Monday Makes {baby legs}

I first saw baby legs several years ago and I fell in love. I knew that when we were blessed with more babies- boys or girls-they would be sporting some of these cute little things.

When I found out that I was expecting they went on the list of wants. I had a couple problems 1) they are not the most budget friendly 2) I like to go to stores and buys things-I haven't jumped on the online shopping bandwagon and where we live they don't just sell them in stores. Being a craft lovin' Mama, I set out to find a way to make them. After some internet searching I found that they are SUPER easy to make! Enter in the {knee high sock}. If you are making these for a girl then you will have a HUGE selection to choose from. I was having a boy. It was hard enough to convince the man of the house to let his son where these. I had to do some searching for ones that were masculine enough for our little boy. Target had several that stacked up with color and pattern.

I will say that there are SO many tutorials out there on making your own baby legs. I've tried 3 and will show you them here. If you have any questions please comment and I'll do my best to answer them :)


1) Pick out some long socks. Some are longer than others. If they are going to be for a young baby then it won't matter but the longer you get them the "longer" they will last ;)

 2) Cut off the the sock right above the heel. Now there are a few options so don't throw out he foot part just yet (more on this later).

*Now if you are lazy or don't sew you can stop here. The leggings won't fray much and if you don't care about having a finished look, the leggins will hold up just fine. I needed a pair to match an outfit and left a pair with the raw edge. I never got around to finishing so they are still like this and I don't care I don't let it bother me ;) If you are type A then proceed to the rest of the tutorial.

3) Turn the tube inside out and fold over the unfinished edge. Stitch with a zig zag stitch all the way around. Don't pay attention to the fact that I did not do a zig zag stitch. I found out that it won't stretch if you don't do one. Learn from me...not the hard way! (If you want a cuff on the bottom - don't do this step and proceed to step 5)

 4) In order for the legging to stay on the ankle and not slip onto the foot, you may want to stitch at an angle so that it's slightly tapered.

Here is a picture of a pair of real baby legs (left) and my version (right).

 *I was pleased with how they turned out but I really wanted them to have a cuff on the bottom. I also wanted them to be a little longer so I could get more wear out of them. Who wants flood baby legs-not me. Remember how I told you to save the foot portion?

5) Cut the middle of the foot section out. {Please ignore the sock change :) these pictures are many months apart!}

 6) Fold it in half-wrong sides together. Take this piece and slide it over the long piece and line up the raw edges.

7) Stitch the raw edges all the way around. Make sure to go over your starting stitch. If you want them to taper in just add a diagonal stitch. This is what it will look like after you fold it back down.

 8) Turn right side out and you now have a set of leggins with a bottom cuff.

Go-make lot's of them ;)

Banana Bread

Here is our all time favorite banana bread recipe. I have since adapted it to be a tad bit healthier. I'll post both :)

Original Recipe
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
dash of salt
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
3-4 mashed bananas

Mix dry ingredients and whisk oil and eggs. Pour oil/egg mixture into the flour mixture. Add the mashed bananas stir until just combined. Bake at 325 degrees  50 min for bundt pan - 35 min for bread pan - 20 min for 12 muffins. After cool, smear with the below frosting.

Frosting
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon butter
powder sugar
milk


I have started making the following to help cut down on our sugar. The taste isn't that different and after making it a couple times we only make this version. Directions/baking times are the same. NO frosting ;) although sometimes I really, really want it! It is also dairy free, no adaptions necessary.

Adapted Recipe
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar or 1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon baking soda
dash of salt
1/2 cup apple sauce
2 eggs
3-4 mashed bananas

Life

Last night I sat in the chair-my husband on the couch with a computer in his lap and he said to me "you might as well give up on {Joy Comes from Within}. I check it everyday and you never post anything". OUCH! I simply told him "the dishes are done and the family is fed". That's about how I feel these days.

Example: I decided to hop on today and surprise my husband by posting something. I went to edit posts and the following was sitting in my drafts from 10/17/11. The last actual post was from May. I like to blog but I like my family more. If anything needs to be put on hold, it's the first to stop. Maybe I'll post regular, maybe I won't. In fact, I only started this blog to keep in touch with friends and family not here in NY but I don't think any of them ever read it :)

So dearest husband...this post is for you. xoxo

It's been a bit busy in the last...well let's say 7 months. Adjusting to being at home from a 40hr week 'out of the home' job, having a child in middle school, a newborn who is growing so fast. AH! I wish life would slow down-I feel like I am always trying to "catch up".


