Save some money!!!

Who likes to save money?  *jumps up and down with her hand in the air*

I think we all do.  And for us preggers, or you just had-baby-people, and heck even you planning-to-have-babies-some-time people......money becomes that much tighter with more little mouths to feed.

Speaking of little mouths to feed.......lets talk nursing clothes, shall we?  (Nice segway, I know.)  When I was nursing Aryn, I found it always just a bit awkward.  Shirts going up, bras coming down, fighting with a nursing cover or blanket that never seemed to stay where I wanted it.  I tried above all else to make sure that I did not have to nurse Aryn while out and about if at all possible.  I know there are ways to help, and the most common one is to wear a nursing tank top under a normal shirt.  So when you lift your shirt, the tank top is still covering your tummy, and then you can quietly clip down the nursing tank and bra to show as little as possible.  Then there's less to try to keep covered with something else.  But have you looked at the prices to get a nursing tank? (Especially if you're a bit bigger, like I am at this point.)  Here's a link to go look; from Motherhood Maternity - http://www.motherhoodcanada.ca/Product.asp?Product_Id=94444Z10362&MasterCategory_Id=MC29

I can save you the click though.  Basic one?  $30.  Before taxes, and shipping and handling if ordered online.  I knew if I was going to get some, I would want more than one.  Because they have to get washed sometime, right?  Babies=spit up.  'Nuff said.  So say 4.  That's $120!!!!  Are you kidding me?  I just had to drop $80 on some nursing bras, and now I need to pay even more just for tank tops?  Then, my wonderful friend on Pinterest saved me without even knowing it.  (That was you Irene!!)  I give you, the tutorial to turn a normal tank top into a nursing tank top in about 10 minutes.

Go here to view this life saving (and wallet saving) tutorial.

I had 4 not-really-worn-anymore camis from a few years ago sitting in my closet.  Perfect!  In an hour?  Did all 4.  Cost?  Back when I bought them, I think they were on sale, $5 each.  So $20 in tops, and I hand sewed them (cami straps are way too thin for the sewing machine), so just a bit of thread.  Hmmmm.......$20 or $120?  No brainer!  And you might say, but wait!  Those camis are ruined to wear without the nursing bra.  Well, I'm sure I could find a way to reattach straps if I wanted to, but really.  Most camis are pretty cheap.  Not that bad to replace them with new ones anyways once these have all been spit up on time and time again.

So breathe a sigh of relief, and know that with a little bit of work, you can save about $100.  Nothing better.

Crafty for Christmas, and for cheap. :)

I knew that Christmas would be tight this year, with me not working anymore and new baby coming just before or after the big holiday.  So I started looking for things I could make for Aryn for pretty cheap that she would still really enjoy getting.  So I made her a sock monkey (not perfect, but it's just a toy!).....

 

Tutorial found here

 

 

... and I've been working slowly on making her some dress-up jewellery.  A few rings I've done already (two from scraps I had laying around, and one from ric rac - tutorial a bit farther down)...

 

 

 

...and I have plans to make her some bracelets like the one I've made myself.  And speaking of stuff I've made for myself...

 

 

Top left bracelet (tutorial here ); didn't quite work out as I thought with yarn.

Top right bracelet (tutorial here ); worked out quite well, and very quick and easy to do - same technique used for the necklace.

Bottom left ring and bottom centre ring were made by playing around with scraps and a glue gun.

Bottom right ring (tutorial here ); a bit more work, but very pretty!

 

 

So far that's where I stand with craftiness lately.  I also have plans to make Aryn some comfy pyjama pants for Christmas, and I got some cute monkey material that I might make into a simple stuffed monkey-shaped pillow.  Not quite sure yet.  :)





Guaranteed to make you drool, and a quick poll.

I'm bored, with nothing to really do because I finally finished all of my projects.  Not just ones half done, but also outstanding orders for my purse organizers, and even a quick treat order for my mom.  So, you guys get pictures!  Your welcome.  :)

 

Pizza Dough (which is what I use to make the aforementioned Cinnasticks)

I cannot for the life of me find the link I got my recipe from, but if you're interested let me know.

 

 

Taco Cupcakes

http://bricelife-gabrielle.blogspot.ca/2012/01/taco-cupcakes.html

 

Tater Tot Casserole

http://cravingcomfort.blogspot.ca/2010/01/tater-tot-casserole.html

 

 

Berry Newtons (for size comparison, these are like 2 bites each)

http://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2011/02/homemade-berry-newtons-and-a-giveaway-for-picky-eaters.html

 

Chewy Granola Bars

http://www.laurenslatest.com/no-bake-chocolate-chip-granola-bars-easy-healthy/

 

Chocolate Pudding Cake

Another recipe from my mom, not sure where she got it from.  :)  Cake on top, lovely pudding underneath.

