Cloth

We may be switching to cloth diapering. I have really wanted to try this for a while now, but man those websites make me crazy! It's a bit overwhelming! No? I'm a minimalist when it comes to baby gear, I don't carry a diaper bag (Yes I keep a few extra things in the car, but for the most part I just throw a diaper in my purse and go). I have one of those cart cover things, but I never remember to use it. I used our bouncy seat more for taking pictures than I did for it's intended purpose. With the exception of Tim, not one of my babies have really cared for a swing. I said all that to say that when I go on a website or forum and it looks like you have to have loads of "gear" to try something new, I'm usually turned off. This I wanted to try bad enough that I decided to dive in and find my own way. I think I'm on the right track! 

I started by just buying a bit of PUL and micro fleece, there are loads of free patterns online but I got a booklet with a coupon for $6, and I used worn out burp cloths (old prefold diapers) for my inserts. Done. I made two diapers, two diaper covers, an insert with a micro fleece top layer, and an insert from an old worn out receiving blanket (and I have loads of old burp cloth "diapers" already to use as inserts). I'm not going to buy anything else until I've made a decision, but so far it has been very uneventful! It only took a few hours to make the few things that I made (it would have been less if I had sewn them all in one sitting, but my body didn't cooperate with that), and I have enough to last me a day if I'm careful.

I hope this is encouraging for those of you who have also wanted to try cloth! It really doesn't have to be rocket science, or cost an arm and a leg just to try it out. So far we haven't had any leaks, I washed after I put her to bed last night and that was as easy as throwing in a load of towels, and did I mention how cute she looks in cloth? Goodness those cloth diapers are so stinkin cute! Last night was her first night in cloth and we had no leaks!! YAY! So far I think I'm sold, at least for at home use. I haven't tried to take this show on the road yet, but it doesn't have to be an all or nothing deal.

So what has been your experience? Do you have a simple set-up and routine that you could share or link? Any tips for newbies? Or for keeping it simple for minimalist mamas? xo, Sam

Autumn Leaves Cardigan

All I have left to knit is the body and the sleeve bands! I'm thinking it looks more like a Spring Leaves Cardigan, or Winter Pink, this version doesn't really say autumn at all. I chose the softest pink that I could find it almost doesn't look pink unless it's next to white. I also added a cream colored band to the neckline that is just barely noticeable, but will go really well with the pearl buttons that I plan to use. I can't wait to see this blocked!! (You can find my Ravelry notes HERE.)

This will be a baby gift for a very dear friend who has waited a very long time for a baby. We are actually due a week or so apart which is going to be a lot of fun!

I'm trying to get all of my baby gifts caught up before I have to start my shaky medicine (brethine). I waited too late last time and I didn't get much done. I shake so bad on the brethine that I can't even write my name, much less knit. This time I'm planning ahead a little better. I've already had to start taking the procardia "as needed". Ick! I've also had to be off my feet, but thank goodness I'm not on medicine every 4-6 hours yet. Preterm labor, I'm warning you, I plan to carry this baby to 37 weeks! I want to be able to say just once that I carried a baby FULL TERM! My family is taking very good care of me, Molly is making Granny's Famous Fried Taters for dinner as I type, and everyone is pitching in to keep the place clean. I think I'll keep'em. They ain't half bad, ya know? xo, Sam

The Lace Hat

The lace hat has been finished and blocked!

And has now been turned over to it's new owner, my sweet little Madeline.

Maddie loves it, I love it, and all in all it was well worth the work! I even got more adventurous by the end of the project and bound off with a picot edge (my first). I love the look of the picot edge, it goes with the lace so well. Maddie is only 6 and this was an adult pattern, so I did make a few small modifications, you can see those HERE on my Ravelry page.

 I wasn't so sure about this hat until it was blocked. BOY does blocking make that lace look amazing and the picot points stand out. Before blocking the lace was bunched and undefined, and the picot points were barely visible. I pinned each point and it made them look so much more defined and lacy. As I expected I needed to jump right into another lace project, so I took the advice of several of you and went for the Autumn Leaves cardigan. I almost have the yoke lace finished and I love it too! Yay! I'm so glad that I finally tackled knitting lace! xo,Sam

Personality insight?

