Monday, December 27, 2010
Thoughts
I have wanted a dressmakers dummy for the longest time and am so happy to finally have one!!!
I also got a nice amount of cash and so far have used it to buy,
Bath and Body Works stuff
- Pink Stripped Tote
- Coconut Shower Gel
- Coconut Body Lotion
- Coconut Fragrance Mist
- Wallflower
- 1 Wallflower Scent Refill
- Look Ma, New Hands!
- Pocketbac hand sanitizer w/ holder
- lip gloss
- 2 Black Amethyst Shower Cream's
- 1 Strawberry Lemonade Body Lotion
- 2 Carmel Apple Foaming Soap
- 1 Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin Foaming Soap
All for only $35 including shipping!
Tree Hut Shea Sugar Body Scrub
Cocoa and Strawberry Got Milk? Magic Milk Straws (the coolest things I have ever found at a gas station!)
4 Maternity tops and 2 dresses from Old Navy on sale for $55 including tax (free shipping).
Today I started the flylady baby steps. This is technically the second time I've started but this time I got all the way through step one, lol.
Alright, I must stop messing around and get some things done.
Have a great Monday!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
The post no one should have to write
Reading her story and watching the above video tribute broke my heart. It also made me aware of how wasteful my time is and of how much I take for granted.
I am blessed with a beautiful, energetic, healthy, 8-month old son. And if, God forbid, I were to lose him, I would regret not getting down on the floor and playinog with with, not reading to him more, and simply taking the time to cuddle.
I read a lot of different blogs with focuses on everything from crafts to daily living to leading a healthy lifestyle. But for all of my readings nothing, really, has helped me to live a more purposeful life.
And so, that is what I pray I will begin to do. I don't want to look back one day and wonder where the time went and why I took what I had for granted.
I want to live a purposeful life and I want to be proud of all I do.
Monday, December 6, 2010
No.
I have a tendency to put myself into the middle of situations and to take things a little too personally when I really just need to step back and say no.
No, I do not want to go to your child's birthday party.
No, I will not help you write an email, you are 24 years old. Please act like it.
No, I will not tell you personally, this is the way everybody found out and if you don't like it then maybe you should take a long hard look at our friendship and realize that you have been backing away ever since I got married and had a baby.
No, I will not come to your Christmas party. In fact, I think it is very rude that we already invited you and your husband to our house on that night a couple weeks ago and your response is to throw a, no children allowed, Chiristmas party. Yes, I am offended by that and no, I will not be coming.
Whew, big breath.
Why don't I have the guts to say those things to people's faces?
(Another) One of those days
It has been one of those, go ahead, just piss me off, kind of days.
It started out ok and then somewhere along the way it just fell apart.
I'm exhausted, I have the worst headache.
If E would just GO TO SLEEP I could take a nap to help my headache but noooo . . .
I'm doing a table at a ladies night out tomorrow so I'm trying to corall all my craft stuff and get everything ready.
I'm also trying to get the house picked up so that when Karen comes over tomorrow to watch E it won't look like a tornado just hit.
Oh, and then there's the laundry that I'm trying to finish which, own it's own, is no big deal. But combined w/ everything else . . . ugh!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Etsy Coupon
Just enter coupon code TRABLOG12.
Cloth Diapers- the BG's
I received my Bumgenius! diapers and was soooo excited!
And then the excitement vanished :(
I received 5 pocket diapers, they are pretty good, more on those in another post.
I also received 6 Bumgenius! organic OS AIO's and 1 Bumgenius! organic AIO size small.
All the reviews I read said they were awesome, one of the best nighttime dipes available. Sadly, they are not for us. They barely fit E and they seem to be just as absorbant as any other CD we own.
After only 2 nights I have listed and sold 4 of the organic OS AIO's and the one sm organic AIO on Craigslist. I think I'll keep 2 of the AIO's to try on the new babe but for now I'd just rather have the cash. :)
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Cloth Diapers: Part 2 - Getting those puppies clean!
I've chose not to spend the extra money on purchasing a special detergent. Instead I make my own :0 I use it on all our laundry, not just the CD's.
