tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-363821442024-03-13T00:53:32.838-04:00A Blog of My Own"a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction; and that, as you will see, leaves the great problem of the true nature of woman and the true nature of fiction unsolved." Virginia WoolfMandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.comBlogger317125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-23457647953863127342012-07-28T22:24:00.000-04:002012-07-28T22:25:48.162-04:00Davis' dedicationSince I'm not on facebook I failed to notify everyone that Davis' dedication is tomorrow at our church. (Please forgive me!) Church starts at 11 and we're members of Pintlala Baptist in Hope Hull. If you're in town, we'd love to have you! We'll have lunch in the fellowship hall afterward too. Y'all come! :-)Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-46262315430418265972012-07-18T08:00:00.000-04:002012-07-18T08:00:02.787-04:00Wordless Wednesday, July 18, 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygoF8QTfdHTmT_WkZ09Ww1iFxGe-5sNiJNMFTNfLS_Yxn24AZtlEKcMmaKtjfx8Ie3ddH7a8bIBrOi_Lr8AKE_rm4DkMmflI41Jg4QLAAnw-F-GCU5WziNdLraBq2zZKCjNhugA/s1600/134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygoF8QTfdHTmT_WkZ09Ww1iFxGe-5sNiJNMFTNfLS_Yxn24AZtlEKcMmaKtjfx8Ie3ddH7a8bIBrOi_Lr8AKE_rm4DkMmflI41Jg4QLAAnw-F-GCU5WziNdLraBq2zZKCjNhugA/s320/134.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-41554493264267640662012-07-16T23:10:00.001-04:002012-07-16T23:19:15.501-04:00It's Alive...as am I.<br />
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The dissertation is alive and kicking, my friends. No, it is not done, but I am making progress on it AND I'm enjoying it. I had forgotten how many jewels are out there. It's like the interwebz wants to write my dissertation for me. See: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oh7mH7soZU">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oh7mH7soZU</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6wWqhgH89U">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6wWqhgH89U</a> <br />
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Try to watch the first one and not tear up. Really, you didn't? Okay, maybe it's just me. I *do* cry when they pan to the parents during sporting events, after all.<br />
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If you think that's great, you should read about the Miss America who was a Christian Scientist and the one who was healed by Kennith Hagan and the one whose priest told her to compete and the one who...well, you get the point.<br />
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Thanks for reading! I'll try to post again soon.Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-43558381016588856262012-05-03T23:47:00.000-04:002012-05-03T23:47:03.990-04:00One Month StatsDavis was one month old on April 23. We took him for his one month checkup on the 24. He'd grown a lot!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZINbaK6NuVg8yPGMVCsydc1iv1He1sdFUYrk8g4wgHoM2in4JjL2nS0dRuNWKfmTszDi0OvnRKX1PBl85RQPN6y4eruY1kNaDWa8493IlMpyXbqvYutWHH7SdGG_GmNOotPOehQ/s1600/029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZINbaK6NuVg8yPGMVCsydc1iv1He1sdFUYrk8g4wgHoM2in4JjL2nS0dRuNWKfmTszDi0OvnRKX1PBl85RQPN6y4eruY1kNaDWa8493IlMpyXbqvYutWHH7SdGG_GmNOotPOehQ/s400/029.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJo3ig5vDJnSwCNdeCL8Xy3ROlspT57KfSjvYztj-9CNrNwhoqNgbUozKJY3_PRV7GSNL6qHptZrbzJz5v_PFxWbyK2FqvPdAgtkgCiM-P_9B0yoURJZ0R2t0SQ1EKBsV0F8lmtQ/s1600/033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJo3ig5vDJnSwCNdeCL8Xy3ROlspT57KfSjvYztj-9CNrNwhoqNgbUozKJY3_PRV7GSNL6qHptZrbzJz5v_PFxWbyK2FqvPdAgtkgCiM-P_9B0yoURJZ0R2t0SQ1EKBsV0F8lmtQ/s400/033.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
Weight: 10 pounds, 11.3 ounces
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Length: 22.25 inches (I thought it was 21.75, but this is what the form they sent home with us said)
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Head Circumference: 38 cm
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Milestones at 1 month (so I won't forget, not because I think you need to know): holding his head up, focusing on faces and/or objects for short periods of time, sometimes pushing his shoulders up, sometimes smiling (at least Nana and Cady claim he did), holding onto my shirt or me when he nurses
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Speaking of nursing, I thought (before D was born) that I might want to nurse longer this time than I did with Cady (13 months). After one month, I'm thinking, "Hurray, only 11 more to go!" ;-) In all seriousness, nursing is going really well. It's just time consuming and because he's still eating so frequently I feel tethered to him. BUT, he has taken a bottle or two (from Chad) so that's good. Of course, then I have to pump. Oh well, it's worth it!
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I haven't forgotten about the birth story, but I just can't get motivated. I think I've just been too tired to do anything that required that much thought. BUT, little bit 2.0 is getting bigger and sleeping for longer stretches at night so maybe I will finish it soon.Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-9333095821682199392012-05-02T10:18:00.001-04:002012-05-02T10:18:36.443-04:00Wordless Wednesday, May 2, 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiA4tkceuxcizoDliM6XySv-zWKcTR4oPrlP4CRDGXsxSGU3-41PujRFpRIe9gqkEjxPKewn46ZKOa9THnIjDWP5kElXe9JaTTb5DjHQhUXaWt1MG4pWMEVkELSU2oRxfOYTcK_g/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiA4tkceuxcizoDliM6XySv-zWKcTR4oPrlP4CRDGXsxSGU3-41PujRFpRIe9gqkEjxPKewn46ZKOa9THnIjDWP5kElXe9JaTTb5DjHQhUXaWt1MG4pWMEVkELSU2oRxfOYTcK_g/s400/002.JPG" /></a></div>Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-65150287474281254612012-04-18T09:49:00.004-04:002012-04-18T10:36:05.065-04:00Wordless Wednesday, April 18, 2012<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPIf95GywIUbJkRbhYIxm-PcjSMN2AddBW3pXR833a0FTLiIM8tMSQ7k-Nu0v8F0LpudAlgW0-wl3WuyYRDmow8yt6pUZJVA0nG8p004_10PpN6E3f1zZEoezS8_M7sPJcLLu1w/s1600/012.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPIf95GywIUbJkRbhYIxm-PcjSMN2AddBW3pXR833a0FTLiIM8tMSQ7k-Nu0v8F0LpudAlgW0-wl3WuyYRDmow8yt6pUZJVA0nG8p004_10PpN6E3f1zZEoezS8_M7sPJcLLu1w/s400/012.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732738358481125458" /></a>Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-71790303278351405602012-04-05T11:42:00.002-04:002012-04-05T12:42:59.496-04:00Yes, I'm alive!Sorry, but no birth story to post yet. Cady was on spring break last week, which made for an interesting transition period to say the least. She loves her little brother in theory, but she's not so sure about having to share her Mommy/Daddy/Nonnie/anyone else with him. Combine that with her having a stomach bug and passing said stomach bug on to my mother and, well, let's just say I'm glad that I never have to relive last week.