My SAHM Style: One Pair Of Shoes, Two Ways

What a beautiful day we have today and even yesterday. We are around the 80s today baby and it feels like summer is well on its way. It didn't take long for me to get some color as well while on our hike yesterday. As much as I love the winter, I am also excited for this warm weather and be back in our old house, and work in our garden. Today, I am showing you some photos of me wearing some thrifted vintage clothing paired with my new comfy shoes. I mean, the comfiest and the softest shoes I have ever owned so far. I love it! I am a mama to two so flats, sandals and comfy shoes are my friend. And these aren't just a boring pair of shoes, but stylish as well. I am loving the color combination.

Scarf wrapped around my hair: thrifted Vintage 25 cents
Sunglasses: Londog Fog via 6PM $12.99

White top: Vintage thrifted 50cents

Skirt: Vintage and altered 50cents

Shoes: Rocket Dog via 6PM $21.99. Freebie.
Total: $36.23

And here's my photo bomber in her PJs. :) She loves her picture taken too so she wants in.

Another vintage dress that I thrifted last year paired with the same shoes for another casual look and feel.

Dress: Vintage and shortened 50 cents

I can tell already that this pair of shoes will be my workhorse during this summer. I can pair it with the classic white tee and jeans and these shoes will give that pop of color to a casual look. How about you? What's your recent find or buy that you absolutely love?

Family Time: Cosmosphere And Space Center

During the weekend, my family and I went on a short trip to visit a Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson, Kansas about 40 miles away from where we live. The Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center is a museum and educational facility in Hutchinson that is best known for the display and restoration of space flight artifacts and educational camps. 

According to Wikipedia, it is one of the only three (3) museums to display flown spacecraft from Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions. It is a neat area with lots of things to learn and explore, but we didn't get to explore the entirety of the building due to some tired kids. We did watch the Titans of the Ice Age though and as soon as we arrived, we had five minutes to go before the show starts. We purchased our tickets, bought a medium sized bucket of popcorn and a bottle of water, and we went inside the Digital Dome Theater to watch the movie. 

We had a wonderful time and we were glad we made it all the way to the end of the movie without one of our kids freaking out and storming out of the theater. When the movie started, it was so loud in that theater and of course, the screen was huge and it made everything look gigantic and can scare some kids. Because the last time we watched a movie at an IMAX theater, our little man was ready to leave as soon as our butt landed in those seats. He was scared. For the short visit that we had, we all had a great time and that bucket of popcorn sure saved us in terms of keeping the kids quiet.

The fastest Jet man has ever made, it says.

Her outfit

Vintage Nautical Separates: thrifted for $3

Cardigan: thrifted for 25cents, then altered. It was mine before.

Red tights: Walmart $?

Shoes: Old Navy thrifted for $2.50

Her little hair accessory: I made it

Linking it to Thrifters Anonymous
And Recycled Fashion Finds

She found a little nook where she can read the little pamphlet she got from the magazine stand.

I don't know why, but somehow she wanted me to take her photo while laying on the floor. She is exploring her world.

And here comes my growing little man. :)

I hope you guys enjoyed some not so good of a quality photos. The Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson would be a an interesting place for school field trips or a place to stop at while resting from a long drive. There are Concession stands and a Souvenir shop for visitors to go to.

Day 73/365 of BPC 2013: Yesterday Was About Food

If you know my family, then you know that we love bread, and we just love food in general. My little man mentioned he wanted more bread because he ran out of his favorite Croissant Bread. And since we are not going to the store anytime soon, I thought I am going to make our own bread. 

I made a lot of the Filipino type of bread lately, the Pan de Sal  (Salt Bread), and I thought I would make a different kind of bread that my family had enjoyed in the past. I looked at my previous blog posts and I came across the Outback Steakhouse Honey Wheat Bushman bread recipe and the idea came to my mind. 

With my trusty old friend the Bread Machine, I was able to bake some homemade bread easily. Oh I thank my husband so much for getting me this bread machine. I told him every time he wants to get me something for a present, I don't need anything else, but things I can use in the kitchen. And he did! Have you ever tried making the Outback Steakhouse Honey Wheat Bushman bread before? If you are not into Whole Wheat bread, then you might not love it like we do, but it's worth the try. It's half white bread flour and half whole wheat flour. It's also mixed with some milled flax seeds in it for added nutrition. We absolutely love this bread and my husband even brought some to work with him.  

