:: have been cutting mountains of sheets for new skirts to put in the shop
:: little miss waiting patiently for her bath after a certain foot powder incident
:: {and} fah-REAK!! new fabric from AMH… I could kiss that lady on the mouth for being such a prolific designer
:: really — on the mouth
No one, and I mean no one, has ever said that Lizzy and I look alike. With Maren it’s another story, except that R says I win the cheek contest.
:: It’s a warm, sunny day & right now I have baguettes baking to eat with dinner tonight). They smell so good.
:: Gold strike! Embroidered mumus have been on my perpetual hunt-for list ever since Rachel at Smile & Wave fixed one up last summer. (What’s on your perpetual hunt-for list, by the way?)
:: Also found this fun little book, published in the 1960s by a guy who wanted to preserve his grandfather’s country wisdom and know-how. Chapter titles include “Sugaring,” “Doing with Stone,” and “Indians.”
:: Heather’s Joyful Life Library! Advertising with a beautiful purpose; I hope we start seeing more projects like this on the blogosphere.
:: MM scrap pack giveaway on the Vintage Sheet Blog! Jen’s been hosting a whole month of giveaways in celebration of her one-year blogaversary. Congratulations, Jen!
:: Babies taking pretend naps in the laundry. The 3 of us had dinner at Denny’s last night (the man was in the field) and had the. best. time. Kids eat free Tues/Thurs, so it cost less than McDonald’s usually does. And with a lot less chaos.
:: Baguettes making happy crackling noises as they cool. Surely we won’t need all four for dinner…
It’s a cozy, rainy day today. The ice is melting, little by little, and signs of Spring are starting to appear, almost covertly, like they’re afraid the last bits of winter might nip ‘em in the bud (they’re right).
Fabrics all cut, packaged, and sent for the Rosey Little Bee. I’m so excited!
And one happy little chickie, all ready to splash in the mud! (She’s starting to dress herself. Love it.)
Butterfly wings and tutus were among the girls’ first requests this morning. Before breakfast, even.
We made Dorie’s Allspice Crumb Muffins yesterday, and they are delectable — hot from the oven, at room temperature, or split, toasted, and spread with jam the next morning. Whether they are equally delicious at 9:30 pm the next day may be about to be tested.
Lizzy wanted to take some birdseed outside yesterday. She put the bowl on the ground, stepped back a few paces, and shouted, a la Frog and Toad, “Hey, birds! Here’s some birdseed! You can come and eat some if you’re hungry!”
Unrelated: I about peed my pants when I saw Katrina’s post yesterday about the free images and textures available at Mellowmint and downloaded 10 zip files, which I just now remembered that I still need to organize in my desktop file.
Have a wonderful weekend!
{paper + stitches via Mikitoko}
Hi everyone! I’ve been getting some questions in my inbox lately about cloth diapering, so I thought I would go ahead and do a whole post about it.
We love cloth diapers. People do it for lots of different reasons (the environment, allergies, economics), but for us, it really just boils down to the moola. I haven’t calculated exactly how much money cloth diapering has saved us, but it’s a substantial amount.
When Lizzy was born, we spent a few weeks of experimenting with prefolds and covers. Once we decided to commit to cloth diapering, we dished out the cash for 12 one-size Bum Genius diapers, which are super easy to use. We freaking loved them and used the same 12, washing every other day, for about 2 years, no complaints whatsoever. We more than got our money out of those.
By the time Maren came along, the elastic and velcro on our trusty BGs needed replacement, so I replaced it myself, which was a royal pain in the butt (ha!), but it gave the diapers an extra year or so of life. Then a few weeks ago, our BGs started leaking, probably just because they’ve reached the end of their lives.
To replace the diapers, I decided to go with FuzziBunz one-size diapers, for one reason only: the leg elastic is both adjustable and easily removable. When it’s time to replace the elastic, you just button in a new piece, no sewing required (I feel like ripping out and sewing in new elastic in the Bum Genius diapers may have weakened the waterproof material, hence the leakage issues we’re experiencing now). I also really like the snaps; velcro gets all tangled up with everything in the wash, and I am happy not to be dealing with that anymore. I have to say that the shape of the BGs seem to fit my kids a bit better than the FBs, but ehh, it’s a trade-off.
Dirty diapers get disassembled, sprayed with Febreeze, and go in a lidded garbage can that’s lined with a nylon laundry sack. I have an HE frontloading washer; I do a full cold wash with no detergent, a “whitest whites” cycle with 1-2 scoops of Rockin’ Green, and usually an extra rinse after that. Inserts get tumble dried; the waterproof covers air dry. Everyone washes differently, and it usually requires a bit of tinkering, but there are a zillion online forums and articles out there to help you figure it out. We do use disposable wipes, as well as disposable diapers at nighttime and on vacations. I tried cloth at night, but it’s just kind of a pain.
It sounds like a lot of work, but really, once you get it figured out and do it a few times, you go on autopilot and it all becomes a no-brainer. Easy peasy.
If you are new to cloth diapering, don’t miss Cloth Diapering 101 on The Cloth Diaper Report. It’s the best resource I’ve found that explains the ins and outs (eeww) of cloth diapering in a clear, user-friendly way. There is a LOT of info out there and you could spend weeks trying to sift through it all.
More questions? Hit me…
As I was bringing up wood from the basement this morning, my heart just about melted when I looked up and saw those little girls sitting shoulder to shoulder in their jammies, “reading” their scriptures. Of course they squabble (frequently), but when it boils down to it, those two are best buddies. They love each other so much. And it makes me so happy that they are beginning to love the scriptures, too.
I feel like I did a lot of wheel-spinning today. I took both those pictures before nine o’clock this morning, and it was reassuring — after a long, wheel-spinning kind of day — to sit down to blog those photos and remember that at least I did two things right today — and maybe a few more, besides. What did you do right today?
I’ve had this little phrase written down on a piece of paper, sitting on the kitchen counter, for the past few days. Lately I just haven’t been so good at spending time with my kids, and I hoodwink myself into thinking that spending time near them is enough. Too often I hear the words “in a minute” or “Mommy’s busy” coming out of my mouth, and that never feels quite right. So this week I’m going to try a little more “yes” and “okay.” Wish me luck!
The other day, I was busy just being busy, looking around for something to do next, and the thought occurred to me — hey, why don’tcha play with the girls?
I’m ashamed to say I don’t do that enough. I like being busy. I like the illusion that running around a lot makes me important. But it doesn’t. I’m glad for the whispering to just slow down for a mo’.
I want to remember them this way forever — joyful, harmonious, content just to sit together in the sunshine, making ever-taller towers of blocks.
The past week has been a challenging one. I am coming to terms with an ongoing candida problem I have long tried to ignore. This week it came to a head and wouldn’t be ignored any longer. So after some thought, prayer, and loving encouragement, I am doing one of those whacko elimination diets for three weeks: no wheat and no sugar (including most fruits). I am also taking a probiotic supplement. I have my handsome dad’s lanky genes and have never tried to limit either of those things. Today is day two, and I’d be lying if I said it weren’t challenging, but I also have a hunch it will be very rewarding — even though my aspirations towards great bread will have to go on hold for a while.
My mom went through this exact process when she was about my age. My friend Courtney is also doing a Candida elimination diet right now, and the gals at my local health food store have been really helpful, too. It is so comforting to talk with people who have been there, done that. More than anything, I think the Lord is trying to tell me — woah there — let’s slow down and get your life in balance, little sister. So that’s what we’re working on. One building block at a time.
Just a (blurry) toy oven, right?
WRONG!
