DIY Dino Dig

Saving this for later. I'll be making these for Hazel's birthday party on Saturday.

http://millionmoments.net/0201/03/diy-dino-dig-for-kids.html

Neck Strap DIY

So, neckstrap DIY time. I roached Gwyn's mane and needed something to hang onto in moments of super fast acceleration. This was my solution.  Material: Nylon webbing and a buckle.

I chose bright lime green because I'm in the Green Bean Endurance group and I wanted some way to identify myself. Once Gwyn's mane is longer I'll just braid in green ribbon. 

First, secure the strap on the non adjustable side. Some buckles are adjustable on both sides. I opted for one side fixed.

Square and cross with a straight stitch.

Add pyrotechnics to seal the edge of the nylon so it won't fray.

Thread the adjustable side and seal the edge again with fire/heat.

Test it.

Approval! With extra length just in case.

Bonus: I made two more belts! These are for sale and will fit a larger waist size rider.  There is a black with gold geometric ribbon and a navy with teal ribbon.

It was sunny and warm today so I removed Gwyn's blanket.

We had kisses and cuddle time

*SMOOSH*

"I nom your phone, Mom"

Then I got itches in return for scratching her.

Equestrian Surcingle Belt

I follow a horse blog called DIY Horse Ownership.  It's pretty much in line with my thoughts on horse ownership, and I do love to DIY something if it means it'll be cheaper. I also feel like I own the end result more, take pride in it.

In December, they posted a link on how to make your own Surcingle Belt! Now their thought process was mostly driven by cost. Mine is driven by 'what is available in my size'? Belts for riding are NOT one of them. To that end, this DIY project was right up my alley.

I finally made a trip to Joann Fabrics (before I got sick on Saturday, it really came out of nowhere) and got some supplies. Because really, this looks like an amazing project and if I can sell some... well, that's even better! I could even market to the plus size rider group. 

Tonight I finally felt well enough and had kid free time to sit down and make one.  When I got the cotton belting, one of the pieces was less than a yard. Not great for an adult size belt, but perfect for Kaylee. I also found some clearance ribbon with Frozen characters which Kaylee immediately took a liking toward. So my first attempt won't be for sale, but will be for Kaylee!

While I do a basic DIY, I recommend heading to the blog link above. Their instructions are fantastic.

My short piece of belting and the clearance ribbon.

First, measure out your ribbon so it's 6 in longer than your belting. Pin the ribbon to the belting.

Sew the ribbon to the belting

Attach all the buckles and badaboom, you're done! (LOL, told you to go to the other blog)

I think Kaylee will be thrilled.  

This belt has a waist size range of 20-32 in so perfect for kids and highly adjustable. Total cost, not including thread, needles and pins is $11.14. It took me less than an hour to make, my very first time. I consider myself an advanced beginner sewer, fwiw.

Riding Skirt: Prototype 1

So I've made my awesome quarter sheet (that I have a few additions still left to do, namely a tail cord and maybe some weights so it actually stays centered on Gwyn's butt) and with temperatures now in the single and negative digits, I decided I can't put this off a year and need to get moving on making a riding skirt.

I've seen one website linked a couple times from different horse friends of these awesome riding skirts made by a woman owned business in Alaska. These things look spectacular and there are a couple different kinds for all sorts of weather. There's one made out of what appears to be a sleeping bag or heavy duty winter coat material, a wool one, a duck canvas one and a lighter one for rain.

I really want all of them. But my bank account says NONE.  They are seriously so expensive. But I do already have a sewing machine and a serger. And JoAnn's has fleece for 50% off like every day (just mark it down to that price, silly capitalists!)

I figured I could make a working muslin of a riding skirt with cheap fleece and once I perfected the pattern, go and snag some decent winter jacket material from Seattle Fabrics so I have a REALLY warm one!

Image Heavy Below this link! 

Year in Review

I haven't posted since the end of September. Damn.

Anyway, onward to a quick monthly recap because I can.

January
We made the most progress we'd make all year with our aquaponics project by acquiring cinderblocks and the pickle barrels.
I had lots of little rides on Gwyn despite doctors orders but felt MUCH better because of it all.
I got the nursery painted and Kaylee helped.

February
I had a very against doctors orders trail ride and felt spectacular
I tried to make Hazel a blanket and didn't get very far
We got a harness for skijoring and introduction for Gwyn pulling something behind her went... off the rails so to speak and Kaylee got upset that I broke her sled.
We started the process of putting in tile where we had hardwood!