This bread also goes well with homemade whipped butter, but since we didn't have any at the moment, it is still good to eat it by itself. You should try it!

There goes my two kids loving mama's homemade bread. I love cooking or baking knowing that my family enjoys it. And they are not greedy when it comes to sharing food, which I am happy to know.

The recipe for the Outback Steakhouse Honey Wheat Bushman bread can be found here or here. I copied the recipe from the website called cdkitchen, and I had shared it already on my blog before so go check the links out!

I also made a simple supper last night, with fried fish, baked potatoes, and sauteed' Bok Choy with a little bit of the leftover smoked herring fish. All I did with the fried fish was I put a little salt on the fish, bread it with the mixture of flour, panko bread crumbs, salt & pepper, and garlic powder. Beat an egg, then dunk the fish fillets in the egg first, then the breading, and fry away until cooked and golden brown.

With the sauteed' Bok Choy, I chopped up some onions, garlic, Bok Choy and I had some leftover smoked herring. I sauteed' the onions and garlic first, then the smoked herring, the white stalk of the Bok Choy (the stalk and the leafy part have the different cooking time so the stalk has to cook first), put a little bit of water about a half a cup to one cup (you just need a little bit to cook the stalk and not turn into a soup), then let it cook. Once the stalk is cooked, then last to go is the leafy part, season to taste. Turn the heat off and cover. The heat will continue to cook the Bok Choy. Enjoy!

I also would love to share this really sweet and yummy whipped honey that happened to be an accident purchase. Or because-we-didn't-know-our-little-man-had-placed-it-in-our-cart kind of purchase. We came home from grocery shopping at a store in Lindsborg, Kansas and we found out we had two items that we didn't even know. None of us knew what this product was until months later and I decided to open the jar. I thought it was some kind of a Swedish type of mustard, but when I tasted it, it tasted like honey. I asked my husband and he finally figured out that it was Swedish Whipped Honey and his mom used to buy some. I am from the Philippines and I knew nothing about this, never had any before. In fact, to us buying honey is a luxury. Honey doesn't come cheap especially if you buy the raw and pure honey. We don't buy honey at the store at all so when we get the chance to buy the pure honey, we're lucky. Anyway, this is so good and spreadable, perfect for spreading on top of your bread, muffins, pancakes, or on anything you can spread it on. I am glad our little man got it. Yum!

These are some of the food that we enjoy eating lately. How about you? What type of food do you enjoy lately? Have you made some homemade bread or any kind of homemade food lately? Do share! Have a great day.

Yellow Sweater and Tartan Skirt

Vintage Hat: thrifted $5
silk scarf: vintage, thrifted for 10cents. from my summer thrift haul
Vintage Sweater: free-piled
Vintage skirt: 25cents
Brown tights: Walmart
Oxfords: C Label via 6pm.com $20ish

I might be a little late on busting out some fall colored outfit combination, but here I am now. I free-piled this vintage sweater this summer and would you believe me when I didn't almost want to take it with me because it is itchy. But I thought since I only have one yellow sweater, and yellow will be perfect for fall, I took it with me. Although it is itchy, I got to sacrifice a little bit just to have something yellow for fall. I still think it is worth it! Plus it was so cold yesterday because of the strong wind (we have had windy days in Kansas lately) that this itchy wool sweater was just perfect. I paired it with this vintage tartan skirt with flowers that I altered. It was about mid-length for me, the unflattering way so I chopped it off to the right length and hemmed. Because I am really short, I have to show more leg length so it does not make me look like I am drowning in fabric. 

Of course, you are really going to get tired of seeing me wearing this hat because as long as this hat is wearable, I am wearing it. It is just one of those things that you absolutely love that you will wear it a lot.

Have a great weekend!

My SAHM Style: Pleated Dress and Wind

For me it is a bit challenging wearing a dress when the weather changes into chilly and windy. Wind and dress sometimes don't go well together especially like the one I am wearing. You could easily flash and shock people at times, but thank goodness to the black tights. At least it is not all the way revealing. I am not going to tell you details about some of my embarrassing moments with dresses, but honey I had some of those moments where it cringes me just thinking about it.

