Annaleah's Angle

Bread in a Bread Bag

2012-02-02T14:15:00.000-08:00

I recently started making this bread for sandwiches. I have a hard time eating 100% whole wheat bread, which is often so dense, but since this is half whole wheat, I feel that is a good compromise. And it is delicious! I recently made this bread bag, as well. I have been trying to stay away from plastic in my kitchen, so making one of these has been on my to-do list for a while. I am pleased with how well it has been working. Mostly I've used it with this bread, which stays soft and fresh for about 2 days in there. By the third day (which is usually when we finish it), it has started getting slightly hard, but it still works great for toast or eggs-in-a-frame. I made a simple two-layer drawstring bag, with both layers being a tightly woven cotton.

My First "Real" Quilt

2012-01-22T08:22:00.000-08:00

I am so behind on blogging that I am just now getting around to posting on this project, which I finished back in October. This quilt was Benjamin's birthday present, and with our chilly winter, I am so glad he has it! This was my first bed-sized quilt, and the only thing bigger than a wall-hanging that I have quilted. I machine quilted it, which actually went a lot better than I had anticipated. I used Warm & Natural batting, which is denser and thinner than polyester, and that worked beautifully. After using this, I can never use polyester again! I am so pleased with how it turned out - I can't wait to get started on one for Joanna! Someday I would love to do a big, hand-quilted quilt, but because that would probably take me years, I think I'll stick to the quicker machine for now. =)

This is the how the whole thing looks. It's definitely a bit big for Benjamin's toddler bed; we have it folded in half so it fits. But I guess he's warmer that way!

Mock Caramel Corn

2012-01-12T20:16:00.000-08:00

Popcorn is our usual afternoon snack around here, as it fits all my qualifications: cheap, easy and relatively healthy. I love using our hot air popper, and I usually drizzle on some butter or coconut oil. Sometimes, though, when we're in a sweet mood, I like to change it up a little and make what Benjamin calls "different popcorn". I melt about 2 Tbsp. butter and 1/4 cup brown sugar together and then mix it up with the popcorn. Super easy and almost as good as the real thing!

No popcorn for him, but I loved the look on his face as he works on mastering his newly-acquired Cheerio-eating skills.

The Anatomy of a House Sweater

2012-01-12T20:11:00.000-08:00

1. Cute - Much better than a sloppy sweatshirt!

2. Heavier-Weight - To stay warm on chilly days.

3. Soft - So you want to wear it (and so the baby is happy to cuddle up).

4. Button-Up Front - The choice between leaving it open or buttoning it up to stay warmer.

5. Pockets - To have a tissue always at the ready for those little noses.

6. 3/4 length sleeves - They stay out of the way without having to constantly be pushed up.

Seth gave me this sweater for Christmas - since our house is a bit on the cool side and I wanted an alternative to sweatshirts. I have hardly taken it off since! He had trouble finding one with 3/4 length sleeves, which was my main requirement, but we found this one at Old Navy.

The Start of a New Year

2012-01-12T20:02:00.000-08:00

Seth had some time off around Christmas and New Years, and we had a wonderful and relaxing holiday. We had lots of fun with the kids and family at Christmas, and we were able to spend some of his off time doing some little projects around the house. Things like finishing the touch-up painting in the living room, getting some curtains up in our bedroom, finally hanging some pictures, and organizing the office. Those little things feel so good to get done!

Our new year started off well with an awesome deal on a big dining table. Our little table just wasn't really cutting it any more, especially when people had dinner with us. My mom spotted this table at the thrift store, and with their half-off sale, the table with six chairs was just $100! It's in good shape, sturdy, and we are loving it! We have it set up to fit 8, but we also have an extra leaf we can pull out if we need it. I feel like we have a "real" table now, which seems funny to me, because I never felt like we didn't before.

I'm looking forward to a new year! Although I don't expect it to be quite as crazy as last year, it certainly won't be dull! Three kids keep us plenty busy, and adding on to that Seth's school and a house that needs work inside and out, I expect this year will go by pretty quickly as well!

Happy New Year!

A few of my favorite (house) things...

2011-12-17T16:43:00.001-08:00

We are very happy with our new home. I love that it is old and has all the charm and details of an old home! A few of my favorite features:

Lots of cupboards means that I can have one dedicated to just jars! I love opening this up to get one out!

This little corner cupboard is in the dining room and is just darling. I want to add some more shelves, and then it will be really handy.

Our house has two French doors - the front door and then this one off the kitchen leading to the laundry room. They are so pretty!

Settling in (and some Improving)

2011-12-08T15:21:00.000-08:00

We've mostly settled in, although I still need to hang things on the walls and finish organizing a couple of rooms. We've been able to do some small improvements - I am continually re-amazed at how much of a difference cleaning, painting, and removing or replacing (small) things can make! I was really bad at taking before pictures, since we were so focused on doing things, but I did get a couple (although they are mostly in-progress pictures).

The living room - this room we painted, and I love the cheery yellow (it was a dirty, dingy white)

The kitchen - this is my favorite room in the house, which is funny because when I first saw the pictures of this house online during our hunt, the pictures of the kitchen made me cringe. We removed the doors on some of the cupboards and I am loving the open shelves! I also replaced the foil-covered burner pans on the stove and I feel like I have a whole new stove!

Before Pictures:

The dining room had old ugly wallpaper (the sellers also left their huge, heavy treadmill which is still sitting in our garage until we figure out how to get rid of it), which we started removing. The first layer peeled off easily, leaving the lower layer firmly stuck to the wall. I started scraping that off - my plan is to paint the top half of the wall yellow, and the trim blue, but that will happen sometime next year!

Here's what it looks like right now:
My drying rack is also in there right now, which helps with the electric bill! =)

And, on with the tour!

I have to admit that the bathroom isn't my favorite room, probably because it needs the most work. The bathtub and the surrounding tile wall (and the floor, probably) need to be ripped out to fix the water damage behind there. We have a shower curtain covering the falling-off tiles until we can get to it - hopefully sometime this spring/summer.

I do like the linen closet, though. We removed the ugly, plastic, accordian-style door and I'm planning on hanging a cute curtain there.

The bedrooms are small; ours pretty much is what you can see, except for the closet behind the door, and the dresser next to that. Curtains for this room are first on my list, since there are no blinds, and I'd like to replace the black plastic garbage bag we have hanging there right now! =)

The kids' room before:

Dark, ugly paneling - not a very attractive room.

And now:

We painted the paneling, and that made a world of difference! The room is bright and happy now. Red will be the main accent color in their room - I can't wait to get some red curtains at the window for some color! Ezra has just about outgrown his basket, so after Christmas we'll be getting another bed set up for Joanna, and he'll be moving into the playpen.

The laundry room is definitely still in progress. There's a bunch of stuff in it that needs to be moved to the gargage, and I'd like to put up some more shelving. We did remove some built-in shelves to make room for our chest freezer, since I preferred that to not have to be in the garage. I'm loving the new-to-us washer and dryer! The house didn't come with those, and after a few unsuccessful tries at getting some off Craigslist, we were able to find these at a used appliance store.

And last but not least is the office/library/sewing room.
This is technically Seth's office, but my sewing stuff and our books are also in there. This room mostly just needs organization, but Seth also has plans for painting and someday replacing the ugly built-in shelving that is currently there.

That's our house! We are absolutely loving it and are so thankful for it! We do have lots of work to do (we also have to do some electrical and other work), but are very encouraged by the small improvements we've already done. I'm looking forward to the spring, when I can get outside and dig a garden and plant some flowers!

Our House

2011-12-08T15:14:00.000-08:00

Our house was such an unexpected blessing. We had not expected to be able to buy a house for years, mostly because we hadn't realized how low house prices had come, but also because we thought we needed a much bigger down payment than was actually required. Although I wanted my own house eventually, I was fine with renting. Earlier this spring, when we were seriously looking for a bigger apartment, we were frustrated when we couldn't seem to find anything. Several places that looked promising just didn't work out for one reason or another. Then all of a sudden prices went up, and what we needed just wasn't affordable anymore. I knew that God would provide something for us, but I was impatient and anxious when nothing seemed to open up. I had no idea that he wasn't letting us get an apartment because he had a house waiting for us! One day just after Ezra was born, Seth just happened to look at a real estate site and he was amazed when he saw what a monthly mortgage payment would be. Everything followed from there - visiting the bank to find out what we might qualify for, looking at houses. We found one house that we were going to put an offer on, but it went off the market that very day (only to come back on right after having the accepted offer on our house) - can God speak any plainer than that?
Our house was the first house we had seen that fit our needs and seemed to be in pretty good shape. It is an old house, so it does need some work, but it is definitely livable, and everything it needs can be done slowly, as resources (time and money!) become available. We feel so incredibly blessed and are so amazed with all that God has done for us!

Moving, Part 2

2011-11-26T09:30:00.000-08:00

After four long months of waiting, our house finally closed November 3. After the sellers moved out, we spent the first week cleaning, painting, making a few minor improvements, and moved in November 12. We have been busy getting settled and enjoying our little home and I can't wait to share pictures!

Hopefully they will be coming soon! =)

Moving, Part 1

2011-10-18T14:33:00.000-07:00

It's been a while!

This house-buying/moving season has been a crazy whirlwind for us.

First there was the short sale that was taking longer than we were hoping.

Then there was the landlord, who, since he knew we were going to be moving, decided that he wanted to rent out our apartment before he went to Arizona for the winter.

Then there were anxious days, wondering where we were going to live for a couple of months while we waited for our house to close, followed by an answered prayer through some friends at church who needed to rent out their condo.

A huge provision and blessing! Far beyond what we truly needed for our short stay, we have thoroughly enjoyed our two bedrooms, washer and dryer, numerous closets, and lovely back patio area where the kids can get outside often.

Moving day was an eye-opening affair. Seeing the enormous pile that was our belongings was overwhelming. How did we fit all of that into our little apartment? We try to live simply and don't buy a lot but somehow we had amassed a disgusting amount of stuff. We spent quite a bit of time purging, followed by a garage sale that earned a little money to put aside for a larger table, as we are definitely outgrowing ours!

