Vintage Smock Apron

I spent most of yesterday putting together a new project. It is a apron that I made for Fran's mom, Nancy. Fran is the mom of the two boys I nanny for :)
I think the apron turned out really well! I had to tweek a few items from the pattern that was provided, but overall it turned out really nice. I've only made one apron, and this one was completely different from that one, so it was definitely a good starting point.

I started out with this pattern that I printed off line. It was in PDF format and needed to be trimmed down slightly. After trimming it down, it fit together perfectly. I will say that I ended up expanding the arm holes and I scooped the neck slightly bigger. I didn't feel that they were big enough. And in hind sight, I wish I would of made the arm holes even bigger. There's always next time, I guess :)

The front piece is lined up with the fold of the fabric and only cut on 3 sides, so you end up with one big piece. The back pieces are cut all the way around the pattern so you end up with two separate pieces. 

Here is the front piece after I added the darts/straps along the front. 

Sewing on the bottom pocket

Adding bias tape/edging to the top of the pocket

Adding sections to the pockets

Finishing the shoulder straps 

Hook & Eye Clasp on the back

Cheesy selfy to show you the finished product!

Back view with Hook & Eye AND bow closure

Nifty front pocket

Overall, it was a fun little project and I learned a few new helpful items! I had never inserted darts before into a garment, nor had I done the shoulder strap treatment that they recommended to cover the unfinished edges. 

If your interested in taking on this project you can find the tutorial here. It includes the pattern, as well as several you tube videos that explain everything in detail. 

Enjoy!

Laundry Detergent

I love love looooovvveeeee my new laundry detergent. It took me awhile, but I finally got all of the ingredients picked up and ready for assembling. Originally, I was planning to buy them off line from Amazon. However, after doing a little more investigation, I realized I could get them all at Walmart and Target. I don't typically support Walmart, but it was such a deal I couldn't resist! I think I spent a total of $5.00 for everything (Borax, Washing Soda, and Bar Soap). In case your interested, this recipe (or a liquid version) can be found here. And let me say- this detergent is pretty bare bones. It gets the job done, but it doesn't have any frangrance. It smells good prior to going into the washer, but there's really no fragrance after the clothes are dried and folded.

I grated the bar soap very finely to mix in with the other ingredients. You can use any bar soap. I like Dr. Bronners Castille Soap (I found it at Target). It's a little more expensive ($5 a bar, I think), so its not a must- but I like the ingredients in the Dr. Bronner products. I also use a liquid Dr. Bronners soap for hand washing and for a counter top cleaner. The all purpose/counter top cleaner recipe is here. I should mention.. if this woman (Wellness Mama) told me to scrub with glass shards because of its exfoliating capabilities, I would probably do it. I am obsessed with her and her knowledge on all things healthy! Ok- I wouldn't REALLY scrub with glass shards, but she does have a lot of good ideas. 

I was able to make 2 large batches, with more Borax to spare for later. 

I use 1/8 cup per wash. And in case your wondering, there are 7 1/2 cups in each batch that I made (3 cups borax, 3 cups washing soda, and 1-1/2 cups soap-which equals an entire bar grated). That totals 15 cups. And at 1/8 cup per load, there are approximately 120 loads available to use. 

Zane Benjamin!

We went home two weekends ago for Thomas' 10 year reunion, and also to meet our nephew Zane! We had such a nice weekend. We arrived Thursday night and stayed at Thomas' parents house. On Friday morning, we woke up early and left to spend the day with Meredith and Ben and the baby. It was a low key day. We relaxed and caught up, sent the boys out for chick-fil-a, and then took Zane to the outlets for a little afternoon shopping. We cant wait until we get to see him again! This picture alone sums up our day with him.

Please, no more pictures! I beg of you!

I couldn't show up empty handed, so I of course whipped up a flannel baby 

blanket for little Zane. He told me he liked it :)

After separating from Meredith and Ben, we headed into downtown Hillsborough where we checked into our B&B. It is an old house that was built in the mid 1700's (if I'm remembering correctly) that was renovated into a B&B. The breakfast was delicious and the hospitality was wonderful. It is called the Teardrop Inn. We rested up for a few minutes, changed for the evening, and met up with our friends Angela and Paul for dinner. It was so nice getting to spend time with them and catch up! I met Angela and Paul when we moved to Texas (Thomas and Paul went to High School together), and they have since moved to Florida, so they drove up for a long weekend for the reunion. After dinner, we drove together to the High School football game and met up with a few other friends. And from there, we went to a local bar where we met up with Thomas' parents and many other friends. 

