Hanging With the Girls :)

This week Mr. B and his cousin got to tag along as their Grandma, Great Aunt, other two Aunts and me at the annual local Tulip Festival. I am absolutely kicking myself that I did not bring my real camera. It was the perfect temperature and we just loved what a great chance it was to enjoy each other's company and the beauty of nature.

Mr. B. thought getting to hang out with his cousin was the ultimate highlight :)

Mr. B thought that taking a picture with me was a painful thing apparently.

Ooooh pretty waterfall, seriously though you would never believe the thing was manmade.

Mr. B was pretty sad that we would not let him swim in the fountain.

What is your favorite way to celebrate spring?

Holy Bowling Ball

You know you have a problem when you are rolling down the waistband on your maternity jeans, because they are not low enough. Or when the distance from the crotch of your pants to the top of the waistband is a max of 3 inches and even that makes you uncomfortable. I remember why with Mr. B I unzipped my jeans all the way, then folded unzipped sides into and underneath the pockets and wore a belly band. No elastic band trick for me unbuttoning is just not enough.

But then again maybe its just me, and the distance between my chest and my belly is the width of my hand with a finger width to spare is just a figment of my imagination. Anyhow at least it kinda looks cute, well or at least 18 weeks pregnant, but I am okay with that. 22 left to go :)

Too bad rolling down my waistband looks super ghetto with my shirt tucked in. Although with a shirt over it, they are back to looking like normal jeans instead of the epic disaster or maternity jeans I bought and attempted to wear with Mr. B.

Summer Deliciousness

Summer Dinner Dishes:

Ahh sunshine and summer, it sure is wonderful for being able to go outside, bask in the warmth, go to the park. You know enjoy the good things in live. However, summer (well and pregnancy) make me lose all desire to cook, especially because my go to recipe is usual soup or something super warming.  So I like to rely on sandwiches, fruit, and salads to solve this dilemma. 

Our favorite go to dinner is definitely Turkey Cream Cheese Subs, we adore them. So in case they sounds as good to you as they do to me I will let you know how super delicious and easy they are to make.

What you need: 

Ingredients:

Tomato

Large Leaf Lettuce

Sliced Cheese (we like Colby Jack best)

Whipped Cream Cheese

Mayonnaise and Mustard

Sliced Turkey (we like Costco Brand Turkey)

French Bread (Italian Herb from Walmart is our new fav)

Directions: (although I am pretty sure you can figure it out :)

Easy Peasy :)

What are your favorite summer go to meals?

Sling Fabric

After re-listing my ksl add, post sewing machine crankiness, I am now back at it. However, I have no fabric whatsoever. I intend to buy this color (for a placed order):

I also have some light lien coming, as well as brick red. But from there I have no idea what to buy. 

I think that this color is super pretty but I am thinking it is probably just me?:

I have never kept on hand dark brown or black. Would that be a good idea?

Okay so if you were buying one (for yourself or for a friend), what color would you want me to have?

Thanks in advance. It should be a very exciting sewing week.

Cloth Diaper Accessories

I decided to condense my cloth diaper experience into a helpful get started guide. I will mention the diapers that now have a permanent presence in what I call my cloth diaper "stash." While I do use different diapers for different situations, I swear its not complicated, mostly I just like variety its fun :)

In order to not waste money while trying different diapers I bought, "nearly new," "seconds" (diapers with slight manufacturing cosmetic imperfections), diapers from China (about 6 dollars versus 18 for american made), and I clearance hunt. If you hate them you can sell them for very close to what you paid for them, and even resell them when your baby potty trains (or re-use them on a second kid). Basically there is no perfect diaper just one that fits your budget and child, it takes some trial and error but its worth it.

The Cloth Diaper Accessories: (all the links work:)

Diaper Sprayer (so you never have to put your hand in a toilet to get off poop)-  $23 With free two day shipping, it being already assembled and coming with an awesome instruction guide this is way better than buying a $50 diaper sprayer off amazon, or spending 25 bucks to make you own.



Storing Dirty Diapers-  I spray my dirty diapers and then toss them in a trashcan that has a washable pail liner (optional), when wash day comes I dump the trashcan and the pail liner itself and they all get washed together, so I never touch a dirty diaper after the fact. Best of all it is also antibacterial. My pail never smells, not so when it was disposables. (I no longer use one as I found it got water inside of it in the wash cycle and was hard to get dry). I found that use a closed pail system gave me more smell issues then keeping an open trash can.  Now I don't need any air freshener at all.

Wetbag-  I  use them on quick trips, this bag is water proof and has one pocket to store clean cloth diapers and one pocket for dirty ones. I keep wipes in it to and the whole thing is all I need to carry with me for a quick pop into the grocery store. This lady makes super cute wetbags. They are also a good price at 10 dollars and she is awesome to work with.

Laundry Detergent- The only detergents you cannot use on cloth diaper are those with synthetic softeners built in. So if that bottle says "Touch of Downey" then back away and grab a different kind. Tide Ultra Powder (use the HE version if that is your machine type) is the most recommended by many cloth diaper companies and is my detergent of choice, I use the appropriate amount  for whatever size load. A good rule is line 1 for 12 or less diapers, line 2 for 13-25 and for more than that go to Line 3 or more. As for the water level you want the diapers covered but not swimming. Think diaper stew not soup.

Online Yardsale (update with sold)

Maternity Clothes:

Basically I went through my maternity stuff and realized I had never worn (or only worn twice) the following, mostly because they were purchased thinking I would be a size medium and instead I was a size small. If you want everything just let me know how much you would like to pay.

