Wordless Wednesday

Natural Family Planning

I am really excited that we added this topic in to our schedule! It just seemed like an area that the Lord kept leading us back to through comment threads - so it was time to make it official! I hope you'll enjoy hearing each of our perspectives. Please share yours with us as well.

There are so many issues all wrapped in the one general "family planning" topic scheduled for this week. How many kids? When do we have kids? How long after you're married should you wait to have kids? Birth control or not? Hormones or barrier methods? You get the idea....

The first resource I'd encourage everyone to read is an article at the Desiring God website. (I just recently realized that it was probably not written by John Piper himself - but by another staff member...) The article is titled, Does the Bible permit birth control?

The article above sums up our current view of birth control and where we're at now. Here is our story:

When we first got married, we decided to use a diaphragm. My doctor thought I was crazy when I asked for one, but said it was effective if used properly. At that time, I did not desire to use hormonal birth control. When I say "hormonal birth control," I'm referring to drugs such as the pill (like Ortho tri-cyclen - although there are many), the patch (Ortho Evra), the NuvaRing or Mirena (the other IUDs). "Barrier methods" would refer to non-hormonal methods including diaphragms and condoms.

The diaphragm did not work for us. It ended up being painful to use and I went back to my doctor to find out why. She said that it was likely due to the slight endometriosis I had dealt with since beginning my period. (I still see it as a great option for birth control and would try it again if the need arises!) We decided to use condoms and did so for about a month. At that time, I experienced some pretty severe symptoms with my period. (I actually passed out at school one day!) My doctor recommended using hormones to regulate my period and get my symptoms under control. I started on the patch (OrthoEvra) after much discussion and debate. It certainly regulated my period and almost eliminated my extreme symptoms! For that I was grateful, but as time went on, I realized how much I didn't like what the hormones did to my body. After about 9 months on the patch, we went off it and began to think about starting a family. Four months later, we were pregnant.

Once I went off of the patch and while trying to become pregnant - I discovered this great book:



Taking Charge of Your Fertility is a GREAT resource and I recommend it for every woman. After reading this I learned so much about my cycle and how fertility works. (And sadly, I had already taken an entire college class centered on a woman's cycle and STILL didn't know very much!)

Through the book - we now use Fertility Awareness Method (a little more calculated than the "rhythm method" that refers to a more general idea that ovulation occurs around day 14...which is not the case for all - or most - women.) to prevent pregnancy and also to become pregnant. By knowing exactly when I am fertile and ovulating - we are able to use condoms during that time. And I know this is not always the case for everyone, but because I knew exactly when I ovulated - we were able to become pregnant RIGHT away with my second child.

There is one more thing that I'd like to share. While researching hormonal birth control - I learned that it works in ways many women are unaware of. (The Desiring God article does not mention this nor take it into account when discussing the natural family planning route vs. "artificial" methods)- so I wanted to be sure that I did. I know this is a huge can of worms - but please know that I do not think it is a black and white issue.

Most women - myself included - think that hormonal birth control works by simply preventing ovulation. That is not the entire story. Most work in several ways - one of which being to prevent an egg from being released. Another way that many work is by changing the lining of the uterus to prevent implantation, should an egg be released and fertilized.

The website for OrthoEvra that very clearly states that it:

"helps prevent pregnancy the same way birth control pills do: by preventing ovulation, which means that the ovary does not release an egg to be fertilized; by thickening the cervical mucus, which makes it more difficult for sperm to enter the uterus; and by changing the endometrium to reduce the chance of implantation." (italics and bold added by me :)

The endometrium is the lining of the uterus, in case you were wondering.

You could easily look up other forms of hormonal birth control to see how they work. Most work VERY similarly. I don't think this happens every cycle with every woman on hormonal birth control - but it raised enough question for me. This, along with the fact that I don't like how the hormones made me feel, made me decide against hormonal birth control as a method for preventing pregnancy.

