman shades, quilts, camera straps (my newest!), costumes, pajama bottoms and last but not least dresses for Penny.   In February when I posted pictures from Penny's second birthday, I mentioned how I created a pattern and dress for her.  A friend from college, Lindsey, seemed to be taken with the style and asked if I would make something for hire.  I was a bit nervous because I've only sewn for my kids, not to mention I can fit them as I am making it, so I know it will fit.  So as I thought about it, I thought- sure, lets go for it!  Lindsey gave me creative license to pick out the fabric and extras and gave me the following parameters:  She had a friend due at the end of June.  She has a 2 1/2 year old and is expecting her second daughter.  Lindsey wanted me to make matching jumpers for the girls.  She like the style of the tie straps, that way mom can adjust them based on the girls height.  The great thing about these jumpers is that they can be worn alone or with a t shirt or long sleeve t shirt.  You can also pair them with tights, leggings or jeans as the weather gets cooler or the dresses get shorter. So I found fabric that I fell in love with, spent about an hour and a half in the button and ribbon section of Joann's and went forth and conquered the great unknown of sewing for others.  

Actually it doesn't take that long to make these dresses - its the details, like the fact that I rarely find ribbon that I am thrilled with alone, so I combine it with other ribbon to make what I am looking for - which takes time, not to mention layering buttons because I again, am not moved by what I find off the shelf, so I add buttons to one another to get the look I am envisioning.  

The 3T jumper was easy, I used Penny as my guide, the smaller one though, was a combo of using the measurements of one of Penny's baby dresses and a baby doll that is pretty close to that size.  We're pretty high-tech here!  I am happy to report they are done, shipped and I am THRILLED with how they look.  I am even pretty happy with my packaging, I added little thank you charms (thanks mom) and velum envelopes with washing instructions (thanks again, mom).  I am always so taken with good packaging so I am always trying to get mine a bit prettier than bubble wrap - this was my chance!

So with out further ado, I present the jumpers:

Sorry couldn't resist the last one, I love the "rapid fire" ability of my camera that caught Penny twirling  - love it!!!

Anyway - I am so proud of my handiwork and I am hopeful that Ming and her daughters enjoy the jumpers once they receive them.  Thanks Lindsey for asking and taking a chance on my sewing skills.  

Next up Conner's tiles - its my latest nursery piece - it will be a few days - so until then - Thanks!

My weekend and upcoming projects...

Well I certainly had a busy weekend - March has been a whirlwind type of month and I am so looking forward to the calmness that is April. Spring break will make for lazy mornings, Jon will be home so no homework, and planting season officially begins, and last, but definitely not least the blessing of Easter!  It also marks the beginning of baseball season and dusting off those bikes, which again are wonderful markers of Spring in the Page house.  

This busy weekend we started off on Thursday when Jon had a half day of school so we went to see old friends, the Stumpfs, that we hadn't seen in years.  I worked with Bryan and his wife, Lainie and I had the same doctor deliver a few of our kids.  I say a few because the Stumpf's have a wonderful, large family of eight children.  Lainie has a fantastic website and I just really don't know how she does it all! Anyway, they live on some beautiful property in Boone County, just about twenty minutes away from us and they have CHICKENS!  It was such fun, the kids played, they chased the chickens, Jon and Penny got quite good at catching them and gathering up a few eggs.  The only party-foul that occurred was Penny climbing into the coop and falling in while the chickens were partaking in their "scratch" snack, so she got pecked at a bit - but being the type of mom that I am, I wasn't going to leave without Penny making peace with the chickens (I was not going to have her declare that she wouldn't eat nuggets anymore because of her experience) so we went back to catching they chickens and then tossing them done saying, "here you go" (Penny not me) as though she was doing them a favor.  It was a wonderful visit, it was so nice to catch up and see how their children have grown and one of the best parts was I was able to come home with three dozen fresh eggs!

Friday, Jon had another half day, so it was a lazy day for the kids, but a cleaning frenzy for me, that evening we had an overnight with our cousins, and promptly had a scrambled eggs and bacon dinner - delightful!  

Saturday morning I was fortunate enough to host a "girls day" here at the house with my girlfriends that I've talked about here before.  We normally don't get together so soon, but Annemarie is delivering her second daughter in April, so this was our last chance for a while to get together as a group.  So we all met up, caught up and visited for the day - being entertained (or annoyed) by my children that decided that we needed a little excitement.  Penny would sing for us, and dance and talk and walk up to and hug and kiss everyone - Drew decided some of my guests needed to be put in their place with a light saber poke or two.  Poor Annemarie, must have done something to the dark side because she was the unfortunate recipient of most of Drew Vaders antics.  Later that day we decided to head to Broad Ripple, we hadn't been their in a while and well we actually had an agenda in mind. 

