Time Lapse

More than a year has gone by since I posted on this blog. More than a year has gone by since I really gave much thought to this blog. So much has happened. It got me to thinking about what started this whole venture in the first place. LJ. When I started blogging back 2009, my little LJ was a wee munchin.

It always brings a smile to my face to see pictures when he was so tiny. And this is when he was 2 already.
It wasn't long after that we learned that LJ would be a big brother. He wasn't quite 3 when he did become a big brother, though he still was not really big at all.
Fast forward to today and my little LJ is growing to be such a little man. This spring was his very first season of playing soccer. Amazingly enough he was not the smallest kid on his team. There was one boy just a smidge smaller than him.

Even at the very first game, he wanted to try being a goalie. He did pretty well at it too. He really did enjoy soccer this year and we will be doing it again this fall. Even after his tournament day with four games in one day, he loved the game. Actually, he loves the games more than practices he says. Of course who wouldn't. Practices aren't always as thrilling as games. I get it.
Speaking of games, how about one good action shot?

That is my little man about to kick the ball back down the field. I don't know that he ever was one to make a goal, but he had so much fun. He ran, and played, and got all sweaty, and had fun.

Now, I know I mentioned by baby girl earlier in the post. I would be remiss if I did not give a glimpse of her since she has grown so much since I last posted. Here is a picture of my "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" at our town's annual fair. Thing 2 has helped her big brother come out of his shell a bit and we got him to try the tea cups, and he loved it! He spun their cup while she lounged back and enjoyed the ride.

Where has the time gone? The lapse in time from then till now has been astounding. In 6 years we went from a tiny little one, to two ever growing not so little ones. Before I know it, I will be registering Thing 2 for Kindergarten. Then I will have two in school! TWO!

What does my Cloth stash look like now?

There have been a few posts in the past where I have shown my cloth stash in its current form. I haven't done this in quite some time and not in entirety of my newborn stash. Since I am now using cloth almost full time with LG (Little girl, which is Baby C's new moniker).

I am not even sure exactly how many of what I have anymore, but I am okay with that. For the most part I am pretty happy with our stash. One thing I know for sure is that this is not the stash I thought I would have when I started this over a year and a half ago. Right now, this is what works nicely for my newborn. At the same time I am already finding it more difficult to do prefolds and flats with LG as she is wiggling and worming her way around so much more. I can't believe she is over 3 months already! (that is a different post altogether)

So, I took some picture of my stash. I actually have three as I had nice clean diapers, some freshly cleaned and hanging to dry and then there are my wipes in yet another area. Three pictures needed to try to cover one stash of cloth diapers. Oh my! Let's begin...

This picture shows a little over half of my stash. The diapers in the front middle are the ones I made for her that she has outgrown. The right has the stuffings. The green basket thing has my prefolds (most of which I made). I also have two stacks of shirts that are folded for diapering. This also shows the underpants I have for LJ and the covers for those if we were cloth trainers and leave the house. Next to my Knickernappies diaper in the front to the left are some of my flats all folded and ready to be put on LG with a cover. The red cover is the one that I made for her. I love it!

I do love the sight of fresh diaper laundry hanging on the line. And after some of these flats being hung out, I am a new believer in the power of the sun for bleaching. As you can see, most of my pockets were in this load of laundry. I was very happy to use them again after using mostly flats while out of town.

You know, if you are going to use cloth diapers, cloth wipes just make so much sense. And you know what? I find myself wanting to reach for cloth more and more when it comes to cleaning off hands that get dirty, wiping runny noses, and so much more. When you start using cloth, you find yourself wanting to use more and more of it!

Lastly, I wanted to show what all of those diapers look like when I get a chance to put them away all nice and neat like.

That's right. I use the main part of my pac-n-play to hold my diapers, seeing as I always use the changing pad on it to change her diaper. It made sense.





