Noggins

Shop for Noggins on Etsy

2010-04-08T11:02:00.000-07:00

New Etsy Seller

2010-04-01T05:41:00.000-07:00

A great friend of mine stamps these fun necklaces, earrings and other jewelry. I have a silver disc with my girls' names stamped on them and I get tons of compliments. These make really great, unique gifts. Mother's Day would be a good one! Check out what she has listed so far in her Etsy shop, BettyLime.

Budgeting made simple

2010-03-23T18:33:00.000-07:00

This is the kind of budget I like. Simple and to the point. There is more about it in an article on a great blog Get Rich Slowly. The article gives some helpful information in case you are like me and constantly looking for ways to better manage your money.

As poor grad students we definitely don't spend 30% on wants (much less). The articles makes a good point that you do have to spend the money you earn on some wants, otherwise what's the point of working so hard if you can't enjoy at least some of it. I think our money formula is more like 98% Needs right now but I'm hoping to use this as a guide in our next stage of life which is coming up SO very quickly. Only 2 1/2 months till graduation (not that I'm counting...) with a few promising job prospects and an interview next week :)

Jungle Jims

2010-03-20T19:49:00.001-07:00

While Eric is off gallivanting in Europe we spent the morning sampling delicious food from Europe at Jungle Jim's International Market.

Yes, that's two entire isles dedicated to hot sauce alone.

Maya really enjoyed the olives... (not so much)

Spring Cleaning

2010-03-15T13:38:00.000-07:00

After moving all the furniture in the girl's room to clean and rearrange here's what I collected...

Name That Hat Contest

2010-03-12T17:38:00.000-08:00

I made a new boy style beanie that I love love love. We need a killer name. The hat is double layered yarn with a medium chunky stitch and a dragonfly embroidered on one side. What do ya got?

Toys

2010-03-09T10:31:00.000-08:00

Who needs toys when the girls would rather use a cardboard box for a boat and a broom as a paddle. I love Penelope's age and imagination right now.

Is that why the bathroom door is locked (from the inside)

2010-03-02T16:09:00.000-08:00

(As I'm unscrewing the doorknob)
Me: "Now, why did you lock the door again?"
Penelope: "Because so that Ariel won't get in the way of Tinker Bell and her wand."

Oh, I see, a perfectly good reason to lock the door from the inside and close it, with the light on too. lol 3 year olds. :)

More on preferences

2010-02-26T16:43:00.000-08:00

I've been playing around a ton with my camera. Poor Maya gets shut in photo shoots almost daily. I actually think she enjoys it and I'm fortunate to have fairly photogenic babies.

Which do you prefer?

Yummy Green Beans

2010-02-25T17:42:00.000-08:00

I don't know what made me think of these beans but I got the urge to make them today and they were as delicious as I remember.

Here's the recipe in case anyone is looking for new ways to cook vegetables (eh hem, Rachel : ).

String Beans

1/4 cup butter
1 TBS honey
1 cup whole cashews
1/2 lb string beans (a couple good size handfuls)

Steam string beans until tender. Melt butter in skillet. Add honey and cashew. Warm cashews over medium heat. Add string beans, stir and enjoy!

Living on $35 a week for groceries

2010-02-22T18:02:00.000-08:00

Don't believe me, check out my friend Katrina's blog. She's amazing. She makes everything from scratch and from what I see doesn't waste. It's actually not as much work as you would think. She still has time to run off in the mud to play at the castle park with me in the afternoons :)

The night we moved in she made this delicious tortilla soup for all of us. I'm excited to try some more of her tricks myself.

Ballerina Maya

2010-02-18T11:27:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist. The new camera is just too much fun.

Ready to Ship

2010-02-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

I made a couple of these beanies in the fall and just never got them listed on Etsy. Even though I really like the design I am not sure yet if I'll keep this style for sale. Once these two sell, I'll have to decide. Getting the photos were fun though...

Preferences

2010-02-12T17:00:00.000-08:00

I got a camera! I took about a million pictures in the last 2 days. Of nothing really, just the girls and things around the apartment. It's amazing. Just like a lot of people I've always been interested in photography. Now with Noggins I had a really good excuse to take the plunge. Believe it or not getting good photos was the most frustrating part of my Etsy listings. I've been saving my Noggins money from this past fall and winter and it took me about 5 trips to the camera store to actually purchase one.

I've learned so many things about aperture and shutter speed. Love it. I needed a project to get me through the next 4 1/2 months (of Eric's grad school and living far away). This has been the perfect thing. Now I'm learning about editing photos. I learned a little before with my point and shoot. Eric and I have vastly different ideas of what looks better. I need some feedback. Is it just personal preference or is there some photography rules out there?

Same photo, different brightness. Which one do you all like better?

I'm loving my little 35mm lens and am very glad I decided to go with it.

Some cute babies in some cute beanies...

2010-02-01T15:05:00.001-08:00

Huntsville Time

2010-01-27T13:17:00.001-08:00

We took a little road trip down to Huntsville, Alabama a couple weekends ago. I lived in Huntsville for 10 years growing up and I've always wanted to take Eric back for a visit. We had tons of fun and got to catch up with all of my best childhood girlfriends. I had a lack of picture taking but we did get a few good ones. Somehow it

turns out three of us have two girls each around the same age. The older three are within a year and the younger three are within a year. Where are all the boys?!

We drove through my old neighborhood, school, down to the Tennessee river, and up to Monte Sano. Mostly we just stayed up waaay too late talking. Penelope and Rebecca had a great time playing and the Olsens/Brooks were gracious host to let us crash there for the weekend! I hope it's not another 10 years before we make it back!

Headband preview

2010-01-26T09:55:00.000-08:00

Last night I finished the headband I want to add to the shop for next year. I patterned it after a headband my boss wore to work one day. Hers was knit and I've found a few similar on Etsy that are all knit (instead of crochet like this one). I'm debating about selling the pattern. I know nothing about copyrighting patterns. I rarely use patterns, I'm not sure that I could write one correctly. I just looked at the knit headbands and crocheted the general shape the same as the knit ones. (It took me three tries of undoing the yarn but I like how it turned out!) I added the flower and sewed on a button for easy and adjustable closure. Any advice on pattern writing/selling?

