Baby Bear Inspiration Board

Here is the look that I am going for with this little one, regardless of gender. Something soft and calming with small pinches of red here and there. I don't want too much of a theme, but want to subtlety convey a Northern inspired nursery. I have a white crib and changing table already, as well as a glider from Melissa that is going to get a small makeover to go with all the white! First order of business is to get painting!! Here are where all the good are from:

1. Moose Toy from Ikea- $4.99
2. Bear Nightlight from Target- $12.34 (already own)
3. Bookshelf from Ikea- $59.99
4. Moose Knob/Hook Rack from Ikea- $19.99
5. Sheepskin Rug from Ikea- $39.99
6. 11x14 Recycled Forest Friends Poster from ArtandPhilanthropy on Etsy- $28.00
7. Red Bird Dream Ring from blaba- $52.00
8. Mini 4 Drawer Chest from Ikea- $2.99
9. Blue Star Wall Lamp from Ikea- $9.99

Paint colors- Pool and Navy from Serena & Lily, Raspberry Red from Pottery Barn by Benjamin Moore

I am sure I will be adding to this, but that is the general gist of it! Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Sew Easy

I have been taking a little crafting sabbatical in lieu of nausea and extreme drowsiness during prime crafting hours (aka after bedtime). But I think that I am ready to get back into the swing of things now that I am starting to get some direction for the new baby's room.

I loathe baby nurseries that are all cutesy and cartoony, like most baby sheets, bedding sets, and nursery decor is. I envision a nursery that is calming where I can expand a theme easily or change it just as easily. One project that I am going to work on this summer is making my own set of sheets for Little Bear's crib. (Another reason for this is that we have absolutely no sheets for a crib anymore!)

Well browsing through my normal set of blogs and websites I came across this AWESOME and EASY tutorial on how to make your own crib sheets. YAY! Now I don't have to spend an obscene amount of money on sheets that fit my style.

This tutorial by MADE is so user friendly, I am fully prepared to make a ton of these... Who knew that making your own crib sheets would be so easy?

The List 5.11.10

Hi All! Did everyone have a good Mother's Day? I got to laze about which is all I want to do these days... hopefully I will get some energy back soon!

Since it seems that our holiday season is going to be busier than usual I am shopping around early! I think I am going to get all the kids a growth chart to share, I love this one!

Miss Gabby seems to have a problem losing her bento supplies and her silverware at school lunch time... I am thinking that maybe this pretty picnic rollup set will help remind her when something is missing!

I am not really a crib mobile type of girl, but I am loving the idea of a dream ring, similar to a dream catcher. I am smitten with this pretty cardinal one that is hand knit, especially since that is Grandma GG's favorite bird and will have a special meaning by Christmas.

Although I have never made my own jam or eaten flowers before, it may be just my pregger hormones talking, but I realllllly want to make some of this yummy Violet Honey Jam!

Hopefully we will be back to beach season and gathering treasures that we find like shells and pretty stones. I love this easy peasy way of displaying rocks and photos with just some simple floral wire!

One of my "must-have" baby items is the Wubanub pacifier and I am thinking that my little winter baby is going to get this one...

Even though I love using non-disposable water bottles, one problem that I have with them is how much room they take up when empty. This awesome company solved that problem and I will be ordering us a set very soon. (Love the colors too!!!)

Finally, I am starting to gather ideas for the baby's room since my goal is to get it done by August before school starts. I think that we are going to go with a winter theme, polar bears, calming Northern Skies, etc. I love love love this print if this is another little girl!

Well that is all folks, hopefully it is warmer where you are than here! Send some of that sunshine my way please and have a great night!

Happy Mothers Day!

Here are some of my favorite photos of being a mommy! 

I love knowing that if they are hurt or upset it is me that can make them better,

that they think I can make and do anything,

that I have the power to grow a new little person,

and that I am lucky enough to have these two little wonderful beings in my life.

Right now Gabby is drawing pictures of me,

most likely zombie pictures with strawberries because she knows that it makes me smile. 

I definitely was made for this!

Pregnant with Gabby, about 7 months along!

Pregnant with AJ, 35 weeks....

Brand new Gabby

AJ's last day in the NICU

I can't wait for these next 6 months to go by and meet this new little one....

another set of arms hugging me, 

another face to kiss at night,

another little person who thinks I am a superhero...

pretty cool huh?

Happy Mothers Day to all the moms to be, veteran moms, step-moms, and 

moms who have lost their little ones...

Once a mother, always a mother.

♥

One Year Ago

Omg, one year ago my baby had NO hair! Lol! 

I can see how much Gabby has grown in the last year, she seems so big now...

