My Crunchy Little Secret

I may not look very crunchy (maybe you think I do!  lol)  But I’m pretty crunchy at heart, so crunchy in fact that I have a little secret that I am going to share with you!  As long as you promise not to laugh.  Well, okay, I don’t care if you laugh, just don’t laugh so loud that I can hear you through the computer!  Are you ready?

I use cloth pads. 

There I said it.  I’m not really ashamed or anything and if we were talking in real life I would be happy to wax on about all the benefits and awesomeness of cloth pads, it just feels weird to write about.

I started using them about 5 years ago after reading a post by another blogger out there. She’s not blogging anymore so I can’t share that post with you.  There is a lot of information out there in internet-land about cloth pads, free patterns too! I just made up my own pattern after using a few that I found on-line.

Over the weekend I made some new pads.  Mine were losing their softness and I didn’t have quite enough to last through a whole cycle.

Personally, I’ll never go back to using disposables and here’s why:

• Soft and comfy.
• The chemicals in disposable pads actually pull blood  out of your body, cloth pads make your period lighter.
• CHEAP!  If you make them yourself.  I think they are expensive if you buy them, but if you can’t sew it’s  still worth it to make the switch.  Besides, I’ve been watching the price of disposables go up anyway.
• Very “green.”  If you care about that sort of thing.  I just hate throwing stuff away.

I’m sure there are more reasons and you’ll find them if you do a little search on the subject.

So that’s my  crunchy little secret.  I wonder, are there any other cloth pad wearers out there?  Don’t be shy, share your secret with us!!

Joyfully,

Mrs. Taffy

Nesting

This happens to me EVERY pregnancy, even the ones where I’ve moved before delivery…I crave and conquer projects.  Especially sewing projects!  So this past weekend I indulged my “need to nest” and finished all my sewing projects that I had slated to do in January.

Two double-sided extra large receiving blankets.  These are for my brother’s baby due in May.  They were told it’s “probably” a boy! 

One more girly one…I’m not sure if I’m going to keep this or save it for a gift.

Two Aprons.  Can you tell which one is for me?  I made the other one for my mom, who is coming to visit in April.  This is part of the Thank You/Happy Mother’s Day gift I’m giving her.  She’s probably going to see it on here, but hopefully she’ll just forget about it!    I can hope anyway!

I’m also working on our little bathroom.  We’ve been living in this house with one shower since we moved back in, almost 2 years ago.  Mr. Taffy finally finished his part of the project so I can go ahead with my part--painting and decorating!  I painted this past weekend and I’m planning on making a shower curtain and a frame for the mirror so it looks like a picture frame.  The style will tie in with the rest of the house: Country folk art-ish. Hopefully my older sons will have a new place to take a shower before next weekend!  Woohoo! 

This happens to me every pregnancy.  I just can’t help it.  The ideas just pour in to my brain and I usually have the energy to tackle them!  I think creating a baby is the most creative thing a woman can do and I think that’s partly why this creativity comes out in other areas, through nesting.

By the way, if you are pregnant and having trouble sleeping might I suggest Red Raspberry Leaf?  I’ve taken it faithfully since the beginning of the 2nd trimester of this pregnancy and for both the 2nd and 3rd trimester of the last one.  Not only did it help me heal up quickly after birth, I’m talking not much bleeding here, it also claims to help with sleep!  Which I must agree does so very nicely!  I never have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep!  I buy mine from here.

Joyfully,

Mrs. Taffy

Sewing Bug

Last Sunday I got to pick up my sewing machine!

Woohoo! 

When I pulled it out to do a little sewing the hand wheel was completely locked up…it wouldn’t sew.  Sometime before Thanksgiving we took it in to get fixed.  It’s perfect now!  The repair man even gave it a tune up and cleaned all the hidden parts and reset the thread tension (that part always confuses me!). 

While I was patiently waiting the sewing bug bit me HARD! 

Over past couple days this is what I made:

Three double-side receiving blankets.  They are flannel and bigger than the average receiving blankets—so soft and snuggly!

I eve did a little fancy applique on the reverse side of two of them.

Five “Burpees”  you know, to catch burp-ups!  I would have made 6 but the last piece of flannel I had was missing a chunk…I put warm and natural cotton batting between the layers of flannel to make them more absorbent.  If you can’t tell, they are folded in half, so they are nice and long.

Here are 3 of the 5 tea towel gift that I made for the ladies in our home fellowship.  I love how they turned out!  Inside is a book (still can’t tell you which since one them might be reading this…) and the bracelet on the outside has encouraging words about being a wife or mother.  The two I kept for myself say:  “I love my Husband”  and “I love Motherhood.”  I bought them from Above Rubies. 

I also finished a baby quilt top.  I need to get something for the back still but once it’s done I’ll share a picture.  It’s not very big, and not fancy (just 4 1/2 inch squares), I think it will be perfect of baby to lay on while getting some tummy-time.  The theme is cupcakes.

  I LOVE finishing projects!  I put my sewing machine away for the rest of Christmastime but will likely get it out again on the 26th!  I want to make Bubble Gum Taffy a matching doll quilt to the one I’m making for our baby and give it to her on her birthday in February.  I also want to make up some more blankets and “burpees” to be able to give as gifts throughout the year!

Joyfully,

Mrs. Taffy