moments in the mommyhood - the bug took me down

Source: intricatesimplecoloursandwords.tumblr.com via Sofia on Pinterest

i got taken down by another nasty bug again.  it took the weekend wishes out of me and my post for today :(  this year has been the crappers for health for me but i'm hopeful the rest of it is gonna be awesome!  i missed hearing what you were all up to this weekend.  anything fun?  any crafting?

Source: weheartit.com via Maggie on Pinterest

even though i've been sick i did get out to soak up the sun while i could.  heck, i don't care that my nose is pouring buckets, my lips are chapped & poofy (this happens to me when i get a bad cold), my head is pounding and i have a fever... that won't keep me from laying at the beach :P  you never know when the rain is going to come so you take the sun while you can get it.  i also managed to drag myself to knit night for some creative medicine.  i tell you, some yummy tea, my knitting, some kick ass jazz and good company can make a girl feel soooo much better.  i even got one of my legwarmers done!  woot woot!  i'm hopelessly addicted to the magic loop method now!  you must try it.

Source: knit2together.tumblr.com via luvinthemommyhood on Pinterest

but i haven't just been knitting.  i've been sewing a lot too.  i can't wait to show you all what i've been working on.  so adorable!  i've finished a pressie for a friend's new baby and am working on two more things for my girls.  hopefully i'll get those done this week.  i'm running behind on my sewing though.  i tried to get a lot done this weekend but it proved not to be a good idea as i missed cutting out pattern pieces, sewed things to the wrong parts, sewed them the wrong way, and spent more time with my seam ripper than i have ever wanted to.  moral of the story....don't sew when you are sick :P

do you ever find that even though you are feeling down and under the weather that you will still try to pick up your sewing or knitting when you can't do anything else?  it's cathartic isn't it?  it takes my mind off my ailments and whatever is bothering me and helps to just let me escape a little from my own self induced pity party..haha.  so stay tuned this week, hopefully there will be pics of my little projects (sewn together properly this time), a fab book review and some other goodies for you all!

soooooo....how was your weekends ladies?  whatcha been crafting?  pull up a chair, i've got coffee on and i'm in the mood to chat :)

moments in the mommyhood - free in the breeze

we finally got some sunny weather here on the island and we took full advantage of it. we headed to one of our local tourist attractions "beacon hill park". so gorgeous there and lots of fun for the kidlets at the playground and petting zoo. harper got to see a lot of animals for the first time. she especially loved mimicking the peacocks very loud yell over and over again. and look at my other daughter.....

dressed to impress for the zoo. she was adamant that she had to bring her purse and wear her shades, that of course, match mommies. she even convinced me to buy her a new pair of clip on earrings that thankfully i talked her into not wearing to the park. don't you just love it when they start to show their personalities in their chosen ensembles? so funny!

i couldn't resist posting a pic of this alpaca at the zoo. don't you just get a kick out of his toothy grin? i swear he was taunting my friend amy and i with his coat of hair. i kept thinking of what i could knit out of him and he kept looking like he was guffawing at me.

recognize those jeans? yeppers, jasper is sporting the kneepad jeans i made amy for her baby shower. so cute! harper has now decided she is in love with our friend amy's new baby boy jasper. she would not stop trying to hold his hand and squealing with excitement every time she touched it much to his chagrin.

mackenzie and amy's other son rowan got to brush the goats and check out the new baby pigs along with all the other animals.

we then had some playground & yummy cookie eating excitement (check out amy's deliciously fabulous new blog "family feedbag", it's filled with yumminess galore!)...followed by some impromptu waterpark fun that let's just say i wasn't too thrilled with. i know, i know, it's fun for them but i'm just one of those moms who thinks about the aftermath of the fun and let me just say this had an aftermath.

both kids decided they couldn't resist the temptation of running through the giant water spray. unfortunately this was not in the plan so even though i had packed half our house for our playdate i did not bring mack another ensemble..haha. she was soaked to the bone. she had to walk 5 minutes back to the car drenched in her jeans (not comfortable) with a sweater i had brought that only had 2 buttons at the neck (she was revealing a bit too much for my liking..haha) and once we got to the car i had to strip her down and let her ride nudie baby. omg. i couldn't get the jeans off her due to her being so soaked and the whole time i'm trying to strip her down she's screaming "everyone is going to see my bum mommy! everyone is going to see my vajajy!!!!" it was hilarious. too funny to describe perfectly here. i ended up wrapping her butt in a blanket and then putting her in the car seat while then wrapping another blanket around her. thank god i had a whole bunch of blankies in the car. the fun part was picking up the hubs from work with a sopping wet, nude toddler in the back seat and trying to describe why. priceless.

