Project Dining Nook

By Ms. Mommy
Ms. Mommy here. Earl and Petunia are taking the day off and allowing me to share my latest home improvement project. See, our house is not very large and we don't have much of a dining room. We have a dining nook, which is partially taken up by some Ikea Trofast storage units that house toys and double as a child-sized table which Earl spends most of his day standing at while he pushes his cars around and builds block towers. 

I've been wanting to better utilize some of the space occupied by our table and chairs. We have an appalling lack of storage in our kitchen (considering we are are a family of five), so along with a switch from chairs to benches along two walls, I wanted something that also had extra storage. One of my primary concerns was our budget- it's tight, so we couldn't spend too much on this project.

After browsing ikeahackers.net, I decided that hacking an Expedit unit would be the best option. Many people have used the 5 shelf Expedit bookshelf/storage unit tipped on it's side as a bench. Oh that we could have done something so simple! Unfortunately, we had only 68 inches of space to work with along the longer of the two walls.

I'm a creative thinker, so after browsing Ikea's website for a bit, I determined that it would be entirely possible to hack two Expedit units together to create perfect sized benches for our space! First, we bought the single and 8 shelf Expedits in matching "birch effect" finish. 

 
Sadly, I didn't have the foresight or energy to photograph the processes as I assembled them late at night, but I've color coded the pieces belonging to each bench here:

I hope that made sense! Here is what the large bench looked like immediately after assembly (with storage inserts, also purchased from Ikea). I realized after this photo was taken that the benches were going to overlap, so I had to remove an insert. 

Here they are in the dining nook, with the cushions fully crafted (material purchased during a foam and fabric sale at Joann Fabric) and secured with strips of adhesive velcro!

Oops, I still need to get the last insert in!

The final setup! The Expedit units with a three inch cushion are the perfect height for both kids and adults! So far, so good. As an added bonus, all three kids can sit on the long bench as long as I don't mind them poking and harassing each other for the entire meal. ;)

I consider Project Dining Nook a rousing success!

DIY Princess Style

By Petunia

Ms. Mommy was very inspired this week.  She says my cuteness has that affect on her sometimes.  

Ms. Mommy is a crafting genius and managed this whole dress with no pattern or anything!  
Here are the directions:
- Find some fabric (this is from a sheet Ms. Mommy found on super sale...I helped find the    sheets with the red stickers)
- Cut it out in shape dress (trace along one of your favorite dresses)
- Sew it together
- Add pearls and sequins

Doll Makeovers - Princess Edition

By Petunia
Recently, I've become a wee bit obsessed with a Disney Jr. show called Sofia the First. It's positively enchanting! The story of a village girl whose mother married the king of the realm. Now she's a princess! And you know what? Sofia is a princess; I'm a princess! How much more perfect could it get?!

Well, I needed a doll. Unfortunately, Ms. Mommy did not like any of the expensive Sofia dolls available, so she went looking for an alternative. She was going to try her hand at making one herself, and had even picked out a pattern to use, but while we were at the craft store looking for craft velour fabric, we chanced upon a clearance aisle containing several Little Miss Matched brand cloth dolls marked down to just $5.xx! Ms. Mommy decided that giving existing dolls a makeover would be easier than starting from scratch, so she bought three different dolls. 

First, we have Sofia herself, and her stepsister, Amber. Hank said that the redheaded doll looked the most like our titular princess. Naturally, the blond would become Amber because Amber is blond. Here's what they looked like fresh out of the box, along with images of the princesses from the Disney website:

Sofia needed a purple gown and blue eyes (rather than green), and Amber needed a green dress and amber eyes (instead of blue). Sofia also received a lip lightening, as Ms. Mommy felt she didn't need to have on red lipstick. Fabric paint was used on both eyes and mouth. The dresses were made from fabric scraps. No patterns, of course, because Ms. Mommy is far too lazy to utilize an actual pattern for anything. Viola! Princesses Amber and Sofia:

We had another doll though, and she was perfect to be Sofia's Mommy, Queen Miranda.

