Friday, May 30, 2014

DIY Baby Soother/Blankie

Happy Friday, everyone. I hope you all are doing well. I've been working on a few small projects for the baby, one of which I'm going to share today! I love the little baby soothers that have a small stuffed animal head with a blanket draping from it. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find one I really like. I decided to just try to make my own.

I received a set of 2 fox stuffed animals at the baby shower (thanks, Deb!). There is a mama and a baby fox, and they're from Ikea. Anywho, I figured out that the baby fox would be the perfect size to make into a soother! I didn't want to decapitate baby fox, so I just incorporated all of him. 
It was such a simple project. You could make one of these with any small stuffed animal! 

Here's what I did:
1. Sewed a small blanket out of fabric scraps. I used a piece of baby snuggle fabric from Joann's, and a piece of satin. I've heard and learned that baby's love satin. I basically used the same method Kayla and I used for our larger baby blankets.
2. Using a needle and quilting thread, I hand stitched the blanket together in a little bundle on one of the corners. I then stitched that to the inside of the fox's paws.

Super cute, right?
I sure hope our baby boy likes it as much as I do. :)

Do you guys have any tutorials for easy baby sewing projects? I'm pretty much glued to the couch or a chair at this point, and I need things to keep me busy. Share your projects in the comments, and I will definitely come check them out!

Have an awesome day,

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Top 5 Summer Activities for Toddlers

Top 5 summer activities for toddlers!!

Here are 5 fun summer activities you could do this summer with your toddler. These look so fun, and I can't wait to try them out! Let me know if you give any of them a try. Have fun!

1. Pool Noodle Water Wall
Top 5 summer activities for toddlers!!

Top 5 summer activities for toddlers!!


Top 5 summer activities for toddlers!!

Top 5 summer activities for toddlers!!

Top 5 summer activities for toddlers!!

Do you have any posts for summer activities for little ones? Comment below, I'd love to check them out!!

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

WWEW: Link Party & Chicken Avocado Burritos

Good morning & happy Wednesday! It's time for our weekly recipe link up, and to share another delicious recipe. Today, I'm going to share a super simple recipe for Chicken Avocado Burritos!
Ingredients:
1 large chicken breast, boiled and shredded
taco seasoning (I used 2 Tbs of my homemade taco seasoning)
2 medium avocados, semi-mashed
approximately 1/2 cup shredded cheese, add more or less if wanted
approximately 7 large tortillas
1 Tbs oil

Directions:
1. Boil and shred the chicken. Place shredded chicken in a skillet & season with taco seasoning. Either follow the directions on the seasoning packet, or add a little bit of water to the pan with your own seasonings like I did. Let simmer until water is gone.
2. Heat a large skillet to medium with the Tbs of oil.
3. Arrange the burritos with chicken, cheese, and mashed avocado. Place seam side down into the hot skillet. Rotate often to brown all of the sides. 
4. Eat up! You could serve with salsa & sour cream, if wanted.

Now onto the link party! For this week's feature, I chose Crafty Lumberjack's The Secret's in the Sauce Lit'l Smokies! I've made several variations of these in the past, but have never tried it with chili sauce. I may have to try this out! I usually love these no matter what.
It's time to link up! Link up your favorite recipes from the week. Don't for get to check out our co-host Alexis over at Laugh, Eat, Learn!


Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Welcome to the World, Simon Logan!

