Friday Crafternoon v.6

It's already been another week??? Holy cow, time is flying. I can't believe it's August already!

Anyhow, we're leaving tomorrow a.m. for Asheville, a place that holds my heart. Well, not Asheville specifically, but the mountains. I went to college there, got married there, and someday I want to live there. I can picture myself in a remote cabin on a lot of land, growing a garden and tending chickens, with laundry drying in the sun, my baby (babies?) playing in the woods. Picturesque, ideal, and definitely doable in it's own time. Someday, someday.

Anyhow, I've actually been able to craft a little bit this week! I've made it a point to spend some time at the sewing machine, though I won't tell you what I've been working on exactly. I'm making a gift for someone, and I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise. But the important thing is: I'm CREATING. And it feels GOOD.

Here's some crafty inspiration for you. I hope you find time to sit at your sewing machine, or with your paint, or scissors, or even in the kitchen... where ever you go to MAKE SOMETHING!



I picked up a ton of paint chips the other day, for this mobile idea and this art piece idea. I plan to work on the latter during our road trip this weekend!

I can totally see me wearing this necklace. And I can see how it would be a great project for some older kids... seems very camp-y to me.

I love this windchime! The bright colors, the patterns!

With all the storms lately, I'm sure there are some downed branches in the woods I could gather for a project like this! So pretty!

I love Shel Silverstein. When my bestie Hannah and I were teens, we stayed up super late one night cutting out letters and illustrations from construction paper to recreate "The Castle" by Shel on her bedroom wall. A lot of letters and a lot of taping later, it looked awesome! These stitched works reminded me of that!

Gorgeous. I've used sunprint paper to make a print of my engagement ring. And of course in my art classroom. This take on sunprinting is so pretty to me!

I can't wait to make toys for Adelaide (well, more advanced toys)... like this fishing game (though I hate real fishing).

Happy Weekend, Everyone!

Handmade gifts and natural toys.

When I was pregnant, I made sure to tell everyone who asked that if they wanted to get the baby toys, that we preferred toys made from natural materials. Wood, fabric, handmade, etc. I wanted to avoid the loud noisy obnoxious plastic toys that so many kids are inundated with today. I want my baby to experience play, not push a button and have things happen for her to stare and daze out to.

And for the most part, we've been able to keep our toys to a minimum. Yes, we have a few plastic toys. And yes, we have two toys that light up and play music and are generally kind of annoying. But they were gifts from well-meaning people, and also hand-me-downs. And Adelaide does really seem to enjoy them, when we let her play with them. We keep them to a minimum so she's not overwhelmed by the fast flashing lights or the constant stream of nursery rhymes.

Other than that, we have a lot of what I did want. Fabric toys, wooden toys, and books. Lots and lots and lots of books!








My stepmom recently sent us a package of handmade toys that she took the time to create for Adelaide. A set of 3 blocks with crinkly sides and tags, an amish puzzle ball, a fabric alphabet book, and my favorite, a cute simple doll using this pattern.






I laid out a quilt (also a thrifted gift from my stepmom) on the porch on a cool morning (where did those go???) and gave Adelaide the gifts. She seemed most intrigued by the crinkly blocks, and even still she loves to hit them and hear the self-made noise. It's nice to sit out on the porch with a book or a to-do list (ha.) while the baby plays. It's nice and quiet, peaceful, calm. I can't wait until this scorching heat passes so that we can enjoy it again!

Weekend. (And my baby hates the rain.)

So this past weekend, my little family took our 2nd road trip. A four-hour drive to my moma's house to see her, her boyfriend, my grandparents (again! Twice in one month!), and my cousin and his wife.

The trip started fine enough. She babbled in the backseat, chewed on some toys, and fell asleep. After 30 minutes or so, I noticed her head was tipped forward, chin on her chest, so I reached back to try and bring it back up. Mistake. She woke up, happy enough, so I thought it was alright. Then she was restless and got pretty fussy for the last bit of the trip.

We stopped in to see Hannah and Penelope, and as a nice bonus, her mom who I don't think I've seen in over 3 years! It was a quick visit, but really good. Penelope liked sharing and reading with Adelaide, and it was so cute to see how big Adelaide's gotten since the last time we got them two to sit next to each other!







From there, we went to my mom's. I think the drive really stressed Adelaide out, and then we were in a new place, and she met new people (my cousin and his wife). And also, they have 3 dogs. Adelaide hasn't really spent time with dogs before, only in passing on the street, where I make it a point to let her get on the dog's level and experience the dog. But these dogs were big and loud and unpredictable. All day Saturday she clung to me and was very unsure about the whole thing. She was pretty fussy, and I was stressed, having had a long day myself with the driving and visiting and no-napping.