Please share with us your thoughts!

Embracing God's Blessings

As we announced before, we are tackling the topic of "Family Planning" this week. We hope to inspire some good discussion and provide you with as much information as possible.

Ed and I have welcomed two sweet boys into our family so far. Samuel was born in August of 2006 and Joel followed 19 months later in March of 2008. When I told Ed we were covering the topic of Family Planning and wondered what I should say, we both sort of laughed to each other because we'd never really concretely discussed what "our plan" was. If you and your spouse haven't had this discussion, I highly encourage you to talk it over. Sometimes we assume we are on the same page as our spouse only to find out that we have very different ideas.

Even not having much of a plan when it comes to Family Planning is in fact having some sort of plan - I mean, you're either using some form of prevention or not! We started off the first 10 months of our marriage with me on the pill - five years later, I can't remember what I was on, sorry. After 10 months, I decided that I really didn't like taking the pill. I didn't like the way it made me feel, I didn't like taking hormone altering drugs, and I didn't like taking drugs long-term. So we started using condoms and used them consistently for one year. When we were coming up on our two year anniversary we decided we would stop using any form of prevention and see what happened. I got pregnant the very first time we didn't use a condom!

After Samuel was born, we used condoms for six months. I didn't get my period back during this time due to breastfeeding. Once Samuel was six months old, we stopped using condoms and my period also returned. I was pregnant three months later. We did not go back to using any kind of prevention after Joel was born. I just got my period back for the first time.

Ed and I had a great conversation about our ideas and we are both on the same page. Our approach to family planning is to not practice any form of prevention for this season of our life. We hope to welcome each child God gives us, one at a time. Now this is not to say that we have vowed to never prevent. But for the time being, we aren't. We've agreed that if we experience a major life change (job loss, major illness, Ed goes back to school, etc) we will talk it over more and decide what to do.

Our approach differs from another approach known as the Quiverfull Movement. Have you ever seen or heard of the Duggars, a family with a reality show on TLC called "18 and Counting"? They are part of the Quiverfull Movement, which basically forsakes all forms of prevention based on the belief that God intends children to be a blessing and we should embrace each blessing He has for us. You can read more about the Duggars here or the Quiverfull Movement here and here. My family's approach is different because we are not opposed to EVER using some sort of prevention. But the movement is interesting and worth reading about. I think one of the other girls will touch on John Piper's opinions of the Quiverfull Movement later this week. (BTW, if you follow the Quiverfull Movement and have found my description to be lacking, please let me know - I mean no disrespect).

So, have you any questions? I'd love to answer whatever you have on your mind. Thanks!

The 1955 home as a haven....

The following article is Ed Payne's contribution to this week's topic. We tried to get the article directly on the blog - but could not get the entire image large enough to make the print legible. Therefore, you'll have to read the article here. Obviously, this is not a true biblical picture of a wife's role but if nothing else, it gave us a good laugh!

How to Make a Home a Haven...

Hey all! We are all still here! You know, being a mom and having a mom's blog gets a little busy and crazy at times! So, we decided we would like to hear from our sweet husbands and let them take over the blog for the week! (you know, since they aren't as busy as we are...ha..ha...just kidding!:) We asked our husbands to write on this topic: "How can wives make the home a haven for their husbands?" Matt's post is hot off of the press for you to enjoy:

When my wife asked me to add to this week’s blog my first response was to pretend that I did not hear her. I thought “Three Ways To Make Your Home a Haven For Your Husband” sounded a little bit like “Do you like my new hair cut?” or “Do you think I am getting fat?” How can a man answer this question objectively and more importantly without getting into a world of trouble? Also, as someone who has spent their entire adult life making a living by communicating, I was astutely aware of the inherent dangers lying dormant, like a man on a couch on a rainy Saturday afternoon, in this assignment. I wanted to be cautious not to do anything to support the already rampant Homer Simpsonism plaguing homes everywhere. And while I am baring my soul I have to say that the answers weren’t just staring me in the face. We aren’t like you. The world is a lot simpler for us. We see food. We want food. We eat food; that sort of stuff. We don’t spend gargantuan amounts of time extolling the relational algorithms that mysteriously converge to make a house a home, and I am talking about those of us who love Jesus. But there it was. I awoke this morning and it was crystal clear. Especially after my wife agreed that if I take up this responsibility that she would remove another even more difficult writing assignment. So here it goes.