Most of our things have stayed in boxes, since I didn't want to have to pack everything back up again. I have enjoyed having less stuff around and expect that when we unpack everything in our house, I probably will trim down even more!

The short sale on our house was officially approved at the end of September, and we are now in the middle of the loan process, so the plan is that we will be moving again the second weekend of November! We are so excited to be settled in our own house. We have been on an emotional roller coaster ride these past few months but have been blessed and encouraged by God's blessing, provision, and grace that we have experienced. Onward and upward!

Sometimes...

2011-08-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

the best way to be organized is to not be organized at all!

For a long time I thought the best way to organize my plastic lids was to keep them with their corresponding container. That way, they were right where I needed them. But lids are awkward and they were always getting in my way, or falling out of the cupboard, or something. It really wasn't the best way!

Then one day I had a brainstorm. What if I put all my lids in a drawer? They wouldn't be falling out of the cupboards or getting in my way, but I'd always know where they were. I had already packed some kitchen stuff up, so I had an empty drawer. All my lids are in one place, and I just dig around for the one I need. I've been doing this for a couple of months now, and it is one of my most useful organizing ideas ever! It really makes my life a little simpler!

A Busy Month...

2011-08-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

Seth just started his Master's degree, which meant he was gone for 10 days. We're still waiting for approval on the Short Sale house we're trying to buy, but we have to move out of our apartment at the end of the month, which means boxes...everywhere! Life gets crazy sometimes, but we're thankful for a God that always provides, family that is always willing to help, and the fun little things that make every day special!

Like:

Freshly dried lavendar

The start of homemade healing salve (calendula infused oil)

A trip to the zoo

The laughter of children

Lots of love

Projects getting closer to completion!

Around our Home

2011-07-27T13:33:00.000-07:00

We have been enjoying:

Fresh Summer Fruit

Since I rarely buy plastic wrap or foil, I thought I'd try using one of my fabric bowl covers on the watermelon. It worked great - if you go a couple of days without using it, the edges can get a bit dry, but that's not a big deal, and it stays securely on the watermelon, unlike foil!

Playing in the Closet

This makes the perfect little hideaway!

Fresh Sprouts

Using a bowl to prop up the jar is such an obvious solution, I don't know why I hadn't thought of it before!

Ezra's Cute Smiles

That's the best picture I've been able to get so far!

A Trip to the Beach

2011-07-27T13:15:00.001-07:00

I was lucky enough to grow up with grandparents who lived right on the beach. I have so many memories of spending summer days (and days during the rest of the year, too) on their beach. And I want my kids to have some of those memories, too. So Saturday we drove up to visit my grandma and enjoy some time on the beach. Thankfully, it was a beautiful day (rare for us this summer), and the kids had a great time playing outside.

These Days

2011-07-20T06:15:00.000-07:00

When Benjamin was a baby, I remember being a little overwhelmed with taking care of a baby and a home. I just didn't seem to have time to get everything done. I remember mentioning to my mom that I didn't know how people were able to care for a baby and older children - and I especially didn't know how they were able to also do things like crafts!

Thankfully, things have gotten easier since those baby days. Thinking about that, it's kind of funny that I now have a baby, two other children, am usually able to get most of my housework done, and am still often able to work on craft or other projects!

And I'm not trying to say that I have it all together (because I certainly don't), or that we don't have bad days (because we certainly do), but for the most part, our days run relatively smoothly. Somehow new babies just fit into your life (and they're much easier when they're not your first!). Having Joanna, I remember, was a bit of an adjustment as I learned how to take care of more than one child, but since I already have that down, Ezra has just kind of fit right in without too many ripples. I am so thankful for that - another example of the fact that God doesn't give us more than we can handle!

Fresh from the garden...

2011-07-14T20:25:00.000-07:00

The first spring I was married, our apartment had a community garden that I was able to take advantage of to grow some of our own produce. Since then, I have been limited to container gardening on our deck, and it hasn't gone well.

This spring, though, my parents offered my brother (who also lives in a condo) and I garden space in their back yard. We took them up on it, and so this year we have been blessed with our own fresh produce once again!

My two garden spots have done quite well, and several times now we have come home with a heaping bag of lettuce, peas, some spinach, carrots, and even a little broccoli! We only got a little spinach and broccoli because the few really warm days we have had this summer caused both to bolt and go to seed quickly. (On a positive note, broccoli flowers are actually quite pretty and made it into a lovely bouquet I also brought home with me!)

I also have beans, tomatoes, onions, and peppers that are still growing - hopefully those will be fruitful as well!

A project in the works...

2011-07-12T17:07:00.000-07:00

The past several days I've been really wanting to work on a sewing project, so after a trip to the fabric store, I'm finally going to start on a project that's been in my mind for quite a while. In fact, I had originally planned to have Benjamin's quilt finished before Ezra arrived.

I had a design in mind, but just the other day had a brainstorm and changed it, and it will now not only be a lot faster and easier, but I think it will look better, too.

The fabric is all cut out...now I'm anxious to get sewing!

Baby Projects...Revisited

2011-07-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

Before Ezra was born, I had made a few new baby things - things I was anxious to try out once he arrived. Here's how they're working out:

Small Contoured Diapers

Because my regular prefolds had been so large and bulky on Joanna when she was a newborn, I had taken some of my diapers and cut them down into smaller contoured diapers I thought might fit better on a small baby.

These do fit much better - they're not bulky at all - but unfortunately I think that there is not quite enough to them, because they leak pretty badly. However, I do think that the fault might lie more with Ezra than the diapers because I have had a number of leaks even when I use my regular diapers, a problem that was extremely rare with the other kids. I think that he might just be a really heavy wetter. So while the contours fit really nicely, I'm only using them as back-up diapers right now, simply because I prefer a bulky diaper to wet clothes.

Large Swaddling Blanket

I decided not to purchase a $20 swaddling blanket in favor of making my own for just a couple dollars. I am so glad I did! I absolutely love this blanket - it is lightweight yet warm and is the perfect size to get a nice snug swaddle that won't come undone. I think this might be a new go-to for nice but inexpensive baby shower gifts!

Mei Tai

After using this a few times with Joanna on my back and liking it, I was anxious to try this with a new baby. I just have to say - I have finally found a baby carrier that works! I have now used this for a couple hours at a time with no neck or back pain! That is so exciting to me! There is a bit of a learning curve, with the long straps and having to tie everything up, but it's pretty simple once you get the hang of it. It has been great for taking walks or doing some shopping, and it works wonderfully for helping Ezra go back to sleep when he wakes up early from a nap! I am absolutely loving this! I still think I would make the straps a bit narrower if I were to make another one, but the wide straps haven't really bothered me, and overall I am extremely pleased with it!

Potty Treats

2011-07-01T15:07:00.000-07:00

Although Benjamin has been fully potty-trained for a number of months now, sometimes he has a challenging day (or week, or longer), and I've found that bringing back the "potty treats" is the best way to encourage continued success. In fact, sometimes we have a bit too much success - he often goes from seemingly forgetting the potty chair is even there to all of a sudden having to go use it every five minutes. But I suppose doling out a few extra gummy bears is better than having to clean up a few extra messes!

New Uses for Old Shirts

2011-06-27T11:08:00.000-07:00

Usually, when we have a t-shirt that is worn out or just isn't wanted anymore, I cut it up for rags. However, I have found several ways to make even better use of an old t-shirt!

There are lots of tutorials out there showing you how to turn a t-shirt into yoga-type capri pants. I used this tutorial, which was great except for the waistband instructions. I didn't understand what you were supposed to do with the waistband, and ended up finishing it my own way, adding elastic to the waistband so it fit better. I absolutely love these pants! They look better on than they do in the picture, and they are so comfy! Perfect for a lazy summer day.

After I made the black yoga pants, I planned to make another pair from another t-shirt Seth didn't need, but then stumbled across this tutorial for how to make a skirt from a t-shirt, so I thought I'd try that instead. It required me learning a new technique - shirring - which was a lot easier than it looks! I didn't do as many rows of shirring as is instructed in the tutorial, since the skirt was already a bit on the shorter side. The end result is super comfy and pretty cute, too! Definitely something I'll be making again!

Once I'd made my skirt, I followed another tutorial on the same site - for making a bib from the rest of the t-shirt! This was another quick and easy project, and I absolutely love it! This bib covers great and is easy on/off with no snaps or buttons! Even if you don't want to make the skirt, this bib is worth cutting up an old t-shirt for!

While rags are great, I'm thrilled to have some new resourceful ways to use an old t-shirt!

Three Weeks!

2011-06-25T06:54:00.000-07:00

These past three weeks have flown by as we have been settling in, enjoying our sweet little baby, and slowly getting back to doing all of our normal stuff.

The older kids love little Ezra and take any opportunity to snuggle with him!

My little helper!

There is nothing as sweet as a brand new baby to cuddle.

And in the midst of having a new baby and getting back to normal life has been the fun, overwhelming, and crazy busy adventure of house hunting! Somehow, while searching for a new apartment, we came to the realization that we could purchase a house for the same (or less) cost as renting. We found one darling little house that sold just as we went to make an offer, which was very disappointing. So we have to believe that something else is out there for us - and we are hoping (and praying) that we will find it soon!

It's a Boy!!!

2011-06-08T08:03:00.000-07:00

Ezra Dylan arrived early Saturday morning, just 16 minutes after arriving at the birth center! He is a beautiful and healthy little boy. He weighed 7 lbs, 13 oz., and was 20 1/4 inches long.

I had some complications after his birth that resulted in a trip to the ER (in an ambulance!), but we are home now and doing well. We are so thankful we have lots of family around - such a huge blessing that definitely lowered the stress that comes with an unexpected hospital stay!

Benjamin and Joanna spent a few days with grandparents and now that they're home, we're busy adjusting to being a family of five!

A Trip to the Museum

2011-06-03T15:59:00.000-07:00

The first Thursday of the month is a free admission day to our local Natural History Museum, so we decided to check it out last night. Since dinosaurs are popular at our house, the dinosaur skeletons were pretty exciting!

A Shirt for Me

2011-06-03T15:32:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I always seem to have a difficult time finding clothes that fit me well. When I was shopping for a few summer things last year, I found this shirt at Old Navy, and although it was a little more than I typically pay for clothes, I bought it because I liked it.

