DIY Owl Costume

A Simple Halloween Costume for Your Little Pumpkin

With the air starting to turn crisp it's finally starting to feel like Fall, I can't believe October and Halloween are just around the bend. And for me, Motherhood! My little one is going to be here any week now so I wanted a simple fun DIY costume I could make for her while I (not so) patiently wait for her arrival! 

Here's What You'll Need:

• A onsie in the colour of your choice
• At least four varying colours of felt (don't have to match your onsie-mine didn't!)
• Scissors
• Pen
• Needle & Thread or hot glue, whichever you prefer

Let's Get Started:

1. We're going to make the top 'tuft' of feathers. Lay the felt of your choice over the neck of your onsie. Trace the neckline on to the felt, under the neck seam and up to the top of the shoulders. Make a wavy line underneath or however you prefer and cut out! *TIP: only draw half of the bottom then fold in half and cut so it's perfectly symmetrical.  
   
   
   
   
   
2. Next, cut out little 'feathers' from the varying colours of felt. Mine were about an inch wide and I had 17 feathers. 
   
3. Arrange them on your onsie fanning out as you go in the order of your liking. You can pin them into place once you settle on a design and stitch across the top of each to hold them into place or hot glue them down. *TIP: If you're using glue make sure to put a piece of cardboard or something on the inside of the onsie so the glue won't seep through to the other side.
   
4. Next, tack down or glue three little feathers on the backside to make a cute little tail  
   
5. Accessorize as you wish and you're all done!

I accessorized with a knit owl hat from The Daisy Baby and these sweet little lace leg warmers from Huggalugs!

Cutest little owl you'll ever see!

Ultimate Hospital Packing List

Baby is Ready. . . Are You?

This is part two of my Ultimate Hospital Packing List, in case you missed it here was my post for baby's bag. Now it's Mommy's turn! Mom's bag is even more important for the big day, the last thing you want when your mid-labour, or evening the first few hours of your newborn is for one of your loved ones to have to run back home to grab something you forgot. Here's a list I've compiled of the curtails you'll need for your stay in the hospital:

Toilettres:

• Hair ties, clips and bobby pins
• Chapstick
• Tissues
• Face Wipes/ Makeup remover
• Hand Wipes
• Toothbrushes
• Nail file
• Razor
• Lotion
• Prenatal Vitamins
• Advil (for Dad)

Clothing:

• Nursing Bra(s)
• Nursing Tank tops (3)
• Yoga Pants
• Socks
• Comfy Pajamas (3)
• Going home outfit- mine is a comfy jersey maxi dress!
• Flip flops
• Underwear

Comfort:

• Snacks (granola bars, suckers, trail mix)
• Water Bottle
• Slippers
• Pillow
• Kindle/ Books/ iPad/ Magazines/Other entertainment

If your like me, a lot of your essentials are things you use everyday and can't be packed until the very last minute, don't stress Mamma's! Here's a "It's Time" Print out I made with a list of the last minute grabs as well as important contact information and address info. Just in case one or both of you are a bit panicked in the moment it will help make sure nothing gets left behind or forgotten!

(Just copy and paste this into a word document, add your personal info, print and you're all set!)

It's Time!

IMPORTANT CONTACT & ADDRESS INFO

Doctor Information:  NAME   (COMPANY)

                                            ADDRESS HERE

                                                OFFICE: (   )     -         CELL: (   )   -       

Pampered Pregnancy/Support Person: NAME   (Coach)

                                                TEL: (    )     -         Ext.  #     

                                                                        

Hospital Information:  MEDICAL CENTER

                                               ADDRESS HERE

                                                TEL: (    )     -      

*Emergency Hospital Location: CLOSER LOCATION IF APPLICABLE

                                                           ADDRESS HERE

                                                            TEL: (    )     -      

DON’T FORGET TO BRING

·      Purse:

        o   Insurance card

o   ID

      o   House Keys

     o   Chapstick

          ·      Hospital Bag

    ·      Baby Bag

             ·      Phone chargers

                ·      Hospital Records

           ·      Make-up Bag

       ·      Toothpaste

       ·      Hair brush

·      Pillow

          ·      Water Bottle

  ·      Slippers

      ·      Flip Flops

·      Snacks

PEOPLE TO LET KNOW THE BABY IS ON HIS/HER WAY

FAMILY

FIRST & LAST NAME:        HOUSE    (    )       -    

                                                CELL (    )      -     

FIRST & LAST NAME:        HOUSE    (    )       -    

                                                CELL (    )      -     

FIRST & LAST NAME:        HOUSE    (    )       -    

                                                CELL (    )      -     

FIRST & LAST NAME:        HOUSE    (    )       -    

                                                CELL (    )      -     

FIRST & LAST NAME:        HOUSE    (    )       -    

                                                CELL (    )      -         

                                               

FRIENDS

FIRST & LAST NAME:        HOUSE    (    )       -    

                                                CELL (    )      -     

FIRST & LAST NAME:        HOUSE    (    )       -    

                                                CELL (    )      -     

FIRST & LAST NAME:        HOUSE    (    )       -    

                                                CELL (    )      -     

PEOPLE TO LET KNOW THE BABY IS HERE

FIRST & LAST NAME:         CELL (    )      -     

FIRST & LAST NAME:         CELL (    )      -     

FIRST & LAST NAME:         CELL (    )      -     

FIRST & LAST NAME:         CELL (    )      -     

Stick it on the fridge or on top of your hospital bag so it's easy to find. 

But most importantly, take a deep breath and Good-luck Mommas! 

DIY Wall Art

A quick and easy DIY to brighten up your walls or perfect for a personalized gift!

I had the opportunity recently to team up with Adventures and Tea Parties, a wonderful DIY blog from across the pond to write a guest post featuring my wall art above! Make sure to check out her blog for great ideas and stay tuned for my art tutorial! 

When it's live I'll post a link Here.

Ultimate Hospital Packing List

Ready or Not Here They Come!

As the "due date" of baby creeps closer and closer the uncertainties and nerves are endless! I'm not sure why the Doctors even bother with a "due date" because let's face it babies come when they feel like it. Only about 5% of women deliver when they were expecting to! When so much is up in the air from when, and where and when family can coordinate a visit it's nice to have some other things ready to feel a little bit more prepared for the moment your baby decides it's time!

I've scoured tons of packing lists and asked family and friends until I came up with the ultimate hospital packing list for me. I divided it up into two, one bag for baby and one bag for mommy. Here is the list for your hospital baby bag. 

• Hats (I packed two for warmth and one strictly for cuteness factor)
• Headbands (Who knows how much hair she'll have- if any, so it's nice to tip people off it's a girl!)
• 1 Preemie onsie (just in case she's early or super tiny!)
• 2 footed sleepers ( NB size and 0-3M)
• 2 onsies (NB & 0-3M) and matching pants
• 1 Sleeper gown
• 1 zip-up swaddle pod
• 1 blanket
• 2 swaddle blankets
• 1 burp cloth
• 2 pairs of socks
• 1 pair of mittens
• newborn pacifiers
• charged camera w/ memory card
• All packed away in a nifty diaper bag!

Now my baby girl's bag is packed and ready for her arrival!

Banana Bread Muffins

If your household is anything like mine, bananas get gobbled up when they're first purchased but then there is always a couple that just sit and usually end up going to waste. Here's a really easy recipe to use up those old bananas and make a yummy treat in about 40 minutes!

What You'll Need:

• 1 1/2 Cups of Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 3/4 Cup of Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 Egg
• 3 large ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup melted butter

*Makes 18-24 Muffins

Let's Get Started:

1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees

   2. Lightly grease a muffin tin or use paper liners

 

   3. In one bowl mix the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon

 4. In a separate bowl mash up the 3 bananas and mix in the egg, melted butter and sugar. Stir until fairly smooth. 

  5. Fold in the dry mixture and mix well.

  6. Fill muffin liners 3/4 full with batter 

   7. Pop in the oven for about 25 minutes or until the muffins spring back from touch

   8. Let cool and Enjoy!

Serve as special bread rolls with dinner or just eat them by themselves with a little butter!

Delicious! 