Oh my how time has gone!
And to think that next year we will have another smiling face to add to our albumns...

sigh...

I think I am started to get excited about this!

Irony 101

Last week Gabby had her appointment with an allergist after having a massive reaction at a friends house where there are two dogs in residence. Mind you, we have a dog and this is someone whose house we have been to many times.  It sucked watching her face get all red, see her eyes just get these dark circles under them, and knowing that we needed to leave FAST.

We have known for quite a while that Gabby has allergies but didn't find out the specifics because I was too afraid that it might be cats. Selfish, I know. But when her Singular (topped off with Benedryll everyday) wasn't keeping the sneezing watery eyes at bay I knew it was time to get this figured out.

I did a little bit of research before hand, asked her teacher if she was sneezy at school, kept a mental list of where we were that she reacted badly to, and hoped that my suspicions were wrong... really hoped. However, the allergy tests confirmed my worst fears.... a +4 allergy to cats on a scale of 1-5.

See all that red on the left side? All indoor allergens...great...

After talking to the allergist about a plan he added Nasonex to the med plan, but the bottom line is that we have to reduce our feline family. Unfortunately one of the largest offenders is Prince, our Siamese mix. For some reason Siamese and breeds related to them are the worst for people with allergies, they shed the most, and at least in Prince's case- are so friendly that they are EVERYWHERE. I knew as soon as her back exploded that some hard decisions were going to have to be made. 

To some people their pets are something to take care of, to others they are family members who get their own stockings at Christmas and Easter eggs on Easter. This news is like Steve Irwin had a kid that was allergic to the zoo or the Dog Whisperer had a kid allergic to dogs.... Cats are a constant source of amusement, joy, and comfort to both me and the girls. (Lucky for us Gabby only scored a +2 for dogs... Spooky is  ok as long as she gets brushed, baths, and stays out of the girl's room) But there is no way that I can bathe 4 cats 2 times a week each, keep them out of the upstairs, or make it so that Gabby's meds have a chance to work without finding new homes for two of our guys.

Since Prince is the main problem we are going to rehome him and his best friend Bo. They will be adopted together, hopefully I can find a home with kids since they both love being around children. What is nice is that they are dog friendly too.... but it still sucks. Gabby is upset of course but is also sick of sneezing all the time. Her only concern was keep Dottie, who is still really young and can be trained to stay out of the bedroom. The doctor said that if we can give the medicine a chance to work then a drastic reduction might be enough to keep her comfortable on medicine. The other cat, Tuck, is mine and 12 years old.... there is no way I can part with him. 

Ugh.... even with a plan in mind this still sucks royally and I hope that with everything else we are doing we can get this under control. That is the 411 on Miss Gabby and her nasty allergies... wish me luck!

Top 10 Must Haves for a New Baby

Now that the shock has worn off that indeed we are having another baby I am trying to remember what things we had for the girls that we loved and what things we thought were complete crap. Since we thought that we were done having kids I had mistakenly given away almost all of our baby things, the only things I had left were the Pack N Play and the stroller....so let the shopping begin! As a veteran mom I think I have tried lots of items and found that even with babies- less is ok. There are some things that are nice but not a necessity!

My Top 10 Must Haves for a New Baby

10. Warm car seat cover- my favorite is the J.J. Cole Original Bundle Me. It is cold 9 months out of the year here and most snow suits for newborns are way to big. This is perfect for keeping baby warm and cozy!

9. For disposable diapers we love our Diaper Champ! No clue why more people don't use it over the Diaper Genie.... no refill bags to buy and it smells wayyyy less than our Diaper Genie did. Did I mention not having to buy refills for it?

8. Soothie Pacifiers- Gabby was a total binky baby while AJ hated them and preferred to suck on her favorite Tshirt (ick!). I love the ones that are attached to little Beanie Babies for the babies to hold onto called Wubbanubs. This little Brown Bear is my pick for our little snowflake!

7. A good and versatile Sound Machine- We have this one from Target. Not the most expensive brand, but have had it for almost 3 years and the girls love falling asleep to the sound of rain every night.

6. Ameda Breast Pump- looooved my dual electric pump! I tried the Medala and for some reason the suction wasn't as good and I had a large supply so I know it wasn't me. Along with the pump I highly suggest these storage bags, a nursing cover for those public feedings, and some of this awesome nibble rub!  (Psst: You can make it yourself, she has the recipe listed here!)

5. A lambskin or sheepskin rug to have tummy time on. This is something new for me, but my good friend Melissa swears by it for keeping babies content. There are tons and tons of places to get them online as well!