The girls (not in pajamas for a change)

Now before y'all think I'm nuts, I will say in my defense this is something I've wanted for a very, very long time. As I explained to Jon, this was the first time in my life I felt like this was totally appropriate, so I got my nose pierced.  It really wasn't bad at all - although they don't use the guns like at the piercing pagoda, they use a ginormous needle - which I didn't see much of, but felt and saw on the table.  We went to Metamorphosis in BR, and I was pierced by Paul - who isn't highlighted on their website, but is a really nice guy.  Based on the piercings he had, I figured I was in good hands.  So we went, and I did it and the best part is I saw women from my church their getting their belly buttons pierced.  I guess there is a boom of piercings occurring in the suburban mom sect.  I like it a lot, I am so glad I did it and I love the looks I am getting, like - people don't know what to say, did she have it before? am I rude if I didn't notice, but mention it now?  It's hilarious really, I am curious what my dad is going to say - he's coming down next week.  The kids didn't really mind and I explained that I did it because if I had done it in high school or college my parents would have killed me, and then I worked professionally and generally engineers aren't known for their piercings.  Up until now, I just didn't feel it was the right time.   So when their adults making their own money, they can decide what is right for them.  They seemed happy enough with that answer.  

We had a wonderful dinner and dessert and then said good bye. I hosted a couple girls overnight so I had the added treat of a bit of visit during breakfast on Sunday.  Sunday was a calmer day, but we did get the garage pulled together and the bikes ready to go - I am almost done with my first clothing project - I will be finishing that in the next two days and shipping it out later this week.  I am really excited about how these little jumpers are turning out.  I had a little extra fabric, so I decided to make a cover for my camera strap, it is adorable, but I am wondering how Ryan is going to feel if he dons the camera next.  It was super easy - I used a remnant of fabric and interfacing and it slid on like a dream and makes the strap a lot more comfortable, not to mention pretty.

Cute, no?

Sunday evening we hosted the Au's for dinner and fun - it was so great to catch up again -  I don't think I had seen Lisa's husband Jeff in over a year, and the kids enjoyed the hours of Wii and backyard play.  After our guests left and the house was picked up, we curled up on the couch and watched a movie, it was a nice end, to a busy, but fun weekend.  

Just loved this picture from our lazy morning

Next up - Jumpers!

Thanks!

Introducing...

It was brought to my attention a few days ago from an old jr. high friend that I should offer gift certificates.  I don't know why this didn't occur to me sooner, but its BRILLIANT!!!  Of course - if you are interested in getting something unique for a friend, but don't want to make decisions for them - order a gift certificate!  I can provide them in any dollar amount - and I can also give advice if you aren't sure where to start.  What an awesome gift for baby shower or for new parents, that doesn't involve clothing that gets outgrown in three weeks!  

Once my technical advisor gets home from work, he will update my site - its ready and waiting for him.  So there you go - some new Penny Pickles news! Nothing earth shattering, but news nonetheless.  

Thanks!

Happy 7th Birthday Jon!

Today is the actual birthday of my eldest son, Jon. Not to be confused with our dinner with friends on Friday, or his kid party on Saturday or even his family party yesterday.  Today is the day.  See, if you've been tuning in since at least my birthday, you know that in the Page house we celebrate birthdays for days - they only come around once a year and one day just isn't enough.  Of course than we need to go through birthday detox because it is easy to get used to all the attention.

We started on Friday having old friends over for dinner, the Green's.  They lived in our old neighborhood and we've know each other since Jon was first born.  Their family consists of three boys, Jake (8), Noah(7) and Matthew (4).  We had pizza and Wii fun and the we all got a chance to catch up after too much time passing since the last time we last visited.

Saturday, we woke early to prepare for Jon's small party.  Last year we went had a large party at a gymnastics's studio, it was fun, but expensive.  With three children, we've made it clear that it isn't going to be an every year occurrence.  In fact the success of our little party has made us wonder if it is necessary at all!  Since Jon is a huge Star Wars fan (thanks in part to his father who rented all six episodes and sat the boys down for a marathon) we decided a Star Wars theme was best.  We invited four of his little friends, two from his class last year and two this year (one of which is the cutest little girl/tomboy you will ever meet- Jon proclaimed, if I were a girl, I'd be like Sarah, cute, but I would like boy things).  They were to arrive at 11, play and eat and get picked up at 1.  Only two hours you say, well it was just about the most perfect timing ever.  Our plan was to let the kids play for a bit and then send them on a scavenger hunt around the house to find clues to their next destination, each clue was written in Yoda-ease and had a word scramble for the actual room the next clue could be found.  They wound up at the Jedi Temple (aka-our play set) and found a box containing a light saber for each child (fewer kids, cooler treats) the final part of their journey was to battle Darth Vader (aka Ryan) to save the universe from the dark side.  Needless to say the Jedi's won and Darth got his butt kicked.  

Let me back track a minute to show you the lunacy, ahem, dedication that my husband has to our children.  He was up by eight, dressed and ready to hit a party store on 96th street because it was rumored to have an adult Darth Vader costume.  Much to Ryan's chagrin, they did not, but he did buy a children's one and took parts and pieces to make his own.  He hid by the side of the house as the kids ran outside to the Jedi Temple and then turned the corner to begin the battle.  And yes, this is all on video.  

We came in for lunch and presents, and ate the most adorable cupcakes made by my friend Melanie (who lives in Fishers, so if you live local and need a fantastic cake, cookies or cupcakes for your child I can hook you up!) We then played and all kids were picked up by one.

My dad then came later that afternoon and hung out with us and the kids as we prepared for our little family party on Sunday.  I try to make my gatherings pretty laid back and easy so I can enjoy the festivities as well.  We made homemade pizza (Jon's favorite) and had lots of snacks and of course another set of those darling cupcakes.  My brother and sis-n-law, dad and our friends the Hazelriggs (minus dad who was at a KISS convention-which is probably a good thing because being a dentist I am pretty sure he would have had seizures seeing the amount of sugar the children where consuming).  We ate, visited, played outside and opened presents.  It was a wonderful day, and best of all, Jon proclaimed, "this is the best birthday ever!"

