The Story of The Littlest Poncho.

I can't believe how far I have come with crocheting! Less then a year ago it took me FOREVER to crochet anything. Then when I learned how to make Mary Jane's for babies, it opened up a whole new world. I just kept learning more and more. It went from Mary Jane's to Wooly Boots to Vintage Hats to the Weirdly Cute Teething Rattles. And then I made up my first pattern, my Baby to Toddler Leg Warmers! (I have some of these items up for auction this weekend only! Click HERE!)
Anyway, when I was at H&M in Eaton Centre a few weeks back, I saw a beautiful crocheted poncho in Adelaide's size. I squealed because it was SO cute. BUT...I couldn't decide if I wanted to spend the $40 on it. I hemmed and hawed, I decided if I still wanted it the next day, I would come back and get it. And then the most amazing thing happened! I LEARNED HOW TO MAKE THIS!! The Littlest Ponch. So, now my girl gets to be oh so stylish and I get to feel oh so awesome because now I can crochet anything! Well, maybe not anything...cardigans and sweaters look tricky!

5 Months.

"You and Me". One of Bugs favourite songs. I have an Ipod Touch so a couple times a week when we're laying in bed in the morning, I'll play a some youtube videos for her. This song is a good one to play when she's a little cranky. She calms down almost instantly.
And, "I Love My Hair" makes Bug smile and giggle. It's a great song.

I love Sesame Street!
http://www.sesamestreet.org/
We don't have cable or anything and we don't really watch the TV unless we watch a boxset and that only happens when Bugs in bed at night. (Right now we're finishing up Battlestar Galactica, the newer series!) So she rarely gets exposed to TV except when we watch a couple videos here and there on the ITouch or when we get together with friends some Saturdays to watch Hockey Night in Canada. She LOVES hockey! I am not sure how I feel about TV, but it's obvious to me that if she was to be exposed to the Tube, then only watch very small doses. And of course be careful what you expose their wee minds to. For instance...when I first started showing Bug the video clips on YouTube, we watched a couple Baby Einstein videos I found...she was enthralled, but they were boring. So I searched for a variety of them. Here's one we watched:

It was at about 2:43 when I realized that this really wasn't for kids. And the title didn't say "not for kids" at that time. But from the beginning of the video I was a little weirded out. Oops, lol.
Anyway, five months is fun. She's "talking" more, her vocabulary is quite something! She has learned to scream and will just do it because she can. She thinks it's funny. I hope this ends soon, lol. She's so giggly and really fun to interact with! She's a really tiny person with likes and dislikes. She is SO close to sitting up on her own. And she just wants to stand and jump all the time. She can roll over to one side only with a disposable diaper on because the cloth diapers are a bit bulkier, ha ha ha. Two teeth are about to make their debut any day now! And as of 2 days ago, we introduced her to food. Rice cereal, apples and breast milk. She seems to love it.

We decided it was time because she was waking more frequently at night time for milk. Like 5 times a night! Now she wakes up for 2 or 3 quick top ups between 7pm and 8am. Much better. Now I am excited for her to get to eat what we eat. Since we have the Cadillac of all food processors we'll be making our own baby food! I am thinking about getting a table at a farmers market this summer so I can sell jars of it, along with all the baby attire I make! I'll keep you posted!


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Homemade Brownies & Vanilla Ice Cream = Love.

Brownies and vanilla ice cream, put together to make the ultimate desert! BROWNIE CHUNK ICE CREAM!!! I make these brownies all the time, and I make vanilla ice cream occasionally and the other day I made both and put them together.

We'll start with making the brownies! They're easy and seriously some of the BEST brownies I've ever had! For reeeaaalz people! I will even give you a great icing recipe for them just in case you wanna make just brownies (which is written at the bottom of this post, so scroll down.)

BROWNIES

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), then grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.

You'll need:
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Now melt your butter in a medium to large size pot. Once it's melted remove the pot from the element. Now stir in the sugar, vanilla and eggs.

Then mix in the cocoa, flour, salt and baking powder.

Pour batter in to the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Do not over bake. If you're just making the brownies and would like icing on them, the recipe is at the end of the post, so scroll down!

ICE CREAM

Now it's time to make ice cream! This is a simple vanilla ice cream recipe. You can use an electric machine or a basic hand churning one. I'm gonna give instructions for the electric one since that's what I'm using.

You'll need:
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/8 cups white sugar
3 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

Pour the milk and sugar in a mixing bowl and mix with an electric mixer on low speed until the sugar dissolves. Then mix in heavy cream and vanilla.

