probably actually

6 months... already?

2012-02-10T05:49:00.000-08:00

Dear Noble,

When you were inside my belly, I remember wondering

if I could ever love another baby as much as my first.

Sweet boy, I fell in love at first sight

and I will never be the same again.

I don't love you more or less...

we just have our own special brand of love.

I love you from the top of your perfectly shaped fuzzy head

to the very bottom of your little sausage toes.

Your sweet smile, big blue eyes, marshmallow rolls,

and irresistibly kissable cheeks don't hurt either.

Noble's Lifetime Accomplishments: (So far...)

BEING RIDICULOUSLY CUTE, check!

Mischief... (you can't act on it yet, but I see

what's going on behind those sparkly blue eyes of yours)

Rolling around on the floor

Lip smacking, so silly!

Flirting with the ladies at Daddy's work

Smiles that melt

Sucking on your toes

"Talking"

2 teef

Hitting your brother (yes, already)

Putting anything and everything in your mouth

Laughing at Hudson

Eating (obviously)

Being HAPPY 99% of the time

Oh! And most recently, sitting up!

Quite the resume for such a little guy :)

People always ask me who you look like,

since you don't look as much like your daddy

as your big brother does.

I usually answer with, "He looks like NOBLE, of course!"

But to be honest, I do think you favor my side of the family.

Noble James, you have captured my heart.

I love you.

Love, Mommy

crafty craziness

2012-02-04T21:05:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things in the whole world is being creative...

So naturally, it is also one of my favorite things to teach my kids

to express themselves creatively.

This particular day, Hudson was asking to paint...

I gathered a few things from around the house that would be fun to paint with...

Bet you can guess what his favorite was!

Materials: Paint, paper (or grocery bags :), toilet paper tube, paint brush, cork, car, fork

Hudson always enjoys practicing his fine motor skills

and thankfully has an attention span (just barely) long enough

to do fun little projects like these.

Since we were already messy, I figured, why not?

Let's break out the glue!

I scavenged a handful from a super colorful "25 bean medley"

(from Trader Joe's -made yummy soup later!)

in the pantry and we went crazy...

Nothing brings me more joy than seeing my little one's face light up when he

figures it out/tries his best/learns something new/discovers he can do it/creates something beautiful!

I'm learning that in order to experience all that art can give to a child,

there's two things moms like me need to remember...

1. It's gonna get crazy. A mess is GOING TO HAPPEN. Get over it.

2. Don't stress about the final product. It's the process that's important.

3. Oh, and have fun with your kiddo, of course! (Sorry, that was more than two :)

*** Stay tuned for more fun projects with Hudson! ***

(I'll keep them under the "craftycraziness" tag if you want to check in again later.)

mini monsters

2012-01-31T13:02:00.000-08:00

A fun and simple little birthday gift I put together for one of Hudson's lil buddies.

I think Huddy was a little jealous! :)

Materials: felt scraps, needle&thread, glue gun

DINO hoodie DIY tuorial

2011-12-31T04:56:00.000-08:00

This is a fun little gift idea I found on pinterest.

My son loves wearing hoodies, so I knew he'd love this "dino hoodie"!

Step 1: Collect supplies

-Hooded sweatshirt from Walmart $7.50 (make sure to pre-wash)

-Felt, also from Walmart

-Basic sewing supplies (machine, thread, scissors, pins)

Step 2: Measure what size spikes you want and figure out how many you'll need. It's gonna depend on what size sweatshirt you buy. No exact science, I just kind of eyeballed it and I guarantee they didn't all come out the same in the end, but it's not that big of a deal.

Step 3: Fold felt in half (double layer) and cut triangles (bottom of the triangle) on the fold. Then when you open them they'll look like diamonds (see above photo).

Step 4: Place or pin diamonds up the back of the sweatshirt and hood and sew straight up the middle! I found it was easier to just pin them on one at a time as I went after I took this picture, because the sewing process would stretch the sweatshirt fabric a bit. The hardest part is the hood because it's more layers of fabric and also curved instead of flat. Don't stress, doesn't have to be perfect!

Step 5: Fold and pin the two side points of diamonds together to create your dino spikes. No worries if the edges don't match up exactly if the cutting or sewing process altered them a little. You can trim them later.

Step 6: Sew the edges with a zig-zag stitch, like this! (Tip: bright colored nail polish is more than just cute, it's like the bright orange safety vest of sewing! Keep track of where those fingers are at all times! *hem ;)

Step 7: Put it on and run around the house roaring like a stegosaurus!

...or let your kid wear it and run around like a stegosaurus... hehe.

Here's the site I found this idea on... if my rough directions don't cut it. :)

Have fun and let me know if you try this fun project!

so this is Christmas...

2011-12-30T13:14:00.000-08:00

Our first Christmas ever NOT in NY... just me and the boys!

Dar had Christmas eve AND day off, 2 days back-to-back... a rarity in our home.

48 whole hours of family time! Needless to say, I think everyone's love tanks were brimming over by the end of the weekend! Although, we were sad to miss

Christmas in NY with the family and brisk weather...

our low-key Christmas was absolutely perfect.

Snuggles on the couch + coffee + Christmas music, check!

Little hooligan eying daddy's coffee... :)

Hudson loves his new train and dino hoodie I made for him!

(I'll do a DIY post soon -so easy!)

I made him some letters from fabric scraps too!

I got hooked up with lululemon gear from Dar! YAY!
And a new camera from Dar's and my parents... YES! No more dark grainy pics like these!
And after 6 years with our faithful little box TV Dar finally got a flat screen!

Our little family on a cozy Christmas day in Charlotte, NC

Hope you all enjoyed a happy holiday!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Christmas in the little things

2011-12-23T21:40:00.000-08:00

Hudson is 2. Does this mean he'll actually remember this Christmas? I'm not gonna lie, the past two years we didn't go crazy at all since he had everything a baby could ever need and I reassured myself, he'd never remember anyway. This being his third Christmas though, I felt like I needed to step it up a notch. Granted taking into account the full-time balancing act of a toddler and 4 month old... I didn't set the bar in my mind too high. I just told myself, whatever you can do... is better than nothing. Keep it simple. Let's be honest, he probably won't remember... but at least he'll have these pictures to look back and see how much fun we had celebrating the holidays together in creative little ways.

This is a little Carl Family tradition. I used to make paper chains to count down to anything and everything from Christmas to birthdays to spring break vacation in Marco Island. This particular paper chain was inspired by Trader Joe's reusable Christmas shopping bags. And that (among many reasons) is why I love you Trader Joe's! Hudson LOVED making this easy little craft. We've never done anything with glue before, so I was so shocked when as soon as I started placed glue dots all over the paper tree, Hudson immediately started arranging his hand picked buttons. No instruction needed, he was like "I got this." Nice, buddy!

Other fun things we've been enjoying this holly jolly pre-Christmas season...

*Decorating the Christmas tree (a few ornaments didn't make it, RIP)

*Switching out bedtime lullaby's with Christmas carols

*Reading the pre-recorded (by mommy and daddy- and H&N in the background)

Story of Christmas Hallmark book (Thanks Aunt Connie & Uncle Bob!)

Also, mommy's been getting a little creative with Hudson's lunches lately... :)

This is the original "Cathy Carl house sandwhich"...

I remember her making me these when I was a wee little one. I always ate the chimney first.

"Hooo HOOO is going to eat me?!"

A HUDSON MONSTER of course!

(Yikes, that underbite is going to cost a pretty penny to fix down the road,

but for now, it's cute.)

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer had a very shiny nose...

...and frozen blueberry shiner! Somebody got in a fight, uh-oh!

Christmas tree toast with pomegranate ornaments, delicious! Also, a little veggie present!

Daddy and Noble having some midnight snuggle time by the tree!

~Nugs & Snugs~

Oh, the Christmas love.

Melt.

Merry Christmas everyone! And to all a good night! :)

boys boys boys

2011-11-03T17:32:00.000-07:00

As the story goes, my childhood best friend,

(Tawnya) fell in love with my older brother's best friend (Dan)

then they got married...

and then they had a baby.

Meet Thatcher Harris...

the cutest squishiest little guy ever.

Aunt Laura (not by blood or marriage, but love :) can't wait to meet him!

And this is a little cloth diaper/ burp cloth I made him...

Another friend, Allisan, made a last minute request for a custom bird mobile for her baby.

Lucky for her, Noble came a week late, meaning I got 95% of it done before he arrived.

Baby Nicholas arrived a week later!

Unfortunately for her, it still took me a month+ to do the remaining 5%. Sigh.

Here it is, at last hovering over Nicholas's crib. YAY!

And since we're on the topic of boys here's recent snapshots of MY boys!

Hudson loves drawing... a little too much.

Noble loves bath time!

Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue!

2011-11-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

So, I have a confession to make... I love the movie TOY STORY.

Okay, that's a major understatement... I'm a little obsessed. I grew up with the movies. And coming from a non-TV-watching/Disney-movie-only family... there might have been a time when my brother, Dave and I would lay in bed reciting entire scenes from the movie. Enough said.

So since the Toy Story trilogy is the only "kids" movies I own, and now that movies hold Hudson's attention, we have been watching these 3 movies on REPEAT at least once a day for the past several weeks. (Don't judge... it gets me thru the day. And it sure beats DORA's obnoxious high squeaky voice in the background.) So, really... Hudson was destined (or maybe forced?) to love Toy Story too.

So when I happened upon BUZZ & WOODY pajamas at Kohls for half off, I snatched those babies up like they were chocolate chip cookies straight outa the oven. I'm not big into Halloween personally but I was relieved because we'd been invited to several costume parties... and it's a bonus that they're pj's too!

I was seriously stoked to have found the "easy" button (or lazy button) of costumes but I realized that my son could not dress up as Buzz Lightyear and not have wings... so here's what I came up with one night...

paper + cardboard + water bottles + duct tape = MASTERPIECE!

I didn't even plan on the rocket glow from Hudson's New Balances!

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!

What movies do you and your kids like to watch together?

STILLNESS

2011-10-12T12:44:00.000-07:00

Days before my due date, a friend of ours, Nathaniel called and asked if we'd be interested in helping out with a commercial he was filming/producing. We said, "Of course!" and here's the finished product! Isn't it beautiful? Keep an eye out for the entire short clan (including baby Noble in my belly). :)

*Video created by Calnin Media.

SOCK BUN CURLS, what?

2011-09-14T06:56:00.000-07:00

So, the other day, (most likely while feeding the baby)... I was daydreaming about hair.

This is not normal or typical.

I am not a girl who spends lots of time on my appearance.

These days, 99.9% of the time you will find me in slouchy sweats, spit up on my shoulder, no make-up and greasy hair thrown in a pony tail or something resembling a messy bun.

I know, sexy, right?

The other .1% of the time I'm lucky if I get my eyebrows drawn on and a dab of mascara.

My mantra is, "Less is more (hopefully)."

So back to my daydream...

I was wishing there was some kind of way for me to have long flowy curls or waves without any work. I've tried the curling iron, the curling technique with a straighter, hot rollers, the works. Each of these tried only once, mind you... simply to discover that they require way too much effort and do not deliver adequate results. Also, a not so minor note, my hair doesn't hold curl. Period. Maybe for 10 minutes, max. It is long, thin, fine and has ZERO body. I always want to do something to change it up. But cuts/layers/bangs/curls require more style, effort, time... things I don't have enough of these days.

...then, who is this girl?

The one with the voluminous bouncy wavy thick looking hair?

Oh, that's me, girl. Shoot.

What's the secret?

>>> A SOCK BUN <<<

The NO heat, NO effort, NO time, NO stress solution for WAVES/CURLS!
(and this lazy sleep-deprived mama of two's NEW BEST FRIEND! :)

Seriously, all I did was...

1 Cut the toe off of a sock

2 Roll the sock into a doughnut

3 Put my hair in a pony tail on the top of my head

4 Lightly spray/wet my hair

5 String the sock doughnut onto the end of my ponytail and roll my hair over it, rolling it down toward my head, landing in a bun. A big goofy looking sock bun. Thus the name.

6 "Sleep".

7 Take my hair down in the morning.

8 Spray it with hair spray.

Don't believe me? Watch this instructional video.

By the way, this is probably a good time to confess my obsession with pinterest.

That's where this all began!

Cloth -Ch. 4 The final stash

2011-09-12T15:29:00.000-07:00

My lil fluffy butts :)

I know I've been silent on the topic lately, due to... having a baby, lots of trial and error/experimenting, crazy diaper rashes... and making some decisions. Of all the varieties of diapers I've tried (including the infant fitted diapers with covers -not a fan), I decided to stick to 2 types/brands. Maybe I'm slightly OCD or something, but having too many types of diapers was starting to make my head spin a bit. And I didn't even have that many! Some women go a bit crazy and have one of everything. That is just not me. I like to compare shop, read reviews, do the research... but when the rubber meets the road, I really just want to keep things simple for this fuzzy brained mama of TWO!

Best Bottoms

I decided to go with Best Bottom Diapers for the majority of my stash. They're one size fits all (8-35lb) so they'll work interchangeably with both my kiddos (almost 12lbs and 23lbs right now). I have 20 Medium sized hemp inserts for Noble. 10 Large sized hemp inserts for Hudson. 10 covers (Soon-to-be 11. Made a trade at Re-diaper.com to switch out fluff I don't need for stuff that I do!) to split between both boys. (I might need more of these especially for that lovely newborn poo, but we'll see). The other reason I chose these is that they're affordable. $300ish for the whole system. That's 10 bucks per diaper, not bad. Bought them at Nickisdiapers.com -free shipping! These are work horse diapers that will serve our family for 2, 3, maybe more children. I love 'em.

They grow with baby! Genius!

Reusable covers and replaceable inserts reduce the size of my diaper laundry load

and require less space to store.

I decided to go with Kawaii Green Baby Bamboo Minky diapers for night time. I couldn't resist. They're so soft and comfy feeling. That's what I'd want to wear to bed if I were a baby! Plus, like hemp, they're anti-microbial (no yucky lingering bacteria) and bamboo is ridiculously absorbent. Lucky for me, they're affordable too. I got my first 2 from www.Jackbenatural.com and just ordered 3 more for $14 a dipe at clothdiapersinc.com -free shipping as well. (Bonus! I got a free diaper pail liner when I ordered these!) I have 5 of these -$70 total. I have to restrain myself from buying more! Trying to limit this stash to 1 kid's worth of fluff.

Kawaii Bamboos and other misc diapers...

See how soft they are?

Cloth Diapering NECESSITIES...