Jon then was invited to his friend Sarah's house for more Jedi fun and hamburgers.  Ryan took our little Darth Vader (yes Drew in fact has swapped his Spiderman suit for Darth and wore it to a cowboy store) to buy himself some cowboy boots.  I got in a run and had a chance to enjoy the amazing weather. 

Today we had one last special treat for Jon when he woke up.  If you know Jon, Jon is pretty snuggly.  He loves to cuddle and be lazy.  He also has an unnatural love for infomercials and can repeat them verbatim and can give you a million reasons why you need the product. (I'm beginning to think I may need to create my own curriculum to sell to schools and have it infomercial based because I have heard from friends that this is a phenomenom that is sweeping their children as well.)  So months ago, he discovered the Snuggie. Yes, THAT Snuggie.  He has been bugging me since for his own, in Red, so he can play his DS without his arms being cold - seriously.  So seeing as I have a raw (and I mean raw) talent for sewing, I opted not to spend 19.95 to get two Snuggies and two book lights.  I picked out fleece that I knew Jon would love, and used a Joann coupon and made his for less than $10 and I have enough fleece left over to make Drew one if he gets real jealous.  Jon got up and we gave him his Snuggie and I said "look Jon now you can be warm and play your DS."  He said, "let's try."  Only on your birthday can you get away with playing video games before school.  I am happy to report that the Snuggie does in fact work and his arms DID NOT get cold playing his DS.  He also wore it around the house for the rest of morning, which was hilarious, but made me happy.  Ah the simple things.

I am also happy to report that it was a Lego birthday, so while I have a TON of those crappy little pieces around my house, we managed to get through the weekend with NO action figures and toys of the like.  I [heart] Legos! Can't beat them for creativity, imagination and problem solving.  See learning CAN be fun.  I will end this post with a ton of pictures, but also with this final statement.  I am in love with my big boy, I can't believe he is seven, I can still picture my fuzzy haired baby, and even though he's getting big, he still has that big dimply smile and those beautiful, expressive eyes.  I love the creative soul that he is, I love his empathetic heart and how he loves so unconditionally.  He's a quirky, friendly, adorable child and I am so very blessed to call him my son!

Thanks for letting rant on - I promise some Penny Pickles stuff later this week!

    

Do you hear the Empire's death march?

Mini-Darth

The Jedi's at the Jedi Temple

Jon introducing our guest Drew-Vader

My brother serenaded us at dessert time with Jon's guitar.

Just a cool shot - Silly Papa purchased on his last visit a contraband Storm Trooper rifle, normally we aren't allowed to shoot mom, but it made for a cool picture so we went with it, just this once.

Gotcha!

I promise I will post some pictures of Jon in his Snuggie, I am pretty sure he'll be jumping in it right after school! Once again - Thanks!

Simplicity: Shop Local

Today I had the rare delight of being able to meet up with a friend for lunch. You see Thursdays ALL of my chickens are at school - preschool or otherwise.  Usually this day is reserved for running around like a crazy woman - doing every errand I can think of that would be delightful to not have kids in tow or have to juggle car seats for a two second turn around visit.  While I had errands to run, it was my turn to work the book fair at Drew and Penny's preschool and most of my day was taken.  I purposely didn't over schedule myself today-knowing I'd be starting with a handicap.  So, I met my wonderful friend Leslie for lunch and a quick visit, since we've both been excessively busy and not had much time to gab.  And boy can we gab.  We decided on lunch at a restaurant on the square here in Noblesville, since I had to pick up my kids first - lucky Leslie gets an extra hour and a half at her school!  We met at a wonderful sandwich, soup, salad shop that has become my usual stop on my day of choas, otherwise known as Thursday.  As we were sitting in the shop eating our sandwiches and soup and salad, it got me thinking about buying local and how this terrible economy is really strangling not only the big dogs you hear about on the news, but the little guys that you come to love just right around the corner. Today my topic is shopping local - if you have to do it, do it local. Sounds like a t-shirt motto...

Now my friend Leslie is the knower of all things, she knows everyone, she knows where all the greatest shops and restaurants are and she is a wonderful source of knowledge (she reminds me a lot of my mom), so when I came up with a restaurant that she'd never heard or suggested going into a shop on the square that she'd never been, well I felt like a puffed up peacock!  So we met at the Logan Street Marketplace and had our fab lunch and then went to The Wild children's bookstore to show off their goods and introduce her to Jane the owner and Pages the store cat (whom has decided he loves me, which is hilarious because he is SO cat, so don't tell him I told you!).  In this world of big box stores that even I am guilty of shopping at, I find myself continually drawn to eating out, getting coffee or finding that perfect gift - right in my backyard.  Maybe its because I started my own little business that these other ones (that are big dogs compared to me!) have become so dear to me.  One of my other stomping grounds is Noble Coffee and Tea - let me just tell you as a coffee snob (I typically grind my own beans and prefer my own brew to coffee houses) I love these gals.  They make a mean cup of joe and everything they have to offer is just perfect, not burnt or taste-sensory overload like some of the more common coffee shops.  I even sport a bumper sticker, which I am normally not a fan of, but a friend gave it to me at Christmas.  It says "Friends don't let friends drink Starbucks." So, so true.  What I love about this coffee shop is not only the fact that everything tastes awesome, but you can get every flavor of Republic of Tea, teabags AND the girls know you buy name.  I tell Ryan all the time, my highest aspiration for retirement is to work at Noble Coffee and Tea and on the weekends sit with my crones and talk about the old days.  That's how much I love it.

