Mr. Sketch....(yummmm)

Favorite new Costco.com find!

I think I need these:



Tell me I'm not the only one who loved these!?!? (and maybe tasted them a time or two)

A

It's Really Just A Gangsta-Wannabe Salutation...

I'm collecting decorative letters so I can eventually have the entire alphabet on a wall in our bonus/playroom.

I keep a list on my phone of what letters I need so when i'm out and about dumpster diving, thrifting, clearance rack perusing or whathaveyou I can quickly see if I need a certain letter or not.

It's not going very quickly.

I'm already imagining the day when I have only two or three letters left and I find a particularly elusive letter. I'll be jumping up and down, pumping my fist and screaming "EEEE!! I found the EEEE!!!" or something equally embarrassing.

Being that it's been awhile and I've only put a fender bender-sized dent in my alphabet-collecting mission I'm needing to do SOMETHING with all these random letters sitting around. So, I just threw em up on the walls in the house.

Yes, I'm having a huge family party here on Sunday and I'm sure I'll get the, "Huh, look at that, there's a huge C on the dining room wall and none of their names start with C. Wonder what THAT'S for?". I'll have to make up something brilliant and wow them when I say it stands for the Spanish verb cocer (to cook) or the four C's of diamond gradation.

Conversation starter? Youbetcha.

Keeps me on my toes as well. Because really, it's going to be a mighty stretch to come up with what V F stands for. Very Friendly? Vocal fatigue (occurs VERY FREQUENTLY in our house).

That's it! Very Frequent Vocal Fatigue. Yup, sounds good to me.

Can you figure this one out?



Spring Break?

Green Beans?

Plant Biology?


Take your pick, I like em all.

And my favorite double grouping of them all:



It's really just a friendly gangsta-wannabe salutation.

And it's always nice to be friendly...

Amanda


***Whatthatyousay? Vintage Dutch Girl has an itty bitty Facebook page? Huh. Interesting.***

Just A Smidgen...

I've been too busy doing important stuff like eating and vacuuming to have time to blog.

Also, I may or may not be suffering from a smidgen of writers block.

Ok, maybe a tad more than a smidgen.

I mean c'mon, do you REALLY want to hear about my new haircut, the Ruffles and Rust show I attended or the number of eye twitches I have? Nah.

Oh wait, I do remember a story to tell yall. A Mama embarrassment story.

Phew! At least I remembered SOMETHING! Will get that one written down soon.

In the meantime, help a girl out and please tell me what you would enjoy hearing me blather on about!?

Cause seriously. I need some inspiration. Don't leave me hanging folksies...

Amanda


***SERIOUSLY? New posts in my Facebook news feed? That's a R.A.D!!! .... A Really Awesome Discovery ***

BACK. IN. STOCK...

SO very excited to have the popular, previously sold out, brown and tan woven plaid infinity scarf BACK IN STOCK:



This scarf was featured in an Etsy Finds Email for gift ideas for men or women and was completely sold out (including backstock!) within three hours of the email being sent out.



With the many many requests of "Are you going to have this scarf back in stock?" still in my convo inbox I was giddy to find more of this FAB fabric today.



I also scored these four previously sold out scarf fabrics! Wahoo, BACK. IN. STOCK.

Large square lumberjack plaid:


Multicolored Argyle flannel:


And multicolored Argyle print on a chocolate brown fleece:


And the fun Sherbet Plaid fleece:


Oh yes, my shopping cart was jammed so full of bolts of fabric I couldn't see over it...and nearly knocked down a few diplays on the trek to the cutting counter. However, it worth the strange looks and raised eyebrows!

Does anyone like Polka dots? Or Houndstooth? How bout versatile black and white? Stay tuned for more springweight infinity loop scarves coming soon...

A

***SERIOUSLY? New posts in my Facebook news feed? That's R.A.D.... A Really Awesome Discovery ***

Jewel Tones...

As a very very dark brunette, my best complimentary colors are those in saturated shades. No light peach for me.

I was browsing online (yes, again. Anything to avoid laundry) and found a few SERIOUSLY drool worthy jewel toned items.

Not a big shock, but I love this deep teal. A great outfit base that you can add funky jewelry, patterned shoes or a sassy cardi or scarf and good to go. I'm thinking tall brown cowboy-esque heeled boots and a wide brown belt - a sexy YEEHAW!!! :

(Modcloth)

A. Dorable and great for those of us are pear shaped. Just needs red high heels:

Yes, you heard what I said. Red and purple? Uh-huh. Be daring.
(Modcloth. Again)

This piece doesn't need an intro:

(Of course, Modcloth)

And lastly, these made me gasp. Out loud. Guess that would be GOL. Yep, I'd wear these sassy red boots to Church, wouldn't you?:

(You should know by now where to find these)

Drooling yet? I am. Cause I can't justify $218.99 on one pair of boots. Y'all know how cheap and thrifty I am. But DANG those boots are cute.

