Sensory Block

Once again, I am finding uses for extra yarn. I have been tempted to make some blocks for Ellie. I made a sensory block. The two sides not pictured I used a bobble stitch for extra added texture. I filled the block with fill and added a few ribbons. You can crochet 6 square the same size and sew them together or follow a pattern similar to this one http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/90653AD.html.

Headbands

Sweet and Simple! Crochet band with a knot. Has a vintage feel to it. 

Lemon Loaf

My mom has made lemon loaf for Christmas as long as I can remember. Now that I have my own family I want to keep some traditions going and start some of our own. Lemon loaf is definitely on the keep list. It is such an easy recipe, and makes a really great gift for friends and neighbors. 

Lemon Loaf

1 yellow cake mix (make sure it's a cake mix with NO PUDDING)

1 3oz. box lemon jello

4 eggs

3/4 cup water

   - combine the above ingredients in the mixer and beat on high for 4 minutes.

2/3 cup oil

       - add oil to the above mixture and beat on high for another 4 minutes.

Grease and flour your loaf pan. I used 5 mini loaf pans since I was handing them out as gifts. Divide the batter evenly, and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

Make sure to check the loaves with a knife or toothpick to make sure they are cooked through. They should be slightly brown on top. Here in Utah they took almost 35 minutes. 

Icing

Powdered Sugar

lemon juice

lemon or orange zest

mix to the desired consistency

Once the cakes have cooled, poke the tops with a fork and poor icing on top. 

ENJOY!

Hope you all love this recipe as much as I do. I love being able to start traditions with my little family. Having a baby in the house makes me even more excited about Christmas, even though she has no idea what is going on. 

Please feel free to share your favorite Christmas recipes and tradition with me!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Let down your hair!

My sister in law is surprising her daughter with a trip to Disneyland for Christmas. I can't think of a better surprise for a little girl. This will be her first time going, and we can't wait to see her reaction! My sister in law had seen this beanie on Pinterest and asked if I could recreate one. OF COURSE! 

I crocheted a simple earflap beanie and just ended the earflaps short. Then I just attached long pieces for the braids. I love the way it turned out and can't wait to see my niece sporting it around disneyland!

Yarn basket

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has a basket full of little yarn balls. Yarn left over from various projects. Well in my attempt to use up some of this yarn I started making baby hats. I have a great 9 month old model ;) I'm really happy with how they have come out. They are just fun and funky with a bunch of different colors. 

'Tis the season

I am in love with these colors this holiday season. I love the vintage look of the teal, white and red. I have struggled trying to decide what direction to go with for our christmas decoration, and this is a color scheme I can see in our house for a long time. I made this to hang up on our wall and decided to share. Who doesn't love a free printable!

Free Download Here 

Cloth Diapering

When I found out I was pregnant my mom asked me if I was going to cloth diaper. I hadn't really thought about it before then, but I started to look into it. I looked at so many different brands and styles. I could have gone the old fashion route with pre-fold or flat diapers and rubber pants or with pocket diapers. I searched and searched and had a hard time fathoming spending so much on pocket diapers. Most of them run about $20 a piece. Finally I reached out to the Facebook community and a friend of mine recommended Kawaii Baby Diapers! LINK HERE www.theluvyourbaby.com These diapers have been great! The best part is that they are affordable, only $6.99!! I started cloth diapering Ellie at 6 weeks and its 8 months later and I am still loving it. The main reason why I decided to cloth diaper was to save money. Jared and I would be able to afford to buy diapers but if we can save money why not! Not only are we saving money but it's also environmentally friendly. I have 11 diapers total. I could probably use a few more so I didn't have to wash them every day and a half but it's okay for now.

When Ellie was only solely nursing cleaning the diapers was a breeze. Just throw them in the washer. Now that's she is eating solids I have to rinse them in the toilet. Sometime it is gross.....but then I think of the $$$$$$ I'm saving and I put on my rubber glove, rinse and flush.  Using cloth wipes is very useful as well. That way the cloth wipes can get washed with the diapers and you don't have to separate anything. I use a simple wipe solution of water, baby oil, and a little baby wash. Ellie has had very few diaper rashes, when she does I use coconut oil. Coconut oil has worked great every time. For the dirty diapers I was hesitant to buy the diaper bins seen online that are specifically for cloth diapers. They are kinda big and bulky and I wanted something that looked a little more discrete. I found the perfect bin at Ikea for 12.99. I keep it by the toilet and it doesn't let any smell escape or anything! 

LINK HERE http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20193899/

Whatever your reason may be for cloth diapering; whether it's the price or the cause it's definitely a good investment.