Crochet Lumberjack Hat for Fox

 

I have finally did it! I made Fox a cute little hat!   It also took a lot faster then I thought it would be, maybe a couple of hours or so.  I used Caron yarn Simply Soft Eco and modified a Lion Brand yarn free pattern off their website.  Now if only I could get him to smile and hold still for the photos lol.  Its almost impossible though to get a 9 month old to hold still for more then a second.  I would like to make more of these in different colors and types of yarn.  The pattern called for the wool thick and quick yarn so I might try that one next.  If I do I will share those pictures as well.  I really enjoyed this pattern it was so easy to do and is the cutest thing!  I totally recommend this one to anyone to try! Here is the link to the pattern http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/70501AD.html?noImages=&r=1

iPad-nounce you Husband and Wife

So since the creation of the computer the biggest and latest talk has been the iPad.  At Aaron and Katie Ybarra’s wedding the iPad was a hit!   When my cousin Aaron said “I do” at his non traditional wedding no one didn’t even noticed that there was something other then a Bible held in the preachers hands AKA my father lol.  Forgetting to print out when he was going to say for the ceremony, Aaron and Katie, already doing everything but going by the book told him to just use his iPad.  One more non traditional thing in the wedding was not going to ruin it but even better add to the wonderful day!

To start the wedding off Aaron and his grooms men walked out to the Gazebo to the Indiana Jones theme song holding his head high with pride! Then the beautiful bridesmaids came towards the gazebo to Debussy’s Clair De Lune followed by Katie’s younger brother prancing to the Sugar Plum Fairies from the Nutcracker as her flower boy.  Then to top it off as if couldn’t get any more different, Katie came strolling down with her father at her side wearing her self-hand made green wedding dress and tri-corn hat with a beautiful parasol to the score from Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

the whole wedding party

This wedding was a total hit.  We laughed, we cried, everyone had a smile on their face even through the tears of joy!  This has been one of the best weddings I have ever been to!

My Ebay and Craigslist Addiction

So since I have become a mother I have grown even more in love with shopping.  Now being that this is a woman’s first true love you know there is trouble involved when you have a good excuse to shop like a baby lol.  So to save my husband from bankruptcy I have started shopping more on Ebay and Craigslist.  Now it seems I cannot stop.  Everyday I’m on both pages browsing and doing good ol’ internet window shopping.  But with these great deals that I keep getting I just cannot put the mouse down!  So far I have purchased all of my cloth diapers on Ebay.  I have a total of 10 now and have paid less than $40 for them.  Considering how much they go for in the stores and cloth diaper stores I have saved more than half.  Now I’m looking for a convertible crib on Craigslist.  I have found in the past my infant carrier only for $40 and my convertible car seat for also $30 along with a Safety 1st walker for $10 a total savings of around $180. With these great savings can you blame me for my addiction?  I just can’t stop!  It’s so bad I’ve began to sell on both sites as well.  Right now trying to sell my infant carrier on both sites here is the link to the one on Craigslist http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/bab/1853055941.html I have it on Ebay too but under the classifieds section I don’t really want to deal with shipping this big old thing.  My name is Angela and I’m a Ebay Craigslist shopaholic, Oh lord help me!

Cloth Diapers Here we come

I have entered the world of cloth diapers.  I never thought I would use cloth diapers but here I am with the daily cleaning and drying loving every bit of it.  It actually is a lot easier than I thought it would be, but of course I’m still in the early stages and I know that once he is fully on solids things may change.  But still so far so good.  I cannot believe how much money I am already saving as well!  You don’t really notice how much you spend on diapers till you are not spending money on diapers anymore.  I still need to buy a few more cloth diapers though that way I don’t have to rush to wash them so quickly.  It seems like I always have my hands in a sink washing  one.  Yes I hand wash.  I do it for several reasons.  One is to save on energy and the other is because I don’t have enough to wait to wash them at once.  I am so glad that I made the switch, it makes me feel good knowing that I am not throwing diapers into a land fill

Lady Bug Bath Pillow

Yesterday I made another bath pillow for my friend Jennifer’s little 3 month old Clhoe.  I decided to try something new instead of the regular rectangle or square bath pillows I’ve made in the past.  This one, like all the rest, is made out of a terry cloth towel then I applique regular cotton fabric on to the front.  It is great for ages 0-6 months depending on the size of your baby.  This one did however take a little longer to do so instead of the going rate of $20 to $25 I will be selling this one for $30.  It is great for when your little one is done with bath time and needs a place to lay while you dry them off.  Once you baby out grows you can do several thing with it. Put it in the bathroom as a floor mat or hang it on the wall as decoration.  I really enjoyed making this one and already have another idea for the next which will be posted as soon as I finish.