This morning I woke up {groggy} as usual and with my little man on my hip stumbled down stairs. Scooch 'the big brown dog' greeted us as always and I set the baby down hoping he would be entertained by the said dog and made a bee line to the kitchen to (can't remember where I was going with this...too long ago)

{GMG Blessings}

Monday we started our summer session with Good Morning Girls! What a blessing "meeting" with my group has been. We started off several sessions ago with I think 11, then quickly had to break into 2 larger groups (22 ladies). I don't know everyone personally but we share something in common-We love Jesus!!! We even had a lady one of us knew from over seas :) Many prayer request have been shared, we've seen a few miracles and are expecting a few more :) The GMG group is a way for us to be accountable to each other to be in God's word daily but I also look forward to gleaning from the other ladies as well. Many times my scripture for the day is dealing with the same subject as what someone else has read which reaffirms that God is using us to minister to each other. AMEN!!! 

 Julia and I at a GMG gathering (she is 8weeks behind me-a miracle)

If you struggle with being in God's word or maybe you aren't connected with a group of ladies to be a prayer warrior on your behalf please check this out. God is all you need but when you forget, it's nice to have a sister come along side you to point you back towards Him! 


Have a blessed day~Jac

Good Morning Girls 

Linked to: Women Living Well and Raising Homemakers &

{I thought I wanted a dishwasher}

I have lived in my house since 2002. It's a little house but cozy. I truly love it! As with any home (unless you custom build) I wanted to change a few things after getting settled in. One of the first things was to install a dishwasher. My kitchen isn't very big nor does it have many cabinets so I would be losing precious storage space for this to happen. As the months past I just couldn't figure out how to fit it in - Oh but those hours spent each week standing at the sink :( After a few years I gave up grumbling about having to wash them. I started to spend the half hour thinking, singing, and praying. Now cherish this time - I no longer want a dishwasher.


1 Thessalonians 5:16 Be joyful always

This post is linked to 

Haily and Gunnar {Birth Stories} Part 1

Let's start off 12 yrs ago...

I was expecting a precious baby right after Christmas 1998. We celebrated Christmas and then New Years- I was overdue!!! On January 5th, I waddled into the doctors office and they sent me to the hospital to be induced. I was relieved, scared, and excited to meet my baby finally. The medicine they gave me to soften my cervix put me into labor. My back hurt so bad and the nurses referred to it as back labor. I am not sure why but the Dr. had ordered that I stay in bed.They wouldn't let me get up even to go to the bathroom. When they started the pitocin to get things moving faster, the contractions really kicked in. The pain was so bad that I asked for something to help. Again, I was disappointed as the Dr. said and epidural or nothing. No walking around, changing positions, etc. After receiving it, I couldn't feel anything, couldn't turn over without help - this was not going as planned.


At 6:45am on January 6th I was only 4cm but when they checked me at 7:45am I had progressed to 10cm! It was time to do the hard work. The nurses hurried around the room to get everything ready, called the Dr. and told my Mom it was almost time. As the Dr. checked me one last time things took a turn. His words were shattering to me - this baby isn't gong to fit - the baby is just too big - You need a c-section.  I was devastated, scared and worried but Dr. knows best so I listened. My mother assured me it would be ok as two of her deliveries (mine included) were c-sections. I was never allowed to even try to deliver vaginally - not one push to just to see how I would do. By 8:03am my baby was born - I heard the first cries - they announced it was a girl and we named her Haily Marie! Then I got sick, started shaking badly, and watched as they wheeled my new daughter out of the room. I wouldn't see her again until that evening. My recovery from surgery was terrible and I don't remember much at all the day she was born. I couldn't hold her because I was too weak. I planned on nursing so she was very hungry when they finally brought her to me. I was still in shock of how things happened so quickly and I really didn't understand why they had to be that way.

We went home after a long week in the hospital. My mother had taken off so that she could be home to help me recover. I will treasure those times. This was her first grandchild and the only one she would ever meet. 

Lot's has happened since then: my mother passed away, we moved to NY, my father passed away, I learned about God and what Jesus did for all of mankind, I met my wonderful husband, and that brings you up to speed :)


To be continued...

Welcome {Gunnar}

This sweet little boy arrived on March 8th weighing in at 9lbs 2oz and 22in long.