Turn on the machine and pour the mixture into the freezer bowl and let mix until thickened, which will take about 20 to 25 minutes, depending on your machine.

While that's churning, cut up your brownie in to little chunks.

When the ice cream thickens, add the brownies.

You might have to stir in the rest!

DELICIOUS!

You can serve it up and eat it right away, or if you prefer it to be firmer, put it in an airtight container and in to the freezer until you can't wait any longer!!!! Mmmmmmmmm!

ICING
If you're just making brownies, here's how you make the icing.

You'll need:
3 tablespoons butter, softened
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners sugar

Put the butter, cocoa, honey, vanilla, and confectioners sugar in a bowl and mix it till it's well blended. Spread on top of the brownies while they're still warm. Oooooooiiiiiiieeeeee!!!

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Weirdly Cute.

I started making these super weird baby rattles, lol. I can't tell you how much I LOVE them. More importantly, I can't tell you how much my baby girl LOVES hers. Well, I guess you can see from the photo above! The first one I made was obviously for her, it's a cthulhu. She chews and slobbers on that thing like a cat with catnip, lol. It's hilarious. So far I have 3 different ones, but I assure you, there's more to come.

Cthulhu Love.

Miss Medusa.

Brobot Robot.

These rattles are an eco-friendly, all natural cotton baby toy that's stuffed with 100% wool and rattles with popcorn kernels inside a reused plastic container, such as a pill bottle, or kinder surprise toy casing.
The best thing for a teething baby is a cold wet cloth. Well, this is a much more fun cloth! Wetting and freezing her snakey hair makes it perfect for babies to chew on to sooth those sore gums. My daughter LOVES hers, they're light and soft and easy to hold.

Come see what's available in my shops:
www.heatherbays.etsy.com
or
www.heatherbays.artfire.com
If you don't see the one you want, just email me and I will make it for you!
heatherbays@gmail.com
Stay tuned for zombies and such...

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I Heart Whole Wheat Bread.

On Christmas I received bread pans! Three in fact. Perfect! Since being back in Toronto I have been sort of obsessed over baking bread. There's many reasons why you should bake your own bread.
1. It's cheap
2. It's easy
3. It's healthy or healthier
4. Fresh baked bread tastes incredible
5. The smell! To have your whole place smell like a bakery is just THE BEST!!!

I was under the impression that making your own bread was rather difficult and time consuming, when in fact, it's the opposite. I know that it takes anywhere between 1 hour to like 5 days to make a loaf of bread, but there's very little work involved. Most of the time is spent unattended. I also discovered how a food processor is the best for making the dough in. Seriously, food processors are incredible. Over the past few weeks I have made white breads, whole wheat breads and cinnamon raisin breads. My fave...the whole wheat. It's plain, I know, but oh so useful. Fresh out of the oven you could lather it in butter and jam, or even just butter. Or garlic and butter and eat with pasta! Have it for breakfast lunch or with supper. Mmmmmmm. Anyway, you get what I'm saying. It's also the one I have mastered. So from here, I will branch out making different kinds involving seeds and flax and oats and who knows what else...maybe poppy seeds?! And as I master other types, I will post the recipes as well.

Okay so what you're gonna need is:

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons (or a bit more) honey
2 tablespoons butter (room temperature)
1 to 1 1/3 cups warm milk

Now place flour, salt and yeast in the food processor. Mix for about 10 seconds. Then while the food processor is still mixing, put down the shoot the butter, honey and milk. Then mix for another 30 to 40 seconds. The dough should be barely sticky. If it's too dry, add milk about a tablespoon at a time and then mix for another 10 seconds...or add flour if it's too dry (very unlikely). Now take it out and knead it for a few minutes. Grease a large bowl with oil or butter. Shape the dough in to a ball and then place in the greased bowl.

Cover the bowl with a damp towel and place the bowl in a warmish place...maybe need a radiator or heat vent. Let the dough rise for 6-12 hours.


Then deflate the ball of dough and reform back into a ball and let sit on a lightly floured counter top for 15-20 minutes.

From there, pat down the dough into a rectangle shape.

Place in a oiled or buttered bread pan and pat down with the back of your hand.

Then cover with a damp towel and let sit for at least 2 hours.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush the top of the loaf lightly with water. Bake for about 40-45 minutes. It's done when if you tap the bottom of the pan it sounds hollow. Remove from heat and cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes or more before you eat the best bread ever.