On Saturday, Thomas and I woke up and went to the local farmers market. We bought a few goodies for our friends Jen and Blake who were keeping the dogs. We did a little more shopping, went out to lunch with the in-laws, and then headed back to our Inn to get ready for the reunion. 

Before the reunion, we met up with a small group of friends for a drink, and then we all carpooled out to the reunion. It took place at a friends barn that is pretty far out in the country. We ended up having a really nice time. There was barbecue, dancing, a bonfire, christmas lights, and lots of chatting. A LOT of chatting. That's to be expected, right? It is a reunion after all. I'm a little more shy than my outgoing husband; therefore, a few hours in, I reached my limit on small talk. Thomas, on the other hand, could of stayed all night. 

On Sunday, we woke early for breakfast at the B&B and then headed straight to the airport for our 11:00 o'clock flight. We picked up the dogs on the way home from the airport, had lunch with Jen & Blake, and then came home to unpack and relax. Overall, it was a really nice weekend!

Fall is my Favorite!

The windows are finally open.. and I think it's for good this time! We've had a few spurts of cool air (teasers if you will) where we were able to crack open the windows, but then we'd start approaching the mid 80's again (which is my cut off by the way). We seem to be hanging in the mid 70's for now which is just perfect! 

I love all things fall related- mugs full of hot coffee, the changing of the leaves, sweaters, and as mentioned above, a chance to part ways with the AC/Heat (even if its just for a brief time). 

We've had a busy summer, and what's sure to be an even busier fall! We've completed several more projects on the house, including some much needed bush trimming, a fireplace re-vamp, and hot tub demolition! It seems like the projects are never ending (I guess that comes with the territory when your a home owner), but I guess we're managing to chip away a little at a time. 

I've also undertaken a few more craft projects including curtains and a re-covered bench seat for my neighbor.. and a refurbished dog bed for Wendy! 

Upcoming events for the Tuck Family include a visit from Mary and Clara.. and Thomas' 10 year reunion in Hillsborough (and also getting to meet our new nephew Zane, eek!!!). More to come about this events later! For now, I plan to enjoy my coffee (and put off those pesky house chores for a few more minutes)!

Sugar Scrub, Detergent, and Cleaner- oh my!

Let me be frank with you. I'm having a really fun time experimenting with homemade products. It's like a challenge (probably the same reasoning for why I enjoy coupons). Not only can you make it for cheaper, but its better for you! Granted- investing in some of the products up front is NOT cheaper. But in the long run, it definitely is because they all last a long time. Now here's where the honesty comes in- I'm not quite ready to part with my Redken products.. or my eye cream for that matter.. but here are a few recipes that look really simple and are in the works! (I've purchased or ordered the ingredients.. so I'm just waiting for everything to arrive)

Homemade Sugar Scrub (because who doesn't like a nice exfoliator?!)

2 parts brown or white sugar
1 part oil (coconut or almond)
1/2 tsp Vitamin E Oil

Mix together in a small jar- and that's all folks!


Laundry Detergent

Pure Bar Soap (like Dr. Bronners - I ordered off of Amazon)
Washing Soda (Arm & Hammer - also off of Amazon)
Borax (Mule Team Borax - ALSO off Amazon)

You can find the full recipe here. It includes a powdered version and a liquid version. I'm going to attempt the powered version first because it seems way easier.

Or if your interested in buying a store bought version, this one seems great. It may be my back up if the homemade batch goes south :) And as a side note, the pre-made version seems expensive, but its concentrated and is good for 100 loads!

All Purpose Cleaner (for bathrooms and countertops)

1 tsp borax
1/2 tsp washing soda
1 tsp liquid castille soap (I bought mine at Target- Dr. Bronners)
Essential Oils - 10 drops of Orange and 4 of Lemon

Add all ingredients and 2 cups of warm water to a spray bottle. Voila.

I'll keep you all posted on how they turn out :) For now, I need to get sewing on some curtains for a friend. Details and pictures of that to come later!

The life of gypsies...