Our Queen Miranda doll needed blue eyes and a pink dress to match her Disney counterpart.

I love my new Sofia inspired dolls, and Ms. Mommy was very happy to be able to make three of them for less than $20!

They go everywhere with me! They've enjoyed picnics in the yard, reading on the couch, and swinging on the swings.

Shabby Apple Fashion Show

By Petunia
Ms. Mommy was the lucky recipient of a Shabby Apple gift certificate recently. She took advantage of one of the fabulous sales and promotions Shabby Apple is currently offering- buy one item from the new Ferris Wheel collection, get a select item for half price- and wound up bringing home these two gorgeous new wardrobe pieces!

She first selected the Looff's Pier blouse, from the Ferris Wheel collection, and then chose the Grand National dress for her half-off item. And do you know what? She adores them both! I wanted to show off my own grey dress (okay, it's actually a bubble top and not a dress), but then Hank wandered into the photo shoot and Ms. Mommy and I had a hard time keeping our focus.

Consequently, Ms. Mommy distracted us with graham crackers and situated herself in front of the shed because she's very un-creative and doesn't know any other way to take selfies in our yard. I apologize on her behalf, because this photo shoot is very embarrassing for all of us. Ms. Mommy doesn't know why she poses like that, or why she's making that face. I suggest you listen to this while looking at the below photo:

 Haha, nice try, Ms. Mommy. You knew the graham crackers wouldn't keep us occupied for long! Ooooh, what's this? Is your dress made of... SATIN?! Stop laughing, Mommy, it's very soft.

Then, of course, Ms. Mommy had to change and show us the new blouse. Then she changed back into dirty jeans and a sweater, because let's be honest here... three crazy kids and a muddy yard? There's no point dressing up for that. 

Dress and Blouse: Shabby Apple
Leggings: Stolen from Auntie Sha
Jeans: Old Navy

Boots: Bare Traps

Necklace: etsy 

Silver bracelets: Spiffing Jewelry

Other bracelets: Forever 21

Ridiculous headband: Forever 21

Feature Post: eShakti

By Ms. Mommy

Auntie Amelia had her turn, now I (Ms. Mommy) want to share my opinions on eShakti. First of all, as I'm sure everyone saw on Amelia's post, eShakti makes beautiful, basic dresses with simple, lovely embellishments, in sizes 0-36. Best of all, they offer customization. eShakti was kind enough to also send me a dress of my choice from their NEW Spring line for review. I chose this contrast trim poplin dress in navy blue. 

Custom size, custom style

I also requested customization of the length; to have the hem fall at my knees rather than below (what can I say, I'm older than Auntie Amelia and perhaps a bit more modest in my dress). As Amelia noted, because eShakti asks for one's height along with dress size, they were able to customize the dress to hit exactly where I asked! Might I just say that this dress fits amazingly. It's actually my second dress from eShakti, and I love both of them. 

The best part? Not only is it comfortable and flattering (hooray for cinching in at the waist and hiding problem tummy areas!), it's the perfect dress for a busy mommy. It even has (are you ready for it?)... POCKETS! I love them. Seriously. I actually forgot the dress was supposed to have them and had to check after I'd taken it off, because they are so well sewn that they don't add any extra bulk to the hip area. Which, believe me, is the last thing I need. Those hip carried twins to a few days shy of 40 weeks, they take up enough space all on their own.

All in all, I've had a great experience with eShakti both with this dress and previous one. My package was shipped promptly and came perfectly wrapped a mere three days after it shipped! 

Don't forget, because they are awesome eShakti has offered readers of our blog a special discount code LEFTVERMME which is good for 20% OFF from now thru 03/10/13. Thank you, eShakti!

*Code has to be entered in the 'Promotional Code' box. No Minimum Order Value. The discount code is not case sensitive. The code can be used any number of times until the validity period. This code can be clubbed with any other gift coupon or gift card in the same order. This discount code is not applicable on our Overstock category or on previous purchases. 

Disclaimer: This product was offered to me free for review.  All opinions stated are my own.

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins!

