A couple Christmases ago, my dad bought me the book The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. I did start reading it then, but at the time I had no children - or even any plans to have children in the near future - so I didn't understand how much it could really impact my life.
Josh and I are probably much like most American families our age - bills to pay, debt we aren't thrilled about being in, and never quite enough money at the end of the month.. Wondering where the money actually goes. With baby number two due to arrive in 10-12 weeks, I am MORE than ready to get my butt in gear!! I started reading the book again and I am so excited about getting to a better place financially. :) For those of you who aren't familiar with this book - GET IT!! Buy it, get it on your Kindle, scour the library for it, borrow it, whatever - just read this book. For me to tell anyone to read a book is saying something, as I not only dislike reading, I pretty well despise it. Trust me when I tell you that this book is worth it. It gives you a step-by-step plan to become totally debt-free, rack up an emergency fund, and build wealth. We have finally figured out that it doesn't matter how much Josh gets every paycheck - if we don't know how to spend and save wisely, we will always be broke.
We are officially starting our total money makeover - our budget is made, our Debt Snowball is making it's first rotation, and I am truly excited about it. :) Hoping someone out there reading this is as ready to be financially free as I am!!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Handprint Pillows :)
I was looking for a fun way to keep Sadie's handprints on display at the house. :) This is what I came up with!
Cost: $10-15
Time: less than an hour
*Iron and Sewing Machine Required
You'll need:
Cost: $10-15
Time: less than an hour
*Iron and Sewing Machine Required
You'll need:
- 2 different fabrics (one for the body of the pillow, one for the handprints)
- Heat 'n Bond (large roll - not the tape)
- scissors
- thread
- polyfil or batting
Little Fishy Towel
As a baby shower gift, someone from my church made Sadie an adorable hooded towel with mouse ears on it. Being made from a full sized bath towel, it has proven to be far more useful than the usual super-thin baby towels you can buy in stores. This project is a slightly different take on the same general idea. :)
Cost: less than $15
Time: about an hour
*Requires a sewing machine
You'll need:
Start this project by making the fins and tail. Print the templates that are at the end of this post (sorry- there is nothing fancy about them, lol), and cut them out of your fabric. To print them, click the picture, then in that window select File, Print Preview, select Portrait and make sure the scale is set to 150% before printing. :) You'll need 1 tail, 1 dorsal fin, and 2 fins. Using your machine's largest stitch, sew along one edge and cut your thread, leaving yourself a few inches of tail. Repeat along the other edge. Pull the thread to gather fabric on each edge, tying a knot when the fabric is gathered to the appropriate size (fins and tail should be gathered as tightly as possible; dorsal fin only needs slightly gathered). When all edges are gathered, stitch the piece closed along the gathers. Trim off excess.
Next, make the hood. To do this, fold the hand towel in half, and cut out the hood shape (should look something like a J) leaving the towel's finished edge uncut to be the edge around the face. Place the dorsal fin between the layers, stitched side even with the edge of the towel, and stitch along the curved cut, then flip outside right to see the outside of the hood. The dorsal fin should stand up at the top/back of hood. To attach the hood to the towel, fold the towel in half to find the middle. Line the middle of the hood up with the middle of the towel's edge, and use a zig-zag stitch to sew it together.
