A little breather...

This past week was crazy busy for me. Yesterday was the first ever Nashville Handmade Craft Fair! Being the constant procrastinator that I am, I waited until the week before the show to make most of the pieces I had for sale. When will I learn to start things in advance?! Haha!

Anyways, now that the show is over, I definitely feel a bit relieved to not be on a time crunch!! All of the things I need to get done before Thanksgiving seem like a breeze after last week. Russ' parents, Bubbe and Bops, will be coming into town Wednesday for the holiday...hooray! Needless to say, I should probably be cleaning and not blogging, but I wanted to let you all know that I've added lots of new goodies to the ole etsy....

I've also put up more booties! So if you're looking for a great baby gift...check em out www.ohjustdandy.etsy.com

Have an amazing Thanksgiving!!

Matchy match

I know it's real dorky, but I love it when Addison and my hubby Russell match! And by match, I mean, wearing the same shirt, not just coordinating outfits ;) So Russ has this lumberjack, red and black checked jacket he wears a lot, and I've just been thinking how stinking cute would it be if Addison had one to match! I've been looking around, and everything I've found is just to pricey for this momma.

I had lost hope, until after flipping through one of my craft books, Handmade Beginnings by Anna Maria Horner (One of my absolute favorite fabric designers), I came across this adorable pattern for a jacket!

*The little jacket in the bottom left corner*
(Image via Annamariahorner.com)

The pattern calls for 2 midweight fabrics to make more of a Spring coat, but I figured with the right fabrics and a little fudging, I could probably make the pattern work for what I wanted to create.



The white snuggly fabric is really not the easiest thing to work with. The raw edges shed like crazy! There were little white fluffs in just about every nook and cranny. I'm sure the real sewers out there would be appalled at my DIY techniques, but overall the goal was accomplished, so I can't complain. Fall is here (even though it doesn't feel like it today) and I just cannot wait to see Daddy and Baby Boy as lumberjack buddies (pictures of the pair will be coming soon...i promise! haha)

A little shameless self promotion...

So, I have a little shameless self promotion to do...he. For awhile now I've wanted to make an over-sized doily into a kitchen/bath mat. I finally gathered the materials and made one for myself just a couple weeks ago. I got such an overwhelming response from people who really seemed to enjoy them, so I decided to start making them for sale in my etsy :) So if you're looking for a great Christmas/Birthday gift, head on over to my etsy and take a look! I can make these in a variety of different colors, and I hope to have a few more mats in different styles up soon!



Thanks for taking a look :)

How can it be November already?!

I don't know if it's getting old or Motherhood, but these months just seem to be flying by in the blink of an eye.

I'm a little late in posting this, but Addison turned 7 months old last week!

I feel like there are new fun things happening almost every day for this little guy. He's completely sitting up on his own, and is trying his hardest to get crawling (poor thing). He can get up on his arms, and then on his knees, but hasn't quite mastered both together...he. He is so content and happy most of the time, which has been the most incredible blessing. I don't think he knows exactly what he's saying, but he's mastered "Ma ma", "Da da", "Ba ba", and then makes razzing noises. It is the cutest thing hearing him babble on and on...I wonder what's going on in that sweet little head of his.

Oh yes, and he's eating food!!! As I mentioned in a previous post, I was getting a little worried and frustrated that he just wasn't really into food. That all changed once we introduced sweet potatoes. That is by far his favorite thing to eat. He's also eating apples, bananas, and occasionally butternut squash, green beans, and peas. I cannot tell you what a relief it is to me that he's at least eating something! Thanks for all of your encouragement mommas!

I feel like there is so much more to tell you, but now I've got a small window to take a shower and get a couple things done, so I guess I'd better :)

Enjoy your day!

Happy Halloween...

I've never been all that excited about Halloween to be perfectly honest. I love Fall and all of the things that go with it, but actual Halloween day has just not been one of my favorite holidays. I think that's about to change though. No lie, since Addison was born, I've been pondering what he'd be for his very first Halloween. Who doesn't love to see babies all snuggled up in the cutest little outfits! And when he gets older, how fun will it be to see him get excited about his costume, and get all crazy on sugar ;)

So I've been in this dilemma (if it's really a dilemma, ha) the last couple months of what he should be. Should I make a costume? Should I just buy one? After all, he will only be wearing this costume a handful of times, if that...ha. But after thinking about it, my crafty side took over, and the decision was made to make one. And after reading "The Cat in the Hat" for the 500th time :) I just knew that Thing 1 was the perfect thing to be...hehe.


