Artist Caddies

These are the artist caddies I made for my nieces and nephew for Christmas. I know I am a little late in posting this, but I've been busy :) The pictures are pretty bad but they came out well.

Man, these pickles are sour!

Aiden loves Grammy's organic pickles :) They're not really that sour, but Aiden thinks they are. Whenever he sees these pictures he makes an "ack" sound. So cute!

Ah, Christmas

All of the Christmas parties are over. Whew. Time to relax... Or is it? Now I am cleaning the house up to make room for all of our new stuff. It really needs it anyway. Thankfully my new vacuum is making this task much easier :) Aiden has a ton of new toys and clothes. His favorites seem to be a drum, his first bike, refrigerator magnets and an Elmo/Cookie Monster vacuum. We all have so many nice new things! Jon loves his new slippers, pj pants and wool socks. I am excited about my new pants that actually fit me. I was getting tired of my pants falling down :) I also got a beautiful new sweater. I could go on and on but I need to get back to cleaning so I can relax for a little while.
Hope your holidays were as awesome as ours!

Happy Holidays!

We are starting our round of Christmas parties today. This will most likely be my last post until Christmas has gone by. Although it's not Aiden's first, he slept through it last year. This year he'll have fun opening presents! I'm so excited :) Happy Holidays!

Did some of those quiz things

Your Brain's Pattern

Your mind is a creative hotbed of artistic talent. You're always making pictures in your mind, especially when you're bored. You are easily inspired to think colorful, interesting thoughts. And although it may be hard to express these thoughts, it won't always be.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

Which Tarot Card Are You?

You are the Empress card. The Empress is the archetype of the Mother. She creates and nurtures life. She represents the abundance of Mother Earth. The Empress is capable of using nature in a productive way. She espouses art for art's sake. Her planet is Venus, and she embodies love of beauty and a strong value system. Here is also found initial sensation. This is the first really physical experience of the world that The Fool has entered. The Empress has a rich understanding of the world based on her five senses. In a reading, The Empress represents pregnancy, actual or metaphorical. She indicates an act of creation and a sensual experience of beauty. The Empress is a nurturing force that wishes to see the product of her experiences reach the next stage of development. Image from A Photographic Tarot http://www.bluewitch.com/healingtarot/healtar.htm Deck
Take this quiz!

Why Use Cloth?

Why Cloth?
Cloth diapering is much easier than most people think. It is also a great way to save money over buying expensive disposables. Whether you are considering cloth for your baby’s health, saving money, or conservation and the environment, you are making an important decision that will affect all.

For Baby
Disposables are full of harmful chemicals. They also get extremely hot and are not breathable. Recent studies have raised worries that the extreme heat created by disposables may lead to infertility in boys. Another benefit no parent should ignore: baby is less prone to diaper rash when wearing cloth.

Saving Money
By the time a baby is potty trained, they will have gone through approximately 5000 diapers. You are likely to spend $1500 to $3000 for disposable diapers and wipes. Even when considering costs to launder cloth, you still save a lot of money! Check out this calculator http://www.diaperpin.com/calculator/calculator.asp . Also consider that most diapers will last through more than one child. Once you are done with them you can sell or trade them, give them to someone in need, or use them for cleaning.

The Environment
Now imagine those 5000 diapers in a landfill. It is estimated that disposables take 500 years to decompose. Also consider that the disposable making industry accounts for nearly 7 billion gallons of oil each year and 3 times more waste!

What You Need
How many diapers you need will depend on how often your child needs to be changed and how many days you want to go between washing. Newborns use about 12 diapers in 24 hours. Toddlers generally use less. Most people prefer 2-3 dozen diapers. A one size fits all diaper is a great way to save even more money.

You will also need about 6 covers. Research the many types of covers as there are lots to choose from. I use the Gerber ones found at Wal-Mart. They are cheap and work fairly well. They don't hold up over time, but we only use covers when out and about. At home, I find it easier to go coverless.

Two or three wool soakers will be great for sleep and naps. More will be added about them eventually.

Inserts are a must for sleep. How many you need depends on how often baby pees at night. I use 2 per day. Because I wash every other day, and always seem to have one missing, I keep 6 on hand.

Cloth wipes are another way to save money. You will want a couple dozen or so. These can be purchased or made from old towels, t-shirts, sheets, etc. I use warm water for mine. You can also add a couple drops of essential oil to make a wipe solution. A few wet wipes in a baggy travel well (just remember to take them out between trips so they don’t get mildewed).

A diaper pail. Preferably with a cover. I use a metal trash can with a plastic liner. Cloth liners for the pail are nice too, but are not necessary.

A wet bag is great for outings. They are lined with a waterproof material and can be used for soiled diapers, dirty clothes, wet bathing suits, etc.

The Boo's boo-boos

My poor man has had a rough week. First he tried swinging from the floor lamp and ended up in the ER where we had to have 2 CT scans done. Today he fell on the register and cut above his eye. All these new boo-boos are just in time for Christmas pictures.

Boo Bear Buns Hemp Diapers

These are my Boo Bear Buns hemp/organic cotton
contoured diapers. These are one size fits all diapers that work for newborns up to 35 lbs! The 55% hemp/45% organic cotton fleece is beautiful and soft. Hemp is 4-8 times more absorbent than cotton so the three layers are less bulky and super thirsty. Hemp is also naturally antibacterial which helps prevent diaper rash and smelly diapers. More info and pics at the links below.

Starting a new blog

I have decided to start a new blog so I can keep track of my crafting and family activities. I also hope to connect with some people with similar interests, and hopefully sell some of my stuff. I make hemp/organic cotton cloth diapers and wipes as well as slings. Please check out my Etsy store and other links.