 

Crepes

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/basic-crepes/

 

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

http://pearls-handcuffs-happyhour.blogspot.ca/2011/03/outback-aint-got-nothin-on-me.html

 

 

So that completes the yummy part of this post.  Now for the poll.  What kind of recipe should I try and snap photos of next?  A main meal, or breakfast item, or cookie/muffin, or a dessert recipe, or even a healthy snack.  Leave your vote in a comment, and I'll tally them by, say, Saturday morning.  Once we have the category narrowed down, I'll give some options in that category.  :)

Wonderful information for parents with young'uns

 

It feels so nice when you can finish a project.  :)

 

Let me preface this one with some background info and links to peruse.  At our local library, we are the proud new owners of many wonderful Story Sacks!!  I had never heard of these before my mom (assistant librarian at said local library) told me that they were purchasing some, and she tried to describe a few to me.  Admittedly, I didn't get it at first.  Then I went to one of the mandatory sessions at our library to learn about them and how to use them, and I was blown away!  If you want to see what it's about, click here to check out the Story Sack's web page.  They have lots of info and pictures!  And for those local to me, you can click here to see the informational poster from our library.  They aren't currently running any sessions, but there are more in the works, so keep checking their website for current info.

 

The story sack I took out is called Itchy Bear, and it is a ton of fun!  You can click here to see their description of what is all included in a sack.  At the end of the description, they mention fun activities.  It comes with this booklet that the library has copyright privileges to (which means we can photocopy everything to use at home no problem!) and you can basically make your own story sack to keep at home when you have to return the actual story sack to the library.  I took a few pictures of the finished products.....

 

 

These are face masks of the characters from the story, so we can replay the story whenever we want, or even use them to make up other stories.  The butterfly has a loop on the bottom that slips over a finger so it can flap around.

 

This is a hand puppet with front and back, to do anything you want with!

 

The top left baggie has finger puppets of all the characters from the story, the top right baggie has a picture of each character cut up into small puzzles to put together, and the bottom baggie has 4 cards of each character to play card games with.  Think things like memory, slap, go fish, etc.

 

 

There was also an Itchy Bear symbol that I used to tape onto the front of the big gallon ziploc bag that I will store everything in, and a bookmark.

 

These are really worth checking out people!  Lots of fun to be had.  Peruse the story sack website to see what other sacks they have.  Ask questions if your local library hasn't heard of them yet!  Spread the word!!!!

One for the crocheters, and of course, more food!

Over the past two days, I've been working on a new winter toque for Aryn.  I kept hearing "Mommy, I want pink hair!" and I've been trying to figure out a way to give her pink hair without having to resort to a temp dye or even koolaid.  And then in my Pinterest wanderings, I came across this free pattern at I'm Topsy Turvy.  And then of course I had to teach myself how to read an actual crochet pattern, because all I knew was what a friend had shown me for one kind of bubble stitch; I knew how to do it, but not how it all actually worked together.  I found some great pages that walk you through most of the needed stitches, and I'll list them at the end of the post.  But here are some cute pics of my girlie with her finished pink hair.

What a cutie!!

And, because I'm taking tons of pictures of the food that I'm making for my recipe binder, here are some more (hopefully) drool-worthy pictures.

 

I call these beauties Special Chocolate Chip Squares.  It's my mom's recipe, which apparently she got from her mom, and we don't know where she got it from.  The crust is wonderfully crumbly with oatmeal and coconut, and the top layer is almost like butter tart filling, but with chocolate chips.  SO good!

 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares

http://www.marthastewart.com/336431/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-squares

 

My Auntie Gwen gave me her 3 hour bun recipe many years ago, and it's the best!  But it ends up making like 50 buns, so I just started making them into bread loaves.  One batch got me 4 loaves (took one to my parents before I took the picture) and basically a dozen buns.  Yum.

 

Peppermint Mocha - hard to see the goodness under the whipped cream, but it's there!

http://momadvice.com/blog/2011/11/homemade-peppermint-mocha

Crochet resources:

http://www.anniescatalog.com/crochet/learntoread.html
http://www.stitchdiva.com/tutorials/crochet/working-stitches-together
http://www.stitchdiva.com/tutorials/crochet/crochet-in-the-front-or-back-loops-of-a-stitch

A catch up, in pictures and links!!

So I've done my nice new recipe binder (for tried and true recipes that I actually make more than once in a blue moon.)  And I decided it would be fun to have pictures of the finished product on the same page as my recipe.  As a result, I have started taking yummy pics of all of my recent culinary explorations.  And where I can find them, I will try to post a link to the original site that I got the recipe from.  Enjoy!

 

Chubby Hubby Truffles

http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2011/11/30/peanut-butter-pretzel-truffles/

 

 

 

Breakfast Burritos

(I can't find the orignal webpage I got these from, but they are all over the internets!)

