Bulking up the underroos - Tutorial

One of my most popular posts is when I showed my bulked up underroos. Now I'm back to bulking up some more underwear, but we're not quite ready for potty training with the babe yet. However, he is getting quite the rashes from his diaper and the summer heat so we're bulking up some underwear since his favorite place is outside, anytime, anywhere, with anyone, no matter the weather.

Start by gathering your supplies. I'm using some leftover zorb blanks and some diaper flannel and of course some underwear (which I prewashed, although I'm not sure if it's necessary with underwear but I did it anyways). You'll also need a marking pen and some pins. My favorite marking pens are crayola washable markers. I used to buy fancy sewing marking pens but with kids they always seemed to disappear and I haven't had any issues with the marker not coming out of the fabric.

Since I also made some fleece covers, I didn't line them with a layer of PUL. So if you want that additional layer for potty training, you'll also need some PUL scraps.

Start by making a pattern. I fold the underwear in half and lined up with the blank that was also folded in half.

Pin and mark the lines. The cross line will be used for marking the front and back.

I laid the underwear out on the cross mark, folded down the waistband to find the front and back length.

Lay the new soaker inside the underwear to see if it's a good fit and make any necessary adjustments. Once you have a good fit, use this piece to make a template for your other soaker pieces.

Fold your underwear inside out.

Pin your soaker pieces. Carefully sew around the outside of the soaker. Make sure you don't catch the other side of the underwear. Not that I've done this or anything, but it might be a possibility, especially if you're sewing with young children. Just sayin'.

I use a zig-zag stitch.

Ta-da! You're bulked up underroos!

The soaker material is entirely preference. I used what I had on hand. If you're using just flannel, I would use several pieces.

Lisa

Rhubarb Jello Dessert

Sunday afternoon while I was in the midst of jam making, the Farmer asked me to "make that really good rhubarb dessert, you know the one with jello and the sprinkled crust, that's my favorite."

So the conversation goes back and forth until I finally call his mom to find out it's a dessert she used to make, back in like 1978. This is one of them.

Bottom Crust
3 cups flour (I used 2 cups whole wheat, 1 cup all-purpose)
3 tbsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
Cut in 3/4 cup butter
In a separate bowl, mix 3 eggs and 3 tbsp. milk and add to above mixture. Grease a 9x13 cake pan and press into pan.

Cover with 4 cups of cut rhubarb and sprinkle with 1 - 6 oz. package of jello (I used raspberry because it's what I had on hand).

Mix together 1/2 cup butter, 2 cups sugar (I used splenda), 1 cup flour (I used whole wheat), 1 cup rolled oats, and 1/2 cup brown sugar (splenda again). Sprinkle over rhubarb.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Very good. I've had a piece each night. Make that two pieces tonight.  :)

Lisa


Linking to:
http://beingfrugalbychoice.blogspot.com/2012/06/mostly-homemade-mondays.html

Dinner at the farm

I love when people post their menus for the week because it gives me inspiration. However, I am not a menu planner. In high school, I had a friend who every Sunday night, picked out all her clothes for the week and hung them on hangers. I asked her once what happened if she didn't feel like wearing that for the day. Her response was but that's the outfit for the day.

Cooking dinner is like outfit planning. I know everything that I have in my kitchen and work around it. When I grocery shop, I always buy the basics, plus whatever else I think would be nice for the week. For example, if I see a recipe for fish tacos, I'll put the ingredients I need on my shopping list and figure sometime during the week, I'll make them.

If you came to dinner at the farm, this is most likely what I'd feed you (lunch is sandwiches, leftovers, or you're on your own so ALWAYS plan to come for dinner).

Roasted chicken, dilled green beans, saurekraut, lettuce salad with apples, radishes, and hard boiled eggs. The kids passed on the green beans and saurekraut and had corn. In the winter, we'd add bread and put out butter, homemade jam, and honey or maybe cornbread or some brown or wild rice.

And with the exception of the apples and salad dressing, everything was raised or grown on the farm. I'm very proud of that.

Tonight you'd even get dessert. Strawberry rhubarb cake for the adults (recipe tomorrow). Berries of choice with whipped cream and sprinkles for the kids.

I roasted two chickens today. The leftovers will go for lunches or added into other meals throughout the next couple of days. Shredded chicken with fruit and cottage cheese is a favorite lunch for the kids and we may have chicken tacos one night or a chicken salad with lots of veggies and fruit with crusty french bread.

Now I have to go hide the cake before I eat another piece!

