tgiff

before we get into our menu, i would like to say that we have had the greatest time reading comments and "getting to know" everyone that has stopped by!  it is so much fun!

looks like jane included some  oldies but goodies for next week.  

i'm excited to try them out!

here's what she has for us:

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m.    casserole delight + cabbage salad

tu.  soup and subs + chips

w.    dutch beef + chunky bread

th.  garlic pork chops +baked sweet potatoes + peas

f.     cheesy manicotti + green salad with chopped salami

sa.  chili corn pone pie + apple and cheese slices

su.  shepherd’s pie + cottage cheese and applesauce

{this is a SUPER old recipe from my childhood.  my sister and i were reminiscing about it this afternoon.  you don't see food like this much anymore, but i hope you will give it a try}

{this is a cook free night and for an added bonus, both campbells and progresso soups were on sale this week in the flyers}

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yum.  i'm so thankful for these menus and all the time they free up in my week.  my hair {that is not being pulled out} is also grateful come dinner time!

have a beautiful friday friends....  

we have a crazy busy day {which is not the usual for a friday} but lots of fun fall activities to look forward to this weekend; including a fabric pumpkin tutorial that i'll post over the weekend.  also, our theme for next week is "messy"....  hmmmmmm.  i'm really looking forward to it!  just for fun, what is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word "messy"?

i thought of diapers, but i promise that is not what our week is about - hehe!

xo . rae . vp + mom

what "fergie" wore, hump day

it's
what i wore wednesday at the pleated poppy
and we are excited to participate for the first time.

she is also doing a giveaway, so you should stop by her site!

i'm still getting used to this whole blogging thing and discovering that there are two things that would help me stay on schedule:

1.}think ahead 

and

2.}take advantage of living in the moment 

isn't that a funny combination?  although it makes sense.  probably the most endearing part of a blog is the real life, natural stuff, but it also takes time to construct your thoughts and organize a post.

i had trouble doing both of those things this past week, ha!  so, my mannequin "fergie" will be wearing my digs and my children are watching the disney channel, but i'll have a post by naptime!

here goes....  we'll start with last...

shirt and vest {corduroy}, old navy

jeans {skinny, distressed}, gap

fleece {hand.me.down from a friend moving to australia}, helly hansen

t, target

yoga pants {also a hand.me.down}, no idea where they are from

top, target

sweater {bday gift}, the limited

jeans {skinny, distressed}, gap

{sunday} i could not remember what i wore, but i spent most of the day picking up and working on the computer and then made a yummy dinner for my campers that were returning from lake wenatchee.

i'm guessing i stayed in my pj's until the afternoon and then changed before they arrived home.  what would you wear to greet your family?  the usual, something extra cute, or something grubby so you could help unload all the dirty, smoke infused luggage?

now, on to:

shirt, gap

sweater, old navy

jeans {bootcut}, city of angels from nordstrom rack

t, target

shirt, gap

leggings, target

t, marshall's

flannel pj's {christmas gift}, old navy

socks {hiking}, "borrowed" from my dad's closet last winter

all this focus on wardrobe got me to thinking about a few things and i would LOVE to know what your answers would be.

1. what will you miss most from your summer wardrobe?

{my white skinny jeans}

2. where would you do your shopping a) on a small budget, and b. with a generous budget?

{probably target, but maybe h&m and j. crew}

hope you enjoyed our version of "what i wore wednesday"

loves . rae . vp + mom

mask template.

we decide that our little heros needed masks.

so, we bring you:

i grabbed this felt

and some elastic from the fabric store.

then we made these templates

you can download the outline template here.

i think this will be our after-nap activity.  if i get a chance, i'll post pictures on our facebook page.  if you have done any of our projects, know that we LOVE to see pictures of your creations {and your little ones}!  you can email them to me or post them on facebook.

.     .     .     .     .

also, you should pop on over to see emily at jones design company. ... 

we did a guest post {tutorial on custom fabric labels} for her today!  

there are also a bazillion other reasons to visit her site.  a very talented lady!

.     .     .     .     .

loves . rae . vp + mom . armommy

tgiff

s u p e r   c h e a p   m e a n s   s o u p e r   w e e k !

I can’t think of a more economical meal than soup.  And here are the top 5 reasons why:

(1) soup provides a hearty, nearly complete meal . (2)  the cost for protein is lower and nutritional value is high (you can easily feed a family of 4 with only 2 chicken breasts, unlike the 4 chicken breasts required for a meat and potatoes type meal) . (3) soup is easy to freeze; be sure to freeze some single serving sizes for after practice or before a meeting saving $$ on fast food . (4) many of the ingredients in  soup are stock-up items you can find at great prices and always have on hand. (5) soup is the easiest recipe to substitute ingredients making good use of vegetables that need to be used up or using veggies your family likes better than the one in the recipe

You will notice that there are no cream soups and that is because they do not freeze well and those soups you want to eat up soon after they are made.  Also, I know you are not going to make soup 7 nights this week.  But in the fall and winter having soup a couple of times a week is easy on the budget and great on the tummy.  So here are 7 soups to try over the next few weeks as the weather gets cooler.

m.  chili

tues.  chicken, potato and black bean

w. granny’s sausage and bean

thur. chicken and barley stew

f. minestrone

sat. spicy vegetable lentil

sun. farmer’ market soup

click on the recipe cards to print or copy and paste them into a document to print.