Anyway, I thrifted this vintage blue dress a long while back and it used to be a bit longer and it has an elastic waist with belt loop, but with no belt. It has buttons on the front and two front-pockets. Because of the former length of the dress, I felt like it was a bit heavy and it would not hold its shape on the waist so it was dragging it. I don't know if I make sense, but I didn't like the look and feel when wearing the dress so I decided to chop off a good portion of fabric on the bottom of the dress and I re hemmed it. I was a bit nervous and intimidated because of the pleats and I didn't want to ruin the dress after. Even so, I crossed my fingers and toes, and I went cutting, sewing, re hemming and ironed the bottom of the dress and each pleat, being careful not to ruin it. After I sewed and ironed the clothes, I took another look at it and I thought I did a good job altering the dress. I was also afraid that I might not cut it straight and it would be off, where on the other side it is long and the other side is not, but I guess it turned out good.

Trench Coat: Old Navy for $30ish (old)
Infinity Scarf in Burgundy or Oxblood: I crocheted it myself.
Dress: 50 cents Vintage and altered
Navajo Print Belt: Thrifted for 10cents 
(it was part of my thrift haul here)
Black tights: Walmart $10ish
Shoes: Type Z via 6pm

Another windy day in Kansas.

I am loving this dress now. It reminds me of a dress I saw online from ModCloth, except I did not have to pay that much money for my dress. I paid 50cents for it compare to the $157.99. As a stay-at-home-mom, I don't have the budget to buy a dress in that amount and even if I do, I still want to go thrifty. Even though my dress is vintage, it still is in great condition, and I can wear it again and again, and style it in so many different ways.

That is a nice thing about thrifting though. You can go online and browse for some clothing and style inspiration, then you go to thrift shops and shop for a certain piece of clothing that has the similar feel and look to it. And if you don't like second hand or pre-owned items (however you call it), wait for it until it goes on sale and the price is within your budget. And if you can afford it, good for you. *wink*

 

How about you. Have you thrifted lately?

Have a good one!

My SAHM Style: A Little Nautical

When I was editing my photos, I saw one that my mouth looked really pouty so  I thought it would be perfect for a mustache.

(I also added that detail on the center of my top from a Chevron fabric I used to make my bag.)

When you saw me in my photos on my previous post, I know I look all fall ready, but the weather lately have been different. There are days when it is warm and sunny and still feels like summer, but then sometimes it gets colder and fall like. Took these photos on the day when wearing sandals is still okay, but it requires a jacket. This jacket I got at Target last year when I was still pregnant with my second one and it was the only one left on the clearance rack and size large. I thought since it is Junior size, I took it. I like it this way actually. Lots of room and not too tight. I wanted a different color for my Jacket when I went shopping that day, like in Army green or even Khaki, but they didn't have it so I am still happy with what I got. I am sure you have seen me sporting the jacket before, but this is like my go-to jacket whenever the weather's chilly and does not necessarily require thick coat.

My vintage Navy Blue skirt used to be a midi length (well for my short frame), but it wasn't flattering so I decided to chop it off and shortened it. I probably need to cut it again just a tiny bit, right on the top of my knee so I could show more leg length so it does not make me look shorter than I already am. It also has the two pockets, which is awesome! Most of my thrifted skirts have the two pockets, plenty of room to store knick-knacks (what's the use of the purse?). Anyway, I just like skirts that have the two pockets on the sides. And oh, the belt is thrifted too. Only the jacket and the shoes are not thrifted.

And because I went a little bit Nautical, what could be more fitting than to leave you a Nautical quote. I hope you all have a great almost weekend! My family and I are excited to go back to Chetopa this Friday (if things go well). I can't wait to be back in our old place, even for just two days. Just thinking about it gives me butterflies in my stomach. I am that excited! Got to go start packing so we can leave tomorrow at noon. See you later!

