DIY Moby Wrap

Wow it's been a long time.  I blame my brother getting married and moving 3 times over the summer, one move was across the country (literally from Southern California to Maine!).  Any who, now that we have baby #2 on the way and my sister-in-law and my sister-of-the-heart are having babies in the same month we are back to DIY baby pins!  Yay!

So to start, my favorite baby gift with little man was a Moby Wrap, I would never have bought it for myself but my aunt got it for me and oh my goodness was it the most amazing thing!  Even my husband used it while he was on the computer.  

Aren't they cute?

I bought myself one of those sling things and never felt comfortable walking around with the baby in it.  I always felt like he was going to fall out.  I never worried about that with the Moby.  I used it for church, the store, laundry, dishes, basically everywhere and everything I did little man was in the moby... except when I was cooking cause that is not smart.

Any who as much as I believe they are worth every penny I do not have many pennies these days and with 2 equally loved women having babies I thought I would make them.  Especially since this tutorial  from Leanne Barlow at Elle Apparel gets to 2 mobys out of one cut of fabric.

I had a hard time finding the fabric at the store, some day I will write a whole post about how besides leaving friends the hardest part of moving to another part of the country is having no idea where and what the stores are.  So I went hunting online.  I found this Jersey Knit at fabric.com and bought 6 yards of it.  It is a little thinner but has about the same stretch as my store bought Moby so I'm pleased.  If you wanted you could double it up for extra support, but having tested it I really don't think you need it.  Just follow her directions and cut it in half long ways and taper the ends.  Make sure you have a large work space (I used my kitchen floor) since you will be working with 6 yards of fabric and keeping it that long.

Over all I liked this tutorial, it was easy enough to follow and I'm happy with the way it turned out.  I think I'm going to add  print or a design in the middle for easier wrapping.  

I wont model the one I made since I am pregnant and gross and used a 10lb bag of sugar to test it out but here is the fabric all laid out on the toddler table :)  

Okay maybe rolled up on the toddler table.  

Cost of 1 regular Moby: $44 and up

What I spent: $34.90 on 2.... or $17.45 on each.... Not bad I say :)

Like a Broken Vessel

I'm working on a talk based on Jeffrey R. Holland's October 2013 General Conference talk "Like a Broken Vessel".  There are so many good quotes but I love this one and I think it is an important reminder for each of us as we struggle.  

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Another crock pot recipe.  I got this one from the girl at We Pass The Time Of Day To Forget How Time Passes.  This one made me super duper happy, unfortunately it was lacking in meat for my husband.  Next time he wants me to add Italian sausage or some such nonsense.  WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!?!?! To make room for the cupcake! (hopefully someone besides my old roommates get that reference if not... you need to get some Invader Zimm in your life!).  Any who I plugged it into my diet calculator and at 306 calories per serving add a slice of crusty bread and a salad and you have a creamy decadent guilt free dinner.  So so sooooo happy! I even put all the stuff (minus dairy) togther in the freezer and just threw it in the crock pot in the morning! Freezer and crock pot meal in one?  Life is good.  If only my hubby would enjoy stuff without meat.

Crock Pot Italian Chicken

So let me start by saying that with my new job the crock pot has become my best friend.  I can throw everything together stick it in the crock pot and go.  Therefore I've been trying out lots and lots of recipes.  This is one of them.  I got it from the girl at chef in training and it was delicious.  Its creamy, tasty, and smells sooooo good all day.  And best of all David loves it!! I used all the beautiful creamy sauce for my pasta  and gave him all the chicken which made my carnivore husband ever so happy!  Even DJ couldn't get enough! This recipe is going in the front page of my recipe book with all our standbys.

General Conference Store

I’ve been thinking about General Conference a lot lately.  This will probably be one of the last times I don’t try and engage DJ at least a little bit in watching and of course as I have been looking for ideas Pinterest has been my friend.  I have found so many ideas and am so excited to try them but none of them have made me a happy as what my mom did for us growing up. 

To premise this, my mom is a seminary teacher and general rock star when it comes to fun scripture game ideas.  One of the reasons I’m so super excited to be living with her this summer is that I’m going to go through and copy all the games she created for us to play as kids that I think really helped us be familiar with the scripture stories.  Any who I digress, we are really here to talk about “The General Conference Store”. 

Who its best for: Any kid that can talk/listen but gets better as they get older.  Especially once they can write themselves.

How it works:  All the kids take notes.  Mom writes down three words for each talk that she thinks cover the most important points.  The kids also write down words for each talk.  For kids who can’t write they can tell Dad or an older sibling their words and have them write them down.  You can allow kids to write however many.  In our house under 12 could write as many words as the wanted over 12 had to limit them to 6. You could also give points if they can name the color tie, what songs the choir sang, or who said the prayer; play with it how you will.   After conference mom compares the words and the kids get one “conference dollar” for every word that matches mom’s.  They then get to spend those dollars at the Conference Store. 

What is in the store: This is where you can get creative!  My mom had everything from candy bars to dollar store toys, but our favorite things to buy were the coupons.  The coupons would be for things like “date with mom”.  You know you’re kids and what they would want so get creative, this is an opportunity to create memories with them that they will be super excited about because the earned them!  You can price them so however many points you feel appropriate for you kids.  The first conference you do this they may not earn a ton of points but if you make it a tradition they will get better and better.  Here are some more coupon ideas:

·         Movie date with mom and dad
·         3 friends and a movie party
·         Pizza party with 3 friends
·         You pick the restaurant
·         Play at the local theater with mom and dad
·         Dad does your Saturday chores

Why it rocks:  Kids are not only paying attention to conference but to what the talks are about.  It also teaches them about note taking in church.  As the kids get older they will start not only writing down the words for mom but their own thoughts, stories told, and things they learn.  My conference journal from high school is one of my most valued possessions because I had already learned how to take notes well.  After the first conference store your kids will be so excited for conference.  And the best part is you can make it fun for your 4 year old and your 16 year old!

Any who there is my General Conference kid idea.  Try it and let me know what you think, how you changed it, and what coupons you used.  

Crock Pot Salisbury Steak

So I got this amazing recipe from my mother and I love it! not only do I love it but so does David! Yeah life!

Crock pot Salisbury Steaks

Ingredients

• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (1 ounce) packet dry au jus mix
• 3/4 cup water

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, onion soup mix, bread crumbs, and milk using your hands. Shape into 8 patties.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge the patties in flour just to coat, and quickly brown on both sides in the hot skillet. Place browned patties into the slow cooker stacking alternately like a pyramid. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream of chicken soup, au jus mix, and water. Pour over the meat. Cook on the Low setting for 4 or 5 hours, until ground beef is well done.  Serve over egg noodles.

The Zucchini side is just a green zucchini chopped into long pieces.  I tossed the pieces in olive oil, garlic, rosemary, and basil.  Then I put them in a skillet and fried them up.  When I took them out of the pan I sprinkled them with Parmesan cheese.

I would definitely check this recipe out! It is amazing!

Candy Cards

As a kid growing up one of my favorite parts of my birthday were the cards from my mother.   Every couple of years we would get a 'candy card' like this one.

Source: shechive.files.wordpress.com via Leslie on Pinterest

I loved it so much, its not the cheapest thing but I think it is a great gift for visiting teachies, husbands, kids, friends, and neighbors.  All it takes is a little creativity and $15-$20 is candy bars.  I can say that it definitely made me feel special and will be making it for my hubby for Valentines day this year.