What does your cloth stash look like? Do you have just diapers, or do you also have a stash of kitchen cloth? Bathroom cloth? How much have you made the switch?





Until next time... Happy days using cloth!

What does my Cloth stash look like now?

There have been a few posts in the past where I have shown my cloth stash in its current form. I haven't done this in quite some time and not in entirety of my newborn stash. Since I am now using cloth almost full time with BG (Baby girl, which is Baby C's new moniker).
I am not even sure exactly how many of what I have anymore, but I am okay with that. For the most part I am pretty happy with our stash. One thing I know for sure is that this is not the stash I thought I would have when I started this over a year and a half ago. Right now, this is what works nicely for my newborn. At the same time I am already finding it more difficult to do prefolds and flats with BG as she is wiggling and worming her way around so much more. I can't believe she is over 3 months already! (that is a different post altogether)
So, I took some picture of my stash. I actually have three as I had nice clean diapers, some freshly cleaned and hanging to dry and then there are my wipes in yet another area. Three pictures needed to try to cover one stash of cloth diapers. Oh my! Let's begin...

This picture shows a little over half of my stash. The diapers in the front middle are the ones I made for her that she has outgrown. The right has the stuffings. The green basket thing has my prefolds (most of which I made). I also have two stacks of shirts that are folded for diapering. This also shows the underpants I have for LJ and the covers for those if we wear cloth trainers and leave the house. Next to my Knickernappies diaper in the front to the left are some of my flats all folded and ready to be put on BG with a cover. The red cover is the one that I made for her. I love it!

I do love the sight of fresh diaper laundry hanging on the line. And after some of these flats being hung out, I am a new believer in the power of the sun for bleaching. As you can see, most of my pockets were in this load of laundry. I was very happy to use them again after using mostly flats while out of town.

You know, if you are going to use cloth diapers, cloth wipes just make so much sense. And you know what? I find myself wanting to reach for cloth more and more when it comes to cleaning off hands that get dirty, wiping runny noses, and so much more. When you start using cloth, you find yourself wanting to use more and more of it!
Lastly, I wanted to show what all of those diapers look like when I get a chance to put them away all nice and neat like.

That's right. I use the main part of my pac-n-play to hold my diapers, seeing as I always use the changing pad on it to change her diaper. It made sense.


What does your cloth stash look like? Do you have just diapers, or do you also have a stash of kitchen cloth? Bathroom cloth? How much have you made the switch?


Until next time... Happy days using cloth!

Take the Flats and Handwashing Challenge with me

That is right! I am joining many other cloth diapering moms in DDL's (DirtyDiaperLaundry's) Flats and Handwashing Challenge. So many of us cringe every time we think of the fact that there are moms out there who are reusing disposable diapers. It is crazy.
I understand that low income families may not have access to a washer and dryer and may have use a laundromat. That isn't always the best thing when wanting to use cloth diapers. I know I wouldn't want to haul diapers somewhere every time I had to wash my dipes. That would take a big chunk of time that I just don't have to waste. Well, Kim Rosas thought of a way to advocate for cloth use even in this situation. Flat diapers!
Flat diapers are just that, flat. One piece of material that is usually cotton and square in shape. It dries quickly and can fit pretty much any baby because you are the one to determine the size by the way you fold it. Don't have a washer and dryer? Hand wash them and they dry really fast.

I thought, hey, why not take this challenge. My only hesitation was that I don't have flat diapers for baby C. If I could get diapers I would be more than willing to take this challenge. In steps Diaper Junction. When Diaper Junction learned of Kim's challenge they decided to offer 30 moms a dozen flat diapers each for use during the challenge. How awesome is that!? I was lucky enough to be one of those 30 moms. Late last week (I would say like Thursday, maybe Friday) I contacted Diaper Junction and the next morning I found out she would be sending the diapers my way. Well, now it is Monday morning and I have my diapers! Now that is what I call fast delivery.