I am so glad I did! This shirt was a staple in my wardrobe last summer - and will be this year as well. It's really lightweight, so it layered well even in the summer, and it's loose and flowey, which was really nice after having a baby, and was helpful for nursing as well. I wore it a lot last summer, and I was just thinking the other day that it would be nice to have another shirt like it.

(From last summer - I can hardly remember when Joanna was this little)

So, I thought I'd try to make one. I measured the original the best I could (a little difficult because of the gathers), and tried to make one the same size. I did alter the top front of the shirt - straight across instead of a "v" shape - to make it simpler to put together. I used a calico, which is a bit heavier than the material on the original, but I'm hoping it will still have a similar fit and look.

I like the way it turned out - and I'm excited to have a couple of options with this shirt (and at a much cheaper price - mine only cost a couple of dollars for the yard of fabric!).

A little more time...

2011-06-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

With just a couple more days until the baby's due date, it's getting harder and harder for me to be patient - I'm so ready to meet this baby! But since it's not going to come on my schedule, I'm really trying to just savor each day that I have left, to appreciate having just a little more time...

...time to prepare for busy days ahead by making more food to have on hand. Such as the double batch of granola bars in my cupboard, two lasagnas and four jars of strawberry jam in the freezer, and cupboards full of food thanks to my beginning-of-the-month grocery shopping!

...time to do a little summer sewing, such as this light jacket for Joanna - made easy by tracing an existing jacket, and keeping the sleeves attached!

...time to enjoy just a few more days of just having two little people to focus on and care for.

Handmade Home Sewing

2011-05-30T07:06:00.000-07:00

I really hadn't planned on doing any more sewing before the baby came, but after not making anything for a couple of weeks, I was anxious to do something. So a few projects were in order.

All of these patterns came from, or were at least based on, projects in Handmade Home by Amanda Soule, which, after making these things, has officially become my most-used sewing book!

After making some of the hot pads at Christmas time, and keeping one for myself, it has become my all-time favorite pot holder to use. I really wanted to make some more, but since I really didn't need any more pot holders, I resisted...until I remembered that I had a couple that were quite worn out. I decided that by using these old pot holders to make the new ones, I would not only save these ones from the trash, but I'd be able to save the batting for other projects!

I am so excited to have more of these to use - and I love that I was able to use something old to do it!

These are my version of the rag bag - made a little differently from the ones in the book. Hanging from a hook in my linen closet, these look much better than the plastic grocery bags I was using to corral the holey socks and pieces of old t-shirts that I use for messy cleaning jobs.

The Broadturn Bag - I've been wanting to try this pattern for a while, and I like how it turned out. It was a fun change from the typical tote bags I usually make, and I'll be trying it out today when I go grocery shopping!

This project will probably be in the works for a while - the start of a rag rug. I had a couple of old sheets and an old tablecloth to use, and I was about to use scissors to cut them all into strips when I realized that I could tear them instead. That was a huge timesaver! I think these three things might be enough to make a whole rug. Right now I'm in the middle of the long and tedious job of ironing the raw edges in, which is the part that will probably hold me up!

Freezer Food

2011-05-26T15:36:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many times I have been thankful for the little chest freezer we purchased last year. Sitting in our dining area, it might not add to the aesthetics of our home, but it has, many times, made life easier for me and saved us money! I've been filling it up over the last month with food to be used after the baby is born.

I haven't made too many main dishes, but I have lots of partial meals and baked goods made up. With hamburger and hot dog buns, tortillas, English muffins, pizza crusts, cookie dough, muffins and waffles, plus things like black and refried beans, chili, and a few other things, I should be able to keep our meals quick and simple. And I'm very thankful for that!

Simple Syrup

2011-05-26T15:28:00.000-07:00

On a whim, I gave Seth a French press for Christmas, thinking he could make his daily coffee himself, quickly and simply. Thankfully, he loves it and uses it almost every day. We have been buying flavored syrup for his coffee, but then came across this simple recipe for making our own. He likes vanilla flavor, so I added a tablespoon of vanilla extract. Seth says that his coffee tastes just as good as it did with the purchased syrup. I love that it is super quick and easy, all natural (and no corn syrup!), and less expensive. And it always makes me feel so good to be able to make something myself!

Making Room for Baby

2011-05-26T15:07:00.000-07:00

When we found out a few months ago that Seth would be attending grad school nearby, it was our hope to be moved and settled before the baby came. But that hasn't worked out, and though we still plan to move soon, we had to make some room for the baby in the meantime.

I've been doing some purging, organizing, and rearranging. We got rid of the organ that was rarely used, and I made that spot into the kids' play nook. It needs some cute decorations on the wall, but that will probably wait for now. Moving their things means most of the mess is contained to one area, and also gave me a little spot to put the infant seat.

Still waiting for the oven door to go back on - hopefully that will happen later today! =)

I rearranged some of the kids' clothes to make some room for baby clothes, and got the Moses basket all washed up. Fortunately, that's small, so I can easily tuck it just about anywhere - and move it as I need to.

With the bed, clothes, burp rags and diapers all washed up, I think we're ready!

Blessed...

2011-05-19T14:02:00.000-07:00

We were incredibly blessed last night when the home group we've been attending threw a surprise baby shower for me! We've only gone to the home group for a couple of months now, so I wasn't expecting anything like this and was completely blown away!

Seth, who was in on the surprise, was asked for ideas and he told them practical things, and maybe some Seventh Generation diapers.

And practical they were!

They gave us enough diapers and wipes to last about a month (and as much as I love cloth, that will be very helpful), and even some for Joanna! Plus lots of baby shampoo and lotion (I guess hearing Seventh Generation was enough of a hint that I liked natural stuff), laundry detergent, baby toothbrushes, and some fun stuff, too. The Bob Books (pre- and beginning reading books) were bought with all the kids in mind, and Benjamin's already enjoyed looking at some of them with me!

It is wonderful to be surrounded by so many thoughtful and supportive people, and we are so thankful for that!

Around My Home

2011-05-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

In my sewing basket....

Some lovely new fabrics make me want to start some new projects!

On my bookshelf....

New titles I've been perusing...one from the library, one I received for Mother's Day. Both full of inspiration!

On my table....

Mother's Day tulips...I took a departure from my usual arrangement, and am loving the fun look!

In my kitchen....

Fresh yogurt and iced tea...glass jars make everything look better!

Some of the yogurt went to making these orange creamcicles...I didn't use a specific recipe, but instead an idea from my mom and sister.

They were a hit!

In my laundry pile....

I love these fleece sheets...they are so soft and warm, and the kids thought they made a cozy place to play for a few minutes before they made their way back to the bed.

In my arms....

Two (soon to be three) precious little people. I've been thinking lately of the huge privilege (and challenge) I've been entrusted with in raising them!

Fun Easter Eggs!

2011-05-06T22:01:00.000-07:00

I enjoy putting together simple little treats for our families for holidays like Easter. A couple of days before Easter, I came across this fun idea for felt Easter eggs. I loved them! It didn't take long for me to whip up a number of these, including some extras for us! I decorated mine with symbols that reminded me of the real reason for Easter. I love how they turned out, and I plan on expanding our collection next year! Such a fun alternative to plastic eggs!

Balloons!

2011-05-03T13:59:00.001-07:00

Seth came home the other day with a bunch of balloons from work, and the kids wasted no time taking them over as new playthings!

I love Joanna's face here!

A Craft Bazaar!

2011-05-03T13:50:00.000-07:00

Just as I was wishing I had some more sewing projects to work on, I found out my church was going to be putting on a craft bazaar, something I've always wanted to do. I had about three weeks to make some things to sell, which was the perfect amount of time to allow me to make a good number of things without having it hanging over my head for a long time! Having never done anything like this before, I really had no idea what or how much to make, so I just decided to make a a variety of different things and see what happened! Most of the things I made are things that I use and love, which made them even more fun to make and sell!

It was a fairly small-scale bazaar, so I didn't sell tons of things, but I did sell enough to cover my all my supply costs with a little profit, which was my goal! And I still have a big box of things that I'm now trying to decide what to with - gifts, Etsy, a craft fair? It was a fun experience - and very satisfying to actually sell things that I made!

Since I've been sewing pretty much non-stop the last few weeks, I am finally feeling like I have gotten in my sewing fix, and am ready to move on to some other projects - such as getting ready for the baby!

Homemade Toothpaste!

2011-04-28T20:30:00.000-07:00

Homemade toothpaste has been on my "Things to Try" list for a while, so I'm glad I finally did it!

I used this recipe, except that I omitted the stevia. I really like it, although you do have to get used to having no foam. I used the smaller amount of essential oils, and think it has a nice mild flavor. The recipe fit perfectly in a 3 oz. travel squirt bottle, which makes applying it to your toothbrush easy and mess-free!

I liked that the only special thing I had to buy for it was the xylitol, and I now have enough to make quite a bit more. I think that the cost probably works out to be cheaper than the toothpaste I was buying.

A Tree!

2011-04-23T14:41:00.000-07:00

A tree isn't really what you think of when you think of container gardening on an apartment balcony, but when I saw that Lowe's was giving away free trees, I thought it sounded like fun! I suppose it's not really free when you have to buy a pot to put it in, but I'm justifying it since I wanted another wooden container for the balcony anyway! =)

We made a family morning of it by picking up the tree and supplies, then going out for doughnuts!

When we came home Benjamin and Joanna helped me plant it.

Some Crocheting...

2011-04-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

As much as I love handmade items, somehow I've never really liked handmade dish clothes (even though I wanted to). I have always felt they were too bulky to use very effectively. My inexpensive store-bought ones worked much better for me. After nearly five years of use, though, they were starting to get quite worn out and several of them have found their way to my rag pile. I needed some new ones, but hated to have to go buy more. I had some cotton yarn on hand, so I decided to give crocheted dish clothes another chance. I decided to make them smaller than usual, hoping that would cut down on the bulkiness.

They turned out about 6" square, made with a double crochet so they were a looser weave and not too thick.

When I tested the first one...I was pleasantly surprised - I really like it! The smaller size was perfect! Since it was quick to make (perfect for doing while watching a movie), I made a few more, and my dish cloth stash is back to normal size!