let me know if you have any trouble and as always, we would love to hear what you think of tgiff.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

now for some pumpkin buckle.  if you enjoy pumpkin spice latte's you will fall in love with this dessert.

blessings . jane . vp + gamma . armommy

feeling super?

one really easy way for kids to feel super is by sporting a superhero cape.  in fact, as i took pictures of espen and tilly in their capes {above}, it became apparent to me that there actually is a transformation that occurs when their capes are on.  so i asked them if they could run super fast, stop a meteor from hitting the earth and leap over our house and espen answered, "of course! i'm a superhero!".  i couldn't help but chuckle and chase them around, but later on i was able to talk to them {mostly espen} about the characteristics of a superhero {they use their abilities to help others} and encouraged him to do the same.
it was a very sweet teachable moment.

just wanted to share.

now back to the toot.

our inspiration comes from this vintage cape that was worn by my husband {yoder} when he was a child.  not sure if it has existed long enough to truely be vintage but we'll go with it.

you will notice that there is not much shape to it, just straight lines so it's similar to the towels, pillow cases or baby blankets that may have doubled as capes in the past and it makes cutting and sewing very easy...  my favorite feature!

the pictures in this tutorial are of matilda's white cape featured at the top of this post.  the main part is cut from an old canvas ikea curtain so i didn't make it double sided.  if you are using quilting weight fabric then you may want to sew together a front and back {like a pillow}.  i'll note the difference throughout the tutorial.

no. 1 - pick out a variety of fabric and coordinating ribbon.  one {or two, if you are making a double sided cape} piece needs to be large enough for the cape {16.5x19.5"}.  the other's can be scraps big enough for whatever embellishment you decide on.  for the ruffle, i used strips approximately 1.5 times the width of the cape which is enough for a loose ruffle.

no. 2 - cut your cape fabric{s} 16.5" wide and 19.5" long.  

then think about how you want to embellish it.

  

no. 3 - if you are appliqueing a design, cut the design from a piece of paper.  click here to use our lighting bolt and here if you would like to use our 6" circle.

then trace it onto your desired fabric using a pencil or fabric marker and cut.

no 4 - {if you are making a ruffle as pictured above} cut a snip in your fabric 2.5"wide

then tear the entire length of the fabric.  repeat depending on the number of ruffles you want.

no. 5 - change the settings on your sewing machine to make a ruffle {the first number on the left of my machine, pictured, is a 9}.

sew along one side of your strip of fabric.  repeat.

no. 6 - now that you have all the elements of the cape cut out and ready, reset your sewing machine, fold a quarter inch hem {pinning or ironing in place if you prefer} on all sides and sew the sides and bottom.  if you are making a double sided cape, skip this step and step no. 7.

no. 7 - next cut two pieces of ribbon long enough to tie around your child.  place the ribbon inside the prepared top hem and pin into place.  then sew the top hem, backstitching on both sides.

so it's secure.

no. 8 - next pin the first layer of ruffle into place.  sew a straight stitch along the existing stitch.  repeat.

then pin the first layer of applique.

set your sewing machine to a zig zag stitch and sew around the border.

next, pin the second layer and stitch using a zig zag.

no. 9 - if you are making a double sided cape, place front and back fabrics right sides together and sew ½ inch seam around leaving a 6 inch opening.  trim extra fabric from corners and turn right side out using a pencil or knitting needle to square corners.  cut two 18 inch pieces of ribbon and attach at top corners.

no. 10 - lastly, give the cape to your little superhero and have fun taking some pictures!

it's a bird!  it's a plane!  it's....  little heros in really cute capes!

come back tomorrow for some super dinner recipes.

xo

happy tuesday.

because i was gone for a SUPER four days in l.a., i am SUPER behind on SUPER week,

but we have some {yes, you guessed it} SUPER stuff planned

such as:

+ a SUPER hero mask and vintage cape tutorial

+ SUPER fast, yummy, healthy, cheap... dinner recipes

+ SUPER bargains

+ SUPER printable art {one today}

+ and possibly a couple more SUPER surprises over the weekend.

sounding pretty SUPER?

.     .     .

today, i want to start with a SUPER {i know, you get the idea!} ego boost.  

the job of "mom" is well, a lot of things.  all wrapped into one.  moms have a bazillion job titles and even more skills {problem solving and multitasking to name a few}.  while all moms would probably agree that the payoff of motherhood is far beyond money, have you ever wondered what you would make if you were hired to be a mom?  

according to this article, you would {at the very least} be making $118,000 as a stay.at.home mom.  that only includes payment for 10 of your job titles and does not include any overtime, weekends, holidays or overnight care.  can you imagine what a mother of a newborn would make!?  oh my!

so moms, the next time your job seems monotonous, annoying, exhausting or just completely overwhelming, remember that your market value is very high, you are doing a job that is beyond financial gain and that your children will indeed sing your praises.

to remind you of how wonderful, influential, important and

SUPER

you are i made you a little something

using a quote by leigh standley of curly girl designs

{she has some pretty amazing sayings that i just recently fell in love with!}

click on the image, then copy and paste it into a document or save it as a picture and then print.  it is made as a 5x7.  if you have trouble or it prints out pixilated, leave a comment with your email address and i'll forward you a print-ready document.

i printed one out and placed it in the windowsill above the kitchen sink.  a place where i'm can often use some encouragement.  where will you be putting yours?

.     .     .

see you tomorrow for more SUPER stuff!

xo . rae . vp + mom . armommy