Amanda

***Say WHAT? New posts added to my Facebook activity feed? Shut the front door! ***

Nautical Stripes...

NY Fashion Week showed Nautical inspired wear is back! I LOVE this type of clothing. Simple, clean cut lines, casual yet preppy dresses, All American colors (Red White and Blue!), and STRIPES. I LOVE me some STRIPES. However, you and I both know how stripes can look on a person.

WIDE horizontal stripes across a (*Ahem*Postpartum x2) belly? Forget it.
TINY horizontal stripes?? A bit better.
Vertical stripes? Acceptable.
Cleverly placed slimming asymmetrical stripes? AWESOME! I would classify it as the optimal clothing optical illusion.

Stripe Example #1:


Hello slenderization! The angles will accent your lower ribcage (smallest part of the torso) and the layers across the (*Ahem*Postpartum x2) belly are pure disguising brilliance. Just add cute jeans, a pop of color in accessories, flower pins, or shoes and good to go.

Example #2:

Tiny ticking-esque vertical stripes? Winner! I don't know about you but I LOVE the bow....which makes this skirt: Winner Winner Chicken Dinner.

Example #3:


As the national spokewoman for Females Who Are Pear Shaped (FWAPS!), I heartily recommend this dress. Emphasize the upper twins, de-emphasize the lower twins. YouknowwhatImean.

Example #4:


Same logic as #3. Hello comfortable. Summer chic anyone?

Not on my recommendations list (Horizontal stripes on small fitted shorts? NO) but I have just one question:



Why do her ta-ta's have wings?

Happy stripes shopping!

Amanda

(All clothing from Modcloth.com)

***New blog posts in your facebook feed? Awesomeness.***

Cleaning Counters....

I was all ferklempt because I forgot to put the instructions to Candy Land back in the box before putting it away. The instructions have been sitting on my counter for three days because I kept forgetting about it. I kept moving it to "put this away TODAY" piles on my counters.

Only this morning did I finally realize, "What in God's green earth could go SO wrong that one can't figure out how to play Candy Land?!?"

Recycle bin.

A

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I am SO over Poop...

I am so over poop.

Poop of every brand, variety, scent, breed, classification, pattern, family, genus,
kind, order, set, type, complexion, color, connection, denomination, description, designation, fiber, gender, manner, mold, nature, number, persuasion, stripe, style, temperament, variety, way, cast, character, class, grade, make, quality and/or quantity, sort, species, distinctive label, gradation, grouping, rank or status.

That is all.

A

On Having My Parenting Skills Judged...

As a Mother I am judged every time I leave our house. Especially being that I have two extremely busy, inquisitive, strong-willed, extrovert children who are not in the least shy.

You've seen the look: Pursed lips, furrowed brow, sidelong glances.

My heart rate goes up and my palms sweat as I valiantly try to quickly and quietly (er, not TOO quietly) make my children appear like little angelic offspring. I care way too much what others think.

My kiddos were running around like uncontrollable banshees in our local thrift store yesterday morning. As I was struggling to corral them an older woman came up to me and said, "You are a great Mom. You are doing a GREAT job." To have that little bit of mercy shown during a particularly trying Mommy moment was a ray of sunshine through the storm clouds.

Fighting the demons in our heads that whisper "You are failing as a Mother, you aren't doing enough, you are worthless" is a monumental task. Only with Jesus.

Lord, bind those demons, shackle their powers. Have mercy on all of us today. Let all of us struggling Mama's be a light that shines for YOU through to our children.

Let the importance of what YOU think of us as Mothers take precedence in our thoughts.

Not what strangers think of us.
Not what our "friends" think of us.
Not what our neighbors think of us.
Not what our relatives think of us.
Not what our Facebook friends think of us.
Not what other parents think of us.
Not what our community thinks of us.

Nothing matters but to please YOU Lord. Help us be Godly Mothers today. Be our ray of sunshine through the stormy skies of Motherhood so we can shine Your love and grace on our children.

Amanda

Changing Lives, One Flat Iron At A Time...

Raise your hand if you own a flat iron/hair straightener.

Raise you other hand if your flat iron has so much baked on hair stylin' crud you are embarrased to call it yours.

Dont'cha just hate it when your hair straightener shreds and damages your hair? Me too. I have a good four years of hair junk built up on it. So much junk that I was shopping for the best deal on CHI flatirons. Cause they are the best...and I have LOVED my Chi. Until the baked on crud started to affect my mental state.

Girlfriends, I'm about to change your life.

I googled every possible way to safely clean your ceramic flatiron.