We made it! We are so excited to announce the arrival of our precious boy, Simon Logan. Born Wednesday, May 21st 2014 at 9:09AM. He weighed 7lbs 5.6oz, 20.25 inches long, and had a head full of dark hair. He is so handsome, and we are just smitten with him. It is such an amazing feeling to bring another baby into this world. Our hearts are just bursting with love and joy! God has truly blessed us.
Orchard Girls Blog- Simon Logan (birth story and pictures)
      My labor went as well as it could go, really. But boy was it fast (no complaints)! My last prenatal appointment was the day before my due date, I was so anxious and was halfway waiting to here the Dr say, head to the hospital, you're in labor! However, that's not what happened. Lol. I was between 2-3cm and only about 60% thinned out. The Dr. expressed concern about my increased blood pressure levels, and so we opted to set an induction day of the following Wednesday (May 21st). 5 days later and still no baby, so it was INDUCTION TIME. We headed to the hospital at 4:00am - Arrived at 4:30 and finally got all set up in the hospital room about 5:45am.
     Funny thing is, I basically started having contractions right before they started hooking me up to the IV's and pitocin. At 6:15 I was 3-4cm dilated and 80% thinned out. An hour later my water broke and my contractions were already about 3 minutes apart. 8:30AM they finished giving me my epidural. Things were progressing so quickly, the nurse kept saying, "you're a house of fire! you're a house of fire!"
     The Dr came in and said I was between 8-9cm and that she was going to run to the office (across the street) real quick and come right back (it'll take two minutes she said). Little did she know that's about all it would take and I'd be ready to push! She got back to the room, out of breath from running back, and it was baby time! I had 3-4 sets of pushes and our beautiful baby boy arrived at 9:09AM. I am shocked at how quickly and smoothly my labor went (about 3 hours start to finish) Don't get me wrong, the contractions were horrible, my head was spinning, and the epidural didn't even have time to take full affect, but overall, it went great! I was able to have an hour of skin to skin contact, which was amazing, and something I didn't get to experience with Adeline.
Orchard Girls Blog- Simon Logan (birth story and pictures)
 Safe and sound in Daddy's arms!
Orchard Girls Blog- Simon Logan (birth story and pictures)
 We were all curious how Adeline would do with her new baby brother, but all in all she seemed fairly interested and was very sweet with him.
Here are a few pictures of our new addition Simon Logan!
Orchard Girls Blog- Simon Logan (birth story and pictures)

Orchard Girls Blog- Simon Logan (birth story and pictures)
He will already be one week old tomorrow, I can't believe it. Do you have a post about your labor and delivery? Be sure to leave a comment below, I love reading them. Every story is truly special and unique. Have a wonderful Tuesday! :)
Linking up to these parties HERE!

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Huggies Little Movers + Target Diaper Giveaway (#MC #MovingMoments #sponsored)

“I participated in an Influencer Program on behalf of Mom Central for Huggies. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.” 
However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
I've got a mover on my hands! There is no doubt about that. When it comes to having a diaper that can withstand the movin' and groovin' that this little girl does, I'm all ears. We've recently discovered and LOVE the new Huggies Little Movers diapers, available at Target.
We are already a fan of Huggies diapers, I've found that they rarely, if ever, have leaks. Adeline is non-stop on the go, so having a diaper that can hold up to that, is a definite plus in my book! I've found they last longer than other diapers we have tried in the past, as well.
The Huggies Little Movers diapers have many great features including: 
-Snug fit waistband
-Double grip strips
-Soft, durable, velcro strips
-Cute and fun designs!
As the weather warms up - we've got a lot of fun activities planned and these diapers will be my go to for those fun summer trips to the park! What fun activities do you have planned for this summer?
Be sure to check out the NEW Huggies Little Movers at a Target near you!

Target is having a great giveaway!!
Target is offering the chance to win a YEAR supply of Huggies Little Movers diapers! When you enter, you will automatically receive a $2.00 Target coupon for Huggies diapers.
To enter - celebrate your little one's #MovingMoments by visiting HUGGIES and uploading a photo or video of your little one's best moves! (To enter you'll need to create a login/password)
You'll then be entered  to receive a FREE year of diapers, and receive a $2.00 off coupon, redeemable at Target.
Thank you for stopping by. Feel free to share your go to diaper for this summer, in the comments down below! :)
Also, visit the Huggies Facebook Page, for more information.