(Not an extremely flattering picture, but I got over that years ago:)

I was thinking last night about how different every pregnancy/baby has been for me. Some babies have been very (VERY) active and aggressive in the womb (Timothy and Claire) and some have been gentle and calm. This sweet babe falls into the gentle category. I have wondered about that being insight into the coming personality. Tim and Claire have also been my most daring kids! Those two have no natural fear of anything! Molly and Maddie have both always been more cautious and calm in comparison. Then some babies like to move more at night (Molly, and this babe) and some move more in the day. That also makes sense because Molly is now my biggest night owl (like her mama!). My cravings during pregnancy have also lined up with what each child likes to eat once they are here. An example would be that when I was pregnant with Tim, for the first time in my entire life, I wanted meat! The boy LOVES meat. I wonder if it is really possible to sense what a new babe will be like by how they act in the womb? Has that been your experience? So far I'm thinking I have a laid back, night owl, who loves vegetables. I can't wait to hear some of your stories! xo, Sam

Knitting Challenge :: A Lace Hat

 I was ready for a knitting challenge this week! I have kinda been sticking to only what I know lately and not really trying to learn new things, that's no good! So, I cast on a lace hat. Oh my! I have spent almost as much time un-knitting as I have knitting, but I think I am finally past my learning curve.

I hope Maddie loves this hat when I'm done! Ha! I think that this has given me the courage to go for one of those pretty lace yoke cardigans. You know the ones that have the leaf shapes coming down from the neckline? Ahhh....I've been admiring those since I started knitting, and now I know that I could do it! Have you come across a good pattern for one? If so PLEASE link me up!  I think Claire needs one for the fall. :) If you are interested in this free pattern, or the yarn I've used, you can check that out HERE. xo, Sam

Big Adventures and a History Hunt

As we sat on the porch this morning, easing into our day, we started talking about our next big adventure. We plan to make it all the way to Canada this time, Prince Edward Island to be exact. The conversation led us back to our last big adventure, and all of our favorite parts. Tim said that Abe Lincoln (the Lincoln Memorial) was his favorite part of the last trip, and then Molly said that seeing Napoleon Bonaparte's chess set was her favorite. That got us thinking...What was that chess set made of? Bone or Ivory? A quick Internet search on my phone told us that it was carved from ivory, but we found another little fact too! Napoleon thought that he was being poisoned, so he ordered that after his death there be an autopsy to determine the cause. When he died an autopsy was preformed and his heart was placed on this table. From HERE: "According to Biltmore archives, the chess set is 19th-century ivory from China. It rests on a gaming table in which the heart of the emperor was said to have been placed after his death at St. Helena."  Another online source says that the table still carried a faint blood stain. Homeschool never ends here! This is my favorite kind of learning experience. My children are interested because they feel like they are a part of this, I mean they have seen this table with their own eyes! They want to know more! So today we will go on a wild goose chase through history to find out more about this chess set and Napoleon Bonaparte, and maybe even add another stop to our next big adventure! xo, Sam

PS. If you know any interesting facts about Napoleon, or this chess set please share!

A wee cabled hat

I worked on a wee project this weekend for the new babe. My "if it's a boy" set is almost complete. I'm still missing something. What else would you add? 

Aren't cables dressy looking? They are to me, they just make projects look complicated when they're really just not. If this baby decides to be a girl I think I'll just switch that pom-pom out for a hot pink one. :) I'm planning ahead!

Here is a picture of a doll wearing the hat. I think it should fit a newborn quite nicely. Want to hear a (random) shocker? I'm not a huge fan of baby dolls. Rag dolls, I like; baby dolls, notsomuch. I didn't like them as a young girl either. My girls love them! And I love that they love them, but I've always found it weird that I have never been drawn to them. I've just always liked babies! Real, smelly (even stinky, I don't care), squishy, cooing, adorable babies. I have always had a big imagination too, but in my mind there are some things that just can't be substituted. It's like the difference in a water park and a plastic kiddie pool, it just doesn't add up. Rag dolls are awesome because they can just be a pal or extra tea party guest, they aren't walking around trying to be REAL babies with that creepy rubbery skin.

Well there you have it, a completely random post from a crazy, 6 month pregnant lady, who doesn't like baby dolls. Enjoy! :) Oh, and here is the Ravelry link if ya want to check out this free easy pattern! xo, Sam

My Little Pickers

(our small kitchen garden next to the house)

Picking the garden has become a favorite past time for my two smallest girls. Maddie asks to pick tomatoes almost everyday, she also likes to make sure that daddy didn't miss any cucumbers. It is such a huge help! She is learning so much about the plants too, and just how to pick. My older kids went through this stage when they were younger too and now I can yell from the kitchen "I need a sprig of rosemary please!" and minutes later there is a kid at the sink rinsing one off for me. :) Those small things really add up! Things like that make mama's job so much easier!

Claire has already discovered the love of picking too! I think that she has been my youngest to take interest so far. In fact, I have a funny story about that. Every morning I sit on the porch and and drink coffee while the kids play (before the heat sets in). We eventually make our way back in to eat breakfast when our bellies start waking up. Well earlier this week Claire must have got hungry before the rest of us, because she walked to the garden, picked and ate EVERY tiny red tomato off the vine and came back with little tomato seeds running all down her chin and chest! I laughed and asked "Did you get your own breakfast this morning little lady?" My funny girl!