Meal Planning

2010-01-25T09:29:00.000-08:00

With the help of my friend Marissa of RaeGun I've been inspired to plan my meals out ahead of time and get all my groceries for the week in one trip. It's fantastic. I've tried this several times in the past. Usually lasting about...a week. Since we moved to Cincinnati and are living on a tighter budget the weekly meal planning started as a money saving idea and now I love it. (besides shopping with a squirming 1 year old and a loud 3 year old and carrying the large amount of groceries up to our 3rd floor apt).

I just got home from Meijers and here's the menu for this week:

Monday: Lasagna and green salad w/ french bread
Tuesday: Pulled pork BBQ sandwiches w/ baked beans and steamed broccoli
Wednesday: Beef Stroganoff over egg noodles
Thursday: Pork Burritos (with the left over pork from the BBQ sandwiches just different sauce)
Friday: Bean and Cheese Burritos and left-overs (homemade re-fried beans)

The Bean and Cheese burritos are a hit! I make the re-fried beans at home, shred some cheddar cheese, wrap them in tortillas and freeze a whole ton (as many as I can get out of 2 lbs of dry pinto beans). Then lunch and quick dinners are a breeze. It's one of Penelope's favorite meals so it also means no dinner time battles. In addition to the money saving benefit they don't have all those additives (you know the ones no one can pronounce on those cheap frozen burritos I used to like- seriously look at the ingredients on their bean and cheese burritos sometime).

I've added up the prices of some of our favorite meals to compare cooking in versus eating out. Most of our meals average $1.20 per plate. And that's an Eric size portion. Really puts our favorite "cheap" Cafe Rio pork barbacoa burrito plate at $8.00 in perspective.

I still get tired of cooking, well really it's the dishes (without a dish washer) that I get tired of. It's a whole lot easier when I already have the ingredients and know what I'm making ahead of time to stay in rather than eat out. Since we moved to Cincy 4 months ago we've eaten out a handful of times and most at Wendy's $1 menu :) Ah, the life of having a grad student husband.

Projects

2010-01-24T12:34:00.000-08:00

I'm completely caught up on my orders and I don't expect many to come in for awhile. Now I get to start planning for next year's styles and refine the patterns for my new items I'm adding to the shop. I have grand plans to add mittens, headbands, this awesome beanie/scarf in one, some little facial scrubbies, and mobius scarfs.

My New Favorite

2010-01-15T03:17:00.000-08:00

I came across my new favorite Etsy seller today, A Little Hut. She makes adorable do-it-yourself paper crafts. She has things like calendars, flash cards, mat boards, and thank you cards. The best part, it's VERY afforable! I bought this print and assemble calendar pictured above and cannot wait to get started. The letters are cut-outs where you glue fabric or paper designs on the back of the sheet to show through.

She also has more items and even a book published on paper crafts, check out her site, http://alittlehut.com/ .

Best Christmas Ever

2009-12-27T23:19:00.000-08:00

We flew into SLC on Dec. 15th and have been going none stop since! With a couple nights in Salt Lake then up to Logan for some candy making, letting the girls play with cousins, and the annual dinner at Windy Sukiyaki we had a great time with Eric's side of the fam.

My entire family was home for Christmas and ALL of us went into the Lodge by snowmobile for Christmas. It was quite the crew with 2 babies under one, 5 kids, 2 dogs and a total of 17 people!! With a 30 foot Christmas tree, a massive bonfire, and a turkey cooked in a dutch oven we had to have a good time!

Here's some photos:

Holiday Giveaway!

2009-12-17T08:02:00.000-08:00

The fabulous photographer over at Mach C is doing a series of holiday giveaways. Today is my turn for a beanie giveaway. Enter over on Chelsey's blog

ENTER BY 4:00 P.M. TODAY!!

And the winner is...

2009-12-10T02:50:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Liz from eZmoos for winning the giveaway over on RaeGun's blog last week! She will be getting one of the toddler beanie like this one for her little girl.

Noggins Giveaway!

2009-11-18T04:54:00.000-08:00

The every so talented Marissa of RaeGun is doing some wonderful giveaways on her blog this month. Today you'll find none other than yours truly as the guest. Go check out RaeGun's blog to enter. You can win any beanie in my shop.

She is having giveaways all month so if beanies aren't your thing, keep checking her blog and your bound to find something you can get for yourself or to give as a special handmade gift.

And the Hat is named...

2009-11-03T07:21:00.001-08:00

ALTA

Thanks everyone for your entries. Erin won with "Alta".

Good vibes going out to everyone skiing this weekend back in Utah!

Name That Hat Contest

2009-10-26T17:21:00.000-07:00

NAME THAT HAT CONTEST - Go to my Facebook fan page and post a comment with a name for the hat pictured. If I pick yours, you get 50% off any beanie in my shop. Enter by this Friday, Oct. 30th.

100 Sales Contest

2009-10-18T06:42:00.000-07:00

*****100 Sales Contest*****

Guess the date I will reach 100 sales here on Etsy and get 50% off any beanie in my shop! To enter, go to my Facebook page and enter your guess in the comments of my status. (And while you're there become a fan!)

**Update: just reached 100 today!

homesick...

2009-10-07T18:49:00.000-07:00

...for snow.

Normally this time of year when it starts getting cold I start getting excited while most people are grumbling about the weather. That's only because I love the snow. Not just for skiing and boarding. It's fun to walk in, it's pretty, and the sun is so bright when reflected off it. Nice white powder, so sad to miss out on it this year. Here's what reminded of this.

Maya bundled and hanging out in the Beaver lodge on Big Air Day.

She really wanted to go out.

Ski BUNNY

Picnic

2009-09-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

Penelope has been on a kick with pretend picnics this week. She made me a picnic dinner just now. I asked for chicken. She started putting things in my cup. First I got chicken, then french fries, then cups of water, and broccoli, and juice. Yum.

She's Famous :)

2009-09-22T11:56:00.000-07:00

A friend from church back in Salt Lake designs products for JJCole and recruited Maya to be a model for their website and catalog. It was a HOT day, but she did great and she had fun with her "Mom" for the afternoon. She even got paid. Go Maya, you look adorable!

*Oh, I should also put in a great plug for JJCole, they do make amazing products! Love the bundle me's and their diaper bags have a place for everything!

100th Etsy item!!!