Friday, May 23, 2014

Top 5 Father's Day Gift Ideas from Kids

Just a quick post to share with you all today of some of my favorite Father's day gifts I've found around the web! Do you have any special plans for Father's day, or special traditions you've started? I'd love to hear about them. This will be Daniel's second father's day, and now with two little ones! :)

1. Daddy's Helper by Jackson

2. DIY: D-A-D Frames by Orchard Girls
3. Father's Day Chalk Poses by Freckle Photo
4. Daddy's Car Wash Kit by Inner Child Fun

5. Free Father's Day Printable by Catch My Party
Hope these fun gifts give you some inspiration for this upcoming Father's Day! I have a few things in mind, I'm sure I'll share them with you afterwards! :)
Linking up with these parties HERE!

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Thrifty Thursday: Dollar Store Instagram Photo Display

Hello everyone! I have a really fun project to share with you today for Thrifty Thursday. I ordered some of my instagram pictures a few weeks ago and have been trying to decide what to do with them. If you're curious, I ordered them through Social Print Studio. They are very high quality, and I'm in love with them.
Basically all I used was:
-an old white frame
-dollar store laundry string
-dollar store clothes pins
-hot glue gun

And all I did was:
-place pictures where I general wanted them
-cut the laundry string to the right length
-glued clothes pins to string first, then glued the string to the back of the frame
Pretty quick and easy. Now I have a cute place to hang my pictures! I plan on changing them out often. Do you guys print your instagram photos? How do you display them! I'd like to know.

Have a great Thursday, and do something thrifty!

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

WWEW: Link Party & Easy Twice Baked Potatoes

Welcome to What We Eat Wednesday - Our weekly Link Party here on Orchard Girls! Where you can link up and share your new or old recipes. But FIRST here is the recipe I'll be sharing with you today-Super easy Twice Baked Potatoes!
Ingredients:
-Two Potatoes 
-Sour Cream
-Bacon Bits
-Diced Ham (optional)
-Cheese
-Cheddar Crunchy onions
-Salt & Pepper
Directions:
Here comes the easy part - bake your potatoes in the microwave for 10 minutes. Slice the potatoes in half and empty the potatoes out of the skins (place skins on a baking sheet). Put the potatoes and all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir together well. Now I know I don't have specific amounts of the ingredients, but really baked potatoes are all based on preference so just add them as desired. Put the mashed potato mixture back into the potato skins. Top with cheese and crunchy onions and bake in a preheated oven (350) for about 30 minutes or until cheese is melted. That's it!

My featured recipe from last week's party is-->
Bacon Fried Rice - Okay, I picked this just for my husband, he is a lover of all things bacon! Not to mention this just looks so delicious, can't wait to try this Bacon Fried Rice out from Eat Drink & Be Mary.


Alright, now I want to see your yummy recipes! Be sure to check out our Co-Host Alexis' yummy recipe over at Laugh Eat Learn. Come back next week to see if you're our featured blogger/recipe! LINK UP! :)






Tuesday, May 20, 2014

My Pregnancy Essentials

Hello world and happy Tuesday! As of yesterday, I'm 34 weeks along. I'm definitely feeling third trimester exhaustion, as well as aches and pains. It's kind of amazing how our bodies adapt to these rapid changes. I was just talking with my husband about everything hurting, and that it's no wonder since my body is holding an extra 30+ pounds and is off balance. Don't even get me started on the hormones!
At this point, I feel like I've had a pretty typical pregnancy- so I thought it could help other pregnant ladies (especially early on) to list some products and general tips on what I've found helpful. I'm going to try to do this based on when things started happening in my pregnancy.

First Trimester:
Prenatal Vitamins.
As soon as you find out you're pregnant, you need to start taking prenatal vitamins. If you aren't pregnant yet but are trying, start taking them now, too! I tried a few different kinds. I tried 2 different pill kinds, and the chewy ones. I ended up giving my chewy ones to Kayla because they left a bad taste in my mouth and did not help with my nausea, but she loved them. I ended up sticking with these ones from Nature Made (which they sell at Costco!):

Quick tip: if you have morning sickness, try taking your prenatal at night before bed.

