Wordless Wed

Is she not just the sweetest kid ever?!?! She finally got over the cough she had for 8 months straight and we went to babysit for the weekend and all the kids were sick and now guess what- cough is back..... poor little girl!

Help me get some facebook fans!

You may or may not have seen my sidebar buttons for my facebook pages both for this blog and for my etsy sites. I am now running a contest and the 125th fan to my etsy site page will win a hat of their choice from my store or a $20 gift certificate to either of my stores for the person who referred them! So PLEASE go and become a fan! You can stay up to date with the new things I make every week and when there is a deal going on! Go HERE and become a fan and then go suggest the page to all your friends! the 150th fan will win something too! :)

Tv Tuesday- my confession...

My sister in law over at The Buzz WAS doing a thing called Tv Tuesday. Im not sure if she is anymore, but I have a confession to make regardless.....

Here is the back story.
When DH and I first got married we stumbled upon a show called grays anatomy. We watched every episode together and even got the season we had missed on DVD for Christmas and watched the entire thing in about 3 days! Then came the episode where Burk leaves Christina at the alter... not cool. You see, Burk was my husbands favorite character. Once he realized he wasnt coming back he refused to watch it anymore. Im still not sure if he liked him because of all the controversy or what it was!

So there it was- I watched the whole next season by myself! he REFUSED to watch with me. Then after a full season it was time for the next season to come and he said maybe he would watch, but didnt want to.

So I came up with the brilliant idea of telling him Burk was coming back sometime this season. And I know he is watching just for that! I mean he likes the show too, but I know that is what he is really waiting for each episode! And then last week, when they showed flashbacks of Burk (maybe it was 2 weeks ago) he got SO excited and said- "oh, thats it, he is finally coming back!"

Hunny- he isnt coming back.....

Things I learned this weekend....

Last night was the night- the night to take away all the binki's for good! My little one has been very attached since she was still in the hospital, and I was ok with that because she needed the extra oral stimulation. The past 2 weeks I have watched her hide it, wrap it in a blanket and put it to sleep, and chuck it into the back seat of the car- that was when I realized it was no longer a total comfort and necessity, but a toy. So last night was the night, and binki is now gone at our house!

We did bedtime like usual and right before putting her down I gave her a talk about how she is such a big girl and can do this and this and this, so she doesnt need a binki anymore- binki's are for babies. She was fine with that. Then I told her we would go to the store tomorrow and she could pick out any blanket fabric she wanted- she instantly said "horses?!?" and I said yes.

So the time comes to put her in her bed. She never said the word, but instantly started screaming like a mad woman. This went on about half an hour. Finally I went in and she wanted me to rock and sing to her, so I did. She fell asleep and of course as soon as I moved she wanted me to lay in her bed by her....

She had started escaping the confines of her crib at 18 months or younger, and when we put her in a toddler bed she did great to sleep, but it took like 4 hours for her to stop playing long enough to do it! So one night I was SO frustrated I put the crib back together- she hasnt scaled it yet since! (Once and she hurt her neck and never tried again!) So you can see how laying in her bed with her was not happening....

So I tried to rub her back and she went to sleep- then I told her I needed to go potty and would be right back. it worked for a full minute until she realized I wasnt coming back! She started howling and screaming my name. I tried the whole "poke holes in the binki" thing but it didnt seem to work- too much suction still. So I cut part of the tip off one of them. I went in and handed it to her. She popped it into her mouth rolled over and then grabbed the thing out, yelled at it, yelled at me and the threw it down- she was NOT buying it!

So i went back in after a little while and held her and sang to her again. She fell asleep even easier this time- I knew she was exhausted which is why I chose last night! As soon as the singing and rocking stopped and she was still sleeping I knew I would make it- until I set her down and she once again patted her bed for me to lay down....

I comprimised by rubbing her back and still singing the same song over and over again- she kept saying "more", "more"! So once she was finally almost asleep I couldnt stand any longer so I told her I would hold her hand. Now any mom knows this is just a bad move all together... How int he world would I get away from this one?!? So I sat there 10 minutes or what felt like 2 hours... Finally she was sound asleep and snoring, so I tried to wrap her hand around the bar of her bed.... Nope, she instantly thrust her hand back at me. This happened at least 4 times.

