Tutorial Tuesday: Hip Mama Diaper Bag

I have decided that I am going to feature a tutorial on my blog every Tuesday. It may be a tutorial written by me or it may be one that I have discovered in my blog surfing. I will try to try them all out and let you know what, if any, changes I made when I used it.

The first tutorial I will feature is for the "Hip Mama Diaper Bag." I found this tutorial over at "A Mingled Yarn" when I was looking to buy a pattern to make a new diaper bag for myself. I was having a hard time finding a patten that wasn't your standard issue smallish rectangular bag with two side pockets for the bottles. (You know the type, I'm sure.) This tutorial offered everything I was looking for--and it was free. The bag is a good size. Not too big and not too small. I liked that it has a variety of pockets to keep my stuff and Little Peachy's stuff organized. (I not only use my diaper bag for baby stuff, but also as a purse.) 

Tutorial Rating-- (I will use a three point scale to rate the tutorial with three being excellent and one being poor)

Accuracy of Tutorial: 3

Written Directions: 3

Visual Directions: 3

Type of Tutorial: Sewing, Baby

Skill Level: Intermediate Sewer

I made several minor changes to the tutorial. I only put velcro on the side pockets, not the front. I added stroller clips and a key clip. I decided to use three fabrics rather than two. I also added some ribbon and ric-rac embellishments.

11 Months of Fun!

Little Peachy is now a big 11 month old! She is less of a baby and more of a toddler everyday. (However, she still lacks the one true toddler characteristic--toddling. I am more than okay with that, too.) For a while there, her big developments seemed to be at a stand-still while she honed what she had already learned. These past few weeks have changed that. While she has yet to crawl on hands and knees, she still gets around. She is quick and doesn't let much get in her way. (I love watching her little butt stick up in the air and her little feet kick, kick, kick as she gets up and over.) She had tuned into quite the talker. Today at the grocery store she was literally yelling. I had to keep telling her to be quite and whisper. (Yeah, that did a lot of good.) While she has been saying mama and dada for a while now, I wasn't sure if she was actually referring to us or just forming the sounds. Lately she has very clearly been saying "mom" in a fashion that does seem to refer to me. I am this close to declaring her first word to be mom, this close. And boy does this little girl come with a personality. She is constantly amusing me with silly little things that she does. She can get quite upset and stubborn about things that she wants, but what soon to be one-year-old isn't? She has been demonstrating an understanding and obedience for the word no as of late. (We'll see how long that lasts, huh?) While she has been sitting unassisted for months, she just recently began sitting up on her own. One of my favorite new tricks is that she has learned to clap. Seeing her little hands precisely come together is so much fun. (I have some video I will try to remember to post later of her clapping for cheesecake. Yup, she is my little girl.)

Mama and Dada love you, Little Peachy.

Foodie Friday: Cheese Burger Roll-Up

I keep thinking of the song "Cheeseburger In Paradise" as I write this. (You're welcome for getting the lyrics stuck in your head as well!!)

This recipe is adapted form a KraftFoods.com recipe. (Were you as sad as I was when they started charging for their magazine? I just won't pay for something that used to be free and is really one big ad. At least they don't charge for their website.)

Ingredients:

-pizza dough (I used my regular recipe.)

-1/2 pound ground sausage, cooked (We had this in the fridge and it needed to be used, otherwise I would have used ground beef.)

-1 c shredded cheese

-4 T dill pickle relish

-6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

-ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce for dipping

Directions:

1. Roll pizza dough into about an 8 x 12 inch rectangle.

2. Sprinkle with meat, cheese, and relish.

3. Roll dough and toppings into a loaf.

4. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes. (I covered mine about halfway through when the top was golden brown. That way the middle could continue cooking without burning the top.)

5. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Cut and serve with dipping sauces of your choice.

My Goober

In a few short days I will be turning 31. Not such a big deal. In a few short weeks, my baby will be turning ONE! Huge deal. I will be posting her 11 month post soon, but until then here are some pictures of my crazy, fun, lovable, sweetheart of a daughter.

Monagram Magnet Easter Gift

Did you scoop some of these monogram magnets up when they were at the Dollar Spot at Target? (You may remember that I have a little obsession with the Target Dollar Spot.)

(Gee, with the amount of times I reference Target in this blog you would think that I am getting paid to promote them. Well, I am not, but if any of the Target big-wigs are reading, a Target gift card would be a nice gesture!)

They were too cute to not put in my cart even though I didn't know exactly what I would do with them. Well, they made their way to my sisters as an Easter gift, but not before a little make over.

You would hardly recognize them, would you? I simply Mod Podged them with scrapbook paper. I chose the paper to coordinate with some notebook/paper sets to complete round out the gift.