I put a spell on you...

These girls mastered the swish and flick, and cast a spell on everyone around them tonight.  They were so proud of all the hard work they each put into their costumes this year.  Designing, sewing, and even making their very own magic wands, each costume turned out exactly as they wanted it because of their involvement.  Watching them beam with pride as they told everyone how hard they worked on their costumes was the best part of the night for me. 

Well, that and raiding the candy stash after bedtime but we're keeping that our little secret...

KCW Day 4: Star Wars Dress

Typically only the birthday girl gets a new outfit, but since it happens to be Kid's Clothes Week and both girls are big Star Wars fans it seemed only fitting that little sister should get a new outfit too.  She insisted that she needed a "Dark Bader" dress and mama was happy to oblige.

I used a pattern I picked up at Hobby Lobby over the summer while they were on sale, McCall's 6017.  Sometimes I get so frustrated with these types of patterns because they seem to do things in such a weird way and over complicate things.  This pattern was pretty straight forward and it was nice to just cut and sew and not worry about it.  It's a very simple sundress pattern but worked perfectly for Kaitlyn.  She loves this style of dress so I knew it would be a hit, she's not quite as particular about her clothing choices.

I followed the pattern only making it a full size larger than I thought she probably needed.  For one, because I cut the pieces out while she was sleeping last night and didn't want to end up too small. Also because I knew that for at least the next six months or so it would be worn layered over a long sleeve shirt and I wanted to make sure she had plenty of room.  Bonus that she'll hopefully be able to still wear it for another year too.

The best part of this dress?  The extra fullness of the skirt made this an instant hit.  "It twirls so good when I spin!"  Yes, yes it does.

KCW Day 3: Star Wars Birthday Skirt

It's hard to believe that we're only four days away from miss Kinsley turning 7 years old, but here we are.  A few years back, without realizing it, I managed to start the tradition of the birthday girl getting a new outfit to wear on her birthday or at her birthday party.  The girls love to have a new outfit that matches their birthday theme, and I'm just happy that they still want mama to sew clothes for them so everyone wins.  It works out nicely that this week is also Kid's Clothes Week so I'm killing two birds with one stone so to speak.  Hopefully I can knock out a few more projects for the girls before the week is over.

This year Kinsley has decided on a Star Wars Lego themed birthday to celebrate turning 7, heavy emphasis on the Star Wars side of things.  Instead of the typical birthday dress she requested a tiered skirt for her outfit.  It's been a wild experience trying to shop and create clothing for this girl lately as her tastes seem to change by the minute, and she knows exactly what she wants.  (and it's rarely what I thought it would be) So it didn't surprise me when she knew exactly what she wanted her birthday skirt to look like...right down to the placement of each fabric and the size of each tier.  Particular much?  I'm not sure where she could have inherited that trait from.  Ahem.

So under her watchful eye I whipped up this super fun little skirt for her this afternoon.  It might very well be a record of the earliest I've actually created a birthday outfit since normally I find myself working until the wee hours of the actual birthday itself.  I'm so happy to have it completed ahead of time and that it was exactly what she wanted.  Whew.

It's so nice when a project comes together easily and turns out exactly how you planned it too.  But the best part about this skirt is definitely the fabric.  Not only does it please my Star Wars loving girl, but it has the added bonus of glowing in the dark!  All the designs in white actually glow!  How fun is that?  I'm going to attempt to get a good picture of it glowing once it gets dark tonight, it's really very very cool.

Halloween Bats

I was completely taken off guard by the popularity of the bats I made last year for Halloween.  Truth be told, I was pretty surprised at how much fun I had making them too.  I definitely wanted to make a few more again this year before I ran out of time.  I wonder if that means Halloween is starting to grow on me?  I'm still pretty certain it's not going to make it to the top of my favorite holidays, but maybe it's not so bad.  Especially with cute decorations like this.  

I have one more that is just one little embroidered eye away from being finished, he just didn't make it in time for today's post.  The bottom two are already spoken for and on their way to their new homes, but the cute little black and green guy is going to hang out in the shop until he finds a new home.  Hopefully he finds one soon so that he doesn't have to join our already too large family of mama made stuffies.  

Just like last year's bats I used this pattern from Bit of Whimsy Dolls to make these little guys.  

Pumpkin Patch

We made our annual trip to our favorite pumpkin patch at Shepherd's Cross.  I was excited for the trip this year because the weather was so much nicer than our trip last year and I was happy to not freeze while we were enjoying our visit.  Mother nature thought she'd throw us a bit of a curve ball and instead of freezing temperatures it poured rain on us mid way through our day.  Well played.  We still managed to fit in a few games, a hayride, and pick out our tiny pumpkins.  Unfortunately we didn't get our big pumpkins picked out before the downpour started and still haven't had the time to make it back over.  Is it a bad thing if we don't carve our pumpkins until the actual day of Halloween?  Ahem.

This Moment

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 {this moment} ~ A Friday ritual inspired by Soulemama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. 

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My village

 

 Sometimes being a Mama is really hard work, especially being a mama to littles. I know this not only because I am a mama to littles, but because I am surrounded by a village of other mamas with littles as well. Some days you’ve picked up the same mess a dozen times, broken up one too many sibling squabbles, and if you hear just one more verse of “Let it Go” you will surely be sent right off the deep end. Of course not all days are like that at all. In fact, I’m willing to say that those days aren’t even near the majority. Being a mama has been the single most gratifying experience of my entire life. I am so thankful each day that I get to be part of this amazing adventure of raising two very independent and lovely souls. They have shown me so much about life, love, compassion, and helped me to view the world around me with a fresh perspective.

But I’m not going to lie to you; some days are just flat out crazy. I am so thankful that when it is one of those days, when I start to feel just a bit overwhelmed or outnumbered, I have my village to turn to. There is a post made occasionally (in an online group we created) simply titled “Why my 4 year old is crying”, and I have to say that is one of the single best things I think we've ever done for each other. It is an amazing blessing to have a place to realize that you are not the only one with a child who doesn’t understand why they can’t have a real pet dinosaur, refuses to eat anything all while despairing about how hungry they are, or is mad because you won’t let them ride their bike to town…alone. Have I mentioned we live 10 miles from town? Sigh. But it’s okay, because we aren’t alone.

Insanity, like misery, enjoys company it seems-and for that I am eternally thankful.

 Having a group of women who understand what you are going through because they are deep within the throes of it, or have been in it before, is truly a gift. We have rejoiced with each other, mourned with each other, and felt every emotion in between. I know that my journey through motherhood would not have been the same without them and I am forever changed not only as a mama, but as a person because of them.

 If I had to give a single piece of parenting advice to new mothers it would be this: Find your village. 

Whoever they are and wherever they are, find them.