Keeping Busy!

I'm having fun and keeping busy with my two little ones! It can get a little crazy every once in a while, but overall the adjustment has been easier than I thought it would be! Benjamin has been having trouble sleeping the past couple of weeks, which has been the hardest thing to deal with, since it makes him fussier than usual. Getting out and about is a little harder than it used to be, too, which is why we've been home most of the time! =) But I've been plenty busy keeping up on things around the house and enjoying my precious kids!

It's a girl!

Joanna Mae
Born at 7:51 am, Sunday, February 14
7 lb, 8.5 oz
20 1/2 inches

She ended up being 5 days early - much to our surprise!
She is a darling and we are having so much fun with her!

Benjamin's Books

Benjamin loves books! And they're one of my favorite "toys" for kids, so I'm glad he loves them! When I first started letting him look at them on his own, probably around 9 months, he would chew on them, but then he stopped. Unfortunately, he's started chewing on them again, which has led to some not-so-nice-looking books. I've been taping them as they've been damaged - mostly on the bindings. The other day, though, I got an idea - why not tape them before they get damaged? So I've started putting clear packaging tape over the bindings of all his books, with the hope that when he chews on them, the tape will prevent most of the damage! Hopefully, though, the chewing will stop for good soon!

More Baby Shoes!

I loved the way my first pair of cloth baby shoes turned out, so I decided to make another pair! This pair went together more quickly that the first, since I was familiar with what to do. I made a black pair that could be either for a boy or a girl - if it's a girl, I'll probably add little black ribbon bows to the shoes.

Ready and Waiting

Two weeks to go but we're ready!
We have the baby things washed, the freezer full of meals, and the bags (mostly) packed.
Now the waiting really begins! =)

Dehydrating!

I'm having fun trying something new - dehydrating food!

Some friends surprised us with a dehydrator for Christmas, and I was excited to try it out! I made some banana chips first - they turned out pretty good. I didn't sweeten them, so they're not as sweet as the ones I have gotten from the store - but still good (and healthier!).


I've also made a couple of batches of apple fruit leather, which turned out great! I made one batch starting from scratch - with whole apples that I cut up and cooked, and then I tried a batch with some applesauce that I needed to use up. I was pleased with how they both turned out, but using applesauce is the way to go if you want less hands-on time! =)

I was so impressed with how easy it was to do, and I'm excited about this new way to preserve food! I'm looking forward to using my dehydrator a lot more in the future!

More Sewing!!

I've been steadily working through my list of things to get done before the baby comes, including a few sewing projects that I've been wanting to do!

Such as:

Reusable produce bags for my Mom's birthday.

A new baby sling. I decided I want to use one with the new baby, so I wanted to make a cuter one! I used home decorator fabric, as was suggested in the pattern, but lined it with a basic cotton to make it a little softer inside.

A camera case. I would typically use cuter fabric, but I wanted it to be something Seth would be okay with carrying around! I did add one of my favorite buttons for a little color - although Seth said that made it look a little girly. Oh well! =) The button hole on top is for the camera's cord to come through.

Cute baby shoes - just in case it's a girl!

A new purse - I've figured out that it's a lot more convenient for me to have a purse with a longer strap, so it's not always falling off my shoulder when I bend down to pick up Benjamin!