DIY Baby Receiving Blanket

I started sewing during my first pregnancy and quickly fell in love with making baby blankets! I bought a pack of receiving blankets for my baby at Walmart, but I wanted to make my own so I could choose the fabric I wanted. I came up with this receiving blanket pattern on my own so that I could do just that. And now you can too!

What You’ll Need

• Fabric
• Thread
• Serger/Sewing Machine
• Cutting Tools
• Round object

FABRIC
You will need 1 yard of flannel fabric. I have gotten fabric at Jo Ann’s, Hobby Lobby, Walmart, and online. I find flannel works best for these receiving blankets because it's softer and you only need 1 layer. 

THREAD
Colored thread that matches your fabric. This is for sewing around the edges.

SERGER/SEWING MACHINE
The preferred method to use for the edges is a serger, but if you don’t have one, you can use a sewing machine with a specialty stitch.

CUTTING TOOLS
You’ll need all your preferred items for cutting fabric.

1) A cutting board or table

2) Scissors or a rotary cutter

3) Measuring tools such as a measuring mat, ruler, etc.

4) A fabric pen or pencil to mark the fabric if you use one

ROUND OBJECT
Lastly, you’ll need a round object to get the corners cut. I used a cereal bowl, but you can use whatever you’d like. Any round object that you have on hand that’s the size you would like to use will work.

Let’s Get Started

STEP #1 
First things first, you will need to prep the fabric for sewing. This means washing, drying, and ironing your fabric. I always wash and dry my fabric prior to sewing because some fabrics (specifically cotton) shrink a little bit, and it’s better to have it pre-shrunk so that it doesn’t get messed up later on. This is also good so that if the fabric bleeds at all during the washing process, it is done before you wash it with other items.

Once the wash and dry portions are completed, then you will iron all the fabric. Ironing it helps to get the wrinkles out and flatten the fabric out for proper measurements when cutting. 

STEP #2
Cut the flannel fabric to a 28 in x 28 in square. Use your own preferred cutting tools to get it cut down. I based my receiving blanket size on some that I bought at Walmart; however, you can always make it bigger if you wish to. 

STEP #3
Place a round object like a plate or bowl on the corners of the fabric to cut rounded corners. I used a cereal bowl upside down and traced it with a fabric marker. When you have it marked, cut along the marking to make the corners rounded. 

STEP #4
With the fabric cut and ready, all that’s left to do is sew along the edges. Using a serger around all edges is the preferred method. However, if you don’t have a serger, you can use a regular sewing machine with a specialty stitch. With only a sewing machine, this is the option I used.

I played around with different stitches on my sewing machine until I came across one I thought could mimic a serger. The main objective here is to keep the fabric from fraying and unraveling on the ends. Using the stitch that I chose, the receiving blankets I made have held up being washed and used.

If your goal is to make blankets to sell, then I’d invest in a serger to have a more professional look. But if you’re wanting to just make a simple blanket for yourself or family, this stitch I used will work just as well and save you from having to go out and buy a serger.

Option #2:
If you don’t have a serger and don’t want to use just a regular stitch around the edges, you can always keep the edges squared and hem it to sew instead. To do this, you would fold the fabric under twice and sew that down. That way the fabric is folded under so it won’t fray or unravel, and you don’t have to mimic a serger. If you choose to go this route, you will probably want to cut a bigger piece of fabric than just 28 in x 28 in, because you will be taking up more fabric by folding it under to sew. 

And there you go! You can now make your very own receiving blankets for your little ones using your favorite fabrics. Happy creating!

My 1st Cross-Country Move: Virginia to California

Today marks the 10th anniversary of my first cross-country move. On this day 10 years ago, I packed up my Xterra and started driving from my hometown in Virginia to my new home in California. I cannot believe that it has been 10 years! It seems just like yesterday. 

I had just turned 19 and was not only moving out of my parents’ house but moving across the whole US! From the East Coast to the West. I was so young and naive. So full of life and excitement for my new adventure. 

It was bittersweet knowing I was leaving my family, but I was mostly just excited. I had been dreaming about this move my whole life. As long as I could remember, it was my dream to move to California and become an actress for movies and TV. I had never even set foot in California before, but that didn’t scare me.

