Girly Skirt

Lizzie and I were doing some Pinterest searching the other day. And we happened to see this adorable skirt. "Momma can you make me one? Putty peas?" The girl thinks, her momma can make anything.

I followed the pin here. And was pleased, that there was an incredible tutorial!! Score. In my head, I thought, "Well maybe, I can do this."



I haven't gotten too far on this project. But hope, by the end of the month, to have 3 done!! I know, I might have chewed off too much. But it's for my girls. :)

We've made it to the fabric store. I let my girls each pick out a color. And I've gotten 2 of the 3 cut out. Cross your fingers everyone. My girls now run to the sewing machine, every time that they hear it. I just hope, this project goes as well in real life, as it's going in my mind. ~Maggie

They're So Excited!!

My hubs and I, have been saving our pennies. For years! Since before we got married. For a few years, those pennies, and well the rest of our pocket change, went into these large jars. They sat at the bottom of our closet. Then, when I was pregnant of Jake, we opened a bank account. Just for our change.

Little by little, this account has grown. We always knew, that we wanted to take our kids to Disney World!! ALWAYS!! When I was pregnant with Audrey, 2 thoughts crept into my head. 1. We're NEVER going to have enough money!! We're about to be a family of 6. How are we going to afford Disney World now? 2. If we managed to get enough money together, when would be the best time to go? Being that Jake and Audrey, are 6 years apart.

Well, my hubs and I, finally decided. This was going to be the year!! Nearly 2, should be a fun age to experience Disney World. And nearly 8, the magic should still be there. Last Summer, we started hunting for good deals. Around Christmas, we managed to book an incredible deal! One that made me feel a lot better, about the money we'd saved.

We let our parents know about our plans. And they gave our kiddos some "secret money" at Christmas. Actually, they gave it to us, in envelopes with their names on them. And my sister, and SIL both recently gave us some money for the kids. We've convinced our kiddos, to save most of their "birthday money" too!

Slowly, we've been buying some things we think we'll need. In the Fall, I stocked up on lots of clearance Summer clothes and shoes. With the help of my cousin, and Auntie, we've added touches of Disney to them. Making a plain t-shirt, something fun. With a little Disney fabric, some ribbon, whatever we thought would work.



And this weekend, we finally broke the news to our kiddos!! They were in shock at first. Didn't believe a word, that my hubs and I were saying. Then, they were over the moon!! Jumping around. So excited!!

My hubs had this great idea. To get them each a little notebook. And some Disney stickers. We spent Sunday, decorating their books. And writing down, what they wanted to do, while we're at Disney World. We showed them lots of brochures, got online, talked about all the things that are out there. Then we took to writing down our "must haves."

I wasn't surprised when Jake wanted to ride the cars. Or Bri wanted to visit Epcot. I thought it was super sweet, that Lizzie wants to go eat breakfast with the characters. And I was definitely not shocked, when Audrey said she had to ride the tea cups. And Dumbo!! :)

It's a good thing, that when we booked our trip, we booked all sorts of fun meals. Reservations at lots of these places, are tough to make. And have to be done, months and months in advance!!

Shay's blog, was also another good resource. Recently Shay and her family went to Disney World. Reading her blog, helped me to get a better picture, of what we are going to be doing. It's also helped me to plan some of my own, "must haves." I can't wait, to have fun with my family, in Disney World!! June can't come fast enough. ~Maggie

Perfect for Tea Time!!

My girls are what you would call, "very girly!" We spend tons of time playing dress up, tea party, and dollies. That's our life. In a nutshell. But I love it so much!! Having daughters, has really changed my life. Showed me to slow down a bit. To embrace all the beautiful things in life.

I've been looking for things to add, to our supply of toys. Being a family of 6, on 1 income, can be a bit tough at times. My husband works so hard for us. And let's be honest, things like food, mortgage payments, and gas, take up most of our money.

This is one of the reasons, that I have completely embraced crafting. I want to be able, to provide my family with clothes and toys, that are handmade. And more affordable for our family. I'm grateful, that I have some skills, even if they are very basic, that allows me to provide for my family.

With all that being said, I wanted to update my kids' toys. I've been searching for patterns, and ideas everywhere! And when I seen this particular pattern, it just made me smile. Perfect for my girls!!



I've printed the pattern. Searched out the perfect colors, for each of my daughters. And spent many late nights, crocheting away!! I'm hoping, to have the 3 tea sets done, in the next week or so. Yes, I'm waiting to have all 3 done. I want for each of my girls, to have something very special. That is meant just for them! ~Maggie

Fun with My Girls

I like to play with my kiddos. It's not out of the ordinary, to find me on the floor, playing with them. Having a tea party, building a fort, or playing in the mud. I feel like I'm going through my second childhood!! :)

I also like introducing my kiddos to games and toys of "yesteryear." I think a parent can only take so much Disney, Disney princesses, plastic toys, video games, and cartoons. I'm just being honest. I'm not going to apologize for it.