March
I made a trip to Ikea all by myself while hugely pregnant and it was awesome
I got norovirus and dropped a ton of weight
I made monthly horse goals that I largely met!
We made good progress with the floors
We toured the hospital where I'd be giving birth.

April
We finished the floors and they still look fantastic.
I ended up in the ER again with breathing issues. No more clots but we finally figured out why I had a 4 month long cough (reflux)
Hazel finally flips head down and my huge worries about labor ease up
I anxiously wait through many bouts of false labor before finally being induced
Hazel is born!

May
I spent most of this month snuggling new baby
I also rode for the first time post baby

June
We did a test run of the water circulation for aquaponics
I had more baby snuggles
We enjoyed the start of summer and Hazel was a portable potato
I set up the electric fence tape so Gwyn and Saffron could assist in lawn mowing, much to Eric's delight

July
I find time to ride where I can with the assistance of baby monitors and long naps
We acquire an ATV and a small trailer to assist with farm chores
Gwyn learns to hi-tie
Kaylee turns 4
We visit a cool fossil park in Canada
I get a paid writing gig!

August
I start ramping up prep for endurance rides
Gwyn and I do the intro ride at the Metropark Express and easily meet our goals
I finally find a riding safety vest that fits me!
I get an interview for a microbiology job and get the job!

September
I start the new job and LOVE it, even if Hazel refusing to eat from a bottle is stressful
We explore the back roads and I find beautiful horse and hunt country finally
My posting starts to significantly drop off since I'm not at home

October
Busy horse month!
I compete in the Hunter Trials
I meet my friend Heather on my birthday for a Hunt Pace (which I never posted pictures of!)
I compete the 30 mile LD at Oak Leaf Run and camp with Gwyn solo for the first time!
Kaylee went trick or treating with her Aunt while I hung out around a fire with Hazel. Very pleasant

November
Not much going on. I rode maybe once.
Dealt with family drama over who was hosting Thanksgiving. Had a good holiday in the end

December
Decorated for Christmas and dealt with the arrival of the deep cold
Rode once, on New Years Eve
Family came to visit for Christmas, which was really awesome, my brother got to meet Hazel
Hazel starts crawling and cruising (walking around while hanging onto stuff)
Eric got a new car (Chevy Volt) and I'm using his old one (Sonic) so that my commute cost in gas can be reduced and so that I don't go over miles for the lease of the truck


So there you have it! You get a quick run down of the stuff I didn't blog about because I just didn't have time. We had a rough go of bedtime for a while so I couldn't escape Hazel and sit on the computer uninterrupted. And I just don't like blogging on my phone or tablet, which is what I'm using when I'm nursing Hazel.

Happy First day of Spring!

I celebrated by finishing the essentials for the nursery!!!

4 +/- 2 weeks to go until Hazel arrives!

Cat repellent...

Already effective!

More future potential stuff... but will I follow through?

Sometimes I feel like I talk a lot about things I could do without ever truly following through, especially in regards to going back to school or doing something in regards to a career.  This is another one of those posts.

Eric and I have been looking into Aquaponics as a way to be more self sufficient. We love the idea of growing our own food, because we like knowing where things come from, and the more we can do in that regard on a small scale, the better.

In regards to aquaponics, we'd be trying to set up a small, closed system at first. Because of Michigan winters we'd likely keep this all indoors to better control temperature and light.  An aquaponics system is a hybrid of a hydroponics system and an aquaculture system. A merger of the two, it uses the wastewater from fish to fertilize plants. The plants in turn filter the water that then return to the fish.

Our system will be a recirculating system, so the water is contained and doesn't go back into the environment. At first we'll just be using goldfish so we can get the hang of growing the plants, and cycling the water appropriately. Once that's stable, we'll replace the goldfish with Tilapia!

And then we'll have fresh fish grown in our own basement. We could potentially sell the extra fish, since Tilapia breed ridiculously quickly and grow to maturity pretty fast as well. And we'll have fresh veggies through the year.

I hope it gets off the ground. I hope we find an interest in the community for purchasing the fish in order to turn this into a business. Firefly Ranch could incorporate as an aquaculture farm!

We're off to visit my parents tomorrow, so this won't be realized until the new year, but it is something that Eric wants to do. I think he was inspired by a small hydroponics aquarium I got from a kickstarter.

