Christmas Crafting Part 2

And now another Christmas craft!

I wanted to make a craft that combined natural elements with some bling :)

I decided I wanted to use some branches but we had trimmed our trees about a month ago and didn't save any of the wood. However, on a walk with James and Penny in the park, I saw some branches had fallen so we picked some up (and let Penny have a small one). Problem solved! James cut them into the lengths I requested and I got to work. I hot glued the branches together for a little more stability, and wrapped twine around them. I then just used some small ornaments in white and silver - most I already had on hand but I also bought a small pack from Hob Lob for $3. I hung it in front of some curtains and I was pleasantly surprised by how it turned out. Not bad for $3 total.

Christmas Crafting Part 1

Well, I should have been at Lifegroup right now but work ran super duper late today. Yay for budget season :/ Anyways, I shall blog before James gets home and while the dog is sleeping... I absolutely love to craft around Christmas and I've already been able to accomplish a few things this year.

I wanted to make something to hang on our door and I liked the idea of something I could easily change to accommodate the seasons. I had seen the idea on a blog a long time ago (pre-Pinterest so I didn't save it!) to make different flowers that you can pin to a wreath. I wanted a big "S" for our last name (it cost a whopping $1.99) and I covered it in twine that I already had on hand. I also added a few circles of t-shirt fabric I had left over after cutting out squares for a t-shirt quilt (started on that 2 months ago - really need to finish!). The fabric was for attaching the flowers easily.


For the Christmas season, I wanted a bright red flower so I used this tutorial (I just googled DIY Felt Flower).

I hung a Command hook upside down on the inside of my door to anchor the ribbon.

And this is the finished product!

Weeks 16 & 17

Holiday stuff has kept us pretty busy the last few weeks. Since each side of our family has an extended family Thanksgiving holiday, we had 4 dates with turkey and ham :) They were all really great and lots of fun, but I think I'd be happy if I didn't see any traditional holiday foods for a few weeks. During the holiday break, my parents snapped a few shots for our Christmas cards and I was pretty happy with how they turned out considering we just did threw some ideas together at the last minute.The BIG ultrasound is this week and I can't wait! We'll be having our gender reveal party on Saturday which will be so exciting and fun!

Here are some old wives' tales for gender predictions and their outcomes...

Even though I'm not showing too much yet, I do have a slight baby bump and I've been told I'm carrying high... GIRL

The heart been was around 160 last time which was slightly faster than average... GIRL

Craving salty and sour foods... BOY

So far, I haven't had too much pregnancy acne... BOY

Ring on a string swung back and forth, not in a circle... GIRL

Lots of morning sickness in the first trimester... GIRL

So those are about 66% for a girl. We shall see soon!

Weeks 14 & 15

According to my doctor's appointment yesterday, everything seems to be right on track. The heart beat was between 158 and 163 beats per minute. James and I love that whoosh whoosh noise! My doctor said that everything looks great!

How far along: 15 weeks

Size of baby: According to my weekly e-mails, Baby S is the size of an apple. What type of apple is what I'm curious about!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 4 pounds (my goal is 25 for the whole pregnancy but we'll have to see how that goes)

Maternity Clothes: My mom took me shopping for my birthday so I have some maternity clothes mixed in with my normal ones.

Gender: Will find out in 3 weeks!

Movement: Might have felt something this week but I'm still unsure. Felt like bubbles popping so that could have just been hunger or indigestion too.

Sleep: I usually wake up once to use the bathroom but otherwise that's it.

What I miss: I've been craving a wheat beer so that's a bummer

Cravings: I randomly bought beef jerky at the store and it tasted delicious!

Symptoms: Exhaustion, occasional nausea, the beginnings of a sore back

Best moment this week: Hearing the heartbeat

I just started thinking at church today that Baby S can almost hear everyone worshiping and how awesome that is. I got a little teary about it (which isn't hard - I teared up during a car commercial this week). So amazed by this little blessing.

Ah, and here is my 3 month picture that I took a few weeks ago! Ignore the grubby clothes!