4. The Bumbo- AJ loved hers and I think that having one with a tray is really useful for playtime!

3. A Travel Swing- We didn't use the swing for too long and I hated how big and bulky the full size ones were. I loved having a swing though and will be getting a travel swing for this little one to keep the benefits without the bulk!

2. I have tried many many diapers bags and one of the only ones that I really liked was my Skip Hop Duo diaper bag! It holds a lot, doesn't scream "I have a baby and can only have cutesy bags!", and it attaches to any stroller easily!

1. A Baby Sling or Baby Wrap! I think that out of all of these this is one of the most important. Baby wearing is proven to keep babies calmer, is so much more convenient than lugging around strollers, and there is a style for everyone. I prefer the Moby Wrap which is essentially 6 yards of fabric that you wrap different ways to suit the baby.

Hope this helps all you mamas to be out there, at least writing it jogged my memory with things I loved!

Grills Gone Wild

I got the fabulous idea to turn an old grill from trash to something useful from here.... loving the results! Plus my hubby pointed out that it is sort of ironic that I am using a grill to grow carrots...lol. I can't wait to fill up the condiment tray and other places on it with flowers so it doesn't look so out of place!!

Hot and Not

There are so many things throughout the day that really catches my interest and at the same time there are lots of things that seriously piss me off! Here is today's Hot and Not:

Hot:

* 31 cent Scoop Night at Baskin Robbins! (Us preggos looooove ice cream, and cheap ice cream is even better!)

* Another great Regretsy find: Tie Dyed shorts gone HORRIBLY wrong, lol! Check the post out here =)

* Finding 50 Things that Elementary School Kids can make for their Teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week.... tons and tons of great ideas there!

* This Peanut Butter Pie....mmmmm

* Participating as a vendor at Fair On the Square yesterday at Playhouse Square, what a great experience and a wonderful venue for Usborne Books! 

* Love this little girl's bedroom... so many cute ideas there!

Not: 

* These two Anti-Abortion bills that passed in Oklahoma today.... wrong on so many levels of wrongness....

* Hello Kitty Nipple Tassels....need I say more?

* Articles like this one that grossly misunderstand what unschooling is truly about... pure ignorance and blind trust in the main stream system to educate our kids...ugh! I especially love the articles that claim that unschooling parents are lazy and unconcerned about their children...WTF!

* Sabres getting their rears handed to them by the Bruins... hopefully they golf better than they play hockey!

Mmmmmm Rainbow Cake

I just found this cake and looooooove how pretty and colorful it looks! Wouldn't this be a perfect cake for a Mother's Day celebration or a special birthday???

(image and recipe via Birthday Girl,originally posted here!)

Rainbow Cake
White Cake (but not really)
2 sticks (226 g) butter, room temp
2 1/3 c (466 g) sugar
5 egg whites, room temp
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 c (375 g) flour
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 1/2 c (355 g) milk, warmed for 30 sec in microwave to bring to room temp
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple GEL food coloring. Liquid will not be vibrant enough!

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Oil and line how ever many 9” cake pans you have (I have three and I just reused them).

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Cream the sugar and butter, then add the egg whites (I cracked them all into one bowl) and add them a little at a time. Add the vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Then, alternating between wet and dry, add the milk and flour mixture in two parts.

Divide the batter amongst 6 bowls (I did it by weight. Weigh your mixing bowl before you begin adding ingredients and then subtract the weight of the bowl from the final measurement after the batter is completed. Divide that number by six and add that weight of batter to each bowl), and then whisk a fair amount of the appropriate food color into each bowl. Pour into the pans and bake for 15 minutes each.

When you remove them from the oven, let them rest on the cooling rack, in the pan, for ten minutes. Then flip, cover, and stash them in the fridge to cool quickly.
Lemony Swiss Meringue Buttercream

To fill and crumb coat:
9 egg whites
1 ¾ c (350 g) sugar
4 sticks (532 g) of butter, room temp
2 tsp lemon extract

To frost:
5 egg whites
1 c (200 g) sugar
2 sticks (226 g) butter, room temp
1 tsp lemon extract

Cook the egg whites and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved (test by rubbing some between your fingers. If it's completely smooth, it's done). Pour into another bowl (a stand mixer is preferable) and whip on high speed until room temp. Then, on a medium-slow speed, add the butter, waiting until each piece is completely incorporated before adding the next. After all the butter has been added, turn the mixer back to high speed and whip until it has come together, about five minutes. Add the extract, beat briefly and then use.

If the buttercream seems soupy after all of the butter is added and does not come together after whipping, refrigerate for 5 to 7 minutes and continue whipping until it becomes fluffy and workable.