My Tie Troubles.

So my brother is getting married on the 28th and Ike and I wanted to get Jackson a new white shirt and tie to wear to the wedding. The color we were going for was something in the maroon family. We thought that because it was Christmas time we would be able to find something right??? WRONG!!!! After hours ( and I do mean hooooouuuurrrsss) of shopping we found nothing in his size and especially nothing with a tie included. Lots of sweater vests and blue/black/grey/yellow/red shirts but no white shirts with ties! I did not want to spend $25 dollars on a little suit with a colored shirt when we wanted to use this for his church shirt too. So after re-bleaching his old white shirt for the millionth time I decided I would just have to make him a tie. I found a great tutorial here(http://helpinglittlehands.blogspot.com/2009/10/make-your-own-baby-ties-with-optional.html). When Ike and I first got married I went through his ties and separated some into an "unwearable" pile. These were ties that I felt were too stained, old, frayed or just too ugly to wear to church or work. I dug through the ties and found two that I thought would be salvageable. My first attempt produced this yellow tie:

Not bad for a first try right?


I liked this tutorial because the tie is actually in two pieces. The neck strap and the tie itself. You can adjust the length just like an adult tie depending on how you tie it.


Instead of using elastic like the tutorial shows, I did Velcro for my neck strap.

Overall I was pleased with the yellow tie but not completely satisfied. I did not like how narrow the tie is (in the tutorial you use the narrow end of the tie) so I decided to make another with a few changes. I picked a tie that was a little more narrow and I took it in a little more to make it even skinnier. Then I did the same steps but I used the regular end of the tie instead of the narrow end and I think the results are much better! I tied the tie a little long so I will need to go back and retie it a little shorter.






I think I would be fine if Jackson wore either of these ties to church and the silver one should work for my brother's wedding. I saw some toddler ties on amazon but they wanted around $22 for one tie. I made both of these for $0.00. CAN I GET AN AMEN?!!?! So yea, I feel pretty good about Jackson's tie situation now.

Baby Belly Update

So I think I am at the point where I look pregnant. At least that is what I am telling myself and it is helping me justify all the maternity clothes I wear. I wish all my pants had elastic waists. It is just so comfortable. I am out of my first Trimester and I have not felt sick in about two weeks. All I can say is, "FINALLY!!!!". I was never half as sick with Jackson as I have been with this baby and it is so nice to be able to stomach more than just oatmeal. Today I had chicken with buffalo sauce and it was amazing! If you had offered it to me a month ago I would have had to run to the bathroom just thinking about it. I am 14 weeks according to the ultrasound I had about a month ago. They put me a week behind what I thought I was according to the first day of my last period. The baby is about the size of a lemon. Still no movement. I am hoping for a smooth second trimester. With Jackson I started to get heart burn around this time so I am keeping an eye (throat?) out for that. We find out if we are having a boy or girl in February. The hardest thing lately is that I am so tired. I am constantly exhausted and I think I could sleep 14 hours a night and take a nap during the day if I could. Hopefully I'll get a burst of energy now that I am in my second trimester???



I assume my baby looks something like this right about now.

I JUST CAN'T STOP!!!

So I might be addicted to making these baby shoes. They are so cute and easy to make!!!! I do need to pick up some fuseable interfacing to make them stiffer and I need to work on being more careful when I sew around the toes so that it can have a nicer curve. This pair I was too sloppy and you can tell. Other than that I think they are ADORABLE!!!!!!!

Craftastic!

So I have been in a pretty crafty mood lately but I haven't had a ton of money to spend on random supplies to I have been using whatever I have at home. I still have a few things I need to sew before I leave for Christmas but this is just what I have done in the last week.

Fur hat! I took a tweed-ish blazer that someone had given me in a box of clothes and an old fur wrap to make this hat. The hat is fur lined with pink buttons holding the ear flaps up and a pink crochet flower for prettiness. This hat didn't turn out as good as I was hoping. I have never worked with real animal hide before and I have discovered that it is my mortal enemy. I broke way too many needles making this hat. The tweed is a little crooked in the front too. Overall its turned out OK.


Please ignore how crazy I look in this picture. It was late at night when I finished the hat and I really should have waited until the next day to model it and take pictures.


I found a free pattern online for some baby shoes and I made two different pairs. The first pair is the one with the button closure but I thought they looked like elf shoes so I modified the pattern a little and that is how the purple ones came to be.




I like this pair so much better than the other ones.

Finally my favorite thing I made this week was this headband!



I got the idea from this Etsy seller: http://www.etsy.com/listing/59639601/comic-book-headband-pow-peacock-green?ref=sr_gallery_12&ga_search_query=pow+headband&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_category=accessories.hair&ga_facet=
But I actually like my version better and mine is free!! She charges $23 for hers.



So overall I feel that my week has been very productive in the craft arena. In the housekeeping arena, not so much.

He sees you when you're sleeping...He knows when you're awake...

So I can understand how Santa can be terrifying to little kids. Jackson had literally never seen any human being that looked even remotely like Santa in his life. I wouldn't be surprised if he thought Santa was some red, silky bearded animal or something. Jackson saw Santa for the first time about a week ago and the minute I tried to sit him on Santa's lap, he freaked out. I haven't seen him that scared in a long time. He managed to sit for a picture with me kneeling next to Santa and him on my lap. Maybe next year.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

Today we got our first snow! Besides the fact that no one plows the roads in Fullerton and we are practically stranded here until they do, we are having a great time! Jackson and I went outside today and he got to experience his first real snow. He loved it! He actually cried when I took him in the house. We also built his first snowman(More like I built it while he kept trying to knock it down). It finally really feels like Christmas! What is Christmas with no snow???

Jackson discovers snow.


Our first snowman.

T-24 Days until Christmas!!!!

CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So Christmas is amazing for tons of reasons: Celebrating the Birth of The Savior, spending time with family, the joy of giving gifts, setting up decorations and eating eating eating until you feel 5 months pregnant. Its all just awesome! In my family growing up we always made Christmas lists sometime around October. That way whoever was getting our gifts for us had a general idea of what we wanted. No one had to get you something on your list, it was just a jumping off point. It is always fun when making a list to put on a few things that you know you would never get but it is nice to see them on paper anyway.(My mom still asks for a pony.) I made and posted my Christmas list on facebook a while ago but I wanted to put up my top three "probably won't get but still want them" things for Christmas.

1. Bernina 350PE Sewing Machine

GAHHHH!!!!! It is like looking at the sun because it is so beautiful. Not only does this machine have more stitch functions than I could ever use but it has the most beautiful automatic buttonhole foot I have ever seen. Too bad it costs around $3000. This machine will probably stay on my list for a few more years until the next best model comes out.

2. An Automatic Car

It doesn't have to be this exact car. I just want an automatic car that seats around 7 people. We will have to get one eventually when we have too many kids to fit in our Volkswagen Golf. I just hate that we have a stick shift. I know I need to learn to drive it but I just don't like it!!!! I would so much rather just get an automatic. At least I know we will get one eventually.

3. A Dream House!

So I am kind of obsessed with older houses with front porches. We probably won't buy a house for another 4-5 years but when we do I really really really really really want a front porch. We will probably buy a fixer-upper. (Remember the house in It's a Wonderful Life? That is what we are looking for.) Like the car I know that we will buy a house eventually but not this year and definitely not new.

So there you have it. Three things on my list that Santa will not be putting under my tree this year but I will continue to ask for every year until I either have them or I am dead. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! What do you guys want that you probably won't get but you still like to ask for?

Me with Santa when I was 5 or 6.