best unwrapped

The Hunter's

2010-10-15T10:31:00.000-03:00

Weird, that my best friend is going to have my last name...and I don't even have it anymore!!! Congrats Fin and Lish!!

photo by my very talented little sister!! http://www.emilyhunterphotography.blogspot.com/

Let the Sewing Begin

2010-10-13T16:28:00.001-03:00

Since the spring, my sister, Gemma, and I have been wanting to start up our own sewing business. Both of us made tons of stuff (blankets, onesies, t-shirts, hats, booties, nursing covers, slings, etc) when our babes were born, so we thought we'd try our hand at selling stuff. The only problem is, we haven't been able to find something that is cheap and quick to make, but can still make money from. We started out making little taggie blankets, each uniquely embroidered, with a crinkly stuffing. However, we just found them too time consuming, so now we're trying to think of other alternatives.

After I made the hat for Elijah's birthday, I thought maybe that could be an option. It was cheap and really easy to make. Plus, it could be custom made, with crocheted flowers or buttons added for girls, and applique's added for boys. I'm excited to say that Irene the designer has given us permission to use her pattern for what she calls an 'Eddie cap' to sell. Yay...I'm really excited. Now I just have to head to Fabricville for some pretty tweeds and wools!!!!

Please note, we are still selling the taggie blankets that have already been made. They are the perfect toy for little babies as they love to play with the crinkle and the taggies. They are about 7"x7", one side is fleece with a unique embroidered pattern, the other is a satin. Inside is a layer of stuffing and a crinkle. Each is surrounded by ribbon tags. If you'd like more information, please let me know and I'll get back to you. Also, if you're interested in a custom made hat for your little guy or girl, please send me a message!

Indulging!

2010-10-12T16:02:00.000-03:00

Should never have given him chocolate cake with chocolate icing...he's been the fussiest eater ever since!

Parties, Jobs and Creativity

2010-09-30T20:42:00.002-03:00

Ok...so I've already failed on many of my year-end resolutions. I do have a good excuse though: It's been a crazy week, in good things and in bad (or maybe I should just say 'crappy').

First off, Elijah turned one!!! I can't believe how fast this year has flown by. In some ways I can't believe he's been alive for 365 days, but in other ways I can't (and don't want to) remember life without him!! I love him soooo much, he's the cutest thing ever and makes me laugh constantly!! We had a big party (more pics to follow), with his Grammy from Ohio coming for a visit. So, it's been busy, and I have had so little time to myself! But, I love my little guy, I love parties, and I love family, so I don't care!!

The bad side: I have to get a job. I know, it sucks sucks sucks, but I need to, so I've been busy searching the jobbank and writing a resume and cover letters. I'm just praying God will have mercy on me and give me a fantastic, perfect job that I love!! I don't like change, so this is a huge, painful step for me. I'm trying to embrace it and think of the good things...hum??!!

Anyway, I was super crafty last week for E's party. Here's a couple of my creations!!

My mum always made really fun, creative cakes when I was growing up, so I've always been excited to do the same for my kids. I was really happy about how it turned out, especially for my first 'fancy' cake!!

I found the instructions for this hat online, and it fits Elijah perfectly!!

Remainder of 2011

2010-09-17T11:58:00.000-03:00

Okay, so it's been AGES since I've blogged!!
Summer is always hectic....but soooo much fun!
I'm looking forward to getting into more of a disciplined schedule in the next few weeks. Here are some goals that I'd like to see come about throughout the end of 2010:

1.cooking from scratch, and even making one meal a week vegetarian!! I made a really yummy veggie curry a couple of weeks ago, which my hubby actually loved!

2. Run 3 times a week! Hopefully the weather doesn't get bad too soon! Thanks to some amazing family friends, I now have the greatest jogging stroller!

3. Use my creativity at least once a week. In the form of painting, drawing, sewing, etc. I love to do this stuff, but always seem to run out of time...now it's time to make time!

4. Call one long-distance friend each week, and write my Granny and Poppi in Scotland and England at least once a month!

5. Blog once a week...Hopefully!

A Plethora of Carriers

2010-05-28T21:01:00.000-03:00

I own five baby carriers...yep, that's 5!!!

Let me start by saying that I never actually bought any of them.

