I had bought some denim fabric last summer and meant to make myself a denim dress then, but just never got around to it. Last Saturday was kind of a hang out day at home, and I asked Ben if it was alright if I snuck away to do some sewing, so he and the girls hung out outside doing garden stuff, and I holed myself up in my work room until I had cranked out a dress for myself. I really loved this and this pin and wanted something similar to those, and sketched out some pattern ideas and styles.

I kind of played around with patterns (I pretty much make my own), and after some tweaking here and there (and trying it on and off after I sew every seam), I finally had it. I got kind of off on the sleeve seams, but Ben says I’m the only who notices. I think I’ve got this pattern down now as I made another dress similar to it with black linen fabric, and my sleeve seams are spot on. When I get time, I’ll pick up more denim fabric to make another, and slightly change it up, but will make sure the seam sleeves are spot on too. I’m a perfectionist.

It’s just a simple shift dress, so it’s not terribly difficult to figure out. I had wanted a denim dress Madewell had last summer (this one), but it looked so simple that I couldn’t get myself to spend $100 on a dress that I could make myself. Now, shoes, I can’t make those, and I’ve been known to be a little splurgy when it comes to my footwear, but that’s a story for another day. If I sew my own clothes, it kind of balances out right?! I love being able to sew my own clothes, it’s so satisfying.

I tell you, if you can sew a straight line, you can sew anything! I don’t know if this is super fast or not, but it took me about 3 – 4 hours to make this dress. Have you ever sewn a dress for yourself? It really is such a good feeling!

p.s. my shoes are these from lotta from stockholm and i totally love them!

The girls have a set of chores to do around the house weekly that really have helped keep things tidy around here. They are still little, but they are most certainly old enough to start being responsible for things. Of course, the expectations from each of them vary slightly because of their age, though True and Brave pretty well do the same things, but we make exceptions for Soulie. One of the biggest things they have taken charge of is putting away the laundry! This has been by far one of the biggest help around here. I typically put the laundry in to be washed, but they take it out, and do all the folding and putting away. Well, they don’t put away mine and Ben’s laundry, but put it in our room, and then we put it away. Everything else though, they do themselves.

We got to try the Tide Pods and NEW Gain Flings from Target and those make doing laundry even more feasible for the girls! Not only can they put it away, but they can wash now too! I still have to help separate the colors (but I’m sure in a couple weeks they’ll get the gist), but True put all the clothes in, threw in the little laundry pod, I told her what cycle to put it on, she pressed start, and there you have it. When it was done, they (Brave and True) transferred it to the dryer, and when that was done, they took it out, folded it, and put it away (this is where Soul contributes). It’s pretty amazing and such a big help. I just sat back with a beer in hand and smiled. Okay, kidding. I didn’t really have a beer, nor was I was just sitting back watching, but I’m very impressed (and thankful) with how my girls help out. They may be little, but their contributions to this household make a big difference.

Similarly, these little pods of laundry detergent definitely made a difference in our laundry too! I absolutely love the smell, which is attributed to 50% more scent, Oxi boost, and Febreze combo. When True smelled it for the first time, she said, “Mommy, it smells like oranges and grapes!” Well, it doesn’t really, I think she just  associated the colors to those scents, but it really did smell exceptionally good. I really like the simplicity of the pod and how you can just fling it in; it is definitely something my girls can do!

We aren’t allowance givers as we want the girls to learn that money needs to be earned and is not just given. Depending the task, their starting rate is 50 cents, so they also enjoy helping out because it gives them a chance to earn some money. In addition, I use these times to do “math talk” throughout the day. Money has been such a hard concept for them to learn, but with them earning it, it really helps them understand the different values and and how to add it up. They do have some responsibilities that must be done weekly without getting paid (e.g., cleaning their room), but laundry (and a few others) are paid jobs for now.

These girls are definitely way ahead of me when I was their age, as I didn’t learn how to do the laundry until my last couple years of college. I know, I know. It just wasn’t something my parents taught me, but I did start cleaning bathrooms when I was 10. The only reason I did end up learning was because I was about to leave to study abroad in London (and would have to do it on my own when I got there), so my mom (or maybe it was Ben) finally taught me how to do the laundry. Better late than never, right?!

Since they started helping out with laundry a few months ago, we no longer have lingering piles of clothes to be washed or put away. I love it! Keeping this house running and organized is really a team effort for us. We all work together to do our jobs! This mom is definitely thankful for how her girls are excited to be active contributors to our home. They are little, but everything they do really goes a long way!