To sew the fins and tail on, start by figuring out the placement (for fins to be on the sides of a wrapped up baby, they will be just about even with the outside edges of the hood, about 3" down from the towel's edge; the tail will be in the middle of the towel about 3" below the fins). Holding the towel flat in one hand, place the stitched edge of the fin or tail perpendicular to the towel and pinch the towel to hold it in place. Flip your hand over so that the towel folds over the fin, and sew along the length of the fin. This will allow it to stand out without raw edges showing. Now all that's left are those googly eyes on top of the hood! Glue them on and let them dry according to the directions on your glue. :)
Fin Templates :)
Cost: less than $15
Time: about an hour
*Requires a sewing machine
You'll need:
- 1 full sized bath towel
- 1 matching hand towel
- matching thread
- cotton fabric - any color or pattern to go with the towels
- 2 googly eyes
- washable fabric glue
Start this project by making the fins and tail. Print the templates that are at the end of this post (sorry- there is nothing fancy about them, lol), and cut them out of your fabric. To print them, click the picture, then in that window select File, Print Preview, select Portrait and make sure the scale is set to 150% before printing. :) You'll need 1 tail, 1 dorsal fin, and 2 fins. Using your machine's largest stitch, sew along one edge and cut your thread, leaving yourself a few inches of tail. Repeat along the other edge. Pull the thread to gather fabric on each edge, tying a knot when the fabric is gathered to the appropriate size (fins and tail should be gathered as tightly as possible; dorsal fin only needs slightly gathered). When all edges are gathered, stitch the piece closed along the gathers. Trim off excess.
Next, make the hood. To do this, fold the hand towel in half, and cut out the hood shape (should look something like a J) leaving the towel's finished edge uncut to be the edge around the face. Place the dorsal fin between the layers, stitched side even with the edge of the towel, and stitch along the curved cut, then flip outside right to see the outside of the hood. The dorsal fin should stand up at the top/back of hood. To attach the hood to the towel, fold the towel in half to find the middle. Line the middle of the hood up with the middle of the towel's edge, and use a zig-zag stitch to sew it together.
To sew the fins and tail on, start by figuring out the placement (for fins to be on the sides of a wrapped up baby, they will be just about even with the outside edges of the hood, about 3" down from the towel's edge; the tail will be in the middle of the towel about 3" below the fins). Holding the towel flat in one hand, place the stitched edge of the fin or tail perpendicular to the towel and pinch the towel to hold it in place. Flip your hand over so that the towel folds over the fin, and sew along the length of the fin. This will allow it to stand out without raw edges showing. Now all that's left are those googly eyes on top of the hood! Glue them on and let them dry according to the directions on your glue. :)
Fin Templates :)
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Homespun Rag Wreath
I decided that it was time to swap out my bright spring and summer wreath with one made to welcome fall. :) This rag wreath is perfect for the small space between your front door and the screen or storm door - it's less than 2 inches thick and still adorable. And best of all, it's super inexpensive and easy to make!
Cost: less than $10
Time: 1 - 1 1/2 hours
You'll need:
How to make it:
Use your lids and marker to trace the inner and outer edges of your wreath form onto the cardboard. You'll want the difference to be at least 1.5" all the way around. Then use the box cutter to cut out the small circle first, then the big circle.
On the long side of your fabric, make snips with your scissors about 2" apart - this doesn't have to be perfect, just guess at it. Then at every snip, rip up the whole length of the fabric. You'll end up with piles of rags that are all the same length and roughly the same width.
Quality check... haha :)
Now just start tying the rag strips in knots all the way around the wreath! Keep the knots close together. When you've made it all the way around the wreath, flip the wreath upside down and thread a long strip of fabric under several rags and tie the ends in a knot to make a hanger. Fluff the rags up a little and that's it!
Cost: less than $10
Time: 1 - 1 1/2 hours
You'll need:
- sturdy cardboard
- marker
- 2 large lids or other round items to use as templates
- box cutter
- scissors
- homespun fabric (use scraps if you've got them, or buy about 1/3 yard each of 5 or 6 patterns)
How to make it:
Use your lids and marker to trace the inner and outer edges of your wreath form onto the cardboard. You'll want the difference to be at least 1.5" all the way around. Then use the box cutter to cut out the small circle first, then the big circle.
On the long side of your fabric, make snips with your scissors about 2" apart - this doesn't have to be perfect, just guess at it. Then at every snip, rip up the whole length of the fabric. You'll end up with piles of rags that are all the same length and roughly the same width.