                

I have stated my love for The Wild children's books store before, we purchased all of Penny's birthday gifts there and most of Jon's and Drew's.  At Christmas time they are one of my favorite stops, but I realize (and Ryan explains to me as he does our finances) I can't solely keep them in business.  It breaks my heart though when I walk into the store and there is no one shopping, it continues to break my heart to hear that business is down, not just for our adorable bookstore, but also for all of the businesses on our square.  We have a beautiful square, with some really great shops.  It makes me sad when I see one of our stores close. I pray that my beloved Wild or Marketplace doesn't fall victim.  If you live local, you need to take the time to come to our square and enjoy what all we have to offer.  

It isn't just our square, its square's all over the country - falling victim to keeping up with the suburban shopping strip malls.  As a former planner, I can tell you that too many squares have succumbed to becoming nothing more than antique malls, being antiques themselves.  I consider myself lucky that ours is still thriving, struggling, but fighting to stay a float.  It isn't just the shops either, I have our insurance guy on the square, our investment guy on the square, our dry cleaners on the square and had my clock repaired at the clock shop, we need some screens rescreened, so I'll take them this spring to our hardware store to be redone.   I consider myself blessed that our main street has so much to offer.  But it can only offer its goods and services if people continue to patronize them.  I realize that times are financially straining for everyone, but it felt good when I went to purchase Penny's kitchen at my favorite store and I didn't spend anymore than I would have if I had gone to Toys r' us, but I know that my purchase directly benefitted my LOCAL economy.  Sure I didn't have all the choices, but that made the choice easy.  Think about that next time you decide to go to Borders for a book or if you are lucky enough to have a local bookstore, or restaurant, or coffeeshop, well you get the point.

I could go on and on about some of our other amazing places along the square - but the bottom line is -shop, live and love local - thanks!

my best pulled-back-hair-no-make-up paris hilton pose

Simplicity: Home Organization

I was made aware that my skoy cloth link didn't work the other day, then upon further inspection I realized that their website is different - so here is the updated link - sorry about that!  

Today it is hard for me to get enough motivation to do much of anything.  I normally am not so effected by the weather or the time change for that matter, but both have rendered me a bit impaired.  I am tired, very tired, and when I get tired, I get sick.  So that, coupled with the fact that our weather went from 75 yesterday afternoon to a crisp 30 right now, has officially slammed me on my rear.  I normally don't feel the brunt of atmospheric pressure in my head, but there is always a first and never say never.  Of course today would be my craziest day of the week with grocery shopping, dry cleaning, bank, 2 yo well visit (Penny's, not mine) and then finishing up cleaning my house for our weekend of celebration for Jon's birthday and then on to the preschool open house, where as a board member, my presence is necessary for directing traffic.  So today is NOT the day to be feeling less than perfect, but less than perfect I am so there you go.  

My topic of home organization is near and dear to my heart.  As I explained in earlier posts, I was the dork who would go to friends houses and ask to organize their closets on a play date.  Seriously.  So it doesn't come as a surprise that I love to organize.  Again, like most of my other philosophies, it isn't rocket science. Everything has a home or home base if you will.  Be it a space on a shelf, a bin, a basket, etc.  You get the point.  If your stuff has a home you will be more tempted to put it there, if you are tempted to put it there then you won't have stuff all over and you won't lose things.  It's a beautiful cycle.  I also think that organizing goes hand in hand with purging.  For example - my linen closet.  Everyone  in our home has two sets of sheets, one winter, one rest of the year.  I wash them weekly or more frequently as necessary and just put them back on the bed.  It's less for me to store and it airs out the mattresses.  When the boys were in twin beds I had two quilts that I had gotten on clearance  for their beds.  Well now that Penny is in a twin we decided to move Drew to a double and needed to get bigger bedding.  I was able to get the same sheets that he had in the twin, but obviously the quilts were history.  When it came to those extra sheets and quilt, I obviously didn't need two sets, so I gave a set to our cousins whose little boy is about to transition into a big boy bed and his room just happens to have all the right colors for my stuff to match.  Kismet! Part of organizing is paring down so that you can make sense of what you have.

Kids - this could quite possibly be a topic unto itself.  I will try not to drag it on too much!  My kids have never wanted for toys, between my folks and Ryan and my old toys, we've always had plenty to go around.  What I have always done though is that EVERYTHING and I mean EVERYTHING has a bin.  That way when we are done playing, it goes back into that bin.  Most of ours are IKEA bins that cost next to nothing and you can write on them with crayon and wipe it off with magic eraser.  What doesn't fit into an IKEA bin fits into these mesh totes from the container store.  Now my kids aren't perfect and we do have the occasional mexican stand-off when it comes to cleaning the toy room, but our toy room is picked up EVERY night and everything goes back into its place.  That way tomorrow I don't have to face, "Mommy, where is my spiderman with the web slinging fingers?"  Our friendly neighborhood crime watcher will be in his bin, where his other friends are located.   We also clean out the toy room on a monthly basis.  Things break, that is inherent with children, so we clean those out, markers that are dry, pencils with no lead, fully colored coloring books, etc.  This keeps things as minimal as we can with our kids.  I am amazed when I hear parents say, oh I just want a basement to put all their stuff and just close the door.  While that is a nice luxury, it doesn't really provide the teaching opportunity of respecting ones things so they last and how to clean up after themselves.  I may be a stay at home mom, but I'm not a stay at home maid.

