How I've FELT lately.

Haha, oh puns! How I love them. What else do I love right now? Felt! I know it sounds cray cray but its my favorite craft fabric at the moment. The other day I was getting my exercising in by walking around JoAnns and other stores when I stumbled upon the Easter goods. After looking at most of it, I realized that I could make almost each piece myself. For way cheaper! So I decided to do so. Starting with my son's 1st Easter basket.

I know he isn't even here yet but he better damn well be by Easter or I will physically harm someone. Im not even kidding. And I also know that Im going to be too tired to make this project when he DOES show up. So after snagging a basic basket at Goodwill I thought about what I was going to make to spoil my lil man. Something that Mark and I want to make sure Holden is subjected to is books. Lots and lots of books! Honestly, we are hoping he can read by the time he gets into school. *FINGERS CROSSED* So I decided to make 2 felt books for the babes- Colors and Shapes.

Fun thing about felt is its super soft. Say...soft enough for a newborn to play with? Why, yes! So here's how I made 'em!

 Cut (8) felt pieces 6" x 4.5"

Cut out design and hot glue into place. I will say I attempted to sew design but that took WAY too long and glue was just as easy. And I think it looked cleaner too. 

Blanket stitch 2 pages (front and back) together with a thick thread to make less flimsy.

Once you're all done with the pages, blanket stitch the ENTIRE book together. 

Done! 

Here's the final product! 

I did the exact same thing for the Shapes Book. I think they came out super cute! 

For Holden's Easter basket, I needed some sort of "grass" but I hate- HATE- that plastic grass that gets everywhere and is super cheap looking. So instead, I lined it with dark and light green felt cut like grass and just stuffed the bottom with green pieces to give it body. I also weaved light blue ribbon over the handle and tied it with a bow. I like the way it came out! 

Contents: My 2 felt books, a "My 1st Easter" bib, a security blanket, a bath puppet, an elephant hanging toy,  a baby tie, and a "What is Easter" book (its behind the bib). 

Once I got going on my felt kick, I decided to make an Easter wreath for our front door. Here it is! 

This was also pretty easy to make too. I used a basic foam wreath from my local craft store, the felt I had, thick thread, hot glue, batting, and floral wire. 

First, I cut out the shapes I wanted on the wreath. I slip stitched the middles of the flowers, the duck wings, and the bunny's ears. Then I blanket stitched around each piece and before I was completely done, I stuffed it with just a touch of batting and finished stitching it up. 

I wrapped the wreath with light green felt strips and added the floral wire. Then I hot glued the pieces and TA-DA! All done!! 

Welp, that was my fun week with felt. Im not gonna lie, blanket stitching everything is a touch time consuming. Although, Im supposed to be resting and getting ready for lil man to get here. So laying in bed and crafting these were a fun way to do so. Hopefully this wasnt too long or boring and gives others some inspiration to use felt to create some fun projects! I have a crap ton of felt left over so I can only imagine what else I come up with. Yay imagination!!

Lots of love,
Susannah Joy

Weeks 31-34

Well a whole month has already flown by in 2013 which means we are getting closer to lil man getting here! We are super excited and getting everything ready around the house. We had our baby shower on the 20th (pictures to come soon) and have checked off everything we need, washed it, and are ready to go. I guess you can say Im in nesting mode (understatement of the century).

I keep moving things around the nursery but for the most part, it is ready to go! We decided on a "vintage sports" theme. It really turned out to be more baseball than anything else but there are touches of football here and there. I love it! Here are a few pictures. Sorry for the low quality iphone pics!

My super talented little sister made this! 

I made the curtain and crib skirt myself. 

Thats Mark's old glove on the left, my old glove on the right! 

Love love love the "baseballs" in the ceiling corner.

Using canvas bins as shelves. 

Changing station

I made the counting numbers above the window out of old golden books. The banner is from his baby shower. 

A friend made this blanket that pulls everything together perfectly! I made the sign above the chair. 

I glued a mini bat and ball to the lamp to vamp it up!

I painted a plain wooden waste basket from Hobby Lobby. 

This was a custom made Christmas gift from Holden's Aunt Dominique. 

Holden's GrandDaddy (my dad) wanted to autograph a ball for his room. 