2009-09-18T14:38:00.000-07:00

I have reached my (unofficial) 100th Etsy sale! My 80 sales from my current shop plus my 20 sales from my previous shop (Nelly's) make 100, hooray! For being 100th Liz (who placed the order) will be getting a small free prize :) I'll post photos of the prize soon. It's a good one.

Even though I've sold way more than 100 beanies in craft fairs, boutiques and to friends and family it's just exciting to see my number of sales rise on Etsy! I love Etsy, you should all join.

O-hio!

2009-09-16T19:18:00.000-07:00

We've been in Cincinnati for about two weeks now. Things are great so far. Once Eric gets busy with school work it might be harder, but for now we're having lots of fun getting to know the city. We've been to the free plant conservatory, free day at the children's museum, parks, the library right down the street, eaten chili spaghetti, driven across the bridge to Kentucky, and stayed up too late watching Grey's episodes every night :) I got a part-time job as a receptionist at a local gym/spa (haven't started yet) and I'll continue making beanies (of course!). The girls are adjusting well and we're trying to get some sleep between new teeth and colds for Maya. She's a trooper though and (crossed fingers) she'll start sleeping through the night soon.

My brillant idea to keep Maya from crawling away while trying to get some shots of the hats...

She had a good time :)

Sneak Peek

2009-08-18T13:28:00.000-07:00

Chelsey from Mach C Photography is taking some photos of my hats and here is a preview of her first session...LOVE it!

Best Snickerdoodle Recipe

2009-08-16T19:51:00.001-07:00

An old family favorite. Don't know exactly where the recipe came from before my mom (probably her mom, and her mom,...) They sure are good, eating one right now, mmmmmm.

I've modified the recipe slightly. I use butter instead of shortening (same amount). This time I used raw cane sugar for half of the sugar and regular white sugar for the other half. (thanks for that trick Amy!) The raw sugar gives the cookies these yummy little crispy bits, mmmmm. Now I need some milk.

Cincinnati here we come!

2009-08-11T22:16:00.000-07:00

We are leaving in three weeks! Ah! We found cheap tickets and decided that I would fly with the girls, hooray. Eric's mom is also gracious enough to come with to help out. It's such a relief.

Here's an update and video of Maya's army crawl. She is determined.

Army crawl

2009-08-08T22:04:00.000-07:00

The other day Maya army crawled under our coffee table and didn't know how to back up, turned and gave me the cutest little "what do I do now" look. Kids are so great!

Become a Fan!

2009-08-06T13:31:00.000-07:00

I'm trying out this whole business Facebook page thing. Mostly I'll add new photos and I plan to offer discounts just to fans of the page. Should be fun, come join!

Noggins on Facebook

"I want one of those"

2009-07-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

As we were driving in the car after leaving our favorite restaurant we had a great conversation with Penelope...

Me: We should go get some (spells) I-C-E C-R-E-A-M
Eric: Okay.
Penelope: I want one of those.
Eric: One of what?
Penelope: One of those that Mommy wants.

She makes me laugh, a lot.

Home from vaca

2009-07-13T14:46:00.000-07:00

We've been in south eastern Utah and New Mexico since July 3rd, home for a day and then off to Girl's Camp tomorrow. Eric posted about the trip on his blog. We had a GREAT time, thanks everyone for letting us stay with you and borrow your toys! Here's some pics to sum it all up.

Ruffle Bum Diaper cover giveaway!

2009-06-04T12:24:00.000-07:00

Over on Rae Gun's blog she is giving away a pair of these adorable little diaper covers. To enter you just need to leave a comment on her post at this link Rae Gun: Giveaway: Citrus Summer Ruffle Diaper and then blog, facebook, twitter, one of the above, about the giveaway. Good luck!

Week of Parties

2009-05-31T22:46:00.001-07:00

We had a fun week and I'm in denial that it is over (hence the reason I'm still awake at midnight blogging). Monday Eric was off work and we had a BBQ at a friend house down the street. Penelope was completely entertained by the older girls and we ate some good food and just hung out. Then on Tuesday Penelope and I went to a going away lunch for another friend of mine. The girl who hosted the lunch has a brand new amazing house with this balcony on the second floor that overlooks the main living room/kitchen area. Penelope was up there playing with some friends. I look up to see her all but naked with only a pull-up on! Apparently they were playing dress-up but the princess costume somehow never made it on her body. She is a funny little girl.

Our third party was Friday night for a joint b-day picnic for a 1 year old and his dad with birthdays in the same week. We ate the best ice cream cake roll, homemade! I want to find out how she did it. Then the kids had a marshmallow fight in the backyard.

As Eric wrote about here on his blog we went to Timp cave on Saturday. The best part about hiking was that it reminded me of the things I really enjoy doing and that I can still do it with two kids. The worst part about hiking was my legs the next day. After a good hike and cave tour we made it home for short naps and a quick shower before heading over to the ward sports party. This ward puts on the best parties and we love going. It was at a park, we ate some good food, played some bocce ball, did some gunny sack races, and just enjoyed the nice weather (with only a few drops of rain).

Four parties and a hike to Timp cave make for a great week! I finally feel like I can get out and do things again. Ever since quitting my job a year ago and being pregnant soon after I've been WAY too lazy. I've also started running again. A friend in the neighborhood and I go at 5:30 a.m., yikes. For a non-morning person that is early! She said it perfect the first morning we went and it's the only thing that keeps me going. She said how good it feels to get up for yourself, not because the baby is crying or the kids need breakfast or your husband shirt needs ironing. It's so true and I'm going to try really really hard to keep going.

Vintage Pillowcase Dress/ Great Etsy Shop

2009-05-28T06:25:00.000-07:00

My friend Marissa made this amazing blessing dress for Maya. I gave her a pillowcase my great grandmother had embroidered around the bottom. You can see Marissa's post about it here and you can check out her other dresses in her Etsy shop here. Not only is the dress absolutely adorable, it's special because it came from the vintage pillowcase.

Bragging

2009-05-07T13:32:00.001-07:00

Eric got a promotion!! He's now a manager at BC. He still has the same responsibilities, but he got a raise and his title changed. He's over email marketing - you know when you sign up for their free email lists, he's the one that sends those out and manages the lists for all five of BC's websites. (the emails go to millions of people, literally) Woo Hoo! I'm glad all his hard work has paid off. Nine hours in the office everyday, then coming home and working after the girls go to bed at least a few nights a week. Sometimes staying up until midnight to make sure the system sends these millions of emails correctly. Loading emails on the weekends and even on vacation. Whew, I don't know how he does it and always with a positive attitude. Eric you pretty much rock!