For one week I am going to join with other moms and use just flat diapers with 5 or less covers and hand wash them all! On top of the flats that I received from Diaper Junction, I may also add some of the flour sack towels from target if Hubby thinks it would be good to have more than the dozen we received.
Don't worry, I will be posting more on folding flats and how I prepped and washed the diapers and all of that fun stuff as time goes on. If you click on the picture at the top of the post you will be taken to DDL's post on the challenge and can learn more. I am super excited to see how this turns out for us. Who knows, I may just have to keep using flats! 

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

LBBE - BumCoveredDiapers.com ***Review and Giveaway!*** (closed)

Bumcovereddiapers.com is an awesome company. I have loved what they have available for ages. When we found out we were expecting Baby C, I started looking at all of the shops I love and wishing I could buy so many diapers. Bumcovereddiapers.com had a new diaper that she was working on perfecting. One of their newest diapers available are the Build-your-own Fitted Diapers.

From the site:

These fitted diapers are made exactly to your liking, with four layers of fabric and a heavy soaker pad sewn inside. We can create a custom diaper especially for your little one. You choose the color, lining material, and the soaker material! 

I love that I can now build my very own fitted diaper exactly the way that I want it to be and for an awesomely reasonable price. The outside is a super soft flannel. The inside can be flannel or microfleece material.

Prices range from $6.00-$9.00, depending on your selections.

 Melissa from BumCoveredDiapers sent me a flannel diaper with aplix for Baby C. It was made with some super cute pink flannel and a thin strip of aplix on the front of the diaper. At first I thought the aplix on the front was a little thin, but with Baby C being as tiny as she is and the belly button sticks out enough that most aplix fronts start to rub. This aplix doesn't get close enough to the edge of the diaper to rub her belly at all. That is a big plus to me! This diaper is the small and Baby C is maybe around 7 pounds now.

I love how this diaper fits her. Yes, it might be a little big in some areas, but that tells me that she will be able to wear it for some time instead of outgrowing it within a week or two. The absorbency is really nice with these diapers. With Baby C, I don't need a whole lot, but it is a perfect amount that she can end up wetting her diaper more than once and still be good to go. Also, it has held in BF poos. Yes, Baby C made sure to test this diaper to its full extent the first time it was put on her. I love this diaper and for the cost, you can't beat it.

***Buy It!***

You can Build-Your-Own diaper Here.

***Win it!***

One lucky reader will win one Build-Your-Own Diaper.

Mandatory Entry:

(This must be done before any other entries count!)

Follow my blog through Google Friend Connect and go to Bumcovereddiapers.com and tell me your favorite product. 

Extra Entries:

• Like Lynifer's Blog on Facebook - 1 entry
• Like BumCovered Diapers on Facebook - 1 entry
• Follow me on twitter (@whocg23) - 1 entry
• Tweet about this giveaway - include a link to this post, @whocg23, and the tag #giveaway - 1 entry per tweet - 1 tweet per day - Be sure to leave a link to your tweet in your comment
• Subscribe via a reader (left sidebar) - 1 entry
• Subscribe to my emails (left sidebar) - 2 entries - Be sure to activate your subscription!
• Follow me through Networked Blogs (left sidebar) - 1 entry 
• Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post! - 5 entries - Leave a link to your blog post in the comment

Make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry. If your email is not in your profile, leave it in each comment as well. If I cannot reach you, you cannot win!

Rules: This giveaway is open to the US & Canada. Giveaway will end at midnight on March 8th. Any entries timestamped after this time will not be valid. Winner will be picked using random.org, verified, and contacted via email. The winner will then have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is picked.


Disclaimer:The thoughts and opinions expressed on my blog are my own and are not swayed by any monetary or product compensation. I received a sampling of products for review purposes and no other compensation was received. 