Lisa

Whimsical Couture Pillowcase Romper

The Facts

Fabric: 2 yard of Heather Ross Far Far Away
Pattern: Whimsey Couture Pillowcase Romper
Year: c. 2012
Notions: None. Could use grosgrain ribbon for ties.
Time to complete: about 2 hours. Could have been quicker but three kids, one of whom is sick (which explains the funky pose above) and another teething.
What I'd Change/Changes Made: None, surprisingly. Miss Em is very comfortable so I may make another one.

I love this double guaze material from Heather Ross. And it screams summer. The only difference I would make on another one is to lengthen the body, probably 3 inches. But this is only because Em has a long body.  I left the ends on the tie raw so they will unravel and fray. I turned the hem under 1" twice since I didn't have enough material to add a ruffle and didn't want to put a solid blue ruffle.

I haven't sewn, really sewn, in quite awhile. It felt good. Now to start working on downsizing the fabric stash with some more projects!

Lisa

Controlling Out of Control Hair

Awhile back, I posted my "new do." Which I absolutely adore, even though I really need to get a hair cut. Unfortunately, on hot humid days much like today, it looks more like this.

I've always like headbands but hated wearing them for a variety of reasons. Those little plastic ones hurt, those skinny little elastic ones don't do much when you have thick, curly hair, and those wide jersey ones just look wrong. Then I found this on pinterest but was too cheap to pay $26 for a headband.

So this afternoon and 15 minutes later, I ended up with this.

And had the Lil' Man model.

 Two simple rectangles twisted together to make the "knot" at top and an elastic band from my daughter's hair basket underneath.

So comfortable.

Now I'm going to go make a bunch more.

And then use them BEFORE my hair starts looking like it did in the first picture.

Lisa

ps - Yes, it's the middle of June and I still have a Santa Claus up. I figure if he makes it to the 4th of July, I might as well just say I'm decorating early.

My new planters

The other day, during the snake situation. I was in the process of planting flowers. Scrunging through the shed, I found a variety of items to use.

The tall shelving unit was brought home when we were cleaning out the rental property last spring. I put nail holes in the bottom to help with water drainage and filled the buckets full of flower seeds and pumpkin plants.

These two dishes were also brought out of the rental property.

My last set of planters were actually mine and the bigger pot was filled with spinach.

The glider was also a free find last spring. I was driving through town and it was sitting in a front yard with a free sign on it. Just needed a good scrubbing and a coat of paint.

Lisa

A Simple Sunday Afternoon and the Snake

It all started out innocent enough. Farmer took the little farmer to buy a new piece of farm equipment. So the little man and Miss Em and I took off to buy some very important things for the farm. You know, like a rose bush, potting soil, flowers and some tomato cages. When we got home, I began planting the new bushes in the front flower bed and then I moved to the back of the house and started planting the flowers but I needed the flower pot in the corner.

However, it was quite buried and tangled beneath the grape vine so I enlisted the help of the Farmer to help me untangle and hang the vine. With the planter freed, I began planting all my flowers but realized I had more flowers than pots. Too cheap to go back to the store to buy pots, I scouted the shed and saw this rack.

But I couldn't find the bins. (I'll show you the end result of my project tomorrow.) The Farmer though they were in the garage off the house. In the above picture, the garage is to the right, the laundry room is the left along with an entry door. Now in the summer, the kids usually prop this door open so they can come in and out of the house without having to bug me when they can't get the handle open.

Have y'all figured out where this is leading??

Uh huh, you guessed it. I went into the house to find the bins to find a 3 1/2 foot snake in my laundry room.

I seriously do not think I have ran that fast in years.

I seriously think the neighbors a mile away heard me screaming.

I seriously think I scared the crap outta the Farmer with my screaming for him to come RIGHT NOW!

Apparently, we roused the snake outta his nice cool home by messing with the grape vine. The Farmer called his dad and the neighbors to all come see because he wanted to know what kind of snake it was so he knew whether or not to kill it.

The Farmer and I had a screaming fight (okay really it was just me screaming) that it doesn't matter what kind of snake it is because the only good snake is a dead one. Their supposed rationale is that a bull snake (which apparently what is was) is good at eating mice around the farm.

Their logic is totally ridiculous.

Unfortunately, they removed to the snake to the field across the road.

There may be a farm for sale shortly.

Lisa

Simple Summer Jammies

It started out with me wanting to make my oldest some "simple" summer pajamas using this tutorial. I even picked up this t-shirt on the clearance rack at walmart for a dollar.

Apparently, I have issues with measuring. They were very blousy and a tad short. I did the mature thing and threw them towards the trash and went and did some manual labor.

I came back to them awhile later.

I added a simple bodice and trimmed the top, back and armholes with foldover elastic.

Now I'll be making some more. This is a great way to repurpose t-shirts! Miss Em says they are light and airy...the perfect summer jammies.

Lisa