little gi

52 week project {week 18}

hey there :)

still trucking along with the 52 week project....

this one is from a few weeks ago...back on week 18. 

after rain, rain, rain...we had a sunny day and a little shopping trip to get some new things for little people who seem to grow inches overnight...and a new bit of sparkly for mom too.

after hemming & hawwing about "need v. want" for way too long, i pulled the trigger & bought some new earrings.  they were completely out of the norm of what i usually wear.  long, dangly, sparkly + beads...but they caught my eye & were reduced, reduced and then 50% off and kate oooooohed & ahhhhhhhed "mommy those are pretty!"...

as a one-income household, money is always tight & budgets are always bursting...but there is a place sometimes for pretty earrings on sale at the outlets for $10... 

lots of times, it's the little things...

& i guess that's the bottom line, i'm trying to get better at the little things :)

happy wednesday!!

xoxo

gi

a photo challenge...

another pinterest find....

i've been noticing that my camera is definitely not getting lots of use lately....and then it seems i blink and a whole month goes by and i've barely taken any photos.

well...that's not entirely true actually.  thank goodness for the camera in my phone which has enabled me to keep up with the 52 week project.  but my "real" camera...the big bulky one...that one doesn't see much daylight any more.  and truth be told i still have NO idea how to work it.  no clue what settings i should use...no...clue.   & that is a crying shame....i've had it for 7 years now.  i mean really....time to figure this bad boy out!

so i'm going to give this challenge a go starting june 1st.  thinking i can learn a thing or 2 about a thing or 2 while going through the photo challenges.  maybe even switch some settings & not just use P....lol

wish me luck!

happy tuesday!!

xoxo

gi

 

Passing on a winner...

thanks to pinterest i found this great recipe for stacked roasted vegetable enchiladas from perry's plate.  i really love all these gorgeous & super helpful food blogs.  they are definitely helping me mix it up around here & find some great recipes.

so anyway, i made it on thursday night.  actually i roasted the veggies the afternoon before when i had some downtime, popped them in the fridge & then just assembled the whole thing & baked & gobbled it on thursday.  i took the photo above right before i popped it in the oven.  doesn't it look GOOD!

i love the idea of using it as a "clean out the veggie drawer" kinda thing.  & i did switch out some things for what i had on hand & ready to go.  worked like a charm!

definitely going to keep this one in the recipe file.  it is a good one to have at the ready in the fridge for those busy weeks & because it is so adaptable, it can be made year round just changing out the veggies for what is fresh & in season.

winning!!  :)

happy monday!!

xoxo

gi

 

excuse me while i brag a bit...

super proud mama here :)

yesterday while i was getting dinner together & what not, the kids decided to have a little "art club".  & they pulled out their paper & crayons & scissors &, in kelly's case, water soluable oil pastels and sat & drew & colored & painted & clipped & taped their little hearts out.

& i was blown away by their creativity.  i mean i know they are creative, but seriously...they were whipping out their most clever & brilliant tricks yesterday!

like ryan, he was drawing a picture of the Jets v. the Cowboys (booooo hisssss) & in order to do the image of the crowd in the stadium, he gathered a bunch of different color crayons in his little hand & swirled them around in the "stands".  how brilliant is that!!!  here's how it turned out....(notice the score...58-0...cowboys take another lickin'!  LOL!!)

kate meanwhile created a little book entitled "A Haircutting Adventure". HAHA!  how cute is that!  but she seriously spent hours drawing her pages & stamping hello kitty stamps everywhere & making tiny bits of tape to hold the pages together.  i was super impressed with the taping job.  it was meticulous...strips of tape about 1 1/2" long pasted on nice & neat to make the binding.  and the cutting & pictures were so cute!  she definitely is getting really good with that left hand, that's for sure!  (she broke her wrist a month ago...hence the ladybug cast :)

kelly is getting really, really good at adding more & more personality to her little characters.  i've got to find an art class for this girl.  she really has such an original artistic voice, i would love to see her develop it more.  i especially love how she does all the hairstyles. 

 

she is working really hard on her little book.  i'll have to share it when she finishes :)

can't wait until their next session of "art club" :)

happy friday!!

xoxo

gi

 

she's been busy...

a bit ago i had posted about kelly jumping full into sewing.  she really surprised me actually...doing it all by herself, only asking me a few times for help.  she just sat & worked her little fingers away cutting & stitching.   reading the directions in her "sewing school" book & then carefully choosing fabrics and thread colors she wanted to sew up.

it was so cool to watch her learn something & take to it so well.  and the fact that she did it so independently, requiring no hovering from me was even better.

she actually woke me up one day during spring break with a gadget pouch all sewn up for mike asking me to help her just fix the final knot securely.  the girl had done the ENTIRE thing on her own early in the morning before any of us got up.  doing the whole right sides together thing, stitching the seams closed & then turning it all inside out so the raw edges were inside thing....a buttonhole matched right where the button was...i mean this girl followed the pattern to the letter and it looked fantastic.  i was like "wha???  you've done the whole thing already?  get out!"  so awesome...

so then i set her loose in our old clothes to be donated pile & she whipped up 2 pillows out of T-shirts + one pillow made from her favorite fabrics (complete with a felt pocket for the tooth fairy).

and her favorite project is her little monster, zoey.  made from one of ryan's old polo shirts and an old tank top.  adorable & gets lots of loving that is for sure.  (hence the frayed ric rac smile...reminds me of one of our favorite stories "that rabbit belongs to Emily Brown" :)

kinda makes me want to get some of my sewing projects completed.  it's been a busy spring, but watching her having so much fun has inspired me to get back to it!

happy thursday!

xoxo

gi

 

old dog learns new tricks...

back in march i decided to start running.  bought myself an app for my phone & began plodding about in the neighborhood.  let's just say i didn't light the world on fire...

3 weeks of sick kids, rain, heel pain, spring break, busy busy all thwarted my big plans to complete the Couch to 5K running plan in my alloted 8 week time period.  what the?  so when Saturday rolled around & it was time to pony up to the starting line, i was majorly skeptical that i would be able to do it. 

& surprise, surprise....i.did.it!

ran (jogged :) every step of the way...didn't walk one little bit and finished in about 32-33 minutes.  i know it is just a 5K...but still, i am so proud of myself because i never had done that before!  even back in the day when i was only 27 & riding my bike 100 miles a week & working out like crazy, i walked during the corporate challenge 5K in central park.  i vividly remember positively DYING & out of breath & slowing to a walk back then....determining that i'm just not a "runner".

but i've always wanted to be a "runner".  it is just such an accessible method of exercise, requiring no special equipment, no expensive gym membership & not a huge time commitment.  you just lace up your sneakers & bolt out the door.  you get to breathe in fresh air & check out everyone's gardens in the neighborhood....

needless to say, i'm so happy i gave it another try.  & i've got to say, the Couch to 5K and Nike + apps have been so helpful to me.  that little voice in my ear telling me how far i've gone & how much longer i've got to go was just what i needed. 

plus the promise of a huge celebration brunch with the most awesome friends doesn't hurt either :)

gotta run! 

happy tuesday :)

xoxo

gi