Sandwich 101

Hi Everyone!!! Since I'm obviously not up to projects yet, I've got nothin' for you there. But I DO eat, and I think we all know that I do that a little TOO well {cringe}!

Yesterday I put together the BEST sandwich ever - it was so simple and I could have added all kinds of other things to it, but this was PERFECT just the way you see it here.

Something that my ADORABLE sis-in-law, Kristine, brought to my attention was this heavenly pesto spread you can get at almost any grocery store. Get yourself some, and keep it in the fridge!

So here's the basics:
Get some GOOD french bread, rustic italian, or ciabatta bread - not that cheap crap stuff.

Spread a little Hellman's (or Best Foods) mayo on both sides - and, yes, it DOES matter what brand you use.

Spread a little pesto on both sides or on just one side, depending on how strong you like it; add a half-slice of cheese to both sides of the bread; add your turkey; slap the thing together in a warm embrace...

Then - butter both sides of your sandwich and grill on both sides until golden and your cheese is a little melty.

If you want to add lettuce, onion, tomato, avocado, sprouts, cucumber, etc.. - do that after you grill it. Otherwise, enjoy a quick piece of heaven in minutes!!!

Absolutely Necessary

There are two things I absolutely CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT right now. My baby is very gassy and has had a rough time with it. She would like to sleep more and fuss less, but her little body is just making her too uncomfortable. SO...my life-saving, sanity-saving solutions:

1.) my Moby Wrap. (mine is a scrumptious orange and it makes me happy all the way through my tired body!)

Seriously - she sleeps so well in this thing! I'm able to do what I need to do without stopping and fussing with her, and let's be honest - I get to snuggle her as much as I want!!! It's the BEST!!! (especially if I have to go out shopping...no screaming baby tantrums...)

Too bad I'm not getting paid to endorse these things, eh?! But who cares...I have to pass on the info in case it can help some poor mom from going to the Nut House!

AND....Drumroll....

The GREATEST DISCOVERY EVER: "Colic Calm" drops. This funky, nasty-looking stuff is FREAKING AWESOME!!!!! I don't know how my mom and I found the website, but we did and I decided that I was desperate enough to try them so we ordered some! This website here sold me on the stuff. (The mylicon drops from the store just don't work well for me.)

It looks completely nasty but I'm not kidding, the minute I gave my screaming Brooke a half-dose of the drops, she quieted down and fell asleep within minutes! After a few days of giving her the drops off and on, her little digestive system started working better and she's seems so much more content. These drops are worth every penny - and I just ordered my 2nd bottle of it since I'm running low. LOVE IT!!!

Additionally, it DOES wash out of clothing if baby spits it up, you just have to stain-treat clothing first and then wash. I've had no issues so far when I pre-treat with Shout or something similar.

So there you have it. Two magical things every new mom NEEDS TO HAVE.

My Little Distraction

I'm not gonna lie - this is SO much fun!!! Okay, I'm tired but it's getting better. I'm so sad that my baby is almost three weeks old - HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? It's amazing how fast time flies when you live in a sleep-deprived blur.

I can't wait to get back to my projects soon! But until then...I'm going to snuggle this little creature and enjoy every sweet smelling second!

STILL HERE...just tired...

Hi Girls!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH for the nice words and comments!!! I love you all!!! Things are going great with the new little one except for the fact that I only average about 4 hours of sleep per 24-hours. NOT COOL, baby.

Lots of cute pics to come soon...until then, I'm going to take a nap.

She's Here!

FINALLY. I thought it would never happen, but our little baby girl is here and we're all SO IN LOVE!!!!

AND...after so much agonizing, fretting, changing my mind, and finally making a decision, we named this baby. HONESTLY...why does it have to be so hard?! Every name I had picked out just wasn't working on her and we just had to go with a name that my Love Nugget and I both liked simultaneously. SO...she is:

Brooke Emma Welker

February 11th * 1:15 p.m.

7 lbs. 4 oz. 19 in.

*Emma is my mom's name - both of my girls are each named after a grandmother now. {GASP!} HOW precious.*

I think it's funny that Brooke was the LEAST popular pick from all of you! Good thing I follow my own drummer, eh? Labor and delivery couldn't have gone better. I'm not going to say that it's easy, but comparatively, I had a very simple, easy ordeal.

PERFECT! Now I get to snuggle with this tiny little thing and I'm loving every minute of it!!! {She's so small - her nugget head is like the size of an orange!}

Now...if we can avoid the ever-annoying baby acne, I'll be ecstatic! I can't wait to take some great photos of her!

Oh, and thanks to everyone for playing "Name That Baby" with me! That was so much fun!!! I loved hearing everybody's ideas!!! Very cool.

Fabric

Hey Girls! Here's some fabric info for those of you who were asking.

This batch of heaven came from Z & S Fabrics during one of their sales. If you sign up to receive emails, you'll know when they're marking things down. I got all of mine for 20% off! Scroll over to "Fabric by Manufacturer" and click "Free Spirit" - from there all of these can be found.