Books.
I only bought What to Expect When You're Expecting, and it has been super helpful for this first time Mom. It's also fun to read how your baby is progressing. You could also start looking at baby books, some include parts to fill out while you're pregnant. I picked up this one by Amy Krouse.
Hard/sour candies.
Think Skittles and Sour Patch Kids. I tried these to help with my nausea. They helped a little bit, and were definitely tasty! Give them a go if you're experiencing nausea during the day. They also sell ginger candies, which might help, too.

Anti-nausea meds.
These ended up being a life saver for me! I know some Moms want to avoid any medication at all when pregnant, but at this point it was either take these meds or not eat. I'd rather my baby get food. I'd lost weight in my first 12 weeks, and I really didn't have too much to lose. These were my last resort, but were so so amazing. Ask your doctor if you think you might need medication to help with your nausea, though my doctor suggested them very early on. I took Ondansetron, which are little tablets that dissolve on your tongue.

Stretch Mark Lotion/Cream.
Now is a good time to start putting on lotion to help prevent stretch marks. I also had some pretty dry skin, and this helped with that too. I've used a mixture of Palmer's Cocoa Butter for Stretch Marks (found at Target) and The Body Shop's Coconut Butter (found at Ulta). From what I've heard, if you're going to get stretch marks, you're going to get them. The lotion does help, though. I'm very prone to stretch marks and I've gotten only a few so far. We will see how the rest of pregnancy pans out.
Second Trimester:
Maternity Clothes.
I found almost all of mine at Ross or Target. Ross actually had the best selection, and the best prices. I found myself wearing 3 different pairs of Maternity jeans a lot. They all had a full panel, which I found to be the most comfortable. The larger I've gotten, the less I've worn the jeans, though. As for shirts, go ahead a buy some actual maternity shirts. They are made to flatter your bump, and actually fit correctly. You can definitely get away with wearing normal shirts, but they aren't always long enough or hug your bump the right way.

As I've gotten farther along, I've been wearing a lot more skirts and dresses. Baby must be sitting lower, so anything with a band or tightness around the base of my belly is uncomfortable. Think maxi skirts and dresses!

Pillows.
Toward the end of my second trimester, I began getting extremely uncomfortable at night. I have to sleep semi-propped up because of heartburn, and then on my side. I use 2 small pillows on either side of me to prop under my belly to give support. I also prop the one on my other side under my back a little bit.

Tums.
I hate heartburn. It has just been getting worse the farther I go. I bought 2 of the big bottles from Costco, and it helps to always have some handy. It's hard to eat anything if you're feeling like all of your food from several hours ago is just sitting there. I also have tried the chewy tums, and really like them. These are awesome for keeping in your purse.

Heating pad.
Got some severe back pain? Try a heating pad. Works really well. You could also try a warm bath or massage from your hubby. :)

Nursing/Breast Pads.
Yep. A super lovely part of pregnancy. I think I started leaking before I even got to 20 weeks. I was thankful I had a few of these already, but I've almost gone through 2 boxes at this point. Might be a good idea to get some of these, just in case. 
Third Trimester:
Liners and Wet Wipes.
Speaking of pads. Keep some panty liners handy. You may notice more discharge than normal. Also, wet wipes make you feel a bit more fresh... tmi? 

Nightlights.
Maybe you should do this earlier on. But you're going to be making lots of pee trips in the night. Invest in a few night lights to get you from your bed to the bathroom without having to flip any switches.

Comfy shoes.
At this point, your feet will be hurting. Probably from extra weight. The bottoms of my feet kill me after standing for hardly any time at all. I picked up a pair of memory foam flip flops, and they are HEAVEN. I wish I would have gotten them sooner. Here is a similar pair.
And, I think that's it! Obviously pregnancy is different for everyone, and you may find that you don't need some of these things, or you may need more. 

I hope you all are doing very well! Thank you so much for your support, we really appreciate it. Talk to you all soon,