Frugal Friday - Decorating with Veggies

 As I've discussed before, decorating for a party can be crazy expensive.  Recently I've fallen in love with the idea of using decorations that won't go to waste.  Yes, I'm talking about veggies.

 My friends Allison and Whitney threw a lovely recipe sharing birthday party for our friend Betsy.  What better decorations for a recipe share than actual food?  Each guest was asked to prepare a dish and bring 10 copies of the recipe to share.  The hostesses provided the festive environment and the beverages.  How genius are they?  We all had a great time, tried lots of new dishes, and left with fabulous recipes, and they weren't stuck with a big bill.  It was an all around winner if you ask me.  

The images above are from pinterest.  

The images below are from my iPhone using Instagram.  

I apologize for the quality of the photos below.  

I pledge to never forget my camera again.  

 How did they do it?  They set the table with Allison's china and fun jelly jar glasses.  They carved tea light holders out of cabbages, just like on Design Star.  They did say that the red cabbages were a bit harder to carve.  A rustic burlap runner was placed under the cabbages.

 Each side table around the living room was set with tea lights and vases filled with veggies, as well as measuring spoons and wooden serving spoons.  They used tomatoes, green onions, radishes, and a few others.  The veggies added pops of color around the room, and Allison said she had a recipe planned for the next day that would use all of them.  The spoons later served as our party favors, letting nothing go to waste.

Doesn't Fisher look festive in his party outfit?  

Allison decorated the cake herself and was convinced that the vines looked like baseballs.  I think it looks awesome.  The girls also made garlands out of cupcake holders, and sent us all home with extra recipe cards.   

 I think that veggies could be used to decorate every day, 

not just for a party.  

What do you think about decorating with vegetables?  

Do you have any frugal party ideas to share?  

Beach Therapy

I miss the beach.

I have been amazingly blessed in this life in so many ways, not the least of which is an almost annual trip to the beach.  The ocean waves and sand in between my toes are like therapy for me.  Summer has come to an end, as it always does, and the craziness of our fall schedule is back in full force.  Jed and I are both back at work after 12 weeks of hanging out with our sweet baby.  After 2 days back I am overwhelmed with my to-do list and our harried existence.  I want to slow down and enjoy each day, but the pace of life here in Dallas doesn't allow it.  I need another dose of beach therapy.  

Do you have any tips for slowing down and simplifying? 

Share them in the comments so I can use them for a future post on the subject.      

On Swaddling

We are in love with swaddling at our house.  Sometimes it works better than others, as may be observed in the photo above.  That was taken as a nap came abruptly to an end after a total swaddle fail.  We have used swaddle blankets in flannel, cotton, and muslin, swaddle wraps like the one above, and a zip up thing called the woombie.  The others worked well at first, but our boy is so big now (around 15 pounds) that he can beast his way out of any blanket.  One of the staff at The Nappy Shoppe, our local cloth diaper store, suggested the zippered number, and we really like it.  He can move his hands around and even suck on them through the cloth, but he doesn't hit himself in the face.  We know his swaddling days are numbered as he gets more mobile, but we are enjoying them while they last.  My mama thought it was mean at first when she saw my bro and sister-in-law swaddling our niece.  She even referred to it as the "baby straight jacket".  Then she saw how much Caroline loved it and started calling it the more friendly "baby burrito".  

Do you/did you swaddle your kiddos?

How long?  When did you stop?

How was the transition?

Do you have a favorite swaddling apparatus?

Fisher at Two Months

Fisher is now 12 weeks old, so this post is a tad bit late.  Oh well.  Our sweet boy grew so much from month one to month two.  Here is his on his 2 month birthday with his cute little milestone sticker from Stickers Plus. Don't you just want to kiss those little chubby cheeks?  That's basically all I do, all day long.  Here's how he measured up at his 2 month appointment:

Weight - 13.7 pounds (90%)

Length - 23.5 inches (75%)

Head Size - 16.25 (80%)

His length is catching up with his weight, and he is growing steadily.  His giant noggin is slightly more proportional than it was at birth (when he was in the 90%).  He had his first immunizations and I hated every second of it.  He is changing every day, smiling and cooing at us, raising his head during tummy time, and in love with lights and fans.  He responds to our voices and songs, and is sleeping 6-8 hours at a stretch at night.  At two months he is nursing well (finally) and is healthy and happy.  He loves being outside, but it is too hot here to do much of that.  We are more in love with him every day.     