I've been airbrushed

2009-05-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

I went to an airbrush tanning party last night. :) When the girl asked how dark I wanted to be all I could think of was Ross in the Friends episode...."What are you?" "Puerto Rician". Anyway, I'm tan and it was fun! Nothing I'd do on a regular basis, but hey now I know about it and know someone who can do it for a lot cheaper than at the salons.

Maya's blessing was on Sunday. Everything went great, couldn't have been better. My mom and I took the girls in for photos on Saturday that turned out absolutely adorable. Lots and lots of friends and family came and crammed into our little apt for some food since our picnic got rained out. Here's my little familia (pre-tan!)

Grateful

2009-04-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

Last week some of our best friends lost their tiny baby. It really puts things into perspective. It really makes the spilled cereal and temper tantrums seem so unimportant.

Easter

2009-04-20T15:20:00.000-07:00

We had a great time this year celebrating Easter. First we went to a neighborhood Easter egg hunt and BBQ.

Then on Saturday we went up to Logan for Baby Animal Days. We had a great time going on pony rides, petting lambs, and holding baby bunnies, chicks, and ducks.

Sunday my parents were in town for just a few hours before driving back to Lander.

Shop Update

2009-04-09T12:56:00.001-07:00

I finally did a shop update this week. I'm still working on some listings and plan to add more over the next week or so. The biggest change is that I've added flower clips for sale. Check them out in my Etsy shop.

The Beav

2009-03-31T13:51:00.000-07:00

We try to make it up to Beaver Mt. to ski/board at least once every winter. As most of you know, The Beav is the ski resort up Logan Canyon where Eric and I met while we were working there during college. It was the best college job and we loved every minute of it.

The last day of the season they host a Big Air contest and have a pond skim. I've never been brave enough to try it, but always enjoy watching and enjoying the sunny weather. We went up this year with the girls and Eric's dad. We watched the competition and took turns riding while the others hung out in the lodge with the girls. I can't wait for them to get big enough to join us outside on the slope. We got to see some of our favorite people (ahem, Dave Eames) the Beaver Mt. owners, Ted and Marj of course, and various other employees still around. It was a fun day, but exhausting! Not only am I out of shape, but hauling around two babies will take it out of ya.

Maya had her two month appt. this morning. Eric was nice enough to work from home this morning and watch Penelope while I went. Maya is already 12 lbs.! (She was 7 lb 10 oz at birth) As the doctor put it, "some moms have skim milk, some moms have whole milk, looks like you have cream!" She is 24" long already, in the 94% and in the 85% for weight.

She's a keeper!

Crab 'n Climb 2009

2009-03-24T13:25:00.000-07:00

Eric beat me to it so go to his blog to read about our St. George vacation last weekend. We had a great trip this year and hope our future vacations with two little ones goes as smoothly.

Just what the doctor ordered

2009-03-12T11:35:00.001-07:00

I get migraines every once in awhile. When I do, there's really nothing I can do or take to make them go away. I normally just have to lay in a dark, quiet room and try to sleep them off. Well, as you can imagine with a two year old and a newborn to take care of a dark, quiet room isn't exactly available. Several doctors have told me to try drinking caffeine. Something about the blood vessels in the brain contracting causing the migraines and the caffeine opening them up. When I called my doctor this morning she also recommended drinking a Coke. As a recovering Dr. Pepper addict I've always avoided this advice. However on such an occasion as today which started out by waking up at 5:00 a.m. with a numb left hand and lips I decided I would give in. And if I was going to have caffeine after 3 years of abstaining, I had to do it right....

Oh yum. So far it's working. Hooray!

Ski Bunny

2009-03-07T21:18:00.000-08:00

Best Family Ever

2009-03-01T11:05:00.000-08:00

I have the best baby ever. She's been happily napping in her swing for the last 2 hours while I'm enjoying the quiet house. The best husband took the best two year old ever to church because she loves going to her class. The best husband ever also watched the girls yesterday while I went skiing at Alta for an hour and a half!! Skiing was soooooo great. In addition to the beautiful sunny day, it just felt nice to get out and move. My legs are feeling it today, but it was so worth it.

Here's Eric and I at Beaver Mt. five years ago! We met while working at Beaver seven years ago. If only we could ride everyday, eat Ramon, and sell plasma for gas money again....those were the days. I wouldn't go back for a minute, I love being a mom and love my life now.

I'm skeptical

2009-02-20T16:04:00.000-08:00

If you're still recovering from labor, thank your lucky stars you're not Anna Swan Bates, who, in 1879, gave birth to a nearly 24-pound boy.

Penelope or Maya?

2009-02-16T10:08:00.000-08:00

People often ask whether or not Maya looks like Penelope...

Some photos for all my far away siblings...

2009-02-08T09:37:00.000-08:00

Maya's first bath at home.

All her dark hair.

And a quick little photo shoot...

Maya Reese

2009-02-03T15:00:00.000-08:00

After a VERY QUICK time in the hospital the baby arrived Saturday, January 31, 2009. We named her Maya, she weighed 7 lbs. 10 ounces and surprised us with extremely dark hair.

For those of you that want to know the gory details...