<br /><br />So I don't have a lovely well thought out post, but I do have a few random thoughts and questions to share. Are you ready? <br /><br />1. Umbilical cords are gross. I've given the task of cleaning D's cord to Chad. I know it's bad, but it grosses me out. SO very ready for that thing to fall off.<br />2. Boys pee everywhere. People kept telling me this, but there's really nothing like witnessing it for yourself. I mean, you have to cover that thing up immediately because it has a mind of its own. <br />3. Breastfeeding is going really well, but I had forgotten how exhausting it is! Also, does another mom want to remind me how long it will be before it doesn't feel like my child is trying to bite my nipple off when he latches on? I mean, seriously. Ouch.<br />4. Speaking of breastfeeding, I already have about 30 ounces of breastmilk in the freezer. I pumped about FIVE ounces from ONE side the other night. Yep, my child is only 2 weeks old. Apparently my body likes to be an overachiever in the milk-making department. But, I'll take it...even if it means that my boobs feel like big, fat rocks attached to my front at times.<br />5. At one point immediately following SDE's arrival, I remember telling the nurses/midwife/Chad that they were rockstars. Yeah, apparently I was on a birthing high.<br />6. So far Davis is a pretty chill baby and I am grateful. I often get a couple of 3-4 hour stretches at night, which is nice. And, Chad and Mom have been letting me sleep in in the mornings until he gets up again so I feel fairly rested despite the middle of the night feedings. <br />7. My mom leaves tomorrow. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Anyone else want to volunteer to come get up in the middle of the night to change diapers after I feed Davis?<br />8. I promise I'll post pics of Davis' nursery soon. I still have to pick up a couple of things that Amy was making for me AND I need to get newborn pics on the wall.<br />9. To whet your appetite for the birth story, here's a teaser: I "clocked in" to the hospital at 10:39 p.m. and Davis was born at 1 a.m. I was only 3 cm dilated when we got there. Yeah, it was fast.<br />10. Did I mention that umbilical cords (electrical cords, as Cady calls them), gross me out?Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-30252118879229052502012-03-24T21:48:00.005-04:002012-03-24T22:19:01.586-04:00Baby Boy Eggleston is here!Well, so much for having a few more days to prepare for little SDE's arrival. It seems he wanted to surprise us all! I managed to get a pedicure before his arrival, but he didn't hold out until my other two <a href="http://mandyellene.blogspot.com/2012/03/why-yes-im-still-pregnant.html">requests </a> were met :-)<br /><br />I'm sure most of you have seen the announcement on facebook, but I couldn't resist posting some pictures here as well. I hope to type out his birth story soon, but for now suffice it to say that we were all thankful for a swift, safe delivery (AND were overwhelmingly grateful that our midwife Lisa was on call Thursday night).<br /><br />Now, without further ado, I'd like to present Stephen Davis Eggleston! He made his grand entrance into the world on Friday, March 23 at 1:00 a.m. Baby Davis weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces and was 19 inches long.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhns0knYZ-6SWKG8RcE1nU5tBxwt1zfPE6ZPWKVQRHyYq4PMiB3Jl_vkqk8TLIVadwLqtNS2yFFzamWH6ZKu_sgfadBpYmHT0c21DDnuulfvxpd9SEHq7AVR6-5riSfgUzvg4Ly-g/s1600/023.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhns0knYZ-6SWKG8RcE1nU5tBxwt1zfPE6ZPWKVQRHyYq4PMiB3Jl_vkqk8TLIVadwLqtNS2yFFzamWH6ZKu_sgfadBpYmHT0c21DDnuulfvxpd9SEHq7AVR6-5riSfgUzvg4Ly-g/s400/023.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723647394395505122" /></a><br />Proud Daddy<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rfXq04MJKgHQ2UiBvTL5SaPwjW0M03cpC73j3Uqbvf7AsfpXpma8FVcSjMS7sSRIKCvDhfy2B9yzgIFP66KzrjUH_GwON9RVDYPBZe_8r-SWFPRLJxWWVu2R_Gmm_4W3BshQpQ/s1600/017.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rfXq04MJKgHQ2UiBvTL5SaPwjW0M03cpC73j3Uqbvf7AsfpXpma8FVcSjMS7sSRIKCvDhfy2B9yzgIFP66KzrjUH_GwON9RVDYPBZe_8r-SWFPRLJxWWVu2R_Gmm_4W3BshQpQ/s400/017.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723647167719335442" /></a><br />Even prouder big sister<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKw0ufFtvniFL8vzzkh6JjeFsAQOPZOH-hMmgkv8He-MvyWueG4K7IlN6i23tHLHaYnt_TzdouKi8jTijeQO8xdC_p2hTT2gqfxQx6jnlnAjwLzY_M3_G2lIT_QeqGV2euF9wKOg/s1600/057.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKw0ufFtvniFL8vzzkh6JjeFsAQOPZOH-hMmgkv8He-MvyWueG4K7IlN6i23tHLHaYnt_TzdouKi8jTijeQO8xdC_p2hTT2gqfxQx6jnlnAjwLzY_M3_G2lIT_QeqGV2euF9wKOg/s400/057.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723647808786333970" /></a>Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-33772242389167159842012-03-21T21:52:00.004-04:002012-03-21T22:15:00.564-04:00Why yes, I'm still pregnantHello friends!<br /><br />Just checking in to let everyone know that baby boy is still hanging out on the inside. If you haven't guessed when he's going to arrive and all that jazz, you can play along <a href="http://mandyellene.blogspot.com/2012/03/want-to-make-guess.html">here</a>. Oh, come on, you know you want to!<br /><br />We had an appointment with our midwife this afternoon. We decided to take Cady with us today since this *could* be our last appointment before he makes his appearance. She LOVED getting out of school early and we enjoyed having lunch with our big girl and letting her share in this special time with us. The midwife was wonderful, as always. She let Cady help measure my tummy and even let her help hold the doppler to find Baby Boy's heartbeat. It was precious and priceless. Chad recorded some of it with his Iphone and I cannot wait to watch it.<br /><br />I asked the midwife to check me today so that I could let Mom know what's going on. Baby Boy is head down, but still not "engaged" so it doesn't look like his arrival is imminent (though he could prove us wrong!). I was only about a centimeter dilated and about 25-30% effaced. She could feel his head, but as I said, he's not in "position" yet. This is a-okay with me. I'd prefer for Little Bit 2.0 to remain put until a) I get my pedicure, b) I get to see the Hunger Games on Friday, and c) my mom arrives on Sunday. ;-) All kidding aside, we are getting excited to meet this little guy and look forward to introducing him to all of you!<br /><br />And, for those you you who are completely bored by my ramblings, here's a picture of Cady and me at the baby shower our church threw for us last month. She was pretty proud of her "big sister" sticker. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tEiSGq7KOcYZuOHz_d7MCQkkDzesxXHDOKeCop_bDqBpfVTiT-xjEsOeiSQQf82P741HqoLB07DQlFzzBQYxUZvAIuwtTu1sEdR2s83tGFZ1j9qnFRb62XoYyBWUZXS7rv6Jfg/s1600/012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722535786977092994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tEiSGq7KOcYZuOHz_d7MCQkkDzesxXHDOKeCop_bDqBpfVTiT-xjEsOeiSQQf82P741HqoLB07DQlFzzBQYxUZvAIuwtTu1sEdR2s83tGFZ1j9qnFRb62XoYyBWUZXS7rv6Jfg/s400/012.JPG" /></a><br /><br />PS I'm going to need some of you to step it up on your blogging. I need more things to read, please!Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-2382759240665042072012-03-15T08:00:00.001-04:002012-03-15T08:00:12.593-04:00Little Miss CadyI've been posting a lot about Baby Boy lately, but only because I want to try to document early things for him like I did Little Bit 1.0. Chad says he won't care since he's a boy, but I like to think he'll want to know we made plans and prepared for his arrival too :-)<br /><br />HOWEVER, there is, as always, much to say about our dear daughter. In the last couple of months we've begun the joy of reading chapter books with her. She inherited some from a colleague's daughter and thinks herself quite the big girl that she has books that must be read over a couple of days instead of all in one sitting. I admit that Chad has been reading most of the chapter books with her, but I've read a few Flat Stanley adventures myself.<br /><br />This is the first chapter book we read together: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-DFXtWCyFNMVa7iO-YBnKCNpir5sR6CbE2w4f1pLGMd4cONRk6-JZSD_1t_R_RN-LN7WT-VrCTvRATro5FOHrxK7q4jLh610sKmlrGELBgMhTTX-tIsR6UVDQ1Ehd4-xVQcNT0Q/s1600/005.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-DFXtWCyFNMVa7iO-YBnKCNpir5sR6CbE2w4f1pLGMd4cONRk6-JZSD_1t_R_RN-LN7WT-VrCTvRATro5FOHrxK7q4jLh610sKmlrGELBgMhTTX-tIsR6UVDQ1Ehd4-xVQcNT0Q/s400/005.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719831221433905010" /></a>(I didn't claim we were enjoying literary masterpieces or anything!)<br /><br />And, this is where I found her later that night when she was supposed to be in bed..."reading" by nightlight. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimf6OMm8bcHGVgMN9xrvYQBKs15AEXrVPwgpLEMxavurU2MXzodzxtp5g7mBGI8fl0FfrM9OM2BPSM9bfsM_bG9f70Gu9iztv6-VFnQ0qrpQJhfE4Q13wKLSHFMQrEWIVI6WHJGg/s1600/001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimf6OMm8bcHGVgMN9xrvYQBKs15AEXrVPwgpLEMxavurU2MXzodzxtp5g7mBGI8fl0FfrM9OM2BPSM9bfsM_bG9f70Gu9iztv6-VFnQ0qrpQJhfE4Q13wKLSHFMQrEWIVI6WHJGg/s400/001.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719832367524358146" /></a><br />I'll admit that it brought back good memories. I remember many a night that I stayed up late to finish a book. In fact, I don't have to think back too far (um, Hunger Games, anyone?) And so, I confess that I was mostly proud and not angry. I smiled all the way back up to the front of the house where I informed Chad of her latest shenanigans. I smiled as I thought about how even though I claim the child is "just like her father" there is so much of me there too (and not just the stuff I didn't want to pass on, thankfully!). I'm so very happy that C enjoys books so much. I hope her love of books and words and stories continues to grow as she learns to read for herself. And, I hope she'll never tire of being read to. I adore the special time we share reading and telling stories and I hope her little brother will love it too!<br /><br />On a less sappy note (I am 38+ weeks pregnant, remember), do any of my teacher friends (or moms, aunts, etc.) have suggestions for chapter books that might be age appropriate for an almost 4 year old? I tried to start one of the Little House books with her, but she's not quite ready for that yet. Is there something else out there that might be fun? Something with a bit more substance than silly girl cliques or potty jokes?Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-88234035572618317782012-03-13T22:16:00.007-04:002012-03-13T22:26:37.202-04:00More homemade goodies!Here are a few more pictures of Baby Boy's fun prizes.<br /><br />Gorgeous blankets and hats made by some precious women in our lives. The one of the far left was made by my Grandma. Cady has one in a different pattern.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qVWbO6eOPx_ZLVGyddIzsO7C33ICfE6JgN60lyudhZdmU73ORFfppVMp_kaAYx6iuptGNgc2PZbz0L5ygO97Re7aq7gKoi43V7Yj13eP5Lkz5z-yXSbbPNueaak3DwqF404LrQ/s1600/003.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qVWbO6eOPx_ZLVGyddIzsO7C33ICfE6JgN60lyudhZdmU73ORFfppVMp_kaAYx6iuptGNgc2PZbz0L5ygO97Re7aq7gKoi43V7Yj13eP5Lkz5z-yXSbbPNueaak3DwqF404LrQ/s400/003.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719571481864905378" /></a><br />Hat made by Stacey (I think this one's going to the hospital :-))<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTYRcv6Mhyp3ivZf38i2vnvzaWLbGPo7fz570UGseOgUY5PCVLHK1EUpfyTgYSq63cp6Vz_Rk9ER1QghunEJQKKc-Muav2_4_3FYR-ZOLg2KUbyFyda4-yPgqs3tGnhhF_Q88-A/s1600/004.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTYRcv6Mhyp3ivZf38i2vnvzaWLbGPo7fz570UGseOgUY5PCVLHK1EUpfyTgYSq63cp6Vz_Rk9ER1QghunEJQKKc-Muav2_4_3FYR-ZOLg2KUbyFyda4-yPgqs3tGnhhF_Q88-A/s400/004.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719571733814512002" /></a><br />Burp cloths made by Kelly (also have one of these in SDE's hospital bag)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5w6wsZzLPyv1CdaOPuZP2GohDF2bcC18-3pcNxG3AYRJkeZ0IAeIqljl0oPNszLfWFM1VJJViDViIqtO8rbhYVc6F1dJ9eF8Xd9V05fPL-WH93tg3Q3nZKnfTaylQ1_DFIEavJg/s1600/001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5w6wsZzLPyv1CdaOPuZP2GohDF2bcC18-3pcNxG3AYRJkeZ0IAeIqljl0oPNszLfWFM1VJJViDViIqtO8rbhYVc6F1dJ9eF8Xd9V05fPL-WH93tg3Q3nZKnfTaylQ1_DFIEavJg/s400/001.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719572067385747346" /></a><br />Another of Chad's favorites - Little D's onesie by Kelly<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5RTdpUue46sPuuNjIdu4pLpGFWivD8IEe69z2JPRX_KFeyov9q5uWV5e2V7Sa8n4WgwsnwJ4O3Ti5AqreEsWd7Y270cw0t69wvi3HQleqBWe-QSZXwvPsCX-5LrHxpyeIQvkVvw/s1600/002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5RTdpUue46sPuuNjIdu4pLpGFWivD8IEe69z2JPRX_KFeyov9q5uWV5e2V7Sa8n4WgwsnwJ4O3Ti5AqreEsWd7Y270cw0t69wvi3HQleqBWe-QSZXwvPsCX-5LrHxpyeIQvkVvw/s400/002.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719572533070623522" /></a><br />Fun stuff! Now, to get the rest of "his" things out of his floor and in place waiting to be used :-)Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-34861014156905709852012-03-12T08:00:00.001-04:002012-03-12T08:00:08.607-04:00A few baby giftsSo since all of you have been pampering me with so many wonderful gifts, I decided to share the love with a few friends who have had, or are about to have, new little ones in their lives. I still have a few things on my "to make for other folks list," but I did take a break on Saturday to make a pillow cover for SDE's room (with Jennifer's help, of course!) so I'm not neglecting him too much :-)<br /><br />Here's a peak at a few things I made (you will note that many of these tutorials are ones you guys pointed me to on pinterest): <br /><br /><a href="http://cally-cruze.blogspot.com/2009/08/diaper-strap-tutorial.html">Diaper Strap </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhl55l1uyhW7fprGfSa0MOTDr7ISdggTNuTnuYC0pBhAv2uRpX0ZoJEebfO7f3dl6D0pLX4g87JbuEsXrMA01K3t21_gUEW5sigIVZoCzY80G5LrL7vxY8uHum7507DiDQiy9jg/s1600/007.