RBT {Part I}

I'm going to post a few more pictures so that maybe it might answer a couple of the questions already received...

This is the back of the pinned blanket...you are looking at the larger fabric and it is not smooth like the top fabric...it is kinda bubbly/bulky (essentially you are making the binding as you go, that is why the back fabric is larger...you will not be doing a binding once the blanket is turned right side out...you will have already taken care of that....but I will be posting that on Part II of the Receiving Blanket Tutorial so don't worry about that yet)

And here is another picture of the top for reference

I think maybe I will try to do a small video click and post it on the blog to go back over the pinning process....It might be easier to understand that way

Receiving Blankets Tutorial {Part I}

I'm going to try my hardest to do a tutorial on how to make these very easy receiving blankets. When I say easy, I mean you'll be able to make two in one evening and be so excited and proud of yourself that you completely such an easy and cute blanket for the up coming baby shower you have in two days. The hardest part will be my tutorial...I hope I don't make it more complicated by explaining it with words and pictures...for that reason, I'm going to do this in parts. Tonight, I will explain how to prepare, cut and pin the material-that way if there are any questions, we can answer as we go...here goes:

1-buy 1 yard of a fun flannel fabric and 1 1/2 yards of a complementary flannel fabric for the back of the receiving blanket.

2-wash, dry and iron your fabric

3-fold each fabric in half and then in half again...it should look like a rectangle.

4-lay your 1 yard folded rectangle on your cutting mat and cut to a perfect square. Make the square as big as the fabric will allow depending on how uneven the sides are. It usually will only make a 15-17 inch square. Refer to the pictures below (mine was already cut...sorry...mine ended up being 15x15...so obviously once I unfold the fabric it will be a 30x30 square...BUT DON'T OPEN YOUR FABRIC YET)

5-do the same thing as in step 4 with your 1 1/2 of flannel fabric---whatever your smaller fabric ended up being, will decide what you will cut your large square...for example, my small folded fabric was 15x15 so my larger folded fabric had to be 5 inches larger 20x20....if yours is 16.5x16.5, then your larger fabric will be 21.5x21.5 (that's folded remember...when you open up your larger fabric it will be 10 inches larger....so my folded 15x15 and 20x20 squares with open up to be 30x30 and 40x40), here are a few pictures. (again mine was already cut before I decided to do this tutorial)
6-don't unfold anything yet...give them both a nice press with the iron along their folded sides to get the fabric to remember those creases.

7-now open up your fabric.

8-put right sides together and match up a center line on the smaller fabric with a center line on the larger fabric.

9-Pin the top at the center (where your ironed lines are)

10-then pin that whole side (it's a little hard to see my pins in the picture below, but they are there)

11-next, turn and repeat steps 8-10, obviously you'll have to pull the smaller fabric up and over to meet center ironed lines together...I've tried to capture the process in the following pictures. You will do this four times, the pinning process that is, since there are four sides in a square.

Your corners will start to look like this as you go around...

Once you've pinned all sides your project should look something like this...

Please comment with any questions...tomorrow we will begin sewing.

My Heros

A few months ago I made these little Super Hero capes for the boys...they have loved them...and I love them!

A Big Day

My first baby boy turned four this weekend. I can't believe how big he is getting. In the last month he has changed so much, I feel like he has finally gotten through the terrible two and threes and has turned into such a good boy. I have so much fun just talking with him. He is interesting, funny and kind hearted. He loves Mario Cart Wii, Bakugans, Transformers, Super Heroes, Star Wars, Tom & Jerry, Chicken Salad with Wheat Thins, Apple Juice, Dogs, short sleeve shirts, his socks and shoes to be just right, going to Primary, baking cookies, gymnastics, wearing goggles to swim, snuggling, and going on adventures. He said in the car the other day, "I was your first Baby, right?!" Yes you were and you will always be my sweetheart...I love you and the little man you are becoming.

The next few pictures are of his birthday party and the construction of his birthday cake. We had a Father Son Bowling Party and Ben made a Light Saver Cake. He made it out of two cakes that he cut and froze over night. Placed them on a long piece of card board and I made tons of icing for him to dye and decorate with. He used glow sticks to bring it to life and a red disc of chocolate for the button. Max thought it was pretty awesome.

Here is Seth so proud of himself after pushing his first ball down the lane!

After Maxton's party, we hustled down to my parents house to celebrate my Mom's 50th birthday. Dinner was great, we ate a Japanese Steak House. At dinner my folks shared some important news with us...my Dad's company is sending both my parents to China for a year (not returning home at all for the year) on a project. My Dad leaves this Saturday and my Mom will follow once her passport and visa come through, probably the middle of February. It was a bit of a surprise. I think it will be so great for them and a wonderful adventure. Obviously I'm sad that they will just miss seeing our new little baby boy born and his first year, but it will all work out.

Last but not least, here is a belly shot of me...it's current...31 weeks along...this picture is really for my dear friend in the KS...enjoy VMS!

Wholesome and Nutritious

I might not be the best at it, but I'm pretty domestic. I love anything domestic and lovely. I'm always trying to learn new things and try out recipes or ideas. Since April, I've had an itch to learn how to make Whole Wheat Bread. You know, grind the wheat and everything. I even traded in my Kitchen Aid for a Bosch since most bread recipes are too over powering for the Kitchen Aid. It took me almost a year, and Santa brought me one for Christmas...I was so excited. So naturally, my "one track mind" kicked in and I was on a mission to learn and conquer whole wheat bread...so much so that once figured out, I would make a batch each week for my family in hopes to not buy the bread at the grocery. I had come across three different recipes since April and I wanted to try all three to see which one I liked the best. One came from a great lady in my ward, another from a dear friend in KS and another from Utah. Each recipe was a little different and each one asked for something a little out of the ordinary. I took my kids out in the freezing cold and snow to find such ingredients as: saf-instant yeast, vital gluten flour, 9 grain cracked cereal, hard red wheat, flax seed, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, wheat grinders from friends, 8.5 inch bread pans, etc. I called friends and bugged them like crazy with questions about each and every recipe. Once I had gathered all I needed and more, I settled in on my adventure.
In a matter of four days I had baked 15 loaves of Whole Wheat Bread, trying to perfect and figure out which recipe I liked and that liked me the best. I failed miserably at two of the recipes and did okay with the third, but it still needs a little work.
As each loaf was baked and eventually put in a zip lock, I began wondering if there was more to this bread than just baking it. Was it somehow filling a hole inside of me? All 15 were wholesome and nutritious, was I feeling like I was needing some nurturing, something warm and wonderfully filling?
Regardless, I've made 15 loaves. I've going to stop now and order my own wheat grinder and finally buy some wheat for my food storage and continue trying to make my recipe work...not like a crazy woman, but a little over time.
I guess there could be worse things I could do to fill some of those emotions!?!?

Commercial Break from the Back Tracking...

I wanted to share a new found treasure with you...I friend of mine makes SLR/DSLR camera straps and sells them on Etsy and I just received mine in the mail this week and love it. I'm not boring, so why should my camera strap be boring. So, if you're ready to show off your personality while taking those amazing pictures...check out her straps (click HERE).

Back Track {Part II}

So, even though I haven't shared Halloween Pictures this year, we did celebrate and go Trick-or-Treating. And I have pictures to prove it! Ben picked the boys costumes out this year and I thought they were perfect...yes they were little Beavers...I think it fits their current temperment...BUSY, you know, "busy beavers"! I guess there's only one thing to say, "Happy Halloween!"