9:00 a.m. mild contractions, nothing regular
10:00 a.m. decided to go for a little hike up the canyon (maybe this will get things moving)
11:30 a.m. contractions still going but not regular and at least 15 minutes apart
12:00 p.m. contractions are getting stronger, decide to call the babysitters and get ready to go
1:20 p.m. contractions getting painful, but still 10 minutes apart
Eric leaves to get Christopher to stay with Penelope
1:40 p.m. Eric gets home and we leave for the hospital, contractions now 5 minutes apart
1:45 p.m. At the light on 45th. Me - "I think you better drive faster, these hurt"
1:55 p.m. To the lady at the front desk, "um, we're here to have a baby"
2:00 p.m. To the nurse on our way to the room, "I'm gonna want an epidural right away"
2: 15 p.m. After getting in the hospital gown and in bed I say to Eric "Where the heck is everyone, don't they understand I'm in labor? Why is it hurting so bad this time? Am I just being a wuss? I swear it wasn't this bad with Penelope."
2:20 p.m. Nurse checks and I'm dilated to 5 centimeters. I'm thinking "okay, that's good. Should be only a few hours. But why does it hurt so bad already?"
2:25 p.m. Contractions now less than 3 minutes apart
2:30 p.m. "Woah, my water just broke"
2:31 p.m. "AHHHHHHH!"
2:32 p.m. "THE BABY IS COMING!"
2:33 p.m. Nurse says "Woah, you're a 9 1/2 and I can see the baby's head!"
2:34 p.m Anesthesiologist says, "change of plans, I'm going to have to..." blah, blah blah...something about switching to a spinal block because no time for an epidural.
2:35 p.m "I don't care, HURRY"
2:36 p.m. Doctor enters room
2:37 p.m. Ah, relief...
2:40 p.m. Doctor, "Ok, are you ready to push?"
2:44 p.m. ...AND BABY!

Yeah, I went from 5 centimeters to 9 1/2 in less than 20 minutes and pushed through maybe 3 contractions. And THAT'S why it hurt so bad... :)

3:00 p.m. Doctor, "Next time, you should probably schedule to come in at 39 weeks" :)

It was pretty scary because it went so fast and I wasn't AT ALL prepared for that. With Penelope, my labor was over 17 hours. I could NOT believe how fast it all happened and HOW much pain. Don't know how some of you can do it natural, you're my heros. I didn't feel like I was hit with a train the next day and I certainly wasn't worn down from a long labor.

I posted more photos on my Facebook if you want to see "http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2030462&l=e6b3a&id=122801620">here.

Baby Tag

2009-01-30T12:40:00.000-08:00

Baby Tag - this is about Penelope (not "baby sister")

1.Where were you when you first found out your were pregnant? At our apartment

2.Who was with you? Myself - I decided to sneak out after work before Eric got home and bought a pregnancy test. I wanted to surprise him, but then I couldn't wait and told him as soon as he got home.

3.What was your first reaction? Excited, nervous, scared, happy - I guess that hasn't been the flu afterall, no wonder I've been so tired.

4.What was your husband's reaction? And I quote, "Are you going to dye your hair again?" Apparently he thought the pregnancy test along with the little instruction sheet I was holding came from a box of hair dye. :)

5.Who was the first person you told? Besides Eric it was Amy and Chad. We had sent my parents a photo frame with something like "Greatest Grandparents" and it had photos of each of their grandkids with one empty space where I put a paper with something like, "coming December 5, 2006" (my due date). Then we got anxious and had to tell someone. Then we told all my siblings and Eric's family. We replaced Eric's mom's fortune in her cookie with "Confusious says you will be a grandma soon" and then her lucky numbers were the due date. She thought it was my sister-in-law (who were in on it and with us at lunch). It was pretty funny.

6.Was the pregnancy planned? Yeah

7.Was everyone happy for me? Of course

8.What was the gender? Girl, but we didn't find out until she was born!

9.What was the nursery theme colors? Green, blue, yellow and brown (had to make it neutral since we didn't know the gender)

10. Did anyone throw a shower for you? My sister-in-law and mother-in-law.

11.Did I get any outfits I didn't use? I think we used everything at least once. Oh wait, not the 80's one piece outfit....sorry Mom, you remember it?

12.How much weight did I gain? Waaay too much, 35 pounds, oh yeah baby! But I lost it all (and some extra actually) within the first 8 months or so. Breastfeeding is great.

13.Did I get stretch marks? A few, but they actually faded after wards I think becasue of the cocoa butter - i love that stuff.

14.Did I crave anything? Not really. I had many, many food aversions though. Anything sugar was just nasty in the first trimester, Mexican food was a no in the second, and Chinese a BIG no after throwing up my favorite PF Chang meal on my birthday. I always wanted those little cans of peaches and had them about everyday at work.

15.Who or what got on your nerves the most? Maybe a better question would be who didn't? :)

16.Where were you when you went into labor? At 4:00 a.m. when my water broke in bed.

17.Did I have any complications? Nope, everything went great. Just took forever - 17 hours!

18.Did your water break? Yep

19.Who drove you to the hospital? Eric

20.Did you go early or late? 2 days before my due date

21.Who was in the room? The doctor, a resident who actually delivered Penelope, the AWESOME delivery nurse and Eric

22.Did you videotape it? No thank you.

23.Did you have any pain medication? Yes sirree. Epidurals are a wonderful thing...

24.Did you have a c-section or natural? Natural

25.What was your reaction to the birth? The first thing out of my mouth was, "What is it?" (referred to the gender). Then I was just happy.

26.How big was the baby? 7 lbs 1 ounces, 19.5inches long.

27.Did your husband cry? More than I did I think when she first came out.

28.When is the next one coming? Hopefully today :)

29.If you could would you do it all over again? Already am.

Valentine's Gifts

2009-01-26T12:38:00.000-08:00

Eric and I usually just do cards and/or candy, dinner, chocolates, little stuff like that for Valentine's Day. I was curious what was out there so I just did a search on Etsy for "valentine's gifts for guys" and got some...we'll just say interesting search results. I'm torn, should I go with the stuffed animal with it's own birth certificate....

or the vegan soap shaped like a pistol?

What does everyone else do for Valentine's Day?

I love being a mom...

2009-01-23T21:54:00.000-08:00

Still Waiting...

2009-01-22T13:53:00.000-08:00

What do you do when you have one week left until your baby is due?

So far this week I've watched Grey's Anatmony season 1, disc. 1. Some 30 Rock episodes, some Office episodes and um, sat on the couch. :0

Just waiting

2009-01-18T22:29:00.000-08:00

What do you do when you have less than 2 weeks until the baby is due?

It's not like I have energy to do anything adventurous or start any new projects. I've already cleared out and organized every closet and cupboard in the house. I've setup the changing table with all the newborn size clothes and even bought a package of newborn diapers. We do have a few things on the To Do list like get the baby swing from the garage and the car seat in the car.

I do have to admit (even though I'm anxious) I like the excitement of not knowing when the baby will come. It's so exciting to think and talk about how labor will start. :) (I know, I'm weird) I think I'm starting my nightly regiment of spicy food and walks around the neighborhood. The week leading up to Penelope's birth was full of creative spicy meals and walks. I don't really think it speed things along, but at least I'll get to eat some fun food and it motivates me to get some exercise.