I know that the pictures arent the best quality but I think it came out pretty darn cute! I plan on adding pictures of the maternity shoot and his newborn shoot to the room to complete it but that'll have to wait until after he gets here! I cant believe he'll be here so soon!!! 

I plan on posting a few other things in the next couple of days (baby shower pics, tutorials to a few things Im making, and a tribute to my Abuela who we recently lost) but this is all I have time for right now. Here's the latest bump pics and FAQs:

My little sister decorated the board for this one- can you tell?

Honeydew Melons.....mmmm.....

 How far along? 35 weeks
Maternity clothes? Oh yeah. But every now and then I can figure out an outfit with some of my regular clothes. Not often though. 
Stretch marks? Just a few but not on my belly. 
Sleep: Falling asleep has not been a problem. I have been exhausted lately. But I get up every night to use the potty without fail.
Best moment this week: Checking off the last of the "baby list" 
Miss Anything? EV-ER-Y-THING. Most of all, my energy. 
Movement: All the time. We are definitely at the "freaky stomach morphing" stage. 
Food cravings: Um...everything? Mostly healthy stuff, so thats good. Freshly made almond butter is good on everything btw.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still havent gotten sick thank goodness.
Gender: Human 
Labor Signs: This has actually been happening. Which is scary as hell. I get about one good contraction a day. Ive actually started documenting them, just in case. 
Symptoms: SUPER TIRED. All......the.....time.
Belly Button in or out? Flat as a board.
Wedding rings on or off? Its official, rings around my neck. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! I cant really remember being all that moody or upset at all this whole time. But Im sure that once we get closer to D day, Ill be a little more moody.....to say the least.
Looking forward to: This last month going by quickly!! 

Okey dokie artichokies, Thats all for now.
Love, peace, and chicken grease,
Susannah, Mark, and Holden

Weeks 29-30

HELLO 2013!!!

Welp, we didnt die. Although I like to think that some secret super heroes saved us from the end of the world instead of the Mayans being wrong. Either way- we all made it to 2013! The year of the snake, my last full year of being in my 20's, the year we meet Mr. Holden Stephens Mikulin!!!!! I cannot believe I am going to meet my baby boy so soon!!! I love him so much already!

We took it pretty easy for New Years this year. As much as we would've loved to have gone to Fredericksburge (I have no idea how to spell that) again to visit the wineries and get wine-wasted or out and about with our crazy friends.....neither really work with our "situation". Which is just fine. So we hung out with my Dad, Sister, her boyfriend, and my dad's neighbors. It was a cold and rainy night but we hung out by my Dad's fire pit, blew up fireworks, and SOME people (cough*Mark*cough) drank a lil too much. I really enjoyed myself though!

We were thinking about New Year's Resolutions and both of us were "I want to be a good parent" but thats not really a resolution....thats a fact, yo. So instead we both decided to just be more health and Earth conscience. We like to eat healthy, but we have our days where we love us some JUNK food. Like, embarrassingly junky food. So we decided to be better about eating local and organic, and aware of our carbon footprint. This includes me starting to make our own bread! I have made 2 batches thus far and the 2nd batch of my honey whole wheat bread is getting really good! Im pretty happy with it.

 I also made my own laundry detergent the other day that should cost us pennies per load! Here's how I did it:

Mix 1 cup Borax and 1 cup Arm N Hammer Baking  WASHING SODA! 

Cut 1 bar of Fels Naptha into smaller pieces and grate it up in a food processor. 

Get 4 cups of water to almost boiling and add the grated soap. Turn down the heat immediately to medium. Melt the soap (should take about 10-15 minutes) completely, then add the borax/washing soda mixture. Mix until completely dissolved and you cant feel any grit on the bottom of the pan. 

Pour into 2 quart jars, add water until it reaches the shoulder of the jars and FLIP over! 

Let the jars sit for 4 hours.....boring....

After the 4 hours, scrape everything out of the jar one at a time, blend it up with an emulsifier,  and once it reaches "mayonnaise" consistency, return to jar! 

It should be a perfect fit! 

