Tag Blanket Tutorial

Well, I am done with Rylee's tag blanket! My first project ever on my very own sewing machine. I LOVE sewing and am so glad to have my own machine now! I decided to do a tutorial when I was making it.

First you start out with a 2 squares of any fabric - I used minky. Surprisingly it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to sew with. I made mine 18" squares.
Then you get a bunch of ribbon and cut it as long as you want. I cut mine about 10".

You fold the ribbon and sew the ends together.
Once they are all sewn on the ends you pin them to the front side of your fabric.
Sew all the ribbon to your fabric in about 1/2".

You then put the second piece of your fabric right side facing down.
Next you pin pin pin! Pin it together all the way around - make sure your ribbons are all straight facing in so you don't sew them crooked.
Sew all the way around in about 1/2" leaving about a small opening at the end so you can pull in right side out. Make sure you poke all the corners out really good.
Fold the opening in and sew it as close to the edge as you can.
Lastly, sew a finish on the outside about 1" from the edge. Sew it all the way around.And there you have it. An adorable tag blanket your child will love! Rylee already loves hers.

Quarter of a Century

Yep, that's how old I am! Yesterday was my birthday. I turned 25! I'm sure getting up there haha. I love my birthday - I always feel so special. Kelly sure makes me feel special on my birthday! Saturday we went to Tucanos for lunch like usual. It is definitely something I look forward to every year! Yesterday Grandma and Grandpa Giles called me like always to sing Happy Birthday and my in-laws called me as well and sang to me! I sure felt loved. :) Yesterday Kelly made me breakfast and then we had a barbecue - more like cooked on the grill and ate inside.. stupid rain! We had both Kelly's grandparents, his brother Scott, brother Mitch and his wife Ashley, my sister and nephew, and my Dad (my Mom is sick) over to eat. My mother in law made YUMMY cupcakes for dessert. Thanks to my in-laws for letting us raid their house like always!

I got the BEST present! My wonderful husband got me a SEWING MACHINE! It's so nice - a Bernina. I am so excited to start using it. I actually already started on my first project. I was up kinda late last night working on it. I have lots of projects on my list! I will post pictures as soon as it's done! I also got sewing stuff from my in-laws, Texas Roadhouse gift cards, and a cute cute shirt! I felt pretty spoiled this year. :)

A Wedding, A Birthday, and Rylee's 11 Month Mark!

WARNING: Picture Overload! I am behind on posting, so I just decided to do everything in one post together. Oh, and please excuse the RETARDED spacing. I tried and tried and it is still all over the place! Dang blogger!
Well, first thing's first. Rylee is ELEVEN MONTHS OLD! One month till she is a year old -- crazy, just crazy. She has grown and developed and learned so much this past month. I am amazed at her everyday for how much she is learning and how quickly.

Yes, I went crazy on her pictures today. I take pictures of her every month on the 25th - her month mark. Today was fun. Don't you love her neon pink toenails? They are so cute.

Haha she really fell asleep with her headband over her eyes. Hilarious.

Bathing in the sink!

Haha a favorite toy - keeps her entertained forever while I get ready!

Yes, she climbed all the way through this stool. She is constantly all over the place!

The rest of the pictures are just some funny and random pictures I took of her this past month. Trust me, I have taken WAAAY more pictures than this but I only put a few up - you're welcome.
Well, some things about Rylee...
-Just today she learned how to turn around at the top of the stairs and slide down them. My girl is so smart! I have only been trying to teach her to do that for a few days now.

-She can stand for several seconds - yesterday she actually took a step. I am a proud Mama! She will be walking by her first birthday. I think.

-She still loves to eat. She loves everything I give her. I think her favorites right now are beans - I have only given her black beans and black eyed peas and she loves them both. She also loves anything with cheese. Just pieces of cheese, macaroni and cheese, cheese quesadillas... and fruit. Every morning I cut up banana chunks and strawberry chunks and she loves them. She loves to feed herself. Don't worry, I also give her plenty of veggies which she also LOVES.

