Twin Halloween Costumes - Salt and Pepper Shakers

When I was a little kid, my mom made us Halloween costumes every year.  They were always comfortable, always cute, and always different from what all the other kids were wearing :-)

I'm not a seamstress by any means (I can kinda sew a straight line.  Sometimes.)... but it meant a lot to me to be able to finally make Halloween costumes for our long-awaited babies.  

I had two-ish requirements: 

1. They had to either be "twin" costumes, or somehow specific to our kids (like plays off nicknames).  and 
2. Abbie's needed to include a tutu!

I used the tutu tutorial (tututorial?) from The Hairbow Company to start with, then adapted the tututorial a little bit to better suit our purposes.  I made the tulle strips a little bit shorter (18" instead of 22") and only did one layer, since Abbie would be held or in a carseat or bumbo the whole time.  Double-layered tutus will be SO CUTE when she's walking around!  Using the stretchy headband as a waistband was a wonderful shortcut, and made for a comfy-seeming and "finished" looking waist!

Sam's "S" was hand-basted (because my sewing machine needle is bent and I haven't done the research to learn to replace it yet) onto a white onesie that I'll detach the felt letter from and use again and again, and Abbie's "P" was actually on a little belt I rigged out of felt, buttons, and a little bit of elastic.  Totally winged (wung?) it!  But the black onesie that I used for hers had an adorable black cat on it, and she wore it a few times right up until the night of our trunk-or-treat. :-)

So Poppa Bear and I threw on some aprons and tossed some candy in the bowl of my stand mixer, and took the cutest little salt and pepper shakers ever to their (and actually, my) first trunk-or-treat!  They were kind of a hit - but I don't know that that had anything to do with the costumes ;-)

#BlogtemberChallenge: Wishlist...

I can't think of much that I'm wanting right now... I have pretty much everything I could want or need.  But these couple of items would be kinda fun to have :-)

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Journaling Bible.  Bailey has me completely enthralled with the whole Illustrated Faith movement, and I'd like to give it a try.  I'm crafty and creative, but painting and drawing have never been my strong suits.  But, I like the idea of connecting with scripture in this way... it's new and different, and I can see how it could really enhance my quiet study time. :-) 

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Tula Standard Carrier.  I've been wanting a baby carrier for a while.  I loved wearing Abbie in my Moby and Happy! wraps, but she's too big for them now.  (Sam never liked the wrap, and I'm hoping he'd like a soft structured carrier like a Tula better.)   

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Blanket Scarf.  I don't usually get super-excited about the annual trendy clothing articles, but I do like this trend :-) It looks so cozy and snuggly.  Plus, it can cover any spit-up that will be on whatever I'm wearing ;-)

#BlogtemberChallenge: 3 Songs I'm Connecting With Right Now

"Three songs you are connecting with right now."

1) You're Gonna Be - Reba McEntire 

This song gets me right in the feels... I've always really liked it, but now when I look into Abbie's and Sam's faces, the song starts playing in my head.  It talks about the things she hopes she can teach her children about life, and promises that no matter what, they will always be loved by her. I hope to be that steady constant in their lives, while they're learning and growing and changing, I hope they know that THAT won't change.

2) Mom - Garth Brooks

This song came out right about the time we found out that our frozen embryo transfer had worked, and that I was pregnant. I made me sob like a baby the first time I watched this video, and lots of people posted it to my facebook wall or tagged me in it.  It's another aspirational mom song :-)  I want to be the mom in this song, especially in these lines, "'Cause she's gonna teach you everything / You'll ever need to know / Like how to mind your manners / To love and laugh and dream / And she'll put you on the path / That'll bring you back to Me." 

3) Safe and Sound - Taylor Swift (ft.The Civil Wars)

I gave a lot of thought when I was pregnant as to what my go-to lullaby would probably be... nursery rhymes and traditional lullabies kind of creep me out (seriously, they're all morbid), so I figured it would be a "real" song, and liked the idea of this one.  I listened to and sang it in the shower a lot, and hummed it through my days, hoping the babies would get used to it and recognize it after they were born.  I had thought it worked for a while, but now it seems like they respond to almost any song I play, especially if I sing along.  :-)  But this one will still always remind me of that hopeful, magical (painful) time of running my hands over my swollen belly and imagining my babies on the outside :-)

How about you?  What songs are speaking to you lately? :-)

#BlogtemberChallenge: Shout 'Em Out

Today's Blogtember Challenge post is all about recognizing our favorite bloggers!

"Shout out five of your favorite bloggers. Who are your regular reads?"

