The Ten Year Challenge
5 years ago
Friday, April 30, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
What a wonderful feeling...
I can now work on other things in the house! Laundry is caught up!!! Yay! Yes I have a few things in there to wash, but I really would like to wait until I get more of a load together (to save time and energy). Did I mention I love my front loader washer and dryer? It seems that I can get more of my laundry done with these in my house. We bought them just over a year ago and there is not a day goes by that I don't enjoy them... they were worth every penny we paid. I did notice that my electric bill also dropped by 75.00. They use 21 gallons of water, not the 40+ gallons that a regular washer and dryer normally uses. They also spin so dry that you can tell they are only "damp" and not as soaked and this also helps with the electric bill because you are not using your dryer as much (the clothes are almost dry!!). Yes I will probably have 1 load of whites and one other load tomorrow, but much easier to upkeep the clothes situation and not have a "Mount Washmore" (terminology from the "FlyLady").
Even though I have thrown 4 extra loads in this week just washing up baby clothes to get them stored and ready for Gracie, I have kept all of the clothes up and ready for the family.
Now, I also like to line dry, though with line drying I find that the clothes are sometimes very "stiff" when coming off the line. I have found a venture around that! I have switched to Tide HE with a touch of Downy, I also use another dose of Downy, and after I hang them out and pull them down they are still very soft and pliable, not like they were before! I also like the smell of the clothes while hanging them out to dry, where before I could not smell everything. I use the double Downy because I find my water is sometimes really hard- well water and a water softener too boot!
Friday, April 23, 2010
Create a "BABIES" Slideshow for your little one!
Click on the photo above and go try it! I'd love to hear what you think about creating your own "BABIES" slide show!!! Remember, the more clicks, the better the chances of me winning baby products!!!
Here's a sample of what I put together for Gracie, since my "baby" is now 8 years old!
Come back Tuesday and we will have some other new and exciting things to share pertaining to the BABIES movie!!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
My Craig's list finds
Today's Blog was brought to you for a total of $15.00. Yup, that's right! Just curious, I tend to watch Craig's list for my local area. They have a babies section; and that's where I found these deals! They had several different "bags" that were set up, girls 0-24 month, boys the same, as well as others. Fortunately for us, I found this about 10 minutes after they were posted, so I guess the early bird got the worm!
I brought home 2 13 gallon trash bags and went to work sorting everything out. Everything was washed after going through and folded into age groups, and even though there were a few that have stains on them, I don't think I could have bought the 5 receiving blankets or even the onsies for the $5.00 that I used to purchase the bags for! I'll be putting the bigger clothes into storage for future use.
On another find through the same posting, I found this Boyd Bears crib set. It came with a diaper hanger, nursery light, the head padding and bumper pads, dust ruffle, crib sheet, and the comforter. Asking price was $10.00!
I'll be looking for more deals like these... Can't wait to start hitting the yard sales! I thought that I should share this on Earth day, give others ideas that they can use to not only save money, but to help preserve and recycle.
I brought home 2 13 gallon trash bags and went to work sorting everything out. Everything was washed after going through and folded into age groups, and even though there were a few that have stains on them, I don't think I could have bought the 5 receiving blankets or even the onsies for the $5.00 that I used to purchase the bags for! I'll be putting the bigger clothes into storage for future use.
On another find through the same posting, I found this Boyd Bears crib set. It came with a diaper hanger, nursery light, the head padding and bumper pads, dust ruffle, crib sheet, and the comforter. Asking price was $10.00!
I'll be looking for more deals like these... Can't wait to start hitting the yard sales! I thought that I should share this on Earth day, give others ideas that they can use to not only save money, but to help preserve and recycle.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
You get what you need; not what you want..
Miracles happen... When you are down and feel like you are out, or when everything seems to be going well, and I have learned that god answers prayers.
Things in life happen for a reason. God does not give you situations or things in your life without love and support from him and the close people in your life. I think that sometimes the rocks in the road are there to help you find the footprints in the sand and that sometimes those rocks are signs that you need to look back and see them. Soon enough you will learn to trust and give thanks frequently, not whenever life is turned upside down. Be thankful for each and everyday you rise from your sleep, for every breath you take, for every hug you feel, for every tear that rolls down your eyes because you are still alive and well.
Yes, sometimes there are situations that arise that brings your path to something you do not want to go through, or have never thought you yourself would have to go through, but with God's help and those that were chosen to be in your life help you through them.
Things in life happen for a reason. God does not give you situations or things in your life without love and support from him and the close people in your life. I think that sometimes the rocks in the road are there to help you find the footprints in the sand and that sometimes those rocks are signs that you need to look back and see them. Soon enough you will learn to trust and give thanks frequently, not whenever life is turned upside down. Be thankful for each and everyday you rise from your sleep, for every breath you take, for every hug you feel, for every tear that rolls down your eyes because you are still alive and well.
Yes, sometimes there are situations that arise that brings your path to something you do not want to go through, or have never thought you yourself would have to go through, but with God's help and those that were chosen to be in your life help you through them.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Letting things go.