1. Seek to understand us.

There is no scriptural command for wives to understand husbands like there is for husbands to understand wives…so keep it in perspective. God made women so that when they marry, the home becomes their primary work place. Men are wired differently. Men think of the home as a retreat from work. For men the home is a place of escape. Men go out into a hard cold world; traipsing through the snow we kill the bear with our bow and arrow. We bring home the meat for food and the fur home for warmth. Ok, you can stop laughing anytime now. This is the way God made us and when it is over we look toward home with longing. We can hear it calling to us because God has made it in our hearts a place of rest and recovery. Maybe a story will help illustrate the degree to which this is true. When Stacey and I were dating, she was only required to clean up her room two times each year. Here dad bought her some new mauve carpet for her bedroom. I can remember on several occasions him asking her why he even bothered buying the carpet since he could never see it through all the clothes. Then we were married. I will never forget one of our first “disagreements.” Stacey explained to me that it was inappropriate to leave clothes on the bathroom floor. I thought maybe I had married a look-a-like impostor. I brought up the high school bedroom and she explained that now that this was her home things were different. At marriage a switch had flipped. I have to be honest. I didn’t get any of that, none, nada! It doesn’t seem different for me to leave the clothes on the floor now than it did in high school, except of course I am usually paying for the bathroom.
Now I am not suggesting that men should not pull their weight. In a day when the average family does not have a stay at home mom, it is unrealistic and unfair for a woman to do all of the house work as in previous generations. I am not suggesting that every wife and every husband are wired just alike. There are plenty of men who are taskers and servants and tend to be better than the average male at helping around the house. Differences being what they are, ladies see home as the primary work place and men leave work to come home and rest. This is the way we were made.

2. Strategize with us to help make our expectations come true.

I deliberately used a word other than communicate. This article is to the ladies and ya’ll don’t need any help on the communicating thing. Books are written, read mostly by ladies, on how men need to communicate better with their wives and no one is arguing that. However, this article is intended to help the girls make the home a haven for the men so you are going to have to approach it a bit different. Men communicate best when the conversation revolves around deer hunting or when the conversation is goal oriented. Tell your husband your desire and talk to him about the task. You want to make the home a haven for him. Although he may be a bit skeptical, when he sees you are serious he will be a supporter. This is where each couple is going to have to figure out how to strike the balance they are looking for.
There is a strategy that can make this form of talking and planning effective. Paul outlines it in Ephesians 5 where he tells men to love their wives and wives to love their husbands. In the scripture the focus is not about getting out of marriage what you need but about giving what your spouse needs. It is natural and fleshly to make your case and defend your views to the other party. One hundred percent of the time I have met with a couple for marriage counseling they intuitively begin the discussion by telling me what the other person needs to change in order to make the marriage better. I believe there is a better plan. Each party should share a bit of their own expectations and then begin to talk with the task being the discovery of how to meet the other person’s expectations but without any attempt to satisfy their own.

