This is a dress I made earlier this summer to take along with me on our trip to Singapore (and to wear many more times after that). It’s inspired by this Ace & Jig dress I’ve always liked, but I’m not a fan of racerback tops, so I did my own tweaking and tinkering to come up with one that would work for me. I thrifted this linen fabric at the thrift store and knew it would be perfect for a summer dress. There are no darts since it’s just a loose dress, but I did do simple pleats all around the skirt. I really love being able to make my own clothes. To me, it’s like shopping, but without spending any money, especially when this fabric was only $5 for 5 yards of it!

wearing: necklace, shop miquez. bag, thrifted. clogs, c/o lotta from stockholm.

These girls are goofy and playful. If you met them, they would be absolutely silent and you wouldn’t get to see how silly they really are because they are super shy, but they are so funny (when they aren’t shy)! True is the shyest, and we think about putting her in traditional school to see if that would make a difference with her shyness, but we don’t think it would. I think if she were in traditional school, she would easily get overlooked in a classroom because she would stay on task, but she’s just so quiet, she would get lost. The other girls aren’t nearly as shy, but they follow her lead when we’re out and about. When they aren’t with her, they are much more outgoing. It’s so interesting how the oldest really influences the rest of them.

As parents of a very shy child, I find it difficult because she can come across rude and it may seem like we don’t teach them politeness. We are constantly reminding her that even if she feels shy, she can still be polite and greet people. We practice how to greet others (like here) and they meet other kids often, but sometimes that shyness just takes over. It can be so frustrating! She’s such a sweet girl, but it just takes some time for her to come out of her shell. We had a large group of friends over a couple weeks ago (with their kids), and I think it took about an hour to break out of the shyness, but once she did, oh man… all the kids were running around the house. We just need to remember to be patient with her, keep practicing, give her opportunities to practice, and praise her when she takes steps forward (and be encouraging when she needs it). One plus of them being shy is that when we are out in public, especially when dining out, they are pretty behaved. It makes us look like we have really great parenting!

But when they are with people they are comfortable with, they (even True) are squirrelly children. We are always laughing at the funny things they say and do. Soul’s always saying, “Stop laughing. Why are you laughing?!” It’s so cute.

Any of you have super shy children or were shy as a child? What are some things you did or your parents did to help you feel more comfortable engaging others? We understand their shyness is part of them and we love that, but we also want them to have a healthy balance of being able to engage others and not letting their shyness hinder them.

on me: dress, vintage from ms. tips. shoes, swedish hasbeens. necklace, handmade. on true: dress, handmade pattern in my book. leopard shoes, c/o old navy. on brave: dress, handmade by me. shoes, zara. on soul: top, misha lulu. denim skirt and jellies, c/o old navy. on glow: dress, from auntie reinna’s travels. shoes, vintage.

This week’s learned, links, and thankfulness…

Soul folded her first full basket of laundry! Yay!!!

Bought all our homeschooling curriculum for this year.

The big three slept over the BFF’s house this week and I’m so thankful for some quiet time with the baby. It’s nice to give her some one on one attention, and I also get a lot done during her nap times.

Last Sunday’s sermon at our church family gathering about prayer really spoke to my heart. I suck at prayer. Can listen to it here (the one on Aug. 10).

I want to make these metallic gem pouches.

Lotta From Stockholm is hosting a contest on instagram for a pair of clogs!  See here for the simple details.

I love these SALU necklaces by Zara. Shop the collection here.

I’ll be in Redlands next Saturday hosting a craft event for kids, so if you’re in the area, nearby, or just want to make a trek out there, it would be fun to meet you! See here for more details. My favorite ice cream place is around the corner, so come and craft and head there to try the bestest ice cream ever!

Thank you for all your feedback last week. I’ll be working on those, and it really does help to know your thoughts and suggestions. I truly appreciate it friends!

Cotton Canvas Lunch Bag

Supplies:
Cotton canvas tote bag (13 1/2″ 13 1/2″ x 3 1/2″)
Scissors
Sewing machine
Coordinating thread
Fabric Paint
Round sponge (or just paint a circle on)
Embroidery floss
Hand-sewing needle
Pins
Iron & ironing board

Seam allowance: 1/4″

Directions:
1. Iron the bag to remove any major creases. Cut off 1 1/4″ from the top of the bag (including the handles), and 2″ off both sides of the bag.