have you had any of those funny mommyhood moments lately? have your kiddos had to have a "free in the breeze" nudie baby rides home in the car? i love hearing your stories! share in the comments below and let's have a chat ladies :)

moments in the mommyhood - running behind

Source: justbesplendid.tumblr.com via luvinthemommyhood on Pinterest

i'm running behind. the hours seem to be slipping by faster than normal lately. my baby is turning one on saturday. now that didn't just slip by it friggin time warped right by me. i've been trying to catch up on a lot of loose ends around here. i'm behind on my emails to some of you (sorry about that), i'm very behind (meaning i haven't even started) on my kids clothes week challenge at all - i'm sad to say i don't think i'm going to make it. oh well, next year right? i have 2 more roundups to do for y'all for comfy sews VS cozy knits but i've just been feeling...well....creative. i've been sewing and knitting instead of hunting the internet. you guys forgive me right? i promise the closure to the spring/summer edition for versus will be up soon :)

Source: flickr.com via luvinthemommyhood on Pinterest

sometimes i just hit a wall and all i want is time to craft. and sleep. ahhhh sleep. the teething monster has hit our house again. here come the sleepless nights filled with constant boob feedings. thank god for project runway reruns. they are my old standby at night. any of you being stalked by the teething monster too? damn him! (join our conversation on FB about this too!) to top it off my coffee machine is broken. so now i'm sleepless and coffeeless. the hubs compared me to a gargoyle and a werewolf this morning....so romantic..not. one of my FB readers so aptly and hilariously compared us to "zombie mommies, every last one of us. We don't want brains, we want coffee... ". made my day. thanks melissa!

Source: smallesthings.blogspot.com via Tanya on Pinterest

so this is where i'm left feeling today. like i need a nap. and a fairy sewmother to come finish my tutorial for "free pattern month" and the coffee gods to come and whoosh a brand new coffee maker into my kitchen...pronto :) so here's to camillia (to beat off the teething monster), starbucks frappuccino deals (to beat off the coffee withdrawl monster) and to crossing my fingers i've been a good enough girl that the sleep fairy comes to visit to help my baby and i get a few non breastfeeding hours in tonight.

what is your day in the mommyhood like today? are you beating down the teething monster? what are your tips? wanna commiserate?

moments in the mommyhood - tutus & bubbles

we finally got a day on the weekend with the hubs and this is what we got up to....


lots of playing in the sunshine at a local park that we like to affectionately call "our backyard". we live in a condo so green space is a treat for us and this is our fave place to go to let the kids run wild without worrying about streets, cars and too many pedestrians. i even got some knitting done while the kidlets & their dad ran amuck. i'm just finishing the neck strap for harper's hat....i'm so close to being done i can almost taste it! we let harper and mack run free (so adorable to see harper trotting along after big sis), the bubbles go wild and the tutus were out in full swing! aren't those tutus so friggin cute!? my lovely fellow canadian friend laura of the blog "on the laundry line" and shop of the same name sent up for the kidlets. she'll have more in stock in her shop after the 7th in case you want your wee ones to sport them too. she also has a giveaway going on right now for a shop credit. click here to enter for your chance to win!


things have been busy over here with lots of family in town and another bday looming. i have to admit i'm pooped. the house has beat me down again..haha. even after having some help come in to clean a bit it's conquered me. i'm sure i'm not the only one feeling this way, it's that time of year. i keep having nightmares about being buried alive under my laundry...seriously, it's sad folks. i feel the need to do a big purge and clean. i also am ready to have the hubs around a bit more again. i'm exhausted. we get a few days this week with no school/overtime for him so we are going to take advantage of it. if posts come up a bit late in the mornings around here you'll know why. i may have actually gone to bed before midnight :)

i've been super busy working on a free pattern coming your way for grosgrain this month as well as trying to get the final 2 roundups done for versus! i've got lots of pics to take of stuff i've been sewing during the last month and also some new vintage goodies i've found the last few weekends! i've also got a special post coming this week for you too and i'm crossing my fingers i'll be able to join in on elsie marley's kids clothes week next week :)

what have you all been up to? anyone else getting beat by their household chores? missing their partners? you all planning on joining in on kid's clothes week too? let's chat ladies...i've missed ya!

moments in the mommyhood - the view from my seat

this is what i see in the backseat of my car...


am i the only one seeing a view like this???....


thankfully i have this too :)


no roundup today ladies. it's coming though. i'm taking the day off...sort of. i'm still sick - bah. insert my whining here...i won't bore you with it but i will say that being voiceless for almost a week has been hell! especially when you have all your family in town visiting and you have a 4 year old's bday to throw with lots of people you can't talk to due to having no voice :( to top it off the hubs is in the middle tax season hell and is awol most of the time. so needless to say i'm exhausted, still sick and finally went to bed early.

the roundup will be up sometime this week as will our last week of fabulous guest tutorials! wait till you see the goodies we've got this week! love em! have you all been enjoying versus? just in case some of you haven't joined in on our fun conversations on facebook/twitter (come like me) i have started a luvinthemommyhood ravelry group that you can all join to come talk about all things knitting and crochet. lots of fun!

don't forget to get your entries in for the two amazing giveaways we have going on too -