To use, just scoop out 1 tablespoon and run it under the water in the washer. Since everything is dissolved completely, there should be no residue on the clothes. I hear this is the best detergent out there so Im excited to be able to use it for the next ~300 loads! YAY!!!

January is going to be such a crazy but awesome month. 11:11 has 3 events this month! We have a show at the Beauty Ballroom on the 19th, my baby shower on the 20th, and a wedding on the 26th! Super excited! Im also excited that there wont be much to do in Feb as Im sure I will NOT want to do a single damn thing except lay in bed and wait for lil man to get here. Except be spoiled on Valentines day. That'll be nice. I cant wait to post pics of my baby shower! Until then, heres updated bump pics and FAQs. 

Note- I start my 32nd week manana so for the most part, my posts are about a week or so behind. Sorry. 

Theres a dang baby in there! 

How far along? 30 weeks 

Maternity clothes? Look at that picture. Duh. 
Stretch marks? None on my belly, just a few on my thighs and chest area.
Sleep: Some CRAZY dreams but other than that, its all good in the hood.
Best moment this week: Ringing in 2013! 
Miss Anything? Champagne, Wine, Beer, COFFEE, jumping on trampolines, goat cheese, putting on my shoes....pretty much everything I cant do or have!
Movement: Oh for sure. I feel like he is only hanging out on my right side because thats the rib he likes to kick and I almost never feel anything on my left side. 
Food cravings: KALE, green smoothies,  my homemade bread, and veggies!!
Anything making you queasy or sick: I havent thrown up once this pregnancy, I dont think Ill start now. Knock on wood.
Gender: Un nino. 
Labor Signs: Not really at all. 
Symptoms: Heartburn has gotten a touch better, swollen ankles have subsided, I am just 1st trimester tired all over again.
Belly Button in or out? Getting pretty flat. Mark is fascinated.
Wedding rings on or off? Wedding ring is still on but I am wearing my engagement ring around my neck these days. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Genuinely happy.
Looking forward to: My baby shower! And seeing my Grandma next week!!!!!!!!!!

Alrighty, well, thats that.
Lots'o'love,
Susannah, Mark, and Holden

Weeks 25-28

Can I just say how much I freaking love the holidays!?! Oh baby Jesus I do! The songs, movies, cookies, lights, everything! I love it all! Another fun part of the holiday season for me is crafting and baking! I have been quite a little Martha lately making a tree skirt, homemade gifts, cookies, not to mention baking this bun in my oven! Speaking of my little cupcake, jeez Louise is this kiddo already getting spoiled! We were amazingly blessed to be able to spend the holidays all over Texas! We got to see and spend time my El Paso family and friends, then headed straight to La Grange from the airport for Christmas Eve, then to Elgin and back to LG for Christmas day. It was a crazy juggle but it was so great to be able to do! Everyone was excited to see my bump and give gifts to not only me and the hubs, but little man as well! Heres a few pictures from my holiday season!

Our Christmas cards this year! I love them! 

My little sister Stephanie graduated from Texas State University!
This is a pic of me and some of my brothers and sisters.
Yes I said some. There are 2 brothers and 3 sisters missing.
I know....trust me, I know. 

I loved this! I saw it at my Abuela's nursing home. 

El Paso Christmas with my dad, sister, Abuela, Aunt, and husband. (My Uncle Tom was taking the picture.) 

Our mantle complete with heirloom "Christmas Rabbits", scrap pine garland, and DIY fabric and burlap roses. 

Our tree and my DIY tree skirt!

Close up of the tree skirt. I made the ruffles with red fabric and cream burlap. 

Im going to add a tutorial for the rice and lavender eye pillows I made out of T-shirt sleeves that I gave away for gifts along with some homemade lavender lotion, shower gel, and bath salts. It was nice to re-purpose all of those old t-shirts I had taking up space in my drawers! So here's how I did it.

First, go through your old t-shirts and decide which ones you dont want anymore. I cut off the sleeves at the seam as well as cut out the plain backs to make fabric squares. Im sure Ill use those down the line.

I started by sewing the cut side in a straight line. 

I then sewed the other side right on the seam already present. I made sure to  leave a hole big enough to flip it right-side-out. 