 

 

 

Cinnasticks

http://www.jamhands.net/2011/08/cinnasticks-copycat-aka-cinnamon-sticks.html

 

 

 

Whole Grain Animal Crackers

http://cilantropist.blogspot.ca/2011/02/whole-grain-animal-crackers.html

 

 

 

English Muffins

http://honestcooking.com/2012/04/11/homemade-english-muffins-the-morning-meal/

(Note: while not stated in the recipe, I used the 3/4 cup of milk and 1 tbsp of sugar to proof the yeast, and used the other 1 cup of milk to melt the butter.  Then proceed as per the recipe.)

 

 

Those appear to be all the recipe pictures I have so far.  Not pictured that I have made are Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares (big hit!!), Snickers Caramel Apple Salad (also super yummy!!), and Two Ingredient Lemon Bars (mostly a fail, and will not be made again.)

 

 

Along the same lines as food, we have decided that our 3 year old daughter needs to learn about food, why we eat it, and what we should eat.  So this past Sunday we sat down with her and made a food pyramid for our wall by the table.  This way we went through the foods with her, the variety we should be eating, and now when we eat at the table she looks at the pyramid to see where the food she is eating is on the pyramid.

 

 



 

 

 



Playing catch up

I don't even know how to catch up after apparently not blogging for almost a month and a half.  So maybe I'll just start listing stuff that has happened recently, and we'll see where we end up.  :)

On the Aryn front, so many breakthroughs!  She is now happily able to stay somewhere with planned activities for other kids and play while we leave.  The list so far sits at Sunday school for an hour, children's church for half an hour, Awana for an hour and a half, Story time at the library for the first half an hour when they read books and do rhymes, (I go back to help her for the second half hour when they do a craft and have a snack.) and Lifegroup.  We meet with other families every other week to talk, and the kids go play.  All last year she wouldn't go downstairs and play; she would end up sitting on the couch with us and trying to sit still and be quieter while we talked.  We had our first meet a couple weeks ago, and she did go down and play for a bit, but found the boys to be a bit too rambunctious.  So when the girls came up and played in their room, then she was in there and was fine.   And tomorrow is our first official MOPS morning, where I will get to sit for an hour and a half and have adult conversation with other moms while the kids play elsewhere in the church.  I'm sure she'll do fine at that too looking at all she does already.  Leaps and bounds for her!  Easily 2 months ago she would have been clinging to our leg as we tried to leave, crying because how dare we abandon her with all of the strangers?  Lol.  It's like a flip just switched all of a sudden.  And whew, what a time for it to happen as I am just about 3 months away from bringing our next little one home.  This will allow her to receive play and attention with other kids as my time will become more divided between two kids.

We are also working on skills with her.  Like going to the potty by herself, spelling her name, writing her letters, doing her chores, and now each week we have to memorise a short verse for Awana.  She is just excelling at everything these days!  Maybe that explains why it's like she's regressing in other areas?  Why does my 3 year old suddenly feel like she has to chew on everything?  Her fingers, her sleeves, her dresses, her hair.......I don't know where that came from.  I hope it will pass soon.

In pregnancy front, there is news.  Yes, we know what we are having, and yes we have a name picked out.  No, we're not going to tell everyone.  :P  Some people know, but I don't want it all over.  But there is other news.  Baby's kidneys are slightly enlarged/inflamed, which is not worrisome but bears watching to make sure it doesn't get worse.  Also, the umbilical cord only has 1 artery and 1 vein, instead of the normal 2 arteries and 1 vein.  It's also not too worrisome because everything thing else with baby was fine.  If other organs would have had abnormalities, then there would be a concern about defects.  But most babies with just the umbilical cord issue go on to be perfectly fine.  It could cause preterm labour, so I need to be careful about that, but that's it.  They are sending me to fetal assessment in the city for further watching because they have better and more detailed ultrasounds to monitor both situations.  Other than that, just dealing with normal energy loss, and more of the almost-to-the-end stuff, like getting short of breath, and pain from kicks, stabs, and ligament pain.

On the home front, I'm doing pretty good at finding small bits of energy to keep up with housework.  Aryn helping with her toys is nice, plus Nathan is really lending a by doing some picking up, cleaning, and even making meals once in a while.  I'm lucky.  :)  Baking is going well too.  Picked up some good recipes lately.  Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares, Christmas Crack, Chubby Hubby Truffles, and just today a homemade Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola bar.  I also went through all my cookbooks, my printed off pages, and my recipe boxes to compile a recipe binder of recipes I actually make on a fairly regular basis.  It was getting annoying trying to remember where a recipe was when I wanted to make it.  Now I'll have them all in one spot, and a recipe has to be a tried and true favourite to make it in to the binder, with picture!  And sewing has been going well.  Made myself two comfy pairs of flannel pyjama pants, crocheted a pair of fingerless mitts (for over those thin finger mitts), and a scarf.  And apparently I've got a small business going making potholder organisers for some ladies in town.  Made almost 40 so far for 5 different orders.  :)  At least they are quick and easy to make.

So we stay busy here.  I'm glad time is flying by, as it will be the holidays before I know it, and then baby time!!