Diaper pail from Walmart -$15.00

PlanetWise waterproof diaper pail liner from nickisdiapers.com - $16.50

Wet bag for cloth diapering on-the-go - $15.00

from a local Etsy shop - Sweet Bobbins

& a cute handmade clutch perfect for cloth wipes

(Both purchased by my sweet sis-in-law, thanks Kristie! ;)

OTHER THINGS I USE... (not all necessities, but nice to have nonetheless!)

Diaper sprayer - $44.95

Imse Vimse rice paper flushable liners (200 count) -$12.80

Crunchy Clean Diaper Laundry Cleaner -$13.75

Drying Rack -already owned

Cloth Wipes -Handmade by me from old receiving blankets :)

2 HempBabies raw silk stay-dry liners -$6.00

Grovia All-in-one diaper $17.00

Green Carbon Living diaper + 2 inserts $21.00

So if my calculations are correct... Cloth diapering cost about $500 for me. That's 38 reusable diaper changes total and all the accessories! Granted, I didn't purchase all of these things myself, as some were given to me or paid for by Grandma Carl. I was hoping to keep the cost under $300, but I have to remember I'm CDing two kiddos. Regardless, a LOT LOT LOT of money will be saved in the long run!

YAY for cloth diapering!

An ironic print for a bunch of vegans! ;) Moooo-licious!

What's in YOUR stash?

Noble's Birth

2011-09-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

It all began 10 days before my due date. Well, that's when the (oh-my-gosh-i-could-have-this-baby-any-minute) anticipation began anyway. Why? Because that's when I gave birth to Hudson during my last pregnancy. He was early because he was breach, but for some reason I still felt like I might go early this time too. Boy was I wrong! As each day slowly passed by... and my due date came and went... I experienced a whole slew of emotions. Anticipation turned into nervous excitement which turned into frustration. I wasn't annoyed at God or even annoyed at the baby for "taking it's sweet time"... just tired of facing the unknown. Another day, wondering... waiting... and then going to bed, reminding myself that this baby couldn't stay in there forever. I'm not gonna lie, I felt a bit like a "watched pot". My awesome mother in-law had come to help a few days before my due date and was planning on staying two weeks to help out. So when a full week passed, I was starting to feel the pressure. Not from her... but I knew I'd need her help much more AFTER the baby arrived, and well, the clock was ticking. Not to mention, I was ready!!! Ready to meet my sweet baby. Read to find out if I had a son or daughter growing inside me all this time. Ready to not be pregnant and swollen and uncomfortable any more!

My midwife knew I was starting to feel antsy and eager to get going already! So on Friday she texted me what I like to call... "The (evil) induction regiment". Step 1: drink 2 oz. castor oil (meant to stimulate the digestive tract... and hopefully start a chain reaction -ugh). Step 2: Take Blue Cohosh/Black Cohosh remedy alternating every 30 minutes. Step 3: Meanwhile, take brisk walks out in 102 degree heat, staircase, laps in my living room, and in other words, just don't stop moving. PHEW!!! I drove over to her house to pick up the remedies and she also checked my progress. Still 3cm. Just like I was 2 weeks before. Not encouraging. But a starting point nonetheless. When I got home, I kicked things into high gear, but after 3 hours, I was totally beat. I called my midwife and she encouraged me to stop, rest thru the night and get up early and try again when it would be cooler outside. I went to bed discouraged but one last "good nights sleep" did sound pretty good. Especially since I was really starting to feel pretty lousy at that point (READ: montazuma's revenge).

That was a joke! After a few hours of sleep I started waking up every hour on the hour to "visit the bathroom" thanks to my good friend, castor oil. By 5 in the morning I was exhausted, depleted of all energy and filled with dread. I had told myself I'd get up at 6am to start the regiment all over again. As I sat on the toilet, I started complaining/praying... something like this... "I can't do it, God. I can't take castor oil again. I'll do whatever else it takes, but I refuse to do this to myself all over again. I feel miserable! Please help these contractions to start before 6 o'clock!" After having a good cry on the toilet, I crawled back in bed and told Dar what I had decided. He assured me I didn't have to do anything I didn't want to do. That no one was going to force me. That helped relieve some of my self-induced pressure to have this baby asap.

As he drifted back to sleep I suddenly felt a contraction! A few minutes later, I had another contraction! And another! And another! In shock, I started watching the clock and about every 6 minutes I was experiencing regular and pretty intense contractions. After a few in a row I woke Dar back up to tell him I was having contractions. He mumbled something along the lines of "Yay!" and rolled back over. Somehow I think I was in denial that I was actually in labor though and stayed in bed to see if they'd really keep up. But after about 45 minutes of this, I had to get out of bed and get moving. So I set to work getting our room ready for the birth, making the bed, setting out supplies, etc. Dar got up with me and started setting up the pool and doing other random things that I'd tell him to do in-between contractions which were then about 2-3 minutes apart.

At this point, I called my midwife who had told me to call the second I was having some serious contractions. She could tell by my voice on the phone that they were intense and said she's be right over. Since my last labor had been so short (5 hours), she knew she should come right away. Meanwhile I couldn't find a good position to labor in. Everything I tried only increased my back labor. I ended up laboring mostly standing up holding onto a towel bar and having someone push on my low back. After a while I tried laying on the bed hugging a pillow, but I didn't like it very much. There wasn't anything to hang onto so I felt like I was kind of floating. I had trouble controlling my breathing in this position making me feel more insecure and panicky than usual.

I think the intensity and fastness of everything was a bit overwhelming for me. Not to mention that everyone was feeling the urgency of the situation, thus running around getting everything ready as quickly and efficiently as possible. But unfortunately this left me to labor on my own for the most part. In retrospect, I wish I'd been more insistent on Dar staying right by my side, but the poor guy was being pulled in every direction, helping people find things, set things up and of course get Hudson ready to be picked up by friends.

By 9:00am I was 10 cm and ready to push. The pool was finally ready and warm enough for me to get in. I practically dove in I was so eager to have relief from the pain I was experiencing in my back. And just as I had heard, the warm water and weightlessness really helped a lot! My contractions also slowed a bit, giving me longer breaks in between which was a nice "breather" after 4 hours of intense contractions. I started pushing right away and soon birthed the baby's head. OUCH! Now I know what people mean when they say it feels like a "ring of fire". I'd never experienced that before. But reaching down and feeling that warm peach fuzz covered head gave me the motivation to finish what I had started. During a long "pause" between contractions, the midwife explained to Dar how to catch the baby and coached me on how to push. I also think it was funny that there were comments flying around about how the baby had more hair than both Hudson and Dar!

When the next contraction came I pushed and the rest of the baby came flying out! Dar and the midwife scooped the baby out of the water and laid it on my chest; beautiful, purply-pink and squishy-faced! I remember looking down at the same time as Dar and saying "It's a BOY!" simultaneously. Dar's mom who was present for the birth caught it all on video. It was such a special moment.

Noble James Short

was born on July 30, 2011 at 9:21am weighing 7 lb. 10 oz. and 21 inches long.

(Noble James is named in honor of my incredible dad, James Carl)

The first thing we noticed was that he was considerable bigger than Hudson had been at birth. The other thing we noticed right away was that he looked nothing like his big brother! Hudson had light red peach fuzz, defined features, scrawny limbs and breech "frog legs". Noble had dark hair, dark skin, button nose, puffy lips, big belly and fluffy limbs. He's a handsome little guy! We love him so much already!

Overall, Noble's birth was a wonderful experience! I feel so blessed to have had another beautiful natural home birth free of complication, medication and intervention. So thankful to my midwife and her assistant for their gentle care and guidance. And most of all, giving God all the honor, glory and credit for being the ultimate birth attendant. I couldn't have given birth to this baby without Him beside me every step of the way. He is also the creator and giver of life and has given us yet another precious irreplaceable gift. But we acknowledge that Noble is not our own, but God's. We are so blessed to have the privilege to raise him that he might grow in strength, truth, integrity and NOBILITY as a child of GOD.

...and then there were 4 :)

BONUS project: bedroom revamp

2011-07-18T19:54:00.000-07:00

This picture represents the sad state our bedroom has been in ever since we got married. Let's just be honest. It has ALWAYS been at the very end of the priority list. Its the last room to get cleaned when company comes over -if it gets cleaned at all. It's also the last room in our home to get decorated. Thank goodness we painted before we moved in or it would be even more lack-luster than it already was! Nonetheless, it was a place to lay our sleepy heads and "live" in, so I wasn't complaining. Too much.

Until I realized baby#2 would be living-in with us for a while before moving in with big brother, meaning I would be spending a LOT of hours in here... late at night... staring across the room at my sleeping husband and those ominous dark red walls. A depressing thought to be sure. So with a few little tweaks I've turned my boring bedroom into something, well... hopefully more inspiring!

I have to give my hubs some credit here. He's always had strong opinions concerning our bedroom and the general vibe he wants to feel when he enters. ZEN is the word he always uses. Clean, simple, modern. While I appreciate 'modern' design, it's not the entirety of my taste, so this room's more of a stretch for me. It's always driving me nuts, the matchy-matchy dark furniture, the boring 2-color pallet (yes, i'm responsible for the blue pillow. I had to do it! :) and so on. But now that it's finally coming together, I'm really beginning to love this room for the first time. Instead of feeling dread and stress from all the clutter that accumulates in this room normally, I now walk in and breath a deep sigh of relief and can actually relax!

No, this is not an ikea ad. ;) BUT there's a lot of ikea represented here. Being the bargain girl that I am I couldn't turn down these matching dresser/side tables when offered to me second-hand for a mere $30! I love the symmetry they create along with the matching lamps which were given to me (FREE.99!) from my neighbor who was moving. The mirrors were put to new use from a different spot in the house and my favorite new addition... the beautiful fabric frame above the bed! Yes, ikea fabric. I fell in love with it and had to buy enough to get the whole print! My good friends Matt and Joanna helped me build the frame -thanks guys! Now I have something to stare at in the wee hours of the morning!

On that note, there will probably be a part 2 of this bedroom revamp post (pending, of course, baby doesn't arrive first... T-minus 5 days till my due date!). The other side of the room is now baby's temporary nursery. Yes, mommy's art space is temporarily going into storage and becoming a changing table. :(

looking back...

2011-07-12T18:50:00.000-07:00

This same day in the 38th week of my pregnancy with my first born, I was in labor... Can't help but look back and be amazed by the miraculous and beautiful experience that we had! God's spirit was truly in the room leading, discerning and comforting

every step of the way! This is the PG version, but consider this your warning nonetheless. It's a birth story, so yeah. If these are normally TMI for you...

well, then just don't read it. :)

Hudson’s Birth Story

Just as our friends from church were about to arrive for small group, Monday night, I ran upstairs around 6:50 to quick change my clothes. I had just gone pee downstairs and realized I needed to go again about 3 minutes later upstairs. This seemed strange to me, but I didn’t think anything of it until my pee wouldn’t stop! “What? Did my water break? How do I know for sure? Should I call my midwife or tell my husband, Dar?” (who was at that exact moment answering the door to let our friends in). All of these thoughts seemed ridiculous since I had yet to feel any contractions and I was still 12 days from my due date! I kept thinking, “Is this really happening?”

I didn’t want to alarm our small group and preferred to tell Dar in private, so I decided to just keep my thoughts to myself for the time being. But once I got downstairs, I felt like it was written all over my face and thought I might explode with the news that I might be in labor! When a girlfriend of mine slipped upstairs to put her son down to sleep, I slipped out with her and decided to ask her what she thought. After she broke into an excited smile, she said… “GO CALL YOUR MIDWIFE!” So, I did, and she confirmed that my water had broken (or more accurately, had begun to leak). When I joined the group back downstairs, it just so happened that it was my turn to share my prayer request. As I looked across the circle of waiting faces into Dar’s unsuspecting eyes, I said “Well, you guys definitely need to pray for me tonight, because my water just broke!” Dar’s face was the only one I saw: total shock! Just like when I told him I was pregnant back in December.

Everyone was so excited and couldn’t wipe the silly grins off their faces as they scurried around helping us prepare for Hudson’s birth. After helping organize our supplies, scrubbing our toilets, blowing up the baby pool and filling it with water and making up our bed, they all headed home expecting a phone call from us by morning that Hudson had arrived.

After a sleepless adrenaline filled night, I still hadn’t felt any contractions. Tuesday morning, my midwife suggested I take a vigorous walk after breakfast and to call her when things got started. Unbeknownst to me, that would be the first of 3 vigorous walks I would take that day, with every other labor-inducing trick thrown in between. I ate eggplant, drank raspberry tea, took homeopathic remedies every 15 minutes, pumped, and even drank caster oil twice which all amounted to nothing except frequent trips to the bathroom!

By 10pm Tuesday night, I still had not felt a single contraction. It had now been 27 hours since my water broke! My midwife, Lisa and one of her birth assistant/midewife assessed the situation. I was encouraged to hear that I was 3cm and 80% effaced, but still concerned that I wasn’t experiencing any contractions yet. While they were checking me, they applied some evening primrose oil mixed with some other natural remedy hoping it would get things started during the night. After considering the possible scenarios we decided, basically, if I didn’t go into labor by morning, we’d have to head to the hospital.

Before they left, we sat in a circle on the floor and had a really sweet time of prayer together. I remember Dar praying for a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind among us. We were trusting that God was in control and that Hudson would come in the time and way that God designed for us. While the timetable was already unique, we would soon find out the way in which Hudson would arrive would also be very unique.

After Lisa left, we went straight to bed around 11:30pm. At 12:45am I woke up to go to the bathroom. While sitting there, I felt a strange sensation… a contraction at last! I wasn’t sure at first but when I was walking back into our room and started feeling another one coming on just moments after, I awoke Dar and told him we better start timing them. I called Lisa, who was surprised but happy to hear from us so soon, and told her my contractions had finally begun and were 35 seconds long and about 3 minutes apart. She said to call back in a half hour and they were 44 seconds long and less than 3 minutes apart. I was relieved when She said they’d head over soon. Lisa and her team arrived around 2am.

By then, I was really starting to experience the intensity of my contractions and was trying several different positions to labor in. This is probably around the time I would have loved to get in the pool, but the midwives didn’t want me to risk infection being that my water had broken so long ago. The best position turned out to be sitting backwards on the toilet with my head resting on my arms. I was experiencing some back labor, so Dar and the ladies took turns pressing on my back with hot compresses during my contractions, which provided minimal relief. I put all of my focus and effort into breathing deeply and consistently, which really helped me stay calm and minimized the discomfort.

The birthing assistant (in training) checked me first, declaring, “That’s definitely a head, I feel something hard.” I had made some serious progress, and was fully dilated and 100% effaced by this time. While this was good news, to be sure… we soon made a discovery that changed everything! Lisa had always been somewhat uncertain of the baby’s position, having a hard time during my pregnancy identifying where the head was. But at end of each appointment, she’d conclude that since the heart tones were always low, he must be head down. In light of this knowledge, and also seeing dark meconium on Jenny’s hand, Lisa decided to double-check to be completely sure we were dealing with a head-down baby. She said something in her spirit, made her wonder… and after a moment, she paused and said “That’s a testicle!” and that’s when everything I had prepared for and expected from the birth experience went out the window. Hudson’s was coming out butt first!

