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!

The Moses Basket

Since we decided not to move right now, we're still in our one-bedroom apartment - and we'll soon have two kids! We thought about several different options when it came to beds for the kids. Benjamin is still in his crib, and while we don't have room for two cribs, we had considered using the playpen, or getting a bassinet or cradle for the baby. I was talking to a friend one day, and she mentioned Moses Baskets. I had heard of them before, but hadn't thought about it until then. The more we thought about it, the more we liked the idea. Not only is it small, but it's completely portable. I can easily move it around where I need it during the day, and we can even bring it with us if we're going to be gone for the day.


A couple of months ago I was talking to my Mother-in-law about them - she had never heard of them before. Later that day, she was out shopping, and she just happened to see one at Ross - for a fraction of the typical price! It was the only one they had, and it was green, not blue or pink! It was such a random find - but it was perfect! It is so fun to see God provide in unique ways!

The Moses Basket is all washed and ready to go - I'm excited to get to try it out! =)

My Boys

This is Seth's new favorite thing to do with Benjamin...especially when Benjamin cuddles on the top of his head! Benjamin loves it, too!

New Year Organizing

This time of the year always makes me want to get organized...even more this year with the new baby coming soon! =)

I needed to clear out a couple of drawers in our dresser for Benjamin's clothes, so I made this hanging organizer for the closet. I was extremely pleased with how it turned out!


Finally, some fabric organization!

Whenever I sew something, I almost always have some fabric leftover. Over the years, that has turned into quite a lot of fabric remnants! Although I have kept it in storage drawers for several years now, I have struggled to keep the drawers in some semblance of order. I have spent quite a bit of time periodically taking the fabric out, refolding it and putting it in the drawers neatly. But inevitably, the order doesn't last long as sooner or later I have to dig through the layers of fabric looking for that piece I need!

I think I may have finally found a system that might work for me!
After seeing how my mother-in-law had her fabric organized the other day, I decided to copy her idea! She keeps hers in shoe boxes, but instead of piling the fabric, she stores it vertically, like file cards. I reorganized all my fabric last night to be like this - and what a difference! Not only did the fabric fit better (who knew?), but now, instead of digging through piles of fabric looking for something, I can see all my fabric at a glance. And it's much easier to take out a piece without messing everything up. The drawers look great, and it think this will work great, although time will be the real test! =)


I've been working on getting the rest of the house organized as well, and I'm making progress, although I still have work to do!

More projects...

A couple more Christmas projects to show...


I didn't actually make Seth's laptop bag until after Christmas - I wrapped up the material for him, but waited to make it because I wanted his input, so it would be just as he wanted it!

Talking on the phone...

Benjamin loves to play with our cell phones - and the other day he was actually trying to use it properly! It was so cute! He was trying to hold it up to his ear, and then he was talking!