3. Respect us in spite of our short comings.

God made women to be nurturers. This is a wonderful quality. Wives care for children, home, and husbands too. The downside is that nurturing gone wild leads to the sense that wives are mothering their husbands, treating them as children. Now if any of your husbands like this, you have another problem. This point is really the intended end of Paul’s point in Ephesians 5. The last verse of the chapter tells wives to respect their husbands. Men tend to be relational dummies. We need God to tell us to love our wives in expressive and overt ways. Women do not need this command. However, many women express that love through mothering their husbands and mothering feels the exact opposite of respect. When I was preaching every Sunday I honestly cared little about whether congregants liked particular sermons. I did not preach to entertain. Often I expected a negative response that was the outward evidence of carnal hearts grappling with the conviction of the Holy Spirit. However, I always cared about what Stacey thought of the sermon. I often time would sit down beside her after the message was over and ask what she thought. I have always longed for her respect. I don’t have to have the respect of everyone around me. Her respect is a need that finds it origins deep in my soul. The need was placed their by God. Her respect is the most precious gift she can give to me.

Wordless Wednesday

A Change in Schedule

Our topic for the week of February 23rd was meant to be a chronicle of our time together in Atlanta. Since the twins arrived early, Krista won't be coming back stateside and we won't be getting together - bummer!

We've decided to make the topic for that week Family Planning. We will discuss what each of our families does/doesn't do as far as birth control, child spacing, etc. There have been a lot of questions asked about this topic over the past few months and we are finally ready to face them! :)

We look forward to a great discussion that week. We hope you can chime in too.

Getting to the Heart of Gossip

In continuing our look at Titus 2, the next characteristic on our list is to avoid malicious gossip, or to not be a slanderer. I think this goes hand-in-hand with being reverent in behavior. It is all about considering others before yourself. If I'm striving to put Jane ahead of myself, it just wouldn't be right to talk about her behind her back.

It is also so good to remind ourselves of what Stacey wrote when we all started this - these characteristics aren't meant to be a check-list. We need to examine our hearts as we compare ourselves to this list given in Titus. I can't just say "avoiding gossip - check" and walk away feeling good about myself. Reading that I should avoid malicious gossip forces me to examine my heart and consider just how easily I like to talk about others or be the person with the latest news about someone. It makes me see the pride in my heart and the lack of love I have for others. I then have to humble myself before God and ask HIM to show me how to avoid malicious gossip by humbling myself and loving others.

Much love to all of you ladies. I hope you have an awesome week - with your families and with the Lord!

How to Make "Cutsy" Backdrops for Initials

My friend Gi made these adorable canvas backdrops for her daughter's initials. Aren't they adorable? Directions below:

Items needed for three initials:

Three 8x11 canvas’s (I got mine at Michaels/Hobby Lobby)

Your child’s wooden initials (I got mine from Wal-mart for cheap)

¾ yard of Fabric (anything will work—satin types are difficult to work with)

~ 3 yards Ribbon

Staple gun


Instructions:

1.) Lay out fabric print side down and trace canvas leaving about 2 inches extra per side in order to wrap around edges. Cut out fabric.

2.) Staple fabric to back side of canvas frame, covering canvas.

3.) Place your wooden letters on top of fabric covered canvas, deciding where you would like your letters to hang. I hung mine in the middle.

4.) Cut ribbon about 1 yard. You need enough in order to wrap around letter and staple the ribbon to the back of the canvas.

5.) Sting the ribbon through each letter, or if needed tie ribbon around a middle part of the letter. I also at this time tied a double knot for a bow.

6.) Staple ribbon to back of canvas and hang initial backdrops on your wall--personalized for your child!

Wordless Wednesday

Hairbow Holders

Another gift I made for Christmas this year was hairbow holders! The possibilities for decorating these are endless. I made the three pictured here and another one not pictured that happened to be my favorite!

Materials:

Wooden plaque
fine sandpaper
acrylic paints and brushes
1 inch wide ribbon for long pieces
1/2 inch wide ribbon for hanging
small wooden pieces (hearts pictured below)
hot glue gun
felt piece to cover back (optional)
high gloss decoupage spray
whatever you fancy for decorating the plaque

1. I primed the plaque by sanding it down and wiping it clean. I can't remember, but I don't think I used any kind of primer coat of paint. If I did, it was simply a coat of white acrylic paint.