Lisa had never delivered a breech baby at home and had also had a few extremely difficult and complicated labors back-to-back right before mine causing her to react more cautiously than usual in this sudden turn of events. It was then that I glimpsed a brief moment of doubt flicker across her face. Not knowing before now that delivering a baby breech and at home was both complicated and risky, I really started to worry when Lisa and the others decided to convene just outside our bedroom door and talk over the situation and decide what the best course of action would be.

When they re-entered the room, Lisa looked me right in the eye and said, “We believe you can deliver this baby, Laura. You’re handling your contractions great and the baby’s heartbeat is strong. But we won’t make the decision for you. If you feel more comfortable going to the hospital, that’s fine, but we must leave immediately.” At this point I was still laboring on the bed and contractions were almost on top of one another. I remember searching for Dar’s hand, praying in my heart that God would keep our baby safe. When he saw my stunned and desperate look, he knew I was in no place to make a decision at that moment. He confidently responded, “I have peace that God wants us to have our baby at home. We’ll stay here. We trust you.”

Immediately a fresh faith and electricity filled the air clearing the room of the heavy feeling of uncertainty. For me, it really helped to hear the confidence in Dar’s voice and the belief in my midwife’s eyes. I remember thinking, “I can do this!” At this point, it was probably around 3am. Lisa's other assistant/midwife's calming voice was next to me explaining that although I was fully dilated and beginning to feel the urge to push… that I needed to wait until Hudson moved down thru me on his own, with only the help of the contractions, before I could push him out. I remember thinking, “NOT PUSH?! Are you crazy, lady?” Everything in me was screaming to push. She instructed me to breath/blow thru the contractions, like a motorboat, instead of into them.

I spent the next hour and a half laboring on the bed, on the toilet, and walking around; stopping to lean on something or someone while the waves crashed over me every minute or two. I even went downstairs for a while for a change in scenery not knowing at the time that waddling down and crawling on my hands and knees back up stairs would help the baby shimmy downward thru my hips. Around 5:30am, the midwives could clearly see it was becoming virtually impossible for me NOT to push; my body was beginning to do it for me. I remember trembling all over, trying to “hold the baby in!” They said it was necessary to wait until we were absolutely sure that I’d be able to push him out quickly and efficiently, so he wouldn’t get stuck on his way down and out.

When they said we could head back upstairs to get ready to push, I was so excited! I wasn’t in pain; I just wanted to relieve the intense pressure I had been feeling for several hours! I climbed back onto the bed, while the midwives prepared everything and had set up their game plan for the delivery. Meanwhile, wave after wave was pounding me, barely giving me a chance to come up for air.

I remember reclining on my back at the end of my bed, slightly propped up by Dar who was on my right and Lisa on my left, each holding one of my legs. They said I could push as soon as my next contraction came. As soon as I heard the word push, I went for it! After all, I wasn’t feeling any gaps in my contractions at this point and I was just so happy to finally be able to DO something! It all happened within 3 pushes, probably taking no more than a minute or two. With the first push, I saw Hudson’s purple bottom emerge, his back facing up, then his legs popped out one at a time. They then raised me to sitting upright and with the second push, his upper body came out and they swept his arms out. While I dragged air back into my lungs preparing for the third big push, I felt 4 sets of arms lifting me to a standing position at the foot of the bed. Then, with everything I had in me I pushed like crazy to get his head out. Everyone was urgently encouraging me, saying, “Push, Laura, Push!” And then at 5:50am everything went from fast forward to a blurred slow motion, as Hudson dropped into the helpful hands below.

At some point I looked to my right and saw Dar’s watery eyes popping out of his head. Then looked down to see my perfect and very purple baby squirming on the blankets on the floor as Lisa quickly rubbed him down and cleared his nose and throat. He immediately pinked up, staring up at us with mysterious dark grey-blue eyes. Then they placed him in my arms and that’s when my insides melted and I became a mommy!

Lisa did his first checkup soon after, measuring and checking everything to make sure he was healthy. He measured 6 pounds 3 ounces and 17 inches long. I am so thankful that he was so tiny, especially since he was breech! After my midwife and her team finished tucking Hudson into clean clothes and a blanket, they finished cleaning up and then said their farewells. Afterward, we all settled in to rest in bed after 48 hours of not sleeping. As I lay there with adrenaline still racing thru my body, I couldn’t help but gaze at my beautiful baby boy and my amazingly supportive husband sleeping peacefully next to me and thank God for the most incredible experience of my life...

the birth of our son, Hudson Lovell Short on August 5, 2009.

Mommy holding Hudson for the first time.

Daddy holding Hudson for the first time.

Tiny Hudson... look at those breech froggy legs!

My sweet baby boy.

***Can't believe I'm about to do this all over again! So excited to meet this new little one inside me and watch God blow our minds and turn our world upside down once again. Children are such a gift!

Project #20: travel jewelry roll

2011-07-08T08:29:00.000-07:00

What's pink, has spots and carries bling?

A travel jewelry case, of course!

(HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA!)

I'm so proud of this project not only because it was my first time sewing with a pattern but also because it was my first time installing zippers! I was so intimidated initially... I told my hubby I felt more like an engineer than a seamstress with this project. Figuring out the written instructions (no diagrams, arrows or pics to help this poor visual learner!) was overwhelming! I was so nervous I'd accidentally piece something together inside-out or upside-down! But with the exception of some not-so-straight stitching (black thread = what was I thinking?) I conquered this unassuming little project and now have an adorable birthday gift for my mom (the woman loves pink and this will match her bubble gum pink luggage perfectly!)

***So, it's official! I accomplished 20 creative projects in 25 weeks time!***

I didn't reach my original goal of 25 projects in 25 weeks, but I'm pretty surprised I finished as many as I did! Thanks for following my little creative journey and for keeping me accountable!

It's been so fun and I hope you've been inspired to get creative as well!

I have 2 or 3 more (BONUS) projects that are in the works, so keep your eye out for those.

Project #19: Lovies

2011-07-02T08:19:00.000-07:00

Since I had a few scraps left over after dissecting a bath towel into burp cloths from Project #16, I decided to make some custom lovies for my baby-to-be. They were super quick and easy -aside from the fact that I had to make my own ribbons out of fabric scraps. The opposite sides are a super soft turquoise/black flannel material. I was able to piece these together over the course of 2 nap times. Not bad!

At 37 weeks pregnant it goes without saying that I'm very eager and excited to find out WHO will be joining this little family of ours!!?!

A girl or boy?

A daughter or son?

A sister or brother?

A niece or nephew?

A grandaughter or grandson?

I've never been good with surprises.

It's driving me crazy, this not-knowing! :)

All the more motivation to push when the big day arrives... right around the corner!

"M" is for Mila

"N" is for Noble

*Btw, just a little update: After going to the chiropractor for the 'webster technique' baby #2 is no longer breech and has flipped into the head down position! Thank you for your prayers! It worked! Please continue to pray that this active little one will STAY there!

ONLY 1 MORE PROJECT LEFT BEFORE I REACH MY (revised :) GOAL!

20 projects in 25 weeks!
I currently have 3 BONUS projects in the works, so I may actually reach my original goal!

Project #18: cloth baby wipes... and a little story.

2011-06-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

Well this project was interesting, to say the least! I had this bright idea that I could easily make my own cloth baby wipes out of gently used receiving blankets and save myself a bunch of money. After a trip to the ER I think these are now the world's most expensive baby wipes!

So here's the story of my little sewing adventure...

(WARNING: Not for the faint of heart!)

I'd been chipping away at these wipes for a few days since I could only handle the monotony of sewing in a straight line for so long... but this particular day I was on a roll and had busted out close to 20 wipes and was close to being done. Determined to finish Monday night after Hudson was in bed, I settled in to my sewing corner. My hubby sat down on the floor over my right shoulder, doing some yoga as we chatted and reconnected after a long day. (Lesson #1 NEVER multi-task when sewing.) At some point in our conversation, I must have glanced away from the machine, and (Lesson #2 NEVER take your eyes off of the sewing machine!) that's how I found myself sewn into a baby wipe! AHHHH!

All of the sudden, my sewing machine (which had been trucking along at HIGH speed doing a surge stitch) made a really strange noise and I remember my finger getting yanked. My head whipped back to my machine. "OhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygosh...." is what I most likely said, though I don't actually remember. I thought it had just knicked me, but when my sewing machine came to a jolting halt (and I quickly turned it OFF!) I realized the needle had gone straight thru my finger! Needless to say, I FLIPPED OUT! I'm usually more of a calm "assess the situation" person, but I totally panicked at first due to the sheer bizarre nature of it all I think. So amid my screams, my husband, who THANK GOD, was already right there rushed to my side and confirmed the needle went all the way thru and wanted to help me but didn't really know what to do since he's not familiar with sewing machines.

My first thought was to hit the up/down button, but thank goodness, I didn't act on that since the needle was bent. Instead I urged Dar to call my mom, his mom, 911, ANYONE! He finally called his mom (who's an RN and knows sewing machines) who picked up right away and Dar immediately filled her in on the urgent situation. She calmly explained how to remove the needle from the machine (Lesson #3 Know how to remove the needle from your sewing machine.) It was definitely strange, sitting there with an impaled finger while trying to read my instruction manual thru blurry tears. After swatting Dar's hands away every time he'd come near to a button or dial, I finally sent him on a mission to go find some pliers. Once they were located I was able to remove the needle (+ my finger) from the machine. That was a good calm "assess the situation" moment for me, but mind you the majority of the time I was crying, shaking, screaming that my finger was going numb, trying to make sense of my sewing machine and in general freaking out.

I felt a lot better once I was free of the sewing machine, but still in pain and pretty shaken up. At that point, our AWESOME neighbor came to be with Hudson and we headed to the ER. We spent 4 long throbbing pain-filled hours getting shifted from one waiting room to the next, getting annoyingly vague instructions every step of the way. FINALLY after about 3 hours, they pulled the needle out (after numbing my finger of course). Somehow, the needle missed my bone and nerves.... it barely even bled! Another hour later we were on our way home with a $300 dollar band-aid and probably many more bills to come... at 1:30AM. Uuughhh...

All for the sake of stupid baby wipes! Next time I try to be thrifty, just tell me to go buy some!

I decided to commemorate "THE WIPE OF DEATH!" with an ironically precious lil heart.

Alas, I will not be shaken of my new sewing obsession! Within a few days, I faced the beast and "got back on the horse". After reinstalling the sewing needle (Eeek!) and re-threading my machine (Phew, it still works!) I set to work finishing those last five darn wipes...

and lived to tell the story.

BREECH

2011-06-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

'But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink

he cried out, "Lord, save me."

Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him saying to him,

"O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"'

Matthew 14:30, 31

I don't know about you, but I always smirk and say "yeah right!" every time I see someone hanging off a cliff in a movie or TV show, and the person they're with inevitably shouts, "Don't look down!" They seriously look down EVERY TIME! Yesterday, I experienced a humbling moment when I caught myself doing the exact same thing...

I went to see my midwife, who part way thru my prenatal apt. announced that she's 99% sure my baby is breech. This didn't come as a complete surprise since she'd started having trouble discerning the baby's position my last few appointments, which of course raised the question for both of us. And mind you, this happened my last pregnancy as well, but we were never sure and always assumed the baby was head-down... which lead to a surprise breech home birth. Thankfully, everything turned out perfectly. No complications. Short but very different labor from what I had been expecting. Healthy Baby.

Nothing to worry about right? Been there, done that... I've done it before, I can do it again. That's what I kept telling myself the rest of the day, rehearsing my midwife's words of encouragement and confidence over and over in my head. But as the day went on the fear, uncertainty and doubt slowly crept in thru the cracks in my faith and put me into an emotional freak fest! Last time around, ignorance was bliss. I didn't know all the statistics and risks. I didn't know anything about breech births, in fact. But this time I do!

"What if the baby gets stuck!" "What if the baby goes into distress?" "What if I can't do what's necessary to get this baby out?" "What if there's something wrong with the baby?" "What if complications arise and we need to transport to the hospital?" "What if I have to have a C-section?" What if, what if, what if... swirling around in my mind like a bunch of annoying bats.

Late last night my hubby talked some sense back into me as we sat on our front porch around midnight, enjoying the comfortable night air. Him drinking a beer, me eating a chocolate truffle he brought home for me (so stinkin' sweet!). Thru my tears I was finally able to "see the light". He reminded me of God's goodness, grace, power and presence that was so evident at my first birth. He reminded me that even though a lot could have gone wrong, instead everything went right. I was also reminded of the prayer that he prayed over my last labor "God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7) And a sound mind is exactly what I had by the time I went to bed.

This morning, as I lay in bed awake, waiting for the fog to lift, I reached for Oswald Chamber's "My Utmost for His Highest" and read the June 18th entry. The story of Peter walking on water. Of course.

"The wind was actually boisterous, the waves were actually high, but Peter did not see them at first. He did not reckon with them, he simply recognized his Lord and stepped out in recognition of Him and walked on water. Then he began to reckon with the actual things, and down he went instantly." Oswald

I needed to hear that. I so was frustrated with how easily my faith crumbled the night before. As I read, I felt the Lord's reassuring hand AND rebuke, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" Why did I look down at the wind and the waves... all the "what if's"? Why did I take my eyes of of Jesus? How could I so easily forget his grace and providence, especially when I've faced this same thing before... and walked on water!

I always wondered how Peter, when already WALKING ON WATER could so easily cave into his surroundings and become overwhelmed with the impossibility of it all. I guess I understand now. I did the same thing and have billions of times before! Just like Peter, I momentarily took my eyes off Jesus, letting my worries and circumstances become my focus... and down I went! But Jesus, with a playful smirk on his face, no doubt... reached out and steadied me saying...

"Don't look down, my child.

I've got it all under control.

Trust me."

"Be reckless immediately. It is only by abandon that you recognize Him." Oswald

fabric flavor

2011-06-16T17:28:00.000-07:00

I'm a sucker for gloriously fabulous PRINTS!

Aren't these fun?!!?!

Found these at www.tonicliving.com

***Several of these are prints you can choose for diaper covers from GreenCarbonLiving.

I just ordered one in the giraffe print, I couldn't help myself! ;)

Project #17: 'birds of a feather' mobile

2011-06-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

 Made with love for Micah Lyric, my FIRST PAYING CUSTOMER! ;)

So cute!

