DYI Cloth Wipes and Solution

I finally managed to do what I've been wanting to for some time. Make cloth wipes. I already use cloth diapers so it just seemed that cloth wipes should go along with them. At first I thought it wouldn't be worth it to make wipes since they aren't all that expensive. After a year of using them, however, and with a new baby on the way I began to rethink the idea. I'm not conservative with how many wipes a use at one time, a pack of 80 wipes lasted me a week and a half. Why not just throw the cloth wipes in with the diapers and save a little money? Duh. Now with all that extra cash I have laying around I can plan a trip to New Zealand! Well, maybe not, unless I'm super good with our money every where else. A trip to Starbucks once in a while would make me just as happy. :)

So here is what you will need:
Container to hold wipes ( use your plastic wipe container or just a container with tight lid)
Absorbent material of your choice: flannel*/ terry/fleece
Sewing machine
Thread
Wipe Solution (recipe below also)

Cut 6"x6" squares of fabric
Fold over 1/4" and hem all four sides using a zig zag stitch
Bazinga! You have a wipe!

*I used a couple of flannel receiving blankets because I was given a boat load and hardly ever use them. One 24"x 24" flannel blanket made sixteen, 6"x 6" wipes.
If you use fleece it won't fray so you can make a "no sew" version if you aren't into sewing and use fleece!

There are a ton of different wipe solutions you can make for pennies. The one I made was simple because I had all the stuff already.

Solution
1/2 cup of baby oil ( I used Johnsons Lavender oil)
1/2 cup of baby wash ( Johnsons Head to Toe wash)
2 cups of water
I mixed all the ingredients in a large beaker and poured just enough over the wipes to make them nicely moist. The rest of the solution I will store in a mason jar.
Don't store your wipes this way for an overly long time or they could become musty. I go through mine fast enough that it's not an issue. If you'd prefer you can put the solution in a spray bottle and spray the wipes as you need them. You could also keep your solution in once container and dunk your wipes right before use. Whatever is easier for you and comfy for your baby.

Dive into Something new for Dinner...

Sometimes thinking about what to make for dinner is my biggest challenge of the day.
You know what I mean, you've been there too right? You're tired of the same old things.
Monday's rotisserie chicken that became chicken and rice the next day, and essence of chicken soup the day after that is getting...well...old. My sleep deprivation from sleep training our little man has finally tipped the scales--and thankfully I don't mean literally. With precious little slumber under my half forgotten mind- the creativity portion of my brain has begun to flicker. Faintly. So tonight's dinner is going to be not only good and hopefully on time...but different! Hoorah!
So far I have  french egg bread in the bread machine - ( no one judge me for this--I do love making bread by hand but the need to knead is killed by the clock ticking quickly, away today).
Rest of the dinner menu is looking something like this:
             Roasted rosemary chicken thighs
             Stuffed zucchini
             Baked butternut squash
             Mashed red potatoes (with gravy?)
Dessert:
 Blueberry Tart thanks to good ol' Martha...
  +http://www.marthastewart.com/341017/blueberry-tart


Eat, drink, and be creative! 

True Identity in living with Fingerprints

" To live a life of perfection is not to make all A's or to never miss a Sunday at church; rather. it is to live a life true to our identity." - Melissa Moore

Dishes in the sink
       
           Crumbs that seem to never end

                                        Fingerprints on the french doors
                                             
         Stereotypes of what a mom's world is like- little mole hills that notoriously turn into mountains for those of us who want or think we need to be "Supermom." I've had  ladies tell me to enjoy every little smudge in my freshly Windexed french doors, to think how quickly these stages go by, and how one day I will miss the madness of dashing from one chore to the next with a little one toddling behind leaving yet another trail of toys to pick up.
    Admittedly, this is not easy for me do. I don't want to ignore smudges. I don't want to be tired. I don't want to complain. I don't want....blah blah blah. Oh, and I don't want to make dinner either.
 It's a little embarrassing really- forced to be human- to say " I can't always" and be "okay" with it.
Perfection is not really me- that is what makes me laugh about this whole thing. Many of my friends and family know that if it works fairly well- it's good enough for me. So why this struggle to perform like a super woman?  The quote above kept coming to my mind and the question, "Am I living in my true identity" barraged my thoughts. What is my true identity? Identity defined by Webster's Dictionary summed up is " sameness in all that constitutes the objective reality of a thing "  (With definitions like that, it's no wonder I didn't think it necessary to mention in my 5th grade book report that Noah Webster wrote the dictionary. Totally didn't deserve that C.) Anyway- as I thought about my identity this verse came to mind, "Put on, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts..."
(Colossians 3 ESV)