New Diaper Covers!

2011-04-07T19:38:00.000-07:00

I'm a cheap cloth-diaperer. Although there are lots of fancy (and expensive) cloth diapers out there, I stick with the very inexpensive prefolds - and love them! I also use the most inexpensive diaper covers - Gerber plastic pants. They work really well and I really like them, but the plastic they use nowadays is not what it used to be. The large size I purchased for Benjamin barely lasted a year. I managed to patch them together enough to last until he started potty training, but I was going to need to get new ones for Joanna. Because they didn't last as long as I would have liked, I looked into some other options, but I didn't find anything that fit my needs. Then I discovered that my local fabric store carried PUL fabric - so I decided to try making my own! I first tried this pattern, which worked fine, but wasn't quite the fit I wanted. So I ended up cutting open a pair of the Gerber pants and using that for my pattern, which worked beautifully! I purchased the material with a coupon, and made eight covers for about the same cost as the Gerber ones.

I am loving these covers! They fit well, work wonderfully and the fabric feels really nice and soft compared to plastic (and they don't crinkle)! Now I'll just have to wait and see how long they last! =)

More Projects!

2011-04-07T19:21:00.000-07:00

I've come to realize over the past few days that sewing has lately been my version of "nesting". Some women feel the urge to deep clean their home as time for baby draws near; as for me, I've been sewing with a vengence. Despite having plenty that I could (and probably should) be doing, it seems that almost everyday I think of a new little project I just "have" to do! I think it must have something to do with the feeling that I won't have much time for sewing for a while after the baby is born. So, I've managed to squeeze in lots of little projects here and there in my days.

Here's a peek at some of the other projects I've finished:

A large, lightweight swaddling blanket for baby.

A new tote bag; I've been wanting one of these since making one for my sister-in-law last summer!

Two of these changing pads, one for a gift and one to possibly sell....?

Two baby toys/teethers.

And I keep feeling like I need to make something else! =)

New Carrier!

2011-04-01T15:38:00.000-07:00

Although I love the idea having a baby in a carrier, I didn't do it much with either Benjamin or Joanna. I have an older Snugli carrier that hurts my back and neck after about 15 minutes of use, so although I used it some, I often avoided it. I made a sling, which was somewhat useful for a very new baby, or an older baby that could sit up, but it too wasn't comfortable for long, so that didn't see a whole lot of use, either. I typically have just used a stroller with Benjamin and Joanna, which has been fine since we have a double. But I can see myself needing a carrier a lot more with this new baby, as I'm sure much of the time it will still be helpful to have Benjamin in the stroller. But for that to work I needed something that was better at distributing some of the weight off my neck and shoulders.

Everyone raves about Ergo carriers, but the high price tag was prohibitive. When Tammy of Tammy's Recipes mentioned that she liked her handmade Mei Tai carrier just as well as her Ergo, I was instantly intrigued! I did a little research, found a variety of patterns, and tried my hand at it! I ended up using this pattern, which was more involved than some, but I liked the very finished, professional look it had.

For the most part I liked how it turned out. I did think the straps turned out too wide - almost a little overwhelming on me. But I like that it can be used a variety of ways, including on your back, which is how I tested it with Joanna. I haven't really had an opportunity to use it for very long, but I left Joanna in it for a little while, and was pleased with how comfortable it seemed. I do think it will work better than either of the carriers I have now and am looking forward to trying it out more. If I do really like it, I may try making another one, with thinner straps and perhaps with no hood.

Mini Bathroom Makeover!

2011-03-18T11:16:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to do something different with my bathroom decorating for a while. It was just boring and not very attractive. I really wanted to make it a bit more old-fashioned and homey looking. A couple of months ago I replaced a glass shelf I didn't like with this antique crate, which I'm using to hold hand towels, and I love it!

I really wanted to change the purple and blue color scheme, but I couldn't justify buying new towels, since these ones are still perfectly good. I finally thought of adding in more yellow, which is a cheerful color, but it also goes well with purple and blue. I had originally planned to add a few yellow touches to my purple and blue bathroom, but hadn't gotten beyond the yellow garbage can. So now was my chance! I got a couple of pieces of yellow fabric, and along with some I already had, I made some patchwork strips that I sewed on to one side of each of my hand towels.

I picked up a couple of cute yellow bowls with a gift card, and they hold some toiletries.

I also made a new rug, using the design from Handmade Home, by Amanda Soule.

I love how everything turned out! The bathroom looks much more cheerful and welcoming, and since I mostly just updated the things I already had, I only spent around $12, for the fabric and rug materials.

Pillowcase to PJs

2011-03-11T16:03:00.000-08:00

As much as I love cozy one-piece pajamas on little kids, they're not really the most convenient for potty-training two-year-olds. However, I didn't have much luck trying to find a second pair of pajama pants for Benjamin. My solution, as it often is, was to make them myself, especially since pants are super easy. Made even easier by a discovery I made when trying to think of some ways to use a worn-out flannel sheet set I no longer needed. A pillowcase is the perfect size for size 3 toddler pajama pants. I used the pillowcase hem for the hem of the pants, which meant less sewing. There's no need for a pattern - just use a pair of pants that fits well for your template.

Fold pants in half. Fold pillowcase in half. Lay pants on pillowcase, with outside of the pant legs lined up with the pillowcase fold. Line the bottom of the pants up with the hem of the pillowcase.

Cut out, adding about 1/2 inch seam allowance, and about 2 inches at the top for a casing. Make sure to stretch out the waistband and cut around the stretched out size, so you make sure the waist is big enough.

Put the two pieces right sides together and sew the front and back seams (the curved part). Serge/finish edges as desired.

Open it up and put the pant legs together, right sides together, lining up the front and back seams and sew in one long seam. Finish edges as desired.

Press down about 1/2 inch on top edge, then again about 1 1/4 inches. Sew casing close to the inside folded edge, leaving a 2-inch opening. Insert 1" wide elastic, as needed for comfortable fit, sew elastic edges together and sew opening closed.

Be cozy!

Recent Kitchen Projects!

2011-03-11T15:13:00.000-08:00

I've been trying some new recipes and projects around here recently:

I've been wanting to try homemade bagels for quite some time, and several weeks ago I finally got around to trying it! I tried the recipe from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. They were really quite simple and turned out delicious! I've made them several times since, although I now make them with half whole wheat flour, to make them healthier. I usually make half of them with cinnamon and raisins, which are especially good!

I enjoy making fruit & yogurt smoothies for part of an easy breakfast or lunch, and the other day we decided to try making them with spinach for extra nutrition. I was a little leary of how good they would be, but was pleasantly surprised when we couldn't taste the spinach! This is a great way to get an extra serving of veggies, even for breakfast!

Seth was out recently and he had a delicious smoothie that was made with almond milk, and he thought that we should try making our own almond milk to add to smoothies. We tried this recipe, which was really easy. I didn't have dates or plain agave, so I used two tablespoons of the Maple/Agave syrup blend I had (I used less since it's fairly sweet). It tasted pretty good, although it seemed slightly watery. Some recipes we saw said to use three cups of water instead of four, so if I were making it to drink plain, I would probably try that. It has worked really well for the smoothies we've made and adds a nice flavor. I'm hoping to add the almond meal that was left over to some cookies or something, just so it doesn't go to waste!

Not a very exciting project, but one that will come in pretty handy is my bags of chopped onions that I put in the freezer. So many recipes I make call for chopped onion, so having lots of onion already chopped up for me to just grab and dump in will help simplify meal making for me!

And last but not least, my homemade vanilla has been sitting for about a month now, with five more to go. I'm excited to see how it turns out!

Joanna's Birthday

2011-03-06T13:35:00.000-08:00

My little lady turned a year old a couple of weeks ago...

Such a big girl...

Unlike Benjamin, who wouldn't touch ice cream on his birthday, or for months afterwards, she loves it! =)

No-Sew Play/Dancing Scarves

2011-03-06T13:21:00.000-08:00

I love giving the kids open-ended materials that allow them to be creative and use in a variety of ways. One such item is play cloths or dancing scarves. These are usually pieces of lightweight, floaty fabric that are fun to dance with, can be used to make costumes, or in endless other ways. Buying these, however, isn't always cheap, up to $13 each for really nice ones, which wasn't really in my budget. They can be found cheaper, but I came up with a very simple, very inexpensive alternative.

I purchased a very fine nylon net, for less than a dollar a yard on sale. The finer the net, the more soft and floaty it will be. I purchased a yard of each color that I needed, and cut a 36" square from each (the size of some commercial ones I saw). You really can make them any size you want, but making them larger like this allows for more options in play. Nylon net doesn't unravel, so there's no need to hem or finish the edges. Just cut it the size you want, and you're good to go! These might not be quite as vibrant or soft as the $13 ones, but they're still plenty of fun to play with - and the price was much easier on my pocketbook!

Not only did this make inexpensive play clothes, there was just enough leftover net to make two (colorful) kitchen scrubbers!

Cloth Tea Bags

2011-02-22T11:05:00.000-08:00

The latest little project that I finished was cloth tea bags. I considered buying some of these a while ago, but then decided I could make them instead! They were a super quick and easy project, which is the best kind - (almost) instant gratification! =)

I had originally made a couple with cotton cooking twine (which is pictured), but after trying it out, discovered that it acted like a wick, sucking up the water, and I ended up with a puddle on the counter after seeping the tea. So I found a thin string at the craft store and used that, which seemed to take care of the problem. These work really well, can be tossed in the wash, and are great for really fine teas that tend to come out the holes of metal strainers.

Why is it so hard to live simply?