Finally I figured she would be ok either way, she had been asleep long enough she wouldnt remember me leaving. She instantly woke up and looked at me and said "hand!" To which I replied- "hold Mickey Mouse's hand!" Somehow this worked! I couldnt beleive it! lol. She whined and whimpered about 2 minutes after that and promptly fell to sleep- for the ENTIRE NIGHT! She didnt wake up once!

When she did wake up this morning the first thing she said to me was- "Blankie, horses! Big girl!" hahaha i guess she gets it after all!

And she never did ask for one- last night or now!

So today one of my goals is to de-toy the room and take down the crib, then maybe I can actually lay next to her! hehe.

Hurray for big girls!

Crazy little thing....

Yesterday we tried something new- im not quite sure how you pronounce it, but I think it is spelled e-x-e-r-c-i-s-e......

DH has been complaining that his wedding ring doesnt fit, and his shirts and pants are getting tight. (for some reason he wouldnt wear his ring because it HURT, but never asked for a new pair of slacks or a new suit.... HAHAHAHA thats got to hurt...)

So I asked around and I got some advice about trying Jillian Micheal's the 30 day shred. (I bought it at Walmart for $9!)

We all got dressed in our work out clothes and went to work (Notice you will not be seeing ME in my work out clothes....)


The baby wanted in on the action too!
She helped dad do jumping jacks
This picture makes me CRACK UP- she is SUCH a good stretcher HAHAHA I love her face!
And stretching....

We only had one problem... Our living room is VERY small, and even after moving the couch out we only had a 7 by 7 foot space, so we did what we could! We used cans for weights (hey, it is how my mom ALWAYS taught aeorobics!) And DH was using jars of spagetti sauce....
You can only imagine what happened. This is the stain- I scooped up the whole jar and it actually came out of the carpet pretty well! I guess DH got tired and sweaty hands and the jar slipped out, hit the fish tank and... well you get the idea!

So if you want to try this video out I highly recomend it- but I also recomend making sure all your weights are in can and not glass jars!

All in all we thought it was great, it was fun, and it was challenging! Now ask me again how we like it in 29 more days! :P

oh 12 year olds....

When I was a kid camping in the fifth wheel was considered a "vacation". My little sister is 12, almost 13, and she has been on over 7 cruises, to Alaska twice, Hawaii twice, Mexico at least 4 times and will be headed to Africa in June.

This week my parents decided to go sport fishing in Mexico. They also decided to leave my sister home for the week while they were gone. But not at their house. They left her at mine!

Now my sister isnt your normal 12 year old. She is the 4th of 4 girls, me at 23 being the oldest, so she basically has grown up an only child- especially the last year since she is the one and only one left at home. She still gets tucked in each night and has to be woken up in the morning ect.

So when she arrived on Tuesday night we had to literally PEAL her off of my mom so that she could take off. She continued to cry for over an hour after that. Then she had to call my mom 3 times before bed. She was fine Wed morning and went off to school. We picked her up and she played with the baby and went to dancing. She seemed fine when we picked her up from Dancing but cried the entire way through dinner. :(

So this is how it is going to be until next Wed.... I hope I can make it though! A crying 12 year old coupled with a 2 year old and a pregnant lady dont make for a very happy house- my nerves are about fried....

SO wish me luck- im going to need it!

Wordless Wed

My little potty princess!

The sign of a long weekend....

The back seat in the car is folded down, the laundry is still in the washing machine, the power on the DVR is off, and for some reason the bed is unmade..... Sure signs of a long weekend!

We headed to the in-laws house this weekend. I had a blast, even though we didnt do anything! I LOVE my MIL, she is the best! We even went fabric shopping, something I havnt done in a LONG time- but hey, the kids need new bedding, so off we went to see what they had! You know when you have something in your head that would be perfect, then nothing quite matches that image... oh well, I still have 4-10 months to look.....

Why so long you might ask- well my husband will be moving back 'home' 3 1/2 hours away (Our normal Summer residence) to work this summer. Why do I say HE is moving? Well because I will be exactly 9 months pregnant and im honestly not sure how I feel about that.... The hospital up here is awesome. I also have my own bed and own house up here- I dont have a house down there, but I do have a slightly crappier version of my own bed... (although the sheets have needed washing for a LONG time now...) So I guess I have a lot of thinking ahead of me..... I know in the end I will most likely end up down there, im just not sure what I think about it all- what would you do?

