Repurposed Skirt Into Toddler Dress

Time spent in front of my sewing machine is one of my rewards for having other mundane household tasks done. I usually can't be creative if I know my closet is disorganized or towels need to be folded. ( You too?) Yesterday was just the opposite. My house was chaos and I retreated to a small safe spot to spend some time crafting with needle and thread. I had been dreaming of refashioning a couple of my skirts into dresses for the girls. They came together in minutes with no measuring and imperfect stitching so I thought I would share it with you.

For the dress, I chose a skirt that zipped on the side so with no elastic it's still easy to slip on and off over her head. It is a great light fabric, perfect for summer days on the farm. Bonus: it may be the one thing she has that isn't sickeningly pink!

I turned the skirt inside out and slipped it up under her arms, pinched it so it fit snug but not too tight and marked the fit with a pin.

Remember you want the zipper to be on the final dress! With one long crooked stitch, I sewed from the pin at the top diagonal to the bottom.

Then I cut off the other portion and turned it right side out. The straps were made by cutting some of the left over skirt into strips. I folded and pressed each edge into the middle and then folded the strip in half and top stitched. So simple, no measuring!

(Sigh. Photo upside down. Oh blogger, why do you hate me?)

The two front straps are stitched to the dress about 2 inches from each side seam. Erica suggested that I have it come to a V in the back in the middle so the straps wouldn't slip off her tiny shoulders. Great idea!

I love the final! She couldn't wait to model it for me.

And I'm happy to say it survived all the typical country life activities of the day too: trampolining, picking "roses" (dead weeds from last fall), and carving letters into the mud. That's my girl!

It also looks darling with her mud boots!

Of course I had to make a similar one for her younger sister...

I ripped the skirt to get the length for the new dress but didn't hem. I like the unfinished edge. Torn strips of fabric became basic double straps tied at the shoulder. Incredibly simple but still so sweet!

They are going to look lovely wandering the garden this summer.

And so will I. Remember this skirt I made myself...

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It's Blog Hop! Thanks for visiting and much thanks to Dandelion House for getting us all together. Be sure to check here for more farm girls doing their stuff.

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We like to think we are pretty amazing in the kitchen. Give us a challenge to prove it.

We are still looking for more suggestions for Two Blue House recipe make-overs. Tell us a dish that you always wished was a bit healthier or made with wholesome ingredients. We will do the experimenting (and all the dishes that generates) and you just get a great recipe with perfect results the first time! Sound good? We think so! Leave a comment with your suggestion and we will pick one to feature on our "Good Food Friday" post. Good luck!

City Girl Country Girl

What. A. Weekend. Not many people experience the kind of culture swing I did this Saturday to Sunday. It was bustling yet lazy, fancy but dirty, reflective and also laugh-so-hard-you-almost-pee funny (tmi?) and just plain wonderful.

SATURDAY

A few of my favorite girls got together for a day out in the city. A museum visit was just the kind of mature experience we were all craving.

A quiet and reflective afternoon in the museum.

Four pretty ladies all fancy for dinner in the city.

That is us at the bottom, the reflection. The people eating must have thought we were crazy!

Hilarious attempts for a self-group shot.

I took seven (7!) shots and this is the best one?

And of course... Such. Great. Food!

Hmmm... maybe I should have attempted to take a picture BEFORE we devoured the appetizer?

While we were lost between the museum and the restaurant a thought came through my head. City life is awesome. I love the lighted buildings, tree lined streets, the park benches and free museums. There is a fantastic little place or an incredible site to be found around every corner. Each turn revealed a new wonder. I will admit that I am a bit of a tourist, even considering that I grew up with these places in my own backyard. (Lauren scolded me for being amazed at the size of a Panera bread. I'm that much of a country hermit!) But I'm not afraid to be amazed at the world around me. So what if it surprises me every day. I take it all in and it often leaves me breathless.

Why do I not live in the city? I ponder this the entire way home...

And the following day I get my answer.

SUNDAY

I slept in. Oh it felt great to hear the kids squabbling over breakfast waffles while I pulled the sheets over my head for a few more minutes. The morning was slow but by noon we were all outside.

Some new beds were dug. These will be home to a second batch of strawberries and a lettuce bed, my dream of a kitchen garden finally realized! However, until they are framed in it kind of looks like a cemetery. Creepy.

Since the grape vines are (finally) thriving we worked on the trellis that was started last year. This is what it looked life Sunday afternoon...

and this is what it looked like Sunday evening.

It is still in need of at least one more afternoon of branch work and a full day of wire to get these grapes off the ground and producing some fruit. The supplies were all free of course, using the trees from our own backyard, literally.

I truly think the other trees appreciate it when we thin out the smaller struggling growths and allow more sunlight and nutrients to help some of the great big trees flourish. Between dragging out fallen trees and pounding nails for this project there was also this going on...

Boys in the woods. With hatchets, pruning saws and a tape measure. Hmm...

Climbing trees. Hanging out. Having a sweaty blast!

Playing in puddles.

We all came in this evening, pink from the sun and happily exhausted. And so I thought after supper, when clean kids are lounging this way and that, all overlapping on the cool sofas, that country life is for me. Sure my floors are dusty and there are more shoes than feet scattered all over but this is my home. Wherever these little toes are is where I belong.

So, welcome to my world where spring days are celebrated with half naked rambunctious boys and sweet bare feet little girls. It may get cold again and God forbid, it snows, but spring is here to stay in my book.

So...

What did you do this weekend? City or country...