2011-02-19T09:20:00.000-08:00

I realized again the other day (as I have many times over the past several months) just how attatched I am to my stuff - even the stuff I really don't care about. My example: I have a collection of plastic storage containers that I've been wanting to replace with glass for a while. I received glass containers for my birthday, so after I got them all washed up, I started pulling all the plastic ones out of the cupboard to put them in a bag for donating. As I was doing so, I stopped and started thinking, "Maybe I should keep a few of these, just in case I need them." After pondering this for a few minutes, I realized what I was doing and could only shake my head in disgust. "This is crazy! I don't need these; I don't even want these!"
We have so much stuff, much more than we need, and yet it is so hard to let go of our stuff, even when we really want to. This was a reminder to me as I seek to simplify our life. I do like my stuff, and I appreciate the many things that I have that I use and that makes my life fun and beautiful. But I can't allow myself to get so attatched to things that they control my life.
Just a thought from my week! =)

Learning Activities

2011-02-05T13:55:00.000-08:00

As a former preschool teacher, I am a huge advocate of learning through play. By doing what they enjoy, children naturally explore, discover, and learn about the world. I view the pre-school years as the time not to do school, but instead to develop the skills that will lead them to a lifetime of school success. Skills like large and small motor skills, thinking and problem solving skills, creativity, curiosity, and most importantly, a love of learning; all of which they can learn naturally through play and everyday experiences. However, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't provide specific "learning activities" that can direct their play towards learning some of those skills. I am currently trying to put together a collection of such activities, to pull out every day for Benjamin that he can do at the table while I am doing dishes or starting dinner (or just sitting with him!).

These are simple activities that I made to help develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and that can also be adapted to teach other skills, like sorting or counting, but in a fun, play-based way.

I found in my cupboard a couple of small cans of coffee beans that were past their expiration date. I tossed the beans but saved the cans and covered them with cute paper. I used a hole punch on one lid to make several holes, then cut pipe cleaners into small lengths that would easily fit in the can. I showed Benjamin how to put the pipe cleaners through the holes, which he happily continued doing. When he was done, we dumped them out and started over! Use what you have: you could just as easily use a small box, and use something like cotton swabs or toothpicks instead of pipe cleaners.

On the other one, I cut a slit for coins. Same sort of idea, but using a different object turns it into a new and exciting activity for a toddler! Try other objects, like buttons, beans, or almost any small item. Obviously, these activities need to be closely supervised as they could be choking hazards. You could adapt this for an even younger child by using a large coffee can with a larger hole for blocks, small balls, etc.

These can be further adapted to encourage skills like color recognition, sorting, etc. Use the following ideas or your own! For the pipe cleaner can, color around each hole with a different color. Encourage them to put each pipe cleaner through the matching color hole. If you have several cans, you could label each with a number and encourage your child to put that many objects in each can. Or, make two slits on a lid, a small one and a big one and give them different sized buttons to sort through the different holes.

A final note: with young children, the focus for these activities isn't necessarily for them to do it "the right way", but rather for them to explore and have fun - and they're bound to learn something during the process, even if they get creative and do the activity differently than you've planned! =)

Simple Fun!

2011-02-05T13:50:00.001-08:00

The many possibilities of a couch with removable cushions!

A fun fort!

Or even a climber!

Turning Prefold Diapers into Contours

2011-01-29T09:31:00.000-08:00

When I first decided to use cloth diapers, I had no idea so many options existed. I really only was familiar with prefold diapers with plastic pants, which is what I purchased and have been very happy with. It is definitely the most economical way to cloth diaper.
Since I had been given so many disposable diapers as gifts, I didn't begin cloth diapers with Benjamin until he was over a month old (and quite a bit bigger than a newborn!). With Joanna, however, I used cloth diapers from the time she was about a week old. While I love my one-size prefold diapers, I did find them to be a bit bulky on such a small baby. I intend to use cloth diapers from birth (or at least after the first week) with this next baby, but I came up with an idea that might make the first several weeks a little easier.
I have a number of cloth diapers that I was given that I find to not work as well, as they are not as absorbant as my main supply. I've been keeping them for back up when I'm behind on laundry and run out of my others! But I think they would work just fine on a newborn. So I had the idea to cut them down into contoured diapers, which would reduce the bulk, expecially between the legs on a tiny baby. Contoured diapers are "shaped" to fit your baby better, with little need for folding to fit (think of the shape of disposable diapers).

It was super simple to do. I started out with a diaper, and, using pictures from the internet to give me a general idea, cut out a contoured shape. I did it freehand, cutting out half the diaper first, then folding it over and cutting out the rest, so it was symmetrical. I just guessed on how big it needed to be. I made mine about 13 inches long, with the back tabs about 12 inches wide, and the crotch area about 5 inches wide. Later I found measurements for a commercial contoured diaper, and their newborn size was 12 1/2 inches long and 4 1/2 inches at the crotch, and they expected you to have to fold it down a bit in the beginning. I probably will have to fold down the front a bit, but that's okay. It should still fulfill my goal of cutting down on the bulk.

After cutting out the first diaper, I made some adjustments when I cut out the second, making it slightly better shaped, then I used that second diaper as my pattern to cut out the rest. I just winged it, but if you're not comfortable doing that, you could make a paper pattern first. After cutting out the diapers, I sewed a straight stitch all the way around the diaper, about 1/4 inch away from the edge, just to hold all the raw edges together and give it strength. Then I finished the edges by serging, but you could also use a zig zag stitch on a sewing machine. If you use a zig zag stitch, I would recommend going around the diaper twice. That's it!

I ended up with 16 contoured diapers, which should last me almost two days. I'm really excited to try them out, and I think they will make cloth diapering a newborn much easier! I'll let you know how it goes in several months!

Pizza Kit

2011-01-22T16:28:00.000-08:00

I said I would post more details on the little pizza kits I made for Christmas, so here it is!

Each kit was wrapped in a simple tie-top muslin bag and included a mini spatula, a hot pad, and a pizza sauce mix. This made a nice lightweight gift that I could mail to the relatives that I have no idea what they would like or use! The hot pad was made from a pattern in Handmade Home by Amanda Blake Soule, and was quick to make and inexpensive because it only needs scraps of fabric. I made one for myself as well, and it is now my favorite hot pad - it is the perfect size, the rounded shape means no corners poking into your food, and it is so cute!

The pizza sauce mix was also quick and frugal! By buying spices in the bulk department, each sauce mix was probably only about $1 (or less) to make. I used the recipe in the Tightwad Gazette, which is as follows:

1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. black pepper
These spices are to be mixed with an 8-oz can of tomato sauce, and it makes our favorite pizza sauce. The recipe states it fits a 12-14" pizza, but I must use light sauce, because I have found it to go probably twice as far as that.

I was able to find nice ziploc bags in the bead section at Michael's in the 4"x6" size, which was perfect for holding the mix! (These can also be found online)

I multiplied the recipe by 12 - here it is to make it easier:
1/4 cup basil
1/4 cup oregano
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. black pepper

I mixed these together in a bowl, then scooped it into the bag. Then I stapled a little instruction card to the bag.

A tip: With the garlic powder, try to find one that is more of a granule than a powder. I have found that powders tend to get hard, and I used a powder in my test batch of sauce mix, and the mix got hard in the jar. It tasted fine, but it doesn't look as nice when you have to break up the spices! I find that the granules don't tend to harden together.

This made such a simple but useful gift, and I have found the pizza sauce mix a very handy thing to keep around my home as well! I can whip up some fresh pizza sauce in no time at all!

Oven Roasted Veggies

2011-01-19T21:51:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed some root vegetables (turnips, parsnips, and rutabegas) on sale, and since I didn't think I had ever had any of them, I thought I'd be adventurous and give them a try! I didn't know what to do with them though, other than perhaps add them to soup. Then I remembered the oven roasted potatoes my mom used to make, and wondered if I could cook them up in a similar manner. Well, I tried it, and it was delicious! The combination of flavors from all the different vegetables was really good and it was the perfect compliment to our chicken dinner.

Here's the recipe, adapted from my mom's roasted potato recipe:

2 parsnips
2 turnips
3 medium carrots
2 potatoes
1/4 cup coconut oil (or butter or olive oil)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Parsley

Peel all veggies and cut up into bite-sized pieces (I did leave the skin on the potatoes, which adds extra color and extra nutrition - I try to buy organic potatoes for this reason). Spread veggies in a 9x13 pan.

Melt coconut oil and pour over veggies. Stir veggies to coat with oil. Sprinkle veggies with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parsley and stir again.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes, or until veggies are soft and beginning to crisp on the outside.

This should serve 4-6 people. Enjoy!

A little couch project...

2011-01-13T20:28:00.000-08:00

I was thinking earlier that our couch looked a little, well, boring.

I'm by no means any sort of interior decorator, but it seemed to me that it needed a little color. So I gave it a some thought, raided my fabric stash, and came up with a solution.

Remember that plain white-looking pillow? It got a little updating. Some fabric and a pillow I already had + a couple of hours of time = a free fun new look! I'm loving it!

2011

2011-01-09T20:08:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's a brand new year! As I think ahead to this year, one word comes to mind - change. Lots of new things will be taking place in our family this year.
The first major change I'm excited about is my new daily schedule. I've made myself schedules before, but never stuck with them very well. But lately I've felt like I've been rushing through my days with no idea what I'm really doing, and always feeling like I'm five steps behind. I want to have goals for my days and a plan for how to accomplish those goals. I'm trying to make myself a realistic, flexible schedule with plenty of extra time built in for those inevitable interruptions that always occur when you have little kids! My goal is to stick to it, making changes as necessary. We'll see how it goes!
Another major change is that I'll soon be potty-training Benjamin, which is exciting, but also a little daunting for me! Not only is it a big step for him (and me), but it will also probably mean that we'll be staying home a lot more, since I am not really up to taking little kids into a public restroom!
A major family change is coming around the beginning of June, as we look forward to welcoming a new little family member around that time! Summer will be a busy time for us, as I get used to having three kids under the age of three! =)
Sometime this year, Lord willing, we will also be moving. We're just not sure yet if it will be just across town or even possibly out of state, if Seth gets accepted to one of the graduate programs he's applying to. That would be a huge change, especially since both Seth and I have spent our entire lives within about a 30-mile radius (or maybe less)!

This will be a busy year for us, but we're looking forward to the exciting changes coming our way!

Christmas Creations

2011-01-09T18:58:00.000-08:00

I figured I could show my Christmas projects now! Or, at least the ones I actually remembered to take pictures of!

Pizza Kit (I'll share details on this soon!)