Suddenly all the mountains become mole hills. I am a chosen child of God. His Son gave me the only necessary identity there is. The pressure of perfection has wasted away into the beauty of the cross. Absorbed into the rough, cracked wood- blossoming into peace-- by the living grace of Christ. I am free to live unchained to the mediocre expectations of what this world calls perfect. Living a life wholly leaning on the One who is perfect and who delights to see me living in the freedom He died to bring me. So, the quote at the beginning- for me becomes this: " To live a life of perfection is not to have a sparkling house every day, or to always have a five star dinner; rather, it is living in the wholeness of Christ's love for me in my human-ness and in my mistakes. It's knowing that I can enjoy my identity as a mother because that is Christ's calling for me. That my identity is perfection- it's Christ--and that is perfect.

Fingerprinting...

       

Opening Ceremonies Unlike any Other

 From brightly colored tunics and headdresses to sports jackets and fedoras, people from large countries like South Africa to smaller ones like Trinidad and Tobago, come marching out proudly bearing their countries flag. Excitement is thick in the air- people are dancing, singing, laughing  for there is much to look forward to.  Over the next few weeks competitions will be non stop, athletes have trained for years to be ready, their muscles are strong, reflexes are quick, nothing can break them from focusing on the prize. Eyes closed and breathing slow they feel the weight of a gold coin hanging around their neck, people are shouting their name, their heart is pounding- the snap of the starting blocks jolt them into motion--flashing through their mind are clips of their coaches pushing them to higher performance, some are here running completely alone-  determination and purpose their only prod. Injuries, obstacles, dreams, sweat their very souls are fighting for the goal they have long set after. Achieving distinction among others as a true athlete, receiving honor for a fight well fought. A gold coin, draping from their hot and strained body- adrenaline pumping through every vein- arms held high--they have won.

As I watched the opening ceremonies for the summer Olympics, it was amazing to see the crowds of people from all over the world. Some countries I have never even heard of, boasting only a couple of athletes yet there with just as much reason as any other. Each culture so different yet all together with one common thread- they are all athletes. Fast forward to Sunday morning, standing in church with many brothers and sisters singing "All who gather in His holy name- Bless the Lord." I suddenly realize how amazing the "opening ceremonies" into Heaven are going to be! Just like the Olympics, people from every country marching into the presence of our great God! Each person very different from the one standing next to them, yet all connected through the saving grace of their common Savior, Jesus Christ. On earth they fought hard battles, they wearied over daily tasks, but they pursued long and pushed forward for a prize greater than a gold coin. For now instead of just believing, they are seeing, beholding the glorious God that reached down to them in love saving them from eternal separation from Him. Hearts are no longer weighted down by the sins of their earthly life, they are forever pure, forever holy, forever rejoicing that their prize has been won. The sacrifices and heartaches were not in vain, the people they loved, reached out to-each one a gem in their crown. To live eternally in the happiness of knowing fully our Great God! Press on my fellow laborers, strive for excellence, seek to love others as Christ would love them. We are guaranteed a hope unlike any other, I want to see you there- I want to march with you-we will have won- it's going to be a glorious day! 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

(1 Peter 1:3-9 ESV)

Mama Doe Wisdom

My Mama Doe and Me

Tall, damp grass tangles around my toes, soggy earth perfume fills the air, a red apple falls from the twisted and knotted old tree bordering our rural wilderness. Standing still, her ears twitching this way and that, a mother doe slowly and cautiously leads her two spotted fawns closer to the fallen fruit. Just a few feet behind her, the fawns follow, their white tails wagging and ears twitching, patiently waiting for their mother to give them the "okay." She steps forward and begins to eat, the little ones follow suit coming up on either side of her finding plenty of apples. After a little while watching I turn back towards the house, the sound of my slight movement makes Mama Doe start and look around, she sees me and begins to sniff the air and snort. The fawns look up at her, curious to see why she has stopped grazing. She turns and waits for the fawns to notice, then gracefully bounds back into the woods, the fawns following in their feebler and not yet determined gait.
Events and experiences are more keenly felt and understood, once one has or in my case, will soon be, experienced for oneself. As I approach the new stage of my life, motherhood, I can't help noticing all forms of mothers, children, and families. Time spent with my own mother is seen through a new looking glass, and I wonder at the amazing and beautiful example I've had for a mother. It fills me with questions: will I be as strong and as brave as she, will I have the wisdom, the compassion, and the perseverance that all growing up seemed to be so natural and easy for her. As my mom and I sit and talk over lunch, she tells me, " You're going to be a wonderful mother." Laughing nervously in my doubt, she continues, " I wasn't the perfect mother, and you know I made mistakes, but if you trust in the Lord- He gives you the strength, He gives you the wisdom, and He gives you the courage to wake up everyday with a smile on your face, ready to claim the greatest calling of your life. Being a mother is so much fun!" 
I've watched, learned, and followed my mom, just like the little fawns did this morning. I'm so grateful to know that I've had the best teacher, for she has followed the greatest teacher of them all, Christ. So as I step out in faith, into a field strewn with apples, I take confidence in knowing that my God is greater than any weakness I have and that He will provide whatever it is I need to be the mother He is calling me to be. What a joyful and happy place to be...