Sunday was a ton better though. She woke up frequently in the night (teething? earache? gas? who knows...) but I was able to get her back to sleep immediately each time. And she actually slept in! And then after being up for a few hours, we both took a 2-hour nap was exactly what both of us needed. I love cuddling up to my baby. It will be a sad day when she no longer lets me do that. I will definitely miss our morning naps when I go back to work. :(





She warmed up to the dogs Sunday. We let her play on the floor with some lids and one of the dogs came close, licking Adelaide's face. She covered her face and wiped her eyes, and soon began doing that whenever the dog even looked at her! It was adorable. She even let a giggle escape!







Now, for the hating the rain part. It was raining when we left, and it wasn't long before Adelaide was crying. I was driving and Kevin was sitting in the back seat trying to play with her and keep her calm. She would settle, then cry again. Pacifier, new toys, etc. wouldn't keep her calm for long. Lots of Old MacDonald Had a Farm. She loves it when I sing and it keeps her calm pretty much as long as I can sing. But I couldn't sing forever because I had to concentrate on the road. It was raining so hard at times that I could barely see in front of me. At one point I hydroplaned... on a bridge. I almost had a panic attack after that. I have a fear of driving over bridges. I always think about how they can collapse and then I'd plummet to the water beneath. I'm always scared. So to have that happen freaked me out.

I started noticing a pattern with Adelaide's crying and the rain. When it was raining so hard that I could barely hear myself talk, when the rain was pounding on the car... that's when she was screaming. If the rain calmed down, so did she.

About an hour from the house, we pulled over because my nerves were shot. We switched spots, and without taking Adelaide out of the carseat, I leaned over and nursed her for a couple minutes. We'd already stopped previously for an actual feeding, but I knew she needed the comfort. And she did. Not 3 minutes after nursing her, she was smiling at me and cooing to her fluffy green monkey.

So, it's not that she hates the rain, I guess. But that she hates the deafening noise of the rain in the car. I felt terrible not being able to hold as her face reddened and got splotchy, but I did what I could with singing to her and pulling over to nurse her. One day she will understand the rain and why she has to be in a carseat.

All in all, it was good to see family, but I will definitely stress the next time we take a long car trip (next weekend, actually). Any tips from experienced mamas?

Friday Crafternoon v.5

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. We're travelling to my mom's house to visit tomorrow and Sunday... our second overnight trip. I'm crossing my fingers that Adelaide takes a break from this horrible sleeping spell that we're on. I'll be sure to let you all know how it goes!

Here are some creative links for you all to check out... happy weekend!



I'll take one of each! Beautiful unique way to use felt. I may go shopping soon!

If I ever get an iPhone, I'm going here for a case. This seahorse case is TOTALLY my aesthetic.

I am in love with this junk mail art!

Easy-to-follow video tutorial for making a skirt in an hour!

Or how about this really, really cute pleated skirt? I'm not usually a skirt-wearer, but I might make one for when I go back to work!

And speaking of going back to work, I lug my laptop back and forth every day... is it finally time for a laptop bag? I'm thinking yes.

Save stained shirts! With a baby now eating solids, there are a lot more stains showing up on her clothes... Instead of tossing them, I should save them!

And if the shirts really are unsaveable, cut them up and make some headbands!

Now if only Adelaide will sleep so I can make some of this stuff!

Adelaide {7 months}

Dear Adelaide,






You're 7 months old! You are so much fun, little one. Your daddy and I love watching you figure things and out, and we love noticing when you do something new. Speaking of, here's a nice list of all the new stuff we've seen you do this past month:

-You've started sleeping on your tummy. You'll roll over half-asleep and stay that way. It's really, really adorable!
-You're inching forward (little bumps and pushes) when you really want something, like a cell phone. Not crawling yet, really, but definitely moving when you want to.
-Lots of screaming and squealing!
-You eat two solid meals a day now, and you like pretty much everything we give you, except avocado and sweet peas.
-But with starting solids came constipation and gas! You've been having a tough time trying to figure it all out and that has affected your sleep. I think we're on the up and up though!
-You're grabbing our hair and faces constantly, and on that same note, you've figured out how to pull your own hair! I don't know why you do it, but sometimes you'll reach up and tug while you're nursing.
-You LOVE to pull yourself up when we hold our fingers/hands out! You get this huge grin and sometimes you'll squeal with happiness and pride!
-You're fascinated by Daddy's earrings - you reach for them and pull them out all the time!
-On your 7th month birthday, Mommy and Daddy had our first date! This was the first time we left you with anyone else (your Mimi and Papa Brown, and cousin Hayden came to watch you), and you did fantastic! We were so proud of you and it was nice that we all had a good time!
-You're starting to have this excited arm flapping thing going on, as well as starting to slap at things when you're really excited about something.
-You still LOVE the bath, and you splash A LOT, but you hate getting out and will often cry.
-You don't like the changing table anymore... you will often scream and cry when laid down and you're happy again once picked back up.
-And finally, there's lots of playing with us... you're laughing all the time and giggling at us, crawling all over us... it's awesome!