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhl55l1uyhW7fprGfSa0MOTDr7ISdggTNuTnuYC0pBhAv2uRpX0ZoJEebfO7f3dl6D0pLX4g87JbuEsXrMA01K3t21_gUEW5sigIVZoCzY80G5LrL7vxY8uHum7507DiDQiy9jg/s400/007.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718508385962604914" /></a><br />I made two of these. They were super easy and I think they turned out pretty cute. I hope they are useful and not just another unnecessary baby item. I can see how they might be more helpful with a slightly older infant than with a newborn. It might also be nice to include a little diaper changing pad that could strap under the wipes case. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.dwellonjoy.com/2012/02/i-love-owl-taggies.html">Taggie Blanket</a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRAsnougCJ3mHihcnSk0CeSy9w08ahKGDznlIEhwDfosuj0_ZtVnasjSFr05o3E70lf7a6muPptPAJGwYAuOEhKllxkwrDjIyDBvILBjujmDvNoP2JrgaL9CK9L7Udj3tD_I1mtw/s1600/009.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRAsnougCJ3mHihcnSk0CeSy9w08ahKGDznlIEhwDfosuj0_ZtVnasjSFr05o3E70lf7a6muPptPAJGwYAuOEhKllxkwrDjIyDBvILBjujmDvNoP2JrgaL9CK9L7Udj3tD_I1mtw/s400/009.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718509056572872754" /></a><br />I made two of these as well, but one of them is in the Goodwill box. I just didn't like how the first one turned out...too many little imperfections so I didn't want to gift it to anyone. I will say that I made the second one a little larger than the tutorial called for (I think I cut it 11x11, but could be remembering incorrectly) and I was more pleased with the size. If I make more, I think I'll cut it 12x12 and see how that works.<br /><br />Appliqued flower onesie (pay no attention to my terrible stitching efforts; concentrate instead on the cuteness of the fabric ;-))<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0tePtGttPsAXNFauezMPS7P7nRJy_RsJJrnIoeymI5VyJMyVD0PrJZdsOr3z71Y9oosEZrO67oVvg6FnZ8bw7_bwz_tyQsF8X8tszRkVjuUEzA2O2qAehQ16gZRCpbKhBkSOD7w/s1600/011.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0tePtGttPsAXNFauezMPS7P7nRJy_RsJJrnIoeymI5VyJMyVD0PrJZdsOr3z71Y9oosEZrO67oVvg6FnZ8bw7_bwz_tyQsF8X8tszRkVjuUEzA2O2qAehQ16gZRCpbKhBkSOD7w/s400/011.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718509957495705506" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.modabakeshop.com/2012/02/so-soft-washcloths.html">Supersoft washcloths</a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1_J8QM6nh1dvPRauqh5jIfat4edO5oyh7wGbxNfEmsXmEWrqkfzrSKL4Z55BDAnGLFlVJgecOiZ9l7TM7pozpX5qLi2qDyH9NyueXmglLkQY4Mx0c5-PKPJevbA3XlQGvl9wBg/s1600/washcloths2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1_J8QM6nh1dvPRauqh5jIfat4edO5oyh7wGbxNfEmsXmEWrqkfzrSKL4Z55BDAnGLFlVJgecOiZ9l7TM7pozpX5qLi2qDyH9NyueXmglLkQY4Mx0c5-PKPJevbA3XlQGvl9wBg/s400/washcloths2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718512746197786226" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-kQ7xzmNK9_ijmxLEQ59lqF5rLvUlYe6Wo1kil7NJOBT5TjaTEh7xG_MpzklBEyt4wsJBWJ5sjOBZrcBNaRmhc3rgHYbd1S9kYpVf83WRCdhLp7C0pfwWQfyDNtV8nPJbNxFGg/s1600/washcloths.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-kQ7xzmNK9_ijmxLEQ59lqF5rLvUlYe6Wo1kil7NJOBT5TjaTEh7xG_MpzklBEyt4wsJBWJ5sjOBZrcBNaRmhc3rgHYbd1S9kYpVf83WRCdhLp7C0pfwWQfyDNtV8nPJbNxFGg/s400/washcloths.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718512992232267714" /></a><br />I made three of these and really, really liked them. I didn't make them 10x10 though. I think I cut mine more like 9x9 and they were still a nice size...especially for a baby washcloth. This project was my first time using the walking foot and the free motion quilting foot. Many thanks to Christy for her help via the interwebz as I tried to figure it out. Otherwise these bad boys still wouldn't be quilted!<br /><br />I joked with colleagues that this latest phase of craftiness is pregnancy-induced, but who knows? Maybe I'll stick with this newest hobby. I certainly hope so!Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-19468763241796921502012-03-11T12:00:00.001-04:002012-03-11T12:00:06.154-04:00So many handmade goodies!SDE is quite the lucky guy and I'm quite the lucky gal to have amazing friends like all of you. Check out some of the awesome handmade stuff this little guy's going to get to enjoy (these pictures can't do the real things justice! Look for more pics of these adorable items when I post the nursery pics):<br /><br />Bunting made by Christy:<br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVg83BTKG63UR9iUyOZ-TlfmzO1PTnQD9j96gULJY_J9BtgR7cPDiLnXe-WtRnftcLGMWaXJAqTTpBvU1Z1A70DcuFSlaQzcQ3thpj_yP-PMH6jo3d4FP0_jfcMM8a44gQTSDgQ/s1600/bunting.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVg83BTKG63UR9iUyOZ-TlfmzO1PTnQD9j96gULJY_J9BtgR7cPDiLnXe-WtRnftcLGMWaXJAqTTpBvU1Z1A70DcuFSlaQzcQ3thpj_yP-PMH6jo3d4FP0_jfcMM8a44gQTSDgQ/s400/bunting.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718506163659524450" /></a><br /><br />Quilt made by Jennifer (picture stolen from Jennifer's blog because I don't have a good one of the whole thing): <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCeXm-Lc61CakypmQ5ARiPsEEzScLe_d0kOGqAAQQ04uxd0gdO9VsuC7ufEMnaSstV27QjESPwDAdWor6qVgQ7ci6McA85b2IOqczkbqTALQarrycxGjOARzLS-zJvqOK_22j5tw/s1600/SDE_quilt.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCeXm-Lc61CakypmQ5ARiPsEEzScLe_d0kOGqAAQQ04uxd0gdO9VsuC7ufEMnaSstV27QjESPwDAdWor6qVgQ7ci6McA85b2IOqczkbqTALQarrycxGjOARzLS-zJvqOK_22j5tw/s400/SDE_quilt.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718505365684573970" /></a><br /><br />Diaper wreath made by Melissa (all I have to do is add his name to the center and PRESTO - beautiful hospital wreath I didn't have to make :-)):<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhax9Nd3ADPB74SE8wplIIIIUhfZk6niOwAS1G3JPLWjSqrndoHSfX3anJf4MstxaWxDnbnE972Z9_RFxYkBk6w0iQA7QHJb5d7pczcqsEm3EWc8W5wYjzy6-t8oRHuwgp2vDHThA/s1600/016.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhax9Nd3ADPB74SE8wplIIIIUhfZk6niOwAS1G3JPLWjSqrndoHSfX3anJf4MstxaWxDnbnE972Z9_RFxYkBk6w0iQA7QHJb5d7pczcqsEm3EWc8W5wYjzy6-t8oRHuwgp2vDHThA/s400/016.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718504032292283714" /></a><br /><br />Valances made by my mom:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivM7i97_orM-VwlYmgmO3e-jtYyWXiCJRnKA0sazRycR-T2ZEDg1_RaEFD5xcPxn6z8a9Cdu4eyhCOFr2xoIvpZPsJR3vbJh75cUJSz53OUjs8qqLgpjDuME5HtqoSNGo0_3t2fA/s1600/001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivM7i97_orM-VwlYmgmO3e-jtYyWXiCJRnKA0sazRycR-T2ZEDg1_RaEFD5xcPxn6z8a9Cdu4eyhCOFr2xoIvpZPsJR3vbJh75cUJSz53OUjs8qqLgpjDuME5HtqoSNGo0_3t2fA/s400/001.