Preggie Pops and Snake Pillows

It always amazes me how so many birds begin to sing, just as one is drifting off to sleep. Normally, I love the sound of all my mite infested, feathered, frie...creatures. Although, I used to sleep like I'd climbed Mt. Everest and swam the Channel twice over, so waking up to the smell of delightful coffee brewing,and the chaotic mess of noise coming from my window was merely a gentle nudge to get up and seize the day! Now I find that being just four months pregnant, your joints and back refuse to let you get comfortable. The lovely people who know absolutely everything about be pregnant, midwives they call them, tell me, " One cup of coffee a day." Gah!! Do they know who I am?! Also, I can't sleep on my back anymore, or on my belly and if I sleep on a side- it should be my left. Great! I have an option. Except this is the most uncomfortable, so the night is spent flip flopping like the fat carp that shoved it's way to the top of the pile at Pymatuning Dam for a bunch of stale bread. However, the wonderful world of catering to complaining expectants, have come up with this "Snoogle" as they call it, namely, a pillow that slightly resembles a snake. Properly used this snake pillow allows the prego pop mom to sleep like they would with a Boa constrictor, completely motionless and for Pete's sake on their LEFT side. My inner cheapskate has a hard time paying more than twenty dollars for anything, much less a snake pillow so I came up with this ingenious idea. Using the cute decorative pillow that Husband always throws on the floor (he has a lack of appreciation of the finer things) I place between my knees and sleep peacefully as if on a cloud of cotton. That is until it goes flat, or scooches down to the bottom of the bed, or until Husband yanks at it thinking the blankets are all twisted. All that to say, this morning, the owls, doves, wrens, crows, chickadees, and chipmunks were facing great peril of a pellet gun, that is until I felt the small flutter of a five inch baby inside my belly asking for breakfast of eggs, bacon, waffles with boysenberry syrup, and COFFEE. So glad it's taking after me...

Joy of Life in Christ

"There is nothing that can replace the absence of someone dear to us, and one should not even attempt to do so. One must simply hold out and endure it. At first that sounds very hard, but at the same time it is also a great comfort. For to the extent the emptiness truly remains unfilled one remains connected to the other person through it. It is wrong to say that God fills the emptiness. God in no way fills it but much more leaves it precisely unfilled and thus helps us preserve -- even in pain -- the authentic relationship. Further more, the more beautiful and full the remembrances, the more difficult the separation. But gratitude transforms the torment of memory into silent joy. One bears what was lovely in the past not as a thorn but as a precious gift deep within, a hidden treasure of which one can always be certain."
— Dietrich Bonhoeffer

There's something in the crisp white of the snow and the way it falls ever so gently today, that makes life seem so peaceful, so beautiful. Life is beautiful, what a wondrous gift our Creator gave each of us that are alive. Even greater than life,however, is the death of one who believed in our Creator. The glorious faith that allows that person to move from earthly sorrow, pain, and struggling toil that life often brings, to a place more suited for a child of God. Heaven is a place that we believe in. It's the palace with streets of gold and pearly gates. One will never cry, for there will be nothing to be sorrowful about, no one will hate for only love encompasses everyone there, hearts our free, bodies are perfect not sick or crippled, and the most wonderful thing above all others- is that they are with their Lord and Savior- the man who chose to die to give them this life of perfect beauty. Today a beautiful lady, with cheeks that felt like velvet when you kissed them, and soft hands that held ours tightly when she hugged us "hello," and a stature that was poised and elegant like a Queens, is accepting her crown full of jewels for a job well done here on earth. Praise God for His love and her willingness to accept Him as her Savior. For though I'd barely begun to see into her heart, I'm going to miss her very much for in the little time that I knew her, she showed love, kindness, and a joy that comes from loving God. What joy it is to know that I will see her again someday, ready with her hair just so and all her pins fastened, to show me what Heaven is like. Thank you Grandmother Center for loving us, we will miss you so much!