I just remembered this video from a couple of months ago. It was during blackberry season, boy was there a lot of picking going on then! The big kids were picking enough for a cobbler almost every evening. Claire would stand by the edge of the big garden while Ben picked vegetables and snack on blackberries before dinner. Ben took this video the first evening that she discovered blackberries. It's adorable! "Is it good?" "Muuuummmmm."

Happy Saturday friends!!  xo, Sam

 

Henna Recipe

 Many of the pictures that you see here were done by my super awesome baby sister, Rae. Before kids she decorated cakes at a bakery, those skills transfer VERY well for applying henna!

(henna day 3, by Rae)

There are as many henna recipes as there are fish in the sea. Okay, so maybe not quite that many, but if you are just starting out it can be pretty confusing. It can be so complicated that it takes hours or days to make a batch with expensive ingredients, or it could be as easy as using a few things out of the pantry and spending a few minutes mixing and you are done. I use a VERY easy and no fuss recipe with all natural ingredients because it is safe for children. My kids love henna tats as much as I do so I always make it this way. At the end of this post I will include a list of links to all of the supplies that I use, you may want to check those out.

 (henna dry paste, by Rae)

 A few henna facts:

In my experience henna lasts about 2- 2 1/2 weeks, but a little less if I am really rough on my hands (like camping!) .

So far I have less than $30 invested in supplies and I have mixed countless batches of henna, it's very inexpensive and goes a long way.

It seems to last longer on certain skin types. For whatever reason my Maddie can wear henna for nearly a month, and the stain is more of a brown color on her, but it's more of a rust shade on me.

Henna tends to continue to get darker for the first 2-3 days. Whatever color it is on day 3 is usually the color it will stay.

You can freeze your leftovers and use them again. The thawed henna will have a more runny consistency than the original batch, but that's usually the only difference.

I usually do henna at night just before bed, let it dry, and then sleep in the paste. I find that the stain is much darker and more even that way because the paste stays on so much longer.

A lot of the recipes call for tea tree oil, you DO NOT have to use this oil to get a good mix. It stinks like gasoline, it isn't so nice to your skin, and it is not great for kids. Many people, including me, use lavender oil instead and it works great and has a very pleasant odor.

 (henna wet paste, my sis's baby bump, by me)

(Henna wet paste, by me. Notice this paste turned out a little runny, you can see how the design is running together some. It's not ideal, but it's still useable.)

 Mixing henna will take a little practice to get it just the way you like it, but it's not hard, and I've never ruined a batch! To give you an idea of how much it takes to do henna on the kids and I, I NEVER mix more than 4 TBS of powder and I always have leftover. If you need to see this to get a better idea of consistency just search You Tube, you can watch henna videos all day!

You will need:
An applicator bottle
Henna powder
Lemon juice (I use bottled lemon juice)
white sugar
lavender essential oil

My routine/ recipe:
Morning: In a plastic container, using a fork, mix henna powder into a paste using ONLY lemon juice, you are looking to get the consistency of toothpaste, transfer to a plastic zip bag, place in a warm place (on top of the fridge works fine). This stage usually needs at least 4-5 hours to sit.

1-2 hours before application: Transfer the henna back to the plastic container. Mix a little white sugar (enough to dust the top of the henna) and lavender oil into the henna mix,this time you want the consistency of hair gel, transfer to a plastic zip bag, place in a warm place on top of a white sheet of paper. The white sheet of paper will actually be somewhat discolored when the henna is ready, it will have a yellow tinge to it.

Evening/night: Get the party started! Apply henna! Let it dry. Sometimes I spray my dry henna with a mixture of lemon juice and water. The theory is that when it is moist it releases more stain. Try it if you like, it can't hurt! :)

 (henna day 2, by me)

 (henna dry paste, by Rae)

 (henna at 3 weeks, by me)

(henna dry paste, by Rae)

This is the henna I use (it's the second one down) HERE.
This is the brand of lavender essential oil that I use (I buy mine at a local shop) HERE.
This is very similar to the applicator bottle that I use HERE.
You can get a good idea of application and how to design HERE.

 (Henna day 2, by me)

(henna day 1/morning after, by me)

Well there it is!! Let me know if you have any questions! Have fun!! send me pictures! xo, Sam

Good Eatin'

 SOMEHOW I have just discovered the joys of roasted vegetables! As we say in the south "So good it'll make you slap your grandmaw!" You know I really don't know why that is a saying now that I think about it. There isn't a person I know that would really be brave enough slap their grandmaw. Down here it doesn't matter how old you are, or how old grandmaw is, she will "turn you over her knee and give you a spankin' you won't soon forget" or "hang you up by your toenails". They are old school, you don't mess with them. Back to the veggies! It happens a lot this time of year that I have a lot of random vegetables from the garden, but not enough of any one thing to make a whole dish. My new solution to this problem is to cut them up, throw them in a dish, and roast them. Oh my this is GOOD EATIN'!!! The tomatoes get almost a sweet sun-dried flavor, the onions almost caramelize, oh it just brings out the best in all of the veggies! I serve it over wild rice, add a grilled meat, or not, and dinner is done. Last night we had this with grilled salmon. It was a hit! Just in case some of you haven't made this discovery yet I'm going to share my recipe, if you can even call it that.

