If I Must Say So Myself

Well, this is the diaper bag I made for my good friend Becky, who is due with her second little boy in about a month. She wanted some specific things, like a zipper, an adjustable strap, bottle pockets, etc. and I was going to try and adapt one of my own designs to fit the bill. Then, I just happened upon a McCall's pattern, that just happened to be on sale that day at Hobby Lobby for $.99!!! She had bought the brown canvas, the polka-dot lining and the ribbons and I added the orange corduroy and the strap stuff (whatever it's called, I don't know.) My own purse had to make a small sacrifice for the metal piece on the adjustable strap, but I think it was worth it. Anyway, I have to say, I think this is probably the coolest thing I've made from a commercial pattern in a long time (although some of the embellishing ideas were my own.) I was afraid it would look really homemade, but I am happy to say it does not. It has fleece sandwiches in between the layers and to make this pattern even cooler, you can see in the last pic that it includes a changing pad that attaches to the front with Vel-cro and folds down to use. It also comes off completely. (I tried to use the leftover lining fabric for aphoto backdrop, but didn't quite have enough for that last picture. I try to take good pics, but alas, a girl can only do so much!) So, now that I've raved about this pattern, it is McCall's #4403, if anyone is interested. The baby shower is on Sunday, so I'll let ya know how she likes it.

Baby Blur and an Unconventional Recipe

I couldn't have a post without a picture, could I?? This is a picture of my little girl being a big girl. She's developing quite the little personality and I can tell, she already loves to accessorize, just like her big sis.

But, on to the real point of this post. I had a nasty cold a few weeks ago and I'm over it, except for this constant lingering cough that's driving me CRAZY. Over the counter cough syrups just don't work, I'm absolutely sick of cough drops and most of the herbal teas out there for coughs are not safe during pregnancy. So, I got online and found the following recipe for a homemade cough remedy:

• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 Tbl honey
• 1 Tbl apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbl water

I had all these ingredients on hand and took 3 teaspoons to start with and let me tell you, it worked! I'm still coughing a little, but not nearly as much. This does not taste good, I repeat, it does NOT taste good, but if your cough is annoying enough to you, you'll be willing to give it a try. You can find a little bit more info on this here.

Back to Sewing

I finally got a chance to start on this bag I promised my sister's lovely mother-in-law awhile back. I finished the front appliqué, but went to start construction this morning, only to find I am out of navy thread. Erg. I often wish I could think of a system to carry with me the colors of thread, zippers, rick-rack, etc. that I have on hand so I can buy it if I need it and avoid surprises when I'm ready to sew. I am, after all, a genius, so I'm sure if I spend some time on it, I can come up with something. Ideas, anyone?

I have random thoughts and links to share today. First, I have finally found a tea that I LOVE! This pregnancy, for some reason, I cannot stomach coffee (quite a travesty for a mommy of little ones who is dependent on the daily pick-me-up) and actually don't really like Dr. Pepper, which I used to be pretty addicted to. SO, I picked up Celestial Seasonings' Lemon Zinger and boy, is it good! Yay, a solution!

Next, Sew, Mama, Sew is at it again. Last month was quilting month on their blog and so they posted a unique quilt every day, block-a-long opportunities and more and this month they are back to posting great tutorials every day! I've already determined to try this one and this one. Give them a visit if you're in need of inspiration or project ideas.

As a former collector of tiolet paper rolls and empty Kleenex boxes, imagine my delight to find this post on Soule Mama's blog about a solution for her son's crazy collections. (This is just for fun, and especially for you, Mom.) Also by Amanda Soule, I'm anxious to get my hands on her new book. It looks wonderful and I can only find good things to read about it.

Have a good Thursday everyone! We'll be spending another day here at home, since Natalie seems to have come down with a cold. Those things sure are common! hehehe :)

Party On

I am ashamed of how few pictures I took of the party! It's a good thing several others were taking more pics, so I'll have some good ones to share soon. Here is a picture of the finished mermaid cake. I am THRILLED with how she turned out and SHOCKED at how little was left! She's pretty big and I expected to have about half left over, but all we had was a fraction of her head and a few cupcakes. The instructions for this cake (and lots of other fun things) can be found here. Also, as you can see, Natalie loved the mermaid skirt, she has worn it for the last three days straight, with the exception of church yesterday. And the last pic is of several of her favorite gifts. Her Cinderella doll sitting in the wooden doll high chair from my parents, drinking tea from her new princess tea set. Again, sorry I don't have better pics! Anyway, the party was a success, although a little crazy with so many people here. Natalie had a blast since her little cousins were able to come. Thankfully, it was 70 outside and we were able to get the patio all cleaned up, which made it a little easier to accommodate everyone. Then, yesterday, we had a nice blizzard. Gotta love Colorado!

