Dyed & Personalized Swaddle Blankets w/Tutorial

I really wish I would've known (or thought of) gauze swaddle blankets. Lillian was almost 10 pounds, so she didn't really fit in a store-bought swaddle blanket, and she never liked them much (probably because she didn't fit) and always broke out. My friend is having a little boy in April; her shower was yesterday, so I've been antsy to show these off!

Say Hello to the Cutest Shoes EVER!

Who on Earth doesn't love to receive little, teeny, tiny, super cute baby shoes at their baby shower? Fools! That's who. I am totally obsessed with baby and kid shoes, especially handmade ones, so I started googling my brains out for some patterns to try for a little boy, since all I've got are girly ones. I came across the TOMs Inspired Baby & Toddler Shoes tutorial, over on Homemade Toast and freaked out as soon as I saw them. Then I made them. And drooled.

Ear Warmers & Layered Flower Tutorial

I've been drooling over this post at Prudent Baby, by Delia Creates for the whole entire month, and finally got it together this morning. I added a tutorial for my layered fabric flower toward the end too :) 

The tutorial Delia provided is ridiculously simple to follow, and results in seriously the cutest fall/winter accessory... an ear warmer. She used fleece, and says you can use a sweater or thermal too. I can't wait to raid Andrew's old clothes for shrunken sweaters and thermal tops. This is the story of how I made mine...

WW Friendly Heart Warming Oatmeal: Recipe!

It's super chilly this morning, and what warms you up better than a nice warm bowl of oatmeal? A nice, warm bowl of oatmeal with apples & pears, dried cranberries and walnuts, that's what! I made Andrew (the husband) an apple pie for his birthday, and I was really wanting that filling... I could eat that all day. So, Lilly and I whipped up a small, more Weight Watcher friendly, batch of filling on the stove. 

Lilly's 2nd Birthday Bash!

We now have a 2 year old child. What the what? A 2 year old! I'm confused as to how on Earth that happened, but it did, and here we are. I found it pretty depressing that she was turning 2, for the simple fact that our not-so-little baby isn't a baby any longer, but instead a human being that talks, gives dirty looks to strangers who invade her personal space, gives a bit of an attitude, gives hugs and kisses, loves her friends (read: sock monkeys and cousins), actually shares and takes care of her toys, poops on my hardwood floors and denies it (potty training), and asks to be tucked in like a burrito at night. How sweet!

The theme for her party and decorations was inspired by a local park/playground that has beautiful equipment for the kids to play on, beautiful setting and scenery, recycled tire wood chips, and a pavilion. That's all wood. RUSTIC WOOD. I drool every time I go there. Once we nailed down the location of the party, I knew instantly I wanted to do a rustic-country vibe party, complete with vintage fabrics I found at Happy Notions, and this invitation I found from Paper+Pip, both on Etsy.