Green House Update

Another gloomy day in the Cleveland, Ohio area. At least we have something to dream about!

As you can see it is really coming along. The shelves we are using for tables were free. The legs cost $18.00. Not bad. We have plans for more shelves for the walls and such. Hanging baskets. Garden beds under the tables. Stepping stones (we already have).  And of course a nice crisp coat of white paint on the wood walls. Maybe a mural on the blue wall...

The sky is the limit. Hope your Saturday is a happy, productive one. We are just WILLING Ohio to spring weather.

Good Food Friday: Herb Yogurt Cheese from Homemade Yogurt

Hi neighbors! Welcome to Good Food Friday at Two Blue Houses!

I've been living in the country for about 6 years now. Food I prepare has always been on the wholesome and healthy side but it wasn't until the move that I truly started cooking and baking from scratch. The switch was gradual. First I started shopping only the perimeter of a grocery store. Then I started buying the essentials like flour, sugar, beans and rice in 25 lb brown paper bags to make my own basic foods like breads, cookies and simple suppers. Today the list of my kitchen accomplishments is respectable but I still feel I can go farther. To date I have learned to:

• bake yeast breads and flat breads
• make soy milk
• soak and cook dried beans
• make and cook fresh pasta
• raise and preserve a garden
• prepare a cream sauce (couldn't survive without this one for sure!)
• fix granola bars
• raise and butcher chickens (sorry guys but I like knowing my meat had a great life)
• dehydrate fruit and make fruit leathers
• make applesauce
• whip cream
• make all desserts (even doughnuts)
• can jellies and jams
• ferment wine
• cook and process ice cream
• culture yogurt

As I re-read that list I am dizzy with responsibility. These are all part of a regular cycle. When the kids want brownies, I head to the pantry. On taco night, they know that they are going to get homemade beans and wraps. Bread gets made on Fridays so I can also make them fresh pizza. Soy milk is made as needed, about twice a week. I add something new every couple months. As soon as things settle down in the kitchen, I am looking for something new again. Yes, I am crazy. My latest addition has been homemade Greek style yogurt. That blue cooler has become a permanent fixture on top of my freezer. As I mentioned at the bottom of that post that this creamy stuff can be taken a step further and made into a soft spreadable fresh cheese that tastes excellent. I can not make this fast enough for my house but it is so easy I don't mind making it often. This recipe is based on one I found in my Mediterranean cookbooks. The major difference is they use sheep's milk. Yeah, I know.

I couple weeks ago, I posted the how to for homemade Greek style yogurt. Hope you are loving it! So, follow the steps here until the yogurt is hanging. At this point you want it to be suspended over a bowl until it stops dripping, maybe 2 full days. When you open it up it will look like this.

If not, tie it up again and wait. I would just give mine a little squeeze now and then when I walked passed to check the consistency. I used a pillowcase and it works great. I think I even like it better for cheesecloth because it was easier to pour the yogurt into.

You can tell the cheese is nice and thick, not runny at all. About the consistency of cream cheese.

Sprinkle with garlic, herbs and salt. On this batch I went with garlic, oregano and hot pepper flakes (only in between layers, unless you like things really really spicy). My last batch was garlic and rosemary and thyme. You really can't go wrong. Another option is to sprinkle the seasonings in the jar between layers. I prefer to mix it in because the flavor is more intense.

Mix in the seasonings and then refrigerate for about half an hour, or longer. You want the cheese to be cold and solid enough to be handled.

Using a teaspoon, measure out a small amount of cheese and roll it in your palms to form a ball. Layer the cheese in a sterilized glass mason jar.

Your original two quarts of yogurt makes about a pint of herb cheese. After all the cheese is rolled and in the jar, fill the jar with oil. I used half olio beato and half chipotle olive oil. Try to really pack in the cheese, keeping their shape but allowing little space in between to use less oil. This is definitely the expensive and elegant part of the recipe.

Oh isn't it beautiful. If cheese could be breathtaking... sigh.

Serve with crackers, fruit, anything.

The longer the prepared cheese sits in the fridge, the louder the flavor will get. The recipe recommend it be eaten in three weeks, but when you make this, I doubt it will be around that long. Trust me. And keep the oil when the cheese is gone. It has great flavor so cook with it or keep it around for your next batch of herb yogurt cheese.

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To all those who are interested in kitchen stuff...

I'm up for a challenge. Is there a recipe that you can't quite perfect or a favorite dish that you wish were a bit lighter or made with better ingredients, let me know. I'd love to take a shot at a Two Blue Houses version of it. Leave a comment below and we'll pick one to work out and post it on a Good Food Friday! Thanks for stopping by Two Blue Houses.

Sleepless nights and growing up

I'm a bit of a zombie today. For the past couple nights my littlest has been keeping me up. While teething is no fault of her own, I have always struggled with waking up cheerful to attempt to comfort an inconsolable baby. The first couple nights are no problem. I jump from my warm sheets and cuddle her head under my chin, patting and shushing until she is calmed down enough to earn me a few more hours sleep. But now I'm into the second week. After crashing on the couch watching a insane amount of gLee (never watched it before, honestly) I stumbled to bed and was unable to sleep. I laid there wide awake, baby finally asleep after 10 days of writhing and whining.

She is my last. All those times when someone tells you to enjoy these moments (even the sick days) because it is all going to change, believe them.

Very soon.

Too soon.

It's much easier to realize that when I remember that my oldest will be 10 next month!

But as long as I give today what I can, I'll never miss it because I lived it, fully. I love them at every age, but I will never want to go back. I would miss all they are today.