Mery Christmas!

It's been an incredibly busy last two months at the Petit Cardinal Rouge household.

But now the tree is trimmed.



The children's crafts are hung.



My favorite one from Lola... she insisted he needed lots of eyes :)

And the treats are made.

Bring it on Santa, we're ready! I wish all a very Merry Christmas!

Tuque Time

It is freezing out this morning! There was frost on the roofs and our breaths released big white puffs into the cold morning air.  I'm so not ready for winter.

I knit Charlie a balaclava to wear to school.  I love how practical it is because it's like a tuque and scarf in one.  He can wear it different ways, depending how cold it is.

Don't you love those big brown eyes? 



Of course, his favorite way to wear it. Boys.



pattern: wee-balaclava

raveled here.

have a great weekend!Thanks for reading! (and keep warm! :)

Kale chips... really?

I just had to try baking a batch of kale chips since some claim they taste like potato chips. Well, I don't know if it was the cook (likely) or the fact that they are kale but they were not a hit here.  I felt I was eating papery dried herbs.  My assistant had lots of fun though.


Kale washed and ripped into pieces



Smells good!



The chips are in there!



Done

At least they looked good. I'm tempted to try again with a different kind of kale and using olive oil instead of cooking spray.  Any recipes to recommend? 

Organizing Kids Clothes - Storage

As I've mentioned before, I love hand-me downs when it comes to kids' clothes.  I will happily take any clothes your children have outgrown, if you have any, please send them this way! : )  But seriously, I have been lucky to swap my boy's clothes for girl's clothes with a friend.  I also am given some items from friends and family every once in a while.  What to do with it all so I can actually find it easily when I need it?

First step, sort by gender and size. I don't sort by season or type of item since it then becomes too complicated to manage and requires multiple bins. Simple is best. It doesn't matter to me if there are shorts and winter coats together. 

Next, label the box.  I love reusing my old diaper boxes since they are sturdy, have handles and I can write the gender and size directly on the box.

Finally, have a designated spot for each child's clothes.  I now keep Charlie's too big items in bins under his bed.  It's tidy, hidden away and his clothes are there in his room when I need them. 

Lola is still in her crib so I keep a few boxes of upcoming sizes on the top shelves of her closet.  The rest goes into our tiny storage room downstairs. Do I ever miss my huge walk in closets (yes, plural) from our previous home. Even the home office had a walk-in! Sigh!

I'm always open to new ideas and suggestions.  What works for you?

Does this happen to anyone else?

I'm working on a Christmas skirt for Lola (yes, I said Christmas... groan) and needed some red thread. So I made a quick stop at the sewing store for this:

Since Charlie was with me, I only took a minute to poke through the remnants bins.  Looks what came home with me:

How comes it all coordinates?  Last time this happened, all my fabrics were grey. Does this happen to anyone else?

Weird.

Apple Picking

We have a tradition of going apple picking as a family every year.  We almost missed out this year since we've been so busy.  We finally had the chance to go yesterday.  The trees were pretty bare and the apples were far from perfect but they taste amazing, the weather was gorgeous and we had fun.

Thanks for reading!

Organizing Kids Clothes for School

For me, the key to keeping organized is good planning and everything having it's own place. I used to find the childrens' clothes a nightmare.  Clothes for different seasons, clothes that's too big, too small, boy's clothes, girl's clothes, good clothes, play clothes... too much to keep track of! I'll share in a few upcoming posts how I learnt to simplify and organize it all. An save my sanity.

Today, let's tackle clothes for school. Have you seen those collapsible sweater holders that Velcro onto a closet rod?  I picked one up last year and it was the best 7$ I ever spent. Seriously. Check out Charlie's closet.

He wears a uniform to school, but this would work for any child... or me for that matter.  When I put away laundry, I simply toss a pair of socks, underwear, pants and shirt in each cubbie, one for each day of the week.  I keep his out of season uniforms in the top spot. 

At a glance, I can see if he has clean clothes for school.  The best part is Charlie can dress himself every morning, no fuss, no panic.  He knows Monday is the bottom cubbie and to work his way up from there. You could add the days of the week to the shelves to get the kiddos used to seeing and reading them. Educational and oh so useful at 6:30 in the morning!

Underneath the organizer, I keep a large box for outgrown clothes. As soon as I notice something no longer fits, I can toss it into the box in his closet.  When it's full, I simply pack it up and store it or pass it on. It's already clean and organised by gender and size. Simple and easy since it's all right there in a logical spot when I need it. No more piles in my room or in the laundry room waiting to be put away!
Thanks for reading!

Mmm... cake!

I was the lucky recipient of this birthday cake... mmm.

Talk about a sugar rush!  I forced my hubby to make it for me. Chocolate cake, chocolate icing, Kitkat bars around the sides and Smarties on top. 

It was easy to make and I knew the kids would love it.  I saw a similar one online over the summer so the idea wasn't my own. I can't seem to find the link, I'll add it if I do.

Yum! Thanks Marc!

Pinterest

I have been putting off joining Pinterest because, really, do I need to spend more time online?  I finally gave in and I'm in love (sorry hon, you've got competition!)

Pinterest is basically a series of bulletin boards you create where you can pin and categorize any picture you find online. This sure appeals to my Virgo tendencies.  I love it because I can save any tutorial, pattern or recipe I find online on a specific board with a picture, and it is linked to the original post or site. I can now find what I'm looking for in mere seconds. Fabulous!



a view of my vintage sheet board

  I've added the "follow me on Pinterest" button on my sidebar.  Please take a minute to check it out. It's really a great site if you like to save recipes or any pictures online. It is, however, quite addictive. Just a warning.


Two of my boards... I can't wait to finish our mudroom!

 I'm off to do some pinning!
Thanks for reading!

Yellow and Orange Vintage Sheet Skirt

I snuck in a bit of sewing time a few days ago.  I have been doing some sewing in the last few weeks, but it has been items that had to be done, such as hemming and repairs. Not the fun stuff. This time, I wanted to make something beautiful and creative. I love how it turned out.

I tried French seams for the fist time. Love! much neater than my regular zigzag finish.

Narrow hem on the yellow fabric, selvage for the vintage sheet.

I tried a different kind of elastic. I like the waistband much better.

I really love this skirt.
Thanks for reading!

A few great thrifting finds

I haven't had much time for thrifting with both kids at home this summer.  I did find a few beautiful sheets this week.

Most are already in the shop!
I have a vintage sheet skirt to share with you soon.
Thanks for reading!

On my needles

I've had a few skeins of gorgeous yarn in my stash that I just couldn't say no to at the yarn store... I guess that's why I need to stay out of said yarn stores. :)

Pattern: Baktus scarf with modifications found here.

Yarn:  Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball.  More information can be found in my Ravelry project page here.

I love the stripes and the colours. Just gorgeous. 

Thanks for reading!

Summer Vacation

Summer is just flying by.  I can't believe it's already mid-August.  We've been on holidays and Charlie and Lola are keeping my days filled with playing outside, crafts and visiting friends and family. 

Charlie turned five and the whole family went mini-putting to celebrate.

Marc and I celebrated out 10th wedding anniversary.

We sneaked away for a few days and went to the Laurentians. I even went biking in the mountains. I never ride a bike, I don't even own one. 16k in the mountains was a big deal for me.



This is the only proof I have of going biking... see how there are two bikes? :)

The scenery was gorgeous.



I'll be back soon with some knitting and other projects.

Thanks for reading!