preserving the little...and documenting the growing...part two

More ways to preserve the little bits...but first we got some very happy mail yesterday. :) Included in a fabulous box of goodies was a new little friend for Moses...who he immediately adopted. :) How *cute* is that boy!!?? :)

One of my etsy/blog reader friends was ever so kind enough to surprise me yesterday with this amazing box of goodies...some for me and some for the new little guy on the way. :) Some sweet onesies, a paci pod...an entire cookbook of crock pot recipes and some super YUMMY Blondie brownies. :) You were right Julie...they were VERY tasty warmed up with some milk. :) Thank you so much sweet friend for thinking of me...it was definitely a bright spot in my day and Moses' too. :) Is the blog/etsy world amazing or what?

So ever since doing THIS craft from a few posts back I have been hanging onto the card stock hand print cutout of Moses' that I had...then yesterday it hit me what else I could do with it! :) Say hello to an easy keepsake! :)

I just traced the hand print onto the back of the fabric that I wanted to use...I made a left and a right out of the same hand print. :)

Then after you cut out the hands you stitch them onto a towel with a zig zag stitch...go all the way around sticking to the edge of the cutout...

Then add some coordinating ribbon/trim...if these were a girls hand prints I would have added little hearts to the center of the hands...I'll put Moses initials and age on the tag with permanent marker. :) You still have time to make these for all the grandma's out there for Valentines day...or Mother's day! :)

Next...Doug made one of these for Baby A the other day...we had already made one for Moses when he was born. It's a portable...funky and fun growth chart! :) We have one for each boy so that they can take them with them when they have their own families and measure their own kids on them one day! :)

We just bought a one by four from Lowe's...six wooden rulers and some screws...lined up the rulers and attached them with the screws. :) I love that wherever we go in life we can take them...you can't do that with a permanent doorway.
And here is a peek at the next house pillow to go in the shop...look for it tonight or tomorrow. :)

Hope your day is great...looking forward to a good nap today! :)
xoxo

the weekend...

This is my favorite position and place at the moment...a close second is behind my sewing machine...I am wondering if my couch will recover as quickly as I do? If you look closely you can see the muffin tops over my socks...that's attractive right? :)

Speaking of my second favorite place to sit...I started making these this weekend too...love to pile on the goodies and see how it takes shape...looks almost too cute on my couch to give up...but it's in the shop now if you must... :)

This weekend a friend of mine sent me a sweet diaper cake for the baby! :) How fun is this? I LOVE Burt's products...one of the few things I asked Doug to buy me for Christmas. :) So my friend, Leah owns a fabulous business called Diaper Cakewalk...she did an amazing job on this sweet number...Moses actually carried it around the house for a while and it never fell apart...

It was chock full of goodies and made with Pampers swaddlers...our favorite diaper! :) I will have to keep her in mind for future mama's to be because I think they make an awesome gift AND they survived a toddler testing it out!! :) Flowers can't do that, right? Plus, she is a stay at home mama to two sweet girls...and you know I love to support other moms...go check her out. :)

All in all a nice quiet weekend...just how we like it...just doing what we do. :) I have every intention of "working" right up until the baby comes...that is just how I am...it would be so like me to stop by the post office one more time on the way to the hospital. :) That is how it was with Moses...worked with several clients the day before he was born. :) People are often asking me if I am super busy getting ready for the baby...hmmm not so much really. His room is ready...diapers are stocked...house is clean...laundry is caught up...we are just waiting for him to come along...living life until he gets here.

I was also that nerd in college that had all my papers and projects done and turned in halfway through the semester...so there is that...if there is something to be done I like to have it done already so I don't lose sleep over it...because I totally would. :)

What can we get accomplished today?

xoxo

apparently I love me some me.

At least that is what my husband is claiming...he says when I make something that I think is really cute...that I get a little arrogant or full of myself about it...I think arrogant is a strong word...I think giddy is more appropriate. I just get so tickled and thrilled when I make something that I see as wonderful...if others like it too then that is just bonus to me. :)
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Giddy is what my new couch pillow covers make me feel...

