the resolution bandwagon

i'm hopping on....

my goal list for 2012:

January -  restock my card stash
                really really clean my fridge/freezer
February - stop avoiding and actually read  my copy of Crazy Love by Francis Chan
                figure out a filing system i can maintain and take care of the paper mess
March -  scrapbook at least 5 layouts
               clean out the storage area in the utility room (i'll have to be sure to take a "before" picture, yikes!)
April - do 2 projects i have "pinned" from Pinterest
         - paint the back porch and steps
May - read 2 novels from my list of "books i want to read"
         - clean out at least 1/3 of the garage (another one to have a before picture of!)
June - run 5 miles in one workout
         - finish the front porch project
July - go "screen free" two days a week (no computer or tv)
       - ruthlessly clean out the girls' closets
August - keep a daily journal
            - clean out another 1/3rd of that garage
September - try to can or preserve something i haven't done before
               - ruthlessly clean out our closet
October -  try 4 new recipes
             - finish the garage
November  - actually be organized for Christmas this year and make the gift ideas and to do list
                  - back up my pictures and empty my camera card
December -  make a reusable daily calendar to start in the upcoming year
                - clean out the attic

MAYBE since i posted this on here for the world (or the 10 or so people that read my blog) to see, i will be more likely to complete this list.  some are for sure more lofty than others, some will be quick, some require A LOT of work.
or MAYBE i will be like the majority of other "new year resolution" makers and fall right back off the resolution wagon. 
MAYBE i will regret the day i posted this
MAYBE i will be so motivated to see things being completed i'll finish my list early
maybe maybe maybe
MAYBE i will
MAYBE i won't

and MAYBE if i care to share my successes or failures i will post each month (or so) on how i'm doing on this list.  we shall see.

i leave you with this fabulous picture of my kids:

two dolla, two dolla, whaddya got for two dolla?

as i mentioned awhile back (here) i have fallen in love with "thrifting"   it helps with my desire to go shopping (alot) while keeping us on track in the budget (well, closer to the track instead of vearing waaaay off course over a steep ravine into a ginormous pit. drama much?) 

my rule of thumb: if i don't have an immediate place for it in my home and it's not on my list of "things to look for at the thrift store" i keep in my purse then i can't take it home. 

this past week i scored a few things that i want to share with you cause i am sooo excited about them that i have to show them off and hubby just doesn't get very excited about these treasures that i come home with.  imagine that.

i frequent our local thrift store pretty much every week and this past weekend was also our city wide garage sales. 

side note: i am a really bad garage saler.  i can't seem to make myself get up early and plan out a route to hit the best ones right when they open, etc...  i go when it's convenient (ie: hubby is home to take care of the kids) and i randomly drive around and stop at the ones that look interesting.

anyhoo, on to the treasures:

first, at a garage sale i scored this super cute cotton fabric = $2
2 yards will be plenty (hopefully) to sew a few matchy skirts for my girlies for next spring. (oh and they will be soooo happy to wear matching skirts.  bwaaa haa haa.)

next up is this vintage floral sheet set. = $2 
i'm debating on keeping it as an extra sheet set for miss j's bed or i have seen some very cute sewing projects with these types of sheets. (more skirts!)  i just love the colors.  i pondered on this one for quite awhile though.  it was at the thrift store and has been there for a good month or so.  each time i went in i would look at it, hold it, put it back.  this last time it came home with me.

OH. MY. oh my, oh my, ohhhhh  myyyyy.

vintage lawn game = $2  (apparently that is my "price"  $2? sold!)

my sisters and mom (well maybe my mom will think it's silly) will appreciate this one.  we had this game growing up. and here it is. BRAND NEW.  (our version as i remember it was totally faded out from being left out in the sun and most all the pieces were missing by the time i was old enough to figure out how to play it)

now in order for this to fall into my rule for bringing it home, i should take it out of the box and actually play it with my kids.

i haven't done that yet.  i just stare at it all nicely preserved in it's adorable vintage box and smile.

but i will.
 
promise.

someday.

soon.