I have a hard time letting things go. I am a shaker, a go getter when it comes to my family, my friends, and something I believe in.
I believe in god, and I believe in turning things over to him, however it's a difficult thing to do that. I am trying to turn things over, to have the faith that god brings it to us he will bring us through it. Is this just a lesson for us- to be faithful and patient?
I believe in god, and I believe in turning things over to him, however it's a difficult thing to do that. I am trying to turn things over, to have the faith that god brings it to us he will bring us through it. Is this just a lesson for us- to be faithful and patient?
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
REMINDER... sometimes it's best to take pictures before disassembly!
How do I know this? I remember taking a car seat apart for washing before, like 6-7 years before! I remember taking the seat all apart, and then forgetting how it was to go back together, sooooooo......
I received this wonderful gently used car seat from a dear friend who has a child that has outgrown the seat and has moved forward into a bigger seat... I took it apart just to wash and make sure it's ready to go into the van. I did however remember all the difficulty I had putting the dang thing back together PROPERLY!
Also ANY seat you use I would like to remind you to check the date located on the seat as some car seats have dates to make sure you can still use them. Thankfully the date for this seat is good until 2014.
I hope you enjoyed this public service reminder..... AND CHECK THOSE SEATS! I have enclosed a photo of my seat just in case you need a looksie! :O)
I received this wonderful gently used car seat from a dear friend who has a child that has outgrown the seat and has moved forward into a bigger seat... I took it apart just to wash and make sure it's ready to go into the van. I did however remember all the difficulty I had putting the dang thing back together PROPERLY!
Also ANY seat you use I would like to remind you to check the date located on the seat as some car seats have dates to make sure you can still use them. Thankfully the date for this seat is good until 2014. I hope you enjoyed this public service reminder..... AND CHECK THOSE SEATS! I have enclosed a photo of my seat just in case you need a looksie! :O)
More things ready for Gracie...
As mentioned before we are starting to get stocked up for Gracie's arrival. We are 23 weeks and 5 days pregnant, so it's time to start buckling down to get things in order. I got fabric while shopping for the fleece for the big blankets, and I am the type of person who is a visual thinker; I have to have something in mind in order to do it.
I was determined to make some things that I thought would be useful, especially within the first few months of Gracie's life. With this being #4 and 8 years younger than my youngest now, we decided that "pre-broken" or "homemade" would be best! My kids still have some of the items I specifically made for them before they were born and they treasure them with all of their hearts.
I started researching patterns online and looking for dimensions for receiving blankets. Some just did a serge on the end of the blankets, some curled the edges for better edging, some folded twice and did a blind hem. There were so many ways to do it! Anyways, I don't have a serger, when I made the two I made them differently just to see how I want to do more. The first one I completed I folded in twice and zig zagged around the edges. I think it came out pretty decent. For the second one, I cut them 36 X 36 and then just zig zagged around the edges (cutting the corners round) and I like how it looks, I just have to wash it to see if the zig zag holds.
Now on to the burpies; I got a cute pattern from http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com/2008/01/burp-cloth-tutorial.html.
She has all of the information on how to make them on her website, including a pattern that you can print, tape together, trace out and use. After making these I found that the design is nice because I don't have a lot of fabric laying up on my neck like you do with regular cloths.
Here's a photo of one of mine laid out, but keep in mind they have not been washed to give that outer layer worn look to them yet.
These are very soft with the flannel and I used some soft batting. I am not sure hubby will use them, but I know I will and I remember how when they start holding their heads up and slam their heads down on your shoulder and with the padding it should save their little noses!
I was determined to make some things that I thought would be useful, especially within the first few months of Gracie's life. With this being #4 and 8 years younger than my youngest now, we decided that "pre-broken" or "homemade" would be best! My kids still have some of the items I specifically made for them before they were born and they treasure them with all of their hearts.
I started researching patterns online and looking for dimensions for receiving blankets. Some just did a serge on the end of the blankets, some curled the edges for better edging, some folded twice and did a blind hem. There were so many ways to do it! Anyways, I don't have a serger, when I made the two I made them differently just to see how I want to do more. The first one I completed I folded in twice and zig zagged around the edges. I think it came out pretty decent. For the second one, I cut them 36 X 36 and then just zig zagged around the edges (cutting the corners round) and I like how it looks, I just have to wash it to see if the zig zag holds.
Now on to the burpies; I got a cute pattern from http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com/2008/01/burp-cloth-tutorial.html. She has all of the information on how to make them on her website, including a pattern that you can print, tape together, trace out and use. After making these I found that the design is nice because I don't have a lot of fabric laying up on my neck like you do with regular cloths.
Here's a photo of one of mine laid out, but keep in mind they have not been washed to give that outer layer worn look to them yet.
These are very soft with the flannel and I used some soft batting. I am not sure hubby will use them, but I know I will and I remember how when they start holding their heads up and slam their heads down on your shoulder and with the padding it should save their little noses!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