Surely, this costume would be super easy! There isn't much to Thing 1. I really believe it could have been, but after searching high and low for red footie pajamas, I couldn't find anything, and started to get a bit disappointed. I really had my heart set on Thing 1! You'd think with the holidays being not too far away, I could find some cute red, footie pjs, but no. So with a little trepidation, I decided to take a stab and make the jammies myself. For the most part, I followed the pattern, but things got a little hairy at the end...so I just made it up. (Note to self: Go take a proper sewing class.) I must say though, for never having sewn with jersey knit before, I think it turned out pretty good!

The easiest part was the applique on the front. It was a total breeze. I cut the black letters out of felt and used Heat Bond to attach them to the white felt circle. Attach to the jammies, and voila! Seriously, SO easy!

The hat took a little trial and error to figure out. I found the perfect blue soft hairy yarn at Joann Fabrics...I just needed to figure out how to make a hat that would look like hair! What I ended up doing was knitting a hat, and then crocheting the little bumps onto the hat, to make it look like a wig. The whole thing is just so soft and comfy. If I didn't look absolutely ridiculous, I'd probably make one myself. And what's even better...I don't have to put straps on the thing to keep it on Addison's head, cause he truly doesn't seem to mind it! That is one of the things I LOVE about this costume! It's actually comfy for the little guy to wear, so there's no feeling restricted and uncomfortable, which always makes for a crabby pants baby. Instead we have a sweet comfy baby boy, happy to show off his accentuated cuteness as Thing 1

So that's that! I feel like this costume should have been easier then it ended up being, but in the end the effort was 100% worth it.

What will your little munchkins be dressing up as?

Fall is to knitting as Summer is to swimming...

...it's just something I have to do when Fall rolls around! I've had my eye on this adorable sweater pattern from Jane Richmond since before Addison was born...knowing that I just had to make it for him! Well this past weekend I broke out the knitting needles and yarn, and whipped this baby up!





I'm officially in love with seed stitch! It's just so comfy and cozy to look at and feel! I'm so pleased with how this turned out, and so excited to add this to Addi's fall wardrobe :)

Do you have anything fun you're working on for the fall?!

Have a happy cozy day!

Mom advice needed!

Hey Moms out there...I need some advice!

So we started little man on solids probably about 3 weeks ago. We started with rice and oatmeal cereal, and tried for about a week or so, but he really just didn't seem all that interested, so we took a week break. We started back up this week, but still no progress. I've started carrots at a second feeding, just in case he really wasn't interested in the cereal, but we haven't had much luck with that either. It seems like he still has that tongue thrust reflex (where he pushes everything out of his mouth with his tongue). Whenever I put a bite in his mouth, he makes this weird face, and then just lets it sit in his mouth til it falls out...it's a site to see...haha. Should I just stop with the food and wait another week or so before we try again? Or do I just keep at it, offering it to him every day? I don't want to rush this, but I have to be honest, it's getting a little frustrating. I feel like all of the babies around his age (6 months), or even younger are picking it up right away! Have any of you other moms dealt this this?

Help!!

Happy Half Birthday!!

Little man turned 6 months old yesterday! Woohoo!

I just cannot get enough of this sweet baby boy. I feel like almost every day he's doing something new. He babbles non-stop, which is pretty darn cute if you ask me. And he's pretty much sitting up all by himself these days :) We're still working on the eating table food thing. It's not really going as well as I would have hoped. Anyone have any good tips?

We had a couple firsts last week!

Thursday night, we went to Live on the Green at the Public Square in downtown Nashville, where the Wailers headlined. Addison did GREAT! He was completely mesmerized by everything going on. Live on the Green is yet another reason why we LOVE Nashville. It's a free event held on Thursdays. If you live in the Nashville area check out www.liveonthegreen.net for information on what they've got lined up!


Addison also went to his very first Hockey game!! This Mommy and Daddy LOVE Hockey...and I think little buddy will be following in our footsteps :)

(I made the boys matching Predators tshirts...love it!)

So I've had this really fun yarn from Debbie Bliss in my stash for awhile, just waiting for the perfect project! And this weekend I figured out what I wanted to make...knitted baby pants!! I started looking around for patterns, but then decided to go ahead and just wing it. I finished them this morning, and tried them on the little guy...



This little guy makes anything you put on him look adorable...ha.

My pattern definitely needs a little adjustment, but I'm pretty pleased at how they turned out for my first pair of pants :)

On a sad note, I have had to take a step back from running...boo. I messed up my ankle a bit, and am now waiting for it to heal before I can get back into my groove.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend, and enjoy this week ahead of you!

Time for an honest moment...

I'm gonna go off my normal blog path of babies and crafts, and be a little honest today.