Now before you think that I am this crazed lunatic when it comes to picking up, I'm not, not really anyway.  My goal is to keep up with it during the day, but the bottom line is it is done by the end of the day.  Now that isn't to say that the basket at the top of the stairs to our basement isn't filled with miscellaneous toys to be put away or a laundry basket of clothes waiting outside a bedroom for the next day - that happens, a lot, but the bottom line is that it is a constant. If you don't find a system and try to keep it up, you'll be drowning in excess linens and fisher price vehicles before you know it!  

I think this post will end for now, I'll talk more tomorrow about organizing paperwork and crafts and such tomorrow or the next. Aren't you proud of me?  I'm simplifying my posts, you've got to start somewhere!

Thanks!

Simplicity: Eating at Home

So it struck me last week when we decided to do a DQ run that it costs my family $18 to go to DQ!  If I take my kids to, horror of horrors, McDonalds it is $15- minimum and that is with me getting nothing. (not that I need it!) So while we're all trying to tighten our belts up a bit, I realized the best way (and generally the healthiest way) is to eat at home.  Now when we were younger and the kids were younger we ate out a bit more - we'd be pooped or have a taste for something and out we went.  As we expanded our family, it became less of a habit and now - we'll its just a couple times a month at most and one of those is pizza take out or Ryan and I on a date.  

My Yia yia was a great cook - she was a true Greek woman - feeding the masses at a moments notice.  I think about how back when she was a young mom you didn't have fast food, take out, big box grocers or heat and eat meals.  I try to think about that - women at that time truly spent their WHOLE day in the kitchen.  I try to keep that in mind when I feel like I'm spending most of my day in MY own kitchen.  It got me thinking though - you cooked EVERYTHING from scratch - no boxed noodles, nothing!  It was a better time, a healthier time.  I mean you could still be eating fried chicken, but people didn't get it from KFC, it was homemade, people just didn't eat the quantity of food that they do now.  While I want to embrace the everything from scratch lifestyle - I think I may still buy boxes of rice pilaf and couscous  and steam-in-bag veggies for a quick lunch.  

My new goal is to strike eating out from our budget, not entirely, but maybe once a month.  I enjoy cooking and I realize to cook more, means doing other things less - it is a sacrifice I think it is worth making.  I love making homemade dough - we make homemade pizza every Friday or Saturday night.  It has become our family tradition - I use my great-grandmother's Sicilian pizza bread recipe - and damn it if it doesn't turn out awesome EVERY time.  I also realized that as much as I love DQ, it is an expense that is totally unnecessary.  My dad bought for us a few years ago a malt maker - I think it was a guilt purchase because growing up we always had one that was from my grandfather's bowling alley. It was a professional grade and it was such a treat to have dad make us malts. Dad decided to give the original to Steve and I have the newer model.   My kids love when we make malts - so why the hell should I spend $20 at DQ when I can spend $5 on supplies and make malts for at least two weeks?  It's the simple things that I think stick with us and I want that for my kids.  

I've always been pretty organized with my grocery shopping and meal planning - I just can't wing it - I can wing it when it comes to cooking, but I need supplies. I also have been embracing the shopping style of "perimeter" shopping - it isn't rocket science, but shopping the perimeter of the store will generally provide you with the healthiest, freshest options.  It helps you stay away from all those preservatives (I can't give up goldfish though - sorry!) and God forbid HFC!  It can get expensive if you don't watch it - which is why buying some frozen fruit and veggies can save you a bit, not to mention keeping longer than fresh.  

This spring I plan to finally join the local produce co-op and focus on in season veggies and fruits - not to mention expanding my own garden (another post!) and I've recently gotten in touch with an old co-worker and his wife and they own chickens!!! So I will be buying my farm fresh eggs from them - for much less than the grocer -and not to mention far fresher and healthier than their store counterparts.  I also am going to start making bread - I had a neighbor in my old neighborhood that made homemade bread everyday - it was AMAZING.  Oh do I miss it!  So I am going to start making bread, once a week - that's my goal - it isn't hard and it's cheap as can be, far cheaper than the loaves at the store!  

As far as snacks in our home, that was a purge I did long ago - my kids get smooshed fruit  instead of fruit roll ups, there are tons of healthy chip/cracker/cookie options - and fruit - well, my kids love fruit, so I've done something right. If I am lucky enough to have to take them to the grocery store (yes, that is in my most sarcastic tone) then I let them pick out some fruit or veggie that we've never had - we picked up yellow carrots our last trip to Whole Foods - I was nervous I will admit, but they DO taste just like their orange brotheren.  We also have always done water or milk as our drink options in the house.  That isn't to say that my kids don't get the occasional lemonade in the summer or a glass of soda with pizza on a Friday night, but it's milk or water in this house and I am happy to report that my kids actually like water.  Really, I swear!  So I hope that by providing these healthy choices to them, but not being a nazi when it comes to the occasional less than healthy option that comes their way, that I set a good foundation.  Balance - I like to make sure that my kids know their are other options, that you can have them once and a while, but generally you need to eat good to keep your body from head to toe.  So far so good!