 

Credits: Rebecca, Beth, Lauren, Kerri, OBB

Two of my best friends in the entire world are bloggers, so I have to shout them out first in no particular order :-)

• Rebecca at Caravan Sonnet - blogging about faith, chronic illness, and the single life while taking some of the prettiest pictures on the internet.

• Beth at The Beth Chronicles - mostly parenting and diary-style updates about her beautiful family.  I met her randomly through a guest post I did elsewhere... we became blog friends, then FB friends, then (awesomely) real life friends :-)

I also love following these lovely people:

• Lauren at 34 Magnolia Street - she has stepped back a lot from regular blogging, but when she does stop by to post, it's always worth reading :-)  A little fashion, a little DIY, lots of deep, relatable musings about life and faith.

• Kerri at Six Until Me - another type 1 diabetic mom, her blog encouraged me before I got pregnant that a diabetic pregnancy is "doable."  And now I love reading her stories about raising her daughter while managing her diabetes... it gives me ideas about how to make the twins aware in an age-appropriate way, and optimism that I CAN balance it all. 

• Sara and Kate at Our Best Bites- food you can make and eat.  Not just crazy, fancy, grown-up food, but delicious things I can pop in the crock pot or whip up easily, and every.single.recipe I've ever tried has been really, really good!  Lots of my "go-to"s are from this blog.  Following them both on Instagram is a treat, too - fun, sweet ladies with gorgeous families and awesome senses of humor :-)

#BlogtemberChallenge: Getting Creative with Paper Beads

"Get creative! Sketch, paint, dance, play music, whatever then give us a glimpse."

I shared these on Instagram a couple weeks ago when I made them.  I'd made paper beads once when I was a kid, but haven't in years and years.  Like, a lot of years.  Like, maybe 20.  Ouch.  But I had been craving a bit of a creative outlet, and was in the mood to learn something newish.  

I like that I can play around with supplies and colors without using a huge area to spread out, and I love how inexpensive this craft is (recycle some paper, and what crafter doesn't have modpodge, a paintbrush and some sort of thin thing to make the holes?  All I bought for this was a tiny thing of Minwax).  I don't soooo much like how much time it takes to make so few strung inches ;-)  I still haven't made anything out of the beads yet, but I do enjoy just playing with them :-)  These particular beads are made from pages of pearls from the catalogue of one of my favorite jewelry suppliers.  They're only about a centimeter long, so they're super-cute and dainty. I may do a how-to post on them soon... there are lots of them out there, but everybody does it a little differently, so I may throw my particular technique out there too :-)  Maybe it'll help it click for someone else, too.

#BlogtemberChallenge: A Favorite Quote

"A favorite quote/expression and how it has impacted you."

I'm not sure who the originator of this quote is, but I saw it on Pinterest several months ago and it resonated with me.  

I have a counselor's heart (as well as credentials) and encouraging those who are discouraged or anxious is a calling and an instinct.  I would like to think I'm good at it, and this quote summarizes my feelings quite nicely.  To know that I have in some way helped someone find the courage to keep fighting the good fight would be the ultimate encouragement for ME that I'm making some kind of difference in the world.  :-) 

#BlogtemberChallenge: Guilty Pleasures

"It's guilty pleasure time! Shows, books, songs, foods, whatever it may be."

 

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This is a tough one for me, because I don't really have a lot of guilty pleasures.  I used to, but not so much anymore. Don't get me wrong... I still enjoy those things, I just don't feel guilty about them now ;-)

But let's see... some of the most "embarrassing" or "naughty" things I like in the following categories...

TV:  Teen-angsty stuff... like "Awkward" on MTV. 

Movies:  Mmm... super-girly stuff like "Legally Blonde," "Mamma Mia," "Miss Congeniality."

Books:  Phillippa Gregory books and other books set in that general era :-)  Also, books by Lori Wick, especially "The Princess."  They're easy reads, don't require a lot of thought, but are a pleasant way to wile away a couple of quiet hours.

Music:  My biggest guilty pleasure song is "Paparazzi."  I heard it on a dog show commercial a few years ago, and I was all "This song is really fun, do you know who sings it?"  When Ethan told me it was Lady Gaga, I was kinda horrified.  It's in my iTunes under "That One Girl" because I couldn't bring myself to admit to liking a Lady Gaga song. ;-)   Nevertheless... it's catchy!

Food:  The standard... ice cream, warm chocolate chip cookies.  Also, chewy/sour/fruity candy :-) 

How about you?  What things are you ALMOST embarrassed to love?

#BlogtemberChallenge: Obsessed!

"Just for fun, your latest obsession. What can you not get enough of these days?"