The last couple of weeks I've been in a bit of a slump. I've felt so completely unmotivated, unproductive, and well...just gross. All I could muster these two weeks were a few outings, a couple walks, and one measly baby hat...pathetic (Haha). I'm not really sure where this slump came from. It's possible it was partly because Russ was gone for 2 weeks in a row, because lets just be honest, life is a little less fun without him around. I'm also just sick and tired of this stinking baby weight!! I know, i know, 9 months on, 9 months off, but at the rate I've been going it would be well over 9 months before I would shed these extra pounds. I want to fit into my skinny jeans again (the ones WITHOUT elastic...hehe)!! And most importantly, I just want to feel good. Slowly but surely I'm connecting the dots that when I'm eating healthy, exercising, and most importantly in The Word and spending time in prayer...I feel GREAT! And motivated too.

So with the help of the Good Lord, I am turning a new leaf.

First and foremost, I desire to spend more time with God. I want to be in His Word, and in constant conversation.

Second, I really need to start exercising more. The "plan" is to walk and run in the morning (I have a great little route down to Shelby bottoms), then do some good ole 8 min abs, arms, and stretch, and then some Pilates. The past TWO (count it 1, 2!) mornings I took a nice long walk and then a short run...gotta start somewhere. At times I'd say that I LOATHE running, but after I actually do it, it's truly rewarding.

Third, I need to eat better. Not only for myself, but for my little guy too. I have both a sweet and salty tooth. Don't know how that happened, as most people only have one, but I definitely have both. I'm really not much of a cook, so if anyone has some great healthy meal ideas, I'm all ears!

Fourth, I'd really like to get back into crafting. There are so many ideas in my head, and things I want to make. It's time to really dive in and get these things done!

I've started a little prayer/exercise/health/food/craft journal to hopefully help along the way. I don't know about you, but i LOVE journals. I love writing in them. I love finding old journals and reading things I've written years ago. I can't wait to have this one all filled up, and look back at the worn pages and see some real progress.

And that is my honest moment for the day. This is all on the internet now, so I suppose I'll have to stick to it ;) Hope you're finding yourself happy, motivated, and filled with Him!

Food glorious food!

Oh yea...little man had his first tastes of something other then breastmilk this weekend! I can't believe we're feeding him food already?!

Ready for fall!

We're ready for fall...





...let the knitting commence!

FIVE!

Five Months today...Hip hip hooray!









Time flies by when you're havin fun :)

It's that time of the year...

School is back in session!

Not that it really affects me at all yet, but it was so cute to see all of the parents out this morning walking their little tykes to school. I couldn't help but smile and imagine myself doing the very same thing in a few years. It seems so far away...but I know it'll be here before I know it.

We had a bit of a rough night with the little one. Around 2am he woke up screaming. I felt so helpless sitting there rocking the little man while he sniffled and tried to catch his breath. Part of me just wanted to hold him like that for the rest of the night, but neither of us would have gotten any sleep that way. So after around 15 - 20 min, he finally fell back asleep, and slept the rest of the night in his crib. I feel like he may be teething possibly...but I feel like I've been saying that for the last couple months. Do teethers tend to spit up a bit more then usual? Over the last week or so, I feel like he's been spitting up a bit more then usual. He spit up quite a bit this morning on our walk, and then threw up the rest of it when we got home. I would be alarmed, except that he's been his perfectly happy self all morning. Maybe it's just a fluke?

This whole parenting thing has been one of the most rewarding yet frustrating things I've experienced to date. He is one of the joys of my life (along with his Daddy), which makes it so frustrating and sad when you're not really sure what to do. I feel like I should have all of the answers, but sometimes you just don't. He's a pretty happy kid most of the time, so we must be doing something right...right?

Bunny Wove...

Morning!

And what a gorgeous morning it is! Morning walks are so much more enjoyable when you're not dripping with sweat the whole time :)

So mr. man certainly has his share of little loveys, but I've had an idea of making one for him for awhile now, and decided to work on it this weekend.

I love the look of combining different textures, like chunky knits and cotton. So I decided to take the head of the bunny stuffed animal, and then combine it with some fun plaid flannel (I told you I was really into it), and super soft minky!

With it being so beautiful outside, and then of course morning light (my fav for snapping photos), I had Addison try out little bunny wove...and I think it's safe to say, he got the baby stamp of approval :)

{love that little crooked smile!}

And in other exciting news...mr man is learning to sit up all by himself!!

{such a ham...ha}

I know I'm a broken record, but how is it that he's growing up so fast!! Over the weekend we went and visited our dear friends Melissa & Pete, and their sweet new peanut Bennet! I forget how teenie tiny they are when they're first born!

Bennet is one of Addison's MANY new girlfriends...ha. It seems that most all of my friends had sweet baby girls. I guess we have a lady's man on our hands...hehe.

And that concludes our morning playtime...off to nappy time we shall go!