The fabric makes me SO happy...polka dots---YUM!!!

I made them during Moses' extra long nap yesterday...no pattern other than tracing the current pillow cover...I made them pocket style with Velcro...

...took my time and added some finishing details to make them look like a someone who knew what they were doing made them. :)

LOVE the red/pink color with my wall color. :)
The print in the frame behind the couch is from HERE. Love that too. :)

Have some great ideas for house shaped pillows in my head...love that...I have a precious son...love him...I have a hardworking husband...love him, too. I have a kickboxing ninja living in my womb...love him. I have a Jesus that makes it all possible...really Love Him.

and yes...on occasion, I do love me some me. ;) Shouldn't we all love ourselves some us?

~*~*~

I know I owe you some more answers to the questions from the giveaway...I am just waiting on the mood to strike me just right. :)

why NOT to say things out loud...

So say you are at MOPS...eating a tasty (5x the normal size) breakfast...sipping your sweet tea...telling your friend what a dream it has been to transition Moses to a toddler bed. And it has been...no trouble whatsoever. Night time is good...naps are good. No complaints here.

But I said it all out loud. To someone outside of Doug or family. What was I thinking? Might as well have done myself in right there. Should have known I was in for it...

One nice advantage we (adults) have over toddlers is that we know that sound travels. They don't. So while Moses was supposed to be settling in for his nap, I hear noises over the monitor that assure me that is not what is happening.

I go in to find him out of his bed...not so bad in and of itself...but the twin bed in his room...along with his comforters, a book or two, blankets and Doggy (his bff) are CoVeReD in bum cream. Yep. I put him back in his toddler bed(with his chin quivering), scoop up all of the covered goods and leave the room...the wailing for Doggy begins...ugh. At the end of his rest time (because he didn't nap a wink) I went to go get him...his little toddler brain was intuitive enough to pretend to be asleep!!!! When he "wakes" up he says to me "naughty", with the above look on his face. Yep.

And just so you know...it takes 2 runs through the wash and LOTS of dish soap and hot water to get bum cream out of a stuffed animal...and only two runs through the wash to get it out of everything else.

He knew he was naughty, too...cause he spent the rest of the day trying to make it up to me...being silly...telling "jokes"...being cuddly and sweet...It's a good thing this boy is cute...and that he knows it...and knows how to use it...I mean, who can stay mad at that face?
And I am steadily running out of lap and lung capacity. 37 weeks today!!!! I could cry and laugh all at the same time...and apparently I look very tired...at least that is what the general public feels the need to tell me repeatedly...thus the photos of my belly and not my face. :)

preserving the little...and documenting the growing...

...yet another cute little project that I found somewhere...actually the idea was much more simple than I have made it here but I like this one much better. :) I wish I has been able to start this sooner but honestly, Moses has never let me trace his hand until just recently. :)

...so the idea is...every year around the same time you trace your child's hand...next year when I trace Moses' hand I will cut it out of a different pattern of paper than this top layer...then gently pull up the layer shown here...place the new (bigger by a year) layer underneath(matching up the bottom of the palms) with double stick tape or something similar and then place both together back onto the green background (using something less permanent and easy to pull up every year). :)

...I then attached a little tag with Moses' initials, the month and year...eventually the effect will be like rings in a tree...each year's hand/layer will be a little bigger...make sense at all?
The original idea I read about was to take a piece of paper and trace the hand once a year and frame that piece of paper...that's cute too but I just love the color and depth of doing it this way.

I also thought it would be cute if you traced each family members hands, cut them out of different papers and layered them from little (on top) to big (on the bottom). :)

xoxo

today...

...we got more snow!! and for real this time...sort of. :) And Moses was lucky enough to have daddy around today to really play with him in it. :)

He loved it once again...