The start of a nursery!

I've had this idea in my head for nursery loooong before we ever got pregnant. I wanted it to be a space theme. When my mom was in DC and visiting the National Air and Space museum, she got me a few items that we could use in the room, namely an Astronaut Crossing sign and Shuttle Crossing (along with the astronaut outfits we used in our announcement).

Today, I went to Home Depot to pick up paint samples. I nailed it. First try.  The plan was to have one wall be a deep blue and put stars on it. While there I found a deep deep purple, that looked almost blue. Then I looked at grays.

They had a 'lunar surface' gray. I put the rest of the gray chips back. It was fate, I knew it.

I picked up some whites tinged with purple, red and yellow to be my stars. You can barely see the color in these whites unless it's a large surface area.

It's since been organized a bit more than this to prep for painting the inner wall to the left in this photo.  All the furniture is what we used with Kaylee.

My phone does not show the true colors. The dark color is the deep purple-blue. The upper gray is lunar surface and on top of that is a very very pale pink. I wanted to maybe do wide stripes on the other walls but after testing determined it would be too busy for such a small room.

I got the paint home and immediately had to get it on the wall to test. The purple scared me going on. I almost thought I had made a mistake. But I got it on thick and walked away to let it dry. I also did some in the corner and got the gray right up next to it. The gray also scared me. It looked almost yellow/brown.

But I walked away. Because you can't judge a paint in its wet state.

And when I came back, after everything was dry, it was EXACTLY what I wanted it to be. I'm going back tomorrow to get bigger cans. and get to work. I am SO stoked. I nailed it. I didn't even consider alternate colors in my samples and I won't need to keep sampling.

Yes yes yes yes yes yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Big sister and little sister!

We had our gender reveal party yesterday since my Mom was in town for her consulting job. I don't expect to get a baby shower but I did want to celebrate in some small way that I could organize, so gender reveal it was!  I provided all food and onesies and fabric paint to decorate, the same as I'd done for my friend Cheryl's baby shower a year ago.  Plus, for this baby we have family and friends who care about kids, unlike last time, lol, so it was nice to have a party. It was a small get together, my mom, mother in law and her husband (step father in law), sister in law and her husband and our friends with their two kids. 

My awesome cake that I ordered from a local bakery. It was only $20 and was absolutely delicious!!

Strawberry flavor for the pink!  Everyone's reaction when I lifted the slice out was just perfect! 

Decorating onesies!

Drying and 'curing'

And now individual photos of each, some have a front/back. It's such a great activity and you get some really personal touches from friends and family!

My supplies included a spray fabric paint, thick fabric markers and narrow point fabric markers and various stencils.  I had a plastic lined tablecloth to protect my table and cardboard to slide between the shirts so the paint wouldn't bleed through.

One of mine, done with the spray type paint and a stencil

Top is front, bottom is back. Made by my mom friend that I met through a reddit group when we were both pregnant with our first kids at the same time.  The paper airplane is the group's logo.

Another I made that I'm not happy with. I should have verified a good flesh tone....

Made by my friend's three year old. I love it!

Top is front, bottom is back. Husband made this one. He was aiming for geekier but couldn't condense the message, lol

My final one. It says WILD at the top

Sister in law made this one. She did an excellent job with the stenciling!

I think Kaylee made this one with help from Nana

This I know that Kaylee made with assistance from me and Nana to work the spray. She chose the colors and the stencil.

Step father in law made this one.

Top is front, bottom is back. My mom (Nana) made this one. She knows kids. LOLOLOLOL. We will forever do double takes when Babydos wears this onesie because of diaper blowouts. She nailed the color.

Sister in law's husband did this, but I did the lettering at his request.

Mother in law (Grandma) made this one. She runs. I like the idea she used with the starfish!

Top is front, bottom is back

Sister in law also did this one. She's a big MSU fan and alumna

I loved how we were able to introduce Babydos, Hazel Ophelia, to our family this way. It was a low key, low stress, no obligation kind of party for a second kid. I stressed that no one needed to bring anything in the invitation.

We had polled family at Thanksgiving to get their prediction and Boy was the majority winner for guesses (from myself and Eric too!) Our clothing choices for the party were under intense scrutiny, and the fact that even my hair elastics were both blue and pink was a cause of great distress, much to my amusement.