This week’s learned, links, and thankfulness…

So thankful our home is finally cold free. I am so glad everyone is well again!

I’m slowly getting back to my early wake-up calls. Woot!

I want to make a quinoa beet burger.

This art nouveau ring is gorgeous.

Picked up the Oh Joy neon light. Just need to find a place to hang it.

Tried these flare overalls on and the fabric felt way too stretchy. I wish it was all cotton.

I think this is one of the best parenting book. It goes against all you know and do, but really teaches you how to lavish your children with grace. #givethemgrace

Natural fabric dyeing class … I am definitely going to take this!

I watched The Price of Gold documentary about Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding. It really makes you feel for Tonya.

“In Defense of Date Night” is a good article to read. Ben and I don’t go out for our weekly date nights, rather, it takes place every Friday night on our bedroom floor and we have homemade sushi for dinner, then watch a movie. It’s a wonderful time to reconnect and chill together. I do love going out for dates too, but we typically go all out about once or twice or year to try some nice restaurant, and we enjoy doing splurges like that, and then having our simple date nights the rest of the time.

Happy weekending friends!

Painted Bandanas
or call it a neck scarf, headband, or bib

Supplies:
21″ x 21″ piece of cotton fabric
Fabric paint
Acrylic paint
Fabric medium (mix with acrylic paint for permanence and washability)
Scissors
Paintbrush
Plate

Directions:
1. Use fabric paint (or mix acrylic paint with fabric medium to create your own fabric paint) and paint your designs on the fabric.
2. Allow to dry completely.
3. Iron to heat set.

True’s been into wearing bandanas around her neck lately, or a handkerchief as a bracelet (see here), so we thought we would make our own. I like the raw edge, so we just cut up some cotton fabric into 21″ squares and went to painting them together. I’m not sure if it’s really a bandana, headband, or neck bib-type thing, but the great thing is that it can be all of those things. My big girls have loved throwing it on when they want to do a little accessorizing. And on Saturdays, True wears it as a head cover when we go outside to do gardening (that’s how Ben wears his). We left the edges raw because we like it that way, but you can certainly sew it if you want a cleaner finish.

My girls are all really into denim right now, probably because they see me wearing denim a lot these days. We’ve sewn a few denim dresses from large thrift store ones, and I want to sew them some tops and bellbottoms. If you aren’t into sewing, but looking for some cute denim wear, Old Navy carries some really great things right now. There are so many styles in the kids section that I would totally wear (like these overalls).

on true: denim dress (sold out, similar here), c/o old navy. neck scarf, handmade. on brave: flutter top & overalls, c/0 old navy. bandana, stolen from Ben (similar here). on soul: pattern shirt & jeans, c/o old navy. bandana, handmade. on glow: tee, c/o old navy. overalls & socks, gap.

To see other videos, follow Cakies on YouTube here.
See other photos and videos by Christian and Reinna here.

This post is in partnership with Old Navy. Thank you for the support you give this space and the brands I partner with! 

I was stuck for the longest time on what to make Ben for Valentine’s Day. Of course, when the idea finally came, it was two hours before he was supposed to come home on Friday night (the day we agreed we’d all celebrate Valentine’s together). We had been out delivering my Galentine’s gifts, and as soon we got home, I set to work. The girls were rushing around finishing up their handmade Valentine’s gifts too!

I used tissue paper to create each fruit form, and then wrapped them with crepe paper streamers to create the fruit. Good ol’ glue was used to keep the streamers in place. I was hustling to get all my fruits made when I realized I was out of red and orange streamers. I loaded up the girls into the car and we set off to the nearest party store to pick some up. Thirty minutes later, we were back home and I hurried to finish the rest of my fruits. I cut up some kraft card stock to make the tags and wrote the silly love sayings to go along with each fruit. I had a cotton rope basket I made awhile back and that ended up being the perfect fruit basket.

When Ben surprised us with lots of ice cream, I chuckled inside because here he was giving us low-nutrition, and in return I give him high-nutrition. Totally sounds like us! I am the “low-nu lover” as the kids say, and Ben is so diligent at moderation and making sure to get his five-a-day. Even though we gravitate to different things to satisfy our sweet cravings, I think together we make a perfect pear!

We knew Sunday we were going to be busy with church gathering and activities, so there wouldn’t be much time to celebrate Valentine’s with the girls. Thus, we planned to celebrate it with them on Friday night. I made the girls some pancakes for dinner (kids always get a kick out of breakfast for dinner), and Ben asked each girl to be his Valentine with a sunflower. After all the pancakes were devoured, Ben came in with another surprise for all of us … a tray full of ice cream with a sweet note that said, “Happy Gallontines Day!” We all flipped in excitement. If you follow me on instagram, you know how much I love ice cream. Each girl got to pick out her own flavor, and three of them were reserved for me (the two Talenti Gelatos and McConnell’s). Woot! Woot!

We all cuddled in bed together, watched Cutthroat Kitchen, and happily ate our ice cream. It was a sweet way to celebrate how much we love each other.

On Sunday night, the rest of my Valentine request was fulfilled as we had sushi while we watched the newest episode of the Walking Dead. Man oh man was that episode intense; I’m glad AMC delivered a good one for Valentine’s Day. We loved it so much that we already watched that episode twice! Once while we ate our sushi, and again while I had ice cream. This is totally my kind of Valentine’s Day. I love the super romantic stuff, but I also love the laid back stuff too.

I know it’s mostly a commercialized holiday, but I do love the extra day to get spoiled and to spoil the ones I love. We can love each other because Jesus first loved us! Loving each other (and when we suck at loving each other) points us back to the cross.

The two older girls have been down with something, so yesterday they spent all day in bed. Soul was crying because she didn’t like to see her sisters sick and she missed playing with them. These four function as a unit, and as much as they fight, they really can’t be without each other either. It’s the sweetest thing to see their interactions.

The house has stayed a little bit tidier in recent days because there hasn’t been much playing going on, but I want my girls to get better soon so all the happy chaos and merry making can continue. I love seeing them act out stories together, play “homeschool” or Star Wars, build Ponyville, and make their own version of Cutthroat Kitchen (it’s one of their favorite shows).

Dear this season’s cold,
Please move along and do not stay any longer. It would very much be appreciated!
Sincerely, the Bratcher girls

food toys from here. forever dresses c/o hanna anderson. 

Is it a poncho or is it a coat? I’m not really sure. I’m gonna say it’s a poncho. I got this eons ago from Salvage Life and I still love it so much. Cream was my go-to color for so long; I used to stock pile on vintage cream sweaters, coats, and shawls. I gave away most of my sweaters and coats, but I’ve kept all my vintage shawls. I’m totally grandma status with them, and I don’t mind that one bit.

on me: top, vintage (vintage here, new there). jeans, vintage from fairseason (vintage here, new there). poncho, vintage from salvage life (vintage here, new there). clogs, lotta from stockholm.