I’ve been getting some sewing done for the babe in the womb.  Oh. . . how we wish he’ll arrive soon!  In the meantime I believe I’ve been nesting by cleaning (though not too much), sewing, and staying home bound and not wanting to leave the house unless I absolutely have to.

I love those baby snugglers or swaddling blankets that make a newborn feel very secure.  I found a free snuggler pattern online that I really like, but I don’t particularly care for the velcro part.  The snuggler is made of two layers:  fleece inner layer and a cotton outer layer.  I modified the original pattern to avoid using the velcro by extending the outer layer.  The longer wings allow me to tie it in a knot to make the snuggler more fitting.  See below.

Here’s my oldest daughter modeling for me.

Of course I just can’t make one because I know from experience that a baby will definitely soil the snuggler in no time.  In order to always have one in hand while the other one is in the wash, here’s the second snuggler I made.  Maybe I’ll go make another one, just in case.

Well, we are definitely ready for this baby.  Everyone in the house anxiously waits for his arrival though the thought of labor and delivery scares me.  Oh the pain!  But the result is absolutely worth it!

When I saw V and Co’s jersey knit bracelet tutorial, I knew I had to make it for my girls, however, it did take a long time for me to get to it.  I wonder why?  Could it be the busyness around this house and the protracted pregnancy (at least I think so)?

This bracelet tutorial is very simple and all you need is 1″ jersey knit strips, a pair of scissors, and your fingers.  In short, you knit the bracelet using your fingers, and the thickness of the bracelet depends on how many fingers you want to use, whether 2, 3, or 4.  See the pictorial tutorial for further explanation, and if it still doesn’t make sense, there’s a video tutorial at the bottom of the page.

I made bracelets for my girls and they looked dazzling in their red bracelets and then I got a bit creative.  What if I just keep braiding and make it into a headband?  I was so proud of myself!  All the girls have a matching headband now.  I used the two-finger braid because I like a skinnier bracelet, especially for the headband.

If you’re interested in making these bracelets or headbands, you don’t need to run to the fabric store to get jersey knit.  You should shop in your husband, brother, or father’s closet for an unloved t-shirt.  Those cute red bracelets and headbands I made for my girls were made out of a red t-shirt my brother didn’t want.  I simply cut the shirt into 1″ strips and connect all the strips together.  Now, isn’t this exciting?  You don’t even have to spend a dime and you can get the project started right away.  Happy braiding!  I’d love to see some of your creations.  I’m very fortunate to have a big stash of unwanted t-shirts from my brother, and trust me, I’ve been cutting up those t-shirts.  I made myself a grey headband and I must say that it’s quite comfortable to wear.  I normally don’t like headbands because somehow they’re not that comfortable and they fall off of my head easily.

We’ve been enjoying our time together as a family for our Advent reading.  It’s such a relaxing time for all of us to be together and listen to three separate readings.

Below is a picture of the books we’re reading.  Russ Ramsey’s Behold the Lamb of God is a narrative account of events from the Old Testament to the coming of Christ.  We really appreciate Ramsey’s narrative account of the story as it helps both adults and kids to better comprehend the coming of Christ.  We purchased the bundle package which included Andrew Peterson’s Behold the Lamb of God CD.  We’ve been listening to this CD continuously and we absolutely love it.  If you’re interested, you can listen to the whole album online for free.  Interestingly, Christianity Today did an interview with Andrew Peterson recently about his music and books.

For several weeks now, our family has been engrossed in Andrew Peterson’s first of the four books On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness.  And yes, it’s the same Andrew Peterson, the singer and the writer.  I admit, it took me a while to make that connection.  We like this book a lot as it is both humorous and adventurous.  Some parts of it are just goofy, and we love goofiness.  The four-book saga has the flavor of C.S. Lewis’s Narnia series.  It’s definitely worth reading.

Our Advent candles.  The candle arrangement is very simple.  I arranged four purple/reddish tapered candles on the outer perimeter inside a tray and I placed the one white candle in the middle.  To make it prettier, I put our Christmas tree trimmings around it.  It’s nothing super fancy but visually pleasing.  The tray works out really well because we can easily put it away after our nightly reading so the children don’t play with the arrangement nor the fire if left permanently on the table.

Lastly, our Christmas tree!  Last year we trekked into the mountains to chop down our perfect tree and it was such a wonderful memory.  We thought we would continue this tradition, but after we found out that Costco has Noble Fir trees for a good price, we decided to do the easy way.  Instead of traveling 45 minutes into the mountains, we drove 10 minutes to Costco to pick out a cheaper and better tree.

More fun cooking a delicious meal, this time with an assistant chef (so I could get more photography in!).  For today, just gobs of photos from start to finish… HT to Pioneer Woman for the recipe.

For years, as a quick and easy meal for the kids, we’ve often turned to those boxes of instant quick and easy “Mac & Cheese.”

Somewhere along the way, we discovered that Kraft’s “Mac & Cheese” had a bit of disclaimer: they didn’t really use cheese but a “cheese product.”

So we decided to try store-brands: Wal-Mart, Costco’s Kirkland Signature, etc. with real cheese.  And they were better.

But not by far.

And somewhere (farther) along the same way, we thought: “Macaroni is just pasta.  Cheese is just… cheese.”  How hard could it be to make this dish from scratch?

Tonight, I tried my hand at it, following the famous Pioneer Woman’s recipe for baked macaroni and cheese.

How did it turn out?  Well first, the quantitative evidence:

1. I had a great time cooking it; for the first time preparing a roux and tempering an egg (click through to the above recipe if you don’t know what I’m talking about).
2. I liked eating it.  But then, I cooked it, I’m prejudiced.  But I would actually choose to eat this – not just when I was desperate for something quick & easy.
3. Our youngest daughter asked for three servings.  Unless it’s loaded with sugar, she never asks for three servings!  Gonna do this one again! (Never mind that she kinda had a sparse lunch.)

Qualitatively speaking, it wasn’t bad either (in other words, “presentation is everything”) — we added our own flair with panko bread crumbs on top:

Digging into the third serving!  Did I mention that it was her third serving???

I have five more weeks left in my pregnancy and with a huge bowling ball in front of me every moment, I can’t wait to unload and meet the little fella.  Even though this is my sixth baby, I still have things I want to make.  Today I finally finished a sewing project that I’ve been thinking about but didn’t have the chance nor the energy to make it happen.  It definitely felt great to get the carseat canopy completed.

The purpose of the carseat canopy or cover is to shield the baby from wind, sun, germs, or strangers.  Essentially it’s just a blanket over the carseat with detachable loops.  I decided to make it a bit fancier by installing a zipper down the middle so I can easily unzip to check on the baby while still have the baby protected from outside environment from the sides.  Makes sense?  Totally!  In my own mind.

We love Costco in so many ways and one such way is obtaining big boxes.  Why do my kids love these big boxes?  There are so many wonderful uses for them such as using them as sleds for coming down the stairs, carriages for their stuffed animals, carriers for all sorts of junks treasures, etc.  I’m starting to wonder why we even bother buying toys for them.  I love their simple pleasures.