Verse of the Week - Joshua 1:9

"Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."  Joshua 1:9

The Lord gave Joshua these instructions as he took over the leadership of the Israelites after the death of Moses.  He gave me this verse this week as I prepare to go back to work tomorrow.  I have struggled with fear and anxiety over returning to work all summer long.  If you had asked me 5 years ago if I would ever want to be a stay at home mom, I would have looked at you like you were crazy and said "No possible way."  The Lord has changed my heart almost entirely, but I am committed to my job for one more year.  Don't get me wrong, I love my job most of the time.  The Lord called me to ministry with teenagers through Young Life 11 years ago and has molded me into a minister of the Gospel.  We are paying for Jed's masters, so I need to work full time right now.  My job is such that normal day care hours aren't a huge help because I often work weekends and evenings.  After discussing it with several other YL staff women who have children, we have decided to use a Mother's Day Out program at a church near our house 2 days a week and I've moved my office to my home.  This is a HUGE change for me and I am so scared that I will be inadequate at both my job and mothering because I'll be stretched too thin.  The Lord gave me this verse on Thursday and it has been an encouragement.  He has me in this place in life, in this job, in this city.  He has blessed me with this child and the opportunity to work while mothering.  He has provided for us miraculously time after time.  He will walk beside me and comfort my fears if I release them.  As I go back to work tomorrow, I will be strong and courageous, for He is with me.  

Frugal Monday with Eversave.com ~ Review & $25 Giveaway

Have you heard about Eversave?  

As a confessed addict of deal a day websites (Zulily, Groupon, etc) I was eager to try a new one, especially one that offers local deals.  The folks at Eversave contacted me and generously offered a $25 credit to one of my readers, so I checked them out.  Here's the dill, pickle.  The site sends out daily saves, but you have generally 5 days to purchase so you can take time to look over the deal.  All deals are 50-90% off.  Deals are all over the place, from barbeque to cloth diapers to a Cancun vacation (75% off an all-inclusive!!!).  I'm trying to sell Jed on that vacation as we speak.  In comparison to other daily deal sites, it is less overwhelming offering one deal at a time and extended time to buy.  I also like the wide selection of offers.  If today's magnetic building blocks or cloth diapers weren't right for you, tomorrow's deal might be.  You get a $2 credit just for signing up, and $10 for each friend you refer.  

Bare Feet on the Dashboard is partnering with Eversave to giveaway a $25 credit to one lucky reader.  Leave a separate comment for each entry.   

Mandatory Entry: 

Follow this blog through Google Friend Connect (right sidebar) and join Eversave, signing up for their daily deal newsletter.    

Bonus Entries: 

Follow Eversave on Twitter: @Eversave 

“Like” Eversave on Facebook 

Tweet about this giveaway. 

Share this giveaway on Facebook.  

This giveaway will end on Monday, September 5th at 11:59 pm.  I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own.  

Birds In Flight Nursery Mobile with Tutorial

Just before Fisher was born, I completed a whimsical bird mobile to hang above his changing table.  I thought he was coming early, so I had everything done for work and needed a project.  My mama was in town and volunteered to help me.  It was really fun crafting with her and chatting about the impending arrival.  Birds are hot right now for whatever reason, and I've seen some amazing bird mobiles on the web and especially on Etsy.  I wanted something that really fit with the colors of the nursery and would fascinate my babe during diaper changes.  

At Michael's and Hobby Lobby I picked out fun scrap book paper with lots of bright colors.  I created a bird template that would look good from the bottom and the side.  We traced the template onto each sheet of paper.  My mom discovered that we could fold each sheet of paper and cut four birds at a time.

Here is the template.  Note the accordion fold on the scrap book paper above.

We ended up with lots of birds.  In order to make them stiff enough for flight but still flexible enough for great movement, we employed my old stand by, Mod Podge.

We paired up each bird and spread the backs with Mod Podge, using foam brushes.  We then stuck the 2 sides together and set them aside to dry.

After they dried we trimmed off any excess paper and poked 1 hole in each wing with an embroidery needle.