Michelle's Homemade Detergent
1 bar Zote laundry soap
3 cups washing soda
1 & 1/2 cups borax
Place the soap bar into a small saucepan and cover with 10 cups of water. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the soap completely dissolves.
Put washing soda and borax in a 5-gallon bucket. Pour in the hot, melted soap mixture. Stir well, until all the powder is dissolved. Fill the bucket to the top with more hot tap water. Stir well.
At this point you can leave the mixture in the bucket, it will turn into a medium-firm gel and you would use 1/3 c. for a large load of regular laundry and 1/4 c. for a large load of diapers.
I like to transfer it into smaller containers. You can use old store-bought laundry containers for this but I prefer to use vinegar jugs. We use a lot of vinegar since it's my main cleaning agent so I've got a lot of gallon vinegar jugs hanging around.
To transfer it into a container you will mix 1 part soap solution to 2 parts water. You want to work quickly as it is harder to do once the soap mixture gels. One thing I do when it starts to gel is use a separate bowl, bucket, etc and a whisk to mix the soap and water together before pouring it into my jugs.
If you choose to dilute your soap and transfer it to jugs then you will use 1. cup for a large load of regular laundry and 1/2 cup for a large load of diapers.This makes a LOT of detergent but it only take an hour or so to make once you get the hang of it and it saves a TON of money!!!
If you have trouble finding any of the ingredients you can order online. Also, I found my ingredients at a locally owned grocery store, not a mass retail store.
Good luck and let me know what you think!
True story
#2) I currently have a line from a book stuck in my head. Some people get song lyrics stuck in their head I have the line from a book. I think it's from the book, "Dangerous Wonder" by Mike Yaconelli. The line in my head is, "Meet me in the crashing waves".
#3) Ethan went to bed for the first times in weeks without a major fuss/production. At least one thing went right in my day.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Cloth Diapers-Part 1
We've CD since E was 3 wks old and I plan on CDing from the get go with our new little one.
This week I'll be going over some basic CD info to, hopefully, help clear up any questions anyone may have.
There are a lot of different kinds of CD on the market today. The kinds of CD's that our parents and grandparents used have been overshadowed by all the newfangled kids available now.
The best description that I have found of all the different types of cloth diapers cahttp://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=8592644183983133450n be found here she gives great details about the different styles, fabric choices, etc.
I did a lot of research before E was born as to what kind of CD's to buy. We ended up purchasing 7 flip covers - Love these covers, they are one-size covers so they save a lot of money vs buying diapers in multiple sizes
1 Econobum Cover - I only bought 1 to try and I'm glad of that. this cover is pretty thin and doesn't contain E's runny BM's like the flip does. It's definitely one of the covers I grab last.
25 Indian Prefold's-Infant size
20 Indian Prefold's-regular size - We fold these in thirds and place them in the diaper cover, top with a liner and we're good to go!.
1 Chinese prefold-regular size - I bought 1 to try and found out I like the Indian prefolds better because they are softer and unbleached.
2pkg's bummis fleece liners - When these first came I love them but after washing them for a few weeks they became thinner and now they are too small to use on my 24lb 30" tall 8 month old. After purchasing these I realized I could simply buy a yard of fleece and cut it into rectangles to use as liners. It was cheaper and they have held up MUCH better than the bummis liners.
1 pkg BumGenius! Stay Dry Doubler - These are nice for adding an extra layer of absorbency but they don't help E stay dry at all.
1lg Hemp Babies Diaper Doubler - I had read that hemp was supposed to be absorbent and help your lo stay dry but I have been less than impressed with this liner. Once again, I'm glad I only bought one. Perhaps if it were 100% hemp instead of 55% hemp and 45% organic cotton I would like it more.
I also picked up
2 Bummis super snap diaper covers-Medium size - these are alright, I prefer 2 rows of snaps and they do no work for night time, E leaks through them in 2 to 3 hours.
and
3 Proraps Classic diaper covers-newborn size
at a garage sale when E was about 2 1/2 months old. - I haven't gotten to use these yet but plan to as soon as this lo is born.
I also just ordered 12 BumGenius 3.0 one size diapers and 36 Premium Indian prefolds.