LBBE - Fleece Soaker from Zizzies and Izzies ***Review & Giveaway!*** (Closed)

I love finding some really great WAHMs on Etsy. There are so many talented women and men out there and Etsy can be a great way to find them. One such person is Shelly from Zizzies and Izzies.

I was sent a fleece soaker in the newborn size. Since we knew that we were having a little girl, I enjoyed being able to get things that were undoubtedly girlie. Shelly sent me one of her flower soakers and oh my is it cute!

 Baby C is still under 7 pounds and look how perfect this soaker fits her. It even fits nicely under her cord stump.  I was so glad when I saw the size of the soaker as I knew it would actually have a chance of fitting my newborn where most diapers in a "newborn" size are still too big. Right now she is fitting more of a preemie size in diapers and outfits. I have been able to put a small prefold that I made for her and this fits over it nicely.
I love soakers because they really help to let air through to baby's skin and that has been a big thing for us as Baby C has gotten red really fast with disposables and the weather we have been having has not helped her skin either. Even just one prefold with this soaker on top and the redness is greatly reduced. It makes me feel good that her bum is not as sore as it might have been.
I highly recommend stopping by Zizzies and Izzies to see what is available for your little one. The prices are great and she really does have a great selection of fabrics to choose from.

***Buy It!***

You can head over to Zizzies and Izzies Etsy site and purchase a 2 pack of fleece soakers for $15.00. 

She has a ton of other great products you can check out while you are there!

***Discount***

Shelly has been so great as to offer up a 15% discount to my readers. This discount code is good until the end of February. 

Code: whatmommawants

***Win it!***

One lucky reader will win a 2 pack of fleece soakers in their choice of size and color/pattern 

from Zizzies and Izzies!

Mandatory Entry:

(This must be done before any other entries count!)

Follow my blog through Google Friend Connect. Leave a comment with you GFC name.

Extra Entries:

• Like Lynifer's Blog on Facebook - 1 entry - Leave your facebook name in the comment
• Like Zizzies Britches on Facebook - 1 entry -
• Follow me on twitter (@whocg23) - 1 entry - Leave your twitter ID in the comment
• Tweet about this giveaway - include a link to this post, @whocg23, and the tag #giveaway - 1 entry per tweet - 1 tweet per day - Be sure to leave a link to your tweet in your comment
• Subscribe via a reader (left sidebar) - 1 entry - Leave a comment
• Subscribe to my emails (left sidebar) - 2 entries - Leave a comment and be sure to activate your subscription!
• Follow me through Networked Blogs (left sidebar) - 1 entry - Leave a comment
• Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post! - 5 entries - Leave a link to your blog post in the comment

Make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry. If your email is not in your profile, be sure to leave it in each comment as well. If I cannot reach you, you cannot win!

Rules: This giveaway is open to the US & Canada. Giveaway will end at midnight on February 28th. Any entries timestamped after this time will not be valid. Winner will be picked using random.org, verified, and contacted via email. The winner will then have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is picked.

Disclaimer:The thoughts and opinions expressed on my blog are my own and are not swayed by any monetary or product compensation. I received a fleece soaker for review purposes and no other compensation was received. 

LBBE - Overstock.com ***Review and Discount***

Part of having a new baby is needing some new baby items. These can get expensive quickly. Overstock.com helps you to keep these costs down. They are an online retailer that has everything from Diamond rings to sporting goods, and so much more! I was recently able to review some of the items available at Overstock.com and given a discount code to use and give to my wonderful readers! (Code will be at the end of the post)

First, I must say, with having a second child and LJ only being 2.5 we knew we were going to need a sit-n-stand stroller of some description. It just so happen that overstock.com had one that we had been looking at! Overstock.com already had the stroller for a lower price than we have found anywhere else. Then I was able to use my discount code and save even more!