We cut varying lengths of fishing line and threaded them through the holes in each wing, creating a loop to hang each bird.  I would suggest using a very light line.  Ours was thick and it made things challenging.

I found a branch that seemed perfect about a month before and let it dry inside our house.  We covered it with polyurethane and trimmed off the unsightly bits.  We hung it from the ceiling using ceiling hangers and more fishing line.

We then draped each loop around a branch until the birds hung in a desired formation.

Here is the finished product.  I ordered a bright orange changing pad cover from Etsy and it looks even better with the mobile.

Fisher is starting to notice the birds as I gently tap the mobile before diaper changes.  It distracts him enough to keep him entertained which helps me to get the job done.

Check out his view from below.  

So fun, right?  

How do you keep a baby happy during diaper changes?

I'm sharing this project at some great link parties.  Check them out on my right sidebar.  

Winner!

The winner of the Baby Penelope giveaway is...

Kristi S. 

from Sum Good Deals!  

Congratulations Kristi!  I'll be emailing you shortly.  

If you didn't win this time, be sure to come back soon for giveaways from Earth Mama Angel Baby and great Etsy shops.  

Verse of the Week - James 1:5

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."  James 1:5

Since giving birth to Fisher, I have realized more than ever that I desperately need the Lord to give me wisdom.  Parenting has been the most humbling, dependency-on-the-Lord-driving experience of my life.  I know it will continue to be so and am so thankful that the Lord is in this with us and will not leave us to fend for ourselves.  

Ikea Love - What We Brought Home

 As I mentioned here, we took a field trip to Ikea last week.  It. was. awesome.  We were there far longer than we expected, but it was super fun.  We ended up eating breakfast and lunch in the cafe, and Fisher nursed there twice as well.  There were several other nursing mamas there, so it was pretty comfortable to nurse in public.  We took a lovely stroll through the showroom to select our new couch cover.  The beige one we originally wanted was so not as cute in person.  We saw the charcoal black one and decided to buy it instead.  We love the look of it.  We went for the red storage ottoman for a pop of bright red.  We already have a lot of red accents in the living room, so it was a perfect fit.  It really works well because Fisher can kick and play on it and once he starts pulling up it will be soft and cushy.  We are already using it to store his floor blanket and toys.  It definitely makes for easy living room clean up.  

 We had 2 red accent pillows already, and then we found the black, grey, and white striped pillows below.  The covers were only $7, and the inserts $3, so we bought 2 sets.  They tie in the grey rug with the black and white in our framed photos and the charcoal black of the couch.  Our living room looks totally different, but we love it.  Keeping the white couch looking good was just an impossible task.

What do you want to change around your house?

The Big Latch On

Fisher and I participated in The Big Latch On, a worldwide effort to support breastfeeding in public. Our local group gathered at the Galleria mall and the local news came out to film us.  Fisher and I made the video, just briefly.  I didn't realize they were recording me talking, but I'm excited to be a part of it.

View more videos at: http://nbcdfw.com.

Frugal Friday - Ikea Love

 Today we are taking a field trip to Ikea!!!  So freakin' excited...  We've been budgeting for a new couch cover for our 2x2 Ektorp.  We have a white one currently, and we can't keep it clean no matter what we do.  I really love the look of a white couch, but with a baby and a black dog it just isn't practical.  I think we are going with the tan one above.  It should hide a few stains and still look good with our living room color scheme.  I really love the grey a little more, but it is $100 more and not washable.  We need the washability around here people.  For $199 we get the look of a whole new couch.  You can't beat that with a stick.

We have also budgeted for an Ektorp storage ottoman for our living room.  We love our coffee table, but it is huge and glass with lots of hard edges to bump little heads.  It will go to the attic for now and be replaced with a nice, soft storage ottoman that can hold the various baby things that end up in the living room.  Here's my question: Do we get the tan one to be matchy-matchy with the couch or buy the red one for a pop of color?  They are the same price.  I'll have to look at them in person.    

As is inevitable with any Ikea field trip, we will probably come home with a few treasures and eat some Swedish food.  I hope we come home with some of these stuffed veggies for Fisher.  The carrot is only $1.99, and the broccoli is $7.99.  Cute, cheap, and encouraging good nutrition - love it.   

What are you budgeting for this month?