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Last year, we started our orchard backyard culture. The end of last year some of the trees started not doing so well, so we had to figure out the problem and a solution. There were fights between us regarding this (and cause this is one expensive hobby). So after working this out on paper, we’re flip flopping the tree placement with the vegetable garden. In addition to that, we’re changing out our garden beds. It’s been a bit frustrating to deal with, but we’re rolling with the punches because sometimes you just have to learn from your mistakes. We aren’t professionals by any means, but we (mainly Ben) does all the research he can so we have a thriving garden to enjoy.

While our backyard looks insanely messy now, I’m hoping in a few months, it will look good again. Now we just have to wait for Ben’s rotator cuff to heal so that he can get back to digging. I can’t wait to get everything planted back in the ground; all our trees our currently in pots again!

Spicy Kimchi & Udon Soup
about 4 servings

Ingredients:
Pack of seafood mix, thawed
2 packs of udon noodles
1 head of napa cabbage, core cut off and thinly sliced
1 cup of kimchi, chopped
1 cup of kimchi sauce
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
*1 tbsp of Korean chili peppers (cayenne is a suitable substitute)
1 1/2 quart of water
2 tbsp Better Than Boullion
1/2 cup of nori, thinly cut strips (optional)

*If you don’t like it super spicy like we do, I suggest taking it down a notch by using 1 tsp of pepper and adjust to make it spicier, if needed, at the end.

Directions:
Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat for about a minute; add the garlic and onions and stir until fragrant. Continue to add in the kimchi, napa cabbage, and green onions and toss together until cabbage is slightly wilted. Add 1 1/2 quarts of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add in 2 tbsp of Better Than Bouillon, kimchi sauce, and chili pepper seasoning, and continue stirring for about a minute. Add in the noodles and seafood and continue boiling until the seafood is cooked through. Simmer for two more minutes and taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Pour into bowls and garnish with thin strips of nori.

Ben doesn’t like kimchi, but he likes it in this soup! The ingredients are very similar to the Spicy Seafood & Udon Stir Fry, but a different dish all together. The kimchi really changes up the flavor. Have you ever tried any Korean dishes? Korean food is seriously the best! It’s right up there along with my love for Japanese food.

Birch Pillar Photo Holder

Supplies:
3″ birch pillar (found at Michael’s Craft Store)
Drill
3/16″ drill bit
1 3/4″ wooden spring clothespins
1 – 36″ x 3/16″ wooden dowel (cut into 3 different lengths of 7″, 9″, 11″)
Wood glue
Directions:
1. Glue your wooden clothespins and dowels together by adding a small line of glue on the outside, bottom half of the clothespin, hold the pin and top 1″ of the dowel together for a minute to help set, and then set aside to allow ample time for the dowel and pin to completely set together. Repeat for each of your dowels and wooden spring clothespins.

2. Mark your desired placement for the three dowels. I placed them about 1″ from the edge in a triangle formation. Proceed to drill your holes about 1/2″ deep in the marked areas.

3. Insert the bottoms of the dowels in to the holes on the birch pillar. Pick what you want to display and insert it into the wooden pin.

These would be cute for some sort of wedding display, maybe holding table numbers along with pictures of the couple, or for birthdays with pictures of the celebrant, or just displayed in your home showing off some special mementos! We take tons of polaroid pictures, so this is where we display a couple of our current favorites. I only did 3 dowels and pins, but there is definitely room to do 5, so if you have more you want to display, by all means, drill more holes! I prefer things displayed in odd numbers, so I would suggest doing either 3 or 5, but I think if you had more than 5, it would look much too crowded.

It’s such an easy project that can display some of your cherished memories in a special way! If you made this holder, what would you display?

Bossam. First made here. I made it again because it’s yummy, but I documented it along with my own tweaks, so I can share the recipe with you. I’m totally enjoying experimenting in the kitchen these days! Ben and I are want to try this with chicken breast and see how that comes out too.

Week of 2/17 – 2/21
Monday: Spring Minestrone with Turkey Meatballs
Tuesday: Seafood Soup
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: White Bean Chili
Friday: Sushi/pizza night

Our family weekly grocery budget is $200. These girls are teeny tiny, but they eat insane amounts of food! Since putting out an official budget on paper, it’s been so helpful and it’s kind of like a game every week. We also get better at not wasting any food and making sure we clean out the refrigerator. I remember when Ben and I first got married our weekly groceries was between $25 – $50! My how things have changed…