passing time

as we wait for my body to heal i've been keeping busy sewing and doing other crafts, so i figured i would share with you guys what i've been doing.
as i was driving through town  a couple of weeks ago i saw a girl wearing a stripped maxi dress and instantly wanted one because it looks so summery and just cute and simple yet put together.
i saw a couple online and in stores and tried them on but wasn't crazy about either price or fit or stule or all of the above. so i figure i would try making it myself.
i used a dress i already own, or more like 2 because its the top of one and the bottom of another.
i used those to make pattern pieces. then i cut my fabric and started piecing it all together.
i made the chest and back area double layers to conceal a bit more since the fabric is thin, not see through but thin

double layered

 the front top part where the straps will meet with the bodice

i left about an inch all around so i could fold over, pin and sew the seam allowance

and so i could have straight lines, not jagged

i lined up the top front part and the bottom front skirt part right sides together and sewed so the seam would be hidden

 the srtaps were basically long tubes sewed right sides together, then i used a saftey pin to pull one end through to the other side to put it right side out.

 the straps attached to the back piece

the front piece where the straps will meet and attach

the edges of the dress's seam allowance

 the final product. i added a flower made following this tutorial

 flower close up

i got my own labels from etsy. just think the give the clothes more of a finished look

 i attached the flower with a pin just in case i ever wanted to attach it to a headband or a belt or whatever

ta-da !!!

.
ok so moving on, i made Gabriel this shirt following this tutorial

close up of the embroidery. honestly i did this in bed watching tv after the kiddos were sleeping.

and finally, darren had this cute ikea table that he was supposed to use for homework, yeah he never did, so it moved to Gabriel as his drawing station but soon it became a rainbow of crayon colors on it., i couldn't really paint it because its not real wood, i guess if i had sanded then primed maybe i could hva painted, but i went the easy route bought chalkboard contact paper cleaned said table and voila instant chalkboard top table leaving room still for his paer roll to paint/drawn on, and its the perfect height.



And finally my two projects lined up and ready to go.
flat front pants with seersucker fabric. pattern found here

and i got all these cozy and fun flannel colors and train fabric to make this blanket for Gabriel

lastly but with out a picture, i got a gorgeous orange chiffon that i will be using to make this for myself.

so as you can see it should keep me busy as we wait for things to get moving.

the post i didn't think i would have to write ever again

i'm sure you guys have been wondering where the heck i've been, or not if i have any readers left.
well besides sewing and keeping busy with the boys i alos got an nice surpise on mother's day that had kept me..well...praying to the porcelain gods for quite some time.
I got a bfp and we were over the moon.
things wen't pretty normal( well normal for us anyway/0 we started the lovenox shots and the progesterone and then last week we had out 1st u/s which showed a faint heartbeat but also that i was a week behind schedule. Dr. wasn't really worried and said maybe i implanted late and wanted a repeat u/s this am.
i just got home from said u/s which showed not change in baby's size and more notably, no sign of heartbeat.
i'm devastated, i feel like no matter what i do i keep letting my husband down, i let my son down as he wants a big family, i feel, no i know that I am the problem, that more than likely its my eggs that are the issue.
michael says he want to talk to our Re and see if maybe he would rather do IVF so we stop having all these losses, that maybe we can control things and make it as good as possible.
i'm pretty sure we will be meeting with the genetic specialist and our RE to see what the best course of action is, because to be honest with you, 6 losses is just to much to handle at this point. i want a big family and carrying a pregnancy is obviously not an issue.
but how much more heartbreak can one person really take, even if they are as stubborn as i am?
please keep us in your prayers as we head in for a D&C this friday.
and more importantly hug your little ones extra tight tonight because they are truly a blessing and for those of us who struggle and fight and loose part of our souls in the process to have such a magical experience they are priceless.

handmade goodies

As promised here are a few of the things that have been keeping me busy lately, besides the boys of course

Scalloped edge baby blanket

 don't mind the fact that its so wrinkly, G loves to cuddle with it. My next step is to embroider his initial on one corner but for now baby steps.

I was feeling particularly adventurous one afternoon and decided to tackle a button down shirt. if you look closely you will see many imperfections but overall i'm happy with how it turned out. I have to admit the collar was a bitch and half to make!
i used this pattern and one of his shirts to help me along the way

then i figured "hey I want something for me" i had been perusing catalog for dresses for D's communion and came across this Lace-Stripe Tissue Tee from J.Crew

 i love how the lace gives this simple tshirt a romantic detail, what i didn't love? the price tag $58!!!! for a tshirt
I grabbed a plain white tshirt from H&M and placed 4 strips of lace where i thought i would want them and pinned in place about a hand width apart

CAREFULLY, try it on to see if the lace is where you want it.
use liquid stitch to hold the lace in place then sew.
I also stitched the lace down the side of the shirt so it wouldn't pull up and so it would be more secure.

cut the excess lace from the side and enjoy!

A different child

A different child, people notice

There's a special glow around you.

You grow surrounded by love

Never doubting you are wanted;

Only look at the pride and joy

In your mother and father's eyes.

And if sometimes between the smiles

There's a trace of tears,

One day you'll understand.

You'll understand there was once another child.

A different child.

Who was in their hopes and dreams.

That child will never outgrow the baby clothes.

That child will never keep them up at night.

In fact, that child will never be any trouble at all...

Except sometimes, in a silent moment,

When mother and father miss so much

That different child.

May hope and love wrap you warmly

And may you learn the lesson forever:

How infinitely precious,

How infinitely fragile is this life on earth.

One day, as a young man or woman

You may see another mother's tears

Another father's silent grief

Then you, and you alone will understand

And offer the greatest comfort.

When all hope seems lost

you will tell them with great compassion:

"I know how you feel.

I'm only here because my parents tried again."