...but I think he loved it even more because his daddy was around...he calls daddy his "bess buuudy" aka best buddy. :) Man, I love these guys! :)

...pure cute...if I do say so myself. :)

...in project world...I made these for my boys today. :) I love the sound of that by the way..."my boys". :) Moses has had "blue blankey" since birth...we bought A one just like it...it is THE perfect swaddle (aka baby burrito) blanket. :) And once again I prove that I cannot stop putting initials onto things. :) I also made a couple of other things this morning but they are gifts and I know the recipients read this. :)

I also made this bit of heaven that I stole from Julie...OH man...this is good stuff...and SUPER easy...and good for you...except the brown sugar, butter and chocolate chips. :)

Here is how you make it...(I stole Julies directions word for word. Thanks Julie!)

~*~

Fill a cookie sheet with saltines.

Melt one stick of butter in pan.

Add one cup of brown sugar.

Stir until slightly caramelized.

Pour over saltines and spread evenly.

Cook at 350 for 5 minutes.

Take out of oven and pour entire bag of chocolate chips on top. (I used the mini ones).

As soon as chocolate chips melt, spread them evenly over entire pan.

Stick in fridge to set. (I allowed it to cool to room temp first).

Break or cut into pieces.
YUM!!! :) A perfect little treat! :)
~*~
Here are a couple more questions answered:

*How long have I been sewing? Uh...just since last spring really. :) I used to have a not so great machine that made it really frustrating to learn...then it finally just died on me. Then my honey bought me a Husqvarna Emerald 116 and it has been love ever since. :) Her name is Ethel. :) I don't think you have to spend a fortune to get a good machine but I DO think you should spend a little more to ensure that you get something that is easy to use and good quality. A poor quality machine will just leave you frustrated. I taught myself everything I know...I tend to be a visual learner so I enjoy looking at something to try to figure out how it goes together rather than following a pattern and learning how someone else did it.
~*~
Sleep sacks? Go HERE. They are the best...keeps babies and toddlers warm AND one less thing to worry about. :)
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Do I keep a running idea list? Sort of but only in my head. :) I try to make paper lists but that never seems to work for me. :)
~*~
Where do I get most of my fabric? Etsy of course! :) LOVE me some Etsy.
~*~
My camera? Nikon D40x...also a gift from my honey. :) LOVE it!! :)

Ok, enough about me for today...hope your day is great!! :)

Here's to a pants off-dance off kind of day!! :)

...if you are two that is...otherwise it's probably not as appropriate! :)
xoxo

a winnner!!! and some answers...

First, I have to admit that I cannot stop putting initials onto things...I made these towels for my bathroom the other day. :)
Secondly, all of you...get those sewing machines OUT of the boxes and OUT of the closets!!!! Start with sewing straight lines and go from there. :) You can do it.

And now, I will do my best to answer some of the great questions you guys had... :)

1. All time favorite crafts? Anything easy and uncomplicated...I hate patterns or projects that take weeks or months to make...I like to see results yesterday! That is what keeps me motivated and keeps my craftiness going. :)

2. Do I put my sewing machine away after I am done using it? Umm...let's see...my husband says it's not a family dinner unless she is at the table. So, no, I don't put it away often...usually just when I need a break from sewing or we have people coming to dinner. :) Otherwise she lives right there on the dining room table. :)
3. Am I ready for the baby? As much as one can be I guess...I don't have too many things I am dying to get done before the baby comes but I probably should pack a hospital bag soon...and do some grocery shopping. :) Oh and I still need to get some goodies for Moses to get from his new little brother when he comes to the hospital to see him for the first time. :)
4. What does Doug do? My wonderful honey is an executive at Target. :) He is also a great daddy and really handsome to boot. :)
5. What do I want to try next? Hmmm....there is always something...right now I have some new fabric (above)sitting in the sewing basket to make some yummy covers for my couch throw pillows.
6. Creative inspiration? Jesus...Moses...Doug...wanting to make things for family...being a little cheap and not wanting to pay for something that I think I can make and love more. :)
7. Do we plan to home school? Probably not. I just don't think that I am made that way. :) We would love to find a good Christian private school but it will all depend on where we are in the world when the boys start school...and there is something to be said about teaching your kids to be a light for Jesus in a public school. :)

