Hello again

Okay - so I guess I couldn't stay away for long.  Now that I've taken a break this past month, I think I have realized what was making me feel so overwhelmed with the blog.  I was struggling to come up with things to write about - without sounding too rehearsed.    I've realized I want to change it up a little.  Instead of posting about random things, I think I'll stick to my sewing projects. I'm not very good at coming up with my own, but I do like sharing great tutorials I've found or great pattern shops or sales going on.  I may be a little sporadic with my posting since I'm not a fast seamstress, but you'll probably see a few posts a month.  I've also toyed with the idea of opening an Etsy shop to sell a few things.  Let me know if that sounds like a good idea. 
Thanks!

Maybe later

You may have noticed that I haven't been posting lately.  I've decided to take a break from blogging.  I really enjoyed doing it for a while, but I've decided there are more important ways I want to spend my time.
Thanks for reading.

Hiking with kids

I don't have much going on lately - at least not anything blogworthy.  But I thought I'd share a few tips I found helpful recently.

My family loves to go out hiking.  We slacked off last year but that was my fault - being pregnant made me a little lazy and uncomfortable.  But now that my cute baby is getting bigger we've started going out again.  Let me tell you something - hiking with kids can be super fun, or a royal pain.  The fun part - seeing the kids get all excited about the little things.  The not so fun part - dealing with accidents or stubborn kids.  Here's some tips I find helpful when dealing with kids (of all ages) so it isn't a bad experience.

1 - Take lots of water and have the kids carry their own.  I've found they drink more if they're carrying it themselves.  You can construct a simple sling or go all out and get them a backpack.  Have them carry either a waterbottle (cheap throw-away bottles are the lightest, or Nalgene makes great ones for kids) or a bladder like this one:

 2 - Snacks to keep everyone happy and moving (bribe them!)  Let's face it - we all get hungry when we exercise so take more than you think you'll need, plus some for the car ride home.  Several things we like are: fruit snacks, raisins, nuts, granola bars (remember my homemade ones?), string cheese, oranges, apples, dried fruit and my new favorite item - frozen gogurts!  I hadn't ever tried this one before, but on our hike a couple weeks ago I threw in a few frozen ones and we ate them on the way down the mountain and boy were they yummy!

3 - Dress accordingly.  This includes making sure everyone has good shoes and socks.  No need to buy fancy hiking shoes - just something sturdy that will stay on.  If you're like me and hate shoes unless it's snowing outside, buy socks that aren't too thick or try out a pair of Chacos (pricey, but comfy).  Also, try to wear clothing that isn't cotton - athletic shorts and shirts keep you from getting too hot or cold if you happen to get wet along the way.  One other tip - put extra clothes in the car for those kids who might enjoy finding the water or mud along the way.

4 - Prepare for the sun by wearing sunscreen and hats.  You may want that awesome tan, but your kids don't need it.  And the other side of this - prepare for rain.  Bring jackets or ponchos if you suspect there might be any chance of it raining.

5 - Make it fun by adding games.  You could play I Spy, go on a scavenger hunt, sing silly songs, make up stories based on what you see, take binoculars, or take pictures along the way of cool things you find.  I am constantly asking "are you having fun" along the way and I can instantly tell if we need a break by how they respond - or don't respond because they're tired.

6 - Plan for all the other things.  Get a front carrier for an infant, a kid hauler for a toddler, and either some rope or a kid leash (my son has a monkey he likes to wear that has a leash for a tail) for your other children.  Take toilet paper, kleenex, a good first aid kit, hand sanitizer, chapstick, a pocket knife, a whistle, and anything else you might need - for me it includes diapers, baby wipes, a mat to lay the babe down on, baggies for the diapers, bottles, formula, extra clothes, etc.

And one final thing - don't forget your camera!

Yumprint

I am addicted to Pinterest - like look at it several times a day (or more) addicted.  Want to see what I pin?  Check me out here:  

You'll find that I love sewing tutorials, cleaning tips, and occasionally funny quotes or videos like this one:

 

Anyway, I found another website that I am really starting to like (and just for the record - I was not asked or paid by anyone to write this - I genuinely found this website on my own).  Don't worry, this one hasn't become as addictive as Pinterest, but it has come in handy this past week.

It's called

  The reason I like this new website for recipes instead of putting them on Pinterest is I can view the recipe right from yumprint!  Before I was scrolling through all the recipes I've saved, going to the website, saving them or emailing them to myself to print out later, or never getting around to making them at all.  Now I save the recipe to my cookbook then I pull it up easily on my Nook (not the best device with some websites - but this one works!).  I have also started rating the recipe if I try it.  Another cool thing you can do which I haven't done yet is plan out your meal calendar.  How cool is that!  And just in case you're one of those people who think this will drive people away from your food blog or Pinterest page, think again.  Once you've started using yumprint you can go back to things like Pinterest or your favorite food blog, find a recipe, and then a link to save it on yumprint will magically appear on the page.  (Okay, it's not magic.  But it still fun to think it might be)  Go try it out here then let me know what you think!  I'd love to follow your cookbook so let me know if you have an account.  Happy cooking!

Simple Pillow Covers

About a month ago or so my sister asked me if I would sew some pillow covers for her.  I started out pinning the fabric around the pillow, but soon realized I was taking to much time to do a really simple thing.  So I started over.  I found a simple tutorial to follow (thank you Pinterest - again!) HERE then set about making them.  The pillows were 19 inches so I cut 20 inch squares (plus the 5 extra inches to make the fold in the back).  I don't own a serger so I just zig-zagged around the edges to make sure she could wash them without having to deal with them fraying on the inside. 

 

 

I just love the fabric she chose - yellow and gray is my personal favorite right now!  The fabric was thick home decor fabric which was perfect for covering pillows when you don't want to sew a zipper or button closure.  Maybe I'll actually make some of my own someday!

Baby shoes

I rarely buy baby shoes because let's face it - they constantly fall off and babies grow out of them way too fast!  But when I found a few easy tutorials to make my own I decided it was time to do it.  My little girlie wore them with her Easter clothes and I am proud to say they stayed on the entire time!

 I ended up combining 2 different patterns - one from Fleeting Thing and one from Crazy Little Projects.  They aren't perfect, but for my first pair I'm still pretty proud of them.  Next time I'll actually do the ruffles since I really love how they look!