Project #16: mint-licious burp cloths

2011-06-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

These were so fun to make from start to finish and turned out even better than I imagined! I love the freshness of the color combo and the oh-so-softness of them! Wanted to do a simple gender neutral version of these tasty little creations (inspired by some burp cloths my sis-in-law made me 2 years ago :) Perhaps an item to be sold on my (hopefully future) etsy shop site!

Like my little 'feather grey' addition? ;)

Cloth -Ch. 3 "first impressions"

2011-06-09T09:25:00.000-07:00

Since I've pretty much got the newborn stage covered (literally ;) and will be using hand-me-down dipes with covers... I've decided to try out a couple of the fancier styles on big bro to see what I like in terms of building our own diaper stash.

So far I've got a pretty good variety of styles and brands that I have tested out (via hand-me-downs, borrowing and cheap deals)... All of which are "One Size" (as in one-size-fits-all) meaning this very well could/should fit both baby #1 and baby #2 at the same time (with a bit of adjusting of course). They're supposed to fit from 8-35 pounds. Woo-hoo!

Thoughts on diaper STYLES we've tried so far...

-POCKETS (stuffed inserts): KaWaii, Bum Genius, FuzziBunz
I like the idea of the pocket diapers. Once stuffed, it feels like you're just putting on a regular disposable. User/Daddy friendly. The stuffing required after washing them all would probably get annoying (especially if you had to stuff 2 kids-worth. But I think it might be something I could overlook if the diaper performed well in other areas.

-2-IN-1'S (snap-in inserts): Soft Bums, Best Bottoms
I LOVE the "snap-in" insert concept! No stuffing required! Also helps the insert from moving around a lot. BUT the inserts on most (like the Soft Bums) 2-in-1's are EXTRA long meaning you have to double it over (and sometimes snap it smaller) in the front making the diaper more bulky. This could be seen as a positive if you need extra absorbancy for a heavy wetter but other-wise it felt like overkill. And if it feels like overkill on an almost 2 year old, I can't even imagine what it would be like on a newborn! On the other hand this isn't a problem with the Best Bottom Inserts since they're "sized" S, M, L and have snaps on both ends. Overall, I'm still not apposed to 2-in-1's. It's nice to not have to reach my hand into a soaking wet diaper to pull out a soiled insert like with a pocket, BUT it's also not as simple or user friendly with the whole folding thing.

-All-in-Ones (sewn-in inserts): Grovia AIO
Again, I love the idea of an all-in-one! No stuffing or snapping or folding inserts. Easiest, right? Well, this particular diaper I imagine was not the best to make such a judgement. (More on that below...) Needless to say, the Jury's still out on AIO's... so perhaps I'll feel different after trying some other brands?

Okay, so after 3 cycles of trying all of these diapers (thanks to Hudson being my lil guinea pig!) I have some specific thoughts (seriously getting into the nitty-gritty) on each diaper. [WARNING, this may make your head spin a bit if your new to CD too!] Remember, these are only first impressions... I'm still open-minded and taking the "learning curve" into account.

*Ultimately, what I'm looking for is ease of use, good quality and longevity to last thru several babies, low maintenance cleaning/drying process, and preferably a trim fit under clothing. Oh, and natural fibers is definitely my preference!

I'm going to attack these in the order in which they're listed/categorized above
& they're rated 1-5 (1 being horrid and 5 being almost perfect... there is no perfect diaper.)

Kawaii Green Baby Bamboo Pocket Diaper -Overall Rating {4.5}
Fabric: Bamboo insert & Pocket {5} Minkee outer {5} Every part of this diaper is so soft!!!!
Fit: pretty good snug fit, but semi bulky {4} Didn't get a 5 because it fits large... no way this is fitting a baby before 12+ pounds.
Functionality -Insert: Extremely absorbent {5} LOVE the "cool" sensation/Also very warm in winter! Downside, super flimsy soft inserts = kind of floppy... doesn't always stay spread out. But it still does the job! {4}
Functionality -Diaper: Easy to use. Snaps are awesome! Especially great as a naptime or overnight diaper. Did I mention, soooo soft!? {5}
Containment: {5} No leaks and even contained the ultimate "master blaster"!

bumGenius Pocket Diaper -Overall Rating {3.5/4 if it had snaps}
Fabric: Fleece pocket {4} Micro-fleece insert {1} Stinky/holds onto smell... hello ammonia! Plus it's synthetic vs. organic/natural. PUL outer {4}
Fit: {4} Nice and snug around the waist and legs, just kinda wide/bulky in the crotch area. A five with a bamboo insert! Super trim!
Functionality -Insert: {4} Micro-fiber = Very absorbent
Functionality -Diaper: User-friendly, didn't love the back flap where the insert goes in -didn't lay flat. Also not a fan of velcro, but if it had snaps I'd probably give it a solid {4}
Containment: {5} No leaks.

FuzziBunz, bumGenius, 2 SoftBums

FuzziBunz Pocket Diaper -Overall rating: {3.5}
Fabric: Stinky/synthetic Micro-fleece insert {1} and inner fabric {1} PUL outer {5} Fit: Fairly trim and snug {4.5} Bulky micro-fiber insert.
Functionality -Insert: {4} Very absorbent. Fit well inside pocket.
Functionality -Diaper: {4} Quality diaper. Good snaps, though trickier than other styles. User-friendly. Don't like how it adjusts (elastic/buttons) in the leg area -deal breaker for me. Also I've heard FuzziBunz' elastic often needs to be replaced after some time.
Containment: {4} Because of trimmer crotch, slight overflow of #2.

Soft Bums 2-in-1 Diaper -Overall Rating {3}
Fabric: Micro-fleece inner and insert (against baby's skin) {1} PUL outer {3}
Fit: Trim fit in crotch area. Hard to adjust to a snug/even fit in legs. Just seemed wonky. {3}
Functionality -Insert: Did the job. Absorbent. {4}
Functionality -Diaper: Semi user-friendly. Elastic/toggle adjustment -deal breaker for me, but it's a good idea. Just doesn't seem like it would hold up over the long-term. Velcro, not so much. Snaps, maybe a higher score. {3}
Containment: {4} Trim crotch area and loose legs makes me have doubts in the event of a blowout diaper.

Not so sure about this whole cloth diapering thing first thing in the morning...
He showed me exactly how he felt 15 minutes later with a massive poo. :(

Best Bottoms 2-in-1/Hybrid Diaper -Overall rating {4.5}
Fabric: Hemp insert (against baby's skin) {5} PUL outer shell {5} Fit: {4} Great elastic around the legs and waist. Snap-down rise worked well. Semi baggy, but good overall.
Functionality -Insert: {4} Great absorbency, love that it doesn't wiggle around due to dual snaps on either end!
Functionality -Diaper: {5} Quality snaps. Extremely user-friendly.
Containment: The diaper as a whole contains everything! But in the event of a blowout, the insert does not, meaning you have to change both the shell and insert, instead of just snapping in a new insert. {4}

left, Best Bottom --- right, Grovia AIO (below)

Grovia All-In-One Diaper -Overall Rating {3}
Fabric: Organic Cotton inner and insert/booster {3} Stretchy outer layer/tabs PUL {5} Fit: {4.5} I love how this diaper fits, super snug, trim, comfy looking. Would be a 5 but def NOT a one-size diaper... fits my 20+ pounder perfect now, can't imagine a larger toddler in it.
Functionality -Insert: {1} OK absorbency but horrible functionality (especially for a boy). Wetness rarely stayed central to the narrow insert and snap-in booster. Meaning the entire front panel would get wet spreading all the way out across his front side. Def can't go without snap-in booster.
Functionality -Diaper: {2} HATE hip snaps vs. front wing snaps. Hard/awkward to snap and in the event of a skinny (wiggly!) baby and the extra wing fabric would bunch up in the front or even slip out the top at times.
Containment: {3} Cotton just wasn't as absorbent as the other fabrics, but we didn't have any leaking issues with #2.

I wanted to love this diaper so bad. It's so darn cute.

The colors and prints it comes in are adorable! Sigh...

Final Thougths &SURPRISES!

LAUNDRY: The biggest surprise for me was that doing cloth diaper laundry really isn't as gross as I thought. It's quite easy/motivating/rewarding when you've got a bag of gross diapers to throw them in the wash and then see all that colorful fluff come out of the dryer or drying rack all fresh and clean! And I promise, they really do come out clean and the sun really does bleach the stains out! Though dealing with the poo is another story. Hudson's "solids" are more of a sticky guacamole consistency and it's more than my gag reflex can handle. I will be purchasing bio-degradable/flushable rice paper inserts and a diaper sprayer ASAP to help in that department!

Overall, it's been a fairly easy transition, though we're still not 100% cloth diapering. We need more dipes for that! But Hudson certainly hasn't seemed to mind the change one bit. The obvious brand "front runners" are Kawaii, bumGenius, and BestBottoms, but honestly, none of the above have fully convinced me to go purchase 20 more yet! There's so many to choose from! I just may need to do some "combination" diapering like a bumgenius with hemp inserts or something like that. Also the obvious fabric choice for us is bamboo and hemp as a close second. Why? The micro-fiber inserts stink (only once soiled for some reason) and Huddy got a red bum from one or two of the ones where the micro-fiber touched his skin.

***If anyone has any other brands that they like that I could/should try let me know! Would love to hear some dialog/feedback and what works for you!?

Project #15: journal love & gift card envelope

2011-06-06T14:10:00.000-07:00

This was my sad and sorry excuse for an "inspiration" journal. Talk about UN-INSPIRING! Inside is where I keep all my ideas, sketches, plans and creative to-do lists. This unassuming ugly tan/green? cover leaves quite a bit to be desired. I can't believe it took me this long to do something about it!

My creative solution involved one of my hubby's old shirts, some buttons

and a cute lil bird. Of course... I know, I know.

Yes, my sewing machine is finally back in working order! As an experiment to see if it's stitching correctly (right-side-up) I made both the journal cover and this re-useable gift card envelope. I also taught myself (with the help of the instruction manual and a helpful youtube tutorial) how to use the intimidating "button hole foot". I seriously felt invincible when I finished, like I could learn or do anything! I'm so proud of myself, my very first real button! I'll definitely be making more of these. It only took mere minutes to sew. Makes giving a gift card feel a little less lame -or not so lame depending on your outlook. I personally LOVE gift cards. I don't know why, but I have been known to hold onto them for months, even years to make sure I buy the most amazing thing with it...

kind of silly now that I think about it.

Project #16 coming SOON! :)

Cloth -Ch. 2 My 1st shopping trip

2011-05-27T18:42:00.000-07:00

So last week was full of all sorts of cloth diapering adventures. On Thursday I went over to my friend, Rachael's house and she gave me a personal tour of their whole cloth diapering stash and routine. From the different types of diapers she uses, to where she stores, sprays, washes them... the whole nine yards. She has been and I'm sure will continue to be a wonderful resource. It was so nice to actually see in person what it LOOKS LIKE to cloth diaper.

And look at her adorable twin girls with their little fluffy buns! (Thirsties covers)

Honor Rose & Isaiah Jane -not sure which is which here?

Then, on Friday I met up with my other "guide" Lorean and checked out our local JackBeNatural cloth diapering store. Turns out, it's only about 2 miles down the road! I can't say enough nice things about Stacy, the owner and her successful (out of home) company. Their showroom was stocked to the brim with tons of options to touch, feel, compare and see. She even let me try a diaper on Hudson to see what the fit was like! (Thank goodness he waited till about 5 minutes after I took it off to go poo!) She carries tons of the big brands and has such an immense knowledge of every single one's features, fabrics, cleaning methods, etc. She is also widely known for her great customer service ---hand written notes in all online orders and personal emails to answer questions, numerous informational videos for FAQ or comparing diapers (found on youtube -so helpful!) and meeting her in person was no exception! Thanks Stacy for a wonderful first dip-of-my-toes into the cloth diapering experience!

So here's all the goodies I picked up wrapped in her cute JackBeNatural wrapping!

Those white things tied on are mini detergent samples.

I purchased two Thirsties duo wrap covers -highly recommended by Rachael, Lorean AND Stacy. And I'm pretty sure I've never read a bad review on these babies. I love that they adjust to grow with your baby (believe it or not, they're the same size wrap, just set at the largest/green and smallest/trees settings) and I bought velcro for these to help get a more snug fit. Oh and I bought some snappy things for the pre-folds that go inside the covers... no pins necessary!

Rachael already started handing down some of her NB stash to us. These are fitted diapers that also go under a cover. Thanks Rachael, this is going to be such a huge help!

I also picked up some Crunchy Clean cloth diapering specific detergent in "clothes pin" scent. You guessed it. It smells like fresh air and sunshine dried linen. MMmmm.

AND

dun, dun dun....

Saved best for last... Hudson's very first cloth diaper! Yes, I've decided if I'm going to CD one, why not both? Hudson's still got 6 months to a year or more before he's potty trained so I feel like it's totally worth it. Not to mention, baby #2 (and #3 and so on...) will get to use these as well when they grow out of the smaller sizes. This was the highest recommended diaper by Stacy. It's a KaWaii Green Baby Bamboo Diaper so it's all natural SUPER SOFT fibers against baby's skin and the fuzzy minkee fabric outer makes you want to snuggle with your baby like a teddy bear! I can't wait to try them out overnight and see if they are as absorbent as they claim to be!

Look at my little tiger! Grrr baby!

I'm not an animal print person typically, but Hudson totally can pull it off.

I want to buy more already! :) Trying to pace myself, to get a feel for it and TRY before I BUY!

By the way, I'm keeping track of all my start-up cloth diapering expenses and will be sharing that via blog down the road... thought that might be a point of interest for some.

Hudson + Mommy = Love

2011-05-18T19:21:00.000-07:00

I feel as though I'm finally embracing the inevitable arrival of sweet baby #2. Perhaps all the nesting I've been doing is helping things settle in a bit... It's like God and I have been playing hide and seek. I've been hiding but now I can hearing Him calling down the hall... "Ready or not!" As incapable and scared out of my mind that I sometimes feel, I know He's destined this little one for me. For this family. And I simply cannot wait to meet this baby who will undoubtedly turn our world upside down... and at the same time it'll feel as though they've always been there. Always a part of what makes us, US.

I'm about to fall in love all over again!

That said, I've been hugging Hudson tighter, holding him longer (when he'll let me) and snuggling his limp and sleepy body in my arms every chance I get. Nuzzling his peach fuzz, taking long deep breaths of his wondrous baby smell, and lingering over his crib praying even more fervently over him each night.

During the day, I catch myself watching him play across the room... delighting in his every move, expression and nuance. I wait expectantly for the next time he'll look back at me, to make sure I'm still there, to make sure that he's still the center of my universe. And I'm still the center of His. For now... and I am treasuring every minute. Taking mental pictures, trying desperately to remember this special time of JUST US.