After flipping it out, I placed a funnel in the hole and filled it with the  rice/lavender mix I made.
1 part dried lavender, 2 parts white rice, and about 6 drops of essential lavender oil.
If it doesnt go through easily, use a pencil to push it through. I put one and a half funnels full. 

Sew up the little hole and TA-DA! Eye pillow! I have also heat them up in the microwave and placed it on my sore muscles. 

I also made homemade lavender simple syrup, lotion, shower gel, and bath salt but like an idiot I didnt document it. I blame it on this crazy baby brain Ive developed since I hit my 3rd trimester. Ive always heard about "baby brain" but daaaaang does it actually exist. I have to make to-do lists for myself every morning or I wont remember what I need to do that day. Its really annoying, not gonna lie. Thats not the only thing that hit me when I hit 28 weeks! Helllloooooooooo heartburn! OH. MY. GOD. It doesnt matter what I eat, I know Im going to feel it later. And I do. Big time. Im trying not to take Tums just because my midwife said it leaves calcium deposits on my placenta and thats no bueno for me. So Ive been downing lots of milk and ice water. My ankles and feet have also decided to double in size so thats a fun time.....minus the fun. They've gone down since the weather dropped but when it was warm and disgusting outside (80+ degrees in December? Really Texas??) it was gross.

Other than that, we are making some crazy awesome progress on the nursery! I dont want to post any pics quite yet because its not done. But it is definitely coming along! I am excited for my upcoming baby shower to see what all we get and finish up in the nursery. I cant believe Holden is going to be here so soon! I just wanna meet him and hold him and kiss his face!!!

Im technically 29 weeks but here's my 26th and 28th week pics! Its weird to go through these pictures and seeing how my belly has grown!

My hair is getting crazy long. I am totally ok with that. 

I love this one! 

How far along? Technically 29 weeks but I still need to take that picture. 

Maternity clothes? Yes for "public" but I still rock yoga pants and Marks shirts around the casa. Or Wal-Mart....cause, well, its Wal-Mart. 
Stretch marks? On my outer thighs and chesticles only....but not on my belly. 
Sleep: I hate the fact that I cant lie on my back. And switching from side to side has become a chore because I have to take my body pillow with it. Oh and wonderful heartburn wakes me up sometimes. Have I mentioned Im out of Rescue Remedy?
Best moment this week: Spending the holidays with family and them showing Holden so much love already. He's a pretty lucky guy. 
Miss Anything? Lying on my back, being as mobile as I used to be, and around this time of year- wine. And champagne. 
Movement: So much!!! This kiddo is getting so strong! The other night Mark and I watched my belly move and shape shift for 30 minutes! Its crazy! 
Food cravings: Ha, I cannot get enough spicy food (Even though it makes the heartburn worse). I even made a peanut butter, jelly, and jalepeno sandwich the other day. LOVE!
Anything making you queasy or sick: My heartburn but not much else.
Gender: Boy oh boy! 
Labor Signs: Not really. Some Braxton Hicks but nothing to worry about. 
Symptoms: Heartburn like a mofo, baby brain, and feet swelling....ya know, the fun 3rd trimester stuff.
Belly Button in or out? Its not all the way in anymore but its not completely flat yet. More like a big dip in my stomach.
Wedding rings on or off? They were off during the warm part of this month but I have them back on now. I had them on my necklace while I took them off. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Holidays happy! I had a moment of stress and yuckiness over present shopping but got over it real quick.
Looking forward to: Welcoming 2013, the year we meet Holden! And my baby shower on January 20th!! :) 


Thats all I got right now folks! Hope everyone's holidays are going great and everyone brings in the New Year with a great big kiss from a loved one!!!

-Susannah, Mark, and Holden

Weeks 21-24

I suck I know. I havent updated in a while and trust me, I have heard about it. So now that I have a few extra minutes this morning I figured Id update on me, Holden, Mark, life, my bump, ect...