Two were gifts, one was FREE, and two were made (so, I guess they were bought, but for a VERY small fraction of the cost of the pre-made editions)!!!

1. In the beginning was the baby bjorn. This was on my gift registry at babies-r-us because I heard that they were great. However, after walking for an hour carrying a new-born I found that it's lack of waist straps put a lot of strain on the shoulders. Thus, on our 18km hike to North River Falls when Elijah was a month old, both Matt and I had a lot of recovering to do:

Matt from carrying a baby
Me from pushing out a baby only four weeks prior (enough said)!!

Elijah looks sooooo tiny!!

2. Ahhhh, the sling. I made this one, and am quite pleased with how it turned out!!! It is GREAT for short trips to the farmers market...

thanks to my talented li'l sis for the photo

http://www.emilyhunterphotography.blogspot.com/

I think it is quite the 'granola' accessory!!

...but BAD for long walks along Prospect Bay!!

thanks Heather for the photo:

http://www.heatheranncrosby.blogspot.com/

3. Next is my cheap cheap cheap DIY moby wrap. This is simply 5 metres of stretchy material, but I definitely think Mr (or Mrs) Moby was very creative with the tying. I love this wrap, and wear it tons. Only thing is, it takes up a lot of space, plus I can see it getting pretty hot carrying a baby on a warm summer day!!

love this photo, also by my little sis!!!

4. The newest addition to my collection is my wrap and tie (similar to a mei tai) by infantino. This was FREE FREE FREE!! I had the infantino sling rider (a gift, which I never used cuz it wasn't cool enough for me, and I had just found a buyer for it on e-bay) which was recalled a few months back because it caused some babies to suffocate (thank goodness I never used it...guess I can't sell it on e-bay). So, this is my replacement. I took if for a test run yesterday...an hours walk with a 20 lb baby. I was surprised to find (unlike some of my other carriers) that I didn't need chiropractic work after. It passed the test...plus, it takes up less room in my suitcase and is esthetically pleasing. I think I'll be taking it with me to Ohio next week!!

5. And finally, for Christmas my mum and dad bought us this contraption...

It is my favourite...for the soul reason that I don't have to carry him!!

Sleepless...

2010-05-23T01:26:00.000-03:00

I love Earl Grey Tea Lattes from Starbucks.

I don't love them too close to bedtime.

I've been lying here for three hours and still can't sleep.

I'm so bored.

What do you do when you can't sleep?

He Couldn't Breathe

2010-05-17T22:13:00.000-03:00

Ever since he was born Elijah has gone around with his mouth open and drool pouring out...kinda gross, but you get used to it!!

Well, some of us do...Auntie Gemma still cringes!!

Well, In a previous post I mentioned that we got Elijah a humidifier for his room (which is really the living room that we've rearranged so a crib can fit in the corner...man, we need a bigger house)!

I have noticed that he has his mouth closed all the time now!!

Turns out the poor little fella couldn't breathe...what a mean mummy I am!!

Life must be so much easier for him!!

Will He Travel Well?

2010-05-17T19:25:00.000-03:00

I'm a little nervous about flying with Elijah!

Ever since he was two months old, he's fallen asleep in his own bed. He doesn't cuddle. He doesn't like being rocked. So, how does that work on an airplane?

Maybe I'll just fill him up with gravol!!

I'll definitely be bringing lots of cheerios, that always keeps him occupied!!

Any tips on flying with an eight month old??

Summer Holiday

2010-05-14T21:18:00.000-03:00

In three weeks we are flying to Ohio, and then driving to Charleston, South Carolina with Matt's mom and sister to spend a week on the beach.

I didn't know what Charleston was like until I watched the movie 'Dear John.' It's set there, and it's nice!! I love the beach!! I'm so excited!!

However, I don't think it's going to be quite the idyllic beach vacation I'm picturing. I took Elijah out for a picnic a few times in the last month, it wasn't quite as relaxing as I was hoping...Elijah tries to eat everything he's not allowed. I'm sure sand will be included in that!!! It's a good thing he has a grammy and aunt coming with us!!

I'm really excited for tons of things on this vacation...one being, putting Elijah in these super cute little boardies from his little friend Abbie in Swaziland (whom he only met in-utero, but I'm pretty sure if they lived closer they'd be best buddies)!!