Do you ever feel like a pack of traveling gypsies? Sometimes I do. We travel quite a bit- usually with the dogs in tow- so it can begin to feel like a traveling parade very quickly! Don't get me wrong- our dogs are fantastic travelers. However, by the time we pack up all our stuff to head out of town, I feel like the car is packed to the gills. I know what your all thinking.. wait until there are kids involved one day, right?! Bring on the conversion van, I guess!

We've had a nice, but BUSY August. We traveled home to Hillsborough the first fews days in August for a weekend of joint birthday celebrations and Meredith's baby shower! We had a lot of fun and Meredith had a terrific shower. She got so many important things... as well as lots of books. I LOVE kids books. Especially the classics. Lucky for me, most of the kids I have nannied for have loved to read because I love to read also. Sometimes we spend all day just reading new books we've checked out from the library.. and its glorious :) (nerd alert)

The following weekend, we went down to Myrtle Beach to visit with my family. We have a beach house down there that we've had since I was young. Clara is at a very fun age right now so we had a great time burying Uncle Thomas in the sand and also catching fish and crabs in a bucket at the inlet. She's also in a stage where she repeats whatever anyone says. A lot of her fun phrases include "Whoopseedaisies!", "Aye Aye Captain!" and "too much on my docket today". Overall, we had a great time. We've been going to that beach for so long, it always brings back good memories for me.

Between those two weekends, we spent a total of about 24 hours in the car. Yeah. Remember that gypsy comment? It's totally relevant. Lucky for us, we're staying put for awhile. We dont have any major plans over the next few weekends and that's always a good feeling. Now if it would just stop RAINING, that would help with the whole staycation idea.....

Until next time!

Entering a new realm of possibilities...

Typically when Thomas travels, I'm extremely productive. I think it's out of boredom. None the less, I'm able to get a lot of things done!

My mom was here visiting while he was gone (he was in Vegas for 9 days at a trade show, by the way) and having her here definitely increased that productivity. The lady does not SIT. I love her. But there's no relaxing with the Bonster. All joking aside, we had a really great week together and she was able to help me get a lot of things checked off the ol' "to do list".

My friend Bonnie posted a website on her facebook the other day, and it's gotten me really intrigued! I started eyeballing it a little while mom was still here, but after she left on Sunday, I really started diving into it. And then I proceeded to look up other similar blogs/websites. They are all based around making chemical free health products (sunscreen, deodorant, cleaners, detergents, etc.). Thomas thinks I've flown the chickens coop (I'm from the south people.. don't act like that phrase surprises you)- but I think it's a really interesting idea! We obviously all worry about what types of food we intake and whether it's good for us. It seems like it should be just as important to worry about what chemicals you slather on your body, right? And not only that- but it can be a much cheaper option.

Case in point- I made my first homemade product on Sunday. Deodorant. There is a lot of talk about certain chemicals in deodorant- Aluminum, to be exact- that are linked to Breast Cancer. So I figured trying to make that would be a good start (not to mention that my own Dove deodorant is almost gone). The ingredients are very simple- baking soda, cornstarch, and coconut oil. My coconut oil already has a fragrance to it, but if you have one that does not, you can also add a little essential oil (lavender, geranium, etc.) or shea butter.

I'm going to list some links/blogs below but here is the recipe I used-

5 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup cornstarch (I added about a tablespoon more)
1/4 baking soda

Mix thoroughly and store in a jar. It's too runny to go in a standard deodorant container- don't even give that a try. You'll have a mess on your hands! I have mine in a little container by the sink and I just apply a small dab with a Q-tip.

I've only been using it for three days- and I was a little hesitant after reading a few woman's reviews (some woman have issues with the rough abrasion of the baking soda) but I haven't had any issues and I'm really pleased with it so far! Just to be sure, I started out by using a very small amount and not slathering it on. Along with that- something to consider is not using too much because the baking soda may leave residue on your clothes (temporarily until washed).

My next venture is sunscreen! I have very fair skin and not only do I easily burn, but I also easily get sun poisoning. It's really not a fun trait to have. But I've learned to make the best of it over the years!

After doing a little research, I've found out that there are certain essential oils that contain SPF- and not only that, but a lot of other elements that are great for your skin. Buying these oils is probably not going to be cheap but I'll keep you posted on that (and any other concoctions that I undertake)!

