First Word...we think.

On his birthday Tuesday, Benjamin said his first word. I think. Was it mommy, or daddy? Nope, it was "truck." Or at least his version of it: "cuck." He has been saying "cup" a lot lately, and especially while pointing to cars. Yesterday he was pointing out the window at the car across the street saying "cup." I corrected him: "truck." He stared at me, processing. Then said "uk." Then "cuck" and waved his hand bye-bye, just like he does to Daddy in the morning. It was a partly scary, partly elating feeling. What else does this child understand?! Made me suddenly shy wondering what he's picking up on.
Funny thing is, Jeff has been looking forward to the time when he can talk to and reason with Benjamin. I on the other hand don't feel quite ready!

Couldn't resist :)

The little man makes anything look cute.

Crafty Stuff

I made another pair of PJs but this time tried some embellishment using flannel from an old pair of boxers. They turned out pretty well but the neckhole of the T-shirt I used was way too big. I did a pleat at the back to get rid of some of the width, but it's still kind of big. Live and learn! Next time I'll cut off the tops of the shoulders and reconnect them so I'm taking equally from the front and back. The cuffs and stripe were harder than I expected.





Also made a thick wool man hat for Jeff. Not that he'll need it many days this winter, but it's fun.

Frugal Tip

Lately I'm on a frugality kick! Here's a way to make yummy-smelling inexpensive hand soap:

Buy storebrand liquid hand soap in bulk. Make sure you get a type that is not heavily scented. Then add a few drops of essential oil. You can buy .5 oz bottles on ebay for about $2, shipping included.

I have to confess I bought a lot of storebrand hand soap a while back, and had been regretting it ever since, trying to use it up...until I thought of adding a few drops of oil. Now the soap in the bathroom smells like gardenias instead of nothing.

To make handsoap go even farther, use one of those foaming dispensers. You won't need to buy soap again for years, literally. And if you get several bottles of essential oil you can change up the scent whenever you like.

I wonder if you could do this with bodywash, too? Or dilute a few drops and put it in the laundry with your sheets? Hmm...

My SIL gave me a bottle of pure rose water. I use a spray bottle when I iron, so I diluted some of that in the water to make everything smell a little fresher.

Now if I could just find a way to get that smell into the cat room...

These are my pjs. I made them.

You have to be a Nacho fan to appreciate those two quotes. I made "stretchy pants" for Benjamin. And no they're not frilly or made from a quilt.

I haven't sewn anything yet for Benjamin. FIrst of all I was dreading finding the right pattern, right size and blah blah blah. After all I can only sew one thing...A-line skirts for myself. But I found this amazingly simple pattern for toddler pants made from a recycled T-shirt. It requires hardly any sewing; it's only two pieces of fabric and some elastic. You just use the hems at the bottom of the shirt for cuffs. I love it!! I'm going to make a bunch more. I think it took me 15 actual minutes of sewing. I found the link here.



















I looked at the fabric leftovers trying to figure out what I could make with the rest of the shirt. Jeff said I should use the neckhole, which was kind of small, as a neckhole, and just cut out the sleeves from the sleeves. Brilliant!! Now tell me how a guy who has never sewn anything in his life gets all the good ideas. This adorable pj shirt took me about 15 minutes to make as well. I just cut toddler-sized arms and body from the existing shirt and used the hem at the shirt cuff as a long-sleeved cuff. You might need to adjust the sleeve length; these were a little long; so rather than cut off the ends and lose that professional-looking serged hem, I took it in at the "shoulder seam..." actually the seam that now hits baby at the elbow.















Here are the scraps I had left over, all ready to be recycled to the cleaning rags pile. I feel like a native American parcelling up a buffalo!! Am I frugal or what?