So far over the past few months I've tried:

* Washcloth with water and scrubbing flat iron while hot. Lots of steam but no crud-clearing.
* Washcloth with hand soap and water- nada
* Washcloth with shampoo and water-mininal help. My fingers cramped up after a 1/2 hour.
* Qtip with rubbing alcohol- nada
* Qtip with non acetone nail polish remover- nada
* Picking off junk with my fingernail - some help but I put a tiny chip in one section of the ceramic plates - Not good. Not recommended.
* Yelling - nada...but I swear that thing smirked at me.
* Smashing again the counter - once again, not recommended

I'm lying in bed trying to fall asleep and I get one of those bright shiny light bulb AHA! moments. Lay in bed, try to ignore the brilliance of the idea and fall asleep. After all, it IS after midnight and the kids will be up poking my eyeballs at 6 AM.

Doesn't work. Mind is whirling.

Finally sneak outta bed and try my idea out.

Schneikees it WORKS! My going on FOUR year old CHI looks brand-spankin NEW. No joke.

(Well, except for that little aforementioned chip I inflicted.)

Any guesses to what I did?

Two words:

MAGIC ERASER.

Thank you, Mr. Clean, for once again bringing your A game to the VintageDutchGirl household. Extremely pleased with eraser performance and will definitely be using again in the near future. Thank you for not damaging my wonderful Chi flat iron in the cleaning process.

Only problem is, it's 1 AM and no one to call and celebrate with. Ah well, that's what a BLOG is for, right?! To take one simple little thing and turn it into a full blown conversation.

Alrighty ladies, get scrubbin those flat-irons! Let me know if it worked for ya!

Off to find warm milk and maybe some soothing, sleep inducing chocolate chip cookies...

A


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*I have been in no way endorsed or compensated for this post by Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Which is too bad, because I'd make an EXCELLENT spokeswoman. I have LOTS to clean*

Frozen Pink Pants...

It's been super rainy and dreary here. No snow for us.

I can't imagine what would happen if this much rain would have been SNOW. We'd be buried. It would be AWESOME. Lots of tomato soup and hot chocolate, reading by the fireplace, losing Lil Chick in the drifts and making a 14 foot tall snowman. Or snowlady. We're an equal opportunity snowperson building household.

The kiddos have been braving the drizzle and playing outside. Of course, I strip em down to their skivies out on the porch before allowing them reentrance into the house.

Too bad I forgot about Lil Chick's pink fleece pants out there. Fast forward a few days and some cold weather and you have pink fleece pants FROZEN to the deck. SO charming.

Next I left their shoes out. Once again, drenched in rain then FROZEN to the deck. Good thing I buy el cheapo shoes.

So much for the predicted horrendously snowy and freezing winter. Meh.

As for the rest of you who are buried in snowdrifts, what do you do to stay warm? Tomato soup and hot chocolate like we do? Fess us, I KNOW some of you are wearing a snuggie right now!

Spill it...

A

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Don't Assume ANYTHING. It Makes An......

First of all, you need to understand some things about me.

1. I don't pay full price. On anything.

2. I don't like to spend money on kiddos clothing.

3. I'd MUCH rather make Lil Chick a dress instead of spending $$ on one.

So, now that you know those few tidbits, I can continue.

OK, so this Mama had a major "I'm overwhelmed and underappreciated" freak out moment Sunday night...which was promtply addressed and rectified with a Mama only shopping trip Monday afternoon and evening.

It was GLORIOUS! Not to just push a shopping cart without being kicked in the stomach by a 4 yr old but to not have to keep track of two littles. Muchly rejuvinating!

Anywho, so I'm a shoppin and I see this adorable dress at Old Navy that would look superduper cute on Lil Chick:




Of course, the first thing I thought was, "hey, I could make something JUST like this with my extra pink tulle and her tshirt I have at home" but I decided to just go ahead and splurge.

It was full price.

There were NO coupons.

I bought it anyways. I was SO excited!

And sure enough, it looked ADORABLE on her! She twirled and smiled saying, "I pretty I pretty!" (seriously, WHERE do these little girls learn this stuff? I sure didn't teach her to do that)

And it stayed cute the entire 15 hours we owned it.

This is what it looks like now:



Every single arrow points to a splotch of dried on nail polish in hues of dark blue, red and pink. I didn't even bother pointing out all the clear nail polish. It was EVERYWHERE....believe me, the entire bottle was used up.

Oh yes, they didn't just ruin a brand new dress, they also did this:


(sorry for the blurryness....that woman never sits still)

(Looks awash in guilt, huh? Completely unrepentant.)

What you can't see is that Lil Chick is wearing FOUNDATION. Oh yes, my two year old is wearing a full layer of base makeup. Apparently Bubbalu has watched me get ready a few too many times. He's taking notes and practicing on Lil Chick.

I was less than gentle as I scrubbed the polish off with remover....and then had to quickly do a full body shower scrubdown to get the polish remover off their delicate skin.

Whattya know, we only had lukewarm coldish water today! ;)

They are BOTH currently napping...it's a first of Febuary miracle!

What ran through my mind not three hours ago, "huh, I haven't blogged in awhile, what the world am I going to write about???"

Ask and you shall receive...

A


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