* freshly picked $100 shop credit
* a whole bunch of free patterns and a tote from jane richmond

wowsa ladies! i'm jealous :P how's your week been? did you all have a great easter weekend? any of you get your easter sewing all done? happy tuesday

moments in the mommyhood - little faces & a winner

i couldn't resist showing you all what i've been staring at in awe alot lately. i mean, seriously, how did she get to be almost 1??? i feel like i went to sleep one night with a newborn and woke the next day with a toddler! it's friggin frightening! i'm sad but happy at the same time. i'm still having a hard time saying goodbye to all things baby. i love that newborn stage and the time between 0-6mths. my favorite stage. i'm sad that i'll never get to experience that again. i keep turning into a blabbering fool every time i have to pack up her baby clothes and realize they will never again be worn by my babies :( i can't seem to part with them. i think my hormones are out of control..haha. i've got "i'm done having babies but still can't stop crying about having another one fever".


of course it doesn't help that harper is pretty much running sprints around the house, talking, and getting into all sorts of mischief. i miss the days of her laying in momma's arms for hours just staring up at me with love. i miss the calmness. now it's all fun & chaos & rambunctious laughter - which is good too, don't get me wrong, but damn i love those little baby snuggle moments. like these:


ok...i'm getting misty eyed. i better stop before i fill this whole post up with random pictures of harper's rise to toddlerhood. they are cute though...and of course then there is mackenzie. she's turning 4 next week. wth?! when did that happen too? i feel like some days when mack is at preschool that it's actually her home with me and not harper it's like weird dejavu. too much coffee and too little sleep i tell ya :P


ok, ok, i'm moving on. i know you are all dying to know who the winner is sooo....the winner of



the make it perfect sewing pattern giveaway is............................

sue said... [Reply to comment] 186
drool... love her patterns! especially downtown boy,
uptown girl and sprout - a dress with a hood!

yippeee! congrats sue! i'll email toni you're info and she will be in touch! check out sue's blog "polliwogs in bloom" too for some crafty fun!

i hope you all have a wonderful, restful, inspiring, crafty & laughter filled weekend! any of you blubbering along side of me about your little ones getting older or is really just me & my messed up hormones? see ya on monday :)

moments in the mommyhood - kickin'it

i love that her little feet and the ball are in the air!!!

we hit up the park yesterday. yes, that's right...i went to the park. a few of you may know i dislike going to the park. i haven't entirely worked out the full reason yet... i guess i'm still traumatized by hanging out at parks so much when mackenzie was a baby by myself when i knew absolutely nobody in this city. it was depressing. there's always a tinge of loneliness to a park now if i go with just the girls. i just can't seem to get over it but i'm working on it. bringing 2 there is a lot more fun though. i actually had a good time yesterday. we played some soccer, swung on a rope swing, went in the real swings, looked at flowers and just played. chalk one up on the good mommy scale for me..haha, i needed a bit of a parenting boost.


our weekend was busy, busy. the hubs worked all day saturday so the girls and i were solo and it was not a good parenting day for me. i have to admit my poor boobs were getting me down with the lack of good bras in my house. my tops weren't fitting right and i was just having an all around, i need a shower, i look like crappola day.


saturday did get better though as i got to go out to a knit night that night. now seriously, i had the best time. i know...it's a knit night right? well it was prolly one of the most fun nights i've had in a very loooooong time. a few of us crafty ladies got together at a local cafe that is open late for a knit night. best part is they have live music play at night and the bands that night were great! we had great conversation, lots of laughs, knit a lot, ripped out a lot of our work due to the laughing and chatting and just had fun. the old wood table was covered with wool, needles, projects and tea and i sadly forgot my camera. hopefully i can get some shots this sat if i make it out. i actually called my hubby to say i was staying out later than planned. i was living on the knitting wild side! i even ripped out a huge triangle from the hat i was making due to clapping to the band with my knitting sticks...eeek! not fun. after i rescued those stitches (along with a friend's help-thanks rebecca) i then messed up my pattern again and had to rip out 6 rows!!!!!!!! what a goof. lesson learned. bring an easier knitting project to knit group.


here's a shot of the adorable knitting bag i've been using that one of my longest readers - buffy made for me and sent as a nice little gift. this has been my go to knitting bag and came out with me to knit night as well. she's got a pattern folks and pretty soon she'll be sharing it with us all! isn't that fabric so adorable?? the inside is little birds..i just adore it! thanks buffy!!!!!!!! luv ya!


what was the best part of my weekend? i got some mommy alone time. knitting night on sat, exercise class with the Slovakian she devil on sunday morning and a trip to the mall that afternoon to hunt down a bra. guess what......i found one! i'm trying to remain optimistic. i have now been in about 6 stores and found 1 bra....sad....but 1 is better than none. i found it at la senza. that is usually where i buy all my bras, for some reason they fit me the best and have what i'm looking for. i had to dig through all the drawers this trip though and tried on about 45 bras no lie. the poor sales girl. all in all i think i counted that i tried on, on average, about 30 bras per shop, so around 180bras!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that is insane. insane.