I had been working full-time since age 17, and after buying my first car, I had been saving up for this very move. I was stepping out into the great unknown. I had only just lined up a place to live about a week before moving. My dad was driving out with me to help me get settled in and acclimated to California for a couple of days, then he would fly back home. 

I was always the shy, quiet, homebody out of my siblings. I was probably the last of my 8 siblings that you would ever think would move far away from home. I always just had a daring and adventurous spirit underneath. Most people probably thought I was crazy, but that didn’t stop me. 

I remember my dad asking me a couple of times if I wanted to take any detours to stop at any landmarks along the way, and I said no. Now, looking back, I kind of wish I had taken some extra time to do that, just to have those memories and experiences. But at the time, I was so excited to get to California that I didn’t want to do anything that would delay it any longer than it was already taking. 

So we literally just drove. As much as we could in one day, we drove. We only stopped to get gas, grab a quick meal, and sleep. If we weren’t doing one of those three things, we were driving. Although we didn’t make many pit stops, we still saw some cool sights.

As I’ve been reminiscing about this move, I have been going through my old posts and photos from this time, so I thought I would share some of the specific details with you all. It was quite a road trip!

Day 1

Our goal was to start driving around noon on July 25th, but that didn’t happen. Packing what was left in my room and loading the car took longer than expected. We ended up leaving around 5 pm (EST) instead. By the time we left, my car was jam-packed from floor to ceiling.

We wanted to drive as much as possible that first day, and since we were feeling ok we ended up driving about nine hours. We stopped at 1 am (CST) for the night in Dickson, TN, a town between Nashville and Memphis.

I did most of the driving on the first day of the trip, so I didn’t get many photos. Despite it being dark, we still saw some cool sights. We caught the I-40 and took it the whole way across the US.

Some of my highlights from Day 1 were:

• Driving past Nashville at night. I just love city lights! It is just so magical. Seeing Nashville all lit up at night was so beautiful!
• Driving along “Music Highway”. On I-40 from Nashville to Memphis, the section of the highway is called “Music Highway”. Makes sense, right? The signs were so cool with music notes and all. I thought it was a neat thing to see.

Day 2

After what felt like a very short night’s sleep and a quick breakfast, we began driving again on July 26th. We left our hotel in Dickson, TN around 8:30/9:00 am (CST). I took a lot more pictures on this day since my dad drove a lot of the way and it was daylight outside.

We drove through Memphis. I saw a couple of billboards for Graceland but never a sign directing us where to go. We drove over the Tennessee River/Kentucky Lake.

We crossed over the Mississippi River as we passed the Arkansas state line. Arkansas was very green and pretty, with lots of water and swamps around.

We passed into Oklahoma, and everything began to look drier and not so colorful. We drove over Lake Eufaula, which was very large and pretty. The sun was out, and the sky was very blue with clouds. Driving at 70/75 MPH, everything comes and goes so fast; if you don’t know it’s coming, you miss it. We saw an Air Force Base and passed through Oklahoma City.

We passed into Texas and hit a short but heavy rainfall. After about 14 hours of driving, we stopped for the night in Amarillo, TX.

Highlights from Day 2:

• Driving over the Mississippi River while crossing the Arkansas state line at the same time.
• Driving through Checotah in Oklahoma. This is Carrie Underwood’s hometown, and they have a sign saying it’s her hometown and that she was the American Idol winner.
• Driving through Yukon, OK. This is the home/hometown of Garth Brooks.

Tennessee River/Kentucky Lake

Mississippi River

Arkansas State Line

Arkansas

Oklahoma State Line

Lake Eufaula in OK

Oklahoma City, OK

Yukon, OK

Oklahoma

Somewhere in Oklahoma

Day 3

After what felt like another short night’s sleep (but a little longer than the night before), we got up and began driving again on July 27th, leaving Amarillo, TX. I made a point to try to take more pictures that day as well.

We continued on in Texas, then crossed over into New Mexico. Everything was dry and brown-looking all the way through New Mexico. There were a lot of ranches lining all of I-40 through both Texas and New Mexico. We did see some neat hills and mountains too. After a while, everything looked the same, though.