Check out these blogs if your interested!

http://almostexactlyblog.wordpress.com/

http://www.biteablebeauty.com/

http://wellnessmama.com/

Hawaii- Part 3

After we finally made it to the airport on Tuesday, we were surprised to see that we weren't being taken to the regular terminal. We figured our flight to Maui would be a small plane but this was DEFINITELY a small plane. No TSA! And not only did they weigh your bags but they also weighed YOU on the scales to keep track of the weight total for the plane. Scary? Ah huh.

9 passenger plane

Until next time, Big Island!

Hello Maui!

So we get to the rental car place at the Maui airport- and apparently Thomas was trying to surprise me by renting more of a "luxury" car. So we walk out to the parking lot and all that sits in the "luxury" car section is 3 Lincoln Towncars. Really? Are we 80? Needless to say, Thomas let them know that wasn't acceptable and that we wouldn't be paying for a luxury upgrade if it included those cars. After a few minutes, they came back and let us know that they had a Camaro we could take if that would help. And we promptly let them know that that would do the trick :) Thomas was THRILLED to be driving a Camaro- and not a Lincoln.

We checked into our B&B around 5:00 and then headed into downtown Lahaina for dinner at Cheeseburgers in Paradise. We LOVED our B&B. It was definitely our most expensive stay in Hawaii but it was really nice and quiet, which is what we were looking for. It was located up on a mountain and had a great view of the ocean. It had an outdoor shower that was awesome and a private outdoor seating area. Again, I got big props from the husband for making this find :)

Thomas and the Camaro

view from our outdoor sitting area

This B&B is called Ho'olio House and is located in Lahaina- if anyone is ever looking for a recommendation. The breakfast spread was awesome (homemade muffins daily, fruit salad, cereals and granolas) and the owners were nice also. 

I had arranged for a beer growler and local snacks to be waiting for us when we arrived. So that was a nice treat. It was an IPA from the Maui Brewing Company and all snacks that were made in Maui- including Marlin Jerky- this was the only one we REALLY didn't care for :). A nice little unexpected perk was that we got to bring home the growler as a souvenir.. and also two etched beer glasses. 

On our first full day in Maui, we decided to go to the beach and also go to a blowhole that I had researched. We stayed at the beach for a few- but then decided we'd rather rent snorkel gear and come back the next day with that. So we traveled towards the blow hole- which was a 30 minute drive North. It was very cool- much different than the one that Thomas jumped into. This one was an active blowhole and much much smaller. But neat to watch as big swells came in.

Again, pictures don't ever seem to do any justice, but it was really quite cool.

After going to the blowhole, we decided to head back and just relax by our pool at the B&B. We had the pool to ourselves and it was definitely nice to take it easy for a few. 

For dinner that night (Wednesday) we booked a Luau! It came highly recommended from a friend and we really enjoyed it (The Old Lahaina Luau). Besides having a drink spilled on my dress within the first 5 minutes of being there, it was great. The food was good, the entertainment was awesome, and the sunset was beautiful. I wasn't interested in eating any pork after the unveiling of the pig- but it was cool to see. And we met a nice couple from Savannah who not only got engaged on their trip but also married! So they had a lot to celebrate. Also, we had booked our dinner early on, so we had a great seat up front.

On our last full day in Hawaii, we decided to spend it snorkeling. We had scouted out a place while driving the day before. And it turned out great. It was the best snorkeling we've ever done. The water was FREEZING- therefore I had to get out twice to warm up- but it was still a really neat experience. There were more coral reefs and colorful fish than I've ever seen. 

Birds Eye View of our snorkeling spot

Again, pictures don't do it justice, but this was a great snorkeling spot! It was called Honolua Bay. And if your ever interested, make sure you get there early because parking was limited!

This was not only our last day in Hawaii, but it was also the 4th of July. So after snorkeling, we grabbed lunch at a food truck that we had been eyeing for a few days and then we headed back to our B&B again to relax by the pool. It seemed too nice not to take advantage of it for a little while longer. For the night, even though it was the 4th, we decided to just go and pick up a pizza and watch the fireworks from our B&B. It ended up being just what we needed in order to gear up for the long journey home on Friday. 

We stopped for one last picture before heading to the airport. Im so thankful we got to take this trip! Hopefully we can save our pennies and make a journey back there one day!