Hooded Towels

I am such a fan of hooded towels. I think they are the best! But you go to buy the cute decorated ones and they are anywhere from $30-$40 (at the baby boutiques). Or they are hard to find. So I decided I'd take a stab at making my own and well now I am addicted!

I found some really cute towels and hand towels at T.J. Maxx on clearance and even some cute decorated towels at Wal-Mart on clearance and now I have some very cute hooded towels for my kids. I didn't take pictures as I went along - sorry (I was kind of experimenting as I went) but I took some different pictures to hopefully show how to do-it-yourself.

I made a couple of really cute towels for my baby girl they were even cheaper because I used a hand towel and a wash cloth for a smaller version. My favorite one is pictured above.

How I made my hooded towels:

I took the hand towel and cut 1/3 of it off; than I took the finished edge and sowed it together (this forms the hood). I had to hand stitch the edge because it was to thick for the sowing machine.

I measured the big towel and found the middle and sowed the hood to it. (If your towel is a loose knit you may have to pinch the material in the middle at you are sowing the hood on because the material moves a lot).

And it's as easy as that!

Another nice part of doing it yourself is the 1/3 piece of the hand towel you cut off you can cut up and make matching wash clothes...or if you have a baby they work for burp cloths also.

Here are all of the ones I have made so far.

Hospital Bag Checklist

By Babytalk

You can't anticipate every need, but keep these in your bag, and you'll be ready for almost everything.

-Pre-registration forms
-Health insurance card
-Cash and credit cards
-Watch (with a second hand to time contractions)
-Massage lotion
-Lollipops or lozenges
-Lip balm
-Your favorite pillow
-Robe
-Nightgown(s)
-Light sweater or bed jacket
-Slippers
-Nursing bra
-Breast pads or shields
-Underwear (3 pair)
-Socks (3 pair)
-Sanitary pads
-Toothbrush
-Toothpaste
-Soap
-Moisturizer
-Body lotion
-Deodorant
-Shampoo & conditioner
-Hairbrush
-Hairdryer
-Makeup
-MP3 or CD player and favorite songs
-Magazines
-Books
-Snacks
-Water
-Camcorder
-Disposable or instant camera
-Film
-Batteries
-Contacts list
-Pen
-Travel clothes and shoes
-Coat or sweater
-Shopping bag (for gifts)
-Baby's Take-Me-Home outfit
___________________________

My wonderful Mother-in-Law asked me the other day if I had my hospital bag packed...honestly it hadn't even crossed my mind. I wasn't even really prepared with a bag for my first pregnancy and I totally spaced it again this time. And I can't, for the life of me, remember what I even packed so I checked out Parenting.com and they had a list. I personally don't think all of the item are even necessary but I just listed everything for those of you who are getting close to your due dates and are starting to prepare to the hospital.

If anyone can think of something that they think was a need at the hospital that's not listed PLEASE leave a comment with the suggestion!

Thanks - And happy packing!

Lots to Share...

I have been MIA for a while…sometimes life just catches up with you and the things you want to do get put on the backburner.

Anyways I have been doing TONS of fun projects lately for my baby girl who will be here any day now (I HOPE) and I’ve been reading a lot of fun things for Mommies so I have been putting together a bunch of post that have been in the editing stage for a while now. I will be finishing those and I will have a new post up one right after the other so check back for tons of new things.

I also wanted to do a shout out to Shelley one of my faithful followers she had her baby girl on August 28th - Congrats Shelley!

Thanks for hanging in there with me everyone! Check back soon!

Guest Washcloth Holder

I got this idea from both my sister and my sister-in-law. I wanted to share it with everyone because I thought it was cute idea.

In my sister's bathroom she has a tiny wooden basket with a bunch of rolled up washcloths for her quests to use.

In my sister-in-laws bathroom she has a glass container with a bunch of rolled up washcloths with ribbons tied around them for her quests to use.

So I decided to put both ideas into one and this is what I came up with:


I just bought some brown and tan washcloths to match my colors and I tied little bows around them with golden ribbon and placed them in a cute little wooden basket.

I found the monogram washcloths at TJ Maxx and they fit perfectly with my colors.

I love it!

Tips for Painting...

I have recently been working on getting my nursery ready for our new addition - scheduled for next month. As always I wait until I am 8-9 months pregnant to get my nursery done. I did it with my first one and now here I am in the same boat with the second one. Believe me I am paying for it - my body hurts! Anyways I thought I would share with everyone some things I have learned last week as I attempted to paint a mural on my nursery wall...

Painting Tips:

1. 
   You don't need a gallon of brown paint when you are just painting a tree trunk.
2. Mr. Clean Eraser pads come in handy when you paint something you didn't want to (like a window seal or wood work).
3. Mr. Clean Eraser pads don't work if the paint is already dried.
4. Don't get frustrated when you can make a perfectly straight line on a heavy texture wall.
5. It doesn't have to be perfect (That's a big one for me, I'll repaint 100 times and I am still not happy).
6. When you open the paint - that's not always the color you get.
7. If you don't like the color - sleep on it, it's amazing how it can change magically over night when it has dried.
8. Paint usually dries a tad darker.
9. Experiment - you can always repaint (And I usually do)
10. Don't be afraid to try something new.
11. Painters tape doesn't always work.
12. If you have a steady hand just use an angle brush for painting around windows, woodwork, and ceilings.
13. No matter how small the project is, you should always use a drop cloth because accidents DO happen.
14. If you don't want fuzzies on your wall - don't buy the cheap rollers from Wal-Mart.
15. Don't paint over nails or screws - it takes a few seconds to pull them out and it looks so much better.

These are just a few things I have picked up by painting my nursery. I needed a way to separate the boy side from the girl side. I was so afraid to paint this tree mural over the window wall, and I am so glad I tried it because I love it! And yes I freehanded all of it - shocker I know, I didn't think it would turn out!

Oh and if you were wondering this isn't all I am doing to the walls, I am putting monkeys on the tree branches. That's why I left a lot of bare space. If I remember I will try and post a finished photo when it's all done.

Amish Friendship Bread

If you would of asked me a month ago what I loved to eat, I would have told you Amish Bread!

One of my friends gave me a start for Amish Friendship Bread and I kept it going for a month or so and finally I had to stop because I was the only one eating it! (and because I am never home anymore)

If you haven't had Amish Bread you are missing out. I kept the directions (which tell you how to start your own) and thought I would share them with you.

It takes 9 days to make but believe me this little bread is heavenly!

Just click on the image and you'll be able to read it better. If not right click it and save it to your computer, than you can print it out.

How to Make Orange Julius

My husband totally loves Orange Julius and lately we have been stocked up on Minute Maid frozen orange juice and I was trying to find a way to make something similar to an Orange Julius with the frozen Minute Maid....and I actually found how to make Orange Julius through a simple Google search. And it is just as yummy as the Orange Julius in the Mall.

Thought I share it with everyone! Enjoy!

Things You'll Need:
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (6-oz.) can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 c. sugar
12-15 ice cubes

Step 1
Put the milk and 1 c. water in a blender.

Step 2
Add the vanilla extract.

Step 3
Add the frozen orange juice concentrate and sugar.

Step 4
Start the blender.

Step 5
Add the ice cubes, one by one, until the beverage reaches the desired thickness.

Step 6
Pour and enjoy.