2. Fold down the top 1/4″, press, and fold another 1/2″, press and pin in place. Sew across the entire length.

3. Sew down the entire length of both sides of the bag.

4. Box the corners by pinching each corner with the right sides together and aligning the sides seams with the bottom seam. With a fabric pencil and ruler, mark a line perpendicular to the side seam that is about 1 1/2″ from the corner and 3″ long. Pin, sew along that line, and cut the seam alliance. Repeat for the other side.

5. Insert a piece of palette paper into the bag and paint on your design. Allow to dry completely, then iron design (with a scrap piece of fabric over it) to heat set in place. Add extra touches with some embroidery. Iron your bag with the sides and bottom folded in to create the crease that brown lunch bags have.

If you have a serger, I recommend using it to sew the bag. If you don’t have one, use a zig zag stitch to enclose the seam allowance/fabric edges inside the bag to give it a more professional finish.

We’re waiting to hear word if Soul gets approved to start TK (transitional kindergarten) this year. If she is approved, we get to send her off (one day a week with her sisters) and this will be her lunch bag. The other girls use their own fabric lunch bags and I love that they are reusable, and I can just throw them in the wash to get cleaned with the rest of the laundry.

This post is part of the Michael’s Maker’s Series.

White Bean & Turkey Chili 
approximately 6 – 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 lb. of great northern beans
1 lb. lean ground turkey
2 (15-oz) cans of corn, drained
1 (10 oz) can of cream of chicken
3 tbsp garlic, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup taco seasoning
Salt, to taste
1 tbsp canola oil
Tortilla chips

Toppings:
Cheese (queso fresco or a Mexican cheese blend)
Sour cream (we usually do Greek yogurt)
Salad greens (we’ve used swiss chard, kale, or can just use lettuce)
Cilantro, chopped
Adobo chipotle peppers, chopped
Tapatio Sauce (or Tabasco)

Directions:
In a large bowl, cover the beans with 3 inches of water, cover and allow to soak overnight (at least 8 hours). Drain soaked beans and transfer to a large pot, and cover beans with 3″ of water. Add the garlic and bring to a boil. Once boiling, skim off the foam off of the surface, reduce heat, and allow to simmer for about an hour, or until tender. After, add salt to taste. I usually put about 1 – 2 teaspoons, and allow it to simmer for about 15 minutes longer.

In a separate pan, warm up the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until slightly translucent, then proceed to add the ground turkey. Stir the turkey and break up the meat until browned. Once that is done, add the ground turkey into the pot of white beans. Add the can of cream chicken, corn, and taco seasoning to the pot of white beans and bring back to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer lightly for about 15 minutes. Taste, and add salt if necessary.

To serve, place salad greens in the bowl, top with a big scoop of white bean and turkey chili, and add any additional toppings. I like to scoop up everything with my tortilla chips, and eat it sort of like dip-ish, but Ben likes to go without the chips.

This is my go-to when we have dinner club. It’s so easy to make for a large group, and I actually double this recipe when I make it. I’ve honestly made it so much that I’m sick of it, so when I make it, I don’t eat much. Everyone else does though, so I take that as a good sign.

Ben was ready to give up going, and he was ready to start a new tradition, but I insisted we absolutely had to go, and now he’s glad we went. I’m all for it because I love cramming all six of us in a photo booth to take a family picture. I think it makes the whole trip to the fair worthwhile.

The first thing we do is head to the photo booth. Fair food isn’t our thing, so we completely skip that (totally not dietian approved), but we do let the girls ride a couple rides. We only end up staying a couple hours, but it’s enough to have some fun together, and of course, we all go home excited about the newest photo booth strips we get to add to our collection. This visit did end up being extra special because I happen to run into Dana (from Made), it was so fun to have my real life and online world collide!

After seeing this series of photos again, Ben agreed it’s good to keep going as long as we’re able. And how cute are all my girls in that car in the last picture?! I feel like it’s a tiny glimpse of the future with True in the driver’s seat driving all her sisters around. I have a feeling that will be the same seating arrangement they will fall into later.