How is it Thursday night already?!?

I honestly keep thinking it is Monday! Weird I know, especially because with a birthday on Monday we had a long weekend! So I missed Wordless Wed....

Yes I permed her hair- can you blame me? It was SUCH a mess before, and it is super easy now- and I think she looks darling!

Also, this is how the birthday cake went down this year- much different than last year... lol

I didnt know some of you didnt know I was expecting... must not have visited for a while huh? lol I will be 23 weeks along on Saturday! I feel great, minus a sinus infection right now... Im measuring 23 weeks, so that is good! We decided not to tell the gender this time around- so you will all have to wait patiently until the middle of June to find out!
Anything I am forgetting? Any questions? hm.... Im not sure! But if you have one you just let me know- if not, I will be back in the morning! Have a great night!

Cravings....

I HATE hot dogs. Like havnt touched one since I was maybe..8? yeah they are disgusting! So why was it the only thing I could think about eating over Christmas break.... and tonight? Gross! I guess pregnancy will do that to you!

I think I have eaten about 4 chocolate bars this week too.... I have never had a weird craving for things together like pickles and ice cream, but hot dogs are one thing I never thought I would 'want' to eat!

SO tell me- what did you crave when you were pregnant? What did you eat a lot of?

my new favorate hobby

Anyone who knows me, or really knows a lot about me knows that I would much rather do things for myself. I see something I want- I dont buy it, I make it! So when I started knitting last year (can you believe it has been a year?!? I cant!) I was always on the lookout for the cutest yarns out there. (When you have a little girl it is all about cute right?) Well thats the big problem- they dont sell 'cute' yarns that dont cost $18 a skeen...

So here comes the solution- dye your own yarn! This way you get exactly the color combos you like and it turns out MUCH much MuCh cuter!

A couple of days ago I went to Micheals and bought a skeen of natural colored patons wool on sale for about $4.

I came home, unwound it and wound it around the bottom of my laundry basket so that it could be dyed. Once it is all wound you need to tie it in 4 places so it doesnt get tangeled!

Next you need to put newspaper down to protect your counter. On top of the newspaper you need to lay down seran wrap.

Now you fill your sink or a bowl with some lukewarm water and put your yarn into the water to soak while you get ready.

There are a couple of things you can use for dye. Obviosly you can buy expensive acid dyes, but no thanks! I use Koolaid, food coloring, Wiltons cake dyes and easter egg colors. The easter egg dyes are much lighter and give more of a pastel coloring, while the Wiltons and koolaid can be VERY bright and fun! I usually just substitute the food coloring when my color isnt quite what I want it to be, but you can dye exclusively with it if you want to! You will need about 1/4-1/2 cup hot water and 2 cups of vinager per color you want to try also.

What I do is pour in about 1/4 cup boiling hot water into the bottom of my glass and mix in my coloring. (Either 1 tablet of easter egg dye, about 20-30 drops of food coloring, a 1/2 teapoon of wiltons cake dye or a package of koolaid) Once your dye is completely mixed up, fill the cup the rest of the way up with Vinager. (The acid is what makes the color stick to the yarn!)Now pull your yarn out of the water and squeeze it gently- you dont want it dripping wet, but it needs to be damp so that you need less water to saturate it with your dye! Set it nicley on your newspaper and seran wrap like shown above.

Now you are ready to dye! I have tried lots and lots of meathods, but my favorate lately is the tablespoon meathod! I just take a tablespoon measuring spoon and scoop big spoonfuls of dye out and put it on my yarn. You want to make sure you are saturating it all the way through or the bottom half will not be colored! If you get big puddles wipe them up! I use an old prefold baby diaper, because honestly, they look better tie dyed than stained! hehe. Before you start dying you might want to think about how you want your pattern. Bigger sections of dye will make the verigation longer and may result in pooling when you knit. I like to do more smaller sections! The sky is the limit- it is pretty hard to mess up! 1 huge tip I do have though is to put complimentry colors next to each other or you might get some muddy weird colors when they dye together!