My SAHM Style: Change Of Weather

There has been a change of weather lately and I am excited about the cold weather. I don't know why, but I do like the fall and the winter. I am an island girl, from the tropics of the Philippines, but I do enjoy the cold weather here in the USA. Many who have asked me if whether or not I get used to the cold or do I like the snow, they are always surprised when I say I like it. During the cold season, you may not like it, but I do like the layering of clothes, coat, and get to wear boots again and have my hair down and wear a hat and stuff like that. There is something about it that I just get all excited. I am just all weird like that, I guess. We've also had some rain and pretty strong winds these past few days and I hope some of you are okay and mother nature is not too tough on you. Anyway, it was raining yesterday and around the 60's so it required wearing rain boots on and a bit of layering.

I am not so sure if the proportion really works for my (clearing my throat) short frame, like my legs looking short, but I was comfy, warm and feel like I look presentable. And I went with it. I am also excited about floral this fall, like I hope to go thrift shopping again (or online) and find me some floral pants maybe or floral tops that go with the fall season. And oh, a pair of burgundy pants. I want me some burgundy pants. And a new pair of booties. Oh dear! My list of things are getting longer, it sounds like. I hope to score me a great deal again though. How about you? Anything in particular that you like this coming fall?

Vintage Hat: Thrifted $5

Vintage Chevron Sweater: a dollar a bag

Vintage Chambray Top: It was on the men's section thrifted for 25cents

Bag: Freebie

Leggings: old like 6 years old, but never wear it much $10ish

Socks: husband bought it years ago. It's good for winter, thick and warm.

Rain boots: Aussie Dogs via 6pm.com

Family Time: Maxwell Wildlife Refuge Observation Deck

Not far from where we live in Galva, Kansas, there is a place called Maxwell Wildlife Refuge and McPherson Fishing Lake. We decided to go explore the area the other day and just to be out of the house and kids get to enjoy the Jeep ride. The place did have some bison, but there were no elk this time. We did enjoy climbing up the observation tower though and had the 360-degree view of the area. It was beautiful up there. It was only us during that time and it was quite and peaceful. There were people fishing at the lake though so we might be going fishing next year. I am sure excited for some bass. We will see!

Here is a little bit of information about the Wildlife Refuge.

"The 4 1/2 square miles of Maxwell Wildlife Refuge and adjacent McPherson State Fishing Lake provide one of the best viewing opportunities in the state for large mammals. Today at Maxwell approximately 200 bison and 50 elk give visitors a rare look into the past. The observation tower is a good place to scan the rolling hills for wildlife. For a modest cost the private group "Friends of Maxwell" offers guided tram rides onto the Refuge to see the bison."

My grown up little man.

There is an upcoming event at the Wildlife area this October 5-7 for the Mountain Man Rendezvous. If I got it right, my husband is going to take his class to see and learn some things like back in the 1800s. There is a demonstration of 1800s lifestyle, primitive camps & traders, buffalo tour, concessions, and bluegrass music. It should be interesting. Have a good one! 

Product Review: FunBites- Safe And Fun Food Cutter

I know I am not the only mom who has a kid that is a particular-eater. At first I thought he was a picky-eater, but now I think he is just a particular-eater because my boy would not eat other food beside the one he likes. I guess it still is the same way as picky-eater? I don't know, but anyway he likes rice, pasta, bread, noodles, chicken, fish and banana. He does not like to try some new things anymore and he did not used to be this way when he was little. He used to eat well and as he got older, he is more particular. I am sad to say though he longer eats veggies except when I puree' it and mix it in with soup, sauces, pancakes and even bread and he doesn't know. I really wanted him to try some new things.

When I heard about FunBites, I thought I should give it a go, and see if it works for him. I thought that maybe when he sees the food in little fun bite-sized pieces, that it would make him interested and entices him to eat. I got one in the mail the other week and I was excited to try. At first well, I really wanted this product to work, but he just would not eat other food beside the one he likes. Although he was curious enough to try to use the FunBites cutter as you see in the photos. He thought that was awesome.  

Don't worry, my son was safe while using the FunBites with my supervision.