Potholders, towel, and dish cloth for the kids' play kitchen!
Bread Bag
Gathered Clutch (using this tutorial - I just have to say, I am not a clutch person, but this turned out so cute that it made me want one, too!)
Laptop Case (using this tutorial, with a few of my own alterations)
Slippers (the red ones are from a pattern in Sew Pretty Homestyle, and the blue ones are from this tutorial)
Fleece Blanket

There were more projects, as it is my goal that at least part of everyone's present is homemade, but that's it for the pictures!

My Favorite Christmas Gift!

2010-12-30T19:43:00.000-08:00

Out of all the Christmas gifts I made this year, this one was by far my favorite! (Although I should note that Seth actually did much of the work - I only did some of it.)
I had had the idea several months ago to find an old cabinet and turn it into a kitchen set for the kids, an idea that I thought was pretty original. After stumbling across someone's blog a while back, I discovered it wasn't such a unique idea after all, but that was probably actually a good thing, since I was able to find lots of good ideas on how to do it! We ended up making it out of a used nightstand, and I didn't find one that fit my requirements (solid wood, in good shape so I wouldn't have to paint it) until the Sunday before Christmas. We borrowed a lot of ideas from this homemade kitchen set.

This is the original nightstand, after we had taken off one of the drawer handles.

Seth's dad builds a lot of things, so we borrowed his tools, and he helped Seth with the structural stuff. Seth removed the drawers, took the back off, cut a hole in the top for the sink, and they added braces to hold up the plywood shelves they cut to fit.

We glued the shelves and sink (an 8x8 metal baking pan) in place.

We screwed in the faucet (a wooden letter J) and the knobs (drawer pulls), and glued on the burners (CDs with strips of wood). We had saved one the drawer fronts, which became the oven door, and we added a hook to one side. I had originally planned to add a little curtain to the bottom shelf, but we decided that we liked the look of just the baskets. We also added a cookie cooling rack for the oven rack.

The kids have been having lots of fun with this, although it's already had its share of mishaps (the oven door was broken off, and the top has gotten banged up). I was hoping it would be a little longer before it began to show signs of wear, but that's kids for you! =)
When all was said and done, it cost a bit more than I was hoping (probably around $50), but it was still much cheaper than buying a wooden kitchen set!

Christmas Pictures

2010-12-18T16:09:00.000-08:00

Although I enjoy making my own cards for Christmas, I decided I just wasn't going to have time this year. So I settled for photo cards, since people usually enjoy getting pictures! I had a hard time actually getting a nice picture of both of the kids, but we finally succeeded!

There were a few others that turned out cute, too!

Busy Getting Ready for Christmas!

2010-11-30T20:09:00.000-08:00

It's been looking a little like Santa's workshop around here with the projects that have been going on for the past several weeks. Thankfully, I have completed many of my gifts. I'd love to show them, but I don't want to spoil any surprises! However, I do have a few other non-present projects that I've completed that I can share!

Bootie slippers for Joanna, using this tutorial. They are absolutely adorable, but unfortunately, they ended up a little too small. I'm going to have to enlarge the pattern and try again.

Slippers for Benjamin, using this tutorial. I added a non-slip slipper sole.

I finished this little doll I made for Joanna. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I actually started this doll in March. It was her Easter gift. I had finished everything but the hair. That's what took me so long. The hair is made of tiny thread loops all over, which looks good in the end but was extremely time-consuming and tedious to do. I'm not planning on doing hair like that again! Thankfully Joanna didn't seem to mind the wait! =)

An advent calendar for the kids! I originally had wanted to make something that was a manger scene - like a stable that they added a felt person or animal to every day. Unfortunately, I'm not that creative - making felt animals and people is a little beyond my skill, so I settled for this design instead. It's a felt Christmas tree sewn to a muslin background. All over the Christmas tree are buttons that little felt ornaments will be hung from, one each day until Christmas. The presents under the tree are actually pockets that will hold the ornaments until they are used. I still have most of the ornaments to make, but I'm hoping to make a couple each day until they are done - hopefully before they are needed!

This is just to show how the ornaments will be hung - that's supposed to be Baby Jesus, which was the only thing from the manger scene that I thought would turn out somewhat decent! =)

Nine Months!

2010-11-14T14:14:00.000-08:00

Miss Joanna is nine months old today - how the time has flown! =) She brings so much joy and sunshine into our lives, and is such a blessing!

She is a busy little girl - she's been crawling for almost a couple of weeks now and she makes good use of her mobility! She's also been completely self-feeding with her solid foods for about a month now, which has been nice for me! She's also started clapping and pulling herself to a stand. She's done all of these things well before Benjamin did!

An Amazing Bargain!

2010-11-09T17:17:00.000-08:00

Most people know I love a good deal. But this goes beyond a good deal - this is absolutely amazing...I'm still kind of in shock about this. So take a look at what I got:

All this for....are you ready for it? $6.78!!!! Yep, that's right. 30 pounds of honey (about a year's supply for us), two boxes of Wheaties (Seth loves these, but we don't buy them very often because they're so expensive, and they never go on sale), Sesame oil (I'm hoping to try a lip balm recipe with this), and a bouquet of flowers.

So how did I do it? Well, a couple of months ago I signed up for the Amazon Mom program, mostly to get the free three-month membership to Amazon Prime, since I thought the free shipping on any order would come in handy during the holiday season. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I got an email asking me to try out Amazon Fresh, their grocery delivery service. As an incentive, they gave me a coupon for $100 off an order of $100 or more! I have never seen a coupon that good! That was enough of an incentive for me! I had expected to pay around $10 - $15 for shipping, which would still have made it an excellent deal, but it was only $5.99 - even better! So my order totaled $100.79 - $100 coupon, + $5.99 shipping, which gave me a grand total of $6.78! And the flowers were a free gift for a first-time customer!

I had originally planned to buy honey and coconut oil (the most expensive things in my grocery budget), as well as the few smaller items, but they were out of the coconut oil that I wanted. I discovered that I could get a really good deal on the honey by buying 6 jugs, so I went with that, and with the other few things I wanted, the total worked out perfectly!

This was such a gift from God, and such a blessing to me!!!

Pumpkin Farm!

2010-11-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

We joined Seth's family for a trip to the pumpkin farm a few weeks ago! As Benjamin has gotten older, it's more fun to take him places like this because he is so curious about everything!

We had to get a picture of Benjamin sitting here after seeing the sign!

Natural Homemade Laundry Detergent

2010-10-20T20:10:00.000-07:00

I've been making this laundry detergent now for a couple of months, and I love it! I love that it is completely natural and safe, and it is pretty inexpensive as well. I keep it in an empty half-gallon container (I half the recipe), and I keep a measuring cup attached with a rubber band for easy measuring. I had originally made a full gallon, using an empty milk carton, but I found that sometimes the salt and baking soda settles to the bottom, and shaking up a full gallon was a little more awkward. The half gallon container makes this easier, and since it's pretty quick and easy to make, I don't mind making it a little more often!

Day Trip!

2010-10-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

We took a day trip to an old fort, which is now a public park. We enjoyed a pretty drive, a nice picnic lunch, and Benjamin loved exploring the fort. Fun day!

Benjamin and Joanna

2010-10-07T20:22:00.001-07:00

I thought I'd share a few recent pictures of the kiddos...

Benjamin thought this end table would make a great place to read a book =)
An organ duet!
I was feeding Joanna when I had to go do something, so Benjamin thought he'd take over. He did pretty good until he shoved the spoon a little too far in!
Sleepyheads =)

Fabric Bowl Covers

2010-10-07T20:14:00.000-07:00

Several months ago I decided not to buy any more aluminum foil or plastic wrap. I didn't use them very often anyway, since I try to use reusable containers, and I figured that would be one less thing to buy. Sometimes, though, it is nice to be able to leave leftovers in the bowl they're in, and not have to transfer them to another container.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, I spotted a picture of some fabric bowl covers that someone had made, and I was really excited! That would be perfect for the times I just wanted to stick a bowl of something in the fridge.

They looked really simple, so I made a couple...

They were super easy and quick to make, and they are really handy! I've already used them a few times, and it is the perfect solution for me! Obviously, they aren't airtight, since they're made of fabric, but then, neither is foil or plastic wrap, really. When they're dirty, just toss them in the wash - no garbage!

I'm planning on making a couple more, so I'll take pictures and post a tutorial when I do.

Finished Projects!

2010-10-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

I've been able to finish a number of little projects over the last month or so....

A little blanket for Joanna...
Birthday crowns for the kids, from The Creative Family by Amanda Soule.
A fabric gift bag...
A crayon roll for Benjamin's birthday....
Another skirt for Joanna - this will go in her stocking.
Joanna's stocking - I made this using the Knifty Knitter.
A little fleece jacket for Joanna - this was my first attempt at making an article of clothing by tracing a piece of clothing. It turned out really well! I made it simple on myself by just tracing two pieces and not separating the sleeves!

Updating...

2010-09-30T15:13:00.001-07:00

I thought it was high time my blog had a new look! I also added a section on the sidebar for links to tutorials and recipes that I really like, which I will be adding to when I have time.

A big girl!

2010-09-21T20:27:00.000-07:00

We've started a little self-feeding with Joanna - with a fun new snack recommended to us from a friend. These are "Mum Mums", a baby rice cracker. Joanna absolutely loves them! Whenever I hold one out to her, she grabs it and shoves it in her mouth! I love that they immediately melt in her mouth. Cheerios were the first thing Benjamin fed himself, but these are easier for babies, because they can be held in a fist rather than with fingers.

Early Christmas projects...

2010-09-15T20:24:00.000-07:00

I would love to get started on making Christmas presents, but I need some good ideas first! So I decided to make Joanna a Christmas outfit, so that would at least be ready. I had this material in my stash, and it worked perfectly for a little skirt and a headband. I love how they turned out - my only concern is that they fit her now, so hopefully they'll still fit her in a few months!

A new use for olive oil...

2010-09-09T08:59:00.001-07:00

If you're like me and reuse glass bottles and jars you get with food (like salad dressing bottles or pasta sauce jars) then you have probably dealt with the frustration of labels not coming off nicely or leaving sticky residue. When this happens, I usually use vinegar to get the residue off, which often, but not always, works. But I read somewhere about olive oil removing sticky stuff - so the last time I had a label not come off very well, I tried it. I sprayed some olive oil on the sticky spot and left it for a few minutes. When I wiped it with my washcloth, the residue wiped right off! Yay for olive oil!