2. Decorate the plaque! I did mine four different ways and the possibilites are endless! The first one pictured is my daughters and I used these chipboard sticker letters that I found in the scrapbook section. I used a clear, permanent craft glue to secure the letters. I also painted polka dots. Honestly, her holder was my least favorite!

The second one was a pre-painted wooden flower glued to the plaque with more painted polka dots.

The last one pictured was my favorite to make. I cut out the letters of her name with scrapbook paper and decoupaged it to the painted plaque. (For this part - I did use old fashioned liquid decoupage, not the spray listed in the materials.)

The last one I made that is not pictured simply used a wooden "S" glued on for the first letter of her name. It turned out the cutest in my opinion!

3. While you are painting the plaque - paint wooden hearts (or other small wooden shape) for bottom of ribbon. These little hearts help to weight down the ribbon. You could also use large buttons.

3. Once the paint and glue have all dried - apply a clear spray coat of decoupage. This helps seal the paint and make it look a little nicer. I prefer the high gloss finish - but you can get the spray in less glossy finishes too. I spray coated my wooden hearts too.

4. Attach ribbon for hanging. My plaques came from the dollar store and they already had holes drilled in them for hanging! I simply put the ribbon through the holes, tied and knot and hot glued the "tail" down on the backside. If your didn't have holes you could either drill them yourself - or simply hot glue the ribbon to the back. I would think that holes would make it able to hold more weight.

5. Attach ribbon for bows to hang on! The wide ribbon - about 1 inch in width - is for this part. I cut the lengths to be about 24 inches each. I simply used hot glue to attach this part to the back. Be sure to attach them straight so your holder hangs well.

6. Attach wooden hearts to bottom of the ribbon. Again - you could use anything cute to weigh the ribbon down. Or you could not use anything at all. It's not totally necessary - but does add a cuteness factor!

7. To finish off the backside of the plaque and hide where the ribbons were attached - I cut a piece of felt and hot glued it on. I used a coordinating color.

Another toddler belt!

Here is another option for a toddler belt.

Materials:

1 inch wide webbing
5/8 inch wide grosgrain ribbon
2 - 1 inch D rings

For this belt - I bought all of my supplies at Walmart. You can get the nylon (I think) webbing there for very cheap. I also found cotton, nylon and printed webbing at JoAnns. I have an adorable sea turtle printed belt for Will this summer. You could get all of the supplies from the same site I recomended in my post on key fobs, called CraftersVision. They have a greater color selection for their webbing than Walmart! They also have adorable printed webbing that wouldn't need a ribbon!! Super easy and SUPER cheap.

Basically - you cut the webbing to the length you want it. You cut the ribbon to the same length. You sew a straight stitch down both sides of the ribbon securing it to the belt. I used a zig-zag/satin stitch to keep the edges from fraying. Loop one end through your D rings and secure with at least two stitches as shown in the picture.

And I don't have a picture of it - but I made a similar belt for myself using the slightly wider webbing and ribbon from CraftersVision!

Key Fobs

This is one of my favorite crafts! They are so cute and very easy to make. I made my first 7 or so in about an hour. I first found instructions for these key fobs here. This tutorial shows you how to use a piece of fabric - but I just use grosgrain ribbon. (Takes less time!) Here are my rough instructions.

*Please note that I am not an accomplished seamstress and will not use proper sewing terms. :)
*I also get some of the supplies at Crafters Vision. You cannot find the key fob hardware at any chain craft stores. Trust me, I looked! The heavy duty webbing is also more easily found online.

Supplies:

1 key fob hardware
10 inch piece of 1.25 inch wide heavy duty webbing
10 inch piece of coordinating 1 inch wide ribbon (grosgrain is best)
pliers


1. I always burn the edge of my ribbon when using it in a craft project. It keeps it from fraying and I find burning it kind of fun!