Thanks for checking in - I am amazed at how interested people have been - really.  I promise I DO have Penny Pickles stuff coming soon.  I just finished my first jumper last night, I have a second one to start, but is cut out (a baby one no less-yikes!) and I have a multi-tile name that I am about to start!  So we're busy as can be here at Penny Pickles, which is why this morning came a bit earlier than I expected and I've had a very S-L-O-W day. I hope everyone has a great week - I think next up will be home organization - since I'm in the midst of redoing much of mine!

Take care!

Simplicity: Purging part duex

Okay - so I was with my bible study girls last night and I was trying to figure out what I was going to blog about next.  It struck me that I felt incomplete with my purging post, so I was going to continue - can you tell I a passionate about purging?  So anyway, today, the kids are at my cousins for the day and thus marks the beginning of Spring Cleaning.  Now I am not "cleaning" the house per se, that will come, but not before I clean OUT the house.  So we're finally facing some nice weather and I can objectively look at our clothes and closets and see what stays, what goes and what gets trashed.  

I'm a lucky girl, my kids are pretty easy going about clothes.  Jeans and t-shirts and a warm fuzzy sweatshirt and you've got two of the happiest boys on the planet.  Penny is too young to know better, so that is a battle I don't have, YET.  I have been extremely blessed by getting hand-me-downs from friends for all of my kids so I usually don't have to buy too much.  Before the hand-me-downs my mom was our personal shopper - we do miss that tremendously. I digress.  

My point today is to go through our winter stuff, clothes, socks, jammies, etc.  Remove what's too small, make sure everything is mended if need be and in good condition.  The bottom line is we don't need a ton of clothes.  The other part is that my boys wear the same size in everything except for pants - Jon is a slim, Drew is a loose fit guy.  So its essentially like having twins.  They even where the same size shoes, socks and underwear, which isn't too bad of a gig in those departments.  

I had the misunderstanding that when I had a girl that we needed lots of dresses, now I've not bought any for her, but I have come to the conclusion that I can make her one special dress a season, I can count on  few hand-me-downs from our cousins and friends and my dad always likes to get her something pretty.  The bottom line is I have a girlie/tomboy on my hands and she is best when she can wear jeans and cute top so she can dive into the sandbox or color her body with markers. So I am going to be more objective of what she actually  NEEDS, versus what might be fun to have.

For me, it's hard, I've been a million sizes since I've had children, I'm almost to the prepregnancy weight that I was my happiest at - so I've kept four pairs of pants from those skinny days - but otherwise, if I didn't wear it this season - its gone, if it doesn't fit exactly right, its gone.  I would rather other people benefit from my excess than to perpetuate hoarding.  While I don't want you to think I am extreme, I just know that we don't need as much as we have.  I also know that I have gotten to a point in my life where I would rather buy something a bit more expensive and well made over something cheap and quick - those things don't last.  I've also gotten to a point where I have dresses that I've owned for 6 years - but their classic and they aren't out of style and I'm confident they'll last 6 more, at least.  Fortunately I have pretty classic taste so I'm not turning my wardrobe over every season .  If I am compelled to jump on a trend, that's where I'll spend a little less, knowing it isn't a lifetime investment.  

Along with purging, I review HOW I store things in my closets, now that the kids are getting bigger - the kiddie hangers are getting to be too small.  Their pants aren't laying nicely on the shelf because their too big and their shoes don't fit in the bin originally intended for them - so with this purging I need to figure out how to better organize their closet making it neat, but also accessible to them since they dress them selves (with minimal guidance).

So for today, I am going to throw open my windows, enjoy the 70 degree temps and let the dust blow out of my house - I will clean in a week or so, once all my closets and drawers are purged and reorganized.  There is this big joke amongst my girlfriends about me and my organizing - how can I have something to organize, when I am already organized?  Well what I will say to that is that organizing is not static - you have to keep it up, review it, make sure it is working for you and for others.  With kids it's hard, where I hung Drew's clothes last year, doesn't work this year because they drag on the ground.  So I make a new plan. Sometimes organizing takes many attempts because you need to think about it and digest it and use it a bit to see that one part or another is or isn't working well.  So I say to all of you, enjoy this rainy, warm weekend, if you live local come to my pancake breakfast at Jon's school tomorrow and go home and go through your closets - you'd be surprised what you will find.  And if you are desperate - I'm available for hire - I work cheap - coffee in the am, wine in the pm! ;o)

Stay tuned and please comment, comment, comment.  I love all the emails, but you can also comment anonymously if you don't have a blogger acct.  Thanks again and take care - happy spring cleaning!

Simplicity: Greening the Pages

It struck me today as I was writing my earlier post about how much I have to talk about- man my post was long, but I fear the next few aren't going to be short on words either.  So that being said grab a cup of joe - have I got a story for you.

So like most families we are trying to do our best to be a bit more environmentally responsible and in doing so being more fiscally responsible as well.  Instead of a long narrative (don't worry that will still come) I'm going to make a list of all the things we are doing, here we go!

• cloth/reusable grocery bags
  
• cloth wipes for the kids in the bathroom 
  
• skoy clothes in the kitchen instead of paper towels
  
• cloth towels in kitchen
  
• cloth napkins
  
• cloth diapers for penny (and wipes)
  
• recycle all plastics, metals, papers, magazines, etc.
  