Hudson + Mommy = LOVE.

Oh, Hudson... I love everything about you. You are one in a million.

I love how small you are. That I can still carry you around

and perch your little leg up on my big belly.

I love it when you stand in the middle of the pile of crumbs when I'm trying to sweep.

Like you're claiming you're king of the mountain or something.

And how you pick out all of the cheerios and eat them ---gross, but cute.

I love it (though I have to pretend I don't) how sometimes when you're naughty

and I tell you "no" your eyebrows crinkle up over the most hilarious little smooshed face,

then you act out by hitting whatever's closest to you, hurting your hand, which makes your face immediately contort into painful agony and you say, "uh oh!?" ---Sigh.

I love how when I grab my bag, keys and sunglasses,

you grab yours too and say, "Siiii???" (Outside?)

I love reading to you. It's one of my favorite things to do together.

People have always said how observant you are... it's true. You don't miss a thing.

You're very intuitive for someone so young. I look forward to the day you'll read to me too.

I love the way your face lights up when I shout "Daddy's home!" and you race to the front window to go greet him on his way in. That makes his day. It also makes mine.

I love your bruised and scratched up little scrawny legs. You may be tiny and sweet....

but you're ALL BOY. I love how scrappy you are.

You're going to be very active and athletic like your daddy, I just know it.

I love the way you give yourself little jobs and tasks to do and how you diligently go about them, like a busy little ant. You fill your little cups of mulch and dirt outside with much more discipline than I have filling up the dishwasher... or really doing any of my daily tasks for that matter. Mommy is watching and learning from you.

I love that you're favorite book to read is your "bibo" and how reading about Jesus' always-and-forever, never-stopping-love always seems to calm you down. Did you know that you help me understand God's love for me so much better than before I was a parent?

I love that you look so much like your daddy. You remind me of him in so many ways.

You have just as much personality as he does. I love watching that grow and develop in

you, as you come into your own little unique version of yourself.

I love your big gray/blue/green eyes. They hold the world inside them... everything is new to you, everything is big and amazing and worthy of inspection. In your eyes I can see so many questions. I'll do my best to answer them all.

I love how friendly you are. You greet everyone with a smile and a wave.

You may be shy at first, but not for long. You can't help but let your playful happy little spirit sore. You have an insatiable appetite for FUN.

I love how you say my name. I waited so long to hear it,

and now it melts my heart every time that I do.

I love that you're going to be a big brother soon... it's a big job, but I know you'll handle it beautifully and embrace this new baby with the same love I see in you every day.

But most of all, I love that it was YOU, my firstborn... who made me a mom.

And that will never EVER change.

Neither will my love for you.

YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE. :)

Project #14: fabric flower headbands

2011-05-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

These headbands were one of my famous last minute/late night projects! Picked up these little headbands for free at a yard sale several months ago and decided to perk them up a bit with some pretty spring blooms!

I think this one's my fav.

 These are the adorable recipients of two of the headbands... 

Lola & Sarah, the sweet little girls I used to Nanny. Just had an awesome impromptu meet up with them after not seeing them for over 2 years! It was so special, and felt like no time had passed.

 Here the nugget decided to do some modeling with Sarah. :)

This is a pic of them with their Mama before they moved away to Nebraska. They've grown so much! I miss these 3 girls!

Project 25/25 Update: I realize I've been really bad about posting my weekly projects. Sorry about that! Life has been very full -in a good way! I think I'm a few weeks behind in my original plan to make 25 projects in 25 weeks. So instead of falling off the wagon completely, I've decided to tweak my goal a bit... 20 projects in 25 weeks. I know, it doesn't have the same catchy ring to it, but it's going to have to do for this busy mama. I still want to take advantage of my free time before baby arrives and keep the creative juices flowing. Who knows, maybe I'll surprise myself and actually make the original goal. Oh! And I just dropped off my sewing machine at the repair place so hopefully the weeks ahead will involve some REAL sewing projects! Stay tuned, friends. Thanks for following my little creative journey :)

(This is one of my first sewing endeavers... drawstring backpacks that I made for Sarah & Lola a few years back.)

a little yoga goes a long way

2011-05-15T06:33:00.000-07:00

So, after a few months of having ZERO motivation to do anything... (Coincidence that those months were paired with some serious emotional breakdowns and hormone induced "Debbie Downer-ness"? Probably not.) I've turned a corner! It probably has to do with the fact that I am a mere 10 weeks away from giving birth to my second child and don't feel at all physically prepared. I've recently found myself CRAVING YOGA again. I love the energy, flexibility, vitality that I always feel after a good stretch! Not to mention my aching muscles and ligaments breathe a deep sigh of relief! I know it sounds crazy but 20 minutes or more of some intentional TLC for my body, and my day improves by 100%! I feel good about myself, happier, less achy and more productive and intentional in my daily activities!

I sincerely feel that yoga helped prepare me for labor more than anything else. I consistently attended Bikram yoga classes before and during my first pregnancy and am so glad that I did. After an intense surprise breech home birth where everything depended on me needing to know how to control my body and breath deeply (and hold that baby in till the final moment!) I realized my yoga classes had been more than "me time" or a way to stay in shape. Yoga was my birth prep class!

It's been tougher (for obvious reasons, ahem HUDSON) this go around to stay motivated and actually find the time to take care of myself. But I've decided, no more excuses. Excuses aren't going to prepare me for labor. Excuses aren't going to give me confidence. And excuses certainly aren't going to push this baby out! No more waiting for the illusive uninterrupted hour of tranquil breathing exercises and stretches to happen.... now I just roll out a mat next to mine and Hudson "stretches" with Mommy. Or I bring my mat out on the back patio while hudson gets some pool time. I just have to get creative. ;)

My new motto: Just do it! And do it now!

The GREAT cloth diapering ADVENTURE! -Chapter 1

2011-05-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

So... I've been thinking about baby #2's little rear end a lot lately (which, by the way, seems to favor the right side of my abdomen making me a bit lopsided :). This time around I've decided to forego my costly diaper/wipe runs and try the natural alternative... CLOTH DIAPERING. Confession: I've always been intrigued by cloth diapering but honestly just didn't have the motivation to do the laundry and to be even more honest.... was way too overwhelmed and intimidated by the billions of options/brands/systems/fabrics/sizing/colors/pricepoints out there. Whew! See what I mean? No less overwhelming than the paralyzing feeling I get in the shampoo isle. Too many options! For a "beaver"/perfectionist/planner personality like me who can't help but be pain-stakingly thorough and well aware of all the options... the decision to do this was huge. It involved numerous conversations with friends, tons of research and random informational youtube videos. And that was just to decide whether or not to take the leap or not... we're not even into all the options yet!

So what changed? Nothing. The cloth diapering lifestyle/community is still as intensely dizzying as always... but my motivation changed. What sold me is the amazing savings I would experience only paying for diapers and wipes ONCE instead of every month for the next 24 months spending at least $2,500 - 3,000 just for the first two years! ALL FOR THE SAKE OF MY CHILD'S STINKY BUTT! Don't get me wrong, I've loved the convenience of disposables. But on the flip side I don't love how much it's cost me, neither am I proud of the fact that because of Hudson (well, me :), there's now a TON (literally) of non bio-degradable diapers sitting in a landfill somewhere for the next 100 years!

Another thing that was a major "game changer" for me was that I now have several friends also cloth diapering who I can use as "guides" to hold my hand as I embark on this fun yet sometimes overwhelming journey into the depths of cloth diapering. Yes, I said FUN! Once I figured out the lingo (One size, soakers, hook&loop.... what?????) and understood all the options (prefolds, fitteds, all-in-ones, pocket diapers, etc.) I was a tad less intimidated and way more excited to figure out this diapering puzzle and choose what will work best for our family's lifestyle and preferences, while keeping the cost reasonable.

My first instinct was to just read every review on the planet and pick the best diaper EVER and a buy a whole lot of them. This, unfortunately, is not a wise game plan... and my helpful guides told me so. :) I've now come to acknowledge that perhaps there is no "easy button" or "best-diaper-ever-for-every-size-and-shape-baby-and-family-lifestyle" out there. Trial and error is going to be necessary to some degree in order to figure out what works best. But I'm still kind of hoping to avoid having a diaper stash with 5 different styles of diapers with 5 different types of inserts with 5 different methods... you get the idea. We'll see...

Right now the "plan" is to borrow from a friend's massive (twin sized :) stash of infant prefolds and fitted diapers which we'll use with covers for the first few months. Since we won't be paying for the actual diapers (HUGE BLESSING!) my only initial expense will be 3 or 4 diaper covers, cloth wipes, wipes solution, a wet bag and detergent for laundry. Easy right? We'll see... Once we're past the itty bitty newborn stage, we'll decide if we like that system. If not we'll try something different like pocket diapers.

Here's what I've been somewhat obsessing over the past week or two... :) The following is less a cloth diapering education and more of a collection of the types of diaper/systems that appeal to me personally.

Old fashioned prefolds with Snappi fastener and Thirsties velcro cover

...for a nice snug fit on a tiny baby. Cheapest option!

These (Kissaluv and GoodMama) fitted diapers are a step up from prefold diapers... they're already shaped just like diapers, but still need to be covered. (Thus I don't see the necessity for the deliciously fun prints you can get with this option, other than the smile it might put on your face when pulling them out of the wash.) They're just so stinkin' cute! But are also more expensive than prefolds. I've heard these also fit well on tiny babies. We might use some of these as well.

Here's a cute handmade up-cycled wool diaper cover I found on Etsy for $15. (MyEcoBaby) Apparently you don't have to wash them as often and they're warm in winter/cool in summer. Bonus!

Best Bottom Diapers

I just discovered these BestBottom diapers and keep hearing good things about them. They're I guess what you would consider a hybrid diaper? These seem to be all the best attributes of a lot of other systems. It's still the idea of an insert/cover (they snap into each other) but you can reuse the cover and they adjusts and grow with your baby. It's an interesting alternative and pretty affordable. What's great is if you don't like their system, their covers still work with other prefold or fitted diapers. Good food for thought ;) I love this "mint chocolate chip" color.

So this is the deluxe BumGenius 4.0 diaper which I hear is kind of the ultimate. It's a pocket diaper which you stuff with an absorbent insert but still change the whole thing every diaper change. It's one of the more convenient seeming options but also one of the most expensive.

Needless to say, pocket diapers are still very appealing to me and seem very daddy and babysitter friendly. This KaWaii Pure&Natural diaper is a similar style for 1/3 of the price... This particular one is meant for smaller infants and babies up to 22 pounds, I think. I'd like to have at least a small stash of pockets to fall back on when the occasion arises.

So that's all for now. I don't own anything yet, just sort of in the brainstorming stage so far. Gonna go to my first cloth diaper store JackBeNatural this week. Turns out it's less than 2 miles from my house -how convenient! I'll keep you updated on what I actually end up using (and liking).

My Mama is Beautiful

2011-05-07T09:37:00.000-07:00

I love my mom. I think she's the most BEAUTIFUL woman I know. Not only because she's gorgeous, but because her heart is so tender, open and loving. She simply glows. I love the pieces of her that I see come out in me... I'm proud to be like my mom and share her love for beauty and creativity. I can only hope to live up to the incredible legacy she has given me and be as good of a mother as she has been to me and my brothers.

See, told ya she was gorgeous!

Her nurturing touch, her sweet personality, her fierce love for God and others, her giving heart, her godly wisdom, her sensitive discernment... she was made to be a mom!

Being her only daughter of 5 children, I feel we've always had a very special bond.

Being a mother myself now, I understand the sacrifice now and am so thankful for all the sleepless nights she spent with me!

She's such a good Grandmommy too!

Speaking of which, here she is with her Mom and my Grandma... the classiest lady I know. My mom got a lot of her greatest qualities from her!

Not only is she an amazing mom, but she's an amazing friend... one of the best!

Speaking of great friends... this is my mother-in-law. She and my mom are super close friends.

I am so blessed to have, not one, but TWO INCREDIBLE MOMS!

She's a good Grammy too! She loves her Grandkiddos!

She is as beautiful as her flower gardens, inside and out!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

The ULTIMATE mother's day present!!!

2011-05-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

Bring on the "Baby on Board", "Soccer Mom" and "Honor Student" bumper stickers...

Yes, It's true. We bit the bullet and bought a minivan. I always claimed I'd never drive a mom mobile but these days, there is no shame. I am so stoked! My only desire was to have a vehicle with four wheels that worked (ok... and I was really crossing my fingers for power doors! :) and lo and behold, we got so much more! This sleek little spaceship looking minivan came with leather seats, dual air, dvd player AND power doors too!

GOD HOOKED A MAMA UP!

We are so so so blessed. Things I'm thankful for...

(MAJOR ANSWERS TO PRAYER!)

#1 God provided my hubby with a full time job which will make ends meet! (And he already got promoted! I'm so proud ;)

#2 God hooked us up with a killer tax refund which covered over half the price of the van!

#3 God helped us find a great vehicle for our growing family for an incredible price!

#4 FREEDOM! I think part of the reason I was experiencing a serious case of "the blues" recently was because I was stuck at home for about a month without a vehicle since Dar started his new job. Being a homebody, I didn't think it would bother me too much, but... OH MAN, I have tasted the goodness of freedom again and I AM HAPPY! (I've seriously been going out on completely unnecessary errands, just because I can!)

OH! And guess what?!!? I WON SOMETHING from the giveaway I posted about! And so did 2 of my friends... see, I told you you should check it out! ;)

I won these cute vintage flower earrings!

Check out this MOTHERLOAD GIVEAWAY!

2011-05-05T04:07:00.000-07:00

All I can say is please go to this awesome blog NaptimeDiaries and take part in this girl's amazing Mother's Day giveaway! (You don't have to be a mother!) Check out all the sponsors of the giveaway prizes for extra entries... talk about inspiring! There's some pretty creative women of God represented. Here are a just a few of the 16 things she's giving away....

I'm crossing my fingers for this headband! (With my 27 entries! ;)

Tea Accessories -The kind of Etsy shop that you want one of everything.

Marigold Road -Visit her fun eclectic Etsy shop!

NaptimeDiaries -I'm obsessed with these prints!

thirtyonewest -Vintage jewelry and accessories... cute!

CallMeBlessed -This makes me want to make more stationary!

hello 3rd trimester...

2011-05-02T18:23:00.000-07:00

Thoughts/Musings on this pregnancy... so far...

