Kylie's new sundress

Doesn't she look beautiful...

I got the tutorial here!

It was super easy and took about an hour (just like it says). I will be making one for Addy next.

Speaking of Addy...look who is cruising...

Egg-o-licious

We didn't have to dye Easter eggs this year....

Why you ask?

Because Mrs. Jocelyn gave me some naturally dyed eggs from her very own chickens! Peach, Brown, Blue and Cream!

Drooling yet? Well you would be if you tasted one of these bad boys. They are DELICIOUS!

And the winner is...

The winner of the It's a "green" giveaway is......

#15 Amy.

Now Amy...I know a lot of Amy's and I am not sure which Amy this is so please please please let me know who you are and how I can get this to you...

Congrats Amy!

In case you were wondering I used Random.org to determine the winner

"Maaaaammmmmaaaa, I'm bored"

We have had some NICE weather the past week so the kids have been FORCED to play outside.

Today, on the other hand, is not so nice...

Mommy needed a quick craft and by quick I mean it should have been done 2 hours ago. So I thought and thought and BINGO, Sock puppets!

This took all of 10 minutes to make. Just grab some old mismatched socks (notice Coopers has 'hanes" written on it) and go to town. We used some scrapes of felt and yarn. Now, craft glue doesn't dry quick enough for the kids or me so we got out the hot glue gun.

Meet "Abigail" and "Cooper" (so original)


The kids then had a little puppet show for us!! How fun. So go enjoy yourself some sock puppets today!

Do it yourself curtain

So I have this problem....

This is what you see when you walk in the door...

I know it's embarasing. Know that I did have an ugly shower curtain hanging before this. When I say ugly, I pretty much cut the bottom off and hung it up. GROSS. I love the shelves and I don't have doors for them yet so I needed a quick fix.

It has been bothering me because who wants to see all this junk when they walk in. NO ONE..not me..not no one!

So I had to do something about it...like last week and I had this IDEA.

Here it is friends. A little tutorial for you. A tutorial for a "do it yourself curtain" AKA: Junk cover!

1. Measure the area you need to cover. (I cannot remember my exact measurements). Find some pretty fabrics you like (get a few different colors/patterns) and buy the length you need. I bought 2 yards but probably only needed 1 1/2 yards.
2. Cut you fabrics in half length wise to create strips.
   
3. Then sew the strips together (like sides) to create a pattern using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.
4. Now you need to create casing at the top for the bar. (mine is hung on a curtain rod). Fold fabric down about 1 1/2 inches, iron and sew.
5. Then hem the bottom and wallah you have yourself a curtain.

Now tell me that doesn't look better. Yes I know I still need to clean up the top of washer but you don't see my piles of pots and pans anymore. YEAH. I now feel happy when I walk in the door instead of overwhelmed.

And with the left over fabric, I made some bonnets for the girls (thank Hannah)! Tell me these aren't the cutest little things you have ever seen. Reminds me of Holly Hobby!

It's a "green" GIVEAWAY people!

I have been following this blog for a few years now. It has been a great resource for me as I strive to live a more "green" lifestyle. They post almost every day and I feel like I know these girls...really!

Well, they wrote a book. Yes, that book...right down there and asked for a few readers to do a review for them. Guess what, I was one of them. So here we go.
Likes:

1. I know this is so petty but I love the art work. It is super cute and I have a thing for owls.
2. It is very very very VERY and did I say VERY practical for the every day mom who is striving to "go green". So many times, new "green" mom's get totally overwhelmed by the the whole thing. These girls slowly lead you into being more green. They have also broken it up into some simple categories for you to refer to.
   
3. Did you know I am pretty frugal. Yes, me! I have a difficult time spending money and am always looking for a way to save a penny. LOTS of ideas in here. Not only are you saving money but saving the environment. I wish I had this guide when I was "gearing" up to have my first baby. I, like many other new mom's, was sucked into the "you HAVE to have this" mentality. This book totally breaks it down for you...what you need and what you don't. Plus, they show you how to save on what you need.
   
4. The cloth diaper debate is always a hot topic. These girls do a great job at winning that debate fair and square. The charts on how much money cloth diapering saves you prove their point. I will be referring to this in the future for new mom's who aren't sure which way to go.
   
5. Great chapter on cloth diapers. I know I am bias towards cloth diapering but seriously, this has to be one of the best "cloth diapering 101's" that I have ever seen. I love how they describe each type of diaper and even give diagrams as to how to cloth diaper a baby.
6. Food! Even though I am now feeding baby #3, I still need new recipes. I forget what you should be feeding the baby at what time. There are some great recipes and guidelines that have been very helpful over the past few weeks for me.
7. Love how they end the book. "Ten simple things you can do for the planet right now (and four difficult ones). I thought I knew it all but there are a few things I can do better.
   

Dislikes:

1. I will start by saying, this book rocks. I really really enjoyed it and have learned a few things. I also didn't expect them to cover EVERY topic out there so here a just a few suggestions...
   
