awww shucks...

My hallway re-do has been featured on some awesome blogs this past week!



and


and






(although Jen @ T&J called me "Goodiemomma", which makes me giggle everytime I read it because I picture myself wearing a little bonnet like a Puritan. hehehe....)


Thanks so much ladies!!!

Playing the Field

Today is Field Day at the kid's school. It's a day of fun and games played outside--the entire school divided into black or gold teams. And of course it would be too much to think that my three school-goers would be on the same team.

Oh no, we've got two black and one gold.

What's a momma to do?

Well, clearly, it's take child #4 and turn them into a bi-partisan cheerleader:



Fortunately over the last few years we've amassed quite the collection of black (gray) and gold tees from Field Days past.



So I cut the fronts off them:



Folded them in half and traced the outline of a dress:



And cut it out:



Now, I could have sewn it together like that. But if you're going to start a project last minute, the least you can do is over complicate it for yourself.

So I lined up my two dress halves and cut a little slit 3/4 of the way up:



And sewed in triangles of opposite color fabric:



THEN I sew up the shoulder seams and side seams.
I cut two strips of gray and gathered them:



And attached them to the dress:



And finally ran a bit of elastic around the inside, stretching it as I went, to gather up waist a bit:



And there we have it:





What to do with all the little extra strips from the tee?

Bracelets of course!



We've got our cold water, we've got our t-shirts, we've got our tiger striped nails...



So we're off! Ready to sweat in the hot sun watching kids randomly run around the field not completely understanding what exactly they're supposed to be doing in pointless competitive games cheer on our little athletes!

Go Tigers!





(Kindergarteners don't get their tee's until they get to school, thus one pink tiger!)

Linking up here:

 

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Right now, in the googie home, the googies are split between three rooms: Boy has his own room, Girlfriend and Tiny Tim share a room, and Little Bear has the tiny, tiny room that was the playroom prior to her arrival.

This month Girlfriend Girl turns 10. TEN. I have a child in the double digits.

For that, and other reasons*, we've decided to switch things up a bit. Girlfriend will be moving into the tiny room, but on her own. We are veerrrry excited about this.

*some of those reasons: Tiny Tim is a slob. SLOB. However, she's only 5. And because she's clumped in with the older kids, she's expected to do and be responsible for things that I didn't expect the other kids to do when they were only 5. Hopefully, by putting the two "little" girls in a room together, I can take better charge of the situation.

Of course, these plans are hampered by one glaring issue: lack of dollahs, ya'll.

So on a very minimal budget, we are basically in need of EVERYTHING. The bed, dresser, paint, flooring...Fortunately, we're used to that. A minimal budget is the story of our lives :0) It's how the googies roll.

The thrift shop that I just recently discovered, well, I went in a few weeks ago and found these:







And then the girl at the register told me they were closing--permanently. WAAAHHHH!!!

Upshot? They gave me all three pieces for $40. So we have a cute desk, chair and dresser. I think the desk is just adorable--perfect for a little girl's room.

These I have graciously allowed googiedaddy to be in charge of refinishing (hehehe). So as much as I particularly love that fruit stripe gum effect on the dresser, we're planning on a simple white finish, with a bit of distressing.

Next Girlfriend and I spent some time surfing and she fell in love with this comforter from Walmart:



The picture is hard to see, but it's a nice sage green color. Not quite as limey as it looks here. I think it's perfect. Not too young, not pink, not "Hannah Montana" or something annoying like that. Gotta love an almost 10 year old with classic taste. And for $69, it's a go.

Right now I'm thinking this bed, from Ikea:


It's only $99. What I love: the room is SMALL. So this bed can go against the wall, in front of the window, and serve as a cute little daybed, without taking up too much space visually and without blocking the window. However, I wasn't sure the black would work with the light furniture. But now I'm thinking it might be a good accent against all the lightness.

So that's it so far. Where I'm stuck is the wall color. I'm completely against white walls. And green would be too much. We need a third color. So I think we're going to look for some fabric that can be throw pillows/curtains that coordinate and bring in the third color that can also go on the walls--possibly a lavander/light purple?
Any suggestions are welcome!!