So, I want to be excited, to be prepared mentally, emotionally and physically and look forward to the amazing life-altering changes ahead! But the truth is, I am having trouble wrapping my head around the reality of another baby coming so soon! I love our family dynamic, so maybe I'm afraid it will change things too much. While I'm super excited to meet this new baby, maybe I'm worried they will take away from the relationship I already have with Hudson? Perhaps I'm having trouble bonding with baby #2 due to not knowing their gender? But then again, I don't feel that's a major factor due to the fact that this baby is so much more active and playful, my physical awareness is much more heightened this time around which has been really fun! And yesterday, Braxton Hicks arrived as well, oh my goodness! Maybe this is seeming more REAL...

I probably shouldn't even GO THERE but, I have not been able to work out or stay as fit as I'd like this pregnancy and this has kinda messed with my head a bit. I know, it's normal to get bigger, to see the number on the scale reach heights it's never known before, to feel like fluffy version of yourself doesn't fit in any of your clothes. Needless to say, I definitely need to amp up the activity level this trimester, to get those endorphins pumping to fight my laziness, not to mention, prepare myself for the inevitable physical feat I will partake in T-minus 11 weeks, give or take! AHH!

I'm also dreading change. Actually, truth be told... I'm dreading sleep deprivation. I've finally gotten used to getting full nights of sleep! But the biggest change I'm already having to adjust to is Dar being gone way more due to his work schedule. He has been such a strong tower of support thru my first pregnancy, labor, and first two years of motherhood, and I'm wondering how I'm ever going to make it thru those crazy first few weeks/months after baby arrives without him being around as much! But anyway, I say all of this to say...

I'm trading worry, apathy, dread, negativity with gratitude, preparation, anticipation and a positive heart and attitude! Only with God's help, of course.

What a silly post... Here's to HORMONES! :)

Project #13: Pottery (in progress...)

2011-04-24T17:04:00.000-07:00

This week I found myself in the process of several projects but not actually completing any! So, hopefully I'll have two completed projects by next week... Here's a sneak peek of what's to come in the days ahead...

Working on stuffing a bunch of lil birdies for Micah's mobile!

On Saturday I spent the afternoon trying my hand at throwing pottery over at my friend, Joanna's house. This was my second bowl. Baby #2 got in the way a little bit, but it was super fun! Thanks Joanna for letting me do this! I miss it!

Speaking of, in the works... these are some of Joanna's beautiful pieces waiting to be fired.

(The small one on the bottom left was my first try.)

Happy Easter from the growing Short family!

(baby #2: 27.5 weeks)

Inspiration: "Mila's Daydreams"

2011-04-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

My brother's friend sent me a link to this website, because she knew I liked do-it-yourself home projects. Well, after I got over the shock and irony of the NAME of the project... "Mila" is our favorite girls name :)

...I scrolled down to find the most delightfully imaginative images/daydreams featuring the adorable little baby of creator Adele Enersen. More of Mila's daydream's (Circus, elephant, space baby, mermaid, city, rock 'n' roll baby) found here. I'm sure you'll enjoy these as much as I did! (I'm so stealing this idea when baby #2 arrives!)

"butterfly"

"rain of roses"

"love religion"

"super pink!"

"candy land"

I dream of... an outdoor living space!

2011-04-14T11:54:00.000-07:00

As you can see, this is my sad little back patio that we have put ZERO effort into. In fact we've done a pretty good job of making it the least desirable place to be in our home. It looks like a trash dump! This makes absolutely no sense for people who love to be outdoors! I spend lots of time on my mini front porch, but I can't very well put a kiddie pool on the front sidewalk or grill veggie burgers in the street! Our back porch has more privacy for sunbathing, reading, etc... and in my opinion is NOT living up to it's potential! Can you tell I've been watching HGTV?

So here's my vision...

I dream of an inviting place to have friends over for kiddie pool playdates.

I dream of a place where I can sit and read in the sun while the kids nap.

I dream of a place we can enjoy outside when we have friends over for dinner.

I dream of a romantic getaway where my hubby and I can

enjoy a glass of wine after the kids go to bed.

I dream of a place where Hudson can frolic and play (and paint!)

without the risk of getting hit by a car!

Unfortunately, the budget for this particular project is slim... er, well... nonexistent! But perhaps, with a little imagination and some serious thrift store/yard sale shopping I could give my back porch the pick-me-up it so desperately needs and deserves. Since unfortunately function usually comes before style, I'd say the bare necessities of this project are probably the table and chairs (look out craigstlist!) and a good clean up/power wash! So that's where I'll start... the decorative items, textiles, plants, outdoor drapes, rug and (of course :) twinkle lights will come next.

Here's some deliciously inspiring and drool-worthy outdoor living areas!

I love the bold color in the curtains against a neutral backdrop and the hanging candle art is awesome!!! (HGTV.com)

While this one is a bit zany, I do like the wall divider which creates the indoor illusion and the general eclectic feel. (peaceloveandallthingscreative.blogspot.com)

This is a super warm and inviting outdoor space but a little too asian inspired (and $$$$) for what I'm looking for. (simplenest.com)

This one is my favorite over all. Probably because it was a DIY project that only cost $200! Vibrant color, thrifty finds and outdoor plants can really spruce up a space! (HGTV.com)

I love these colorful vintage chairs (apartmenttherapy.com)

Nothing like a shot of "sunshine" to brighten up a gloomy patio!

I love birdcages! I can't help it!

I could fill these with candles, colorful balls of yarn, fake flowers, the sky's the limit!

Mmm... I can taste the homemade lemonade already! (anthropologie.com)

***Stay posted for "After pictures" of this future (25/25) project... hopefully soon!!! :)

Project #12: I believe in pink

2011-04-13T15:14:00.000-07:00

This barely counts as a project to me, as it only took me a few minutes, but I stumbled across this Audrey Hepburn quote and instantly fell in love with it. :)

So, this NOT KNOWING the gender of baby #2 is driving me nuts, but I'm still determined to hold out until baby's birthday to find out. Meanwhile, I thought I'd dedicate this post to the color PINK since I very well might be seeing a lot of it in the days to come!

I need to prepare myself!

If you know me at all, you know I'm not a pink person. You might find a few shreds of pink here and there in my closet in muted tones, but in general, pink is not a color I relate to whatsoever. Growing up the "rose among thorns" as my parents called it (I have 4 brothers, no sisters), I was always trying to dilute the "girly" factor in my clothing choices (no frills, no lace, and definitely no pink!), so as not to stick out like a sore thumb or more likely, get teased by my brothers. I'm more of a gray, black, brown, green, neutrals kinda girl. Anyways, even now that I've fully embraced my feminine adult self, I still find myself cringing when I see pink.

But here's some proof that I'm trying to change... because I know it's inevitable! So, take heart Grandma Carl and Grandma Short, your Grandaughter will NOT be deprived of pink. See? Here's some clothes (only a fraction!) that my friend gave me...

I think we got the pink covered!

Nevertheless, I admit I do BELIVE IN PINK.

There is something irresistibly magical and sweet about a newborn little girl in pink. :)

So now, to be fair does this mean I have to do a blue post? In case I have another boy?

Project #11: "Why's your lampshade so vanilla?"

2011-04-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

Before...

After!

Learning from mistakes. Being that this is my first ever attempt at covering a lampshade, I'm going to give myself some grace. :) I used diluted fabric glue instead of the recommended fabric adhesive spray and apparently it was too diluted and so there's a few places where it seeped thru the fabric and is visible even after it dried. ARG! Yes, I was being cheap and trying to avoid a trip to the craft store... it's dangerous in there! :) Anyways... the finished product is "good enough" and I can live with it for now. This little lamp will be keeping me company in the nursery during those late night feedings...

True story: I've tried bringing this poor little vanilla lamp to the thrift store at least 3 times unsuccessfully, so I figured I better do something with it or donate it for good!

Hilarious SNL Skit: "Why's your doorbell so vanilla?"

The return of the one-piece

2011-04-03T10:58:00.000-07:00

In honor of heading to the beach and soaking up some glorious sunshine this week I thought I'd indulge myself in some swimsuit "window shopping", er... "browser shopping"? Although THIS preggo bathing beauty won't be donning any sassy suits this summer, I couldn't help but notice (in my search for a cute maternity swimsuit -what a joke) the re-emergence of the ONE PIECE back into the mainstream scene. Back in my "modest homeschool girl" days, my only options were of the unflattering and unfeminine sporty variety. So here's to cute vintage/retro inspired swimsuits that leave more to the imagination but don't skimp on style. Where were these back in 1998?!

Modcloth

Modcoth

Anthropologie

Michael Kors

A Pea in the Pod

Okay, I admit this maternity suit is pretty cute, but also $89!!?!

PS- Minor delay on this week's 25/25 Project... can't find my camera. Pics coming soon! :)

Be the leading lady in your own life!

2011-03-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

Do you remember the best summer of your life?

I just finished reading the most refreshingly charming book I have ever read. And in it, the author is a true example of being a leading lady in your own life (reference to a scene from 'The Holiday' a movie that I love and think Kate Winslet is absolute perfection in). It's a memoir called "Summer at Tiffany" by Majorie Hart based on her real life adventures during the most memorable summer of her life! This is the perfect poolside-summer-easy-read so go pick up a copy in time for your vaca!

I don't want to spoil it, but I can't help myself (consider that your spoiler alert ;). The summer of 1944 Marjorie and her best friend/college roommate Marty decide to ditch what could have been a bland summer in their Iowa hometown and catch a train for NYC! And like straight out of a fairy tail, they both land a job on 5th Avenue at Tiffanys! What follows is a summer filled with double dates with Navy officers, plays on Broadway, cocktails at glitsy night clubs, celebrity sightings and adventures at the Tiffany store! All of which was done while pinching pennies and living on toast and jello so as to be able to afford all the things they wanted to do while in NY.

Some of my favorite moments were the stories she had from her time working at Tiffany. The funniest being when she decided to peek inside a box she was delivering to the 3rd floor and dozens of pearls jumped out spilling all over the elevator floor! Needless to say after splaying herself (in high heals in silk 'tiffany blue' dress) across the door opening so as not to lose her precious cargo down the elevator shaft when the door opened and taking about 6 trips up AND down without being seen (a miracle!) she had collected every last pearl and lived to tell about it! She also modeled diamond earrings for a millionaire, almost got caught "sniffing brandy" on the china floor with her coworkers and saw Judy Garland buy an emerald necklace on her honey moon in NYC! In the words of Marjorie, "HOLY MOLY!"

Judy Garland

I thoroughly enjoyed my mental "getaway" to the glamorous world of NYC in the 1940's. A time when you didn't leave the house without dressing up in hat, gloves and nylons and always had doors opened for you. A time when you could walk thru central park at night hand in hand with your date and not have to worry about getting mugged. A place where you could walk into stores and be bombarded with reverent quiet and cordial service being referred to as "Madame". A story where dreams really did come true.

I'm obsessed with 40's/50's fashion.

What a fun time period!

The Nursery Tour (extended version :)

2011-03-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine requested a nursery tour, so here goes! We'll begin the tour in the corner I spend most of my time... reading stories, cuddling in the middle of the night, and watching Hudson play. I love this sunshine-y spot!

*Glider gifted by Gma & Gpa Carl: babiesRus.

*Homemade "h" fuzzy cuddle blanket: bought by Kara at littlegreyhouse etsy shop

*Red ugly doll "Freddie": gifted by Lorean.

*Ornate black frame: ikea.

*Fabric: Mary Jo's Fabric.

*Elephant mobile: authentic gift via Sarah, from Uganda, Africa.

*White antique-y crib: craigslist :)

*Brown/white polka dot & stripe bumper: Target

*Recycled metal "Hudson" letters: Urban Outfitters (and yes, the "N" is an upside down "U"... I had to improvise!)

*Tan "Hudson" blanket: gifted from Grammy Short

*Olive green rug: ikea

To the left of the crib is Hudson's clothes line. 4 push pins, string and mini clothes pins: Michaels :)

*Pic of snuggly baby Hudson :)

*Original painting/flower card: gifted by my Aunt Punchy from Maine.

*Oldschool pics of Dar and I as kiddos

*Rocket ship drawing: made by one of my students at the kids art studio I used to work at.

*Puppy painting: An illustration I did for a friend's story book from a class she took.

*A painting I did in college (that's my parent's yard) that I still have no idea where to hang or what to do with.

*Rocking horse from Grammy & "Bumpa" Short

*Fabric wall decals

*Letter separator and key hook: Goodwill + fresh paint

*Black thrift store chair

*Pillow: ikea

*Tigger: from Uncle Dean & Aunt Kristie

*Magazine Basket: TJ Max

*Lots of books! Hudson loves story time!

*Antique dresser/soon-to-be changing table again: thrift store find

*Framed cross-stitch with Hudson's name and bday: made by Gma Carl

*Giraffe: from Uncle Ry-Ry

*'Flying pig' piggie bank: purchased by Grandpa Short in Bremen, Germany

(Above dresser)

*Antique white shelf: thrift store find

*Handmade clay "Llama" bank I made in high school

*Cute "You are my sunshine" CD cover

*Floral tin: bought at garage sale bought for .25 cents

*One of my first pics snuggling with my little nugget

*A baby pic of Hudson's daddy (they looked identical... both tiny and cute and bald and early and breech!)

*Baby Necessities :)

*My Great Grandma's antique sewing storage table

*Bird lamp: Urban Outfitters/ikea

*Framed pics of huddy before/after he was first born

*Retro trash can/diaper bin: thrift store find

My personal nursery decorating philosophy:

-Create a room you want to be in, that makes YOU happy!
-Don't be afraid of color, or black for that matter, in the nursery.
-I've discovered that 'Tiffany blue' goes with just about any color!

-Stay far away from "nursery-in-a-bag" themes or color schemes.
-Don't try to match wood types or colors. Eclectic = anything goes!

-Use what you have. Don't spend too much money. (These things WILL get spit up and drawn on.)

-Represent the family. Collect and display special furniture, tid-bits, pictures or gifts.

-Function + Style = best of both worlds.

-Keep it simple. Clutter-free! (I only keep a small basket of books and a few toys in there so it's not always a disaster area like my living room.)

-And lastly, instead of calling it "gender neutral" I prefer to think of it as "gender inclusive". In other words, I know Hudson's room has a few feminine elements, I confess! In addition to creating a room for Hudson I was designing for myself and for the daughter I hope to one day have, (who just might share this room with Hudson in the very near future... Here's hoping!)

Project #10: brotherly love

2011-03-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

These paintings are for my brother, Dave who's birthday's coming up next week! I hope you like them, buddy~ (I'll hand deliver them in April when we come visit you! :) I LOVE YOU!

When I think of you, Dave, the word "loyal" comes to my mind first.

Thanks for always being such a loyal individual, friend and brother.

YOU INSPIRE ME
I'm so grateful God put you in my life!

