The Yoga Cargo & Mat Carrier

Cargo Pants...Given A New Lease On Life.

One of the main reasons I started re-purposing jeans

was because as a mother of 4 boys and a large extended family,

I found myself knee deep in denim.

Jeans with holes, frays, or other injuries.

Running a close second to denim...khaki cargoes.

I have acquired quite a stash over the years.

In a recent post about yoga mat carriers, something occurred to me.

I was relaying how my sister Tina enjoys being organized.

It got me to thinking...

Although my design was basically good, I felt a larger pocket

would make all the difference.

Enter The Yoga Cargo & Mat Carrier.

Sized a bit longer to completely encase the mat.

With a strap fashioned from an old web belt...

long enough to be worn across the body

OR

over-the-shoulder.

Take a good look at that pleated pocket.

Large enough to carry a water bottle...cell phone...

membership card...wallet...

a one-of-a-kind-yoga-strap...PLUS

a flap to keep it all in place!

Shown here in a moss green khaki with flowers.

This trio is headed to

Harmony in Life.

A small twist on a good design...

making it functionally

superior.

In addition...

I don't know if you've heard,

but real men do yoga.

This may just be the carrier for them.

Omitting the flower design,

(sometimes I can't help myself)

I tried to keep the fabric choices gender friendly.

Let me know what you think.

Copy Kat Dinner

Pulling Out The Good Dishes!

I have three sisters.

Their birthdays begin on Valentine's day and continue every two weeks

until Tina's on March 12...happy b'day!

We all (plus mom, missin' Mary) go out for a nice dinner together to celebrate.

Recently, we went to Olive Garden for Sue's belated dinner...

and it was oh, so delicious.

Mom ordered bruschetta to share followed with

Chicken Gnocchi Soup and Salad.

With an Italian Margarita...

perfecto!

So good in fact, that I decided to make the very same meal

for my family at home...

minus the mags.

Armed with "Copy Kat" recipes I found on-line,

I began with the Fresh Tomato and Basil Bruschetta.

The last jar of canned tomatoes from my pantry was about to be used.

But it was going to be for a good cause.

Teamed with basil, garlic, and olive oil...

and served with toasted bread sprinkled with Parmesan and parsley.

The perfect side dish to the

Chicken Gnocchi Soup.

Who knew...

they sell potato gnocchi at the grocery store.

If your lucky you can occasionally find it at Aldis.

Again, I got a "Copy Kat" recipe.

And it was so rich and creamy...just like Olive Garden.

With a meal this good...

you have to use the fancy dishes.

Even on a night with no company...especially on those nights.

James declared it his favorite dinner...so far.

I always trust James' taste buds.

He takes after his dad.

They both know how to eat.

Make dinner special.

Pull Out The Good Dishes!

As The Family Grows :: Step Stools

//As The Family Grows is a new feature about the ever changing family...specifically written to parents of tweens and teens, adult children and grandchildren. In essence, it is about capturing the joy and recognizing the blessings that come with every age.//

"Gammas soap?!"

Okay...I've been through this a few times before

BUT

when baby Kierstin entered our lives I convinced myself

that she would be our baby forever.

She will be celebrating her second birthday this weekend.

Welcome to toddlerhood...again!

One of her favorite things to do is to play in water...

she calls it washing her hands, but I know better!

When I was at Savers I found this ($2) and thought of her.

You can see that it has been well used which was one of the reasons I had to have it.

The sweet old decal reads,

"Step up like a stair...or sit down like a chair."

Now my little Kierstin can reach the water

all by herself!

Steppin' up to a whole new world of possibilities.

Kierstin already has discriminating tastes.

She insists on using "gamma's soap."

It doesn't hurt that it creates a slippery bubbly lather.

Look at that beautiful head of Kierstin curls!

When not being used, the step stool still has a job to do.

Waiting for our next visit from sweet baby Kierstin.

She'll Always Be My Baby!

Up-Cycled Denim :: Yoga Mat Carrier

Recycled Denim combined with Amy Butler Fabric.

The perfect combination for a yoga mat carrier...

don't you think?

When my sister Tina e-mailed me last week...

she shared that she was beginning

a yoga class.

Good for her...good for her body!

She also said that as she watched the women

leave the studio, their equipment was

very well organized.

Tina loves to be organized...

you should see her drawers at home...

the socks are separated according to color!

Well... in an attempt

to "not stand-out like a dork"

she was hoping I had one of my carriers available.

I rushed to the store to get it because

I give Tina credit for introducing me to Amy Butler

and I knew that this carrier would

be perfect for her.

The strap is long and sturdy...

so it can be worn across the body

or

over the shoulder as above.