I have been thinking of making the food that he likes that I can use the product, and I thought of rice and I made some rice blocks. I used the Jasmine rice for this one and not the sticky rice. What I did was pressing down some rice into the little squares, get them all sticking together and compacted, and once I got all the little squares filled with rice, I then used the popper top and slowly popped out the rice. Voila! It turned into blocks of rice. Isn't that cute? It reminds me of sushi, except there is no raw fish or meat. My boy liked that one because it was rice, so the product worked in that sense. On the other hand, my little girl enjoys eating just about anything. I don't worry about her.

FunBites really does turn food into fun bite-sized pieces and are perfect for little ones like my little girl. I can use FunBites to cut up food into tiny pieces without messing with a knife, it is safer, quick and easy to use and clean up.  Because her foods are cut up into tiny pieces, she can now eat on her own (she is very independent, she likes to take over) and it is good for her motor skills as she is learning how to use her little fingers when picking up her food.

We had some watermelon the other night after supper and my little girl wanted to sample some. I also cut up some papaya last night for my supper and it was perfect for making cubed pieces of fruits and turn them into fruit salad. Yummy! Cleaning up the tool is easy for me though since I soak it in water with a bit of soap right after using it so the food would not harden, and it is dishwasher safe.

I wanted to thank FunBites for giving me this opportunity to try their product. It is a good concept, good idea, and it is an awesome tool to make food look fun to eat. At first I thought this would not work on my boy, but it kind of did. When he saw the food cut up into squares he said, "Squares?" Then he started laughing thinking that was cute that the food was cut into squares. The product does work for us a little bit. A little bit because it still does not make my boy explores other food, but he eats the food that he likes cut up into cute pieces. But it works really well for my little girl though and that's good. In the end, I am still a happy mama and once again thankful for this chance.

I know I will enjoy using the product creating more fun bite-sized treats in the future. I would say this would be awesome to have on a birthday party, where kids (with the help of a responsible adult) get to cut up their  own favorite food into bite-sized pieces using this tool and eat them. Don't you think? If you haven't tried this product before, you should give it a try. It might work really well with your kids and you never know, you might love the fun of using the FunBites!

Anyway, before I end this review, here is a little bit of info on how to use the product.

FUNBITES cuts kids' food into fun-shaped bite-sized pieces.

Try on pancakes, sandwiches, cheese, melons and more!

Step 1: Place FunBites cutter on top of food. Remove popper top and place to the side.

Step 2: Grab handles on both sides of the cutter. Press down, and firmly rock back and forth 5-6 times to cut all the way through the food. Press hard; FunBites can take it!

Step 3: Insert popper top. Lift cutter up from food and push down popper to pop! Out fun-shaped bite-sized pieces.

Step 4: Time to clean up! Prefer hand wash or dishwasher safe.

FunBites comes in two different colors and shapes- the Green squares and the Pink hearts. It is BPA Free, Mom Invented, Hand wash or Dishwasher safe, and 100% Made In The USA. Don't forget to visit the website at http://www.funbites.com/.

Note: The product was given to me for free, but my thoughts and opinion are 100% mine. I did not receive any money for this post.

My SAHM Style: Vintage Polka Dot Dress

I have always been wanting a polka dot dress and months ago, I finally found one. Although I am not too excited about the dress, but for now this will do until I find one that I will fall in love with. The former condition of the dress wasn't too flattering. It was big and just was not good. I had to alter it myself, shortened the hem and the sleeves. It feels a little bit weird on the arm area though, but like I said it will do for now.

The back of the dress is shirred, but since the elastic thread was already old, I had to do apply another shirring again so I have more elasticity on the back. That way it fits my body without having to wear a belt. Sorry though I don't have a back picture where you can see what I am talking about.

Cut the hem to shorten it according to my liking, then cut the sleeves short, apply shirring on the back and it is now wearable. I had to cut it a bit short, so it will not drown this short frame of mine, like 4' 9" short. Now you know. Yes, I am not ashamed of that at all. Yaye for short people like me! *wink*

Dress: Vintage Polka Dot for 25cents.

Bag: (old) I bought it from a friend who sells bunch of things. $20ish or $30ish? I don't remember anymore.

Shoes: Ricky blowfish.com

And because I am a mom of two, here goes a photo of me and the little bees. Sorry for the lacking of clothes. Apparently for my kids, clothes are not necessary while at home.