Funny Girl

2009-01-15T15:39:00.000-08:00

Penelope makes me laugh everyday. She's been talking on her play phone all day and keeps saying, "hewo, call you back, k, goodbye".

Blogging to avoid cleaning

2009-01-08T14:49:00.001-08:00

I really don't want to clean up the house. The thought of bending over just isn't appealing (or even possible :) at this point. I had my appointment today and found out the baby doesn't have as much amniotic fluid as it's suppose to have. This means I have to start going in for non-stress tests every few days. The upside is that there is now the possibility of having the baby early. I'm 37 weeks so it's not too early, plus I have decided this must be a 9 pounder. I'm gigantic. Although I was the same all belly out front with Penelope and she was only 7 lb 1 oz. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

And a cute Noggins photo just for kicks. (No, not my baby)

Christmas

2008-12-30T12:39:00.001-08:00

We had a great Christmas this year. My parents and little sis, Erica, came down from Wyoming. With a very long Ikea trip, some other shopping, and Ballet West "The Nutcracker" we were pretty wiped out. We still had time to make homemade bread bowls with broccoli cheese soup, caramel apples and cookies though. Penelope was scared of Santa coming to our house, but was a little better about it once she saw the tricycle he brought her. After opening presents here Christmas morning, we drove up to Brigham City. We had omelets at Zach and Alisa's, lunch at Grandma J's, and then dinner at Dave and Rayanna's in Kaysville. Whew, quite the busy day. It was a lot of fun though and Penelope did amazing as we drug her around without a nap.

Gingerbread houses

2008-12-17T13:24:00.000-08:00

We're finally getting into the Christmas spirit around here. That includes making yummy treats. We made ginger bread houses last week and cinnamon rolls the other day. Can't wait for the traditional broccoli cheese soup and homemade bread bowls on Christmas Eve!

I've had a severe lack of blogging about this pregnancy compared to being pregnant with Penelope. What is there to say? The baby is growing and I am getting fat :) It's not that this pregnancy is any harder it's just that this pregnancy includes a 30 pound ball of energy named Penelope.

Baby Buchanan Pool

2008-12-15T14:24:00.001-08:00

My good friend Lisa is due to have her second baby, a little boy, in the next couple weeks. Guess what day Lisa will have the baby!

Enter the pool by submitting $1.00 through the PayPal button below. Make sure to put what day you guess.

Winner gets the pot!

Could you even imagine?

2008-12-13T23:07:00.000-08:00

It's a Fact
A Russian woman holds the record for having the most children. Between 1725 and 1765, she was pregnant 27 times and had 69 children.

Penelope's Birthday

2008-12-04T08:43:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been two years since this...

For Penelope's birthday (on Dec. 3rd, I'm just slow posting this) we had some family and friends over for cake and ice cream. Penelope was most interested in her cake. I wanted to try a double layer cake. It turned out pretty good. It was chocolate cake with a peanut butter cream cheese frosting. I decorated it with pink dots and smarties (which was Penelope's favorite part). It wasn't anything fancy or even time consuming, but it was fun to see how excited Penelope was about it. All afternoon she kept asking me to lift her up to see "Uppy's burtday cake".

Nana sent her the annual Christmas dress, ultra girly of course. 80's prom dress style according to Eric. She also got some fun toys and books, thanks everyone!

And after the festivities, Penelope and her best friend, Ryan, cuddled on the couch watching the "truck show" (aka Cars)

Lovin' all the photos

2008-12-02T13:31:00.000-08:00

Isn't this little baby adorable in The Betty? I love getting photos of hats I've made. I get to see how they fit and to see the adorable little munchkins that wear the hats!

I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving break. Eric took Friday off work and we were so lazy, it was great. I'm finally getting back into the groove after the long weekend. Today I took Penelope to the Wiggle Worms storytime at the library. She loves it. (even though she mostly just stares at the librarians as they as dancing and singing) She comes home and sings the songs all week. Her favorite by far is The Wheels on the Bus and second probably Hokey Pokey.

This matching The Dude beanie went along with the above girl beanie (I'm assuming brother and sister). Super cute!

Thanks for the photos and the feedback.

The Piper & Chloe Holiday Showcase is coming up on Friday and Saturday. Go check out my table if you live in the area!

Etsy Shop Sale

2008-11-28T13:48:00.001-08:00

***SALE***
Black Friday through Cyber Monday
Buy One Get One FREE!
(organic cotton beanies only)

Check out these listings in my Noggins Etsy Shop.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T09:53:00.000-08:00

Right now, I'm thankful for nap time ;)

Two hour present

2008-11-25T13:55:00.000-08:00

I just finished my present for the Pink Christmas girlfriend gift exchange. I hope my person likes the bag. It was actually really fast and easy to make.

And there's the belly.

Anything I can sew in under 2 hours is great in my book. If Penelope wakes up before I'm finished then I never get the project done.

TMI

2008-11-23T20:28:00.000-08:00

We've been attempting to potty train Penelope the last few days. I think she is getting the idea. The first day we went through 8 pairs of Curious George and/or princess underwear, the second day only 4 pairs and today only one pair! Too Much Information, I know.

Any articles or suggestions?

Giveaway!

2008-11-21T12:21:00.000-08:00

Another great giveaway for Noggins is going on over at the Giveaway Blog. This is for a set of matching Mom (or Dad) and Me Noggins beanies. You just have to make a comment saying which style is your favorite in order to enter.

Favorite Thing

2008-11-20T12:40:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things right now is sneaking in to check on Penelope after she goes down for her nap. Everyday this week she has wanted to take books to bed with her so I've let her take a couple to read before falling asleep. Inevitably she ends up bringing more books into bed and then falling asleep with an array of books spread out sometimes under her or even in her arms still. Just now she was slumped over hugging her baby (who I'm sure she was "reading" books to) with monkey next to her and the books on her lap. So cute.

More photos

2008-11-20T07:40:00.001-08:00

I got more customer photos last week and they are so great! This first one is from a photographer here in Utah. Check out the Jack and Jill Photography site if you get a chance.

This next one is from the girl who won the Vanilla Joy Mom & Me giveaway. She decided to get matching beanies for all her girls, aren't they adorable?