Sneak Peak

Grandma and P-Pa took Natalie with them to the store and Layla is taking her morning nap (at least that's what I'm telling myself, although I can hear her playing in there) so I find myself alone on a Saturday morning. How convenient is it that Sewing with Nancy is on, something no one else in the family ever lets my watch if they're around :)

I am awash in a Mermaid Kingdom today, as I prepare for Natalie's party. Here is the head of the mermaid cake. I know my frosting technique could use some work, but the face looks pretty good, if I must say so myself. I had to re-bake the tail part this morning, since I didn't have a real cake pan and it wouldn't flip out of the pan I was using. Do you know, it is impossible to find cake mixes that aren't "super moist"? And it's getting harder to find frosting that isn't Whipped too. These things do not work well for cakes that need to flip out of the pan and get cut into mermaid-shaped pieces! I suppose if I continue making my kids' b-day cakes, I will have to make the cake and frosting all from scratch. *sigh*

Here also is a picture of the box of decorations and activities. Here are my free tips for frugal kids' parties.

1. Use fabric you have on hand to decorate tables. I have toooooonnnnns of fabric, and I have found something to go with every party I've thrown so far.
   
2. Buy solid colors of plates, napkins, etc. Use other things to get the theme across, (like the fabric or a centerpiece) because those fancy schmancy plates and things are way too expensive to buy so many of.
   
3. Skip the favors and do a take-home craft instead. Party favors are just a bunch of junk and the cost really adds up. I promise, these little favors end up in the trash sooner than you can imagine! And, as far as crafts go, you'd be surprised what you can do with paper plates! Try this or this.
4. Plan the party at a time when a meal is not necessary and just buy snacks. This will save so much money and you won't have to worry about how many people are coming and if you ordered enough pizza!
   

I think all together this party has cost me $40, but I am proud to say, I threw Natalie's first b-day party for only ten bucks. It can be done with some creativity!

Like It??

As you can see, I have a new look to my little blog. I played with the Html and everything! I'm pretty proud of myself, since I don't consider myself very skilled in technology or anything. In fact, before today, I labeled myself "technologically inept", but now I think there's hope for even me!

Yesterday we went to the Stapleton Central Park playground. This is a new million-dollar playground that is absolutely huuuuuge and has really innovative play things. It's designed to help kids play more imaginatively (as if Natalie needs any help with that!) It was really fun, but very crowded, since it was a weekend. I'm glad Casey was with us, since it would have been hard to follow Natalie around, while all Layla wanted to do was sit on the bench with me and eat Goldfish. It also has those big fountain things in the summertime, like they have at Southlands, so I'm excited about that. I'm just excited about summer in general!

I've been meaning to share this photography blog I came across. It's called Shutter Sisters and has some cool photos to ooh and aah over. Enjoy!

Mermaid

This is the Mermaid skirt I made Natalie for her birthday. She's having a mermaid birthday party next weekend and so I'm going to give it to her that morning so she can wear it at her party. I'm very excited, I think she's going to LOVE it. Currently, she wraps a blanket around her waist as a mermaid skirt, so this will be a nice replacement for that. It was a lot of work, since my serger hasn't worked for quite awhile now and so there were a lot of French seams involved to prevent raveling, but I think it will be worth it.

There is a show on HGTV called Find Your Style and they help people who don't quite know what their decorating style is. Anyway, they have a quiz online to find your own style and I took it for fun. My style is *sweet*. Here is what they said about it:

What's sweet is chic. Nothing stark and modern for you! You're drawn to cozy interiors and a welcoming palette (think soft, sun-bleached hues). You like your patterns whimsical and your buildings quaint. You enjoy heirlooms with sentimental value, like a rocker that once graced your grandmother's nursery.
Other styles that suit you: English Country, Romantic, Cottage

I can honestly say that all of this is right on, except for the rocking chair part. I actually have my great-grandmother's rocker in the house, but moved it out of Natalie's room when it kept backing up and hitting the wall the more I rocked her in it as a baby and since every time she'd fall asleep, it would creak SO loud when I stood up, all my rocking was rendered worthless! I replaced it with a glider from a garage sale, which needed oiled often and then broke after Layla was born, so I'm determined to get a really nice one for this baby. WOW, that was a little rabbit trail there :) Anyway, you can take the style quiz here. I'd love to know your results!

Ah, the Weather

The weather is beautiful today!!!! So we went to the park. We were not the only ones to take advantage, there were several people there. I like park people. They're always nice, they seem like the kind of people that really enjoy their kids, ya know? I took these pics of the girls, although the best I got of Natalie was a rear shot and I got this video of them on the swings. Layla was belly laughing, it was too funny, but she sort of quit when I started filming. Oh, well. I know better than to think that spring is here for good. I am, after all, a Coloradan and so I know it could dump snow tomorrow, but I am sooooo ready for it to come to stay. Winter feels so oppressive at times. Praise God for this lovely taste!

There are some great words about feminism on Femina here, and along those same lines, my copy of Passionate Housewives Desperate for God arrived by mail today. My sister talked this book up here and I'm so excited to get started reading it. Stay tuned for a list of my favorite books coming soon in my sidebar, along with my longer, updated list of blogs I read. Have a wonderful day and go outside, at least for a little while!