It is really easy to use Overstock.com' website. You can easily search for almost any product possible. The set-up of their category section is also really easy to navigate. I was able to quickly find their selection of sit-n-stand strollers and find the one we were looking for. I had a lot of fun looking around and doing some daydreaming of my own, too. :)

Seeing as I am going to be a stay-at-home mommy of two soon, I find myself thinking more and more of Coffee Makers. Right now I drink more tea than anything, but being able to make up a cup of decaf tea or coffee when I need a little treat would be so nice when juggling my new life to come. Heck, I find myself hankering for that some mornings already, but I don't feel like lugging out our big 12 cup maker for just a cup or two.

Of course, we have an older house and we don't have a ton of good storage spaces, so I also had to check out that section of the site. We are looking for some kind of storage unit that will fit behind our one door so we can easily store our gloves and hats and the like in reach of the coats when we are heading out the door. The biggest hurdle for us is that it can only be 12 inches deep or wide. Of course I found a unit in the storage section that would be perfect for our purpose!

Checkout is super easy as well. You have a few different options for checkout. You can use your credit card, or you can use Paypal. Not many bigger sites let you use your Paypal account. I find this really handy for those with a Paypal account, like myself (though I didn't use it). There is also an option (should you qualify) to use "Bill Me Later."

Do you know what the greatest part of Overstock.com is? Their price for shipping. They mention it in every commercial and it is all over their site, and that is because it is so awesome! What is it, you ask?
$2.95 shipping on your entire order, Always! That's it! You can spend 20 dollars on one item or hundreds on several things on their site and you still pay just $2.95 for shipping. How great is that?! I love it! I know I saved a bundle on the shipping cost alone by using Overstock.com to buy our new stroller.

So, now for the good part! 

Overstock.com has given me the opportunity to share a great discount code good for 10% off Overstock products (excluding movies, books, and electronics). This discount code never expires, however, it can only be used once per email address.
Ready for the code?

Here it is: 121745

Since this code is not good for electronics, Overstock.com also gave me a free shipping promo code for electronics: 202234


Disclosure: All the ideas and opinions expressed are my own. No monetary compensation was received for doing this post, however, I was provided with a discount code.

LBBE - GoGreen Wipes ***Review and Giveaway!*** (closed)

I am going to kick off this "Little Bundle Baby Event" with a great company and one of their new products!

I am sure that many of you have heard about GoGreen Pocket Diapers. Now, GoGreen Pocket Diapers has Funky Cloth wipes!

 These wipes are great! Each wipes is made from 2 layers of a nice soft cotton knit and measures about 5.5" x 5.5". You are going to love the colors that come in each pack. One thing that I loved was that each color was also a slightly different material. While some materials did shrink up more than others, they are all really nice. Some wipes that you get from other companies can be too thick, in my opinion. By having just two layers of a cotton knit, the wipes stay slim and fit perfectly in a commercial wipes container without getting stuck in the slot when pulling the next wipe out for clean up time.


  Leah sent me 15 of her new wipes for me to review. I was so happy to get the wipes in the mail that I prepped them that afternoon so I could start using the wipes on LJ as soon as possible!

I found that the white wipes did shrink quite a bit, but they are ribbed and stretch right out. The blue wipes did also shrink a little, but not all that much. Really, I don't need to have all my wipes the exact same size and they are only going to be cleaning up my babe's bum anyway.

Speaking of babe's bum, GoGreen's wipes really get the job done. They clean up things quickly and I tend to use less of these wipes per change than some of my others. I love that! The less I have to be using up my wipes, the better.

These wipes are just so awesome. I love how soft they are after each washing. They seem to be getting better and better really. They are the first wipes I put into the wipes container now when I am getting low. Like I mentioned above too, I love that they are nice and thin so that they easily pop-up from my wipes container. I store my wipes damp and folded so they pop-up like traditional disposable wipes and there some on the market that just do not allow for this type of use.

GoGreen Pocket Diapers' wipes are great! They are sold in three different quantities and at awesome prices!
The pack of 15 wipes is only $4.95! You can also buy packs of 25 and 50! Yes, 50 wipes, and they are only $18.95!

