Cabin Fever and Crafting

It is the end of February and the ground is still covered in some strange combination of snow and ice.  Strangely enough. we got all of our snow in November and February while December and January remained quite mild.  I feel like I've hit that tired-of-winter-ready-for-spring wall.  I'm so ready to plant spinach, walk in the sun and take kids to the park.  In order to beat the blues, I've decided to turn my attention to crafts at least for a couple of weeks.  So far I've already made a couple of baby presents and two toddler spring dresses and my next project will probably something like this:

Tutorial Here

I also want to make us a new library book bag as we've destroyed a couple and the others don't really work so hot.  I've made two of these bags for others but I think it is time to make one for us. 

Check out this easy tutorial

As I was making one of the toddler dresses, I had a brilliant idea for a super easy to make skirt.  A couple of days later, I saw a tutorial for the exact skirt I wanted to make.  Check it out here.

I'm also thinking of making some reusable grocery bags and some springtime kind of wreath or decoration for my front door.  Any ideas for the door? 

On Sleep and Things

A few days ago, my cousin wrote a blog post about a decision her family recently made to do something she thought she'd never do.  We had a similar situation here last week and the results have been wonderful!
As you probably know, my son never sleeps...well unless you're willing to hold him and even then...It is not abnormal for him to wake up every 2 hours or even sooner all night and then turn around and only take 3 20 minute naps the next day.  No joke.  And his bed? HA!  Don't even get me started on that.  I tried and tried to get him to sleep in his bed and sometimes I succeeded but earlier this month he woke up every. single. time. I would try and lay him down in his bed.  Out of exhaustion, I just let him sleep in his swing which he loves.
Earlier in his life, we'd tried the crying it out method twice.  Both times he screamed for at least an hour.  I decided that I wasn't a fan of the method.  It is one thing to make your child cry it out for 5 minutes but an hour?  That seemed a little extreme.  I decided that I would just wait it out.
However, out of desperation, I decided that it was time for him to learn how to sleep in his own bed even if it involved screaming.  One night a couple of weeks ago, he woke up as normal. I rocked him to sleep and then laid him back down in bed.  He immediately woke up and started screaming which was also very normal.  I told him that I loved him and climbed back into my own bed.  He screamed for an hour straight.  Finally, he started to doze off and I thought he'd given up.  But no, he dozed for 30 seconds and then screamed for 30 seconds for another hour straight.  Finally, I just accepted that I had failed and I went in and fed him and got him back to sleep.  I was kind of sad the next as I felt that he was immune even to the extreme version of  crying it out.  Boy was I wrong!  Starting the next night we heard him crying in his bed.  Aaron and I were talking so I planned on finishing my conversation before getting him up.  3 minutes later, he calmed down and put himself to sleep.  We were dumbfounded.  Ever since them, I just lay him in bed and if he wakes up, I make him cry himself back to sleep.  A few times I've even just laid him in bed when I knew he was tired and let him cry it out.  Sometimes he cries for 10 seconds and the longest he's ever cried is 15 minutes.
I still get up with him at night if he wakes up but I think he's been waking up less than he used.  Last night he only woke me up at 10:30, 12:30 and 5:30.  Do you know how wonderful it is to get to sleep for more than 3 hours in a row.  I feel so amazing that I don't even need coffee in the mornings!
I guess I write this just to say that don't say "I'll never do that."  Sometimes that is the very thing that will save your sanity.

Purple Skirt

EDIT: I just now noticed that there is a small potty in the background.  Don't you just love potty training?
I needed new skirts.  Some of the ones in my closet I've had for approximately 8 years.  No joke.  Others were stretched out.  Others out of style and some just didn't fit well.  I dragged my sister along with me to Goodwill and found one new black pencil skirt but I wanted to get at least one more without having to pay big bucks for it.  Our fabric store recently had a huge clearance sale and this material jumped out at me and I knew it was meant to be a skirt.
I'm not a fan of a lot of the current fashions but one I do like is lace.  I decided that since I dislike most of the others, my best bet for looking at least kind of in style is to embrace the little that I do like.  So here is my attempt at a purple skirt with a lace overlay.  I sort of used this tutorial.
Without further ado, I would like to present to you my purple skirt with a lace overlay.

The hardest part was the zipper and the sad thing about it was that after I put it in very poorly, I discovered that I didn't even need it as the skirt was stretchy enough that I could slip in and out of it without unzipping it.  

I can't remember exactly how much I paid for the fabric but I think it was $4 or less.  I'm pretty pleased. 

Homemade Christmas Roundup

Ah, Christmas...it feel like it all happened years ago.  I took down our tree by New Years and all the new presents have found homes around our house.  I wanted to show off a couple of handmade presents.  Maybe it will inspire you for next year.

I made these simple teacup candles for my sister Sara and my mom.  They were super simple and fairly inexpensive to make.  I bought the teacups from Goodwill and some wax and wicks from Hobby Lobby.  I melted the wax and poured it into the cups.  The best part is that they can reuse the cups when they are finished with the candles!

I made these pieces of state art for my sister-in-law.  She has lived in KY, is currently finishing up her degree at Auburn and has plans to move to TN after graduation.  I wanted her to have something to remind her of her time in both of those places.  It is hard to tell in this photo but each of the states are made out of paper covered with glitter.  It is super sparkly and cool. 

My sister Abby is a PotterHead.  What better way to represent than with a customized piece of Potter art?  I painted it in colors that match her room. 

I also made a couple of necklaces but forgot to take a picture and a drew a picture on a canvas in pencil for my sister Jubilee to paint over.  

Right now I'm launching full tilt into baby presents as I know 5 different people having a baby this year.  Stay tuned for those pictures...