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718502975275313602" /></a><br /><br />Minky blankey from Rita: <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVBmMpXMDs3jDA0BosgkRxHpc940uZIVJh6lgMbagkp68OpWwHztLd8SFJ-OOGwx3QNLZM9djxadBeD7Uks9e1A3o2oGLvLFtdGwp1AVc5Y7kWRLtMBYg5dXgzvr0buiOAf3YNow/s1600/020.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVBmMpXMDs3jDA0BosgkRxHpc940uZIVJh6lgMbagkp68OpWwHztLd8SFJ-OOGwx3QNLZM9djxadBeD7Uks9e1A3o2oGLvLFtdGwp1AVc5Y7kWRLtMBYg5dXgzvr0buiOAf3YNow/s400/020.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718503703575740738" /></a><br /><br />I've also gotten some amazing crocheted blankets, hats, and a cocoon, but I don't have pictures of all of them. Trust me when I say they are beautiful! Thank you all for making this time so very, very special!Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-60791917080186224112012-03-10T23:59:00.007-05:002012-03-11T00:09:12.549-05:00SDE's nursery: Cady's contributionsHandprint Giraffe<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvf0k4u_IW9KTTLpYq4Iu4NHWdo30uuyFdmFsGSBaBl8FueSN1L1np_DtZ8Dm4bKh_9hYexilcBLX50NI7ivM3Nwdd3GVIf_abnXLoaRV0SD9fmL0b9Nuqg3w_dI8XNpbklXGREQ/s1600/013.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvf0k4u_IW9KTTLpYq4Iu4NHWdo30uuyFdmFsGSBaBl8FueSN1L1np_DtZ8Dm4bKh_9hYexilcBLX50NI7ivM3Nwdd3GVIf_abnXLoaRV0SD9fmL0b9Nuqg3w_dI8XNpbklXGREQ/s400/013.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718501175409284210" /></a><br />Footprint Alligator<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwTX-6l86P2Cef_gQjFbeICR6_-3qFp_7x_EvlclIQRHx_qOWjcG-1SphHHeozxzl9PxcGG-NPCMxqKteQMdDO852V4DLmhnn96LDaOFfLfQxX9_pnC_pNEUgibf6nBXSw93Y1xg/s1600/014.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718500454225925762" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwTX-6l86P2Cef_gQjFbeICR6_-3qFp_7x_EvlclIQRHx_qOWjcG-1SphHHeozxzl9PxcGG-NPCMxqKteQMdDO852V4DLmhnn96LDaOFfLfQxX9_pnC_pNEUgibf6nBXSw93Y1xg/s400/014.JPG" /></a><br />Handprint Elephant<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoedPf2eczxAeVQ-j44i_4EDbLQ0j4uV5pFZ7Wamd0EaH8Zzg9edbtXHy8pwPNauDEJ_FHWrYODxS34r0S5N908Qj2GOgnv7lTDmvgOZzt2NQxKWnaN-AbsxUfLSxs8RbGVb9ACg/s1600/015.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718500109317112850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoedPf2eczxAeVQ-j44i_4EDbLQ0j4uV5pFZ7Wamd0EaH8Zzg9edbtXHy8pwPNauDEJ_FHWrYODxS34r0S5N908Qj2GOgnv7lTDmvgOZzt2NQxKWnaN-AbsxUfLSxs8RbGVb9ACg/s400/015.JPG" /></a><br />Now, a view of all three hanging over the crib with Christy's amazing bunting framing them perfectly!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMxS8I_RS9ETxZS77ADzyV8unI8yQlbcyw13AbJHyP8SpF4-uaWUZfE9KxzZVzmacGuFNSn3AscvonwM40aIMA6ClCMlWYmQvOHnQwIwDD3IQBNYN5wKOVFjmVpDLpylDWq6EoJg/s1600/019.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMxS8I_RS9ETxZS77ADzyV8unI8yQlbcyw13AbJHyP8SpF4-uaWUZfE9KxzZVzmacGuFNSn3AscvonwM40aIMA6ClCMlWYmQvOHnQwIwDD3IQBNYN5wKOVFjmVpDLpylDWq6EoJg/s400/019.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718501724361237746" /></a>Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-3267056877481755222012-03-07T23:26:00.000-05:002012-03-08T00:28:39.053-05:00Wordless Wednesday, March 7, 2012<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCgC8d85hx5Ryvai81wlp_zmtK5o69otBm0aed_Sk7VuqMgrqHsqZb2-nFNyYnm_Vsjh_OogcM6NFS7ad-LbsS4422P8ZzzHBE6bx7eJ9Pdl7zdIHXlqKQA4JEYtNo28Te4nYosQ/s1600/004.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCgC8d85hx5Ryvai81wlp_zmtK5o69otBm0aed_Sk7VuqMgrqHsqZb2-nFNyYnm_Vsjh_OogcM6NFS7ad-LbsS4422P8ZzzHBE6bx7eJ9Pdl7zdIHXlqKQA4JEYtNo28Te4nYosQ/s400/004.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717393739419361522" /></a>Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-25019469929204505142012-03-02T10:00:00.009-05:002012-03-02T22:20:04.191-05:00Happy birthday, Dr. Suess!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI-i73Bk_o7Ofy_1yN4yIr6JQZgplwX3lKz5vPRGZxei3VOju6OkKOB5GN-NRino8M0xa6tX_SIffDUix5y-CIbJ1AehG2KOjaMYy_Jc1e1gCpcgPUMg2ZkbcRFEZpycesRYBNYw/s1600/031.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715315680987813730" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI-i73Bk_o7Ofy_1yN4yIr6JQZgplwX3lKz5vPRGZxei3VOju6OkKOB5GN-NRino8M0xa6tX_SIffDUix5y-CIbJ1AehG2KOjaMYy_Jc1e1gCpcgPUMg2ZkbcRFEZpycesRYBNYw/s200/031.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3mJM3y7ZaqWE8By3hHprqsG2JkT4uXXeKq3g8zo24sQG2jPzlK49edgtoDG9LC7hP0NIwa91SOIQ25I044OWDlRiaFOh2swU38tPNvEsFfUaQRWiRt1JWRShwZZchpRcD2b-2GQ/s1600/033.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715315446935557810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3mJM3y7ZaqWE8By3hHprqsG2JkT4uXXeKq3g8zo24sQG2jPzlK49edgtoDG9LC7hP0NIwa91SOIQ25I044OWDlRiaFOh2swU38tPNvEsFfUaQRWiRt1JWRShwZZchpRcD2b-2GQ/s200/033.JPG" /></a>Morning Snack - Cat in the Hat<br /><br />I ended up making these with a mini strawberry muffin for the head, raisins for the eyes and nose, pretzels for the whiskers, strawberries and bananas for the hat, and a teeny tiny amount of icing to hold the eyes and nose on and draw the mouth. I sent apple juice for the kids to drink.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimm8bZfXdilmHlCZ2C-g-H3r2i9cvRbAQ6BXxCHHIFYyYEb8VBYDoQBcrSsDDIfqcUIvwMXNuGsKY0hyphenhyphenl5S_A1IiD71VMAqlMnUheOiK6OWf_vTH0W0mrh_6EtAs-RfMlMuKMqsg/s1600/024.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715318771110360306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimm8bZfXdilmHlCZ2C-g-H3r2i9cvRbAQ6BXxCHHIFYyYEb8VBYDoQBcrSsDDIfqcUIvwMXNuGsKY0hyphenhyphenl5S_A1IiD71VMAqlMnUheOiK6OWf_vTH0W0mrh_6EtAs-RfMlMuKMqsg/s320/024.JPG" /></a>Afternoon snack - One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish<br /><br />I made the "fish" out of red and blue jello. I found sugar free strawberry jello, but couldn't find sugar free blue jello. I sent the extra pretzels and raisins to be served with the jello fish if they needed more than one little jello fish (pretzels as fishing poles, perhaps?). I also sent strawberry milk (aka "pink ink") for her classmates to drink.<br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfAHCh7Pdkg1vOj1OevEh2aGsRY0KvvLEPWxlv1sJ3bIZ_kn6F22Pt2bRdfLA-FWaIAMHdckAiqgkCDUeQ_Rbecmxm3L2nGMimHxYmVSYLOesFVLvC2vTWjaL6dpuA-pHiJMJ3g/s1600/032.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715315038970424242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfAHCh7Pdkg1vOj1OevEh2aGsRY0KvvLEPWxlv1sJ3bIZ_kn6F22Pt2bRdfLA-FWaIAMHdckAiqgkCDUeQ_Rbecmxm3L2nGMimHxYmVSYLOesFVLvC2vTWjaL6dpuA-pHiJMJ3g/s400/032.JPG" /></a> Thing One approves!