The up-cycled denim carrier features a large

pocket so she can stash her cell

(silenced during class time--of course!)

and a few other basic essentials...

a one-of-a-kind-yoga-strap

perhaps?

Did I mention that Tina's birthday is this weekend?

I think she might know what she's getting from me.

Happy Birthday early.

Love you.

And might I add...

you've never looked like a dork a day in your life.

But don't worry...

I've got your back!

In Celebration Of Love :: 29 Years

A Romantic Getaway

It was a gray and rainy day, but I didn't care.

I was going with my baby to the Belamere.

This #1 Romantic spot is located in Perrysburg, Ohio...

in the middle of an industrial park.

The exterior is not that impressive.

But as soon as you pull into your private garage...

you enter another world.

Each step unveils a surprise...

A private pool...

A blurry sauna...

and a stairway to heaven!

A whirlpool bath with lush accommodations...

candle light...

A double shower...

A fireplace casting its glow on

the bed...scattered with rose petals.

Ooh-laa-laa...

Another angle shows the small dining area.

The perfect spot for a bedroom picnic

and a sip of wine.

The Belamere Suites...

A place to completely escape

and celebrate love!

Breakfast in bed.

An evening to remember for a lifetime. Jenny loves Rudy...

Thank you babe for this extravagant night.

I won't even ask how much you spent!

It was worth every penny.

Celebrate Love.

Not only the big ones ending in "0" or "5"...

but all the beautiful years in-between. We left to a new snow covered world.

Just like the day we were married.

I love you, Rudy.

You take my breath away and

you always put that big smile on my face!

yeah yeah...

Useful As Is

I found this beautiful print at,

you guessed it...

Savers.

Upon closer inspection I discovered it was a shower curtain.

The price was right at $1.99 on a half-off day.

I thought the pattern would be perfect for zafus and zabutons.

When I got home I gave it another look.

It was brand new and I had recently washed my shower curtain

and it shrunk!

Seriously, isn't the importance of prewashing/preshrinking your fabric before starting a project something that is taught in sewing 101? You'd think that maybe major companies would have heard about this "trend" by now!

The short story...

I put my new purchase to good use as it was intended.

I really like how it brightens my little space.

Sometimes salvage artists, green crafters, re-purposers

go a bit bonkers.

We recreate and see the potential in everything...

"things" that others might just throw away.

That's a good thing.

Other times we might make unnecessary changes.

I have found that some items are useful as is!

Hmm...imagine that.

While in my bathroom I noticed this...

A wooden drawer that I did salvage from the trash.

It didn't require any changes either.

It's doing quite fine being useful...

As is.

As The Family Grows :: Home Ec

For some time now I have been carrying around a blog peeve.

Every where you surf you find young families...

babies, toddlers, elementary-aged cuties.

Oh, and they are so adorable.

There is something sweet and compelling about those chubby

cheeks and dimpled fingers.

Guess what?

They grow up and they still hold their charms.

I am writing to parents with tweens and teens...

grown adults and grand children!

Time flies.

In a blink the children

grow.

Take it from one who knows...

a mother of four boys.

Correction:

Two men, Jacob 28 and Joshua 24,

and two in-betweens;

Joseph 15 and James 12.

Lets not forget my daughter-in-law, sweet Sara (Josh's wife)

and their two girls;

my grand-daughters, Kierstin almost 2 and Kaylee 4 months.

So I am starting a new feature:

As The Family Grows...

and so it goes!

What happened in my home this morning?

Homeschool Home Ec

Joey (the 15 year old) is good at many things...

but he is what I call a reluctant chef.

We have raised all our boys to be self reliant...

especially in the kitchen.

Joey is always happy to have James do the cooking for him.

Well, because James loves to cook and eat.

Sorry...not an option.

So when we woke to a frig with no milk, James said,

"Let's have pancakes!"

To which Joey said, "Great idea, go make 'em."

I won't get into the bickering which ensued, but suffice it to say,

I put Joey on the job...and he was

resplendent!

Don't look at the messy kitchen, that's part of the lesson...

clean-up!

Here he is flipping like a pro and complaining about having his picture taken so early in the a.m.

Sorry Joe, and I am blogging for the whole world to see!

(I did get his permission.)

He was the star of the show...

well, the pancakes ran a close second.

But the topper...

Absolute Best Pancake Syrup

the recipe can be found at allrecipes.com.

Believe me, you're gonna LOVE it.

I put the leftovers in this Ball canning jar so that

we can warm it and pour it over the pancakes

for a creamy, cinnamony, decadent treat.

Those syrups in the background don't stand a chance.

Plus, they are loaded with...

dare I say it...

high fructose you know what!

I hope you enjoyed your morning as much as we did.

Enjoy that growing family.

Oh, what a blessing!