Yesterday, someone said to me that Elijah is going to look so cute with blonde hair and a tan. The blonde hair...yes, the tan...I'm not sure. Afterall, this is what I'm taking to the beach...

and this...

this is not yet bought, but he needs a hat, and this one is awfully darn cute!!

...all of which are SPF 40 or higher...I'm pretty sure Elijah and tan will not be friends this summer!! However, hopefully Elijah and burn will also not be friends!!

Finally...Elijah and I went for our daily walk today...here's a cute pic of him...

Recovering...

2010-05-12T15:46:00.000-03:00

This week has been rough.

The previous post pretty much sums up what the whole week was like. Elijah just didn't want to sleep.

At first I thought it was more teeth, so tried the whole tylenol thing...he still woke up.

I thought he was having night terrors, cuz he would wake up in a full out scream and keep screaming and arching his back even after we picked him up. He would only settle down once the lights were on and he had familiarized himself with his settings.

So, I bought him a night light hoping it would work...nope, that night was our worst night ever!!!

Last night we were at our Tuesday Night Group and Elijah fell asleep really easily in a room with a whirring humidifier. So, we stopped by Shoppers Drug Mart on the way home and bought a cheapo one.

He slept 12 hours!!! Ahhhhh!!!

Plus, he is currently on his third nap of the day (something he also decided to omit)!!

Mumma's feeling much better!! Thanks to everyone's prayers!!

Mummy's, what do I do???

2010-05-04T20:48:00.001-03:00

My little man is 'hands down' the cutest little fella ever created!! God was at a prime while he was being formed!! When it says in Ephesians 2:10, "we are God's masterpiece," I'm pretty sure He was thinking about Elijah!!

However, I think we just had the worst day in all seven months of his little life!!

I fed him last night at 9pm...WAY later than usual.
He's usually in bed at 7pm and sleeps through until 7am.
Then, he woke at 3am, and I had to feed him.
He woke for the day at 6am...raring to go!!!
Not a big deal, I kinda like getting up early!
He then had a nap from 9-10:30am...about half an hour shorter than usual.
Also, not a big deal!
However, he decided that sleep wasn't on his agenda for the rest of the day.
He was awake and SUPER crabby until 4pm, and then he only napped until 4:45pm...ahhh!!
I tried to put him to sleep like 15 times and he just kept screaming.
Usually, he has three 1.5-2 hour naps each day.
He wasn't happy when awake...He cried whenever I was more than a foot away from him.

The end result: a very tired and frustrated mummy!!

But, he's still so darn cute, and I can't be frustrated when he gives me one of his big smirks!!

He's started to smile with his nose all wrinkled...it's super cute.

Plus, I think the seventh month is 'milestone month:' he crawled (started as an army crawl, but now can move a few steps properly, before he gets frustrated and goes back to army-style), he got two teeth, he says dadadadada (still waiting for mamamama).

Why Do I Still Fly?

2010-05-03T15:22:00.000-03:00

Warning: Do not read if you already hate flying!!!

Today Matt and I were thinking of all the horrible instances we've had while flying. I thought I'd share them with you:

1. On my way home from India in 2006, I had a layover in Paris, France. After boarding the plane, we sat on the runway for 3 hours because there were problems with the septic system. The plane never did take off, I stood in line for 5 hours to reschedule my flight, and spent the night in the airport hotel (no, I did not see Paris). Moral of the Story: if you have to take a big dump, do it in the airport bathrooms, not the airplane!

2. The day after I spent the night in France, I flew from Atlanta to Halifax. My connection was in Detroit, and the flight attendent told me that I wouldn't make my connecting flight, so I just stood in line to get a new flight. Once I got up to the desk, the exact same woman told me I would have made my flight if I had just ran. My bags made it, and I didn't. I then proceeded to spend the night in Detroit. Man, was I ever glad to get home the next day!

3. During our honeymoon in Colorado, there was a huge snowstorm on the east coast. When we got to the airport only to discover that all the flights had been cancelled. We spent two extra days in Denver, and many many many hours at the airport. They then re-routed us through Toronto and we spent the night there too. It turns out, if it's weather related, the airline doesn't pay for your hotels...kinda crappy since we'd just spent all our money on a wedding!!