My new favorite organizational tool!

2010-09-09T08:31:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel like we're in a constant state of decluttering and trying to organize our things better. I used to keep my shoes in a box, but removed them when I discovered some of them had gotten moldy, so then they were just sitting in a pile on our closet floor. I thought about buying an over-the-door shoe holder, but then thought - I could make that! So I did.

It's been in the works for a couple of weeks now as I got up the motivation to do the two things I don't love about sewing - cutting out and ironing. But I finally finished it - and I am loving this! I used material I already had - I didn't quite have enough of the darker green, so I used a lighter green, too, which I think makes it a bit more interesting looking. The bottom row is bigger pockets which hold one each of larger shoes - like my tennis shoes, and the other rows are smaller pockets which each hold either one shoe or two flip flops. This perfectly holds all my shoes and certainly looks much nicer than the clear plastic one I had thought about buying.

I've been making...

2010-09-01T20:25:00.001-07:00

Sandwich and snack bags, using this tutorial. I adjusted the measurements based on the sizes I wanted and fabric I had.
Blackberry pie and jam - from free fresh-picked blackberries! Yay for free stuff!

A new friend for Benjamin - he's really into snakes right now. I wouldn't have made the tongue out of felt, though, if I had know that he would carry the snake around by its tongue!

Real Food!

2010-08-21T14:54:00.000-07:00

Joanna isn't too sure about her banana! We've just started eating real food, and although she always wants to try our food, she isn't too fond of hers!
I'm taking a little different route with her food than I did with Benjamin. I waited a big longer - until she was six months - and I'm trying to stay away from store baby food, especially the baby cereals. I never liked how fake the cereal seemed, and with the help of a couple of cookbooks, I have the info I need to make her easily-digestible cereal myself (which will be cheaper, anyway).
Like Benjamin, though, I will be trying to have her feed herself as soon as possible. I'm feeding her from a spoon for now, until she gets used to eating real food and has better control over her fingers, but for some reason I've never really enjoyed this stage. I loved it when Benjamin could eat food himself (and he was happier and ate better as well). Benjamin was mostly self-feeding somewhere between 9 and 12 months, and I'm hoping for the same (if not earlier) with Joanna.

Peekaboo Bag

2010-08-21T14:51:00.001-07:00

I recently made this tote bag as a gift - and I love how it turned out! I almost hated to give it away - I think one of these will have to come into my possession soon!

This is the "Pleated Beauty Handbag" from Bend the Rules Sewing.

A freezer!

2010-08-21T14:49:00.001-07:00

For the past four years we have been well served by an over-the-fridge freezer. I've found that I can fit quite a bit of stuff in one of those freezers! However, over the past six months or so I have been using it more than ever. Between making more of my own foods - big batches of English Muffins, jam, chicken broth, refried beans, etc. - and also being able to find things like milk and eggs at discounted prices, which I then freeze to use later, this little freezer is almost constantly stuffed.
As berry season came around, I realized that I would have very little room to freeze berries. Not having blueberries for the winter would be a big disappointment to us. Living in a small apartment, though, doesn't leave much room for having an additional freezer. Not too long ago, however, I happened to see a compact freezer at the store, not much bigger than my little washing machine. I didn't know they made freezers that small. That would be perfect for us!
We were able to get a small, 5 cubit foot freezer, which fits nicely behind our table and perfectly suits our needs! Already it has helped me save some money as I have been able to take advantage of some great deals that I otherwise would not have been able to.
Freezing is the easiest (and thus my favorite) way to preserve food. I am so thankful to have this extra freezer that will not only help me continue to save money by buying food at the best possible prices, but will allow me to continue to make big batches of food to save me time later!

A freezer is not only good for storing food, but it's fun for magnets, too, and we also discovered that you can color on it with crayons, as the crayon just wipes right off (although I'm not encouraging the latter use; we just happened to discover that!) =)

Fun Finds!

2010-08-07T16:45:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, when browsing an antique store, I found a couple fun little things! I thought this 1950s nut chopper was so cute! I hadn't ever seen one of these, and it was in excellent condition. I don't chop nuts too often, but I found that it will also work for other things, like chopping up chocolate chips for low-fat cookies!

I also picked up a more practical item - clothespins! I'm always running out of clothespins, so I was planning on getting more, and thought these had so much more character than ones I would have picked up at the dollar store. Look how big the springs are compared to the ones I already had (the one in the back)!

The Value in Making it Yourself

2010-08-01T11:53:00.001-07:00

Over the past couple of years, I have gradually been making more the things we use, instead of buying them. That includes food, body products, cleaning supplies, as well as things I can sew! Is it cheaper? Faster? Often, but not always. It's often cheaper, but sometimes I could find a similar item for a cheaper price. Sometimes it's easier and quicker for me to make something myself rather than dragging the kids to the store to buy the item, but usually I would buy it on one of my regular shopping trips, so that's not really an issue.
So why do I do it?
Well, for several reasons.
1. It's healthier. I use all real ingredients. No artificial ingredients, no chemicals, no preservatives. Just quality good-for-you stuff.
2. I get better quality for the price. Take bread, for example. I can find bread at the bakery outlet for a little over a dollar. It costs me about the same amount to make bread. But the homemade loaf is much healthier. If I were to buy a loaf of healthy all-natural bread at the natural foods store, I would probably pay around 3 (maybe more!) times as much. So the homemade bread really is a bargain for what I get.
3. It tastes better. Food that's homemade is fresher and that just tastes better.
4. It's an adventure. It's cool to find new recipes or patterns, especially for those things that you would never have thought of making yourself - and especially cool to have them turn out well! Then there's the experimenting and tweaking those things to make them just as you like them!
5. It's fun. I take a lot of pleasure in doing things myself and I get a great sense of accomplishment out of it.

The more I make things myself, the more it makes me want to try even more! I'm currently trying to not buy very many processed foods, so some of the things I (at least sometimes) make myself:

Baked Goods (Bread, muffins, cookies, pizza crust)

English Muffins
Tortillas
Yogurt
Granola
Granola Bars
Ice Cream

Jam

Refried Beans
Salsa

Pizza Sauce

Pasta Sauce

Ketchup
French Dressing
Deodorant
Multi-Purpose Cleaning solution

Some things I'll be trying soon:
Ceasar Dressing
Ranch Dressing
Bagels
Oil Face Cleanse
Laundry detergent
Dish soap

It really is fun and is often not as difficult as it might sound! I would encourage anyone to try to make more yourself!

Blueberry Farm

2010-07-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

We did one of my favorite summertime activities this past week - blueberry picking! Of course Benjamin wasn't just going to sit on a blanket this year, and I was worried that he was just going to be running around and eating berries, but he was actually really good! He didn't eat any, and he actually helped a bit! Joanna was really good, too, and took a nap for most of the time!

Cuties!

2010-07-18T16:39:00.000-07:00

Two of Benjamin's favorite things...Veggie Tales and cuddling with his sister!

Benjamin thinks my rag dolls are pretty fun to play with!

Joanna is now five months old, and getting so big!

Butter...two ways

2010-07-18T16:30:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to make my own butter for a while - and I finally tried it! I had been planning on making it in a jar, but then read somewhere that you could make it with a hand mixer. So I thought, why not try both? Then I could compare which one was easier. Using a cup of heavy cream (whipping cream), you'll end up with about a half cup of butter and a half cup of buttermilk.

Mixer Method:
Pour the cream in a bowl and start beating with a hand mixer. After a few minutes you'll get whipped cream - just keep beating! The cream gets thicker and thicker, until it starts looking like lots of little lumps (kind of like cottage cheese). Then, gradually, liquid starts appearing. Keep beating until it looks like there's a fair amount of liquid (for me, about 10 minutes total beating) Then, you can gather the small lumps of butter into one big lump. Squeeze it to get all the buttermilk out.

Jar Method:
Pour the cream into a jar (the cream will approximately double in bulk when whipped, so use an appropriate size jar). Cap tightly. Start shaking! I didn't shake vigorously - just a nice constant movement. This method takes a while, but gradually it got thicker and thicker - I opened the lid and checked it a couple of times to see how it was doing. It was thick cream, and then all of a sudden, there was lots of liquid and a lump of butter in the middle. Making the butter this way took about half an hour of shaking. Once again, I squeezed the butter to get the rest of the buttermilk out.

Both methods were really simple and easy, the real difference was the time; ten minutes vs. 30 minutes. However, some other things to consider:
* The jar method was a good way to do something productive while watching TV or a movie (as I did!)
* Shaking the jar was not as tiring as I had thought it would be - I didn't shake it hard, but gently and it worked fine (although maybe it would have been quicker if I had shook it hard)

So which method will I use in the future? Honestly, I'm not sure. I probably will use both at different times - using the jar method makes me feel a little better if I'm just sitting around watching a movie!
The butter turned out really well, and of course, I'm saving the buttermilk to use in some baked goods!

One last note, I know I've read something about rinsing the butter when you make it, but I wasn't really sure how or why that is necessary. I did try rinsing it bit, but I'll have to look into that more for next time.

Inspiration...

2010-07-09T16:11:00.000-07:00

I love browsing through sewing books. They're so inspiring. They inspire me to make more things myself, to think outside the box, and be creative. Seth surprised me with this book to take on our camping trip, and I've had fun looking through it. Now only is it filled with lots of fun projects - several of them on my to-sew list - but it is also has lots of great tips on re-using items you already have laying around your house, and other ideas for living a simpler life, something I definitely desire!

Playdough!

2010-07-09T16:02:00.000-07:00

We tried out playdough for the first time the other day! Benjamin especially liked pulling it apart.

Some random projects...

2010-07-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

I recently made this little cloth book for Joanna, and she loves it!
The pages are made from random scraps of black and white fabrics, and they have all different textures, which is fun. I appliqued the red shapes on the pages, and my favorite part is that the pages crinkle! I had read an idea online a while ago about using plastic cereal bags for this purpose and it works great!

As a side note - I purchased this Bumbo and tray because I thought it would be a handy and compact thing to take camping with us. I found a great deal on Craigslist, which I am thankful for, since she's not too fond of it. Since I like not having lots of "stuff", and I got along fine without it with Benjamin, I haven't decided if it's something I'll want to keep for future children. I'll have to wait and see how useful it is once she starts eating food!

