The Great and Random Ramblings of Cannwin

Did anyone guess which project was mine? I'm sure my super secret model didn't give any clues at all. Once again I was smack dab in the middle of the pack. Neither the best nor the worst. I'm wondering how long a person can hang on this way? This weeks and next weeks projects I'm nervous about. Not because they are bad crafts. I think both of them are excellent ideas, I just can't deliver well. If I had the camera, the energy and the brain cells with which to advertise my product I am confident they would be fantastic. But I am a woman of limited means. :) Anywho. Go over and vote.... see if you can spot which one is mine. Here's the link-- SYTYC . My model was fantastic last week! I got some awesome pictures of her dramatic littleness that I just couldn't wait to show on my blog. Isn't she just fabulous?! Okay, so my brain cell shortage has made me exceptionally tired the last few days, so I am going to go zone out on my bed or something....

 Design*Sponge has this themed post they do called 'Living In' where they take a movie and then they find fun things that look like they came right out of the movie. The problem is the things they find are usually expensive, and as I've mentioned before... expensive isn't up my alley right now. So then I was watching Mary Poppins last night with the kiddos and I was thinking to myself--'That's cute!' or 'Wow, I bet I could make that.'-- and I realized I could do a 'Living In' style blog post that uses the myriad of tutorials and ideas that the great blogosphere has to offer. I could do for the meek and humble what Design*Sponge does for the wealthier. :) I'm nervous that perhaps I'm stealing their idea. I don't want to be accused of taking their idea, I'm merely bowing to the genius that is them and adapting to my own needs and wants. That being said, lets get this party started. What first caught my eye w...

The new catch-phrase around our home has become 'Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.' Since the school year is coming up on us so quickly we've (read: I've) been working extra hard to find ways for the things that we do have to last one more year. Here's an example: These sweatpants have been a part of Vicbowin's life for nearly three years now. I bought them when they were on clearance, but they were to big around her waist...so she wore a safety pin in them. When the safety pin was finally able to come out, she spent some time wearing them just like they were meant to be worn, with a great big number 12 crawling up the leg. This week we pulled out all of her clothes to see what we had and needed and she announced that the worn out #12 was ugly and she didn't want the pants anymore. Other than the faded design, they are in great shape. I asked if I could play with them a little before we decided to get rid of them. She agreed and t...

Remember how I said I'd never wear this outfit ever again? Gah! Well, I wasn't lying: Even Remewin likes it! Just kidding, she's trying to hit me. Talk about a super easy re-purposing. ::polishes fingernails:: I'm so cool.

I can't keep up with Albowin's growth. He seems to sprout an inch every night. Leaving me in staring in dismay every morning when he put on his pants. He is constantly in high-waters! I don't have this problem with Vicbowin... since she seems to have stopped growing all together. Plus when she does grow out of something lengthwise I can always add lace or something to the bottom. You can't do that with boys. You can't have them going around in ankle pants like you can a girl. My boys are killing me. The Mischievite's growth is to be expected (being three years old and all) and he has enough hand-me-downs that it's not really an issue. Albowin, however, is another story entirely and it scares me just a little . I have these images of playing clothing catch up with him for the next 10 years. At least in the summers I can cut all the worn pants off and have him run around in home-made shorts. When it's mid-winter it's another story entirely....

Halloween kills me. I know some people (Polly) love this holiday but really, I hate coming up with costumes, and I loathe buying them at the store. Yet, I do. Every year. So why can't the kids come up with something simple like, "Mommy, I want to be a ghost!" *sigh* Wouldn't that be nice. Instead my daughter has these specific creations she just MUST have. Two years ago she wanted to be a 'Warrior Princess.' Complete with bow and arrow and sword and cape and green leaf designed skirt so she could be invisible in the leaves. I'm sure this was brought on by her father's tales of the prince and princess that go about on their valiant steeds and have wild adventures (her and her brother). Last year she insisted on being a 'Sparkle Fairy.' "No, Mom, Sparkle Fairies don't wear white, that's a Snow Fairy. So there I was left trying to sparkle her out. And on Halloween night she looked like a wild collage of orange butterfly shirt, homemad...

These are my son's old faithfuls: They are about a year old (which for a kid his age is saying a lot), they used to be pants, but as you can see have long since given up that title. The zipper broke about a week ago, the pull literally fell apart in my finger's, but he continues to wear them. Yesterday he went over to his best friend Heidi's house, he insisted on wearing these. So I had to get a picture for you. I think my dress is much nicer, but to each their own. Someday soon he'll have to find something new to wear. Until then I guess I have to survive my child looking like the Grapes of Wrath. Oh, and if you were interested, they are/were Gap Jeans.

This is 'Old Faithful.' It's a dress, my favorite dress to be more specific, and technically it's really not that old... under a year. But it is the dress that I wear when I'm in a good mood, or when I've torn my closet and drawers apart trying to find something to wear and nothing feels right. I like this dress. I like that a bunch of 11 year old boys at church came up and told me I had a cool dress. I like that a lot of the women in church have said how cute it is. I like how it fits and how it wears and everything about it. I like it so much that I probably wear it 3 of the 4 Sunday's a month. I have a lot of dresses too, but this one is my favorite. My Old Faithful, that I know I look good in, or at least I feel like I look good in and so therefor am happy to wear whenever I get the chance. Do you have an Old Faithful? It doesn't have to be a dress or slacks, it could be any article of clothing that you turn to when everything else is laying on your ...

My daughter and I have this little war going on. We're going into our third year now and the axis of evil is losing strength (that's me). She's a girl, in every sense of the word! Down to the way she combs her hair and what she reads. Most importantly is what she wears, it's a never ending battle! And I should just be grateful that it's not over miniskirts and tank-tops, but when my daughter gets up in the morning and dresses herself... I get a little itchy to argue the outfit. I think of her on the playground or in the classroom, more importantly I think of her teacher's on the playground and in the classroom. I want to put a big sign on her forehead that reads, "I DID NOT DRESS HER!" No mother in her right mind would send a kid to school in striped, multi colored, tights, a purple woolen kilt (straight from Scotland), a pink Hello Kitty shirt and a black velvet shrug. I have to remind myself of this, I have to convince myself that other mother's ...