Ruffled Christmas Stockings

I am so excited to tell you that I now have these lovely Ruffled Christmas Stocking available in my Etsy shop!

You can choose any color combination you want and can even have them personalized! Get yours here now before the Christmas rush!

Red Raspberry Leaf Tea During Pregnancy

I am already half way through this pregnancy. Hard to believe. This is by far the fastest pregnancy I have had, and I know the holidays are just going to make it go faster!

There are a few things I am doing differently this pregnancy. Even though I am only in my second trimester I am starting to prepare myself for labor. By that I mean I am studying and reading things on labor and natural birth like crazy. My first two labors were both hospital births were I was induced. Neither was that great of an experience, and recovery from each birth was extremely difficult! Because of my difficult recoveries, (I will spare you the gory details) I have searched for a better way for me.

God thankfully put a wonderful friend in my life who has had all three of her babies at home and speaks about labor and birth as such a beautiful thing. Hard work, but a wonderful thing. Her mentality was so refreshing to me. The idea of not being afraid of labor and understanding how and why your body works the way it does really peeked my interest in the whole idea of natural birth. She sent me the book "The Official Lamaze Guide Giving Birth With Confidence" by Judith Lothian and Charlotte DeVries. I began reading and studying and came to the conclusion that a natural birth is exactly what I wanted. So this little one will be born in a Birthing Center. I could not be more excited. Weird to say, I know. But I am!

During my research of Natural Birth I came upon a guest post by Bambi of In The Nursery Of The Nation on the benefits of Red Raspberry Leaf Tea in Pregnancy. I had read briefly about red raspberry leaf during my second pregnancy but did not really get a chance to really research it. Here is what I found...

BENEFITS:

Excerpt from The Bulk Herb Store about the benefits...

"Red Raspberry is the best single herb that we can take for total uterine health. There is a long list of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that the uterus needs to work efficiently. Red Raspberry Leaf has virtually all of them. The most popular use for Red Raspberry Leaf Tea is for mama and baby’s health throughout pregnancy. It provides your uterus with a nourishing source of vitamins and minerals that are vital for a healthy pregnancy. Red Raspberry is also an excellent source of an alkaloid called fragrine, which tones the muscles of the pelvic region, including the uterus itself. This really helps to lower and sometimes eliminate cramps from the menstrual cycle and also makes for an easier birth."

- less post-partum bleeding
-tones the uterus and can make for an easier birth
-can help reduce pain during labor
-contains vitamins and minerals...C,E,A,B, calcium and iron.
-can help stop/prevent false labor

Umm ya...did you catch all that...possible less post partum bleeding, possible easier birth. To me that is at least worth a try! If it works, then awesome! If not, I haven't lost anything.  

I purchased my Red Raspberry leaf from the Bulk Herb store and have already began to drink at least a cup a day.  When I am farther along I will increase how many cups I am drinking, till I am drinking 3-4 a day. Now keep in mind, this is something you do need to drink daily to reap the benefits. Drinking it a handful of times during pregnancy is still good for you, but you probably won't experience all of the benefits of the tea. My favorite way so far to drink it has been hot tea with a teaspoon of raw honey, and a squeeze of lemon. It really is so relaxing to sip on after a long day. You can drink it hot or cold, whatever your personal preference is. Now if you really hate tea, you can find this in a pill form as well.

Even if you are not pregnant drinking this as a tea is still very beneficial for any woman! It can help increase fertility in both women and men. It can also help with an irregular and heavy menstrual cycle. My sister who struggles with irregular and difficult cycles has decided to start drinking this tea for that very reason. It would be a wonderful alternative to using the pill to regulate a young girls menstrual cycle.

Still curious about Red Raspberry Leaf...check out these articles/blog posts...

Woman's Place- Benefits of Red Raspberry Leaf
Deep Roots At Home- Red Raspberry Leaf Tea for Women and Pregnancy
The Birthing Site- Benefits and Use of Red Raspberry Leaf
The Bulk Herb Store-Red Raspberry Leaf


I will definitely do a follow up in January after this little babe makes her appearance and let you know my personal experience with Red Raspberry Leaf. Have you ever tried it? I would love to hear your experience below in the comments section!

DIY Baby Project List...

I love DIY projects. There is something so special to me about handmade. I am 22 weeks pregnant and have been compiling a list of all of the diy projects that I want to complete before baby girl gets here. So here is the list...

For the Nursery...

