Wednesday, January 25, 2012

{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.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

{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.


 

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

{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:

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....

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

{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

Monday, January 09, 2012

{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
The most important thing she’d learned over the years was that there was no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one."
~Jill Churchill