-ish.

and then we will pick it and put it right back in the box very carefully.

there was a whole pile of vintage games in pristine condition for only $2 each.  i picked up "racko" too. the box says 1966 on it but i neglected to take a picture of it. (LOVE that game and used to play it with my mom all the time) i made chad play no less than 12 rounds of it the very night i brought it home.  guess how many i won?

one

but i still love it.

and one more picture of fabulous "thrifty-ness" 

zinnias from my garden = free
blue jar = free from a local thrift store a long time ago (SCORE!)
yummy red tomato from my garden that is now in my tummy = also free 

free is an even better price than $2, no?

party here:

elastic love

i finally found what i was looking for.







elastic thread.  (what? did you think it was going to be something more monumental than that?) 

i can not tell you how many times i have checked at wally world for this stuff the past few months. (and it's A LOT cause it seems i am there about 5 times a week, no lie.)  scanning the sewing area, meticulously checking the thread display, cause silly me thought that elastic thread would be with the THREAD.  silly me, neglected to think about the first word of said product. eeelaaasss-tic.  yep.  it was by the elastic. go figure.

anyhoo.  i have been itching to try my hand at sewing a few projects with this stuff so last weekend (two weekends ago? i dunno anymore) i dusted off my sewing machine and started in with my fabulous new find.

i made all this:

first off the easy peasy t-shirt refashion following this awesome tutorial

i took 2 of hubby's old t-shirts and sewed them in and then cut off the neck and sleeves.  wa-la. an 80's inspired "flashdance" t shirt (as my sis told me it looked like, ha ha) super easy, the only issue was that since they were cheapy t shirts was the graphics weren't really centered on the front so they ended up even more crooked when the t shirt was sewed in.  no biggie though, i just twist it a little once i put it on and it's all good.

next up was this skirt:

cue fabulous elastic thread

nice and wrinkly huh?

i picked up a 3X t shirt that was on clearance at wally world for only $3, hacked it off under the sleeves and ruched the top with my snazzy new elastic thread.

i followed this tutorial.  well, in the long run i did. first, i tried to add a tier to the top of it before i did the shirring because i thought it would be too short and i ended up sewing it together wrong but i shirred the top anyway and did too many rows and then it didn't fit, so i took it all back apart and just followed the tutorial like i should have in the first place.  lesson learned.  no close up pics cause it is far from perfect! 

and lastly i made these two "ruffly" scarves:

the one pictured above is sewn from a remnant piece of fabric i picked up at wally world for just over $1 (see, i told you i was there a lot!).  it was shorter than i wanted so i cut it in half and sewed the ends together and after that i sewed two rows with my handy dandy elastic thread to create a ruffly effect.  the edges are unfinished and look kind of raw but the fabric was really hard to work with, so i am just gonna "go with it"  rather than try to put a seam on it.

for this one, i took an old pair of flannel pants and just winged it. i cut the legs off, and sewed them together and then "ruffled" them.  the length is kind of weird so i may sew the ends together and make it an infinity scarf instead.  this one i am not so confident about.  does it look like i just wrapped a ratty old pair of flannel pants around my head?

so that was my weekend of sewing (along with mending a couple things for my girlies).  pretty productive, no? 

linking to some blog parties i follow:
Polly Want a Crafter
Between Naps on the Porch
A2Z Tutorials and Tips Tuesdays
Finding Fabulous (friday)
Tatertots and Jello (friday)

click on the links to see some fabulous-o stuff that others have linked up.  :)

I'm not sure if I {heart} applesauce

we interrupt the "grand adventure" vacation posts and skip ahead to my day yesterday.

i spent alllllllllllllllll day making applesauce.  the past two years i made applesauce with my good friend sarah but she went and moved to texas on me so i had to go it alone this year.  (not near as fun by myself, hence the title of my post)

i make my applesauce in my vitamix.  sooooo easy. 

my method:

wash apples (i didn't worry about scrubbing them since they had never been sprayed)

chop 'em up (i leave the peel, the vitamix takes care of it all, i also didn't worry about removing too much of the core)

cook 'em up (i had two pots going, in past years we had 4 pots going but i couldn't keep up with that by myself)

strain out cooked apples into vitamix and add sweetener (if needed) and cinnamon if desired

i also make sure there is a little of the cooking water just because i am guessing a lot of the vitamins and nutrients are in there

finished! 29 quart bags to freeze and one jar to eat right away plus one apple crisp for dessert :)

tip:  block baby from kitchen so she doesn't get stepped on or get hot apple dropped on her ;)

linking to: Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam