Maternity Shorts

I'm not really a fan of maternity clothes for four reasons:
1. They are all very "classic" looks. And I'm not a very classic dresser.
2. They are way too expensive to only wear for 5ish months...or even forever.
3. 99% of them are v-necked and WAY too low cut for me to get away with.
4. I feel frumpy when I wear them.

So, I've been sticking to jersey knit skirts and shirts I already had for the most part. But, summer is H.O.T. so I decided I needed some shorts. I looked around a bit and $25 is way more than I'd pay for regular shorts, much less maternity shorts. So, instead I grabbed a pair of jeans I didn't really like and worked my magic on them. I followed this tutorial...which was pretty easy, but I must of done something wrong, because my pants definitely don't stay up. So, I can't have my hands full when wearing the shorts, or they may end up around my ankles.

Project List

One of the best things about getting ready to welcome a little one into the world is that a whole new world of crafty ideas has opened up! I have a little less than 3 months to complete all of my projects, so almost every night is spent doing something. It works out great though, because sewing is so relaxing for me.

Here's a list of projects I'm the most excited about (in no particular order):

• simple and easy nursing cover. I'm also planning just to use my baby wrap as a cover as well.
• rocking chair cushion. I really don't need a tutorial for this, but it couldn't hurt.
• Baby Booties. How adorable are these???
• Yellow crib. I'm the most excited about this one. It may turn out to be more Jonathan's project than mine though if I'm lucky!
• You can't have a great yellow crib without the perfect set of bedsheets!
• We're all about handmade toys, beginning with these great nesting cubes. Hand sewing isn't my favorite, but I guess I can swing it for such a great project.
• You might recognize this from a previous project, but I couldn't get enough for this bird mobile, so I had to make a new one to match Aurora's room. Jonathan and I collected new sticks for it last night, so I'm going to put him to work balancing the birds tonight.
  
• Presently, I'm in the middle of making what feels like 1000 of these burp cloths based loosely off of this tutorial from one of my favorite crafty blogs.

This should keep me busy for awhile...not to mention that 6 or 7 of my friends are expecting within a few months of me, so I get to make things for them as well. I can't wait!

Baby Showers

On Friday after work, it hit me that I had yet to figure out what I was baking for my sister in-law's baby shower. I also realized I didn't have any gifts for her yet. So, a couple of store trips and a few hours later, we were ready to go!

Cupcake stands make cupcakes look so much yummier! The cupcakes were from a box, but the frosting was a handmade buttercream found from Martha Stewart.

This Maple Bundt Cake tasted more like breakfast than dessert. So good!

And, Jonathan actually made these freezer paper stenciled onesies. We found the tutorial here. There are definitely more of these to come!

Baby Wrap

Surprise!!! Believe it or not, I still exist. Though I've taken a brief hiatus from all things crafty, I think I'm back. I have little time, but LOTS of ideas. I also have a sewing machine again, and Joannes and Hobby Lobby are right on the way home from work.

Most of my projects are probably going to change into baby projects seeing as how I've only got 4 months left to finish everything for our sweet girl.

I decided to step back into the world of sewing with an easy project. This is a baby wrap (otherwise known as the $40 Moby wrap), except I made it for about $3.50 since I bought the jersey knit as a remnant.


It's easy as pie to make. I think it took longer to figure out how to put on Jonathan than it actually took me to make it. I'm sure an actually baby will make it even more difficult, but it's worth it! And by the way, Jonathan was so excited about it, he grabbed it and put it on himself before I could even try it out!

Christmas in Turkey

Since Christmas isn't a Turkish holiday, I'm on my own to fill our apartment with holiday cheer.

There are tons of crafts online to make, but most of them require something that I don't have (like a craft store, a sewing machine, Christmas lights, etc.).

So, using scissors and note cards that I'm pretty sure I've lugged all over the world, I made our own Christmas tree. It looks slightly like a preschool project and absolutely nothing like my inspiration, but it's sufficient for us.



Jonathan and I aren't really gift people and, come to think of it, have never really given each other wrapped presents. But, I told him this year that we each had to get a gift and wrap it so we could put it under the tree.

More knitting projects are coming after Christmas (so the people who are receiving the gifts get to see them first).

Morning Granola

Breakfast always has bittersweet connotations for me. I love the idea of breakfast, but am not really a fan of breakfast food. I think a lot of it stems from the 2 years I cooked breakfast almost every weekend for one hundred people at a retreat center. Since then, eggs, pancakes, biscuits, you-name-it have never really appealed to me.

Jonathan is a big cereal fan, but since yummy cereal is hard to come by in Istanbul, homemade granola has become a staple in our house.

Prep time is quick, but make sure you have a couple of hours to bake and stir the granola.

Here's my usual recipe, inspired from my favorite cookbook, More with Less:

Mix in large bowl:
6 C. plain oatmeal
2 C. whole wheat flour
1. C. coconut flakes
2 C. nuts (try any combination. I prefer walnuts because they taste great after being baked.)
1/2 C. wheat germ (to be healthy!)
1/2 C. flax seed (also healthy!)
1 T. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt

Heat in Saucepan:
1/2 C. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 C. water
1 C. honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar
1 T. vanilla

3 C. dried fruit (dates, raisins, mangos, apricots, apples, whatever! I usually use 2 or 3 different fruits)

When slightly warmed, mix the wet ingredients in well with the dry ingredients. If you need to, add a bit more water to make sure the dry ingredients are completely coated.

Put half of the mix on a greased cookie sheet and cook at 300 degrees for about an hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so. I wait until it's fairly golden brown before I take it out of the oven. Jonathan likes his granola extra crunchy and I've found it's crunchiest when I let it cool on the cookie sheet.

When cooled, add the fruit and store in an airtight container.

Like I Don't Already Have Enough To Do

A few years ago, I made a list of things I want to do in life. Since then, I've done a few of them, forgotten quite a few, and still have some on the list.

One of the things on my list was to take a picture a day for a year. After running across a couple other blogs that were devoted to this, my motivation was renewed. But, with a little modification.

A dear friend of mine and I have decided to share the blog and each post a picture every day. Joy lives in Colorado and has an incredible eye for art and photography. I live in Istanbul, and though I'm not a natural, I still think it would be a lot of fun to try out.

So, check it out if you want to see a bit more of Colorado, Turkey, or anywhere in between.

www.resplendentawakening.blogspot.com

We couldn't come up with a title, so Joy thought of an adjective, I thought of a noun, and we put them together!