I recently picked up a bargain box of veggies from a produce stand - just $2.00 for a box full of cucumbers, tomatoes, and a few zucchini squash that had a bad spot or two on them. The cucumbers we ate at meals (enough to last us several days!), the zucchini squash I peeled and grated for use in future muffins, and the tomatoes I used for homemade salsa and my first attempt at homemade spaghetti sauce!

I used a recipe in The Tightwad Gazette as a starting point, then adapted with what I had on hand. It called for a number of green peppers, which I didn't have, as well as a bunch of onions, of which I only had one. In my veggie box I had found a lone jalapeno pepper, so I thought I'd add that to make up for the flavor I would be lacking from the omission of the green peppers and onions. I had no idea one little jalapeno would go so far! The sauce turned out great except that it was way too spicy! When I served it, I mixed half homemade, half store bought and it was still really spicy! I plan on trying this again if I get a great deal on tomatoes, but this time I'll leave out the jalapeno! =)
However, I was extremely pleased with the mileage I got out of my $2.00! Such great deals definitely help stretch the food budget!

Camping

2010-06-27T19:01:00.001-07:00

We just returned from our first family camping trip (Seth and I have camped a couple of times)! We camped near a lake for several days with Seth's family and it was lots of fun! I was a little nervous about how everything would go - especially about how well the kids would sleep, but they did great! It was a wonderful relaxing time, and Benjamin absolutely loved spending so much time outside! He got to play in the water a bit, helped feed some ducks, and discovered sidewalk chalk (which he loved)! I'm already looking forward to doing it again!

Such wonderful family memories we made!

It's been a while...

2010-06-06T17:19:00.000-07:00

I feel like I haven't blogged in forever! I've had limited computer time the last few weeks, so here's an update on what we've been doing:

Buckling....Benjamin loves to buckle things - and he's pretty good at it!
Smiling...I just love this picture - such an angelic face!

Cuddling...such good buddies already!
Sprouting...the sprouts I tried last month turned out really well! I made lentil sprouts.
Sewing...I haven't sewn much since Joanna was born, so it feels good to get a little project done. After loving my Re-Usies, I was inspired to make a couple of my own!
Dehydrating...I needed to do something with the strawberries and bananas I had gotten for a good deal, so I dehydrated them, something I'm hoping to do lots of this year.

Updates...

2010-05-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

So some updates on some of the things I've been doing with my monthly goals:

Homemade Deodorant update: We've been using our homemade deodorant for several weeks now and we are still loving it! I had mentioned that when I went to use it the first time, it seemed drier than it had when I made it. Well, I was using the stuff that I had put in an old deodorant container, and I continued to do so for several days. After a while, though, I found that it was hard to rub in - it was really dry and crumbly. Then, I tried some that I had put in a jar, and it was still nice and soft like it had been when I first made it! So, another reason to put it in a jar as opposed to a deodorant container - I'm assuming that it dries out when exposed to air (the deodorant container is not airtight).

Shampoo Method: I've been wanting to switch to natural shampoo for a while, but they are so expensive that I haven't done it yet. I had been hearing about people cleaning their hair with baking soda and vinegar, and since those are both natural and inexpensive, I thought I'd give it a try! I started last week, and this has been my result so far: The first day I use it, my hair looks just fine, I'd say the same as it does when I wash with shampoo. The second day, however, my hair looks greasy and feels somewhat sticky. So far I haven't gone beyond doing it two days in a row! I know sometimes it can take a while for your hair to get used to something new, so I'll just have to keep doing it and see if anything changes. For now, I'm doing two days of baking soda/vinegar and one day of shampoo (unless I have to go out somewhere - then I will shampoo after just one day). However, even if I find that I can only do the baking soda/vinegar every other day, that basically would reduce my cost of shampoo in half, so suddenly buying a natural shampoo is a lot more cost effective!

Two down!

2010-05-08T16:33:00.000-07:00

So this past week I made both the strawberry jam and the spinach pesto. We weren't too impressed with the spinach pesto. It was inexpensive to make, but it was pretty bland. I think we'll be sticking with basil!

I was very pleased with how the strawberry jam turned out! I hadn't ever made my own jam, but I remember my parents doing it a few times when I was younger, and when I saw a simple recipe in the May issue of Woman's Day, I thought I'd try it. It's not quite as thick as jam you'd get from the store, but it's fresh, all-natural, and delicious! I'll definitely be making this again!

May Goals

2010-05-08T16:29:00.000-07:00

I was so pleased with how my April goals turned out - making goals for the month helped me purposefully plan for trying new things, I did them, and most of them turned out really well! Because of my success, I'm making some new goals for the month of May. This month I'll be: making strawberry jam, spinach pesto, trying my hand at growing sprouts, and trying out the baking soda/vinegar shampoo method! We'll see how it goes!

Re-Usies

2010-05-04T20:27:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law saw my post a while ago where I said that I had started washing and reusing baggies. When she saw these reusable cloth baggies, she got a few for me! It was so thoughtful of her, and I'm excited to try them out! They are so cute, and it will make packing snacks so much more fun!

English Muffins and Deodorant

2010-05-02T14:38:00.001-07:00

So I was able to make both the English Muffins and Deodorant this week.

I made the English Muffin recipe from my More With Less cookbook, and they turned out delicious! They did get a little too brown on the outside, so I probably will try cooking them on lower heat next time, but we loved them! They were a little bit time consuming; I would recommend starting them earlier in the day so you're not trying to finish them at the same time you're trying to get dinner made, and if you have little kids you may not want to make them the same day you're trying to get a bunch of grocery shopping done! If I follow those ideas next time, I don't think they'll be as big of a deal!

As for my deodorant, I used this recipe. I thought I had purchased enough arrowroot powder, but I didn't, so I ended up using some of that and some cornstarch. I used 6 Tbsp. coconut oil, and it seemed a little too wet, so I ended up adding about 2 extra Tbsp. of cornstarch. The next day, though, it seemed maybe a little too dry, so I probably wouldn't add quite that much next time. Before trying this, I had my doubts about it, especially after my sister told me she had made it and didn't like it. However, after using it for a few days, I am sold! I love that it is completely safe and natural and I think it works great. I asked Seth to try it, too, and he thought it worked well (and he is often pretty skeptical of some of the natural body products). I did try putting some in an old deodorant container, but I found that worked better to rub it in with your fingers, which defeats the purpose, so just putting it in a small jar or container works well.

I am so glad to have found two new recipes that I love!

April Goal Updates

2010-04-27T20:43:00.000-07:00

I tried making onion powder a couple of weeks ago. I sliced onions and put them in the dehydrator. Once they were crispy, I smashed them up with the bottom of a cup. Unfortunately, I couldn't get powder, just flakes. I've used them in a couple of soups, which has worked well. I might have to try to experiment a little more with this.

This week I still have to make the English Muffins and deodorant. I tried making the English Muffins last week, but I think my yeast was no good, as they didn't rise. So I'll be trying them again!

I have used my crock pot quite a few times this month, which has been nice. I tried several new recipes, but I will probably only make one or two of them again. The crock pot lasagna turned out well, and the stroganoff was pretty good, so I'll probably add them to my recipe list!
I was also able to do several baking projects this month, so overall it has been pretty productive!

We'll see how the rest of my projects planned for this week turn out!

Kiddos...

2010-04-27T20:37:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted in so long, it's time for an update on what the little people have been up to...

Joanna is flashing us more and more of her adorable smiles...

Benjamin is getting to be such a helper - he loves to help me load the laundry in the washer!

We went to the park recently, and Benjamin was quite confused as to why Joanna was put in "his" stroller...so he decided he had to at least help push it.

Apparently Joanna isn't a thumb-sucker like her big brother; she's decided she likes her first two fingers instead!

Benjamin got his first "real" haircut (more than just a trim)! He's looking like such a big boy!

Success!

2010-04-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

I tried the Crock-Pot Yogurt this week and it worked great! I am so happy with how it turned out! This was pretty much the easiest thing I have ever made. It takes about 13 1/2 hours total to make, but there's only about 5 minutes of hands-on time. I made some homemade granola, too, and together they've made a great breakfast or snack. If you like yogurt, or would like to eat it more often, I highly recommend trying this! I used this recipe. I found that adding a little maple syrup is a great way to sweeten it.

Easter Pictures

2010-04-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

We had a nice Easter spent with our families and Benjamin got to do his first Easter Egg hunts (He got two - how fun is that!)

Pictures

2010-03-30T19:34:00.001-07:00

April Goals

2010-03-30T19:26:00.000-07:00

There are several recipes that I want to try, so I've decided it will be my goal in April to try one of them each week. I'm hoping to make yogurt, English Muffins, onion powder, and homemade deodorant. I'm also planning on using my crock pot once or twice a week, including a few new recipes I've found. I'll try to share how they turned out! I have a few other projects I'd like to work on in April as well, but for now, I'm thinking it might be better to keep my goals on the smaller side, so I feel accomplished, rather than frustrated that I don't get everything done that I wanted to!

Another day at the beach!

2010-03-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

We spent Saturday at a cute little town - we had lunch, looked in the shops, and ended our afternoon by going to the beach!

I think this was Benjamin's first time actually on the beach - he enjoyed walking by the water and finding rocks!

Out and about

2010-03-21T15:25:00.001-07:00

Friday was such a lovely day that we decided to get out for a bit!
We stopped at Wendy's for a Frosty and took it down to the beach!

Some ducks came to see what we had - too bad we hadn't brought some bread for them!

We are loving our new-to-us double stroller! It was my first time buying something off of Craigslist, and I'm happy with the experience!

My favorite things about this stroller is that it folds up really small for a double stroller, and even though it's a side-by-side, it still fits nicely through doorways.

Homemade Crackers

2010-03-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to try making homemade crackers for a while, and with both kids sleeping the other day, I finally got a chance to do it! They turned out pretty good, although I do need to play with the cooking temperature/time a little bit! I'll definitely be making these again!

One Month!

2010-03-14T18:40:00.001-07:00

I know I'm biased, but isn't she just beautiful? =)