My Baby Swing Dilemma

So here is the story of my dilemma with Fox’s baby swing.  He has a Fisher Price Natures Cradle swing which he inherited from my cousin after her two children used it.  Every thing was fine, he loved it so much that naps were never the same without it.  It was as if he knew that during the day when it was nap time he went in his swing and at night when it was bed time he went in his crib.  Well his little sleeping world fell apart when last week it decided to die on us.  The motor just stopped working but the sound and the mobile on it worked just fine.  I tried new batteries and that didn’t do it. I was about to run out and buy a new one cause he just was so difficult during the day when he was tired.  So being the tinker with electronics I pulled the dang thing apart and took out its guts.  Finding the model number of the motor I used our dear friend Google to see what I can find on it.  The first thing that popped up on the list was “My baby swing motor stopped working heres how to fix it” or something like that.  I was stoked that I have found the answer to my prayers.  It was extremely easy too.  It said that the motor in the Air Wick Fresh Matic was the same one as my swing.  Following basic common sense in wiring I tore out the old one and put the new one right it.  It was right as rain and seemed to work even better than before.  So for the price of $10 I fixed a $150 swing. Here is the website I found my answer at http://www.fixya.com/support/t1101519-fisher_price_natures_touch_cradle_swing

Then I dug a little deeper and decide that I was sick of spending so much on the dang batteries for the swing. So with Google’s help one more time I found a solution to converting it to work with a DC adapter.  Just as easy too.  here is that website for those who might want to do the same thing.  http://www.instructables.com/id/wall-transformer-for-project-power-supply/

I Believe that I will now last me through a few more babies!!

High Chair cushion

I finally finished my sons high chair cushion .  It surprisingly only took me two days to do even though I did it without any pattern, just my own idea and looking at others.  I used an indoor outdoor upholstery fabric.  I picked it because it is a lot more durable and can just be wiped with a wash cloth to clean.  So I’m hopping that it will not stain as well but only time will tell.  Fox is still though a bit too small for it so as soon as I can put him in the chair without him falling over I’ll post a picture.

Where has the time gone?

It has seem as though time just slipped through a wormhole. Fox is now 3 months and 1 week old.  He has grown so much since we first brought him home from the hospital.  Showing more signs of his unique personality everyday, always changing and maturing from what he used to be.  I love every moment that passes by with him, even the hard ones.  All the difficult times he had in the very beginning feel as though they were more the just a few months behind us.  I have almost forgotten how I felt, the stress is calming down along with the anxiety.  Sleeping is still not a full night but there has been much improvement.  My poor husband though, it seems that every time I leave him with Fox asleep the sleep doesn’t last long and he is up with dramatic tears giving his father a hard time.  It makes me laugh though cause I am not the one who has to deal with it and I get my little mini-break for the time that I am away.

The is nothing quite like a Sister

Oh sister will always be sisters.  Even though being only four years apart its amazing how with time we became so close.  My older sister Chirstin, on the right, is quite the crazy rambunctious one.  She is always on the go.  You just can’t keep her in one place for too long.  Something that I believe just runs through our veins.  I blame our father who got our feet wet in travel and adventure at such a young age.  Even though I have now settled down and started a family of my own, she will just keep going.  Its been fun to see ourselves still enjoying similar hobbies even though we were living far from one another and off doing our own thing.  I guess deep down inside our DNA had it written all along our similarities.  One thing is for sure though that she has always had a stronger ambition then I have.  Making something of her life then being just a homebody who takes care of a precious child.  Not that I’m complaining I love my son and being a stay at home mom, but of course I would not have minded finishing college and making a career like she did.  Because of her hard work, she has now been able to fulfill the things she wants in life such as traveling, and other hobbies that she has grown to love.  I was helping her upload some pictures on to her facebook and it is truly amazing all the things that she has been able to do and the places that she has traveled to just with in our own country.  It seems like every time I turn around she is off to another destination and another adventure.  It sure is nice when she home to visit.  I love being with my family!

Breaks My Heart

Oh my, Fox is 11 lbs. 4 oz. now. I cannot believe how much he has grown!  I love my son, being a mother has finally set in and it affects me now in so many ways.  I have become so sensitive to things that happen to other parents and children that it has brought me to tears.  The other day my husband was sharing with me about some dog attacks on children that happened in San Diego.  One of them was on an infant boy.  Well being a man, he got too detailed in his story telling and I just broke down right there as if it was my own son.  I’ve never done that before, I almost felt embarrassed of my reaction.

Another thing that is just breaking my heart is what is happening to my long time childhood friend Robert.  He is as close to a brother I have.  Robert recently has been dealing with a nasty divorce and just had his first-born son from his soon to be ex-wife last week.  This poor child, named Tyler, is going to be in the middle of a disaster and he hasn’t even had his first smile yet.  The mother is already making it difficult for Robert to have a healthy relationship with his son by not showing up to his first visitation.  I cannot imagine what it would be like for someone to deprive me from seeing my child.  It would kill my very soul!  My heart goes out to him in every way and I pray that she will not use sweet little Tyler as leverage against Robert.  Parents who do such things should not be parents at all.  It is not fair to the child who has no say in his life.  It may result in him resenting his father, believing that his father might have never wanted or loved him when in fact he did.  I’ve seen it happen in so many lives.  Parents are supposed to do what is right for their children and act unconditionally regardless of what their selfish hearts what.  Being a new mother I am learning every day what it means to be selfless, to put my own needs aside so that I can make a better life for my son.  He is my world and should always come first!