Red Shirt- $3 maternity size medium, tie back, 3/4 sleeves. Sold


Brown Shirt- $3 maternity size medium, tie back, super soft. Sold




Red Motherhood Maternity- $10 like new, no fading, the picture is misleading, it is knee length very adjustable, and stretchy, super comfy. Sold


Black dress, 3/4 sleeve new never worn size 8-10 from kohls, maternity dress. $10


Brown Dress Forever 21- $5 not a maternity dress but was worn pregnant, it is a size medium.

Cloth Diapers (SOLD

Now that I have cloth diapered a month I have found my favorite type and surprisingly it was not pocket diapers (the easiest to use, you put them on like a disposable). So I am selling my 3 pocket diapers. I would love to sell them together for someone to try out cloth diapering I would like to get 25 for them (the total purchased new was $31), the blue has never been used, I only washed it. All of them come with 2 inserts so you could use any of them overnight. All 3 diapers adjust from 9-35 pounds.

Kawaii- New and Improved Heavy Duty ($9)

Tweedlebugs Brand- (13 new)

Shrimps Wear Pants

I am fully aware that the fact that I was and am still unable to find maternity jeans or shorts under a size 2 (and under 50 bucks) garners 0-no sympathy from 99% of the blogging and in real life world.  Nonetheless when it is winter, and you are unable to button your jeans only because of a first trimester bloated belly (no leg growth at all) a girl has gotta find something to wear other than sweats (oh and leggings because I cannot seem to embrace the trend).

Something I bet any woman who has been pregnant (or has just simply wished her jeans were more forgiving in the waist area) wants is clothes that make them feel normal. Think words like "stylish, hip and comfy" rather than pregnancy or bloating do not make a woman magically want to embrace pants that make them look like they have a baggy/saggy butt (I mean you maternity pants you are responsible for this more than any other type of pants).  They want pants that are normal in everyday minus the fact that they can comfortably accomadate a prego belly.

Enter the idea of converting any pair of jeans, shorts or slacks (and perhaps skirts) into a wearable elasticized waist garment that flatters its wearer :) Novel concept right? Please observe the following comparison: a gap pair of maternity jeans versus their normal pair (which they even have labled as the same design (I think not).

Although the image is fuzzy you can see that the butt pockets are in a normal flattering location, not so with the following. Those pockets are in the same freaking style, the detailing is different and the size of the pockets is just off. The worst part is they are 40 dollars more!

Absolutely ridiculous. Enter Pinterest, there are literally 40 different tutorial links. I combined two of them, one of which disappeared from the internet and it makes me sad.

This is one that was really good, the only thing I would change is that for the covered elastic I would not want the extra tank top looking extension I think it looks odd, but it would work if you make it long enough to go up and over you belly (in which case I would make the knit a nude color.
(http://sewchic.blogspot.com/2008/08/tutorial-how-to-convert-jeans-into.html)

Behold the CGMRB Maternity Jean Tutorial:

1) What you need to buy: Elastic, Polyester Thread, Ballpoint Needle and 1/8 Yard Jersey Knit (I would buy dark blue but nude works as well, I tried white and am just not a fan).

2) Measure under you belly with the elastic, mark what is a comfy tightness.

3) Measure out your knit fabric, by folding it in half (so that the stretch is width wise) and then set it above your jeans, you want the knit unstretched as wide as the waist of you jeans from side to side.

Bye Bye useless elastic hairband trick.

3) Now to decide what to cut off of the pants, I like leaving them higher in the back so when I bend over I have more coverage. But you are free to cut off wherever you prefer. Because I saved the back waistband I needed to cut the threads on the belt loops.

4) Make your elastic casing (meaning you cover the elastic, sew close to it but not on the elastic and leave extra fabric and that is what you attach to the denim itself).  To do this sew the measured knit into a tube, and then place the pinned elastic waistband inside the tube (folding the fabric down and over the elastic on all sides).

 5) Because the elastic is smaller than the knit tube the fabric will bunch up as you pin the elastic into the knit. It will look like this, probably more professional since I suck at sewing. Remember you are placing the pins after the elastic NOT ON IT.

Sew where the pins are placed, remember do not sew on the elastic just right up against it. Like so:

6) Cut off all but a centimeter or less of the ruffle that is below the elastic (this is what you are attaching to the jeans directly. 

7) Turn the jeans inside out and pin the elastic casing jersey knit thingy so that the outer edge of the ruffle is even with top of the jeans make sure to line up the sides of the elastic casing with the side of the jeans you will have to stretch the elastic out to do this. (I forgot to do the last part and it made for an unevenly attached waistband, not so pretty see the backside of the jeans photo below).  You must make sure that the casing on your elastic is stretching width wise (side to side) because you will have to stretch this fabric as you attach the casing to the denim, as pictured below. 

 If you have a serger you can serge the seem where the denim and the casing meet to give it a professional finish.  Turn them rightside out and you are technically all done. Here is where you really see why I should have pinned the sides of the casing to the outer sides of the jean waist. It would have prevented the awkward gather you see on the right side. 

8) I did not do this and I still may go back and do it, but I would highly suggest you sew a line down the elastic casing  that follows the middle seem of the jeans (so you are sewing from the top of the back belt loop to the top of the casing. This will prevent the elastic from rolling and twisting in the casing. (Typing that out really makes me think of getting them right now and doing this.

Hurray for pants that fit. Once on you cannot even tell that they have the secret elastic in them. 

Obviously they are not the most professional looking by themselves but when you figure the elastic is always covered by a shirt, you would never know that they are now "maternity jeans."