Ok...think I will stop there for now...I will try to finish up the rest of the questions throughout the week though so stay tuned! :)

The winner of the fabulous loot(via random.org) is Tammi!! :) Tammi...contact me via Etsy to give me your address and I will get all those goodies out to you!! :) And Tammi...go update that blog girl! :)

And last but not least...

Just because you are all the best blog readers ever...I thought I would let you know that I will be having a sale in the shop...for the rest of the world it will start some time tomorrow...but for the readers of this blog it starts right now...it's called the

"Make Room For Baby Sale!!!" and it is good for 25% off of your entire order!!! :)

Does not include shipping or custom orders...to take advantage of the sale you MUST put "blog reader" in the notes to seller and WAIT for a revised invoice before you pay! :)
This will be the last sale that I have before I close up shop for a bit. :)

Happy Shopping! :)
xoxo

closer to big.

So you see this cute kid here? Up until just a couple of days ago he was my baby (always will be but shhhh). He slept each and every night and nap in his crib...unable to escape...mostly because he still sleeps in a sleep sack (LOVE them). I left him with his daddy during his nap time to go run a couple of errands...and I get a call from Doug. "It's happened", he says. Moses has learned how to get out of his crib and when Doug went to go get him from his "nap" he was happily roaming his room...playing with all of his toys...

This is how Doug found him...wearing his shoes on top of his sleep sack (which is covered in yellow chalk because he was playing on his train table/chalkboard)...just look at that smug look on his face... :) When I got home we went up to his room...Doug picked Moses up, put him in the crib and told Moses to show daddy how he got out of the crib. And without ANY hesitation...he boosted himself up on the crib side and did a front FLIP out of the crib!!! We knew it was time...

And now my baby sleeps in a toddler bed...eventually we will move him to the single bed but my mommy heart could only take so much in a day without crying. It is SO sad to me. And the transition was like a dream...he was SO excited to sleep in the big boy bed that he didn't want us to read to him that night...he wanted to go to bed already...I was also needlessly stressed about naptime the next day and we had zero trouble then, too. This kid is such a blessing...I can't beleive it sometimes. This proves once again to Doug and I that the more we let him do things on his own time...and not ours...the easier life is for everyone involved...more of that in another post...

It's a good thing that Doug and I already have another baby in the works...this cutie arrived from April the other day....a sweet reminder for baby A's room...

...This cute shirt along with...

...this (the banner) from Julie...arrived as well. Love that she matched the papers I used in his initials. :)

And a couple more sweet little goodies from another bloggy/etsy friend Trish. :) Thank you ALL sweet friends!! :) You are some of the best bloggy neighbors a girl could ask for and I LOVE all that you sent. :)

And just because I can...

I loved this sweet little deer so much that he needed to be on a towel...with white pom poms to boot...SO cute!! These are both in the shop.

Hope you are enjoying a fine and fabulous weekend...don't forget to enter the giveaway below. :)

I am off to check off some things on my to do list. :)

xoxo

a tasty morsel...

just some peeks at my latest projects...I could nibble this cute onesie...this one is for the shop but there will be one for baby A. :)

...these just make me happy...

...just the cutest shirt for a custom order...I can make one for you if you let me know quick...the shirt is from Target and you never know how long they will be available...

...this sweet "C" onesie for another custom order...I just adore custom orders...but I think many of my usual custom order folks are avoiding me in my condition... :) Don't hesitate to ask me...a girl has to keep busy. :)

...and above is a peek at the some of the giveaway planned for tomorrow...until then...I am dying to know what you are trying NOT to buy on Etsy...but really really want to...

Here are one of my many...let's see yours. :)

xoxo