{restyle} combo dress

when i'm op shopping i tend to be drawn to parts of clothes - details, prints, fabrics - but rarely do i find something i like the whole of without feeling the need to tweak or snip! and so, often i'll combine parts of clothes to make one new item.

 in this case, i liked the detailing on the red top, but as i am currently sporting the uber-sturdy maternity bra strap (see above, sigh) i knew i'd never wear it with such thin straps. i liked the fabric of the skirt also, but because i'm tall it finished at an awkward neither-maxi-nor-midi length. i liked the length when i pulled it up as a strapless though so knew it'd be better (for me) as a dress.

here's a basic look at how i combined the two:

i cut the elastic from the top of the skirt and then following the shape of the discarded piece (see above) i cut the same shape from the top of the skirt. i overlocked it after cutting to hold the lining and outer fabric together.

then i joined the skirt to the trimmed top and reapplied the crochet trim.

i made my thicker straps out of the leftover fabric (see cutting directions above) and i had fantastic plans to make them breastfeeding-friendly by having them unbutton. in theory it works, but i didn't allow enough stretch around the top for the bodice to pull down. /fail. so i think i will just snip the extra length and attach them straight to the bodice. live and learn! :)

have you ever done a combo restyle?

do you thrift clothes for their good bits? or do you only buy if you like the whole thing?

i'd love to hear

~dee

(home)school lunches: week 4

i'm certainly no glam whizz-bang chef. i do old school, fill-yer-belly kinda food. and so, i'm a little embarrassed to share these lunches, but am assuming there must be more like me out there? 

mothers who buy chorizo sausages, freeze them and use them one, or two, at a time over a few months? 

mothers who buy canned baked beans (Pams, no less)? 

mothers who have the staples - cheese, onion, veg - but little else?

surely there is. (i hope)

anyway, it's because i'm no fancy cook that i have no names for my made-up lunches. maybe you could suggest a title??

i add chorizo to almost everything for a bit of flavour, but one child doesn't really like it so i had the genius idea of grating it (i freeze them and use as needed) - it worked! She had no idea it was hiding in there. 
also, at this time of the year, we're eating garlic with as many meals as possible.
i fried the onion and garlic until clear, then added chorizo and zucchini, then beans.

 i folded them into the pita wraps and sprinkled with cheese and tumeric powder for colour.

the kids loved these and they were pretty quick to whip up too.

i think i'm going to have to start making soups for lunch soon. it's getting to be that kind of weather...

previous lunches:

week 1 // week 2 // week 3

i hope you've all had a lovely week. we've had a bit of vomiting, rain and op shopping...

~dee.

the mother's day

i hope all you hard working, hard loving mamas had a lovely day yesterday.

there was no whizz-bang for us, but it was nice just having the day off meals honestly (i feel like i spend just as long cleaning up after meals these days as i do preparing them - it's kinda driving me crazy!)

and because i now have 4 sons i am acutely aware of how i treat (include/accept/embrace) my mother-in-law, so we decided to have lunch with JRs parents in Cambridge.

we pretty much took over the cafe and when the kids couldn't sit still a minute longer we moved the 'party' (the kids) outside, where they spent the next 10 minutes running and pushing around this tree.

they stopped long enough for me to snap a pic

4 of 5. 

spunks!

i've been learning deep, hard lessons about mothering (and myself) since having our 5th. i feel like i've hit a new level (or depth maybe?) in my role and it's been a slow acceptance on my part so far. anyway,i'd love to share more with you one day, when i have a minute to type it all out but until then, a thank you to my mum, JRs mum and all you other precious mums who do the same thing over and over again everyday for your babies. it IS worth it.

guard your legacy fiercely.

~d.

(home)school lunches: week 3

three weeks of really intentional palette-extending lunches and i'm so pleased to tell you it's really working! 

we have chickens so we get a lot of delicious (free) free-range eggs, so one of our lunches this week was a very colourful made-up variation on a filled omelette.

fry onion gently until clear then add the chopped bacon* and fry until cooked. mix together the remaining ingredients and simmer gently until spinach is cooked.

make your omelette as usual.

scoop some mix on the omelette (i halved them for the kiddos) and add some sour cream and cheese for finesse if you like :)

and fold over

the kids LOVED these and they ticked all the boxes. hurrah!

week 1

week 2

(as an aside, does anyone else have a vege side and a bread side on their chopping boards? i can't stand my morning toast tastin like onion!)

happy lunch making! 

X

* i buy a large pack of bacon and then freeze them in 3-4 pieces so they are easy to use for meals like this.

wardrobe wednesday: remixed maternity wear

the theme for Wardrobe Wednesday this month is 'remix'. so i'm remixing my chair, my boots and some clothes i wore when pregnant.

then  - in summer

{hello Sawyer-on-the-inside!}

now - in autumn

deets:

cardi - glassons

top - kamikaze store, dress smart outlet

jeans - jeans west

boots - overland footwear

cuff - gift

mandarin sticker - Monte

a cute bow Kristin gave me when she visited on Friday has been helping out in the fringe department, but i really do think it's time i trimmed it. maybe tonight?

there are some cool remixed outfits going on, check them out here:

recipes wanted!

this is us, everyday, at the moment.

we only have 2 small trees but they are giving us copious, large feijoas.

what do YOU do with your feijoa glut?

please share!

(home)school lunches: week 2

a few weeks ago, i realised (to my horror!) that my 2 year old rarely actually eats little more than bread, cookies and meat. and so, i'm trying really hard to switch the easy-peasy sammies for something a little more palette-extending and nutritious at our lunch times. and because we homeschool it is easy for me to make one dish for all of us. 

here is one of the lunches we had in week 2.

gently fry onion until clear. add chickpeas and rice, fry for a few minutes. add the tomato/spice mix along with the zucchini to the pan. simmer all together for 5 minutes. yummy!

rating: 
affordable? yes
quick and easy? yes - all ingredients are thrown in together

interesting taste and texture? yes and yes!
nutritious? yes
low in sugar? yes


and the kids opinion? 
they didn't gush about it but they ate it. (i did serve it with a chunk of fresh wholemeal bread to try and boost the vote though!)
i knew this wouldn't be a raving hit but that's the point, i want to introduce new and different foods - not just the same 4 types of food (usually high in wheat or sugar) that i know they will gobble. and guess what? i'm so excited, because it's actually WORKING!! :)))


homeschool lunches week 1