</div>Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-71265539627304838442012-03-02T07:00:00.000-05:002012-03-02T07:00:02.821-05:00Want to make a guess?Since we did a <a href="http://mandyellene.blogspot.com/2008/04/prediction-game.html">prediction game </a>with Baby Girl (aka Elizabeth Cady), I thought it might be fun to do it again this time around. This time I'd love to see what you guys think his name is going to be too since we actually have one picked out before the due date :-)<br /><br />Here are my stats again:<br />November 5 (a couple of days late)<br />5:02 a.m.<br />9 lbs, 4 oz<br />22 inches long<br />Sandy brown (peach fuzz)<br /><br />And, Cady's stats:<br />May 27 (right on time)<br />9:54 a.m.<br />8 lbs, 10 oz<br />21 inches long<br />Dark brown (peach fuzz)<br /><br />Little man's due date is March 25, 2012 according to the midwife and March 27, 2012 according to my charting. His name has the initials SDE and I will neither confirm nor deny guesses on the name until after his birth :-) Ready, set, GUESS!Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-47391361524958173892012-02-29T13:23:00.004-05:002012-02-29T13:43:54.352-05:00Possible Cat in the Hat Snack?Thanks for all the great healthy snack ideas! I've been thinking about your suggestions and googling around trying to figure something out. I've found a couple of ideas that are super cute and I'm thinking about combining them. Here are some images I've found:<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZPKoAttxcEM/T0VlriXKxwI/AAAAAAAACE8/vcBJkWHBQN4/s1600/CatInTheHatWATERMARK.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 389px; HEIGHT: 369px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZPKoAttxcEM/T0VlriXKxwI/AAAAAAAACE8/vcBJkWHBQN4/s1600/CatInTheHatWATERMARK.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://kitchenfunwithmy3sons.blogspot.com/2012/02/cat-in-hat-fruit-snack.html">Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.skiptomylou.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/cake-decorating-001.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 440px; HEIGHT: 274px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.skiptomylou.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/cake-decorating-001.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.skiptomylou.org/2009/03/02/dr-seusss-thing/">Skip to my Lou</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.naturallyeducational.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Cat-in-the-Hat-Snack.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.naturallyeducational.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Cat-in-the-Hat-Snack.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.naturallyeducational.com/2012/02/dr-seuss-snack-cat-hat/">Naturally Educational</a><br /><br />I'm thinking about half of a mini bagel with cream cheese for the face, raisins for eyes and nose, pretzels for the whiskers and strawberries and bananas for the hat. What do you think? Would that work? Would it be better to forego the cream cheese and just opt for bread? Or, maybe mini muffins with cream cheese? Thoughts?Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-62821596740749449112012-02-29T09:35:00.004-05:002012-02-29T09:39:21.873-05:00Wordless Wednesday, February 29, 2012<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhra-gpKkWNwJENJ9TLlAvXYwXzf-cfP1VCfBjWCYHVIhweam-uXVd0iK7_z8u7n2U1LU9j482xkhsxVx7_W_yRRrfOkIFNvxuWu0BMWA7_d6S31d47I7lyIdVk9LiZ1XJpkxLQ/s1600/026.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhra-gpKkWNwJENJ9TLlAvXYwXzf-cfP1VCfBjWCYHVIhweam-uXVd0iK7_z8u7n2U1LU9j482xkhsxVx7_W_yRRrfOkIFNvxuWu0BMWA7_d6S31d47I7lyIdVk9LiZ1XJpkxLQ/s200/026.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714567159562143026" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_FfUPLZvs-UJPlheFPVClywCIKN6XFuAYt9G0L07ivTz_zLsllS4n8cF_CWO49EX6hBMvNEkZGEyypQwiDw4nCtqzPAG_toL7r607oY62T9rzs7mf4CRe3VoYNj3BtbcyhAAFg/s1600/023.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_FfUPLZvs-UJPlheFPVClywCIKN6XFuAYt9G0L07ivTz_zLsllS4n8cF_CWO49EX6hBMvNEkZGEyypQwiDw4nCtqzPAG_toL7r607oY62T9rzs7mf4CRe3VoYNj3BtbcyhAAFg/s200/023.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714566871237713506" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmpwkiRW6XJJKMcUoKOPUEqXicbpsYoz9lCvRA5cWBRT58sgLLqw_8JwWa-s5MDbKL1enMgoojZCxfsN4ODb5nThV6lqTAodqtRmjb-diFbdI0XMFvqhomYSZviI14sIQPgU3hVA/s1600/028.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmpwkiRW6XJJKMcUoKOPUEqXicbpsYoz9lCvRA5cWBRT58sgLLqw_8JwWa-s5MDbKL1enMgoojZCxfsN4ODb5nThV6lqTAodqtRmjb-diFbdI0XMFvqhomYSZviI14sIQPgU3hVA/s400/028.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714566577309104210" /></a>Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-60848943012833365172012-02-27T23:21:00.003-05:002012-02-27T23:51:41.719-05:00A little of this and a little of that...I have many, many things that I want to blog about, but every time I think about blogging I end up doing something else. Most recently I've been cleaning out the baby's room and writing thank you notes. Thanks to all of you who came to the shower last weekend; I promise that your proper thank yous are on their way. Our church hosted a shower for us last weekend too and I figured all of you (my nearest and dearest friends) would understand if I wrote the thank yous to the church ladies first :-) Honestly I have been overwhelmed by the gifts from family, friends, and our church. It is such a blessing to have folks celebrate our son with us. Your cards, calls, e-mails, handmade gifts, and carefully chosen (or crafted!) onesies are more appreciated than you can know. Can't wait for SDE to know and love each and every one of you (sorry I'm a bit sappy and sentimental these days).<br /><br />In other news, there are a couple of things that I wanted to float by my faithful readers to see if you had any advice/suggestions/opinions for me:<br /><br />1. I volunteered to bring snack to Cady's school Friday since it's Dr. Seuss' birthday. We bring snack once a month anyway and this allows me to a) take snack early in the month in case baby decides to appear earlier than anticipated and b) make something cutesy for her class that doubles as something I'd have to do anyway. My question is this: has anyone seen any healthy-ish Dr. Seuss snack ideas out there? They aren't allowed to bring sugar so cupcakes, cookies, etc. are out.<br /><br />2. What kind of pajamas/clothes did you wear in the hospital when you had your baby(ies)? I didn't stay in the hospital the first time so this is new territory for me. I realize it's not a huge deal, but I do want to look presentable if I have visitors.<br /><br />3. I wanted to order some notecards with SDE's name on them to use as thank you notes for gifts, meals, etc. after his birth. Where do you order your personalized stationary? I don't want to spend $2/card, but I want them to be of decent quality. I also want something that looks baby boyish without being too cartoonish if that makes sense.