On Hospitality Pt. 2

So I want to do a post on Christmas but I think I'll save that for later and do part 2 of my hospitality posts.  Christmas actually reminded me of this because my family got sick on Christmas Eve and so instead of having dinner with them, we ended up having friends over to our house.

So much of hospitality is just getting over one's self.  Seriously.  It is about humbling yourself and esteeming others better than yourself.  I'm going to keep this short and simple.

Stop worrying about yourself and how your house looks.  Work on maintaining a fairly tidy and organized home (I definitely need to work on this one) so that you don't have to stress and run around cleaning like a madwoman before guests come.  If they do see you with a messy house, who cares?  The point is to provide a loving and welcoming home not to be the model of perfection.

Do you have a small house?  This one takes some creativity.  We live in a house that is barely over 1000 square feet but we try not to let that stop us from having guests over.  One way we try to solve this problem is by planning on having over larger families during the spring or fall so that we can eat outside on our deck and spread out.  Just remember that your guests want to spend time with you and with each other and might not mind to be squashed together.  You can also plan hospitality away from your house such as organizing a picnic at a park or inviting others to go caroling outdoors.

Preparing food for a bunch or even a few people can be daunting especially if you do not consider yourself a good cook.  I love to cook so this isn't really a fear that I have.  Here are a few tips that I have:
1. Ask your guests about any potential allergies.
2. Be unafraid of people's allergies or eating styles.  I used to be afraid of inviting over a family that primarily ate organic and vegetarian.  It turns out that they while they eat rather selectively at home, they are totally willing to eat just about whatever we served them.  Also the internet is your best friend for gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian recipes.
3.  Ask your guests to bring food.  There is no need for you to be the ones to cook everything.
4.  If cooking is really not your thing, order a pizza and throw some dressing on a bag of salad.  The goal is not to impress but to share and love your neighbors.
5.  Plan in advance.  Do NOT wait till the last minute to figure out what is for dinner.  The crockpot is great for guests since you can make up your food hours before.

Just as the task of preparing for guests can be overwhelming, cleaning up can also be scary.  Don't be afraid of using paper plates and plastic cups.  I love having guests but I used to hate the clean-up the day after the dinner party.  Throwaway dinnerware saved us!  Now we have a dishwasher and it isn't a big problem.

At the end of the day, just keep in mind that hospitality is about you loving a neighbor.  It is not about showing off, performing, or making everybody happy all the time.  True humble hospitality is radical in today's world and a great way to advance God's kingdom.

I originally meant this to be more in depth and eloquent but my child is screaming...again.  Excuse me while I work on dying to self and showing hospitality to my baby.

5 Months + 1 Week

I haven't forgotten about my blog, really.  Since my last post, I've written approximately 3 more posts in my head.  The problem is actually having the time, free hands, and motivation to write them up.  Here is a quick update on my baby boy.  I like to keep track of my children on here because this is essentially my journal.

Don't worry, my hand was supporting his back. 

He weighs approximately 18 lbs. 

He is exclusively breastfed.  We'll hopefully start solids sometime after 6 months. 

While he has slept through the entire night in the past, he spent most of the time between 4-5 months waking up 4 + times a night.  Yes, talk about walking zombie mommy.  As of this Sunday  night, he seems to have remembered that he is capable of sleeping and has only been waking up around twice a night.  

He is super good at grabbing things.  He managed to grab a paper off of the fridge the other day as we walked by it. 

Right at the 5 months mark, he learned to roll from his tummy to his back.  He triumphantly refuses to do tummy time. 

A couple of days before he turned 5 months, he got his first tooth!  I couldn't believe it.  Today, I noticed his second tooth is starting to come in.  

He loves to snuggle and stinks at self-soothing.  I rock him or nurse him to sleep every single time.  

He still has nights where he refuses to sleep in his bed.  Sometimes I'll let him scream for 10 minutes before picking him up and yet he can go back to sleep within 30 seconds of me holding him.  On those nights, I just give in and let him sleep in his swing.  The only problem is that he is almost too big for his swing.  

He is very much in 6-9 month clothing.  

He thinks his big sister is the most interesting and hilarious person that ever lived.  

On Hospitality

I recently read this book:

I neither loved it nor hated so don't necessarily rush out to buy it.  If you really want to read it, I'll be happy to lend you my copy.  I don't plan on rereading it though I will probably continue to use some of the recipes.  

The point is that this book got me thinking about hospitality.  One of the main points of the book was that practicing hospitality is an essential part of life.  This didn't surprise me as we regularly have people over.  However, it did get me thinking about other people's hospitality or lack thereof.  I'm an extrovert and I grew up in a family that was always inviting people over so it is no surprise that I love to show hospitality.  Reading this made me realize that this not everybody is made this way.  Big surprise, I know.  

Anyways, it made me hope that everybody who is reading this blog (yes, all 3 of you) is consciously making an effort to show hospitality.  In an effort to encourage you, I want to do a miniseries on hospitality and what works for us.  I am not a pro in any way, shape or form, but I have learned a thing a two along from my mom.  So first let me start with my biggest weakness and we'll move on from there.  

I suck at making things fancy.  Seriously.  Serving bowls?  What is this thing you speak of? What is wrong with just spooning out gravy from a saucepan?  One of the biggest deterrents here is that I lack a dishwasher. Fortunately, this will soon be remedied!!!!!!!!!!!!! My mom always made holidays super and special occasions so memorable and pleasant to look at.  She is can lay a mean looking table.  

This is a picture of the dinner we had the last night Sara was home this fall.  We're just having meatloaf and jello but it looks beautiful.  How does she do this?  I was born too much a Martha and am totally lacking in the Mary department.  

Now that I've fessed up, feel free to share your biggest tips and secrets to making something memorable and fancy.