BPA and baby food

I try to feed Gabriel and of course the rest of my family as much organic food as i can, specifically any fruit/veggie which skin is edible. Milk, eggs, and cheese. So it was a given that baby food for on the go or when i'm running low on homemade kind was to be the same standard.
my favorites and Gabriel's are earth's best, ella's kitchen, happy baby, plum organics   and sprout. Love them all.
My MIL tends to give him what i tell her or she cooks pastina (pasta stars that are minuscule) in chicken broth with veggies.
She did get recently the Gerber toddler meals, which i though was and easy option. Fast forward to last night and when everyone was asleep i was reading May's Glamour magazine which happened to have an article about plastics in general and how they can be dangerous.
It had a part that said BPA has been linked to infertility and went on to mention that most dangerous are plastics with the #7 on the bottom. You can google and will get lots of info on this.subject.
Now back to Gerber:
from green and clean mom


"Now there’s the BPA issue and most of what I used from Gerber was in plastic. Just wonderful, another reason why making your own food probably is the best. So I called the company and wanted to hear what they had to say about BPA and their food in the plastic. The lady on the phone was just darling but uninformed and tried to explain which plastic was safe and which wasn’t and what the FDA says is safe and how Gerber’s priority is safety. A scripted answer and when I pushed for more details on exactly what number plastic was the baby food containers and the juice in, she said she couldn’t find the documents. Hmmmm? I was then asked for my address and she politely said she’d send me coupons. Thanks.
A letter arrived in the mail, nearly two weeks later but the coupons came in two days. A nice letter explained how I can be assured that all Gerber products are safe and meet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration    requirements for safety. They explain that the FDA sets regulations for food and plastic interaction and they are well within the federal limits. The Gerber® Graduates® plastic food containers are not made from polycarbonate. Gerber chose the multi-layer #7 plastic to keep food fresh and safe, that’s their reasoning.Their final statement to me was this, “Gerber believes that when used as intended by FDA, these products are safe.”
I drove to the store and looked at all the Gerber plastic and all of the juice containers say #7 and all of the plastic baby food containers are #7. If the plastic is multi-layered then why have a #7 on them?  What is the point of parents using BPA free bottles, sippys, teethers and toys when the food they are giving their children is packaged in BPA plastic? I’ve written enough posts on BPA, started a project to help daycare convert to BPA Free products but the big wigs are hiding behind an approved limit. Gerber has been in business for 80 years and they clearly state they have helped family raise happy, healthy babies. Moms decided for yourself if you feel that Gerber is a company you can trust. I, however, believe that Gerber is hiding behind the FDA and needs to make a change, fast! It isn’t enough to just offer me a handful of coupons and discounts to forget about the BPA!
 If you feel the same as I do, call or write the company and tell them your feelings (1-800-4-Gerber). We have to start demanding that large companies make these changes and stop accepting what the FDA deems as safe limits. Enough is enough! Safe Mama has also composed a great post that might be worth reading. Safe Mama mentions Gerber claiming all of their products were BPA Free but in my formal letter, there is no statement such as this. I guess we were on the same wave length! Moms Rising started a petition for you to sign that lets the CEO’s know, we want change. For now, maybe begin making your own baby food, choose foods in glass jars rather than plastic (be sure to recycle them) and maybe consider buying from a company that makes organic baby food in safe containers."

Here is some more info from the Glamour article:
3 chemicals to know and AVOID

Bisphenol A (BPA) - linked to infertility problems & heart disease. Don't microwave food in plastic containers and choose glass over canned goods.

Phthalates - found in some cosmetics, air fresheners & cleaning products especially ones with fragrance. Contributes to weight gain, may interfere with male-type hormones. Go fragrance free.

Tributylin - in some shower curtains, TBT may turn stem cells into fat cells. Buy PVC-free plastics.


HOW TO STAY SAFE
1. eat well and exercise
2. buy fresh produce if possible(no packaging)and choose food foods in glass containers instead of metal cans.
3. no plastics in the microwave
4. always try to buy organic version of foods with edible skins
5. check the safety of your cosmetics -  database.com enter 5 items you use the most and it will rank its potential health hazards. josie maran cosmetics is a great "green" healthy choice
6. don't use cleaning products with fragrance or air fresheners - I've been using method or just plain vinegar to clean, safer for baby, us and mother earth. Search the blog i have a post for homemade home cleaners that are baby friendly and easy to make.
7. filter your tap water - we use PUR attachment and it works amazing.
8. take off your shoes before entering your home -  don't track in outdoor stuff like pesticides and other cancer-causing substances, plus it keeps your floors cleaner!

Just wanted to share some info and food for though. I'm not getting anything for mentioning any of the above brands, just sharing what has worked for us
And like glamour says " Be Proactive, don't wait for the goverment to tell you not to eat something or use something because bv the time they do and IF they do, too many people will have suffered"

in the meantime i'll probably use up whats left of the gerber food just not heat them up in said container, Then i guess i'll have to keep up with my homemade food for our little monkey.

Busy

This once a month blogging thing has got to stop and it will i promise...BUT i do have a legitimate reason, we have been house hunting and it looks VERY promising (fingers crossed) and i have been putting my birthday gift

• 

to very good use and i will be showing you some of my "creations"

oh yeah besides that i also have a communion to plan and put together and my little monkey who is exhausting but so much fun to watch his antics every day.
He currently has 2 molars and 1 incisor cutting through at the same time and my arms can prove that with lots of black and blues.
stay tuned!

Praying

i was getting ready to finally (yet again) update my blog and had a long post with pics all set to go, but for now and in light of the events in Japan today, my only request is please pray for all of those people. My heart goes out to them for i know how fast an earthquake can be devastating but a tsunami on top?
God Bless them all and give them strength.