<br /><br />4. If you have pictures from last week's shower, will you send them to me? I didn't take any and I'm DYING to show off the beautiful decorations on the blog.<br /><br />Okay, that's all for now. I'll try to post more than once every two weeks, but I can't promise. These days I find myself longing to go to bed at 6:30 :-)Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-35644597873922716542012-02-08T08:00:00.000-05:002012-02-08T08:00:04.476-05:00Almost Wordless Wednesday<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFEKtWGlC9xsGRO9jCyQ_O7i7JrkdYeMtuDc-cDy7r8DNi8BrgEWX4Cdgk2_d2GlwXAeHThN0yOvU6gqrqzvbVWVU6iZPvI5gTB1vqKLDYyL-ovxdY-eVI5Lax8hX548Boddx8w/s1600/015.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705894090792398338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFEKtWGlC9xsGRO9jCyQ_O7i7JrkdYeMtuDc-cDy7r8DNi8BrgEWX4Cdgk2_d2GlwXAeHThN0yOvU6gqrqzvbVWVU6iZPvI5gTB1vqKLDYyL-ovxdY-eVI5Lax8hX548Boddx8w/s400/015.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikiclOVkaHXQfweCTRH7DGS70paz8LhIi7l9RhwJ2SuMxP55YG7pHXPHhPVBP9RQkhM_TeZJ6Z6vthn885EEQsoRcSskGxNhowrVZkUkQLuZfaOg46qWDS0HyuT7n-e08S-pQTfA/s1600/019.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705894994901100498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikiclOVkaHXQfweCTRH7DGS70paz8LhIi7l9RhwJ2SuMxP55YG7pHXPHhPVBP9RQkhM_TeZJ6Z6vthn885EEQsoRcSskGxNhowrVZkUkQLuZfaOg46qWDS0HyuT7n-e08S-pQTfA/s200/019.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRapJ_AiE2jMrR7509MsDJBmyrXp0e_C8w8VfweCEu253_0nljdjOkfgPX-ZEhtWhhs40I8WqL2aJTucGiILQtYZf3zwvMljXFfedv3E8BP41z1N_INxpUammfLqHDYS35e74UJw/s1600/014.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705894468604349570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRapJ_AiE2jMrR7509MsDJBmyrXp0e_C8w8VfweCEu253_0nljdjOkfgPX-ZEhtWhhs40I8WqL2aJTucGiILQtYZf3zwvMljXFfedv3E8BP41z1N_INxpUammfLqHDYS35e74UJw/s200/014.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibtrEe1-DyQ2ixJwcZdWrT5GmlcIiqjgSGv_b5CGubXtcbXKe6OJ2Ge8X_yVkrjz8FEJaa5pizacS1UjiW5LlWIXTj3YM_UvUmWWJfiBICehLXZnxvjFlemtteXlnD-YDxqasp1Q/s1600/017.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibtrEe1-DyQ2ixJwcZdWrT5GmlcIiqjgSGv_b5CGubXtcbXKe6OJ2Ge8X_yVkrjz8FEJaa5pizacS1UjiW5LlWIXTj3YM_UvUmWWJfiBICehLXZnxvjFlemtteXlnD-YDxqasp1Q/s200/017.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705895796659304674" /></a>Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-5574428805764875012012-02-06T08:00:00.000-05:002012-02-06T08:00:06.944-05:00SDE's nurserySO, here's the material we finally decided on for the curtains. They will be straight valances and will most likely have a navy border around the bottom (and navy blackout curtains/shades over the windows). This means the room will be navy, lime green, brown, and aqua. Chad liked the sock monkeys and the red/aqua color scheme and I kept leaning toward aqua, lime green, and yellow themes, but we both loved this print. I'm so excited!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1U1MC425Hgj2evBNtM0pAgDjS6s6dZ7ex7D7JFudfvZrHCtWSFIzOe57omNElReH4JSxQjPXqnYih7evZ_8t5Y8aVVOqSkVRHs-9viPxzMh3xeTwFwlslNzEHZD-J0jgtlFHHg/s1600/zoo.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 228px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705898525463635362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1U1MC425Hgj2evBNtM0pAgDjS6s6dZ7ex7D7JFudfvZrHCtWSFIzOe57omNElReH4JSxQjPXqnYih7evZ_8t5Y8aVVOqSkVRHs-9viPxzMh3xeTwFwlslNzEHZD-J0jgtlFHHg/s400/zoo.jpg" /></a> Photo from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/50399282/2d-zoo-in-pool-by-alexander-henry-1-yard?utm_source=googleproduct&utm_medium=syndication&utm_campaign=GPS">this </a>etsy shop </p><br />Now to figure out the rest of the room! Thankfully I have talented friends that are going to help fill this room with homemade goodies. I can't wait!Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-31749000365679065042012-02-05T23:52:00.011-05:002012-02-06T00:33:54.532-05:00Handmade Holiday Challenge, Gifts #11, 12, and 13<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7URyqwbEKFnL8JIgYRnC7rIE73kjF5BSb8e6BjsrkhbjAePgVVJDgEYwr5KlvYmN9E-lYsZmiiLMYL6ER_awlKZ0dNgogBXIparqZrWJp8xRLRCSh_NJ_Xs93y1avtjNWu3-3w/s1600/010.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705888522535350402" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7URyqwbEKFnL8JIgYRnC7rIE73kjF5BSb8e6BjsrkhbjAePgVVJDgEYwr5KlvYmN9E-lYsZmiiLMYL6ER_awlKZ0dNgogBXIparqZrWJp8xRLRCSh_NJ_Xs93y1avtjNWu3-3w/s200/010.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUaBh1UBMSKQi0j9Z128htu4NI-DqZSUJO2yG7J0A5EQ_Z6h4XHoovLI1Rfte06I6xHQjNEq2saUR99ictRw_8LSEN9rqcc6-bv2PW2wqlbJTMd_W1oqSqOLYR3R84yZsGbV7XQ/s1600/008.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705887838122699634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUaBh1UBMSKQi0j9Z128htu4NI-DqZSUJO2yG7J0A5EQ_Z6h4XHoovLI1Rfte06I6xHQjNEq2saUR99ictRw_8LSEN9rqcc6-bv2PW2wqlbJTMd_W1oqSqOLYR3R84yZsGbV7XQ/s200/008.JPG" /></a>I made three of these car caddies for Christmas gifts. I got the idea from <a href="http://takenpatiently.blogspot.com/2011/01/car-cozy.html">Jennifer</a> who mostly followed this tutorial by <a href="http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com/2009/12/cozy-car-caddy-tutorial.html">Homemade by Jill</a>. Thankfully I had Jennifer and the other SSS girls to help me with the first car caddy or I never would have been able to make these things! They aren't necessarily hard, but I'm still very much a novice with the sewing machine (plus, I'm easily frustrated). This first one was for my friend A's son, Hollis. He's four, which may be on the upper age limit of who will enjoy this "toy," but only time will tell. I think the thing I like most about this one is the numbers. I'm glad JSS recommended using puffy paint; I think they turned out really cute!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCpFvSabJtfPenkDYH0hhGB97Ird22-o-Kq9HhdHYE21HuawvQNochQam17dRK-A7xgnNvgqXPyWSCznQE8kFscJb7qfXguhLCn_zPeucZAYlznwj1clgtAkj5K7gdbrZLk7ax3w/s1600/119.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705882870768267906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCpFvSabJtfPenkDYH0hhGB97Ird22-o-Kq9HhdHYE21HuawvQNochQam17dRK-A7xgnNvgqXPyWSCznQE8kFscJb7qfXguhLCn_zPeucZAYlznwj1clgtAkj5K7gdbrZLk7ax3w/s200/119.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdlaBDrDL-zcXnAuXCzEL_TyH0zlw-z16N9GIllMjTHR8d7i3GHCilTbqPZrPBHHql4Iji2Mz9EJu15keqoReDq3elSv6RWMTumwY-Lhi8NFuX52hrWFj5VkTHbzaXz9uiGGVJ7w/s1600/117.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705882482071376898" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdlaBDrDL-zcXnAuXCzEL_TyH0zlw-z16N9GIllMjTHR8d7i3GHCilTbqPZrPBHHql4Iji2Mz9EJu15keqoReDq3elSv6RWMTumwY-Lhi8NFuX52hrWFj5VkTHbzaXz9uiGGVJ7w/s200/117.JPG" /></a> This next one was the one I made for Cady. She helped me pick out the fun material for the outside. I finished hers in the wee hours of Christmas Eve (the day we opened presents as a family). My mom sewed the "C" on for me since there was no way I wanted to attempt something new that late at night! Since I was using the same material for the third car caddy, I wanted the girls to be able to tell them apart. Unfortunately, Cady's car cozy doesn't have any numbers. I didn't think about needing a solid color for the pocket until it was too late. Somehow I think she'll survive.