Roasted Vegetables:

cut up vegetables

olive oil

lemon juice

sprigs of rosemary

zesty lemon pepper seasoning

sea salt

parsley flakes (fresh would be even better!)

Put a little olive oil in the bottom of your dish (enough to lightly coat the amount of vegetables you have). Cut up and throw in the veggies. Sprinkle vegetables with lemon juice, salt, parsley flakes, and lemon pepper seasoning. Toss the vegetables to spread out the olive oil. Lay the rosemary sprigs on top. Bake on 475 for 45 minutes. Enjoy.

We dug in before I got a picture of the vegetables when they were done, but you get the idea! I posted my wild rice recipe a while back, you can find it HERE. If you have a favorite roasted vegetables recipe, or a way to use up the random vegetables from the garden, please share! xo, Sam

Little fingers...

I was watching our sonogram over again the other day and I was able to snap this screen shot during the video. How sweet is that?! This baby likes his/her fingers already! The babe also grabbed his/her little toes once. Is there anything as miraculous as seeing a babe in the womb playing with hands and feet? So amazing. xo, Sam

Prayer please...

My Granny has had a really bad night and day, she hasn't had any rest at all. Could you join us in prayer? She has been much better since the last time we asked for prayer, she has been able to cook, go off some, even watch the kids while I went to the doctor! But the last several days have been very hard because she hasn't been able to rest, which makes the Parkinson's worse and it just snowballs from there. Today she hasn't been able to get out of bed. OUR GOD is bigger than this UGLY DISEASE!!! Thanks friends. I always know that I can count on you guys. xo, Sam

A Wee Newborn Fairy Bonnet Pattern

I wanted to make something to go with the cardigan I made for my coming niece, so I decided on a wee fairy bonnet. I didn't find a pattern online and what I had in mind was simple enough, so I knit this one up and jotted down the pattern to share.

(matching cardigan)

So here is what you will need to get started....

Worsted weight yarn

Size 9 knitting needles

Size H crochet hook

Finished measurements before seaming is 12" x 5 1/2".

Cast on 52 sts

Row 1-4: k every st

Row 5: k4, P to last 4 sts, k4

Row 6: k3, yo, k2tog, k to last 5 sts, k2tog, yo, k3 (This will make a little buttonhole for the strap to thread through later, see picture above.)

Row 7: k4, p to last 4 sts, k4

Row 8: k every st

Repeat until piece measures 5 1/2", BO leaving a 12" thread tail.

Fold piece in half, with right sides facing, and seam up the back using the thread tail.

Making the Ties:

You will follow these instructions two times, so that you will have two ties.

If you don't crochet, an i-cord and any small knit flower will work great for a substitute.

Leaving a 8" thread tail, ch 50 using your crochet hook, sc into the 2nd ch from the hook and into every remaining ch. Do not cut your yarn. Using the 8" thread tail make a magic ring (you are still connected to the tie you just made, you are just going to use this magic ring as the base ring for your flower). Make a sl st into the ring, *ch 2, work 3 dc, sc*. Repeat from * 4 times. Sl st, to beginning ch. Leave a 10" thread tail.

 

Now that you have your tie with the attached flower, thread the tie through the hole that you created earlier on the bonnet. You can tack the flower petals down using your long thread tail and then you are done! I hope you enjoy this fast and easy pattern! xo, Sam

PS. If you see any mistakes let me know, I will fix them as fast as I can. Thanks! :)

Tulle and Pearls Cardigan

 

Isn't my new niece going to be sweet snuggled up in this?! I can't wait! She should be here in a couple of months!

I made a few modifications to this pattern, but they were VERY easy to execute. You can see my notes HERE. I'm still a beginner so I can't venture too far from a pattern just yet. :) These few easy modifications made this a completely different cardigan! It was a fast knit, I could have finished in one day pretty easily.

I made this sweet little fabric and tulle flower to finish it off. I really, really, REALLY wanted to make a dress to go under this, but my body said NO! If I'm going to make it to 37 weeks with this babe I've just got to listen, even when it keeps me from doing the things I love. I have had a couple of tricky days so I'm just going to sit and see if it passes. Maybe it will and I will still get a chance to sew! xo, Sam