Once all your yarn is colored and you make sure it is saturated all the way through you put a piece of seran wrap on the top middle across and fold up the corners that are under your yarn. You want to make a sealed pouch so all your dye and liquid doesnt escape! Now find a pie pan or caserole dish. I have found out the hard way more than once that the deeper the pan, the easier it works- then your microwave wont be covered in blue green water..... Carefully fold your colors over and place in bottom of dish and pop into microwave for 10 minutes.Now your husband will start complaining because the vinager is.... well.... sometimes more than overwelming! As the dye 'cooks' into your yarn it will leave the vinager clear again! It really is VERY cool! While you are patiently waiting the 10 minutes you can fill your sink up with hot water and a little bit of dish soap. Once the time is up you will carefully take the pot out of the microwave, carefully flip over the packet and let it sit for a few minutes (I like to do 2 skeens because it gives me enough time to dye another skeen while I wait the 10 minutes and then it can rest 10 while the new one is in there cooking and then I switch.)

Now you can rinse it out- but I like to do 10 more minutes just to make certain the colors are VERY dark and set!

Once your time is done you can carefully take the packet out and gently pour out the vinager down your sink and then place the dyed yarn into the sink of hot soapy water.

Let the yarn sit in this water for about 5-10 minutes. You dont want to shock your wool, which is why you want the water HOT, and then you can turn the faucet on as warm as you can stand it and gently wash the soap out of the yarn by squeezing small sections. Now gently squeeze out all the excess water and admire your work!

Now I like to throw mine into the spin cycle of my washing machine. watch SO carefully because if the actual wash cycle comes on, well your work is as good as ruined! Now once it has spun some of the water out you can go ahead and hang it up to dry overnight!

After waiting all night and wondering what it will look like you can run downstairs and admire your work! I like to roll mine into a ball right away because that is how I like to work with it, but you can leave it skeened like this or wrap it around something smaller so you can see all the colors together!

Now you are ready to make something amazing!

Have any of your tried this, want to try this, interested at all?

success

The birthday party was a success! I think we have around 100 people there total! pretty impressive for a 2 year old's birthday party! She had lots of her friends from dancing and church there as well as LOTS of cousins. Today is her actual birthday and we have already made 24 cupcakes, made a birthday cake, taken a bath, washed her birthday outfit and gotten dressed for the day. Next comes dance class and then a nap!

This morning my parents and sister called to wish her a happy birthday and sing to her and you have never seen a smile so big before! She just thought that was the neatest thing ever that they would call her and not even ask to talk to mommy!

We will see how the endless supply of candies and cupcakes goes over for her when she isnt allowed to eat any of it tomorrow- But mommy is happy to report she ate 1/4 a piece of birthday cake so far this weekend and that is it! lol

Tonight we will probably get Chinese food for dinner since it is her favorate!

What do you do special for birthdays at your house?

Big steps

I have decided this blog needs a change. I have been hoping every post would be something fun and helpful, but then it just goes a week without getting posted to- so now I am going to just go with the flow and hope that every so often I can sneak something good in there.....

This week is a busy week at our house! Little Bailey is turning 2 on Monday! I cannot believe she is 2 already! This past week I have been reflecting on the time we have had together so far and I honestly cant imagine where this kind, loving, beautiful little girl came from!
Last year at her party-She dug right into that cake!

Every morning she wakes up yelling "mom! pee pee!" She promptly goes in and goes potty and is then ready for her snuggles! Her day can not start without about 35 HUGE hugs, kisses and I love you's! She never needs prompting and makes sure that the hugs and kisses are evenly spread between mommy and daddy! Next comes breakfast- a HEAPING bowl of whatever cereal daddy is having. She also drinks every last drop of milk out of the bowl!

She is such a funny kid! She loves to play, dance and sing! She loves to help do the laundry and wipe things up! She loves to make people smile and knows how to express herself! This past week she has learned how to wimper and say "daddy bye bye. I sad!" Breaks my heart and makes me laugh at the same time! Yesterday she started saying the phrase "where are we?" We were watching brother bear the movie and I think she picked it up from there!

I love this little girl and couldnt be more excited to be her mom! I hope you had a great year Bailey- here is to another wonderful year to come!

Worldless Wed

Her birthday party this weekend is going to be a blast! :) Cant believe she is 2 already!!!