Is it just me, or is it hard to notice what you're obsessed with?  I had to ask my husband!  Besides babies, he pointed out that I've been really into Instagram lately :-)

He's right.  I have found myself preferring it to blogging and even Facebook lately.  Part of it is that I love pictures.  Even when I do post to Facebook, I usually include a picture.  Another part, I think, is that I appreciate the shorter captions, almost micro-blogging.  I am connected to a few great communities on Instagram... the infertile/ttc girls, a bunch of "twinfant" moms, friends from real life, blog friends... I feel like I can keep up with all these friends more easily than if I tried to read all the posts on all blogs in all the different categories I follow.  :-)

I share a lot of pictures of the kids, along with my musings on motherhood (especially parenting after infertility), as well as some food, some fashion, and some decor/household type stuff :-)  If you want to follow along, my account is always_katie !

#BlogtemberChallenge: What's in Your Bag?

Today's #BlogtemberChallenge prompt is:

"What's in your bag? Pick up your purse and peruse its contents, then share with us!"

My usual bag is a diaper bag, but I do carry a pouch of "mom stuff" in it.  I use this bag my mom made me because it keeps my things separate and easy-to-reach, and the window makes it easy to tell at a glance if I've packed everything I need :-)

The pink pouch in the corner is where I keep my diabetes stuff... my meter, strips, lancing device, lancets, and back-up syringes and insulin in case my pump malfunctions.  I also carry Smarties to treat low blood sugars.  They're much yummier than the products marketed for this purpose, and seem to work at least as well ;-)

I have Wubbanubs for the babies... I know this is the Mom pouch, but being able to reach these quickly is crucial!!  I also have a pair of socks for each of them.  This is a recent addition, because I grabbed them in case thy got cold some place we were going.  But they rarely wear socks... Abbie's feet are just now big enough, and Sam is a tiny FURNACE. :-)

Lip stuff - A lipstick from our maternity photos... it's a brand the salon I went to to get my makeup done sells.  An EOS ball, in vanilla mint... I got it to stash in my "go bag" for labor and delivery, so I'd be sure to have one but wouldn't have to give up the one I'd been obsessed with at the time.  A NARS crayon sample from my Sephora birthday gift.  :-)

Random stuff - a couple of napkins, because you never know... and a diet Coke lid with a code I haven't texted in yet. :-)

So there you have it... the exciting contents of my "purse"!  Haha!!!

#BlogtemberChallenge: Before I Kick the Bucket

Today for the #BlogtemberChallenge, we're talking about our bucket lists!  

"10 items off your bucket list. If you haven't made one, now's a good time to start!"

In recent years/months, I've been able to cross several items off my list... fall in love, see Garth Brooks in concert, buy a house, become a mom... So I had to think of a few more things I've been wanting to do to add to the list... make 'em official :-) 

1)  Be an extra in a movie.  Movies film in our area from time to time, and they're always looking for local extras.  I want to apply some day, maybe the twins will be discovered and support their daddy and me in our old age ;-)

2)  Spontaneously pull my car over and pick a wildflower bouquet.  The spontaneity isthe key here for me... I don't want to go out in search of a bouquet, I want to be so excited about the flowers that I put aside my timeline, get out of the car, and enjoy them.

3)  Return to France and Tuscany... spend some quality time getting to know the people and local flavor, away from tourist paths.  We went to France and Italy on our honeymoon, and hit lots of the big tourist spots.  But our time was limited, and some day I want to be able to take a leisurely trip and see some of the "real" places we missed.

4)  Build a lampworking studio at home and make glass beads.  I took a lampwork bead-making class a couple years ago and really enjoyed it.  I want to take more classes until I'm comfortable, then get a torch and kiln for our house and really develop my skills.

5)  Earn a PhD/PsyD.  I'm not sure which direction I would go.. follow my undergrad passion and specialize in criminal profiling, or expand on my school counselor grad degree, possibly researching around girls with ADHD. 

6)  Be invited to speak to a large group as an "expert."  Related to number 5, I want to establish myself as an expert in something and have the opportunity to share it with others. 

7)  Learn to play guitar.  Ethan got me a guitar a couple years ago, and I played around trying to learn from youtube.  But I have problems with my hands being tiny, and I think I need a real instructor.  But who has the time? ;-)  My goal is to be good enough that I can sit and strum by our Christmas tree while our family sings carols.

8)  Celebrate our 50th anniversary.  'Nuff said.

9)  Take our children and grandchildren on a big family vacation.  Either a cruise, or Disney World... how fun to hang out as one big family and experience either of those things together, through the eyes of different generations :-)

10) Pet a big cat (lion, tiger, cheetah, etc).  I've always loved big cats and just been enthralled with their power and grace.  And how cute they are!!