The BG's are from cotton babies cyber Monday last chance sale so they may need the elastic repaired and they don't come with inserts, I plan on using prefold's as inserts, I'm really excited to try them! I'm hoping that the Premium Indian prefolds will help E stay dry at night.
I'm in the process of making 2 wool shorties to use on E at night to help keep him and his sheets dry.
As soon as the BG's come and I get the shorties finished I'll review them here.
So, there you have it, my Cd stash.
Sure, Cding is a bit more work but we haven't had any diaper rash from the CD's and it is sooo much cheaper than buying sposies' all the time!
Friday, November 26, 2010
Happy.
Watching "Nothing But Trouble"
E sleeping in my hubby's arms.
A new little baby growing in my belly.
Yup, we're expecting another little miracle, due June 18th! That's 2 days after my birthday. :)
But, we haven't made the FB announcement yet so please don't say anything on FB until after this Monday. Thanks ;)
Friday, November 19, 2010
Confessions
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Goodbye MacBook
I finally bought a new power cord for it, just in time to sell it. lol.
My husband has been wanting a laptop for awhile now so it we sell my laptop then we can buy 2 cheaper laptops on WalMart's Black Friday sale.
While I will be sad to see my computer go I'm glad to be able to do soething that will make my hubby happy :)
So, if you're in the market for an AWESOME MacBook take a look here and leave me a comment!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
The Dentist.
With all that being said it's been well over a year since I've been to the dentist. I know I've got a couple cavities and we are blessed to have great dental insurance through my husband's job so there isn't really any good excuses as to why I haven't gone.
Oh yeah, except for that fact that I hate going . . .
I actually made appointments with 2 different dentist today. The last dentist I tried I just didn't like, I felt like they were very superficial and just after my money. Not cool.
My husband goes to the same dentist he's gone to since he was a kid, he's not a big fan of the dentist either, but he's also not a fan of change.
I'm not sure if I want to go to the dentist he uses. I don't like his picture on the website and they don't have tv's to watch while you get your teeth cleaned. Pathetic, I know.
Growing up we always went to the dentist my mom picked and they were always these tall men with big jaws that slightly freaked me out. The picture of the dentists where my husband's goes slightly resembles those childhood dentists . . .
Appointment #1 is with his dentist/dental group. The lady never told me which dentist I was going to see . . .
I made appointment #2 with a dental office I chose by going to our insurance carrier's website, looking up who they covered and then checking out different websites.
The dentist at the dental office I picked are all younger, there's even a woman there!
Sadly, dental websites do not readily proclaim if they have tv's in the exam rooms. What is up with that? If I was a dentist I would advertise like motels - 36" flat screen! full cable with HBO. I mean, come on, that's the only reason I go to the dentist. . . well, it is. ;)
So, what should I so? should I go with my husband's dentist or should I go with my pick?
Last year I went to the eye Dr. he goes to . . . this year I'm trying a new one.
The bottom line is I don't want to offend my husband.
Shoot, I guess I'll just ask him when he gets home from work.
BTW, anyone wanna borrow a super cranky 7 month old for the day? he comes with diapers & formula :)
Monday, November 1, 2010
What a day
Clean out your freezer
Make 3 meals to freeze for later in the week
Make a triple batch of laundry soap
Do laundry
and
Do two loads of dishes in the dishwasher
I need a nap.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Thursday's Thoughts
Last night I bet he did it at least 3 or 4 times before finally settling down and going to sleep.
That boy wears me out . . .
My mom and brother are coming to visit today which means I need to clean the guest bathroom, vaccume the floors, and finish picking up the kitchen . . . :(
I was thinking yesterday about all things domestic and I came to this conclusion, as a "homemaker" I can cook delicious meals, mend clothes, sew new clothes, & create crafts out of thin air. Now, with all those skills I really shouldn't be expected to keep the neatest house on the block, right? ;)
Because, let's face it, why would you want to mop the kitchen floor when you can make you son a super cute sweater vest? Not that I did that yeasterday . . .
My house really is clean, it's just cluttered. I'm working on getting rid of all the extra nonsense we have laying around, it's just taking awhile.
