It's time to move!

Keep moving!! You can find me over here~!!!

And the winner is...

So I went to a random number generator online and since I only had THREE comments I used the limits of 0-300, the first 100 being the first commenter, 101-200 the second and 201-300 the third. It picked number 15! Shelley, you won again! I need your address!! Happy Monday! Thank you to all who participated :)

Happy 200th post!!

In leu of my 200th post, I'm giving away this fabric heart wreath, similar to the ones put up n my shop. This one was made with fabric scraps and 3 vintage buttons. It measures 9 inches by 9 inches and is super adorable. Leave a comment and I'll draw a winner Monday morning!!

{this moment}

Aaron finally got his degree in the mail!!!
{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. -Soulemama

Stuck inside

Yesterday was quite an ambitious day. The baby took an extremely long nap so I decided to start painting the living room. Aaron and I had gotten the paint about a month ago and just haven't had the chance to start yet. Then with all the snow we got hit with, Aaron was able to come home early, which led to me finishing the living room. It's Martha Stewart paint which I'm falling for. So far, I've used it for the living, dining room and kitchen. It's low ordor/voc and dries super fast!



Somehow, I also had it in me to knit an entire hat?? Yep, I did. It was made for the both of them... I love them :)

Pump, pump, pump

First, I would just like to say that Addy has not had a shot in almost 48 hours!!! How awesome is that? I new when she started her pump it was going to be awesome but man! She is a whole nother girl. There have been considerably less meltdowns due to her blood sugars being stabilized. She's been in target for more than 90% of her sugars! She keeps telling me that she just feels so much better, due partly to her blood sugars and (maybe even more so) she's not so stressed about having 5 shots a day. I'm just so happy for my sweet Addysen. Granted, it's only been two days, we are checking her more as well. Thankfully, Addy's never had a problem with blood sugar checks. She keeps telling me that she's "just so happy she has a pump!"



The first picture was one I had to show you all. This is her site and we'll be changing sides of her bottom every 2-3 days. The little circle that has a big clear sticker on it is where the insulin is being pumped into her body. Under the disk is a very small needle that stays under the skin all the time. The tub then connects to a reseviour that holds about 3 days worth of insulin. The pump then is programed to give set amounts every hour of the day and we can also give a bolus for meals.


Her little bracelet says, "I have type one diabetes."


And Miss Ruby, the diabetic teddy bear, whom Addy loves so much and whom also has a site on her bottom.

Honeymooning

With our insulin pump :)

We are SO blessed!

The cloth diapers

Going along with my attempt to become a bit more frugal, I've decided to put Elliot back into cloth diapers. Back on April 29th, 2010, when my sweet Addy was diagnosed with diabetes, I had to make the decision to put Elli in disposables. It wasn't that cloth diapers were hard to do. No, that wasn't the case at all! I do not want to scare any one into thinking they are to hard. I stopped cloth diapering because I needed to focus more time on Addy and getting her well again. Cloth diapering does take more time and a little bit of thought and along with learning about blood glucose monitoring, humalog, lantus, glucagons, a1c's & insulin dependance, I just could not do it all.
So, we started again last Friday. I also got down to sewing business then, too. I remembered Jean's post showcasing her new soaker stash. She used this pattern and I love it! So far, only 4 dollars have been spent on a thrifted wool sweater that's next in line to be upcycled. Luckily, I had saved all of my prefolds, about 2 dozen. I also have 2 of these, which I love.
So, there you go. My little stash of cloth diapers. Cloth wipes are up next. I'm going to be going through our closets and find more sweaters to use.
Side note: Today we are starting Addy's insulin pump! After a cancellation last week we are finally getting this girl on a pump!

Nesting, Part 2

These drawers in the dining room have been sorted through. So much so that I was able to move our diabetes supplies to one. I moved the flatware to an easier to reach spot and can see the bottom of the drawers in spots. Everything is so much simpler. That's what I need to do every day. Simplify.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. -Soulemama

Frugality check: 2011

This post is a long time coming. I'm always trying to save money but when I do, I seem to sabotage it with spending elsewhere. I'll make a home cooked meal from scratch, then turn around the next day and we'll spend$40 dollars on one meal!
I'll admit, I'm not very organized. I have a hard time keeping up with the house, dog, 2 girls, a very tired husband and not to mention myself. Most days I have no idea what we are going to eat, where we are going to go or what the day even looks like. So, I'm going to try this whole organizational thing... I thought I'd share a few things here today that I would like to either start, do or be involved in, then, every month make sure to update and see how my checklist went. So, here goes!

~ Last night, I wrote down my first meal plan. I know, FIRST ever. I wanted to see if I could plan ahead another week until payday, that way I will only use cash for groceries then. I did it! I found way more in my freezer that I thought we had and even planned ahead for snacks. Can we say lots of stovetop popcorn?
~Meal planning said, I would like to have a central location for all of my planning that is not digital. I have found a few templates around the web for diy planner printing so I'm going to give it a go at that. I think I just might have to sew a binder cover for it to make it cutsies :)
~ I am going to find a better spot for Addysen's diabetes supplies. Her sister is able to open that cabinet and we really frown upon 1 year olds playing with lancets and keytone strips.
~Found this blog. Am adding it to my blogroll and will be reading that more.
~Sundays are now going to be the no-digital day. (Starting small... one day a week) We, as a familia, are going to not use computers or television at all on Sundays.
~ Aaron and I have started playing cards after supper. I love this! After we eat, and while the girls are still eating, we play 1-3 rounds of rummy. It's just great because we have to slow down and just be. Then he helps me with dishes!! Huge help on my part!! Then its baths, books and bedtime for girls... I think after it might have to be bath, book and bedtime for mama too.
~ Our family is only taking cash with us when we leave the house. We've tried this before and have just never followed through. And I am rewarding Addy with pennies when she helps out around the house. This way, we will not come home with something new for her every time we go to the store. If we are saving, she is too!
~Lastly, we are using set monthly allowances. Aaron is a sucker for bad food when he travels and I love thrifting.