Piper & Chloe Holiday Showcase

2008-11-18T17:16:00.001-08:00

I'm taking my beanies to a show in Farmington December 5-6. I've been having a great time getting things together for my booth and making some fun new beanie designs. There will be some really fun products at the show, check out the Piper & Chloe blog to see more.

Blog?

2008-11-18T14:30:00.001-08:00

Sorry for the severe lack of posts lately. Here's an update in a nut shell.

I'm about 29 weeks along now and feeling pretty great actually. Although I just found out I'm anemic. The doctor called to say that I should get an iron supplement to take and that I may have noticed being extremely tired. I figured that was just having a toddler :)

We went to Lava Hot Spring last weekend to celebrate my mom's birthday. It was a VERY relaxing, laid back trip consisting of playing in the hot pool right outside the little house we rented, eating lots of chocolate, and Penelope getting waaaay too much attention.

Eric was ranked #1 in men's C for cyclocross before missing Saturday's race. The state finals are this Saturday at Weber Fairgrounds if anyone wants to come spectate with me and Penelope!

We've staying here for Thanksgiving but unfortunately not having a Mexican Fiesta like I would prefer for the meal :)

Gift Certificates!

2008-11-17T13:17:00.000-08:00

I'm now offering Gift Certificates in my Etsy Shop. I have a $20 certificate listed now because that will cover most beanie styles as well as shipping. Feel free to email me for a different amount or if you want a gift certificate but don't have an Etsy account. See the gift certificate listing in my shop for more details.

Customer photo!

2008-11-11T09:11:00.000-08:00

How adorable does this baby girl look in her brown beanie!? I love it!

Arrrrrrrrgh!

2008-10-31T21:22:00.000-07:00

This year Halloween was great!

Penelope was so excited about her pirate costume. I made the skirt (elastic waist and just cut the bottom), bought a too large shirt from Thrift Town, and some $2 fabric red and white fabric for the bandanna and sash. Easiest costume ever. Total cost = about $7.00!

We started off Halloween night by going to Tracy Aviary for their $1 Halloween event.

After dinner we did some trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. There were TONS of kids out and we had a great time stopping by our friends houses.

We even got scones and played a little Rock Band at one house! Hope everyone else had a great time as well. Happy Halloween.

Be sure to check Eric's blog after the weekend because I have a feeling there may be something involving underwear and a mask at the cross race tomorrow...

Another Project

2008-10-31T14:20:00.000-07:00

Told you all I was on a sewing kick. Here's the apron I made...

Kid's/Toddler Apron Tutorial

2008-10-26T15:26:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned, last week I made an apron for Penelope. It turned out to be a lot of fun and used up some fabric I already had. I based it off the adult size Suzy Homemaker Apron on Craftster and made my own changes.

Here's how to make your own apron:

Cut these pieces:
A) Top section - cut 2 layers about 4" x 9"
B) Skirt - cut about 12" x 20"
C) Waist belt/tie - cut about 6" x 40"
D) Neck loop - cut about 3" x 16"
E) Pockets - cut 4 layers about 3.5" x 3.5" with rounded bottom

Preparing pieces:
1) Top section - sew the 2 layers (right sides together) leaving the entire top open and turn the fabric back the right way (you'll finish off the top later).

2) Skirt - (I pinned the pleats then sewed them in place so I wouldn't have all the pins to deal with later) Then I hemmed around all the edges (just fold the fabric over twice and sew along the edge).

3) Waist belt/tie - sew into a tube (fold the strip of fabric in half length wise, right sides together, leaving the ends open to turn right side out again).

4) Neck loop - sew into a tube, but this time after you turn it right side out, top stitch along both edges (keeps the fabric from rolling and makes a nice, clean strap). You can also sew a piece of elastic into the middle of the neck loop to help stretch it over the head.

5) Pockets - sew 2 layers (right sides together) leaving a space at the bottom and turn back the right way (should be like a pillowcase with both right sides out now).

Sewing it all together:

1) Sew the top section to the top of the waist belt/tie (with right sides together).

2) Again, right sides together, sew the bottom of the waist belt/tie to the pleated edge of the skirt.

3) Attach the neck loop. To make a cleaner inside edge you can fold the top section down once and tuck the ends of the neck loop into the fold. Then fold the top section down a second time to hide the edges. Fold the neck loop up over the fold in the top section. You'll want to pin all of this in place. Sew along the fold (through top section and the neck loop tucked inside the fold). Sew again along the very top to keep the fabric from rolling down and to secure the neck loops in place.

4) Attach pockets - lay pockets on the skirt and sew around all the edges leaving the top for the openings.

That's it, you're done! Hope it makes sense. Let me know if anyone tries it. Here's a photo of Penelope's....

Sewing week

2008-10-22T22:35:00.001-07:00

Every once in awhile I get the sewing bug and break out my machine. This time it started with a project for my friend's Pink Christmas girlfriend. We made aprons! I haven't taken any photos yet, but I used some leftover fabric from Penelope's crib set. It turned out really good and was actually pretty easy to sew together.

Now I want to make this twirly skirt for Penelope. The best part is that I can use up some of my fabric scraps that would otherwise be buried in my closet. I'm thinking of using some of the leftover browns and greens I got for a quilt that is still *sigh* not finished.

Wish List

2008-10-21T21:56:00.000-07:00

I'm totally into this brown circle hair clip from a fun little Etsy shop I came acrossed the other day. The shop is bohemiababy and has great unique, vintage style items. I'm loving it.

Now if Penelope could just grow some hair I could buy all these adorable clips I see out there.

Another Great Giveaway!

2008-10-17T12:55:00.000-07:00

There's another great giveaway going on over at 30 days blog . You just need to go there and comment about which beanie is your favorite. That simple. The winner gets to pick which style and size beanie from my Etsy shop.

Also, you can earn more entries if you post about it on your own blog and send your friends to the 30 days blogs. They mention your name, you get another entry. Make sure to enter soon because the winner will be announced on Monday!

Itty-Bitty Skullie

2008-10-17T12:34:00.000-07:00

I love doing custom orders. I just sent off this little treasure in a 3-6 month size. It's made with a high end 100% cotton yarn. The chocolate brown color is delicious and the yarn feels like it will be very comfortable. Not only do I love doing custom orders I especially love making the itty-bitty beanies. Hope I get a picture of the little one wearing it.