Quality check... haha :)
Now just start tying the rag strips in knots all the way around the wreath! Keep the knots close together. When you've made it all the way around the wreath, flip the wreath upside down and thread a long strip of fabric under several rags and tie the ends in a knot to make a hanger. Fluff the rags up a little and that's it!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Homemade Baby Food :)
What Sadie eats (even more: what she doesn't eat) is extremely important to me. I want to know what the ingredients are without using Google, and I want it to be healthy for her. Don't get me wrong - I'm a lover of sweets and I have no intention of talking the Easter bunny into only bringing veggies or of robbing her the fun of raiding her trick-or-treat bucket, but while she's young enough for me to monitor what goes in her mouth, I'll try to keep it healthy.
When we buy baby food, we get Plum Organics.. Sadie loves every flavor they put out; I love that its organic & the ingredients are all things I could buy at the store. We'd recommend it to anyone! But with two trees loaded with ripe pears in my back yard (and no desire to can them all), I decided to hit the produce section for stuff to mix with them to make Sadie some yummy combos. :) I mimicked flavors I know she likes.
Flavors we made:
The sweet potatoes, carrots and butternut squash were peeled, diced, washed and put in foil-lined (for easier clean up) casserole dishes. I added enough water to almost cover them (no seasonings), covered the dishes with foil, and put them in a 375 degree oven until they were soft. (The squash took about an hour, potatoes about 1 1/2 hours, and the carrots about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.)
The pears and apples were peeled, cored, diced, washed then put into covered pots with water on the stove. Again, no seasonings. :) They boiled until they were soft. (About an hour for my larger pieces - time depends on how you cut them.)
The blueberries and spinach were washed and put in uncovered pots of water on the stove. The spinach simmered until it was bright green and soft; the blueberries simmered until the skins started to burst and the water was beginning to turn. Blueberries don't really have to be cooked if your baby is used to eating them, but I think they puree a little smoother when they've been cooked.
Frozen peas were steamed in a glass bowl in the microwave.
Mangoes only need washed, peeled and roughly cut up, and bananas only need peeled. :)
As things start coming off the stove or out of the oven, you throw each fruit or veggie individually into a food processor or a blender and let it do its thing! Carrots and sweet potatoes require a good bit of water added to them, and any food you plan on making into stage 1 will also need more water.
Now you'll have bowls of colorful mash all over the place! :) And this is where the fun part comes in.. mixing them up. Make whatever combos your baby loves.
When they're mixed, you're ready to bag them up - the finish line is in sight!! Measure out single portions and pour them into ziploc-style sandwich bags. I put 4oz in each bag - that's just right for my little squirt. :) Once they're all filled, zip the bags and put all of the like flavors into a labeled gallon freezer bag & freeze.
That's it! Easy and rewarding! :) Happy cooking!!
Helpful Hints for this project:
When we buy baby food, we get Plum Organics.. Sadie loves every flavor they put out; I love that its organic & the ingredients are all things I could buy at the store. We'd recommend it to anyone! But with two trees loaded with ripe pears in my back yard (and no desire to can them all), I decided to hit the produce section for stuff to mix with them to make Sadie some yummy combos. :) I mimicked flavors I know she likes.
Flavors we made:
- Sweet Potato, Carrot and Apple (Stage 2)
- Blueberry, Pear and Carrot (Stage 2)
- Butternut Squash and Banana (Stage 2)
- Sweet Potato, Butternut Squash, Pear and Blueberries (Stage 2)
- Mango and Pear (Stage 2)
- Spinach, Peas and Pear (Stage 2)
- Sweet Potatoes (Stage 1)
- Pears (Stage 1)
The sweet potatoes, carrots and butternut squash were peeled, diced, washed and put in foil-lined (for easier clean up) casserole dishes. I added enough water to almost cover them (no seasonings), covered the dishes with foil, and put them in a 375 degree oven until they were soft. (The squash took about an hour, potatoes about 1 1/2 hours, and the carrots about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.)
The pears and apples were peeled, cored, diced, washed then put into covered pots with water on the stove. Again, no seasonings. :) They boiled until they were soft. (About an hour for my larger pieces - time depends on how you cut them.)