i also scooped and found a great pair of jeans for $19.99 and a top for $10!!!! wowsa! after ordering my dream jeans from the gap and having to return them and then going in the store to only find myself looking like someone wearing "mom jeans" in their skinny styles i was feeling defeated that i was just going to have no luck finding what i was looking for. but poof...just when i had given up the jeans found me when i wasn't looking for them and for a way cheaper price.

how was your weekend? did you get any knitting or sewing done? any shopping successes or failures happen to you recently? let's chat! i've got some tea on, coffee's brewing and mmmmm...i've even got some homemade muffins that are nice and yummy.(thanks for the recipe amy) i know...baking again..what is up with me? trust me, i have no idea either but i'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.

moments in the mommyhood - cooking up some surprises

i know...another moments in the mommyhood in one week? what's going on around here? well...sorry this week has been a bit uneventful folks. i've been busy cooking up some surprises.....for the blog...ok...and for our tummies here at home. don't know what's gotten into me but i've been baking peanut butter cookies, making chili in the slow cooker and a few other yummy concoctions and it's totally unlike me. due to all the surprises i'm working on, this week had to end up being a bit low key around the mommyhood. you guys understand right? the laundry has beaten me down a bit (i don't even look around when i'm in the bathroom anymore), but i'm holding on strong despite a lack of coffee emergency yesterday (ohhhh the headache i had).


are you all excited for the surprises? i will be revealing one of the biggest ones next week!!! ohhhhhh.....what could it be???? any guesses? it involves two of my favorite things :) yesterday i spent all day finishing up my "once upon a thread post". it's up tomorrow folks!!! can't wait for you all to see it and i think mackenzie is just as excited as i am. i've also been seriously dying over all the wonderful and beautiful posts that have been done...ahhhhhmazing!!!!!!!!!

(don't worry, she's not eating cookies in this pic)

now that i'm done my sewing for katy it's time to get back to harper's poor neglected quilt! the poor thing has been sitting on the ironing board monster for wayyyy too long being ignored. i've been drooling over quilting books getting inspired but i just can't seem to find the right backing fabric. i also still cannot find for the life of me a home dec weight fabric that is in a modern print that is a turquoise (light not teal or blue) for my sewing chair. i keep searching...but to no avail. anyone have any leads for me? i also don't want to pay an arm and a leg for shipping for a little bit of fabric to be sent to canada.

(this pic is slightly blurry but i couldn't resist posting one of my fave expressions of hers, this kid cracks me up. she's always making funny faces and smiles with her eyes closed.)

what have you all been cooking up this week? any sewing projects going on or baking being done? have you seen the right fabric for my quilt or chair? leave a comment, let's chat, link up your pics - it's fun! also don't forget to "like" luvinthemommyhood on facebook. i have to admit i've been having so much fun on our page and we've had some great chats so if you're not already on there come join in!

moments in the mommyhood - thrifty goods & rainbow pants

i'm sad the weekend is over already. ours went by way too fast...what about yours? i got a wonderful surprise on friday from a friend. what better thank you gift to get than a vintage casserole dish in the fire king pattern i'm collecting along with 2 vintage pillowcases? you know me so well :P fabulous! thanks amy - i love it!!!!! wanna see?


i haven't had time to go thrifting in a few weeks as we've been too busy but i'm dying to know what you all have been finding! any new goodies anyone? show us! i know if i can't go i want to live vicariously through your thrifting! besides longing to go thrifting i took the girls to the park to enjoy some warm, sunny spring weather and get some mileage happening on mackenzie's bike she got for xmas. what i didn't plan on though was the fact that wearing harper in the ergo and holding mack's handlebars was not good for my sore back. duh! i mean hello shannon! silly mama.


anyhoo, it was fun in the end and worth the pain even though it was one of those park trips where we got to the park and not even 5 mins later mackenzie announces she has to pee, so off we biked back home. by the time we got back home she was biking on her own just like a big girl! nothing like a little pee to get over your fear of riding a bike.


don't y'all wish we all could wear rainbow pants? i do. i mean how could you not feel cheerful on a rainy day with bright rainbow pants?


i did make it to my exercise class this weekend, sore back and all, and actually felt better after it was done. i guess i needed a good stretch and an ass whooping :P no luck thus far on the bra shopping front. i swear i tried on about 50 bras. time to check out some of your online recommendations. other than that i've been sewing whenever i get a chance for my post for "once upon a thread" over on no big dill this week!!! i'm so excited to show you all! i just hope the weather cooperates for me to get my pics done. right now it's pouring buckets so send some clear sky wishes my way.

how's your day going? did you have a good weekend? any guesses on which book i'm doing for no big dill?

moments in the mommyhood - let the chaos ensue

this little monkey started walking yesterday. can you hear my tears falling? wahhhhh! ok....i'm done. moving on. she's cute, and adorable and man oh man, do i just love her to bits. i just can't seem to get over that she is now 10 months old? where has time gone people? it seems like yesterday i was sharing graphic stories of my vomiting with you all?? don't you miss those days? not.


