{WORD} Wednesday

Patience.

It is one of the Fruits of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22, 23)

God is currently working to grow this fruit in me.

If you read my post from yesterday you will see what I mean.

He is showing me that patience is needed to see fruit form on a tree...it doesn't happen overnight.

Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings as eagles;

they shall run, and not be weary;

and they shall walk, and not faint."

So now I am learning to wait upon the Lord.

Waiting for His perfect timing in life and in the birth of my child.

{Bump} 36 Weeks

Warning: as this is a post about pregnancy there may or may not be some "lady business" talk.

My face in this picture pretty much sums up how I feel right now:

I am so tired! This past week I have had two false alarms. Such a TEASE!

Thursday evening my contractions were 5-7 minutes apart for an hour, then 3-5 minutes apart for 45 minutes and then they went to 2-3 minutes apart for 30 minutes before I decided to head to the hospital.

They had me on the monitors for 4 hours with contractions 2-3 minutes apart and had to send me home because there was NO progression.

Friday evening I lost my "plug". (Can't believe I just wrote that...Eeew)

Saturday evening the baby dropped.

Monday(yesterday) I had contractions all day and then in the evening they picked up to 2-3 minutes for 2 hours and were much lower than on Thursday night. I headed back to the hospital 

and after an hour was sent home...AGAIN.

Blarg.

Apparently I am having a crap ton of useless, but perfectly timed, contractions that have done NOTHING!

Nothing, that is, except turn me into a freaking basket case who has had to do

the Labor & Delivery ward "Walk of Shame" twice now in one week:

Get dressed, look around to make sure you have all your belongings.

Was I wearing a bra?

Walk down the long, brightly lit hallway hoping nobody sees you with

yesterdays mascara smeared under your puffy eyes.

Wait for the elevator just outside reception, which takes FOREVER considering its 2AM.

Walk out the door, past the same people who buzzed you in after hours, avoiding their looks of pity.

Climb into your cold car and drive home to cry yourself to sleep.

I know that I am early, but with all these signs of labor, I am just tired of the guessing game.

Just FYI:

My daughter was born at 35 1/2 weeks and was 6lbs 10ozs.

My son was born at 37 1/2 weeks and was nearly 8 lbs.

So for me, having the baby now would be perfectly normal.

Oh, and with each of those pregnancies I did not feel a single contraction until I was in the hospital in active labor...so this whole contraction thing is new for me.

 

{WORD} Wednesday

Instead of "Wordless Wednesday" I will be doing "WORD" Wednesday.

What is {Word} Wednesday?

Well, at the end of 2011 I chose a "word" that I will focus on for the new year.

My post about my word and how it chose me is here:

My One Little Word for 2012

On Wednesdays I will be sharing:

*How my "word" has worked in my life that week.

*An inspirational quote relating to my word

*A verse from THE WORD that relates to MY WORD.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV)

7 "But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,

whose confidence is in him.

8 They will be like a tree planted by the water

that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

and never fails to bear fruit."

I love this passage! 

One thing I got from this is that the tree "sends out its roots."

The tree seeks out the nutrients needed in order to grow and bear fruit...just as we need to spend time cultivating a relationship with God through prayer and time in the WORD in order to "bear fruit" in our lives.

Okay, that's it for my first {Word} Wednesday.

Have a fruitful week my friends!

Dude, how many times can a girl use the word WORD in one short post?

Ever say a word so many times that it loses all meaning and sense of reality?

Um, yeah....

{Made} Infant Peasant Dress

One of my best friends just had a beautiful baby girl the day after Christmas. Because this is her second girl and she already has all the basic necessities, she decided to wait until the baby was born to have a shower. That is in a couple weeks, but I was wanting to make a little something to give to her now. 

Abby from Sew Much Ado shared this FREE Infant Peasant Dress Pattern and Tutorial and I just HAD to make it! The fabric I used is Riley Blake Sugar & Spice by The Quilted Fish.

 The pattern is awesome and the tutorial is so easy to follow and has great step by step photos. The pattern is the same for the front and back, so I added a little ribbon tag to what I decided was the "back".

I did this because there is one side that has more of the red flowers and I wanted that to be the front.

 Here is the dress on that sweet baby girl! I added a pair of newborn pants to keep her little legs warm.

In the summer this dress would be perfect with some bloomers.