So first and foremost, I am feeling great! I dont want to jinx myself but this pregnancy deal has been a pretty easy time so far. I am getting bigger by the day but that means that Holden is also getting bigger and stronger too! And boy is he getting stronger! Mark and I are definitely feeling him move around and kick and dance all the time! We say he is dancing cause boy does this kid love music already! Whenever I am around music, he gets ca-razy in there! Mark's shows, church, headphones on my belly, whatever, he loves it- this kiddo is definitely ours! Mark is already talking about teaching him how to play music as soon as he can. Too cute! Since he can hear music, Mark and I have been reading to the bump every night so he can recognize our voices straight outta the womb. We really like Golden Books. Its kinda nice to re-read some of our favorites like The Pokey Little Puppy. :) I may be enjoying it just as much as Holden does. :)

Other than that, life feels like its going a mile a minute. The holidays are quickly approaching and I have been running around preparing for them and enjoying having a house to decorate. So here are a few quick pics of some decor and recipes I made over Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Halloween "Creepy Eyes"

Take a paper towel or toilet paper roll. Draw eyes with a sharpie. 

Once cut (note- the itty bitty scissors from my husband's pocket knife thing made this easy!) insert a glow stick bracelet) 

Duct tape sides closed, and insert anywhere you wish. We placed a bunch in the bushes right in front of our house. 

One of the bushes once it got dark! I loved it! 

Happy Halloween from Pepe LePew and that cat he loves! 

Thanksgiving Mini Pies

I didnt document the process, just the final product. But if you want the recipe, leave a comment and Ill send it your way! These were a hit by the way! Small enough to eat with your hands, or have all 3 and not feel guilty! But calories dont count on Thanksgiving anyway, every one knows that. ;) 

Mini Pecan Pies

Mini Apple Pies

Mini Pumpkin Pies

Festive Fall Wreath

So for this wreath I snagged a plain rustic wooden wreath at the dollar store and added the leaves and other fall decor from a few of those Hobby Lobby garlands (that were 80% off right before Halloween. Holla!) It was super easy to just snip off my favorite parts of the garland with enough wire left over to insert snuggly into the wooden wreath. Turns out I didnt even need the hot glue I had ready! 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Ive done a few things for Christmas already but Im going to save that for another post. Other than that, we have both been working like crazy. We got big things popping for 11:11 Events and Im excited to see where things go with my ladies. Speaking of 11-11, Mark and I just celebrated our 1st anniversary!!! I cant believe its been a year already, it went by so fast and so much has happened. Since it was our "paper" anniversary I made Mark the following gifts:

A photo "yearbook" 

3 important places on a map of Austin 

A blank journal. We just leave each other a quick love note when the feeling hits. We hope to keep this forever and have it to show our kids and grandkids one day. 

I am quickly realizing A-Why I havent updated in a while and B-Why I should. Sorry this post is so long! Im going to go ahead and finish up with bump pics and FAQs. 

Notice my Kendra Scott earrings/anniversary gift??? Love!

Mark decorated the chalkboard this week! 

How far along? 24 weeks

Maternity clothes? Oh yeah. Especially now that H&M opened up in Austin and has a maternity section!!! 
Stretch marks? Not on my belly......thats all Im going to say about that. 
Sleep: Thank God for Rescue Remedy Sleep!!!! 
Best moment this week: Feeling little man dance in my belly. And having other people feel him too. :) 
Miss Anything? Im starting to really miss my mobility. Just getting up and down off a couch or tying my shoe is becoming a chore, and I still have 3 months to go! 
Movement: Definitely! Its the best feeling in the world! Other people are beginning to feel him too which is fun for everyone! 
Food cravings: Spicy food (like always).
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing really. I havent really tried fish in a while but I have a feeling like it wouldnt bother me that much anymore.
Gender: Boyyyyy oh boyyy!!! 
Labor Signs: Some braxton hicks but thats supposedly normal. Nothing to worry about.
Symptoms: Have I mentioned that I have heartburn? OH LORDY LORD! Me no likey. I also get tired really quick and my feet hurt if Im on them too long. ......yaaaay.....
Belly Button in or out? Still in. Im telling y'all, it was so abnormally in that I doubt it'll pop. We'll see though.
Wedding rings on or off? On on on! 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Super-di-duperly happy!!!
Looking forward to: Christmas with my family! 

Well I know this was a long one and I promise to be more diligent about updating so it doesnt happen again. Hope everyone has a great week!

Love,
Susannah, Mark, and Holden