**Buy Now**

You can purchase packs of 15, 25, or 50 wipes HERE.

**Win IT!**

GoGreen Pocket Diapers has offered to give one lucky reader their very own set of 15 wipes!

Mandatory Entry:

(This must be done before any other entries count!)

Follow my blog through Google Friend Connect. Then head on over to GoGreen Pocket Diapers and tell me another product you would love to try. Leave a comment.

Extra Entries:

• Like Lynifer's Blog on Facebook - 1 entry - Leave your facebook name in the comment
• Like GoGreen Pocket Diapers on Facebook - 1 entry - Leave your facebook name in the comment
• Follow me on twitter (@whocg23) - 1 entry - Leave your twitter ID in the comment
• Tweet about this giveaway - include a link to this post, @whocg23, and the tag #giveaway - 1 entry per tweet - 1 tweet per day - Be sure to leave a link to your tweet in your comment
• Subscribe via a reader (left sidebar) - 1 entry - Leave a comment
• Subscribe to my emails (left sidebar) - 2 entries - Leave a comment and be sure to activate your subscription!
• Follow me through Networked Blogs (left sidebar) - 1 entry - Leave a comment
• Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post! - 5 entries - Leave a link to your blog post in the comment

Make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry. If your email is not in your profile, be sure to leave it in each comment as well. If I cannot reach you, you cannot win!

Rules: This giveaway is open to the US & Canada. Giveaway will end at midnight on February 22nd. Any entries timestamped after this time will not be valid. Winner will be picked using random.org, verified, and contacted via email. The winner will then have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is picked.

Disclosure: I was not monetarily compensated for this post. I received a sample of the product for review purposes. All opinions expressed are my own.

Don't forget your extra Entries! (plus a lil update)

So, my very first blog event will be starting next week! I can't believe it is February already and Baby C is here. The first post for the event will be up on Tuesday. If you have not already gotten in your extra entries, head on over to this post and get them in. I will leave them open for a little after the event starts, but they will not be there for the entire event.
So, Baby C arrived on February 1st. We came home on Thursday then. My whole birth story will be another day's post all together. I can't believe that she is here and we are now a family of four. It is nice and she is doing great.

I will say that I am glad that I have the first two posts of the baby event already done and ready to post. It is a big process off my mind for the moment. I do have so much that I am still getting used to. I think going from one to two kids is a bigger move than none to one. I am very lucky that LJ is taking this change in stride really. He loves his little sister. I can't to see how much of a big helper he is when it becomes just him and me and baby C during the days. Friday I was lucky enough to have Hubby be able to take a half a day of work so he could come home and help me out with getting us all ready to take Baby C to her appt and weight check that morning and then help with LJ when he was not napping that afternoon.

So, I may not be able to post as much as I would like in the week to come as I learn to balance new baby, 2 year old, home and blog all at once. It will be interesting, but in time I will be able to find the balance we need.
I am still here. I have not gone very far, but we do have our new little bundle here with us giving us so much joy!

Until next time... Happy Loving!

One Size Wool Cover

I like wool. I also have to be careful with what wool I use. One of the first set of shorties that I bought for LJ ended up with a all around bad combo of events to leave him with a sore for close to a week on each leg. Not only was the wool a little too rough for him, but of course it was an explosive diaper mess at the same time as trying the wool for the first time. I always have to be careful with the texture of the wool. When I learned that I might be able to use wool suiting to make covers for LJ, I was thrilled.
I have been playing around with cover patterns for a little while now using some covers I already own to get an outline and then modify it to make it my own. I love the idea of one size covers. They make sense to me. So, I made my very first "One Size" wool cover for LJ.