I have not added any sort of exercising in here just yet. Baby steps for this unorganized mama. This overhaul started when Aaron and I went over finances last week. He is definitely taking home enough money to provide for us, we just are not saving near as much money as we should. So, here's to living just a bit simpler, taking it a bit slower and doing everything with a thoughtful mind :)

What tips do you have for being more mindful of how and what money is spent in your home?

Table quilt

I am so thankful for all of the inspiring blogs over the web. This week I was in desperate need of some sewing and new what I wanted to make. I had just seen this table candy so I dove in for my own. Mine is more of a huge placemat and everything is now where is should be on the table.

One more week!

On this morning, Addysen was supposed to be starting her insulin pump... but she is still using insulin pens. Last night and all during today, we are having our first real Kansas snow. Since our instructor didn't want to venture out onto the snowy roads for a 70 mile treck, (and I don't blame her,) we have moved her pump start up another week.

Some might say all is lost, as it really was not fun telling Addy that she had to have shots for another week. But because of the timing in all this, lets just say that this dilemma made a decision for our that had been weighing on my heart for a few weeks. That "decision" was causing some serious stress on my part and I'm just so happy that God made it for me. He is amazing, you know :)


That being said, about time, Kansas!!! The snow is beautiful and Addy and Aaron are getting ready to go out and play in it. I love the smell of it. The dog got to go out in it for the first time this morning. He didn't know what to think. Once the baby wakes up, I think I'm going to bundle her up and see how she likes it. As for right now, my cup of coffee and blanket are doing just fine. I think some knitting is in order for today.... Oh, and there's a lemon poppy seed loaf in the oven as well. All is not lost... no sir.

Night Life

When Aaron comes home, mama occasionally gets to work. Last night it was more insulin pump training. Most of it was a review, which is why I was able to bring the knitting along. So far, on my own, I've learned how to work the insulin pump, which buttons to push, how to lock it, programming basal units, giving a bolus, using the bolus wizard and how to get it started. We go this Monday to start Addy on insulin pump therapy. She is SO excited. To tell the truth, I am very excited but also a little scared. She's only three and likes to be a crazy girl... I'm just a little nervous of the pump coming undone. This should be no problem though, as I am literally with her always. Addy does Awana on Wednesday nights so I decided to volunteer with that. This way I can keep my eye on her and make sure she's not pushing buttons or tugging on it.
By using an insulin pump it will be connected to her body for 2-3 days. I can enter in her blood sugar and with the numbers I've already programmed into the pump, it will calculate the correct dosage to give her for a bolus. Or I can enter her blood sugar and the number of units of insulin I would like to give her. Then I confirm the dosage by hitting the ACT button and the pump delivers said number of units to Addy's little body to correct for the number of carbs she's consumed (a bolus.)

Right now, Addy is on a second kind of insulin called Lantus that acts as her base insulin to keep her from spiking too high. The pump will also pump a set basal rate into her body every hour of the day, very much like our own pancreas' do, to eliminate the need for Lantus.

So there you have it! Our little world will be totally changed in two days! Please pray for us that this new normal will be as easy on Addy and our family as possible. Diabetes sure does suck but can be totally manageable if you just take the time & patience to manage it.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. -Soulemama

A dress/apron of sorts

In this new year, I'm working on saying YES more often and No less. During a bit of down time yesterday, Addy and I caught some of a movie. She saw a little girl wearing a dress and asked for one just like it. More like, asked me to make her one. I hadn't sewn since my last little round of slings, right after Christmas so I agreed. We went through my stash together and picked out this brown plaid. I wanted it to be easy to wear and new I wanted the back open. This is what was made.


I used vintage buttons from my stash and added a little patch of the same fabric to the back, then cut the front out so that when it gets washed, it will fray. I may add pockets for her, as she loves stuffing her pockets with Addy things...
Addy loves it. She wore it last night to Awana, slept in it, then wore it again this morning back to church- with her Christmas pj pants. *Sigh... I love her :)

Just a few more Christmas items to show here, so bear with me :)





I love scarves, I love making them and I love doilies! This scarf was so easy to make, just some flannel, a vintage pillow case, a doily and some vintage buttons and voila! You have this oddball of a scarf. This was made for my dear friend for Christmas and I had a hard time parting with it. I love doilies so yeah, I just about kept it for myself...

The gift tags

For Christmas gifts we made stamped tags with everyone's initials. I just used pinking shears to cut little squares and stamped away using fabric paint. Addy helped and they went really well with the gifts that were wrapped in fabric. We are slowly making the switch to using fabric for wrapping. I think I need to hit up the fabric stores pretty soon to get some clearance holiday prints for next year.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Years friends!! As the Christmas season finally fizzles out we are now making plans for this new year. We've got some big things planned this year including an insulin pump, doula certification and even a little book called Knitters Almanac. We are looking forward to another fun and busy year! Wishing you all many blessings and just an all around great year. God bless!!