"If a man is not faithful to his own individuality he cannot be loyal to anything"

-Claude Mckay

The Carl Brothers

Here's a pic of UNCLE DAVE with huddy!

Project #9: onesie factory!

2011-03-17T14:44:00.000-07:00

My favorite... 'beach babe' onesie

Had to do a little matching hair bow.

'itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikini' onesie

***See Micah modeling this one in my last post!

The (tee shirt sleeve) headband fit perfect!

'the pocket tee' onesie

'the hipster vest' onesie

'you've got mail' onesie

'ruby slippers' onesie

Next week, I promise to take a break from baby/onesie/fabric land! I need to do something else... for a bit. Ideas?

Project #8: Beach Babe (PHOTOSHOOT starring the precious Micah Lyric!)

2011-03-14T05:24:00.000-07:00

"She wore an itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikini!!!"

I mean, what could possibly be cuter this?

"Hi mom!"

Hudson wanted in on the modeling action... of course.

He is his father's son after all.

Special thanks to Micah for being such a trooper/cutie pie and to her wardrobe assistant/mommy for letting her be my baby model~

Nesting: BABY GEAR -part 1

2011-03-08T07:25:00.000-08:00

I think the first wave of nesting has finally hit. I don't know why this was such a big deal for me, but buying Hudson his "big boy" car seat this week felt like we were being ushered into a new era. The era of 2! Now we'll have 2 car seats, 2 diaper bags, and... well, the list could go on and on... but anyways, this is making me emotional!
My baby's not a baby anymore!

Hudson's new car seat (Evenflo Symphony65 convertible all-in-one seat 5-100 pounds) is ridiculous... I want one for me! It has 3 recline settings (that was big for us since Hudson sleeps so well in the car), plush fabric and inserts which help make our little peanut fit better, easy installment and it should get him thru all car seat stages from now on -woo hoo! This pic was taken just before Hudson christened it with a billion bagel crumbs during an impromptu road trip.

Going on his expression alone, I'd say he likes the box way better than the seat! :) Of course.

Next big purchase (DUN DUN DUN)... the inevitable double stroller!

This is one I eyed for the first time at Freedom Park and loved it so much I had to ask the Nanny pushing it what brand it was. It's a Phil&Teds double inline sports stroller. Britax makes one similar to it too which my hubs and I test drove at BabiesRUs when buying Hudson's car seat. Drool!

From what I've heard this is the ULTIMATE swiss army knife stroller. It is super smooth, has easy turning radius, tons of storage, comfortable adjustable handle, and plenty of combinations including capability to attach infant car seat or like the above picture shows, put infant in reclining position with toddler above. What I really love about this stroller is that it's not side-by-side so it doesn't feel bulky at all and fits thru doorways. Oh, and the color's fun too. I'm in love. :) Only downsides, not sure the attachable back seat has a sunshade? and of course, price $$$! Ouch. We better start saving now!

Uh oh, competition! Just found this Baby Jogger City Mini. Though, I'm not as big of a fan of the side-by-side models... (though this one does fit thru all doorways) this stroller seems to have some really great features! Most desirable feature for a mini momma: lightweight and only 26 lb (not me, the stroller)! Also, I love the FULL coverage sun shades! Also the seats adjust all the way to laying flat and are large enough to accommodate even older children. I would also buy the car seat adaptor.
Hmmm... food for thought.
(Bonus: Julia Roberts and Matthew McConauhey have this stroller ;)

i heart h&m

2011-03-05T20:33:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about my husband is his spontaneity and the fact that he loves shopping as much if not more than I do. On Thursday he suggested an impromptu road trip up to Raleigh (read: H&M) to use a gift card he received at Christmas. Being the stir crazy stay-at-home mom that I am, I immediately responded with "Let's do it. How about tomorrow?" So we did. Friday we drove the 2 1/2 hour trip packing only the essentials: ipod (dar is the best travel dj ever), a good book for me (diving into Dietrich Bonhaufer's biography due to my hubby's insistence that I read it as soon as he finished it. It's really good so far. Maybe more on that later) and of course lots of food. :) At the risk of looking really dorky, here's a few tops I picked up at H&M. And please disregard my greasy hair!

Pregnancy. It's all about the tunic tops.

Who says pregnant women can't wear horizontal stripes?

This top connects me with my inner cowgirl. I love the colors. And these are my first pair of "jeggings" I scored for $5 at Target recently. They're super comfy and fit below my growing waistline.

This is actually a "maternity" dress that I thought was cute and it fit. "I like your sleeves". ;)

And of course, we had to pick up a pair of "skinny" jeans for the lil man. What a stud muffin!

I'm playing the pregnancy card

2011-03-05T05:23:00.000-08:00

So, no project this week. But I don't even feel guilty about it! I haven't had a busy week to get me off the hook... I'm just tired. Every night I sit down on the couch after dinner and once I do, I don't get back up. My hubby's woken me from a post dinner sleep sesh (drool and all) on the couch the past 3 nights in a row, so yeah... baby must be doing some serious growing this week or something. He/She has certainly been getting their exercise (at least that makes one of us!)... felt kicks and jabs for the first time this week! YAY! :) See, I've been productive! I'm helping create a BABY! By the way, I realize that I have just played my one and only preggo card. Hold me to it. No more griping.

Therefore, in lieu of my TEMPORARY lapse of inspiration and motivation... (I'll try to make up for it next week, promise!) Since food is all a pregnant woman really thinks about, here's some pictures of some of our recent culinary creations at the Short family household... some staples if you will... AND proof that vegans can still eat milk shakes, pizza and french fries! (for all those people who think I live on celery and bland tofu;) I can include recipes if you want them, let me know! Feast your eyes!

Homemade Whole Wheat Veggie Basil Pizza

Ingredients: whole wheat crust (can't find my recipe, but you can buy pre-made crusts just about anywhere), tomato sauce sprinkled with diced vegetables, basil, spinach, onions
Directions: Cook. :) Sorry, lame instructions, here's my favorite RAW pizza recipe...
from 'The Thrive Diet'

Chili Kidney Bean Pizza:
Crust Ingredients -1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice, 1 1/2 cups kidney beans, 1/3 cup coconut oil (or hemp oil), 1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp chili flakes, sea salt to taste
Toppings Ingredients: 1 sliced tomato, 1/2 diced onion, 1 cup chopped peppers, 1/2 cup grated carrot, 1/2 cup chopped green onions, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp thyme.
Directions: Blend crust ingredients in blender then press into crust shape on cookie sheet. Add toppings and sprinkle with vegan "parmesan cheese" (1 part sesame seed to 1 part nutritional yeast) or store bought vegan cheese. Bake at 300 for 45 minutes, or eat raw.

Fresh Asian Veggie Rice Wraps with Peanut Sauce
Ingredients: Rice wraps, rice noodles, shredded carrot, shredded red cabbage, cilantro
Directions: Soak noodles in water about 15 minutes (no cooking required!). Cut up veggies and set aside in separate bowls. Fill a large frying pan or wide rimmed cook pot with 1-2 inches water. Submerge stiff rice wrap (1 at a time) and let soak momentarily until soft. Place wrap on plate then fill with noodles and veggies and fold like a burrito. At this point the wrap is more dry/sticky which makes wrapping easier. Then repeat until all your wraps are full. Plan for 2 or 3 per person. Dip in ginger sesame or peanut flavored dressing.

Sesame Miso Soup
Ingredients: 2 cups water, 3 strips dulse, 1 medium scallion, finely chopped, 2 tbsp ground unhilled sesame seeds, 2 tbsp brown rice miso paste
Directions: In a pot, heat water over medium heat; add dulse, scallion sesame seeds and miso paste. For more flavor, lightly stir-fy scallion and ground sesame seeds in 1 tbsp coconut oil. Makes 2 servings.

Mama Short's Southwestern Salad
Recipe at darshort.com found HERE.

Raw Almond Flaxseed Burger with Cilantro
(No joke, 2 minute recipe!)
Ingredients: 2 cloves garlic, 1 cup almonds, 1/2 cup ground flaxseed, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp coconut oil (or hemp oil), sea salt to taste.
Directions: Toss everything in the blender then mold into patties.

Creamy (Avacado) Pepper Soup -gloriously quick!
Ingredients: 1 avacado (pit and skin removed), 1 red or yellow bell pepper, 2 cups water or hemp milk, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, 1/2 tsp dulse flakes (if you don't have them, just do sea salt to taste), pinch of oregano
Directions: Toss ingredients in food processor and blend! Serve cold on a hot day!

Sweet Potato Wedges

(We usually make the recipe below!)

Garlic Oregano Yam Oven Fries
Ingredients: 2 medium yams, 1 1/2 tbsp melted coconut oil, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp coarsely chopped pumpkin seeds, 1 tbsp oregano, 1/2 tbsp basil, sea salt to taste.
Directions: Mix ingredients in bowl then add fries and stir until evenly coated. Bake at 300 for 35 minutes (longer if you like them crispy).

Mint Galactica Milkshake with Dark Choc shavings

Life changingly amazing! My hubby made this one, so here's my BEST guess of how it's made. Ingredients: mint galactica coconut icecream, almond milk, ice, agave to taste

Directions: I'm sorry I don't know the amounts of each ingredient, but I can't imagine any combination would yield bad tasting results! :) Just experimentally add ingredients to blender or vita-mix.

***NOTE: The Chili Kidney Bean Pizza, Sesame Miso Soup, Almond Flaxseed Burger, Creamy Pepper Soup and Garlic Oregano Yam Oven Fries recipes all came from 'The Thrive Diet: The whole food way to lose weight, reduce stress and stay healthy for life' by Brendan Brazier.

"SEW a needle pulling thread"

2011-03-02T11:10:00.000-08:00

So I've been wanting to try some more "advanced" projects (which are probably "beginner" projects for a REAL seamstress). I think this book might be a great spring board for me overcoming my sewing machine insecurities and trying something on my own! Although I have done a few projects (basic curtains, apron, backpacks) they were all either majorly simple or made under the watchful eye of my sewing teacher. Anyway, at the moment my sewing machine is stitching upside down, so until I get that figured out I guess I'll have to stick with simple projects. But until then here's some inspiration courtesy of "ONE-YARD-WONDERS: 101 Sewing Projects" (given to me for Christmas from my brother Dave -thanks buddy! :)

cute lunch bag

girlie tote bag

speaking of girlie... ;)

Look at this fun "big boy" messenger bag you can send with your little one to pre-school, daycare or nursery stocked with snacks, toys, extra clothes whatever! I think I would add backpack straps too for another carrying option.

thought these lil guys were cute too!

Project #7: cute lil onesies

2011-02-26T07:03:00.000-08:00

falling leaf love

lightning love

raindrop love

Here's 3 little wonders that were super fun to make. More to come! Some of the fabrics I had on hand, but the cloud and lightening bolt fabrics came from ikea's scrap bin. THANKS IKEA! I tried out "applique glue" for the first time and it worked so well. I also added stitching to make it look more legit but it probably wasn't even necessary since the glue definitely did the job. This is yet another project that pretty much anyone could do! I guess I don't really DO complicated. Perhaps simplicity should be my middle name :)

Making these little his and hers outfits definitely got me daydreaming about which one my little one might wear...

Boy or Girl?! Any hunches out there?

Preggo Poster Child?

2011-02-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

In honor of making it HALF WAY (20 weeks!) thru my pregnancy, I thought this might be something fun to share with all of you. Imagine my disbelief when my good friend, Lorean gave me this book in the early weeks of my first pregnancy and I saw the most uncanny likeliness to myself I've ever seen! It catches me by surprise every time I reach for my "pregnancy Bible" to discover what size fruit my baby is being related to (that's all I really care about this pregnancy for some reason). This week baby #2 is the size of a small cantaloup! Scrumptiously cute already!

DIY Tutorial: Bow Making (Guest Post)

2011-02-22T05:09:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, I had the privilege of writing a guest post for my wonderfully creative friend Jess's blog this week while she's out of town. She asked me to put together a Do-It-Yourself tutorial for bow-making. Check it out here!

uglyspotsudio.com

GIFT SURPRISE

2011-02-20T04:54:00.000-08:00

If you were at all curious about what was INSIDE the package I wrapped with perty bows this week you can view my friend Kara's reaction to opening it here. :)

mattandkaraadopt.blogspot.com

Project #6: bows bows bows!

2011-02-18T17:44:00.000-08:00

This weeks project was inspired by the fact that I needed to wrap a present and had no bows in the house. After checking out the $2.00 bows at Target I decided it was time to try to make some of my own homemade bows.

I started with colorful magazine pages.

Then followed the easy instructions found here.

I liked the neutral color theme of these three.

The green one was made from scrapbook paper.

This was my favorite. Originally a decor magazine page with colorful book shelves and soft blue/gold rug.

I really enjoyed this project. I know it probably seems tedious to cut, staple and glue these little guys together one-by-one but it was a perfect mindless activity to do while chatting and visiting with my in-laws who are visiting this week! Aside from feeling like I had a bow factory in my dining room, it was a lot of fun (and FREE)!

Mommy Shortcuts & Tricks-of-the-Trade

2011-02-15T20:21:00.000-08:00

So, I've always wanted to write up some of the things I've learned in my journey of motherhood so far! I in no way claim to be an expert but have picked up a few tidbits of wisdom along the way... enjoy! :)

#1 Stocking Laundry Bag = SOCK SAVIOR! Seriously, just go buy one if you don't already have one. This saves me time and more importantly keeps me from pulling my hair out EVERY SINGLE TIME I pull a load of laundry out of the dryer. Instead I heave a huge sigh of relief... All cute little teenie weenie socks, present and accounted for!

#2 Camel Back Straw Cleaner = GENIUS. This was my husband's idea and man, I love him for it. Least favorite "mommy task" of the day is not changing diapers or picking up toys I've been tripping over all day long... it's cleaning out sippy cups! Who designs these things? Anyway this long tube cleaner thingy-ma-bobber we originally bought for our camel backs is my new best friend and makes me enjoy, no scratch that... not dread cleaning out sippy cups (that have straws) quite so much anymore. Thanks, honey -you're my hero. You can get these at any sporting goods store like REI or Dicks.

#3 Baby Sling/Wrap/Carrier/etc = HANDS FREE! (+bonus snuggles :) This is pretty self explanatory but I really really enjoyed the itty bitty stage when baby #1 could just cruise around town with me all snuggled up nice and cozy. Looking into a Baby Hawk Mei Tai Carrier OR Ergo baby carrier for baby #2.