we're also sleep training in our house right now. both of them. yep, the soon to be 4 year old and the baby. the 4 year old wakes more than the baby and that's about over...i've had enough. i realized that i had forgotten my long time mantra "i'm in charge of the house" that i like to chant in my head when the said 4 year old is telling ME what to do. not anymore...no way! so thanks for all of your sleep training book recommendations on our facebook page - you guys are great! i went to the library and came home with a big armful and we are on day 4 and i'm getting way more sleep!!! you know what that means.....more crafting!! maybe i will get harper's hat from xmas knitted after all :P


awww, see that face of innoncence? this is before she grows up and turns into this...haha....

and this....(oh, candyland...i love thee)...


and brace yourself for this one folks. yes, this is a picture of the chaos i am living in at the moment. the hubby is getting home at midnight each night right now and i'm just holding my head above water and praying i don't sink. i know there are a lot of other women out there going through the same thing right now so i thought you would all appreciate a look into my "not so perfect" life. that's right. my house isn't spotless, it's not decorated to the nines, i have dirty laundry, dust, carpet stains, toys everywhere, mess and all the other evidence of a lived in and loved home. so the next time you feel like you just can't do it all....don't worry, none of us can. just keeping it real ladies, but not too real....i won't show you what my closet and bathroom look like - eeeek!


what's your week like? are you living in chaos too? how do you cope? let's have a chat....i just got starbucks and there's one here for you too :)

moments in the mommyhood - baby shower goodness part one

the lovely momma amy...


the man of the hour jasper...


and my parnter in crime rebecca...


and a whole lotta crafty baby shower goodness. here's a peek at some pics from the shower.


handmade diaper cake goodness...complete with pompom bunting & hand knit stuffed elephant for jaspers room...


yummy food was eaten by all...


handmade gifts were given...


we made amy cry...hehe...


and all in all fun was had. jasper was an angel and slept through the whole shower so amy could relax and have fun. games were played, mimosas were drank and laughs were shared. all of us ladies got together at a local restaurant overlooking the ocean to share in a yummy sunday brunch.

my uber talented pal rebecca and i had so much fun planning this baby shower. we only wish we had more time in our days as we would have done three times as much goodies - it was that fun planning :) rebecca is a local knitting instructor (at cloth castle) and handmade that gorgeous pompom bunting, diaper cake, and stuffed elephant that was our centerpiece. she also made the opart baby blanket, in turquoise of course. amy and i share in our obsession with all things turquoise!

wowsa! you go rebecca! she is truly a knitting die hard and i love her for it! you can find the patterns for the stuffed elefante here (rebecca used the ears for the elephant from the pattern in last minute knitted gifts stuffed elephant instead) and the op art blanket here.

i made the thank you gifts for the guests as well as a pressie for amy but you'll have to stay tuned till later today to see those...heh heh. i'm super excited to show you all! thanks for all of your help rebecca - you rock, and thanks to you amy, for having such an adorable little man so we could spoil ya with crafty goodness :)

what's your favorite handmade gift to make for babies? have you thrown an handmade baby shower before? happy monday! let's chat!

moments in the mommyhood - cookies and doilies

mmmmmmmm, cookies.  well, these aren't the cookie lids for coffee mugs as seen on friday's weekend wishes - i didn't get the courage to try those.  but if any of you would like to try that recipe out martina from the blog trattoria da martina wrote to me and mentioned that anyone looking for the recipe in english to email her (her email addy is on the sidebar) and she would help out. also one of our readers used google translate to swap over to english as well. if any of you make that delicious looking cookie lid please let me know - i'd love to hear how it turned out.

instead of the lids i made a simply delicious chocolate chip cookie recipe from one of my fave readers/friends laura of the blog "on the laundry line". it's dangerous and i've made this recipe twice now and both times the cookies lasted no longer than 2 days!!! craziness! they are truly addicting.  i don't even like to bake so you know these are good when i've made 2 batches in 2 weeks. i had to keep chanting to myself " a moment on the lips is a lifetime on the hips" and other such nonesense so that i didn't just sit down and devour that entire chewy, moisty, delicious batch.  good thing we had company for the weekend to help me eat them or i think i truly would have died at sunday's total body conditioning class.  i also only had mini chips on hand on the weekend so i thought it was the perfect excuse to just add more of them..haha. if any of you would like the recipe let me know and i'll see if laura is willing to share her cookie goodness on here or on her blog for you all.