• gardening in the summer and freezing and canning produce for year round use
  
• making homemade foods instead of prepackaged goods
  
• reusable cloth bags for kids and ryan's lunch pails (sandwich and snack bags)
  
• reusable snack and drink containers instead of individual wrapped packaged snacks
  
• greener cleaning supplies (green company products as well as the old standby's - vinegar/baking soda)
  
• installed sprinkler system around garden to limit water waste
  
• mulch lawn clippings
  
• turn off sinks when brushing teeth 
  
• installed low-flow toliets replacing the original 5 gallon guzzlers
  
• all appliances that we have replaced have been energy star rated 
  
• being more concise with my errands, limiting when I leave the house to when I HAVE to leave the house and consolidating trips to those days
  
• steam cleaning my floors instead of using chemical based products
  
• using less plastics to store things in and serve things on
  
• minimizing microwave use
  
• eating more organic goods, cooking from scratch and putting more natural products in my own and families bodies (this is a whole other post!)
  
• replacing the typical lightbulb - with those low voltage corkscrew ones
• I've instituted the "one" rule, in the morning we all start with one dish, cup, silverware - I wash them and air dry them throughout the day as needed, that way I'm not filling my dishwasher up everyday and running it every night.  

To elaborate on a few of these items - first off the cloth grocery sacks are clearly one of the easiest things you can do - their cheap, hell even Aldi has them and they hold a TON of groceries.  Keep them in your trunk so you never forget them.  I want to say thank you to Brooke for introducing me to Skoy clothes - these cheap little gems work like magic in a kitchen/bath.  You use them, nuke them for a minute at the end of the day and their clean!  Then after four or five months downgrade them from kitchen use to bathroom use and so on.  They are $6 for four and dry quickly and you just pop them in the washer and dryer after a few uses.  Magic!  I have also fallen in love with vinegar for my dishwasher - my dishes get clean, shiny and no toxins!  

I have been cloth diapering Penny since she was about 6 months old and when I decided to make that jump, I jumped on cloth wipes as well.  I have a variety of diapers but my favorites are by far bumgenius, they are so user friendly and super absorbant.  They also are so trim that they don't bulk up under clothes like of the cloth diapers do.  As far as the wipes - I found out about those through my friend Betsy - quilters nappies on hyena cart. We use them not only for Penny, but for the boys (and me) in the bathroom - no more details than that! But, I wash them with my diapers and wha-la back in use.

I love my happy sacks - I have them for each of the kids and Ryan, no more baggies, no more plastic.  They come in adorable prints and they are extremely affordable - the kids love them and they wash like a dream in the washer at the end of the week.  I loved gardening this summer, I loved canning, I love eating my tomatoes in December!  I look forward to expanding my garden this summer and really expanding the items I can so I don't run out!  

I used to think it was a bit quirky when I would go to my girlfriend Jill's house and she would have like four or five garbage cans in her kitchen and she would recycle everything.  My husband now calls me "My Furor" because I am a recycling nazi.  I have to say that it has become an obsession, but the best news is that my family of five usually puts out three tall kitchen bags of garbage a week.  I am convinced that if I start composting, I can get us down to two - isn't that exciting!  

I could go on, but some of my items I believe will transcend into my next couple of posts so I'll pause here.

So while my list above may not seem like a phenomenal, but its a start. There are a few more things that I want to implement this spring and summer, for instance:

• composting
  
• expanding my garden (we just ate our last canned veggies - if we were squirrels we'd be screwed)
  
• water cistern (rainwater collection) to limit use of outdoor hoses
  
• figuring out a better way to store and charge electronics when not in use

So while we we're trying to do our part everyday I discover some new way to make us better.  I am trying to not only improve myself, my family, but also to teach my children to be more responsible, so as they grow they can do even bigger and better things that will help shape our world.

Thanks again for checking in - I'm not sure what's next - cooking better at home?

My 100th post - simplicity

While I feel bad taking Gabriella's place, I feel this sense of urgency to post about something that has been weighing on me for a while - simplicity.  It has been coming to me in small waves the need to have less, the desire to do more, to shift my focus from things that don't matter to things that have the utmost importance.  Today I just need to share them, publicly declare them, make them more real.  

I feel a bit like this..

Purging:  

No not THAT kind of purging, but if you know me at all I am constantly purging.  How can you constantly purge?  Well, honestly I don't know, it is amazing how "things" have importance one day and then two weeks later they don't.  When Ryan and I first graduated from college and moved in with one another we had A LOT of stuff.  Things that we have accrued while at college, furniture, portfolio stuff, high school memorabilia, childhood things, clothes, you name it - not to mention the stuff WE finally had the money to buy - nicer clothes, a few things from Pottery Barn, some antiques. When we moved from our modest sized home to our current home that in my opinion is pretty big, it was a whole new game.  Our house is deceptive in size from the looks of it, but we have over 3500 sq feet in this house and all but about 500 of it is finished. That is a lot of house in my opinion.  It is easy to want to fill the spaces- furniture, things. We've done well, but after mom moved in and all of the things she brought with - it gave us a whole new challenge.  Now that mom is gone, it has been harder than normal to purge some of the things in this home.  I try hard to keep the words of my Yia yia in my mind, "it's just stuff, it doesn't bring people back" when I look at things I want to donate.  These prophetic words from a woman who left Greece at age six and had to leave her favorite pet goat forever to come to America!  She knew what she was talking about! 