#4 Shutterfly.com = "BABY BOOK" for yourself and THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS GIFT for Grandparents. I have all sorts of tidbits, important mile stones, journal entries, pictures, etc... and always figured I'd scrapbook all that stuff. I'm guessing if you haven't done it by 18 months, it aint happenin' at all. Instead I catch myself looking back in awe at the little shutterfly book I made of Hudson's first year for the Grandparents and ordered one for myself. Not to mention, I'm frustrated with the fact that "pre-made baby books" are never exactly what you want (they never have enough pages for the topic/milestone/holiday you want or need. So for all you scrapbookers out there, more power to you, but I'm gonna stick my shoebox full of doo-dads and shutterfly books. PLUS, they're so fun and easy to make! (I should totally get something for this free advertising I'm giving shutterfly, don't you think? ;)

#5 Rubber band = PREGGO JEANS. I'm not against maternity jeans but until I find a pair that either aren't hanging off of me or a total rip off ($120 BUCKS?!!!) you can count on me depending on my trusty hair ties. They're like a good friend = they literally never let you down and well, they're free-ninety-nine. Warning this trick should always be paired with a very long layering tank top. No exceptions. Also belly bands are nice, but until you're huge they're just annoying and you're constantly adjusting. As if pregnancy wasn't uncomfortable enough already, right?

#6 www.myyogaonline.com = "WORKOUT" As a busy mom-on-the-go... consistent workouts are a distant memory. For me, what works (most of the time) is fitting in short little bursts of energy, whether it be a power walk, stroller in tow or a session on my yoga mat at home. This website is a wonderful place to find workouts and relaxing yoga routines. They have countless streaming videos available for only $10 a month and the best part is because there's so much to choose from you can cater it to how much time you have. For example if baby's naptime is an hour? I like to do a pilates booty workout (18 min.) + morning stretch (35 min.) or some similar combination.

#7 Consignment Shopping = MORE MULA in your pocket! I'm no "deal pro" like my friend Lorean and I'm horrible at spending money (like it's almost a bad thing... i'm a compulsive saver) but I have found that you can find super cute barely used kids stuff at thrift stores and consignment shops. So basically, don't buy that $69 outfit at baby gap and instead get 10 items for 10 bucks at Goodwill. Can't argue with that! (and then go buy yourself something cute that makes you feel more like a woman and less like a milk truck). The consignment shop I frequent most (it's the closest) is Once Upon a Child also I love craigslist!

#8 Schedule/Structure = FREEDOM. I know this sounds backwards, but it's not, I promise. Maybe it was because it was my first baby, and I felt extra vulnerable and clueless... but a schedule (not necessarily a strict schedule, but structure) definitely helped cure those feelings of insecurity and stress when learning how to go about my day with a brand spankin' new baby who if he had his way would have nursed all day every day without breaks. I loosely followed the basic "babywise: eat, wake, sleep" schedule and it worked like a charm. This lady's blog/website was my saving grace in moments of uncertainty concerning breastfeeding and sleeping schedules and anything else you can imagine under the sun. www.babywisemom.com/

#9 Nursing Cover = HAPPY BABY and (sort of) HAPPY MOMMY in public places. I thought these things were weird, unnecessary and annoying until I had a baby who nursed so often meaning I couldn't go anywhere without having to nurse him in the car, on a plane, at the store, at church, etc... and then I was a believer. Nursing in public sucks, let's face it. But often you simply don't have a choice and in those situations, you can either put off your baby and make them unhappy, fussy and hungry OR suck it up (oh geesh, no pun intended) and just feed them and happily go on with your day. AND do it in a MODEST RESPECTFUL WAY so as not to offend anyone. Your friends (and their husbands) will appreciate it. My two cents! My friend Meghan sent me this link that helped her with breastfeeding Q's and stuff kellymom.com

#10 Blender = HOMEMADE BABYFOOD. This was so much cheaper than buying jar baby food. I haven't done a cost analysis but it's just common sense. Throw a sweet potato, avacado, apples, fill in the blank... in the blender and you've got food for the next week! If you hate doing it every few days, just do a huge amount and freeze the extra in (1 oz.) ice trays. My friend Jen told me about this helpful website www.wholesomebabyfood.com. This website has all sorts of great nutrition information, tips and recipes! My son's first foods were bananas and avacados which he loved and neither require a blender which was nice on-the-go... just a fork + bowl and MASH!

#11 Snack Trap = CHEERIO SAVER. Speaking of babyfood, I had to mention my favorite invention for toddler "finger food" that helps "keep a lid on it!" literally. These things are awesome. I need to go buy more. We seriously bring them EVERYWHERE we go. I think I bought these at babiesRus.

#12 Organization = LESS STRESS. This one I saved for last, but should probably be first on the list as far as importance. I have yet to adopt this one fully. But I have found that the more organized a room or area of my home is the less inner stress I feel when I encounter it. As a mom, the less stress the better, right?! Besides... toys and tupperware everywhere create enough stress without being on top of another layer of clutter. For me, organization is like free therapy. Here's a helpful organization blog given to me by my friend Marilyn. http://www.organizedchaosbyang.com

Project #5: one-eyed octopus & flying robot decals

2011-02-11T09:10:00.000-08:00

This week's project was super fun and easy, especially with the help of my awesome little brother, Jeff who came to visit. We decided to try the fabric wall decal project I found and included in last week's inspiration post here. We had so much fun sketching to narrow down our ideas and then cutting out fabric to make these fun little characters come alive!

Meet Mr. Octopus, Robot Man, Miss Balloon and Cloud Man who now reside in my son's bedroom (on the wall that was once covered by art cabinet)! I was responsible for the robot and his flyaway balloon while Jeff was the creative mastermind behind Mr. Octopus and the funny little cloud peeking down at the guys below.

Oh, and did I mention this is as easy as 1-2-3! 

1. Trace and cut out shape from fabric

2. Spray with "Stiffen Stuff" fabric stiffener & dry in microwave (30seconds)

3. Iron to the wall! ~Voila

Perfect for people (like me) who don't like to spend money decorating or like to change things up often. Doesn't do any damage to your walls or paint. Peels off just like that!

Project #4: fashion reverie

2011-02-04T10:19:00.000-08:00

This project took me way longer than I expected! I was originally hoping to produce 3 times this many, but of course when you've only got naps and evenings to work with, perhaps I should see this as a small miracle considering my baby was sick this week!

This project was also bitter-sweet in that I LOVED getting back into watercolor, which I haven't done in a while, and playing around with my new stamp (the background script). But to be honest I HATED the process of piecing these things, meant to be a 5x7 notecard stationary set, together. I don't know what I was thinking but I attempted assembling the first two, purple and dark blue, with the wrong kind of glue and was about in tears by the time I finished them in all their gloppy wrinkled glory. Then my wise old husband empathizing with me from the next room suggested rubber cement (in his words, "you know, the glue in the brown bottle with the brush on the top?") WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT? I'm obviously a novice card maker.

So here's to learning opportunities... sigh.

Some closeups that show 'before' and 'after' rubber cement saved the day. The pictures honestly make them look a lot better than they do in person. Oh well, 1 keeper out of 3's not bad, right?

Baby# 2: The Anonymous Pregnancy

2011-02-02T04:22:00.000-08:00

This may seem strange to say, but this second pregnancy has been more strange and unnerving that the first for me. Of course the first pregnancy is filled with excitement, concern about every little twinge and symptom (thank God for google, right?), lots of advice, consistent workouts, eating well, regular naps and early bedtimes, baby registries, baby showers, "nesting", nursery decorating, reading every book in sight on labor and birth plans, daydreaming about what the baby's going to look like and well, let's just be honest.... a lot of hype. Don't get me wrong, I think back to my first pregnancy and even labor surprisingly with fondness. Baby #1 definitely lived up to all the hype and is more amazing than I ever imagined.

What I'm dealing with now, or not dealing with I suppose... is the lack of hype. While this pregnancy so far has been everything I remember and more (morning sickness, ugh!), I'm having a harder time wrapping my head around it for some reason. Of course, it probably has something to do with the fact that I'm too busy chasing around an active 18 month old all day every day to think about anything else. But also, I'm not googling weird symptoms every two seconds, I'm not researching birthing options, I'm definitely not getting regular naps or early bedtimes (thankyouverymuchbaby#1), I'm not working out consistently, I'm not "nesting" or registering or even wondering thru the baby clothes section at Target yet! And that brings me to my final thing I'm not doing...

I'm not finding out the sex of the baby.

Two reasons: The surprise factor but mostly because our midwife is kinda weird about ultra sounds due to recent research, etc etc. and asked us to wait until later in pregnancy (32-36 weeks! Exactly, we might as well just wait, right?!) when the baby is more fully formed. I've always thought it would be awesome to wait and find out boy/girl at birth, but now that I find myself dealing with the reality of an already anti-climactic pregnancy... adding anonymity (him OR her, he OR she, girl OR boy -it's already annoying saying it like that and I'm only 15 weeks!) this just feels like torture! It's not that I'm not okay with the IDEA of waiting, if anything, it excites me and makes me look forward to meeting baby #2 that much more! But in the meantime, I'm left feeling a bit bereft, like I have nothing to help make this feel REAL other than hearing baby's heartbeat for a few seconds once a month and, of course, the fact that my pants don't button anymore. I'm still excited of course, I'm clinging to my day dreams for now and the hope of a "hello mommy" nudge coming from my growing midsection any day now! :) Maybe that will make it feel real, who knows...

So to all those mommy's-of-more-than-one out there... I'd love to hear your thoughts, emotions, mental process, and experiences with pregnancy #2 and finding out the sex of the baby/or not. And also, how you dealt with the addition of #2 into your family, something I didn't even go into, but am certainly thinking a lot about these days!

blogspiration

2011-01-31T03:05:00.000-08:00

Here's a few projects that recently inspired me. I found them on this lovely blog www.howaboutorange.blogspot.com I came across some time ago and decided to revisit during baby's nap... an hour later... :) So much fun stuff, SUPER EASY do-it-yourself tutorials and craft ideas. Here's a few I'd like to try in the days ahead: fabric wall decals (all you need is fabric stiffener and an iron!), fabric covered tacks and magazine bows. Cute, right? You should try them too!

Project #3: 'Like a bird' mobile

2011-01-28T06:19:00.000-08:00

This lil birdie cage mobile was custom made for "baby M", my good friend's adopted baby-to-be. :)

Project #2: Mission Organization!

2011-01-25T15:58:00.000-08:00

Organizing is actually really fun for me, when I actually have the time to go thru things really thoroughly. Not to mention that organization is basically like a free session of therapy! I always feel a million times better once I know where everything is! I seriously feel that organization or at least having "a rhyme and reason" to your supplies is absolutely

NECESSARY for any creative, artist, crafter.

So it's confession time... here's my little corner of shame.

BEFORE: (Ew! Claustrophobic, cluttered, and STRESS inducing!)

And here's the AFTER...

(Huge sigh of relief! ahhh... much better, right? :)

Decided to turn the desk toward the window for more light and space. 4 paper-covered cork boards helped with the uninspiring white wall!

Then to solve my storage (or lack-there-of!) problems, I had my hubs help me drag my massive art cabinet out of the baby's room and into our bedroom. So now I have access to everything I could ever need at any hour of the day or night!

Stationary and love notes tucked away, photos filed, paint supplies separated and labeled, paper and books re-stacked and organized!

Sewing, glue and desk supplies tucked away to easily access.

On a side note, I really made an effort to resist the urge NOT to run out and buy "organization" supplies, tupperware, dividers, etc. I love buying that kind of stuff! My goal was to avoid spending money and RE-USE, RECYCLE, REINVENT!

Thus the use of shoeboxes filled with love letters, spinach containers filled with paint supplies, baskets filled with fabric scraps and stationary, an unused candle holder filled with paint brushes, mason jar filled with assorted thread, and a spice jar filled with tacks!

My favorite thing to RE-USE/REINVENT was strawberry picking baskets in my drawers and cabinets to help keep things organized!

So there you go. I know I probably seem a bit OCD after this post, so please be assured with my busy lifestyle and a one year old who loves to "help mommy" I'm sure things won't stay this way for long, but for now... I feel refreshed and readily inspired! Bring it on Projects #3, #4, #5 and beyond!

project #1: etsy banners

2011-01-13T12:15:00.000-08:00

PLEASE VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE! Thanks.

Yes, it's true!

I'm finally making myself an etsy site to sell my wares.

Pick a shop name, check!

Set up account, check!

Create banner, check!

Now for the hard part... making stuff and NOT immediately giving it away. :)

25 Projects. 25 Weeks.

2011-01-10T16:02:00.000-08:00

I'm a list maker. This might trick you into thinking I'm organized or that I am a very productive person. NOT TRUE. List making does help me organize my thoughts a bit, but doesn't necessary help me actually accomplish things. For true success I need 1. A goal 2. A plan with specific steps of how to reach that goal and 3. the "A" word: Accountability.

So my creative GOAL for the New Year is...

25 projects (1 a week)

From now until my birthday June 27th

(which just so happens to be right before baby #2 arrives :)

How am I going to do it? Here's THE PLAN...

WHAT? Anything creative! sewing project, painting, sketching, journal or card making, etc...

WHERE? Art space in my bedroom (need to organize!) or the kitchen table if I need more room to spread out.

WHEN? After Hudson goes to bed the nights Dar teaches yoga classes (2-3 nights a week)

WHY? Because I always complain about never having time to do the things I really love that make me feel good and alive and inspired! But the truth is, I'm just really good at wasting time... So hopefully this plan will help with that! And because creativity is one of the easiest ways I find to express myself...

ACCOUNTABILITY?

I plan to upload a pic of each project at the end of the week starting this Friday. So keep your eye out for more creativity.. more ideas.. more craftiness.. more projects.. more fun! And if I slack, I give you permission to hassle me about it!

birds of a feather...

2010-10-30T05:23:00.000-07:00

My friend Sarah gave my son, Hudson a really cute elephant mobile from Uganda and it inspired me to remake it with, of course... birds :) I'm really happy with how it turned out. These little birdies now keep watch over my friend Heather's sweet baby girl, Ardrey.

sweet baby micah

2010-09-01T06:50:00.000-07:00

My dear friend, Lorean is due to have a baby girl any day now!

The other day I was among the friends and family who sprinkled her with love at her shower.

Lorean requested "green" wrapping...

plus what's cuter than a jar full of little girly headbands?

Came up with this at the last minute. SUPER easy. Cut off one of my hubby's t-shirt sleeve hems and attached a fabric flower!

Another 'stuffie'... girl-ified.

I had to include the beautiful spread another of Lorean's friends, Jess laid out for the backyard shower.

So anthro. Love it!

Love you Lorean... can't wait to meet and love your sweet baby Micah! I call first dibs on babysitting ;)

lonely bird

2010-08-31T09:35:00.000-07:00

This is an extremely belated christmas gift for my brother, jeffrey who wrote a beautiful song called 'lonely bird' which inspired this painting... hope to be able to post his song along with this in the near future.