*edited* - here's the cookie recipe folks! the lovely, hilarious and super sweet pal of mine laura took it upon herself to make some more cookies (oh the burden..hahaha) and posted a lovely post today just for you guys on how to make some of these addictive cookies for you to eat right along side us!  we dont' wanna be the only ones gorging on chocolate....hey...don't judge...nothing beats a fresh out of the oven cookie and a mug of coffee when you are having one of those "mom days"....right?  go here to check out the recipe for the "worthit chocolate chip cookies".

i also got my doily stitched onto my $3 ikea pillow. don't you just love it?  i'm so in love with how it turned out.  it was so easy and quick to do and added just that right touch of granny chic to my boring little pillow. now all i need to do is find another one for the matching pillow or i may just have to come up with something else.  this was so easy and it's killing me to not make all the other doily projects i have in my project folder.  i'm still sending the vibes out to those darn thrift shops....doilies...doilies...come to me....

have any of you added doilies to your home decor? sewn with them? appliqued them? diy'd them?  i wanna see!!!!  also what's your fave chocolate chip cookie recipe?  did you have a good weekend? let's catch up :)

p.s. i'm looking for the instructions to that doily light from friday as well. i can't seem to find the actual tutorial.  it's in the works though folks...i'll find it....hopefully.

moments in the mommyhood - a swinging good time

the weekend that i thought may not be a good one turned out to be pretty alright. the scattering of one very, very, very large tantrum threatened to damper our day but we made it through unscathed and enjoyed the rest of our days off. i'm sure you can all relate to the dreaded tantrum who looms around every corner just waiting to eat happy little kids for a yummy snack....i don't like that mr. tantrum.


we hit up a local rummage sale with some friends and then had a nice walk in the sunshine with the hubs and yes, enjoyed a half price starbucks - i'm sad it's over but i milked it while it was around. we couldn't resist sticking little harper in the swing for her first swing ride. yep, i know she's 9 months and she's never been in the swing....what can i say, i avoid the park like the plague unless i have to be there. harper had a big weekend because she also took her first steps!!!! oh my baby isn't such a baby anymore. pretty soon she's gonna be running everywhere and my days of sewing while become even more few and far between..hahaha.


sunday we were lucky to get sun again...i'm hoping this means spring is around the corner. we enjoyed some more park time and swim lessons followed by a yummy roast in the slow cooker (thanks for all the tips/recipes from the facebook crowd). now, if only i had been able to sleep through the night...or even slept for 4 hours without being woken up by one kid or another....then...welll...no...i can't even think about it. forget the food, the thought of sleep is enough to cause a substantial amount of drool in my mouth and a recurring longing in our house. a longing for sleep that probably won't come to realization until my kids are 18 and even then i sometimes wonder if it will :)

how was your weekend? what did you get up to? do you avoid mr. tantrum like the plague too?

moments in the mommyhood - boating with barbie

no, you are not imaginging things,that is barbie waving and driving a boat....




and barbie drives really fast! what a little speed demon she is - wow, she could drive! we were down by one of the beaches along dallas road yesterday trying to catch some of the sun while we had it. we did some serious rock skipping, sea glass searching and just soaked in the rays. on our walk back to the car we had to pass a pond. and in that pond to our surprise was a boating barbie. oh barbie, you were fabulous! the boat was remote controlled and when the man driving it wanted to he could make barbie wave at you! i almost peed myself. i knew i had to get a pic to show all of you - it seriously made my day! i have a video of it that i'm trying to upload on here but am having some technical issues. hopefully it will be up sometime today after we finish watching it for the 100th time..yes, i love it that much :)

how was your weekend? did you see any unexpected surprises on the weekend that brought a smile to your face?

p.s. my thrifting finds will be up tomorrow so stay tuned.....

moments in the mommyhood - still truckin...

image source

hi everyone! how are you all? what a week. hope yours was better than ours. not to be a whiner in any way but man oh man, did my week suck. yuck. sick toddler with the croup, sick me with god knows what and some serious lack of sleep. it all equalled a crappy week. luckily we are all on the mend though. i spent the weekend sick truckin along on getting a new tutorial finished for all of you! i'm super, super excited about it and cannot wait to show you! it's going to be on a fave blog of mine sometime soon so you will have to stay tuned!!!! let's just say that it will come in handy :P

image source

anyhoo i just wanted to pop in here quickly and say hi and apologize for the shortage of posting, facebooking and tweeting goodies. hopefully all will be back to normal soon, but in the meantime i'm going to bed while the kids are actually asleep :) oh....and giveaway tomorrow!!!! woot woot!

whatcha been up to? anyone else struggling through those times when you & the kiddos are sick at the same time? wanna commiserate? let's make each other feel better. hugs!

moments in the mommyhood - vintage finds...oh me, oh my!

i'm so thrilled with my new thrifting finds this weekend! those of you who follow me on facebook know how excited i was that after posting my weekend wishes i found some vintage sheets and pyrex! so fun! i had taken the kidlets out to go splash around at the beach in our rainboots but as soon as i loaded us all in the car it started pouring buckets. too many buckets for my taste. so we got a starbucks (surprise, surprise) and drove to the beach crossing our fingers it would stop. by the time i got there though i heard the familiar "mommy, i've got to go pee". aiyaya, ok, so no bathrooms where we were but luckily we were nearby one of my fave thrifting haunts that happens to have a bathroom close by. fate. so we ran in, peed and then it was like the stars aligned.