*Sigh*I am so in love with her:)

Sewing for girls is so much fun!

It's probably a good thing that I am having another boy;)

You may find me linking up with some of these blogs:
Fingerprints on the Fridge, Making The World Cuter, Dittle Dattle, Mad Skills Monday, Skip to my Lou, Craft O Maniac, Delicate Construction, Ask Anna, New Nostalgia, House of Grace, Sassy Sites, Not Just a Housewife, Today's Creative Blog, My Craftie Life, Sew Much Ado, Seven Thirty-Three, Someday Crafts, A Diamond in the Stuff, My Girlish Whims, Somewhat Simple, Momnivores Dilemma, Paisley Passions, Fun to Craft, Make it, Wear it, Gluesticks, House of Hepworths, What Allie's Making Now, Finding Fabulous, A Little Knick Knack, Mommas Kinda Crafty, Its a Hodgepodge Life, Inspiring Creations, Be Different Act Normal, Wildflowers and Whimsy, Tatertots and Jello, The Idea Room, My Repurposed Life, Sew Many Ways, I Heart Naptime, Thirty Handmade Days, Under the Table and Dreaming, Creative Itch, Oops I Craft My Pants, Addicted 2 Decorating

{Tutorial} Simple Burp Cloths

I have SO MANY pregnant friends right now and I love giving handmade gifts.

Burp cloths are something that every mother needs and really you can never have too many!

If they are cute...even better!

I love the look of the ones with the strip of fabric down the center of a cloth diaper,

but I have heard from friends that they don't absorb as well.

The spit up runs down the fabric center and doesn't do what it is meant to do.

Flannel is very absorbent and gets more so with each wash, so that's what I made these with.

You could also do a flannel print on the front with minky, terry cloth, or chenille on the back.

Cut 2 pieces of flannel or whatever fabric you are using.

Mine were about 9" X 17".

Finished product is about 8"x16".

This gives good shoulder coverage without being too big and rolls up nicely in the diaper bag.

Pin the pieces right side to right side.

Sew with a 3/8 seam allowance ALMOST all the way around.

Leave about a 3" section open for turning.

Make sure to back stitch at the beginning and the end.

Snip off the corners.

This removes some bulk in the corners when you turn.

Turn right side out, poke out the corners so they are nice a sharp and press with an iron.

Make sure that the fabric at the opening is turned in(sometimes I pin this)

Then topstitch all the way around.

Backstitch at the beginning and end.

And you're done!

Make them in multiples and tie them up with a ribbon!

I gave these to a friend along with a set of bottles that she had registered for.

Bottles and Burp Cloths...Get it?

I love me a theme gift!

Here's a simple modification:

Round the corners!

 Using a cup, bowl or anything circular really, trace a rounded corner.

I do this after my fabric is pinned together so that I am not fighting to line up the rounded corners.

 With rounded corners you will need to cut out little notches. This keeps your corners from being too bulky.

 Turn, press, and topstitch!

Ask any mom and she will tell you that you can NEVER have too many burp cloths.

Why not give them something that is not only practical, but OH SO CUTE!

Oh, and did I mention that they are super inexpensive to make?

Especially if you get your fabrics on sale or with a coupon like I do!

Happy Sewing!

Linking up with some of these blogs:

Fingerprints on the Fridge, Making The World Cuter, Dittle Dattle, Mad Skills Monday, Skip to my Lou, Craft O Maniac, Delicate Construction, Ask Anna, New Nostalgia, House of Grace, Sassy Sites, Not Just a Housewife, Today's Creative Blog, My Craftie Life, Sew Much Ado, Seven Thirty-Three, Someday Crafts, A Diamond in the Stuff, My Girlish Whims, Somewhat Simple, Momnivores Dilemma, Paisley Passions, Fun to Craft, Make it, Wear it, Gluesticks, House of Hepworths, What Allie's Making Now, Finding Fabulous, A Little Knick Knack, Mommas Kinda Crafty, Its a Hodgepodge Life, Inspiring Creations, Be Different Act Normal, Wildflowers and Whimsy, Tatertots and Jello, The Idea Room, My Repurposed Life, Sew Many Ways, I Heart Naptime, Thirty Handmade Days, Under the Table and Dreaming, Creative Itch, Oops I Craft My Pants, Addicted 2 Decorating

{Bump} 33 Weeks

Yep. Here it is!