My newest adventure is making scarfs. I found a great pattern online and whipped out this little number in no time. I might be adding some scarfs tomy shop. We'll see how adventurous I feel after finishing the beanies I need for two more shows I'm doing in November, hooray!

And just for good measure here's Penelope trying out one of her new beanies at my other half's cyclocross race last weekend.

I always love seeing how the beanies look on other people so if anyone has photos feel free to send them my way!

Noggins Giveaway!

2008-10-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

Over on one of my favorite crafty blogs Noggins is being featured with a Mom & Me giveaway! To enter all you have to do is go to the post on Vanilla Joy and leave a comment! The winner gets to pick the matching beanies, one for Mom and one for your little one.

Add A Little Spice

2008-10-13T14:51:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine who started Babies Beautiful makes adorable baby clothes and accessories including flower clips. She put one of her clips on one of the Skullie beanies and posted some photos of her little one. Very cute. If you'd like a clip to go with your beanie (or to go with a headband) her Etsy shop has a great selection!

Matchy-Matchy

2008-10-08T12:35:00.000-07:00

I had a request to make a custom beanie to match this cute green winter coat. After a few trips to the yarn store I found just about the perfect match. Here is the coat/beanie combo.

What do you think?? It was fun to match the yarn and the striped design with the coat. The yarn is a tad bit lighter than the coat, but I was pretty excited at how closely they match each other. Maybe I'll have to start selling my beanies to OshKosh :) jk.

New Etsy Shop

2008-10-05T20:36:00.000-07:00

It's official. I've moved all my listings over to my new shop on Etsy. My username is Noggins Beanies and my shop is http://nogginsbeanies.etsy.com.

Due to popular demand I've added a few more adult styles. One I added is this Skullie one that my friend so graciously modeled. (thanks Erin!)

It's made with 100% merino wool yarn. The yarn is surprisingly comfortable and breathable. (Kept me warm and dry at my other half's first cyclocross race on Saturday.)

And the winner is...

2008-09-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

"Eric Miller"...

Surprised? Yeah, so was Eric.

Eric ran in the Hidden Peak Challenge yesterday. Basically you start at the parking lot of Snow Bird and run to the top of the tram. Penelope and I rode the tram up to see the finish. I knew Eric was close to the front, but neither of us realized that he got first in his age group (7th overall). When they announced it we sat there for a second in silence and then it was like, oh hey that's you.
Some of Eric's team from Backcountry ran as well. Eric, Jill, Ross and Greg - good job everyone!

Munchkins in Noggins

2008-09-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

I love good photographs. Beanies are so much cuter when wore by cute little toddlers. I've struggled with how to take and what photos to post in my Etsy shop. Today our friend, Spencer Buchanan, helped tremendously with that dilemma. We went to Gardner Village and he took some amazing photos. Here's a little preview.

(Be sure to click on this link for the whole album.)

Thanks Spencer and Kari for being nice enough to do the photos, I love them. Thanks Erin and Michelle for taking the time to come and to all the munchkins for posing in the pumpkins and hay!

Keep Spencer in mind if you need a great photographer- weddings, portraits, the whole nine yards.

My other half

2008-09-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

Eric was featured in Backcountry's newsletter in the employee gear closet section today. He did a write up of a few of his favorite pieces of trail running gear if anyone is interested. Kinda fun to see in my inbox.

Scrapbox Giveaway

2008-09-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

Vanilla Joy is giving away a really cool craft organizing cabinet from The Original Scrapbox. I really need this MiniBox with the new baby coming in January. I currently have my craft desk (a folding table) in our bedroom and am not sure where we'll put everything once the bassinet is in there with us also. I hope I win!

September Boutiques

2008-09-16T12:58:00.000-07:00

I just sent about 20 beanies to mjbaby to sell in her booth at some upcoming shows. The first one starts this weekend. It's the Oh Sweet Sadie art and gift show. The show is this Friday and Saturday in Draper and again next Friday and Saturday, Sept. 26th-27th, in South Jordan.

The second is the Holy Cow Boutique. It's going to be held September 24-26 in Pleasant Grove. This one has a lot of fun home decor items as well as baby items and goodies.

If you get a chance check them both out and try on some Noggins beanies! I'm excited and am hoping to get the ball rolling for the cool weather that's coming any day now.

Nie Nie in New York Times

2008-09-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

Nie Nie's story was in the New York Times the other day. It's amazing that with one small post on Design Mom so much money was raised to help Stephanie and Christian's recovery. I read that it's over $117,000 with all the auctions and donations from blog posts on Nie Nie Day. Pretty amazing.

For our little auction here, Jenny was the highest bidder for the Skullie Noggins. She'll be receiving a little treasure just like this one in the mail shortly.

Thanks everyone for your support!

Baby Wraps

2008-09-09T14:22:00.000-07:00

I'm looking for a baby wrap to use when the little one gets here. So far I've heard good things about the Moby Wrap. The price for this one is very affordable compared to the others I've seen. I want to be able to use it as a nursing cover as well. Any suggestions?

Noggins Photo Shoot

2008-09-07T22:57:00.000-07:00

Last week Shari, a photographer from lifenotlinear.com, ordered one of the skullie style beanies. She just me some pretty amazing pictures from her recent photo shoot with her adorable little niece.

I love getting customer pics! Thanks Shari!

Pink, Pink and More Pink

2008-09-04T11:32:00.001-07:00

Eric is going to have a lot more pink coming his way on or about January 30, 2009! We're having another girl! Yes, I am pregnant in case you didn't already know (it's kinda hard not to tell 'cause I'm all belly these days) I'm about 18 weeks along and to answer the question everyone asks, have you been sick? Yes, very. It's gotten better since about week 15 though. Up to which point I had actually lost weight...opps. The baby's fine though and I can finally eat yummy food again, hooray!

Eric's actually in California running in the Three Mountain Challenge near Palm Springs. It's an insane race where you run/hike three separate peaks. A total of 40 miles and I don't even know how much vert. I want to say something like 11,000 vertical feet, but that sounds like too much. I'm sure he'll be blogging it when he gets back on Friday night. Since he's gone I decided to come visit my parents, so here I am just hanging out and attempting to make a doll quilt for Penelope. Pictures will follow.