Now, I know this cover needs some tweaking, just by putting it on LJ this first time. LJ will be 3 in April (three months), he weighs maybe 25 pounds. He is a skinny skinny boy and this cover is snapped almost as big as it can get. I think each side only has one snap on each side behind the tabs. It is also on the highest setting, but I do like having covers and such that have a lower rise. I did learn one thing through this, these take a decent amount of FOE to make each one. :)

What do you think? I would love to get more patterns and things for working designs for Lynifer. Maybe I need to try making a few more and get none LJ testers. :)

Until next time.... Happy Diapering!

Annual Fudge Night (Pic Heavy)

Okay, so here is the long awaited Fudge Night post.Like I mentioned last night, There is a lot of stuff that goes in to four batches of fudge. You may remember, 2 pounds butter, 16 cups sugar, 8 bags chocolate chips, 4 cans of evaporated milk and some vanilla extract. Well, This is what that looks like (tins included).

My mom has been making this recipe for about 27 years now. We have found through the years that doing one stick of margarine and one stick of butter works pretty nicely, so that is what we use now.  Again, you can refer to this post for the full recipe.
It all starts with the sugar and milk in a big pot and the chips, butter and vanilla in a big bowl.

I like to break up the butter/margarine a bit so that it melts faster and things get all happy in the bowl quickly. The milk/sugar gets heated up on high until it starts to boil, then we turn it down closer to like 4-5 (just enough to keep a boil but not too much that it boils over). Boiling over is just a total sticky mess!

When the sugar is boiling and someone is stirring constantly for 8 minutes, we make sure we have our tins (or plastic containers) well greased with a cooking spray and ready to go when they are needed. Once the sugar is poured in to the chip mix bowl, things can move pretty quick, so being prepared is a good thing here. :)

My mom is always the one to pour the sugar mix into the bowl while I am at the ready, just waiting to start mixing like mad (without splashing hot sugar on anyone)

Mix, mix, mix until it is all happy and smooth (just make sure you don't take too long or it will start to set in the bowl) :)
Then we pour it all into the tins. Mom pours while I move the tins into place so she doesn't have to move the bowl too much.

When we have things set in their containers, we put them out on the back porch which acts as a second refrigerator in the winter.
Repeat all these steps for each batch. Yes, four batches can be fun and a bit of time. There is a reason we set aside a night to do this. You need a night to do that many batches.
Curious what it all looks like when things are done? Well, my sister and I love to make fudge so that we can lick the bowl when we are done. Here are my closing shots. First, the table of all of the fudge tins. Then Hubby took a picture of Sis and I licking the bowl and the spoon. Then of course he had to take a picture of the bowl when I was done with it.

Baby C loved mommy licking the bowl. She has made me all about the chocolate!






So, there you have it. Our Fudge Night in picture form. I know this may have taken some time to load because of all of the pictures, but I love to share. I hope you enjoyed.

Do you have a recipe you have to make every year? Make a night of things? I would love to hear all about it!

Until next time... Happy Christmas Preparations!

Season of Advent - Day 21

It has been a little while since I have posted about our Advent activities. Shortly after my last post, we were able to decorate our tree. LJ had fun helping us, though he likes to put all of the ornaments in one location, so we were helping him try to spread things out a little more. :)
Our Advent Manger scene is really coming along. We have enough stickers for the wall that one day we will do an animal or person and the next day we do two stars. When we get more in to the people (we have just done animals so far) we are actually probably going to do all the wise men in one day and things like that. We have that many stickers and not the many days left. LJ really loves putting these on the wall each day. He gets so excited and loves placing them himself or telling Daddy where to put it (Daddy helps with bigger stickers like the animals).

Our Manger Scene so far

I have been ever mindful of how much Santa has become a part of Christmas and it seems like so many are forgetting what Christmas is really about. It makes me sad to think that way, but so often that is how it seems anymore. I find myself singing many of the great hymns of the season while trying to go to bed and then when I wake. It is nice. We have spoken to LJ a lot about how Christmas is celebrating the birth of Baby Jesus. I love when he then tries to parrot back "Baby Jesus?" Whenever he repeats a word or phrase he always makes it a question, it is very cute.