2. Breastfeeding. I wish when I started nursing all those years ago someone had encouraged me to nurse my baby until she was ready to stop. Now don't get me wrong, I did but I never really felt like anyone supported me. All the books I read said, "nurse your baby for at least 6 months and up to a year". After I hit that year point, it felt like everyone was looking down on me for nursing my baby...like it was gross or something. That being said, I would have really like a little more focus put on breastfeeding. They totally did talk about it being more green and beneficial but didn't talk about extended nursing much. One of the author's did nurse well over a year but I would have liked them to talk more about child-lead weeing and the benefits of it.
   
3. What about postpartum depression or the baby blues? Natural ways to help with these and when it is time to talk to the doc. Yes, I know this isn't a "green" issue but I do feel like we over medicate at times and I have spent lots of my own time looking for some natural ways to help with depression.
   
4. Would have loved a little more on the baby food thing. Reviews on food processors?

So that's it...

Now for the fun part!

Would you like a copy of this book? Here's how you can win one. You can enter up to five times!! Just leave a separate comment each time.

1. Leave a comment stating how YOU have become more green since having a baby (or becoming pregnant).
2. Visit the green baby guide, take a look around and let me know you did so.
3. Follow my blog...
4. Write about this giveaway on your blog and link me the post
   
5. Link this giveaway on facebook or twitter.

I will pick a winner by next Monday (March 22nd) and post the results here! Good luck my friends!!

Foto Friday...not my kid this time

This is a friends baby. He is super duper cute and I had the privilege of taking his pictures yesterday. Sleeping babies rock!!!

and oh how I love baby feet

Just too sleepy to post today...

But I have a good read for you all...

Go on over to Tillaboro Orchard to read about religion. Yes, I said religion. Not like...go to church stuff but good old fashion faith.

If I wake up, I will share with my review of a great book (sounds a little bias doesn't it?).

And a pictures of my little Addy in her Aunt Molly's dress (yes, she wore it herself 34 years ago)...

Good eats

I love a good salad. Who doesn't?

My favorite salad is from here and it is just their basic house salad...full of romaine, oranges, almonds, and topped with honey mustard dressing.

So tonight I was craving the above salad but I had no oranges or almonds or honey mustard dressing so I was out of luck. I was on the phone with a friend when she suggested adding some pears to my salad, so I did. Then I remembered this fancy super easy cheese I made the other day. Hmmmm I made a good one.

So here it is...

Romaine lettuce
Fresh pear slices
Lemon Cheese (thanks to Joce for the recipe)
Heat milk to 170 and add 1/4 cup lemon juice. Stir until it curds. Drain with cheese cloth, stir in some seasoning (I used garlic salt).
Low Fat Honey Dijon Dressing from Wegmans.

It was delicious!!! Really really really delicious!

Now, share with me your favorite salad recipes. I need some new ones!! So..leave a comment for me with your creations!!!

Foto Friday...again

The little one in the house decided it may be time to push out a tooth...finally! She was not the happiest kid on the block yesterday and then this morning that silly little tooth decided to DISAPPEAR! Really...I kid you not. There is no sign of it!

And this boy decided to get pink eye. You cannot see the start of it in this pic but trust me, later on it got really really really gross and I am talking about hours later this kid couldn't open his right eye! Alas, another doctor's call and a quick fix!!

My little angel girl...she really was a good one this week ;o) well maybe not all week

Last but not least...DO YOU SEE THE SUN. Well maybe not but I swear it was out ALL DAY YESTERDAY! We are heading to the zoo today to soak up some more Vitamin D!

Cover that up!!

I don't know about you but nursing covers bother me. They just do! For this reason, I really only use it in certain places...the mall, church, and other populated areas. I actually never owned one until Addy came around and the only reason I got one was because it was super cheap. No matter how I hold it, Addy always finds a way to pull it off! Do you blame her? Who wants to eat under a blanket. But being that we live in a culture where nursing mama's "should" cover up (at certain times), I do cover up. Read more about "nipplephobia" here.

Anyways, I ran into a mama who makes the worlds best nursing covers. REALLY. These are awesome and I will tell you why. They are not like your typical "hooter hider" where the baby can rip it off of their head every 20 seconds. These cover you ALL THE WAY AROUND! They are poncho style and have to be more stylish than my everyday clothes.


Well, this super creative mama gave me one to try out (she gave me the one above). I figured Addy would find a way the pull this over her head but I am telling you, she cannot! The neck opening is big enough for her to reach up to my face and it is long enough so that she cannot pull it over her head. Not only is it childproof, it hides everything and I mean everything. You know how uncomfortable you can be with people staring at your "back fat" while you are nursing? Well, not with this. It covers you all the way around. There is no being discrete underneath this cover!!

Anyways, head on over to her etsy shop and take a look around. She has some super cute fabrics...my favorite is the swirly black and white one with the cute collar. Let me know what you think of these!!

Now, next week I will be doing a great giveaway so keep checking back!!!