4. After leading a team to India in the summer of 2008, we saved a bunch of money to take a week-long trip to Thailand. Apparently the only people who fly from India to Thailand are men, and they all get super drunk on the flight. The only drinks we were offered were whisky and beer...we were offered these three times before they even brought the food. Thank goodness it was only 4 hours long.

5. In May 2009, while I was 6 months preggers, we flew from Scotland to Toronto. When we arrived in the Glasgow airport we were informed that the flight had been over-booked and we were involuntarily chosen to miss the flight. Crappy thing was, Matt's mom was meeting us in Toronto, and had booked a really nice hotel for us to stay at. Instead, we were re-routed through London, stayed the night there, and got a flight to Toronto the next morning. I played the pregnancy card and everything...didn't work!! The positive thing about this flight was that we were compensated quite nicely for the inconvenience!!

6. When Matt flew to Swaziland this past March, he was bumped off a flight to Washington and was re-routed through Toronto...not a big deal, as he still made his international flight. However, for the inconvenience he received a free ticket. The woman at the desk told him it could be used anywhere in Canada and the US. So, when Matt's mom offered to pay for one ticket for us to go to Ohio in June, we jumped at the offer as we had the other ticket free (who doesn't want a free vacation)!! We proceeded to book my ticket and get Matt's free one processed. It turns out they denied Matt's free ticket saying it is only valid within the US...ughhh...why would we want a free ticket within the US when we live in Canada, yes CANADA!!! This just happened recently, so I'm still a little bitter!!

I know, Airlines, don't like us. Maybe it runs in the family...my dad has had two airlines go bankrupt on him while he had tickets booked!!

Chuckle of the Day!!

2010-05-03T14:37:00.000-03:00

The only thing I had on my to-do list today was make a sun hat for Elijah. Matt cleaned out his shirt drawer this weekend, and one of the shirts he was chucking was made from a thin UV material. So, I thought I'd try my hand at making a hat, since (as mentioned in the previous post) Matt thinks the one he has is a little femanine (sorry Jo, I think you gave it to us...I like it, so take it up with Matt).

Well, it appears that:

A. I'll be buying a hat for Elijah this summer

B. I can't use a tape measure

C. Elijah's either changing religious beliefs or joining the army!!

P.S...sorry about the crappy lighting on my picture. I'm working on getting a better editing program, and also a better house with better lighting!!!

Trial Period

2010-05-01T13:58:00.002-03:00

I've attempted blogging twice in the past ten years.

Both blogs were started prior to heading to Africa or India on some sort of adventure. Yep, I had tons to share about, but no time to do it, and no Internet connection. What makes me think that this time I'll succeed??? Not sure, but I'm ready to try!!

Since becoming a mummy in 2009, I've realized that in order to not fall into depression or loneliness living in a dark basement, in the country, with no car, I need to 'seize every moment' (I know, such an overused cliche, but a good one). For the past few months: I've started to be creative again (the first since high school). I forgot how much I love drawing, sewing, knitting, etc... I've also got into a regular workout routine. I highly recommend P90X for those mums (or anyone really) who want a high energy workout while their kiddies are napping (even when their not, Elijah may be the one-and-only who enjoys Tony Horton's cheesy jokes). Elijah and I have picnics (a mixture of baby-food and dried leaves) and take walks. It made my day last week when I took a self portrait of the two of us before we headed down to the water, he smiled at the camera without coaxing! He loves our walks!!

the above mentioned photo...so cute!!

Sure, I don't always sit at home. We visit friends, aunties, cousins, grandparents. We coax daddy into taking us to lunch at Fitzgeralds when he's home. Now that it's summer, we're going to squeeze the three of us into our little two-person tent and head upto Ingonish on weekends. We have plans to go hiking and swimming and fishing (well, sunbathing, while daddy's fishing). I want to enjoy every moment.

daddy thinks this hat makes him look a little femanine...but it's still cute, and it does the job!!

Most of all, I love just playing with my little guy. Nothing makes my day more when I pick him up from a nap and he reaches out to me with a huge smile, or when he laughs while I change his bum, or when he dances to the music in his exersaucer.

So, this is my blog. Dedicated to recording all those moments I love about being a stay-at-home mum!!