Trick or Treat Bag

The other day I found some Halloween fabric at a yard sale, I knew could do something with it. While shopping at a craft store next day I figured it out! They had these great orange reusable bags that I would make into a trick or treat bag!

First I cut the fabric into equal size strips. Then went back with pinking sheers to minimize the fraying on the ends. (I do know I could have combined the two steps but I thought about it after the fact.) Make sure the strips are longer than the length of the bag.

Second, I used a ruffle technique, a trick I learned the other day. Put the largest zig-zag setting on the sewing machine and sew over a piece of string. Make sure you leave it several inches longer in the beginning. Don't sew through the string, just over it. When you finish, pin one side together (string and fabric) and pull the other end of the string. Doing so will push the fabric together creating a nice ruffle.

 When you have a ruffle you are pleased with, pin it to the bag and sew. After it is attached pull the string out and repeat as many ruffles as needed.

The finished bag turned out great! To put the finishing touches on I sewed a black piece of ribbon on the top to hide the thread and attached the side of the ruffles to the bag. This will look good no matter the costume and hold a lot more candy than those small plastic pumpkins!

Is that Ella or Minnie Mouse?

This year Ella is dressing up as Minnie Mouse for Halloween. I couldn't find the perfect costume for her in the store and I didn't have time to ship one from the internet. So I set out to make one. I went to Hancock Fabrics and found the perfect fabric. Red with large white polka-dots for $4.77 a yard and red netting/tool for .80 cents a yard spending a total of $6.00! Since I didn't have a pattern I used one of Ella's shirts and a dress as my guide.

Here is what I did:

Cut out 3 skirt layers 10inch, 8inch and 6inch. Do the same for the tool 11inch, 9inch, 7inch. With these dimensions a little bit of tool will hang out underneath each skirt layered. Both fabrics are cut while folded so they are very long. Sew together using the ruffle technique.

I measured the width of Ella's shirt and traced it with pencil then cut out the front and back leaving about an inch for seam allowance. Using the dress I traced and cut the hole for the neck.

The sleeves were a bit more tricky. I did the same with sleeve that I did with the neck. I free hand a few pencil markings first. (You can see my drawing in the picture, I'm glad I didn't cut that out!)

I knew the basic shape of a sleeve pattern, so that helped. I free hand the curve, cut on the fold 5inches up, 6 inches across, and 1 inch up. This is what it looks like open.

 I didn't want to add any buttons, so on the back I cut a small V to allow more room. Pin and sew right sides together.

To attach the sleeves I pinned the bottom first then gathered the top to make them a little poofy. I knew I wanted the dress to have a smooth waistband so I cut out two 2 inch wide strips. Sewing the one on inside of the dress would cover the seems of the skirt and made it more comfortable. I had enough fabric on the outside waistband that to make a small bow.

 This is the dress I used as my guide! I think it turned out AWESOME!!

Chocolate makes your clothes shrink

I am so excited to say I have lost 60+ pounds! But before I get into how I lost it, it is better to start out with how I gained it.  I was always thin in high school (almost 10 years ago). But because I was bigger than my size 2 best friend, I had issues with my body. After I graduated in 2003, I gained the freshman 15. It was my new found freedom with the drive through, being able to eat Taco Bell whenever I wanted was a great feeling! I worked hard in 2004 to lose it before my wedding in 2005. I think I was pretty successful with kickboxing, Pilates, and weight training classes. I did two workouts a day three times a week. A couple months after I got married, my dad lost his battle with cancer. I was devastated, as any daddy's girl would be.  I easily used food as a crutch and gained over 50 pounds in a course of 3 years. Then I got pregnant in 2009 and gained another 27 pounds. That is when I was at my heaviest. Adding it all up I gained a  total of  92 pounds! When I went to the doctor shortly after finding out I was pregnant, he checked my thyroid to see if that's why I was gaining all the weight. Sadly, that wasn't the problem. I was just fat with no excuses. After my daughter Ella was born, I was determined to lose the weight for good. I started eating better and working out. I was slowly losing the weight because I wasn't strict with myself. After she was a year old the excuse "I just had a baby" didn't work anymore. (The moms out there know what I'm talking about.) Every time I would take Ella somewhere during the day there were always two types of moms: the fashionable high confidence, and the over weight low confidence moms. I knew exactly which category I wanted to be in. In February of this year, I started doing Zumba and was on a strict calorie diet. I easily lost 30 pounds the first 5 months. My goal is to lose another 10-15 pounds and then have another baby. I would love to be pregnant and people not have to guess if I am with child or fat. Now I have stopped with the pounds and I am losing inches instead. Bringing the total to over 60 pounds lost and down 3 sizes!

Here are a few tips I have.

• Work out in a class or a group. If you have a set day and time to exercise you are less likely to bailout. Plus you feed off the energy of the people around you. 
• Cut out all soft drinks. As my mother-in-law says "Never drink sugar."  
• Watch your fat intake not just your calories. For instance: a single fried egg is 90 calories & 7 grams of fat. However, a single egg white is 16 calories and 0 grams of fat. That's HUGE! I would eat a total of 32 grams of fat a day. Limiting myself to 10 grams of fat a meal.
• Measure the portions according to the package. It was nothing to pour me a full glass of juice. But the single serving of Mott's Apple Juice is 120 calories for every 8oz. If your not careful you can drink your whole days worth of calories in one sitting.
• Livestrong.com is an excellent free calorie counter. It gives the option of upgrading for more help.  Plus, there is a free app for your phone. This site was amazing! I couldn't have done it on my own! 
• Don't starve yourself. It's okay to splurge a little bit. Just don't binge eat when you do.
• Try to decrease amount of processed food. It has more sodium which means the more water you retain, so you become more puffy.
• Make every meal count. If you splurge for lunch don't at dinner. Eat a good variety of fruit, veggies, and protein. 