Enough rambling, I need to make lunch and get to cleaning :P
I can't wait until naptime, I'm going to take a nap and then a long hot shower, it's going to be glorious! Hurry up 12:30!!!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Just another day . . .
Blah.
That pretty much sums up how I'm been feeling. Physically tired, mentally frustrated by situations outside my control and my own stupidity.
I am ready for next week. Not this weekend, no I've still got 1 1/2 halloween costumes to finish before Saturday night. But, come Monday I will be done with all of this obligatory sewing and I will finally be able to concentrate on my etsy shop. Good. Cause we need $$$$.
Oh, and my Mac is still down for the count :(
It probably will be for the next couple of weeks. Sigh.
All right enough fun and games, E is screaming for me, I best go tend to my suddenly very needy baby - please, God, let this stage end soon!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
A day when everything goes wrong
These last few weeks have been crazy and today is no exception.
My computer cord won't work. I found E chewing on the end of it yesterday and now it refuses to work which means my laptop is dead so I'm using this old windows based dell which I hate. I miss my Mac!!!
I'm going to take it in to the mac store tomorrow to see if it does just need a new power cord. Not that I'll be buying one anytime soon. I think they run around $120 . . . ugh . . .
For as much as I love my Mac I am seriously considering trying to sell it and buy a new, cheaper. wondows based laptop on an after Thanksgiving day sale. It's only 3 years old so I'm thinkinh I should be able to get about half of what I paid for it, right?
I have an old iBook that I would rather be using (instead of this dell) but I need to run the software for the airport card and I don't have the disks and can't find any software for free online . . .ugh.
I'm trying to finish up our halloween costumes. Mine is being ridiculously difficult. The zipper keeps sticking and I don't think I bought enough fabric so I've got to get creative.
E is currently boycotting nap time by laying in bed &spitting, his newest trick. At least he's not screaming bloody murder.
This day started out so well but has managed to quickly spiral out of control . . .
I need a vacation.
Friday, October 8, 2010
It's raining
And right now, I feel like I'm in a torrential downpour.
At about 3 o'clock today I realized I hadn't eaten yet and I was hungry!
There isn't a lot of quick meal food in the house as tomorrow is grocery day. Ethan was napping at that time and I decided that once he woke up I would go get something to eat.
Sadly, my food trip didn't exactly go as planned.
In retrospect I should have just gone to sonic (it's across the street) but I couldn't stop thinking about McDonalds and the fact that they have the monopoly game going right now swayed my thinking.
About a mile and a half from home, while sitting at a red light, my car died.
I tried to re-start it but it just wouldn't stay running more than 5 seconds.
So, I turned on my caution lights and tried to call N at work.
No answer. Left a voicemail.
Thankfully after not too long two super nice men cam and pushed me, quite a ways, into the Walgreens parking lot.
Ok, so now I'm thinking about how to get Ethan and I home.
I try starting my car again and notice that the low oil light is on. Sreiously? I just took it in to Jiffy Lube yesterday morning and paid $27 to have the oil changed! Ugh, not cool!
I add 2 quarts of oil and I think it's going to get me home but it dies again as I'm driving through the Walgreens parking lot. Luckily, I'm able to coast into a parking space.
I then call the $7 cab company (who actually charge $8 - per person) and after a 15 minute wait Ethan and I are on our way home.
So here I sit, still hungry, out of cash, throughly frustrated, and out $10.
I should have just ordered a pizza.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Huh?
What a day
Friday, October 1, 2010
Weekly menu/meal planning
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
I made it! hot/cold rice bag
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Maple Glazed Apple Nut Bars
2 c. sugar
1 T. vanilla
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick melted butter
Frost when cool (or slightly warm) with maple butter or a maple glaze.
Maple glaze
3/4 cup hot water
1 Tablespoon maple flavoring
1/4 - 1/2 cup powdered sugar to make a glaze that is thick but pourable.
I'm linked here:
Monday, September 27, 2010
Rearranging
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Paring down
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Sink Baths
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Tutorials to love
Saturday, September 18, 2010
My First Craft Show
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
I got out of bed for this?
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Chiefs Game
Last night my dad, brother, older sister, N, and I all headed up to arrowhead stadium for the Chiefs game.