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5U23eHueJhn18H1ZZMT-BppUUaidffYEC5WUE1tkKJo-Ux6gx3QmAO4uj5oTnZGmvDqvmJhQf3OyxEeAhDGAIu967nyAE5E6lL3zQhG74iw8H6sxzrBTAFCbbDnGN8MO9tl9GkA/s1600/001.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705881623298227970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5U23eHueJhn18H1ZZMT-BppUUaidffYEC5WUE1tkKJo-Ux6gx3QmAO4uj5oTnZGmvDqvmJhQf3OyxEeAhDGAIu967nyAE5E6lL3zQhG74iw8H6sxzrBTAFCbbDnGN8MO9tl9GkA/s200/001.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcgwvoDEXILfS-XIjgJVL6qEBcTxTpv0Sz3iVX8W0obOmhOXdBnMdOYuEWTeVsRY_jJIYsi6Ai6IXy0w49hzIpa10nsiYaac1w26E0nLyRrc3wlr6QCK9rW3NFGKzbkZzFroniNg/s1600/002.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705882087491875666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcgwvoDEXILfS-XIjgJVL6qEBcTxTpv0Sz3iVX8W0obOmhOXdBnMdOYuEWTeVsRY_jJIYsi6Ai6IXy0w49hzIpa10nsiYaac1w26E0nLyRrc3wlr6QCK9rW3NFGKzbkZzFroniNg/s200/002.JPG" /></a>Finally, I made one for Addie. You would think that since this was the THIRD one of these things I had made it would be easy (and, of course, perfectly constructed). Yeah, not so much. I sewed the elastic band that's supposed to close the thing INSIDE at one point, which meant I got to use my trusty seam ripper some more. And then, when I went to sew it back together I chose a very poor place to leave open for "turning" the fabric right side out. Anna, don't look too closely at the edge of the road ;-) Because of sickness and busy schedules, we *still* haven't exchanged Christmas presents with the Wamsteds so Addie's car cozy is all wrapped up in the dining room ready to go. I have no doubt that she and Cady will be most excited about having a matching toy!<br /><br />So, there you have it. Three similar gifts, all with their own little perfections and flaws. But, that's what makes homemade things so special, right? :-)Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-12109632655111845642012-01-25T11:00:00.001-05:002012-01-25T11:00:11.292-05:00Happy birthday to A!Some of our colleagues at Huntingdon have an adorable little boy who just celebrated his 2nd birthday. We decided that some fun wooden blocks were in order for the occasion. And, I decided that a drawstring bag to store them in might be a nice touch. SO, I turned to <a href="http://incolororder.blogspot.com/2011/10/lined-drawstring-bag-tutorial.html">this </a>amazing tutorial that many of you have used. I actually paid the $6.50 for the pattern and it was <em>very </em>worth it to me. Some of you have the amazing ability to adjust patterns to fit your needs, but I opted for the convenience of step-by-step instructions this time ;-) I'm SO glad that I did. The pattern has sizes suitable for CDs, DVDs, and also instructions for writing a pattern to fit your needs. Love. It. This will be a great pattern for getting more Christmas bags made. <br /><br />BUT, onto the gift in question. Here's a picture of the completed bag full of blocks for the birthday boy:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOsymsPeDqErle9GV3Y51N8VEb4KRTsz9OX5v7HuXYUXTjHG0SLsTviuIJMgkC8QtaAgge3JbFvcvJt4P6GhPATMx2cKrVjKFQQb3D6r1c6D8dcNZp3DvUzIZnY3N8zz0yjG74w/s1600/006.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOsymsPeDqErle9GV3Y51N8VEb4KRTsz9OX5v7HuXYUXTjHG0SLsTviuIJMgkC8QtaAgge3JbFvcvJt4P6GhPATMx2cKrVjKFQQb3D6r1c6D8dcNZp3DvUzIZnY3N8zz0yjG74w/s400/006.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701428722330906434" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3eftoAKPFUfUK9rl0eg-oqFH0G0Rnzw9qwRCy3y4QQ6JrcLeG7pYuc4BNhv_XKBYOE4CALSyn2Q-i5rM9bes-QPjZAFprQATrq-6s11zDgqTSezZr4ApUt7nJdpeKMLf66A8aDw/s1600/005.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3eftoAKPFUfUK9rl0eg-oqFH0G0Rnzw9qwRCy3y4QQ6JrcLeG7pYuc4BNhv_XKBYOE4CALSyn2Q-i5rM9bes-QPjZAFprQATrq-6s11zDgqTSezZr4ApUt7nJdpeKMLf66A8aDw/s400/005.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701429121552944882" /></a><br />The blocks are from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/Christopherh?ref=pr_shop_more">this etsy site </a>in case anyone is interested (I have a coupon code that I'm happy to share if someone does decide to order). We ordered a HUGE set of blocks right before Christmas and then split them up into separate sets for gifts (some for Cady, some for A, and some on reserve ;-)). The quality of the blocks is excellent and I know they'll last for years to come. Hope little A enjoys them as much as all of us at our house do!Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36382144.post-77446508948785827132012-01-24T23:30:00.005-05:002012-01-24T23:43:29.200-05:00Happy birthday to Corey!My cousin Michelle mentioned right before Christmas that her son would like one of those no-sew fleece blankets. He's a HUGE Auburn fan and she said she knew he'd love an Auburn one. Apparently his little sister has a no-sew blanket and he enjoyed using hers at ball games and such. SO, to pinterest (and you) I turned! I ended up following <a href="http://anewchelseamorning.blogspot.com/2007/08/no-sew-fleece-blanket.html">this </a>tutorial for tying the knots and I LOVE how it turned out. I can't remember if I bought 1.5 yards or 2 yards of each fabric, but it ended up being a really nice size.<br /><br />I didn't finish it in time for our family Christmas gathering, but thankfully Corey has a January birthday. SO, here's what he got for his birthday from the McEggs:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxe6WQoTClBrvao6Yhst1cfT5lSO_NmYF79fP9s17k5Hb_Dak5fWYfH3u7Gdp4v1W1aeZiHGWgyH33paMO9vQE9Bln2aXVoN01cTIflrENP4QQdzCNa4Ei0mHcrs7IQdgNsQy_A/s1600/007.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxe6WQoTClBrvao6Yhst1cfT5lSO_NmYF79fP9s17k5Hb_Dak5fWYfH3u7Gdp4v1W1aeZiHGWgyH33paMO9vQE9Bln2aXVoN01cTIflrENP4QQdzCNa4Ei0mHcrs7IQdgNsQy_A/s400/007.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701423223694391138" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlz0lbbsq2NzruXFdIcSUXvTzXiJuPXITjTsaJ2tT4Unh9E_YJA2iDjcOz66g_Z4bkYTN0YXeqFUswE9RDn3DdBbWVVsDfgVIMks7LSuRA3L2oB6_sw2FwGdTZLJhRuJaiygxFA/s1600/010.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlz0lbbsq2NzruXFdIcSUXvTzXiJuPXITjTsaJ2tT4Unh9E_YJA2iDjcOz66g_Z4bkYTN0YXeqFUswE9RDn3DdBbWVVsDfgVIMks7LSuRA3L2oB6_sw2FwGdTZLJhRuJaiygxFA/s400/010.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701423521029282610" /></a><br />I hope he enjoys using it!Mandy Mchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689319530570133544noreply@blogger.com2