Adorable Kite Bow Organizer. Get the tutorial at Ruffles and Stuff.

Headband Holder. Details on the how to at The Pink Palooza.

 

Love this Ombre Dresser. Details at Poppytalk. 

Scalloped Bunting, tutorial on Made.

Rag Rug, find the no sew how to on...Craftaholics Anonymous.

Crib Sheet, tutorial and measurements from Made.

Ruffled Crib Skirt, details on EmmyLizzzy.

For baby girl...

Circle Skirts, free pattern and tutorial found on Made.

Dying baby onesies to get the exact colors you want! Tutorial on Made.

Felt Flower Headbands. Tutorial from Shad and Lizzie.

 

 Love these baby shoes! Free pattern and tutorial from Fleeting Thing. 

Not shown here that is on my list: curtains, crib mobile, art work, lamp redo, foot rest/floor poof, felt ball flowers, embellished burp cloths, nursing cover, car seat canopy, and a dress...or five.


So...yah...I have quite the list. And only 17 weeks left. Time to get busy!

AM I BEAUTIFUL ENOUGH?

While perusing facebook today,  I stumbled upon my little sisters post sharing that she had started a blog to document her weight loss journey. I knew that she had been working hard to be healthy and had recently lost weight...but when I clicked on the link to read it,  I had no idea what she had actually went through to get where she is now.

This is Andrea. She is a senior in high school. She is such a gorgeous girl inside and out! She has an amazing heart for missions and serving God. She is so bright, kind, and full of life!

 But her story made my heart ache. I had no idea what she went through. I wanted to share her story here because I don't think we truly realize how much the young girls in our lives are suffering. How little in value they feel. How much they actually hate themselves. We know the pressure society puts on them to be beautiful and skinny, but do we realize the actual toll it takes on them? What it truly costs them? I thought I did, but I honestly had no idea!

Here is a quick snippet of Andrea's blog

"Jr. high was finally here! I was terrified that summer but my mom thought she would do something nice that might pep me up and took me shopping for school clothes. I remember this day so perfectly because I shopping had never made me cry my eyes out till this day. My mom took me and Miranda into American Eagle to get us some “Teenage girl” jeans. Miranda found the perfect pair for her that made her look great and feel so happy! While I was pulling, tugging, and trying to wiggle my way into the same size as her in the dressing room next to her. I didn’t come out for a very long time, I sat there and cried my eyes out. Finally my mom came in after beginning to worry. She gave me a big hug and told me it was going to be okay. After that day I swore I would work so hard to become skinny and beautiful like the rest of the girls. And that was my problem. I was loosing weight to be beautiful. To be wanted. To be “sexy”. And when it didn’t it only reassured the thought that i wasn’t beautiful and that no one would ever want me. As Jr. high began I returned to my Homeschool co-op where i had grown up with most of my friends there. I had the biggest crush on my best guy friend. We’d know each other since we were 5 and suddenly he was tall and cute and not the goofball older brother I had always seen him as. But there was no way I would ever get him. Every girl in school liked him. That year was one of the hardest. I lost friends to other girls that didn’t like me. Gossiping became a new thing for girls in my grade and back stabbing happened at every turn. To make matters worse my church and family life was pretty awful. My friends at church were pulling me into the wrong stuff and I was openly letting them. My oldest, Lorissa, had gone off to college and was getting married soon and my second oldest sister, Erica, was getting ready to leave for college. I didn’t know who to turn to during all this. I couldn’t go to my mom because that would admit I wasn’t strong enough to handle myself. And all my other sister’s were strong, so I better keep quiet that way I’m not a disappointment. So my self worth was at level zero and never once did I think to call out to God for help because I thought he was the one who cursed me with this body and ugliness so he wouldn’t help me. No just keep quite and don’t be a problem is what i always told myself. "

Jump on over to The Atlas of Andy and check out her full story. I truly believe it is one we all need to read. Then take a good look at the young women, and even women our age in our lives to see if they are suffering.

"No Poo" during Pregnancy: Hair Update

Hi there friends! It is good to be back after a bit of an impromptu break. Life has been super busy here at our home. We are settling in nicely though, and excited to get to work and see what God has in store for us here in Houston.

Today I am going to give a you an update on how my "No Poo" method of washing my hair is going while experiencing all the wonderful hormonal changes that pregnancy brings. If you are unfamiliar with what the "No Poo" method is check out my 30 Day No Poo Challenge and try it for yourself! It has been one of the easiest and best changes I have made in my beauty routine.