The {bump} at 33 weeks.

Don't let the cheesy grin fool you...I am in some PAIN!

Backache, burning sensation on my ribs and BH contractions that take my breath away all throughout the day. If the practice ones hurt this bad I am TERRIFIED of what real labor is going to be like with this one;) I have heard from several friends that it is a 3rd pregnancy thing. Explains why there are so many families with only 3 children, huh?

I have gained exactly 15 pounds so far and all of that has gone straight to my belly.

I think this boy is going to be about 12 pounds.

Oh. My. YIKES!

Yep. I went there. Bare belly for your enjoyment.

I have had people tell me my belly looked fake to them.

It is, in fact, quite real. 

I am seriously wondering if they got my date wrong or if there is a secret agent twin in there who can copy his brother so well that the ultrasounds can only pick the one kid up.

Cuz, I mean, dang. Just look at me!

I don't see how I can make it another 7 weeks. Pray for me! ;)

My husband will look at my belly and then start busting up laughing.

It's a good thing I like him.

{Tutorial} "Name" Beanbags

I decided to make my son Travis some beanbags to help him to learn the letters of his name.

Uppercase letters on one side and lowercase letters on the other.

I went through my felt stash (yep, I have a whole bin FULL of felt) and realized that I could get almost all the colors of the rainbow to spell out his name!

First, cut your fabric into 5"x5" squares. 2 of each color.
Then arrange them into a rainbow and take a picture.Very important step! Unless your fabrics are not, in fact, a rainbow of colors because that just would not make sense.


#1. Trace the REVERSED Letter onto the shiny side of Heat N Bond, iron it onto the fabric you are using for your letters and then cut it out. Remove paper backing and iron to the center of your 5"x5" square.

#2. Using a zigzag or straight stitch, sew the applique to the fabric square.

#3. Here is my first one all stitched down. I used a straight stitch as close to the edge as I could. GO SLOW as there are lots of turns and curves.

#4. Here is what the back looks like...as you can see it looks just like the letter because of how carefully I sewed. My thread matches, so it's probably not that big of a deal, but I am a firstborn(read:Type A) so I kept it as neat as I could. I eased up a bit after the first one.

#5. Repeat with the lowercase letter on the other 5"x5" square of the same color.

#6. Pin the two squares "T" to "t" like they are smooching. Maybe even make the sound when you do this step. Pin the crap out of it, or don't. Not really necessary to use that many pins, but whatever.

#7. Sew around the outside of the squares leaving a 2"-3" opening. Back stitch at the beginning and at the end so that it is nice and strong when you turn the bag.

#8. "Clip" the corners. This removes some of the bulk once you turn the bag right side out. Make sure you don't cut through the thread.

#9. Turn the bag right side out and poke out the corners with something pointy (pencil, chopstick, actual apparatus meant for poking out corners).

#10. Fill bag with beans. I used about 3/4 cup in mine.

#11. Top stitch all the way around the bag to seal it closed and to add strength.

Let your toddler play with the beans on the floor so that he will leave you alone

long enough to get these finished!

Just FYI:

Making these assembly line fashion is the way to go!

Do each step with all the beanbags at the same time so you save time

and are not going back and forth.

Let the LEARNING FUN begin!

You may find me linking up with some of these blogs:
Fingerprints on the Fridge, Making The World Cuter, Dittle Dattle, Mad Skills Monday, Skip to my Lou, Craft O Maniac, Delicate Construction, Ask Anna, New Nostalgia, House of Grace, Sassy Sites, Not Just a Housewife, Today's Creative Blog, My Craftie Life, Sew Much Ado, Seven Thirty-Three, Someday Crafts, A Diamond in the Stuff, My Girlish Whims, Somewhat Simple, Momnivores Dilemma, Paisley Passions, Fun to Craft, Make it, Wear it, Gluesticks, House of Hepworths, What Allie's Making Now, Finding Fabulous, A Little Knick Knack, Mommas Kinda Crafty, Its a Hodgepodge Life, Inspiring Creations, Be Different Act Normal, Wildflowers and Whimsy, Tatertots and Jello, The Idea Room, My Repurposed Life, Sew Many Ways, I Heart Naptime, Thirty Handmade Days, Under the Table and Dreaming, Creative Itch, Oops I Craft My Pants, Addicted 2 Decorating