By Earl
This fabulous recipe was discovered by Ms. Mommy after a google search for "peanut butter and banana muffins". It's from the lovely blog Once A Month Mom. It's a very simple recipe for whipping up a quick batch of tasty muffins.

The recipe, along with her inspiration for it and batter freezing instructions, is found here http://onceamonthmom.com/peanut-butter-banana-muffins/

Ingredients:

• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  
• 0.5 cup creamy peanut butter
• 0.5 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 0.5 cup banana, mashed
• 1 medium egg white
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• 0.33 cup cocoa powder (if desired)
• 0.25 cup chocolate chips, nuts, or other add-ins (if desired)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper baking cups. In a large mixing bowl, mix 1/2 of the brown sugar with the peanut butter, applesauce, mashed banana and egg white. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder (if using) in a separate bowl. Add to the bowl with the peanut butter mixture and stir just to combine. Add the remaining 1/2 of brown sugar and stir once or twice. At this point, incorporate any desired add ins (I prefer dark chocolate chips). Divide the batter among the muffin cups and bake until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. 

Ms. Mommy added extra banana, and baked the muffins a bit longer than recommended because of it, but considers these a success because she managed not to burn or otherwise completely ruin them. They were a HUGE hit! Hank even devoured two whole muffins.

By Petunia
Good morning, friends! Today we'd like to share what happens when Ms. Mommy finds herself with some time on her hands (Hahahahaha!) and a spare toddler sheet made out of jersey knit fabric. It's no secret that Ms. Mommy likes to sew, and it's also no secret that she's not real big on using patterns or doing things "by the book". She's more of a slap-dash, winging it kind of gal. As a toddler with a short attention span, I have to say I respect that kind of attitude. 

These are the two dresses Ms. Mommy sewed for me out of the purple striped jersey knit sheet. The first is a simple tube dress that utilizes the existing elastic from the fitted sheet. Ms. Mommy attached a length of fabric beneath the pretty, ruffled end, then sewed up some quick straps. She didn't get a good photo of the straps, but they're attached at the front and snap in the back. They're crossed in the back in these photos, but can be un-crossed to add some length as I grow. 

The second dress is a faux wrap dress. Ms. Mommy traced an existing dress of mine and added an inch for seam allowance plus growing room, then snipped, sewed, and viola! A comfy, cozy, stylish dress that should fit me next Summer. 

By Petunia 
*Yawn* Good morning, Fashion Friends. Who has two thumbs and a case of the Muhndays? THIS GIRL! So I'm going to take the lazy way out and insert a quick photo of two of my absolute favorite people: big brother Hank, and Ms. Mommy!

Earl and I hope that you're all having a more energetic Monday than we are. 

Guest Post, because we're in trouble

From the Mommy Files: A Day Morning In The Life of Ms. Mommy

[WARNING: will probably contain some swearing]

I was awakened this morning by the angry shrieks of Earl, who had quietly slipped from his bed, scaled a piece of furniture, and gotten into some diaper balm. This was achieved by climbing the taller of the two Ikea Stuva cabinets in the nursery. It looks like this (the green and white):

The shelf, as you can see, had two small baskets pushed to the back of it. One of them contained a few diapering accessories. Earl used that little opening in the doors (both the doors and drawer have cabinet locks installed on the inside to keep little fingers from opening them) as a stepping foothold and managed to somehow stretch far enough to reach a basket. Then he tried to waterpoof himself. He did a pretty good job of it too. His hands and face were covered with Thirsties Booty Lustre cream. Fortunately, the jar was almost empty when he got it open. Also fortunate? The ingredients are all-natural, organic, and nothing to worry about if he got some in his mouth. 

I then fulfilled my lifelong dream of washing my child like a greasy pot. Hahaha! Just kidding. My dream was to bathe a child in Dawn at the crack of dawn. Sorry, I am full of lame jokes today. It helps me maintain that tenuous grasp I still have on my sanity. 