When I first started research the No Poo method I read about one blogger who had a rough time using this method during her pregnancy due to the hormonal changes you go through. Since starting this method my hair has changed for the better drastically! I beyond love the results I have had. So I was a bit nervous about what would happen to my new found and extremely loved method now that I was baking a new little one.

Thankfully during my first whole half of pregnancy I did not notice any difference at all. No Poo was still working wonders for my hair. It didn't appear as though hormones were causing any changes whatsoever! Woohoo! I am not sure if I was just lucky with this or what, but I wasn't going to complain.

I have however, recently experienced some problems. I can't quite figure out if they are hormone related or related to the fact that we moved and the water here is different. My hair has felt a bit more grimy/straw like, and it has also been extremely static. It is kind of hard to explain the texture, but it definitely is not experience I was having before.

I started doing some research to figure out what in the world was going on with my hair. After some reading the problem could be with our water being too hard. I read that if you have a problem with hard water to first boil the water that you are going to mix with your baking soda. You can rinse with regular water but boil the water that is going into your baking soda container. So that is what I am currently trying. I haven't noticed a huge difference though, so I am leaning toward this may be related to pregnancy.

If you are experiencing any weird problems with using the No Poo method The Pistachio Project gives a great troubleshooting list with possible problems and answers. As I was reading through her list I noticed that the mousse I have been using in my hair may not be completely washed out using my no poo method. However, I have been using this same mousse the whole time so it wouldn't make sense to have a problem with it now. But I figured it is worth a try to cut it out of my routine.

So right now I am doing some experimenting. I am going to go for a while with out using any product in my hair and simply washing with my baking soda/ apple cider vinegar mixture. I may end up having to temporarily find a natural shampoo alternative until after this babe is born. I tell you all of this to say...we all go through different seasons in our lives. What works for us at one time may have to be tweaked or adjusted later. That is okay! If you are experiencing some difficulty with the No Poo method check out the troubleshooting list I posted above. She gives lots of different problems and solutions. Hopefully after this pregnancy my hair will stop going crazy so I can return to my beloved No Poo Method.

And any suggestions on a good natural shampoo that I could use in the mean time would be greatly appreciated! 

20 Weeks Pregnancy Update

I cannot believe that this pregnancy is already half over! This post is just a tad late since I turned 20 weeks this past Sunday. But better late than never.

My belly is much smaller this time around. I think I am carrying her farther back instead of all out front like I did with the boys. I'm sure it will catch up to me soon though. Some days I feel like I look huge, and other days I hardly feel pregnant at all.

20 Weeks down...20 to go! 

Later this week I am going to be sharing how my hair is doing with the "No Poo" method while going though all of the lovely hormonal changes that pregnancy brings!

The Green Crayon Etsy Store Sale!!!

All this week you can get 30% off anything your heart desires from my Etsy shop The Green Crayon! Just use the coupon code BACKTOSCHOOL at check out to receive your discount!

Here are some of kinds of items I have for sale right now in my shop....

My Garden Touch and Feel Book!

Bows for Little Girls!

Embellished Burp Cloth sets!

One of a kind Embroidery Hoop Art!

Children's Play Mats!

Stop by The Green Crayon and see the rest of what I make and sell!

Yay! Pink for me!

We had a gender confirmation ultrasound done the other day....and our little girl...is in fact a little girl! I can't believe it! I completely expected to walk in there and be told, just like with our second son, that 'oh it is a boy, not a girl'.

But here SHE is...Charlotte!

I have finally allowed myself to buy some pink girly things. It almost feels weird to even be looking in the girl section, let alone actually buying things!

I have already started thinking about what I want to do for her nursery. I have been Pinning like crazy! Here are a few of my favorite nurseries and decorations...

I love the colors in this nursery from Me and Wee! I especially love the embellished lamp shades!

The mix of fabrics and patterns in this nursery from On To Baby is absolutely fantastic!

The vintage touches and colors in this nursery from On To Baby are so precious!

Here is where I got the color inspiration for Charlotte's nursery: Mint Green, Aqua, Coral, and Sunflower Yellow. The style of nursery isn't exactly me, but the colors are beautiful! Nursery from Project Nursery.

I am so excited to actually start decorating! I will definitely post pictures as I finish different projects for her nursery.

Check out my Pinterest board Charlotte to see more of the DIY inspiration and goodness I have pinned for this little girl!