-She sleeps AMAZINGLY now. It has been two months since I started her new routine and she is seriously the best sleeper now. She goes to bed at 7:30 pm and sleeps all night till 9:30 am. Some mornings she gets up around 5 or 6 - I give her a bottle and she goes right back to sleep. I definitely love it!

-She points at everything.

-She said 'Dada' 'Ba-ba' 'Hi/Hey' and 'Uh-oh' and an occasional 'Mama'

-She is DONE nursing! It was bittersweet but I am glad she is done. I was starting to hurt cause of her teeth - no, she didn't bite, but her teeth rubbed when she sucked and...ouch. She LOVES LOVES LOVES her bottle and formula.

-Bath time is still a favorite - I just recently started bathing her in the sink at home. Wow, SO much easier. She is too busy and all over the bathtub and stands up over and over and over...sink is the way to go for now.

-She loves to dance and is constantly dancing. Whenever she hears music she really gets moving!

Kelly's 27th Birthday was yesterday. The camera died, so here is a crappy phone picture. We had a fun day! I made him breakfast in bed and then I climbed back in bed with him to cuddle -- and we both fell back asleep. Till TEN. Wow, lazy bums? I think so. Our amazing sleeper slept in till ten so we decided to take full advantage I guess. :) He went to lunch with his two besties and then we had dinner at Sizzler. Yeah, that is where we always go I swear! We were going to go to Texas Roadhouse but decided Sizzler was easier with all the people going. We then had cake and ice cream at our house with our good friends and Kelly's parents. It was a great day! Happy 27th Birthday sexy man! I LOVE YOU!

And...last but not least my little brother in law got married on Saturday!!! It was SUCH a fun day and it was so amazing getting to watch them be sealed together. I am so happy for them both! I love Ash and am so happy to have her as my sister in law now!

She looked GORGEOUS. Her dress was absolutely beautiful.

It was such a long day for Rylee. She was so good though. She didn't have any naps and was still going strong. My in-laws got a DJ for after the luncheon. Rylee was dancing with Grandpa - he was bouncing all over and next thing you know Rylee's head was bobbing all over the place and her eyes were getting really droopy. She actually looked a little drunk haha! We were all laughing so hard. Next thing you know she was sound asleep on his shoulder. She slept on his shoulder for maybe a half hour while he kept dancing and then Kelly's cousin held her for maybe another half hour.

Congrats Mitch and Ashley! We love you guys!

Brag Post #1

Everyone is allowed to have a brag post, right? Well, I think so.

So, here it goes...

I WEIGH 5 POUNDS LESS THAN I DID BEFORE I WAS PREGNANT!!!

Trust me, this is VERY exciting news for me! When I got married I was skiiiiny. I weighed 120 - that is only 2 pounds heavier than when I graduated high school. I got up to 135 at one point and that was it for me. I HAD to do something about it. So, that is when Kelly and I started running together every night. I lost 6 pounds getting down to 129 and for some reason, whatever I did, I couldn't get down past it.

Then I got pregnant. At the end of my pregnancy I weighed 163 - I gained 35 pounds. That freaked me out a little bit. But I was supposed to gain between 25-35 pounds so I was ok with it. Well, I had Rylee and lost the weight pretty quickly. And can I just add - for a couple weeks after having a baby was so not fun. I was like soaking wet all the time sweating away my water weight. Yuck.

By the time she was 4 months old I was back down to my pre pregnancy weight. I went back to work full time for a month and gained 6 pounds again. Sitting on a seat all day really didn't help much. And I didn't eat very healthy - went out for lunch every single day because I was too tired to wake up early enough and pack myself a lunch. Being up several times a night with a little baby made me pretty tired everyday.

I pretty much stayed at that same weight for a few months and then I was back to wanting to do something about it - I had to. I was feeling yucky and chubby. I hate this feeling - it's the worst. So I started doing some workout videos at home and only jogging a few times. This really was NOT helping. My friend and I decided to try out some Zumba classes - the first time is free at most classes so we went to a couple classes comparing them. She told me about this lady in her Mom's ward that taught Zumba and was having a free class so we both went.