2. I also don't pin the ribbon to the webbing as it is too difficult. I just sew slowly and eyeball the ribbon to be sure its going on straight.

3. That said, all you do is sew your ribbon to the webbing using a short straight stitch.

4. I then use a tight zig zag (possibly called a satin stitch as I learned...) on the ends to prevent fraying again. I don't have a picture of this step - but its not 100% necessary. The original tutorial I linked does not include this.

5. Fold your webbing in half, ribbon side out. Now you'll attach the hardware. This took some time to do a good job. You'll want to use pliers to gently squeeze, alternating sides, until it is good and tight.

You COULD possibly do this project without sewing! I'm fairly certain that it would just fine to GLUE the ribbon to the webbing if you used a really good glue! Just be sure your grosgrain ribbon is thick, otherwise the glue will show.

CREATE a Craft Club!

"CREATE" is the name of a craft club I am a part of. A friend of mine, Sarah, got the idea to start a craft club while I was on bedrest with Adeline. I finally got around to joining the ladies last September and have LOVED each meeting.

I know that I LOVE to be crafty - but sometimes lack motivation to try something new. I wanted to tell you what we do and encourage you all to try to start your own craft clubs!

We meet once a month in different homes. Usually we meet in the home of the girl who is "teaching" the craft. I use that term loosely because I've hosted twice and there isn't much teaching involved! Another girl usually brings snack and we have a great time socializing and crafting! Here are links to my friend Sarah's blog with posts about the crafts we've done:

Clay Pumpkin Pots

Stamped/Scrapbooked Cards

Key Fobs

We've also done these adorable glass magnets (from one of my favorite craft blogs, Not Martha) - but I can't find a picture of those! I actually made a TON of these to give as sets for Christmas!

The posts above are all from Sarah's craft blog, appropriately named, Create! Check it out. She posts tons of CUTE ideas there.

Twins!

James Richard and Luke Samuel
3lbs, 15oz and 3lbs, 13oz
January 24th

Krista and Josh welcomed James and Luke a little early this past weekend. We are praising the Lord with them for their safe arrival! They were born at almost 33 weeks, but have been strong and are doing great. They're even at home now. Please continue to pray for Krista and her family as they make this big (and sudden!) adjustment from three to FIVE!

Stay tuned for our next installment of "Birth Stories" (March 30th!) to hear all of the details of James and Luke's arrival!

Toddler Belts

I hope this week on POH you feel a bit inspired and notice a "spring in your step". For the craft-lover in you, here are some fun crafty ideas!

Toddler Belt: Pics and instructions taken from: My Longest Year

Not only is this an easy, 20-minute project, you can make these for both girls AND boys, as it's difficult to find projects you can make for both.

Materials:

• Scrap of fabric 28” L x 3” W (cut up old corduroys, khakis, and curtains to find great fabrics for your little girl OR boy) I would use a thicker fabric if you can.


• Thread (2) ¾” D rings (hint: the cheapest D rings are on the kiosk with the buttons at Walmart, though you can also find more expensive, larger ones in the same aisle as purse notions)

To Make:

1. If you haven’t already, cut a length of fabric 28” long by 3” wide (you can easily adjust this for an adult-sized belt). When I have to cut long strips of fabric, I always fold it in half across the shortest end to make the cutting easier.















2. Press your strip of fabric lengthwise.


















3. Fold the raw edges in about ½” on each side (more if you need the strip to be narrower to fit through the belt loops).


















4. Top stitch the folded seams closed.


















5. Thread your belt through two D rings and fold the end over twice.
















6. Top stitch. You may want to turn the needle manually for the first few stitches, since the fabric will be thick.


















7. Finish the other end of the belt with a zig zag stitch, or serge the seam (you may want to try the belt on your toddler before doing this so you can cut it down a bit if necessary). For a more finished look, you can also top stitch a coordinating piece of fabric bent around the end of the belt. You can also pinch the raw edges in, and top stitch the opening closed.