The blueberries and spinach were washed and put in uncovered pots of water on the stove. The spinach simmered until it was bright green and soft; the blueberries simmered until the skins started to burst and the water was beginning to turn. Blueberries don't really have to be cooked if your baby is used to eating them, but I think they puree a little smoother when they've been cooked.
Frozen peas were steamed in a glass bowl in the microwave.
Mangoes only need washed, peeled and roughly cut up, and bananas only need peeled. :)
As things start coming off the stove or out of the oven, you throw each fruit or veggie individually into a food processor or a blender and let it do its thing! Carrots and sweet potatoes require a good bit of water added to them, and any food you plan on making into stage 1 will also need more water.
Now you'll have bowls of colorful mash all over the place! :) And this is where the fun part comes in.. mixing them up. Make whatever combos your baby loves.
When they're mixed, you're ready to bag them up - the finish line is in sight!! Measure out single portions and pour them into ziploc-style sandwich bags. I put 4oz in each bag - that's just right for my little squirt. :) Once they're all filled, zip the bags and put all of the like flavors into a labeled gallon freezer bag & freeze.
That's it! Easy and rewarding! :) Happy cooking!!
Helpful Hints for this project:
- For easy bagging, get out any small cups or juice glasses you have and line them up on the counter. Place an open ziploc-style sandwich bag in each one, folding the top of the bag back over the rim of the glass. Then measure out the food and pour it in. This prevents spills and saves time by pouring all of them in one swoop without stopping in between to seal each one.
- 2oz = 1/4 cup, 4oz = 1/2 cup, 6oz = 3/4 cup
- When putting sandwich bags into freezer bag, grab them all by the top of the bag in a single stack, put the stack in the freezer bag, zip it shut then lay it flat. Put them on a cookie sheet to get them in the freezer flat. Keeping them flat will prevent them from becoming a squished up mess that freezes into one solid pile of bags that you can't get apart.
First post (for lack of a better title)
Let me start out by saying this.. I am a pretty creative person overall. I love making things from stuff I have lying around, finding sneaky little ways to make my life easier, sewing without a pattern, making up recipes on the fly.. You name it. But.. I am not at all creative when it comes to blog titles, so don't judge a book by it's cover, haha.
My sweet baby girl, Sadie, is 7 months old. She is absolutely the apple of my eye and has already got her daddy wrapped around her little finger. :) Amazing how it doesn't take long for that to happen! She's a baby on the move - crawling and climbing around on everything, exploring.. interested in what we would find to be ordinary. Her favorite things are TV remotes, computer keyboards, and PS3 controllers, haha. She's getting hard to keep up with! And it's getting harder for me to keep up with her, being 6 months pregnant with our second 2011 baby, Sadie's little sister, Lacie. :) Yes, our house will be hectic and noisy but so full of love that it won't matter. :) Plus, there's always nap time!! :D
In this blog that people may or may not read, I'm going to post all the projects I like to work on during nap time - recipes, crafty how-tos, and random little tidbits that have made my life as a wife and mom a little easier. Hope you get inspired to make the most of your little one's nap time. :)
My sweet baby girl, Sadie, is 7 months old. She is absolutely the apple of my eye and has already got her daddy wrapped around her little finger. :) Amazing how it doesn't take long for that to happen! She's a baby on the move - crawling and climbing around on everything, exploring.. interested in what we would find to be ordinary. Her favorite things are TV remotes, computer keyboards, and PS3 controllers, haha. She's getting hard to keep up with! And it's getting harder for me to keep up with her, being 6 months pregnant with our second 2011 baby, Sadie's little sister, Lacie. :) Yes, our house will be hectic and noisy but so full of love that it won't matter. :) Plus, there's always nap time!! :D
In this blog that people may or may not read, I'm going to post all the projects I like to work on during nap time - recipes, crafty how-tos, and random little tidbits that have made my life as a wife and mom a little easier. Hope you get inspired to make the most of your little one's nap time. :)
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