there was a lot of pyrex on friday, but just not in my colors. the dish i did buy isn't in my colors either but i could not leave it there. i tried more than a few times. i knew she was coming home with me. i was excited to find out when i got home that this line that i had never seen before was a promotional line from pyrex - i love finding those! if you are a lover of pyrex you need to check out the blog "in color order". this blog is filled with pyrex heaven, she even has a whole pyrex series. there's listings for all the series, how to clean them, colors, etc... it's my go to guide for pyrex. be sure to check it out! the dish i just got is from the barbed wire series.


i also found this sheet set that i am so in love with. the best part, besides that it's old, is that it's KING SIZE! squeal!!! and it came with 2 pillowcase that were bigger than mack is high!!!! when i opened it up to show jer how big it was i couldn't get it fully open in the living room...it's giant! the shop i go to is consignment so they check all the sheets etc before putting them out for sale so i knew there wouldn't be coodies on this puppy. i keep pulling it out and looking at it all freshly laundered and folded and wondering how i'm ever going to cut into all that prettiness. i mean really...the trim...the blue...the flowers...ahhhhh.


we had a good weekend here even though the hubs and i were silly enough to stay up on sat night till 1:00 playing wii (a friends that we borrowed) and having mack & harper wake up while we were playing and neither of them going back to bed until 4:00 am!! yep, i was up pretty much all night. but you know what....it was fun....well...it was fun until 1..hahaha. i also got some sewing done on a new tutorial that you will all be seeing in feb sometime and i finished up an adorable baby pressie for my pal amy for her new handsome little cherub - pics to come soon.

i hope you all had a great weekend too and that you had a heckuva lot more sleep than i did. did you have any thrifting luck this weekend? are you a follower on facebook? come like luvinthemommyhood...we have fun on there! happy monday :)

moments in the mommyhood - kisses & cable

i ventured out of the house on friday, sickness and all to hang at the park, share some kisses, play in the mud and ponder our cable situation.


a while back i did a post on the option of cutting cable in our house. we talked and talked about it and almost did it but then didn't. there were a few boring reasons why we didn't. one of them was so i could watch young & the restless late at night when everyone else is sleeping..i confess. it's shamefull i know - i blame my mother. she hooked me on it. but i found a way to watch it directly online everyday in HD now so i can't use that for an excuse anymore!

another reason was that netflix had not made it to canada. well....now it's here! so we're back to the good ol' cable debate. to cut or not to cut...that is the question. we're all set up and nothing is stopping us. so why am i scared and feeling weirdly attached to my cable all of a sudden? the idea of not being able to flip and watch a huge variety of shows is making me sad. weird. we can pretty much watch all the shows we love via streaming online, netflix and downloading - so why the need for cable?

i'm loving netflix by the way. any of you who haven't tried your free trial yet go for it! it's fabulous! the canadian one is adding new movies & shows all the time. i'm especially digging all the bbc shows. i love me some good british humour. also the amount of children's shows is fantastic. all mackenzie's faves are on there and the bonus - no commercials! i hate commercials on kid's channels. there's also new movies, tv shows and also classics. i love old movies too so i was thrilled to see those...almost as thrilled as i was to see tv series like "thirtysomething". does anyone else out there remember that show? yes...i'm that old..hahaha.

so have any of you out there cut cable and regretted it? missed it? does the withdrawal go away? do you love not having it? i wanna hear your thoughts. happy monday, let's chat :)

p.s. i know there is a netflix ad on the sidebar but this post was in no way endorsed or solicited by netflix..just so ya know :P

moments in the mommyhood - my bathing suit & a good cause

my thrifting trip on the weekend was a success.


do you see it, do you see it - my new chair!!?? i cannot even put my excitement into words about this chair. i've been looking for 2 years for a chair that was smaller than 15" wide to fit into the tiny opening for my sewing desk. i was roaming the aisles of my local value village and at first spotted a wooden chair of a completely different style that might have worked but then, like a ray of light on a rainy day was my "chair". i love her. she's gorgeous isn't she? i can't wait to recover her seat and shine her up real nice. i'm still debating about whether or not to keep her the color she is or to paint her. i'll have to do another sewing wall revamp post and we can all chat about it.


i also picked up two other items...of all things, an egg holder. i fell in love with it. do not ask me why..haha. i love hard boiled eggs and remember using one of these when i was little and wanted mackenzie to have one as well. the other item i got was the bright blue, super soft fleecy blanket. isn't it fab? ha! i know it's not everyones cup of tea but it fits mine just right. mackenzie loves it and it ties in all the colors that i use for the girls decor. we like it cheerful in our house :)


on a side note, i braved the pool and went out in public in my bathing suit. eek. i survived and figured i better get over it sooner than later as i have about 2 months of wearing it ahead of me...aiayayaya. the girls had fun and harper had her first time in the pool and her first lesson. don't ya just love those chunky legs...so adorable!


i'm sure you have all heard on the news what's been going on in australia with the horrific flooding and the devastation and heartbreak it's caused. they are in the middle of a national disaster. my heart goes out to them, it's horrible & terrifying.