My mom was a keeper, so as you can imagine I have had (still have) a lot of stuff to go through. I've done well, pictures and memorabilia are the hardest because my children are so young - they won't really know who their yia yia was as a person throughout her life.  Sure I will tell them, but nothing beats holding her cheerleading letter in their hands, just as it is for me to hold the amateur boxing program and see my grandfather's name in it.  So I try as I may to simplify everything - I am the keeper of generational memories and fortunately and unfortunately I will undoubtedly pass this legacy down to my children.

Not to leave you with thinking I am a hoarder, I have passed most of these memory items, pictures and such on to my cousins, aunts, uncles and extended family.  I try to only keep what is really important to me and generally what is really important to me I hang on my walls (thus I have the butter paddles of my mom's on the wall in my kitchen in a shadow box with other items that were parts of my grandfather's life as a launderer).  Ryan and I both have the philosophy that if something means something to you, that you put it out, hang it up and display it so that you can enjoy it and share it.  What good does it do in a rubbermaid tote? That is also why in Penny's room she has two shelves filled with antique dolls of my mom's.  I have my grandmother's suitcase that she always used to travel filled with more doll clothes and things to fix antique dolls - this has been downsized from THREE containers to one - so I am pretty proud of my organizing skills.  

the living room

I try to loosely embrace the idea of Feng Shui - not to the core, but the idea of having so much STUFF that it clogs up the energy flow of your home, yourself.  I believe it - now I am not a supporter of having a home devoid of all things but we try to generally have our rooms pretty simple - seating, a table  and some pictures on the walls.  Our bedrooms are generally a bed, nightstands and a bookshelf or dresser.  Penny's room is the most filled because her doll things are there, but even then it isn't too bad.  Our bookshelves are our one case where they are filled to the brim with books - but I think those bring their own positive energy into an environment. 

I love the feeling of sitting in a uncluttered room or when I've just dropped off a few boxes to goodwill or the local shelter.  It feels like freedom, peace - knowing that I have removed something I don't need, and gave it to someone who could use it.  I try to think about individuals around the world from the most basic to even our European counterparts. I love watching house hunters international when their in Europe - England in particular.  They are looking at these 600 sq ft flats that cost as much if not more than my home and they are thrilled with the space!  Wow - that is an eye opener.  So if you take anything away from this way too long, rambling post - take this - that its okay to have things but have them where you can see them, use them, because an item loses its value if it has no use.  Look at the boxes in the closet, garage, attic - if you don't know what's in them, you don't think you'll use it - get rid of it, purge it and feel the freedom!

Thanks for humoring me on my spree - we'll see what tomorrow brings!

I had intended to cover a few more items here, but realize that this post would go on FOREVER, so I will save them for each day this week.  Gardening, Eating at home, Home organizing, Greening the Pages and Family time will have to wait. I think with the light at the end of the tunnel of winter shining brighter, and the fact that for our family of five to go to Dairy queen costs nearly $20, I felt compelled to get all my thoughts lined up so I can be more organized heading into spring.

Gabriella

I was approached by a very good old friend, Caryn, to do a nursery piece for her cousin's new baby girl, Gabriella. A bit of background on us, Caryn and I met after I had Jon and she had her son Noah, who is a week older than Jon.  We met at a breast feeding support group and after a few weeks of talking we found out that we lived a few blocks apart in the same neighborhood - she and several others became my "booby buddies, " that made that first year of motherhood so much more bearable and fun!  Since then, we've had more kids, we've moved and our babies are now first graders, but we've kept in touch.  Of course if any of you have school aged children, you realize how challenging it is to get together for "play dates." That being said, we've been able to see or talk a few times a year and it is one of those friendships where time doesn't seem to matter.  

When Caryn asked me to meet up for coffee and discuss her cousin's piece, I looked forward to both catching up and brainstorming.  I was thrilled - I know, I'm always thrilled, but really I just love the fact that I get to do so many custom pieces. What was so fun was that Caryn gave me a basic idea of what she wanted, but really let me run with my own ideas.  I always surprise myself because at first it's all blank, and then I just can't stop the ideas - it all comes together almost instantly.  I liken it to anything else, the more you do or stretch your creative "muscles" the better you get or the easier it comes to you.  Anyway - Caryn wanted flowers, she wanted something that would go nicely over a crib or changing table, and the room had chocolate brown and pink in it and espresso stained furniture.  I decided with this piece to step away from my Gerber daisies and do a flower similar to a dogwood blossom.  I used a variety of pinks, peaches and yellows with my trademark "dots" - as Jon calls them and added some fun chocolate brown polka dots and super colorful butterflies.  The result was adorable!  What I love best about this piece is that it embodies what I try to achieve with all my paintings - something that will transition from nursery to toddler to child.  This piece with no doubt go beautifully in Gabriella's nursery, but I can see this canvas still being relevant when she is 7 or 8.  I'll stop going on and just share these pictures!

Happy

Little

Butterflies!

Thank you Caryn for allowing me to do this beautiful canvas for your cousin.  It was a true treat and I am so happy with how it turned out and so flattered that you liked it as much as you did.  I am so excited to hear about how it looks in Gabriella's nursery.  Thanks again!