DIY Furniture Make Over

A dresser into a changing table

I'm dubbing it "Make it-Monday" here at Midwest Girl as a designated day to post all my favorite DIYs. So for the first official 'Make it-Monday' project I'm bringing you an easy up-cycle technique you can use to create the perfect changing table for your baby out of an old dresser or use the idea to make over any of your worn but loved furniture pieces for an updated, fresh look!

We had an old dresser from the 70's I found in a little shop that I took the back mirror off of and painted black to make into a coffee bar which we have used and enjoyed for a few years. As you can see below it was pretty worn and battered from several moves.  

I removed the wheels on the bottom, because as convenient as it was to have a rolling bar, I didn't want baby going anywhere during a diaper change! Depending on the type of finish you have on your furniture you might need to sand everything down to get a clean application that will stay. Remove all drawers or moveable pieces and paint them separately so nothing will stick together. I invested in a white paint that was both paint and primer (great for less coats) and that was wipeable for easy cleaning.  

I gave everything a thick two coats and let dry for a full day. The bottom set of drawers look like they are two but really it's just one deep drawer. I didn't want up to six drawer pulls for one drawer, I thought it was a bit excessive, so I used wood filler to cover the bottom row of holes. Follow the directions and let sit as long as needed. Sand down smooth then paint over and viola, no more holes!

I picked up an array of drawer pulls at Hobby Lobby and Lowes. I wanted it to look shabby chic, so I went with an assortment of crystal, white, pink and turquoise to match the rest of her room. And I decided to get all single drawer pulls instead of any of the traditional 'handle' pulls.

Helpful Hint: Can't find ones you like or that match your room? I bought some plain knobs and pasted on fabric that was used elsewhere in her room with mode podge for an exact match!

And there you have it, an old coffee bar getting a brand new look and a great new purpose!

Happy Make It-Monday!

Wizard of Oz

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Photo: Oscar Blog

This Saturday will mark the 75th anniversary of the all-time classic movie 'Wizard of Oz' and it can't help but stir up some feelings of nostalgia and a twinge of home sickness for my home state- Kansas. With a new baby just weeks away from arriving it is times like these I wish I had a pair of handy ruby red slippers I could click together to get me home to see my family and friends. 

Here are the top 5 things I Miss About Kansas:

1. Family- first and foremost I miss the days I could walk over to my parents house or hop in a car and be at my sisters in 30 minutes or even my grandparent's place in 3 short hours. Now that I'm half way across the country I desperately miss being able to pop over just to say "hi".
2. Commute- In NY you can grab a bus, a train, the metro, about 50 different cab companies, a taxi, a cycle rickshaw or face the crowded streets to get just about anywhere- which is great but you undoubtably are forced to face delays, waiting in lines, grumpy commuters and flocks of slow tourists, I miss the days where you can hop in your car parked conveniently in your own driveway and be anywhere in 15 minutes.
3. A Yard- Not only has it been an adjustment for taking the dogs out to a patch of pavement (both for them and us) but I miss being able to enjoy soaking up the sun on the warm summer days outside in the privacy of your own home. The relaxing, quiet has been replaced with stoop sitting and watching passer bys and chatting with neighbors. 
4. Parking- Finding a parking spot anywhere near your destination is like spotting a unicorn, it is mysterious, magical and an overall unobtainable thing; and this is only after you've managed to decipher the mile long list of parking signs (Can park here on the second Tuesday of an even month between 2:00-5:00 but only if your car is the perfect shade of periwinkle). When the coveted unicorn sighting falls through the inevitable pricey parking garages are sure to clean out half your budget for the day. Oh Kansas and your blocks and blocks of parking dedicated to each building or store, half of which are always empty, how I will never take you for granted again.
5. Prices- The city has everything you could ever need or want and about a million different places that not only offer it but will probably deliver it too, but you pay for it. Everyone has to make rent including businesses and it's reflected in their prices. Sometimes it's hard not to think about what we could afford back in Kansas for the prices we pay here. 

As much as I love my new home here there will always be things and people, of course, that I miss and won't be able to be replaced from my old one. My mother sent me this adorable collection of Itty Bittys by Hallmark with all the Wizard of Oz characters so we can share a bit of Kansas with our baby girl.


 Here are some of the cute little characters for sale through Amazon!