have you been wondering how you can help? please check out the Queensland Flood Appeal Auctions that the talented toni of make it perfect and her sister have organized. all the money these two wonderful ladies raise from the queensland flood appeal auctions will be going straight to the premier's auction relief fund.

where can you find the auctions? you can find over 2o0 online auctions going on all over the blogoshpere and on facebook. they started yesterday and they will be going on all throughout the week. you can find the master list for all the auctions happening on toni's blog here. there are some fabulous and i mean fabulous items up for bid from fabric and craft designers, artists, jewelers and quilters. so hop on over there and get bidding...there's some serious eye candy up for grabs and it's for a great cause.

have you been thrifting lately? what was your latest fave find? share...i love seeing all of your loot!

moments in the mommyhood - coastal life

(don't y'all just love my pose? we call that my "kelly rippa" in my house and yes, i'm a loser..hahaha)

i've been trying to give you guys a bit more pics to show you a bit of how gorgeous the scenery is here in victoria right now. when the blue sky is out and the sun is shining there's nothing better for us than a stroll along the beach with good friends and of course, coffee. we had a good visit with friends who came to stay with us. there was a lot of wii playing, or should i say showdowns. we discovered that mack has a talent for bowling and golf on there and even beat her dad the first time she played. i got to go out for breakfast (my fave meal to eat out) for the first time since before harper was born. it was fabulous and as yummy and fun as i remember and i even got some knitting & sewing done too! it felt like a mirage!

a bit thanks to all the commenter's on friday's post, you guys gave me so many tips for organizing my knitting needles - wowsa! i could hardly keep up! i cannot wait to try them all out and see what i can come up with. i'll make sure to do a post to show you what system i decide on. i ended up finally reorganizing the gazillion of pages that i rip out of my house & home and style at home magazines and putting them into a binder. i used the clear sleeves and labeled them by room and by topic so now i can have easy access to the eye candy i want to save. i also redid my inspiration board...oh how i love doing that. fresh pictures, new colors and lots of lovely things to drool over while i'm sewing.

i also cannot tell you guys enough how much i am in love and addicted to the fab site pinterest.com the amount of space & time this site saves me is crazy! it's like having room upon room of inspiration boards and nobody will ever tell you that you have too many. it's so much fun and now instead of bookmarking all the goodies i heart online i just pin them into my inspiration boards. come join up! if you do you can find me under "luvinthemommyhood".

what did you get up to on the weekend? any organizing going on in your house for 2011? did you get any sewing/knitting done? what did you make? happy monday - let's chat :)

moments in the mommyhood - xmas break

here's what we've been up to:

i've been loving my new fabric that i got from my mom/dad for xmas...


that will become a new quilt for my bed..


lots of walks near the ocean in the sunshine...


funny times at the park...


showing off new tights in a swing that may be a bit small...haha...


"it's a hoot" goodness that will become a quilt for little harper (ignore the wrinkles, haven't had time to beat down the ironing monster in our house to work out the creases)....


and needles working slowly to make a hat.


happy new year's to you all! i hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing christmas break and are as excited as i am for a fabulous 2011! yesterday was a weird day. it was strange to have the hubs go back to work. the house seemed so quiet and i think we were all reluctant to return to our old routine. i know i was. i wanted to hold onto our "family" time as long as i could and make the most of it. we had a great break and it definitely wasn't long enough.

we had lots of laughs, good food, family time, swimming, walks, movies, a lot of cleaning & purging (our condo seriously looked like a bad episode of hoarders until we were done the reorganization), a lot of "candyland" and "chutes and ladders" showdowns, first bike rides for mackenzie and of course, for me - starbucks. santa was so nice to put some gift cards in my stocking and you all know how much i can use those..haha. we also experienced the rath of a tired, over excited toddler, timeouts, tantrums, and lack of sleep too (let's be real folks, it's not all candy and roses in our house) but it was worth it. i'm sure you all had a bit of that in your homes as well and if you didn't i could use your tips..haha.

it sure felt good to pick up the needles and knit for fun at night. i've been so busy making xmas pressies that i'm making some things for the kiddos now. the hat is for harper and i'm making the "stella pixie hat" (on ravelry here). i'm loving this pattern - so fun! also that yummy layer cake and jelly roll from moda...yep, the dream on line i've been obsessing about for months was under the tree for me on xmas morning! mom - you're the best, love you! i cannot wait to make my first queen size quilt for my bed with this line! so excited! i'm also going to be doing a second quilt (smaller) for harper from one of my other fave lines from moda "it's a hoot". i love the colors and the bold prints, it will be perfect for my little bundle of giggles.

what have you all been up to? how were your holidays? did you get some good family time in? anyone sad/happy to have the routine back? i missed you all ...let's chat :)

p.s. to those of you i owe emails to, i'm sorry, i'm slowly catching up. i really tried hard to unplug a lot during the holidays and part of that was letting the inbox get a bit out of control..haha. hopefully i'll be getting back to you all sooner than later. thx for understanding.