This is a very forgiving recipe, so if you want to let it rise longer at either rising point, go ahead, or if you don't have time to let it rise so long, don't worry. Just remember, the longer it rises, the more flavourful and fluffy it will be. If you want to let it slow rise for up to 5 days, just put it in the fridge.
Good luck!


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Full Term...We Made It!

We made it! Today I am full term...37 weeks, which means baby can come at any time! Since I am planning a home birth, this is fantastic news, because had I gone in to labour any earlier then this, I would have had to go to the hospital. So, phew! She is still in. I don't think she'll be making her debut anytime soon, but you never know. We still have 3 more weeks to wait until the actual due date. But if she decides to come before the 29th, I will be THRILLED! I am ready to have this baby out of me and in our lives. Well, not really yet, lol. The birthing pool hasn't been delivered, I haven't unpacked much of her stuff, and I don't have any disposable diapers, just cloth at the moment. So I would like to get a pack of disposables so I won't have to do laundry in the first week while me and baby heal and rest! My midwife last measured me 2 days ago and she said I was measuring 2 cms on the small side. She said that doesn't mean much considering all women and babies are different. I have yet to find a stretch mark though, so that's great news. In the photo above I have placed some clothes in the position that the baby is laying. I am getting more excited and more anxious and scared with every passing day. I know I can do this...I just don't want to...but I have to. There is no turning back. Once the actual labour and delivery is over I will be relieved. Keep your eye on the prize right, lol!
Julians' Grandma Bargen sent us a parcel with some baby things like socks, a book, some of her yummy cookies and some cloth diapers along with the AMAZING blanket she made for our baby! I am so in love with it. It's so soft!
This is the front.

And this is the back.

I have also pulled out some of her shoes that I started collecting when I found out I was pregnant. I just love baby shoes, they are too precious!

These 2 are my favourites. They are old european style shoes that cost me all of 50 cents! I got them from the MCC in Steinbach, Manitoba. I really love that place!

I continue to bake and crochet. I wish the cleaning part of "nesting" would kick in, LOL. Here are some more crocheted items I have made this week. Bah! They are so cute.
These are black booties with light pink vintage buttons for babies age 6-9 months.

These are milk chocolate brown booties with seafoam vintage buttons for babies age 3-6 months.

These are navy blue high top booties with brown ties for babies age 3-6 months.

These hats are so sweet and elegant! Vintage style crocheted baby hat for newborns to 3 months. Snow white with a red lace ribbon and bow!

And this one is red wine with a sage green ribbon and bow. This one I am keeping for myself and I will take some gorgeous photos of my baby in it when she gets here. She's gonna think her mother is a one-eyed robot because I am certain I won't be able to stop photographing her!

See what's available in my online stores.
http://www.heatherbays.etsy.com/
OR
http://www.heatherbays.artfire.com/
And remember, I take custom orders, so if you need a certain size or a specific colour, I can make it for you, just email me:
heatherbays@gmail.com
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"Oh say, cute boots!"

I was up VERY late last night learning a new crochet pattern. Sometimes I find that crocheting can be addictive...very addictive, especially when I learn a new pattern. It's exciting. So I say, when you are feeling inspired, no matter when that may be, take advantage of it.


I have 2 pairs of these warm boots available which you can find in both my online shops:
http://www.heatherbays.etsy.com/
OR
http://www.heatherbays.artfire.com/


They both measure 4 inches long, which is a size 2. They also have vintage decorative buttons on the sides from the button collection I inherited from my grandmother. Well, I gotta clean my place, then go grocery shopping (restock for baking, so stay tuned) and then I can return to crocheting! YES!
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Oh Baby!!!

I went to a rummage sale at the church at the end of our street last Saturday and found some pretty excellent wool! With one of the magnificent colours I found, I made these hot pink mary janes for a new baby!

They have seafoam coloured vintage buttons too! If these aren't sold by the time my baby arrives, then I think I might end up keeping them!

And of course I am still making baby/toddler leg warmers! These are super precious and are great for this time of year! These are a one size fits all sorta thing. These leg warmers will fit babies 6 months to children 3 years or older, depending on the size of the child. You can bunch them or wear them full length. They also fit on adults arms for arm warmers!



I have some available in both of my online shops but I also do custom orders if you are looking for a specific colour! So come to either my ETSY store or ARTFIRE store and see what's available! They are perfect for this time of year and would make a wonderful Christmas gift too. They will arrive gift ready just like the photo below, all nicely hand packaged!


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