I will NEVER regret going to her class. She is literally the best Zumba teacher. I have found my favorite workout that will never get old. I leave the class dripping with sweat every time I go. It's not only dancing, she works your entire body - arms, legs, stomach - everywhere. The past 3 classes I have been sore the next day which is so great because even after going for a couple months I am still working different parts of my body.

I have now been going to Zumba 3 times a week and have lost weight quicker than with even jogging. I never thought I would get back down to 120 but only 4 more pounds to go and I am there! I am SO proud of myself and am so happy. And I also have to say how proud I am of my husband. He has lost 20 pounds in a month and a half. We have both been working our butts off to get down to where we want to be. We also don't eat after dinner and that has really helped the weight come off too. That and we really watch our portions and have cut back on eating sugar.

So, there you have it. My first brag post. Hope you enjoyed it. :)

If you want to come try her class, you should. Click here or here for more info.

My First "REAL" Mother's Day.

Today was my first "REAL" Mother's Day. Last year I was pregnant and I did have a baby (in my belly of course) so I was a Mom, but this year it was different. I am actually a MOM. I see, hold, and take care of a little person that is mine.. forever. I never would have thought being a Mother would make me as happy as it does and I never thought a little person could bring me such joy, happiness, and love. Being a Mother is the greatest gift and I love every second of being one. Rylee is my entire world. Today was such a special day and I am so grateful for my husband who makes me feel like I am the best Mom and wife and shows me so much appreciation for everything I do.

Sometimes I feel like a lazy person - on the days he comes home to a messy.. and I mean MESSY house. Those are the days I just play with Rylee or just sit on the couch watching her play and just laughing at how cute and funny she is. All the other little things can wait - I just enjoy motherhood and every single stage Rylee is in. If there is once I can't feed her, bath her, or put her to bed I feel so sad. She rules my world and I love it. Everything in my life revolves around her - her needs, her wants. But it is everything I want, everything I love. Being a Mom has changed me so much - all for the better. I never thought Motherhood would be as amazing as it is. I love it. I love my life. I love my beautiful baby girl.

Here is me this morning. Yes, I had just woken up! Do you love my crazy hair and glasses? My WONDERFUL husband brought me breakfast in bed. My favorite breakfast burritos, (DELICIOUS - I will do a post on how to make them. They are the best) my favorite fruit: bananas and strawberries, and orange juice.

I also have to add.. Kelly is the BEST husband and let me sleep in this morning. He got up with Rylee, fed her, and made me breakfast. :)


And this is what I saw when I came downstairs. This girl makes me laugh! I moved all the tupperware down low so she could empty the cabinet. There is tupperware all over the kitchen everyday - love it!


I am definitely the happiest Mama in the world! (What Mom doesn't say that right?)

And I just HAD to show off my present from Kelly. My super cute MEK shorts! LOVE THEM. Don't you love the butt shot?

This is Rylee tonight at my inlaws house. She is such a cute little cheeser!

Beautiful baby right?? :)

This is me and my Mother in law .. more like my other Mom. I don't consider her my mother in law. I love her SO MUCH. She is such an amazing person. I look up to her every way. She is the most positive, caring, and selfless person I know. I enjoy every second I have to spend with her. We have had so many laughs together and tears.. she is always there for me. There is literally nothing I can't talk to her about. I am so blessed to have her in my life and I thank Heavenly Father everyday for blessing me with such an amazing woman in my life forever!

And my Mom.. well, she is out of town AGAIN. So I didn't get to see her on Mother's Day and I didn't get to take a picture with her. But I am so grateful to have her in my life and as my Mom. She is such a wonderful Mother - she loves me and my sister and would do anything for us. I can talk to her about so many things and she never judges, just gives her advice which I totally appreciate (most of the time..haha!) I love my Mom so much!

I am just so grateful to have so many wonderful women (especially my 2 Mom's) in my life! Happy Mother's Day!!