#1 on top: "Nicey Jane" in cream by Heather Bailey, Free Spirit

#2: (can't see this one very well but it's beautiful with orange poppies all over) "Dolce" in orange by Tanya Whelan, Free Spirit

#3: (the green one) "Nicey Jane" in green by Heather Bailey, Free Spirit

#4: (yellow) "Dance With Me" by Jennifer Paganelli, Free Spirit

#5: (turquoise) "Flower Power" by Jennifer Paganelli, Free Spirit

The cute bumpy, dotted fabric from my baby blankets came from Jo-Ann's. (there were some asking about that fabric, too)

More great fabric places:

JCaroline Fabrics - I usually get most of my stuff from here.

Fabric Shack

Fashionable Fabrics

Fat Quarter Shop

**Also, may I add that sewing PETRIFIES me, scares me to death, and makes me crazy. {cringe} Thanks for the nice comments, though. You're all way too kind! Honestly, though, I stick to easy projects. The things I sew are very basic because I have the hardest time following those darn pattern instructions. The only way I was able to tackle that dress is from lots and lots of practice, tears, ruined projects, and high blood pressure. haha!

Like I always say, if I can do it, anybody can! {if you really knew me, you would understand how right I am. Kadie, tell them what an idiot I am!} And if you're nervous or unsure, find a friend who can help you out - it's amazing how many people would be willing to help you if you ask.

Baby Love!

"I'm in LOVE, I'm in LOVE, and I don't care who knows it!"--Buddy the Elf

I've been busy lately, to say the least. I found this vintage pattern at J0Ann's and the white cotton dress with embroidery caught my attention. I want to do an embroidered dress like that to match my cute booties! {aaak!} I'm dying from the cuteness!

So I bought the pattern, came home, and started my 'practice' dress and now that I have it figured out, I can make the white one without swearing up a storm. Sewing patterns are NOT fun for me and I have to go really slow...but CHECK IT OUT! I'm so in love with this little dress.

(the fabric is Sandi Henderson's Farmer's Market...love it...yumm)

I've been making other stuff, too. Baby bibs, simple blankies, and even a little baby bling! I got the bib pattern from "Made by Petchy" and I tweaked it a little bit because I didn't like the perfectly round shape of it - and I love them! Now my child will have something pretty to barf all over!

Wellll, I think I've got enough crap for this baby!!! Maybe not. You can never have too many cute things, right?!

Until the big day, I'll stay busy and LOOK at what came in the mail!!! (last picture below) MORE yummy fabric!!! I screamed out loud when it came! I'm such a nerd!!! What else shall I make?!!!

Baby Booties Masterpiece

I love these shoes so much I can't even stand it. Think they would look cute on a necklace? Who knew making a little pair of baby shoes would be so darn fun?! I want a pair of these in my size - I wonder if I can make that happen???....prob'ly not.

A huge thanks to Heather Bailey for the UH-DORABLE pattern on her blog - and to my friends at the DMC Floss company for making the most beautiful thread. Seriously - it's all in the thread, girls. I used two different strands (see photo at bottom) - the green for the vine and the pink for the flowers....and I got this!!!! {aaak!}

Okay, so now all I can say is that these shoes better fit my child because...OH MY GOSH...I'll have a seizure.

Seriously folks - I stitched these shoes in an hour (and I just mean the hand-stitching, not the whole pinning and sewing thing) If you refer to my handy stitch guide, you could whip out a pair in no time for yourself. Just get some white felt, the shoe pattern, some floss and a needle and go at it, honey. (I got my felt at Jo-Ann's on the bolt.) The stitching is really, really, really easy. Play with it and see for yourself.


Of course, I couldn't just make the shoes - I had to have a onesie to go with them. A girl's gotta match, right?



If you do make a pair, I'm going to give one teensy pointer - (referring to the photo with the pins in the shoe) make sure you line up the top toes and the heel, secure, and then go around the edges. If you get puckering, don't worry, try to smooth them out the best you can without unpinning the toes and heel.

Up next: white on white. I'M DYING!!!

Let's Have Some Fun...

Okay, so we might as well have a little fun, right?! On the sidebar of this blog is a poll list with little girl names that I sort of like. I don't like a whole lot of girl names, which makes this hard for me, but I DO have one favorite. Not that I will base my choice on what anybody thinks, but I'm curious...which one is YOUR fave?!

**I'm LOVING all of this great feedback!!!**

Nesting

...."recently my wife has gotten a little lazy......or as she likes to call it, 'pregnant'..."

Jokes.com
Jim Gaffigan - Pregnant
comedians.comedycentral.com
Joke of the Day Stand-Up Comedy Free Online Games

LOVE that guy. And it's so true about the lazy part - I don't even comb my hair anymore because it takes so much effort! So my projects lately have been 'lazy' projects where I can sit on the couch and pretty much do nothing. But SERIOUSLY...I have not slowed down until now, so I think I'm entitled to chill for the next little while.

In my lazy, lounging state, I stitched up the softest, coziest little hats! {little scream} and despite what the

photographs might depict, these are so tiny! I made them 'newborn nugget' size and I'm dying from the cuteness. AND...I'm almost done with that cute blanket - excited to get that finished.

IF I can get motivated, today's nesting project is going to be some little booties from Heather Bailey's pattern. I want a HUNDRED of these things!!! I'm excited because I know EXACTLY what I want to do...now if only I could get some motivation ... wish me luck...