When I was little, my grandma sat on the floor, with me and Lola. Taught us how to play jax, tops, pick up sticks, dominoes, Old Maid, etc. I LOVED it! We also made our own paper dolls. That was one of my fondest memories!!

I found these paper dolls. For free!! And I was so excited. I printed out 4 sets. On Sunday, my hubs and Jake went to help some friends of ours. The girls and I, had baked lots of cookies. For my uncle's funeral, that was earlier this week. And I knew we needed something to do. Something to unwind. That's when I remembered these little ladies!!



I let Bri and Lizzie cut their own. And I cut out 2 sets. One for Audrey. And one for me. :) I printed them out, on some white card stock. And honestly, we played for hours! Until the boys came home!!

And then, for another hour, while they went to pick up dinner. Oops! We totally played right through our cooking time. :) I never realized just how much my girls, would adore paper dolls! Who would have thought?

I'm thinking of investing, a little bit of money. In sheets of magnets. I have the perfect little tins already. And I think, I could print these on magnets. So they'd be a little more durable. Last through lots of playing!!

Anyway that you spin it, we had a fun time! My girls enjoyed them. And haven't stopped talking about their paper dolls. Bri even took her's to "Show and Tell!!" And I'm thinking, this would be a fun theme for Audrey's 2nd birthday!

What are some of your favorite games or activities, to play with your kids? Are they from yesteryear? I'd love to hear about them! Please share! ~Maggie

Sweet Surprises

Don't you just love little gifts. From out of the blue? Like they've fallen from the sky? Come on, you know you do!! And I do too!!

You see, I just love to get mail!! With all my heart. :) Lizzie, Audrey, and I have a little routine. Every day, just after Sesame Street, we head outside. And wait for the mailman. Yes, we love mail that much!! My parents and in-laws are amazing, and send our kids little cards and trinkets all the time. Just because. :) For me, well, it's a fun thing that my cousin and I do. Especially now, that she lives 1000s of miles away.

We wait for the mail. And gleefully go through it. It's been such a long time, since our mail, actually has been put in our mailbox. My cousin not only send me letters, and little treats, she sends things to my kiddos too!

But today was extra special!! I found a package on our doorstep. Can you tell, I wasn't expecting it? Because I had taken Lizzie and Audrey to the library. When we got home, the last thing I expected, was a package. A package from ModCloth. With this beauty!!



Yes, my cousin knows me well! What a beautiful gift to receive!! Just in time, for Spring. Thank you Lola!! You truly are the best cousin, anyone could ask for! I just can't wait, to go on a date with my hubs. I have something extra cute to wear. :) ~Maggie

My Aunt and Empanaditas

Recently, my cousin and I, have been remembering our aunt. She past away, just over 8 years ago. My cousin, was definitely closer to her, than I was. She just spent more time with our aunt. But so many of us, were close to our aunt.

At this time of year, I especially remember, and miss my aunt. She was the best cook ever! Making us tons and tons of food. Yummy food! You never went to her house, and didn't eat. That was just not going to happen.

Unfortunately, many of us, never cooked with her. Lots of the recipes, were just lost. She suffered from a debilitating stroke. Then they found cancer. And she past away, just 5 months after her initial illness. From the day of her stroke, until her death, she couldn't speak. Or do much for herself.

I always regret, not learning more from my aunt. I tell you, she was amazing! A self taught, amazing seamstress. A cook, that no one comes close to. Just an amazing woman!! At this time of year, I especially miss her empanaditas. No one that I know, knows how to make them. Lola and I, have been remembering all the ingredients. I know that she plays with various recipes. Trying to nail the one, from our childhood.

Recently, I took to chatting up a neighbor of ours. And she shared her family's recipe. Not the same savory ones, that I grew up eating. But a delicious recipe nonetheless!! With apricots, nuts and various other goodies. YUM!!

While Jake and my hubs were out shopping this weekend, the girls and I took to baking. :) And let me tell you, we baked!! Some mighty delicious fried desserts. I wanted my girls to enjoy this. And to start a new family tradition. It was a great afternoon!!

Like all little girls, my daughters enjoy playing "make believe" with their kitchen set. Since I've started on this crafty adventure, I've tried to "grow" their supply of play food. And I wanted to find something to make my girls, to remember this day. That when I found this adorable pattern!!



I'm nearly done with 6 of these cuties!! 2 for each of my daughters. I'm positive that they're going to love them! And I know, every time I see them, I'm going to remember our special day in the kitchen. Yes, it took longer than I had planned. But it was so much fun, creating new memories with my daughters. And remembering my aunt. ~Maggie

Andrea Bocelli

I thought this was the cutest episode of Sesame Street! My little princess, she just loved it. And my hubby had to go out and buy her an Andrea Bocelli CD. She just loves it! Plays it all the time! And this morning, she came up to my belly and started sing to the baby. Can you say cute? She tells me that she is singing the baby to sleep. It was so cute! ~Maggie