One of life's great mysteries is how a two pound box of candy 

can make a person gain five pounds.

My Great Aunt Flossie and I

My mom and I at my highest weight pre baby.

I love this picture, just hours before giving birth. Obviously at my peak weight.

My birthday weekend overlooking the Arkansas River.

My husband, brother Steve, and his wife Meagon. Big difference in weight from 3 years ago!

My Grandpa

 I grew up camping with my grandparents at Maumelle Park on the Arkansas River. My cousins and I would have a blast all loaded up in their RV. My grandpa would take me along for rides in his fishing boat. He never complained about changing the worms on the line for me. Thinking back to my child hood, I remember him as a strong man who loved his family more than anything else. Just after I had Ella, he was very sick and had both legs removed due to complications of diabetes. I would take Ella to the hospital to pass out smiles. He would light up every time he saw her. When she was maybe 6 months old, Ella was sitting in his lap while my mom and grandma and I were talking. I look over to see her face was covered in strawberry milkshake! She loved her papa more than anything! A few weeks ago in early September, the doctors diagnosed him with Leukemia. On Thursday October 6th, 2011 he took his last breath leaving us with cherished memories of our time spent together.

Billie Lemuel Frazier, 77,was born in Vilonia, Arkansas on March 30th, 1934

He retired from the United States Army, after serving our country during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Him and my grandma were married 56 years and had four daughters, seven grand kids, and five great grand kids.

The Broken Chain

We little know that day,God was going to call your name. 

In life we loved you dearly, 

In death, we do the same.

It broke our hearts to lose you.

You did not go alone.

For part of us went with you, 

The day God called you home.

You left us beautiful memories, 

Your love is still our guide.

And although we cannot see you, 

You are always at our side.

Our family chain is broken,

And nothing seems the same,

But as God calls us one by one, 

The chain will link again.

Happy Birthday Camping Trip!

We love to go camping but are only able to go a couple times a year. This year we went the weekend before my 27 birthday. We packed our tents and headed for the Arkansas River at Maumelle State Park. The day started off slow and for lots of little reasons it was late Saturday afternoon before we were able to meet up with everyone else in our group. (They camped out on Friday.) We finally got to our campsite and unpacked the tent. That's when we realized something was wrong! Our tent has an open mesh top and the raingard was missing. That night it was suppose to get down to the low 40s! As we were searching our car and unloading our bags, we realized we forgot to bring our pillows and all of Ella's stuff! That includes her clothes, diapers, jacket, sleeping bag, flashlight! Everything! So I decided, to run to the Wal-mart down the road and buy everything we needed. 

Me and my hubby!

Ella LOVES to play inside tents!

"Life is Good!"

Ella is playing with her grandma and great grandparents.

When I came back from the store, everyone was gathered around the picnic table, as I walked up all three of my nephews jumped out from under the table and yelled "SURPRISE!". My family had planned a surprise birthday party for me! My grandparents brought cupcakes, my mom and aunt hung a banner on the car and blew up balloons and the boys went on a walk earlier and picked me a bouquet of flowers, and each of them made me a special gift from things they found. Josh 7, carved some drift wood and made a boat. Gage 4, found feathers and a gumball and made a bird with an open acorn shell for the nest. And, Mitchell 3, colored me a picture on a map. It was the sweetest thing EVER!  We had the best time roasting hotdogs in the fire, making smores, laughing, talking, watching the kids run and play. I loved the whole thing.

My surprise birthday party

Gage made me a bird. Notice the balloon on the stick!

Mitchell is such a sweetie.

Levon and his mom entertained us through the night.

My brother and and Aunt Selina say cheese for the camera.

The next morning, we woke up and ate an omelet in a bag by the fire. I think it was colder that morning than it was at night! Later we went on a nature walk through the trees, by the river, to the playground on the other side of the park. Gage pulled out his map of the area to show Ella where we were going. We had to stop and look at the acorns on the tree, the fish in the river and the clouds in the sky. It was a beautiful day to spend outside. We took lots of pictures and took our time enjoying the company.  I couldn't have had a better birthday weekend! I hope my 27th year is just as good as my 26th!

Nature Walk

They loved to look at the little fish.

Daddy's showing her the acorns in the tree.

Gage is such a good cousin to Ella.

 

Both grandmas are looking for something in the water. Notice the tags still on Ella's new jacket!

I Love this picture it says so much about Ella and her grandma.

My mom and Bob with the grandsons. You can tell they're brothers.

They are ready to go home!

Cupcakes!

We had a special play date on Thursday. Cindie Frankie is starting a cupcake business and wanted to give out samples. Her friend Jillian set the whole thing up, inviting all of her little friends and their parents from the playground and library. Cindie's cupcakes are all 100% organic with the ingredients shipped from all over the world like the vanilla from Madagascar. She had chocolate and vanilla cupcakes and chocolate chip cookies for everyone to share. And each guest got to take home a pretty box of four cupcakes and six cookies. They were so tasty! One mom said she had dreams of them the next day. The kids loved them too. The only thing that would have made it a better day is if we had brought a gallon of milk! 

Cindie is in the blue jacket explaining her cupcakes.

Pretty Boxes!