Thanksgiving Onesie

If you have found me on Pinterest, you can find the inspiration for Kid's first Thanksgiving onesie.

I would have liked to have this post up before Thanksgiving. That would have been nice. Except, I didn't decide to make a Thanksgiving onesie until about 9pm on Thanksgiving eve.

Last minute. That's how I roll.

I made my way down to my craft room and found an old pair of brown corduroy maternity pants that I ripped mid-pregnancy. I also found an orange plaid shirt that was going to be worn by the ring bearer at my wedding. The shirt didn't get worn. I forgot to return it.

First, I grabbed a stack of printer paper to make my templates. I do them all by hand, and I'm also a perfectionist. I knew I wouldn't get it right on the first try. And I didn't. But, after a few tries, I had the perfect turkey body and feathers.

I should have pinned my patterns to the fabric, but I didn't. I held it in place with my fingers and cut away. If you do this at home, pin the pattern to your fabric and then cut. It will keep you from being annoyed.

I then cut a triangle from the orange shirt for a beak, and took two buttons for the eyes. I then added a little fray check to each piece and allowed them an hour to dry.

Next, add the beak and buttons to the turkey body.

Now, I could have used a sewing machine to sew on the feathers and turkey. But, we were going to be spending a few hours in the car to deliver Thankgsiving meals. So instead, I opted to sew by hand.

I'd say it was a success!

((this moment))

((this moment))

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

 ~SouleMama~

\\Thankful Thursday Vol. 3//

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I find that it is impossibly easy to get into a rut of negativity. And once you're there, it's hard to climb your way out. Writing down my thankfuls for each week has become a way to stay away from the negative. Feel free to leave your thankfuls in the comments.

This week, I am thankful for...

...the family. The whole thing. My husband and I are rather lucky in that both of our parents live not more than 10 minutes away. Our siblings all live in the state (okay, one is living in Spain, but she'll be home soon!). Family really is the biggest part of my life and something I am thankful for each and every day.

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...wool socks. They hug your feet! They're so cozy! I love wool socks. It's that time of year again when the wool socks come out in full force. One of the first things I do when I get home from work (besides loving up the baby boy, of course!) is change my socks. Adios work socks. Hello wool socks! Cozy, warm, delightful.

image source

...Aldi. It's a grocery store. And it is amazing. The produce is delicious. Delicious and really inexpensive. A lot of people around these parts are rather skeptical about this particular grocery store. Like any store, all you need to do is check ingredient labels. And when you're buying produce? Just pick out the good stuff (again, like any grocery store). Do you have an Aldi in your area?

...Kid's health. He has been such a healthy boy to this point. He hasn't had more than a little cough and a runny nose that lasted a day and a half.

Step By Step Nursery: Mobile

Way back when I was newly pregnant, I began searching Pinterest and Houzz for nursery inspiration. Mostly, I was looking for a color scheme or a theme. Something to guide my projects. The hubs and I decided on some colors, a stripe pattern, and the fact that we didn't want an overbearing theme that would take over the entire room.

We I decided upon a diaper storage solution that I knew would be a hit, but I knew we needed a little bit more.

Then, it all came together. I had been having this feeling that I would give birth a day early (wow, was I wrong). I thought for sure that I would give birth on May 14th. The anniversary of my Boppa's death. Because I was sure that Kid would be born then, I wanted to honor Boppa in some way. I wanted to create some sort of connection between Boppa and Kid, mostly because I knew that Kid would be born on the anniversary of Boppa's death.

I had the perfect idea! I mobile of P-38s. My Boppa was a pilot during World War II. He flew P-38s. Isn't he a handsome Boppa?

Kid had to have P-38s in his room. And the mobile was the perfect place.

The mobile is hanging over his diaper pail. I didn't want to put it over his crib or the changing table. It is far to heavy. Each airplane is metal...and they're kind of heavy. I would hate for a plane to fall and hit the baby. So. Over the diaper pail, in the corner of the room. Away from where the baby (or anyone) will hang out.

Weekly Meal Plan

I'm always amazed at how quickly Sunday arrives. Friday rolls around and then, just like that, it's Sunday.

Quite simply, Sunday has become errand day. Today's to-do list included the grocery story, a few clothing stores (for the baby, not me!), and my parents' house. They've given us a secretary desk and a couch. They wanted it out of their house yesterday.

I have to admit that I have gotten a lot better at "going with the flow" on Sundays. It used to be really difficult for me. I've always had a list of things to get done over the weekend. I would be immensely bothered on Sunday evenings if even one thing was left unchecked on the list. But lately, I've been more relaxed. I have allowed myself to enjoy the simple moments of the day with my three boys.

We also spent a lot of time with my sister and brother-in-law. Check out this picture I found of my boy and my nephew (6 weeks younger than G). Keep in mind that this is an old picture. The trees no longer have leaves up here in Minnesota. And we definitely would not be outside with out our winter jackets and hats!

So Sunday is here, and while there are a few things left undone on my list, the majority were completed.

I got to the grocery store. Refilled the fridge, freezer, and pantry.

I got to the clothing store. New (well, some used) clothes for the boy. The kid is growing like a weed. He'll be 8 months old on December 2nd and we've already moved him into 12 month clothes. Granted, he's in cloth diapers, which are quite a bit more bulky than disposables. But it's not just that. He is one long boy!

While I enjoy buying him new clothes, it's so sad to pack away the old ones! He's already growing so fast and I know it won't be slowing down!

Alrightly. Time to write out the meal plan and then get back to enjoying my family!

Sunday: dinner at my sister and brother-in-law's new house
Monday: dinner at my parents' house
Tuesday: Chipotle Meatloaf
Wednesday: Crockpot Beef Stew
Thursday: Thanksgiving!
Friday: Leftovers!
Saturday: Chicken Tacos

I hope everyone's week starts wonderfully!

((this moment))

((this moment))

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

 ~SouleMama~

\\Thankful Thursday Vol. 2//

It's time, again, to list the thankfuls for the week.

Feel free to leave your thankfuls in the comments!

1. Pa (my dad). Because everyone needs an awesome Pa. You may think I'm just going through the list of my family members. Which I very easily could do, as I am thankful for each and every one of them. But this week, it's my dad. I have one of those dads that would drop everything to help. He'd give me the shirt off his back. And he'd pick up the baby boy from daycare three days in a row because there were conflicts with mine and the hubby's schedule. That Pa. He's one great dad and amazing grandpa.

2. Once Upon a Child. I'm rather short. So I kind of expected a small baby. He is not small. I should have known, too, as the hubs is 6'2". Not short by any means. Our little boy is growing rather quickly. His clothing sizes, at 7 months, are between 9 and 12 months. It seems as though I have to buy him more clothes every couple of weeks. Which is not easy on the pocket book. The other day, I spent $30 and got 2 winter jackets, three books, and a puzzle. I checked the price of winter jackets at Target in the baby's size. $32.

3. My 20 to 25 minute commute to work. You mean, people actually enjoy sitting in their vehicles? To go to work? What? Here's the thing. I love my job. Besides staying at home, I can't think of something I'd rather do. Sometimes, I find it difficult to switch gears from work to home or home to work. Twenty minutes is the perfect amount of time to prepare for work, or the decompress after a long day. It's also the perfect time to see the beautiful Minnesota sun rises.

Stay tuned for next week's Thankful Thursday.