Another part of my getting ready for Christmas day is to do some baking. Well, some might be a slight under statement. Last year I ended up baking I think at least 6 or 7 dozen cookies for family and friends. I love doing that. This year I can't make as many, as I haven't had a good working oven until today. The oven that was in the house when we moved in had a shot thermostat. At one point it almost maxed out at 600 degrees when it should have been in the 400's. I knew then and there that there was no way I was baking in that oven. Last night Hubby and his dad moved the range from our old house (we have yet to sell it) over to our new house and we put in a replacement (free) range in that house.

What have you and your family been up to in order to prepare for Christmas? I would love to hear all about it!

Until next time... Happy Holiday preparations!

This is just too Cute!

Okay, you may not think so, but I do and that is why I am posting this. :) Yesterday I told you a little about a shirt that my mom bought for LJ that gave me the idea to make a matching diaper. Well, here is the post!
First the shirt that inspired the whole thing:

The Shirt

As it turns out, last year I bought some material that I wanted to make some children's placemats out of, but I could never find a coordinating material for the flip side, so it didn't happen (well, not yet at least). Here is the material already cut in to the diaper pattern (I used the Cloth Revolution Pattern for this diaper).

A little closer shot

Being as this is a very directional pattern on the material, I even had to do the whole cut in the middle of the diaper to flip the pattern, so the front and back will both be upright. You can see the line in the bottom picture where the material flips over. 

I have been working on sewing encased elastic instead of sewing it on to the serged edge, so that was a bit fun with the way that the CRP has you doing elastic. I did have to rip a few stitches out and redo them, but luckily I noticed the problem pretty quick and was only having to rip like ten or so stitches.

So, now you have seen the pieces of this total cuteness separate, now for them finished and together:

I love it!

Of course this diaper wouldn't have been possible either if I had not gotten my snap pliers yesterday either. I used neon yellow caps because I think they are just too cute on the Peanuts material.


Do you have any really cute sets with your diapers matching some piece of clothing? Have you made any diapers that you find just too cute? I would love to hear about it!

Until Next time... Happy Diapering!

Oh Happy Almost Fulffy Mail!

Today was a good day for me mail wise. Not only did I get my package from Amazon so that I basically have all my gifts in the house, but I also got my almost fluffy package from KAM Snaps! A while back I had ordered some plastic snaps from them at a great price and I thought that the pliers I had would work for them. I was wrong. So, I have been left with some great mixed bags of snaps for diaper making, but unable to use them.

Then my mom saw a cute little Peanuts shirt at Walmart and bought it for LJ. It is a picture of the kids all standing around the Christmas tree at the end of A Charlie Brown Christmas. Well, that made me want so badly to make him a diaper with material that I have with the same picture (that whole story is another post to come soon). I needed to be able to put snaps on my diaper! I get the KAMsnaps newsletters via email and the most recent one mentioned their second quality pliers available for a great deal. How perfect is this timing! I talked to Hubby about maybe buying a set of pliers and the snaps that I could get with it, and with the splitting of the bill with my business partner, I went ahead and ordered it. Well, that was Saturday and I had a nice little envelope waiting for me when the mail lady came. I was so happy I ripped into that package like there was a million bucks in it.
And what to my wondering eyes should appear but some awesome pliers and 14 bags of snaps!

I love that this is second quality(so cheaper) but only for a very minor cosmetic flaw (the hinge looks rusty). Because of that, I was able to get all of the snaps at right! They even threw in the small baggies with some of their oh so cute engraved caps!

Now I can go nuts putting snaps on my diapers that previously I have resigned myself to using Snappis with or just not using. I love Snappis, but there are some fabrics that just don't work well with them.
Oh let the snapping begin!


Until Next Time... Happy Diapering!