Ribbon Sachets

Potpourri Ribbon Sachet: One year for the Seminary Craft Fair, I made these supe, fun ribbon sachets that smell soo good! Here's a brown and pink one I made. The coloring might not be displayed very well in this picture, but it will suffice. What I love about this project is that you don't need a sewing machine! You don't have to know how to sew to have great crafting skills.

You need:

-Glue gun/glue sticks - the smaller, the better, but can use the bigger one too
-wide ribbon: I like to use wide, wire ribbon
-Potpourri
-thin ribbon cording, really thing
-thin ribbon of different colors

How to:
1.) Cut ribbon to desired length. I used different lengths, but liked 9-10" the best.
2.) Fold ribbon in half. \

3.) Hot glue the sides together, leaving half an inch on top.
4.) Let cool for a few minutes. Go ahead and glue some more while you're waiting.

5.) Stuff to the top with your favorite yummy potpourri.
6.) Fold over the 1/2 inch that isn't glued.

7.) Make a hanging loop: Cut a little 3-4" piece of thin ribbon or thin cording. Apply glue into each side of the folded top part of the sachet and quickly place ends of ribbon/cording into the hot glue. You can also make a loop on one side of the sachet.

8.) Decorate with thin ribbon to hide the folded closure by gluing the thin ribbon all the way around the top

9.)Decorate the front of the sachet. I loved this part! I used some of these as Christmas ornaments and put Christmas potpourri in them. I decorated the sachet with twisted green ribbon making a tiny wreath to serve as my "loop". I liked making tiny bows and hot gluing the ends down with a ripple-effect.

Strip quilt for a toddler bed

Strip Quilt for a toddler bed

I am in the middle of making two toddler quilts for my friend Shannon. This is a great opportunity to also preserve some of your child's clothing by putting strips of their clothes into the quilt. Shannon told me the colors that she wanted in her crib and sent me several of her girls' dresses.

I used:

-measurements for toddler bed: 49.5 or 50" long x 37" wide - you could make it longer, if you wanted to.

• -100% cotton batting


• -solid piece of fabric for backing

Order of sewing:

1. Cut fabric strips and sew all of the sides of the strips together.
   
2. Sandwich batting between backing and the front of your strip quilt, making backing and batting .5 bigger than front piece.


3. Pin all over quilt and stitch directly on the seams inbetween each strip through all three layers.


4. Stitch down the middle of some strips at varying widths to keep the batting from shifting.


5. Make binding (sewing leftover fabric pieces together at 2.5 inches wide, making around 4.5 feet of binding) Iron binding in half to make 1.25 inches wide.


6. Trim edges of backing and batting of quilt to be even with front of quilt.


7. Apply binding. This is my first time actually applying binding. I asked the sales rep at the quilting store how to do this, as well as looked on youtube.com. I recommend you do the same because it's very difficult to explain.


8. Hand-stitch the back of the binding all around the quilt with an invisible hem-stitch. Another stitch I will be looking at on youtube when I get to that point.

And there ya have it! You just made a toddler quilt!

Homemade Rice Shaker

I recently made a homemade rice shaker for my kids after seeing a high priced version at a toy store. Begin by dying some rice any color you like. To do this, mix a few drops of rubbing alcohol with a food coloring of your choice. I used two colors (in separate bowls) for this shaker. Then add your rice (plain, uncooked white rice) and stir. Spread out your dyed rice on cookie sheets covered with paper towels and allow it to dry for several days. When your rice is ready, simply fill an empty tennis ball can (remove the label) with it and add trinkets of your choosing. Tape the top closed very carefully so they can't shake everything all over your floor! You can buy trinkets of course, but I added things that I collected from around the house. I put in an old key, sea shells, interesting buttons, a colorful rubber band, paperclips, etc. I've found this is a great toy for the car because it doesn't take up much space and isn't too noisy either!