So safe to say we're having so much fun with you! We love you very much, and when you do something new there's a pride that we've never felt before. We watch you work hard to master new skills, something that we will be doing for the rest of our lives. We're so very happy you're a part of our family! Hands down, you're the coolest person we know. :)

Love you baby girl,
Mama

First date since Adelaide.

So, last week I talked about how we didn't do much to celebrate our 3 -year anniversary, which was true. All we really did was watch a kids' movie (which was pretty good, actually).

But Kevin's parents offered to babysit for us so that we could go out and actually do something baby-free. Just us two adults. Baby. Free.

In the 7 months Adelaide's been around, there've only been a handful of times that I've gone out without her. A few times to the gym (oh, yeah, there's that gym membership that we haven't been using. Whoops!) and a couple times to the grocery store. That's it!

So we jumped at the chance for them to come watch Adelaide for us, and Friday night it was. Leading up to it we were so excited! We couldn't decide what to do. We wanted to make up for 7 months of NOT dating. We entertained the ideas of rock-climbing at our local rock-climbing center, or maybe bowling. But we settled on dinner and a movie, with the idea that if we called to check in and Adelaide was screaming her head off, we could just do a dinner date, and save the movie for later.

But the day of, I got nervous. Adelaide was having trouble pooping (more on that later!), and was a bit fussy in the morning. I thought about how she might freak out without either of her parents there, something she's never dealt with. I wondered if I could really enjoy a night out without her. Would I worry constantly? Could I do it?

So I made lists. Oh, I made lists. And sticky-notes. A list of things Adelaide enjoys, in case she got fussy. A list for how to put her to bed. A list for how to change her cloth diapers, and what to do if it were by chance a poopy diaper. A sticky note on the mug for how to warm her bottle. A sticky on her night diaper which is extra thick and jammies. Everything laid out for her dinner meal. On and on and on.

And when Gail (my mother in law) showed up, and Adelaide was napping, she immediately said "Show me what you've written." She's a lot like me, which is kind of weird, but she understood the nerves that were taking over.

I mean, I was about to LEAVE MY BABY. And GO OUT. ON A DATE. Ack!

We went to Earth Fare and got some amazing stuff from the deli. They've got vegan nuggets spot on. Delicious. We also got a peanut butter and jelly smoothie which was not as "fun" as the cashier said it would be. Bummer.

Kevin got a portobella sandwich and blue chips.


And there's those awesome soy nuggest I was gushing about. And some pretty tasty marinated mushrooms and also a salad.


No, I'm not pointing to my armpit. I'm pointing to where my baby should be. *sigh*


After scarfing it all down, we got some root beers for the movie (shh... don't tell) along with the most amazing brownie I have EVER had. Ever, really. And it was vegan! There was some creamy icing stuff happening on top of this really moist brownie with walnuts. So very good.

Then we drove over to the movies where we forgot to use the two $10 gift cards that were in my back pocket. We could have had a free movie night! Oh well, next time. We saw Bad Teacher, which had so many very funny parts. We especially liked Phyllis Smith's and Lucy Punch's characters. Towards the end of the movie, though, both Kevin and I were checking our phones for the time and whispering to each other how we were both ready to go home and see our baby already!

And when we got home, Adelaide and Gail were both asleep and looking precious. My father in law told me stories of how good Adelaide was and all the smiles and giggles she gave. And apparently she only cried once, and that was on the changing table. Not too big of a shocker on that one.

So it was a complete success! Not only did my husband and I have our first alone time in ages, our daughter was amazing with other people. Totally helps me with the how-can-I-leave-my-baby-with-strangers feelings I get when I think about going to work. Not that I don't still have those, because I most definitely do, but it helps.

And the grandparents had so much fun. And they've offered to do it again soon. And we will really be taking them up on that. I still want to go to that rock climbing gym. And bowling. And maybe even another movie because, well, I do still have those gift cards you know?

Yeah, we were feeling a little giddy.

Yummy Monday: "Cheesy" Roasted Chickpeas

These are some seriously tasty chickpeas. I love love love chickpeas, and use them whenever I can. This recipe is vegan, and it is super easy and tasty! Give it a try and let me know what you think! It's from The Vegan Lunchbox by Jennifer McCann.

"Cheesy" Roasted Chickpeas

serves a few, unless you love chickpeas like I do... then you can munch on them all day!

1 can chickpeas, drained
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp nutritional yeast (I used 2 heaping tsp)
1 TBSP canola oil (I used 2 tbsp)



Drain your chickpeas, and rinse.



Pour all ingredients into a medium bowl. Stir.



Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the chickpeas in a single layer.



Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. (You could use a toaster oven for less energy usage.)



Enjoy!

{If you are interested in contributing a recipe to Yummy Mondays, please contact me. The only requirements are that the recipe be vegetarian and yummy. You must also include step by step instructions and lots of pictures!}