There followed some breakfast, then an episode of Super Why while I drank my coffee. After that, we moved outside, hoping to get some fresh air and exercise before temperatures hit 90+ degrees. It was then that I happened to notice something gross floating in the water table. It still had water in it from yesterday. It also had, upon closer inspection, half a dead slug in it. I can only assume that some asshole raccoon decided to wash his food last night, and for whatever reason decided not to finish his slug. What a jerk.

Public Enemy #1

Everyone has been screaming at me this morning, probably because they were up late last night thanks to the heatwave we're having and their bedrooms being 81 degrees, so I brought them back inside and tried to get all three set up with crayons and coloring books. Unfortunately, it's a losing battle keeping the toddlers from biting into their crayons like I've just served up an exotic delicacy rather than a wax coloring utensil. I turned around and Petunia had a freaking PENNY in her mouth! I don't even know where it came from! 

While I was typing this, Earl climbed up on the end table and started dismantling the lamp. Because lamps looks so much nicer when the base is removed from the section that holds the bulb and shade. 

Also need to clean my couch.

Then the three of them tore through the living room like a trio of small tornadoes. This mess took approximately two minutes to achieve. 

"What are you taking a picture of?" Hank asked.

"The living room," I replied.

"Oh. Why? Because it's so pretty?"

"Exactly."

It is only 9:30. Guess who is going down for a nap?! (Hint: Unfortunately, it's not me.)

Glamour Shot

So, how's your day going?

Happiness is Homemade

By Petunia

Today's look is totally vintage boutique.  At least, you'd think it was if you didn't know it was 100% handmade by Ms. Mommy!  Now, I can't sew, so this DIY might be a bit off...but I thought it'd be nice for you to get to make this too.

Step 1: Buy some fabric (or ask Grandma to do it for you, like me)
Step 2: Trace an outline of your favorite dress in two parts, the bodice and skirt- adding a seam allowance, plus six inches to the skirt for gathering.
Step 3: Cut it out twice and sew it together. Add straps.

Okay, so maybe I was napping while Ms. Mommy did most of that, but it will be a good starting point for your own DIY.

As you can tell, I'm still learning my angles.  And Ms. Mommy's photography skills are no Nigel Barker's...

C'mon...you know Ms. Mommy and me just inspired you!

Outfit Name: Apple of Mommy's Eye

Petunia's Fashion Rating: 10/10

Earl's Fashion Rating: 10/10

Fashion Icons: Ms. Mommy

By Petunia

Happy Belated Mother's Day! Would you believe that less than two years ago, Ms. Mommy was carrying around the 15 lbs of us two babies?!  Yes, we were very healthy babies and Ms. Mommy suffered through it with us.  Now she is our totally gorgeous and stylish fashion icon!  Today Ms. Mommy is taking a tiny break from housework to share with us some of her fashion tips.

Ms. Mommy holding a beach ball exactly 2 weeks before we were born.

Ms. Mommy, how would you describe your personal fashion style?
Classic-casual. Right now I'm really digging the cool, retro vibe of these Shabby Apple dresses. They're comfortable, stylish, and all you have to do is add a fun belt, hat, or other accessories for a pop of color.   

What are your favorite current fashion trends?

Vintage Americana! I can't tell you how much I am loving the plaids, tablecloth checks, and even the cat's eye sunglasses. Oh yes, and big hats. I am very much a hat person.

Where do you draw inspiration for your favorite fashion styles?
Well, I am quite busy with my three tiny children, so when I'm looking for something fun and new to wear I go straight to my favorite clothing retailers: ModCloth, Shabby Apple, and DownEast Basics. I also rely heavily on my sisters, particularly Auntie Amelia, to keep me from getting so lazy with my clothing that I wind up look "frumpy".

What advice would you give to other busy mommy's on getting dressed for the day?
Don't think about it too much. Stick with the basics. You may feel like wearing a lot of accessories, but if you're going to be hanging out with infants or toddlers all day, you'll quickly realize that anything dangly or shiny will become lost or broken within hours.

 

Holy Fat Babies, look at these fabulous photos of Ms. Mommy.  Did you see this Mr. Daddy?  Because Ms. Mommy told me you should.