According to my GPS, we would have arrived at our final destination at around 11:00 pm that night. We decided to just get a hotel that night. We thought of making a detour to the Grand Canyon, but in the end, I decided I would rather just get to a hotel early and relax.

After a good dinner, we got a hotel in Kingman, AZ, at around 8:00 pm (MST). We relaxed and unwound a bit, then I hit the hay around 11:30 pm (MST).

Highlights from Day 3:

• Seeing the mountains in New Mexico.

Texas

Texas

New Mexico State Line

New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico

Day 4

We had a late start on July 28th, but we were only about 4 hours away from our final destination. We got up late, were slower-moving, had breakfast, and left the hotel in Kingman, AZ around 10:00 am (MST).

As we continued driving through Arizona, I began to see more palm trees, which was so exciting! We drove over the Colorado River (it was gorgeous) and then right after, we passed into California.

There was an inspection station where all vehicles had to stop about a mile into California. They asked us where we were coming from; we said, Virginia. Then they asked if we were carrying any fruits, vegetables, plants, or animals. We said no, and then they let us through. We continued on and went over the mountains and through valleys.

Around 2:00 pm (PST), we stopped to grab some lunch, and I got final directions to the house I would be living in. After eating, we continued on and arrived at my new home around 3:00 pm (PST).

Highlights from Day 4:

• Seeing all the palm trees.
• Driving over the Colorado River.
• Seeing the “Welcome to California” sign and crossing the state line.
• Driving through the mountains and valleys. It was so cool seeing the difference between the two back-to-back.
• Making it to our final destination, my new home!

Arizona State Line

1st Sign for Los Angeles

Arizona

Arizona

Arizona

Arizona

Colorado River

California State Line

Colorado River

California

California

Home Sweet Home

The Best Mom Hacks for Summer

Summertime is in full swing! This is my favorite time of the year. With it staying light longer and the temperature higher, there are so many fun things to do outside. But that doesn’t mean things are always easy, especially with young kids. So why not try to make things a little easier on yourself?

Here are some of my favorite mom hacks specifically for summer:

Johnson’s Baby Creamy Oil as Mosquito Repellent

This is probably my #1 favorite as far as summertime hacks go. I first came across something about this on Pinterest last year. I was pretty skeptical about whether it would actually work. The mosquitoes are so bad where I live, so I decided it wouldn’t hurt to just try it.

I started looking everywhere for this lotion and couldn’t find it. It took probably a couple of months to find. Once I finally found it at Walmart, I bought it right away. And to my surprise, it actually worked!

I use it whenever I’m outside for an extended amount of time. If I’m doing yard work or sitting while the kids play in their kiddy pool, I put it on. And I legit carry it around in the diaper bag in case I need it while we’re out and about.

You simply apply the lotion to all areas you wish to protect. It’s safe for babies and kids and works for me too! Not only does it repel mosquitoes, but it also smells good. No more dealing with the gross smell and sticky feeling of regular bug spray. And for an added bonus, you get to moisturize your skin while saying bye-bye to mosquitoes. Win/win!

Use a Shower Curtain as a Pool at the Beach

My sister introduced me to this hack. She swears by it! First, you dig a hole in the sand at the beach. Second, you place a clear plastic shower curtain on top of the hole in the sand. Third, you fill the hole with water from the ocean. And voilà, you have your very own beachside personal kiddy pool!

This is so nice for young kids at the beach. You don’t have to worry about your kids being scared of the waves or about the water being too cold because it stays warm in the heat. You can shade the makeshift pool with an umbrella too.

My daughter loved playing in it when my sister’s family came to visit, and they did this. The shower curtain folds up and doesn’t take up a lot of room in your bag, and you simply rinse/wash it off to get it clean afterward. There are so many benefits to this one. Seriously, give it a try!

Fill Grocery Bags with Sand at the Beach for Weights

Need weights/sandbags to hold a tent or other beach items in place? Simply bring some plastic grocery bags and fill them with actual sand at the beach.

You can thank mister Walmart employee for this brilliant idea. I was shopping for some sandbags to use as weights for my beach tent I bought this year and couldn’t locate them. I asked an employee if they had any, and he said no, but that he recommended just using the plastic grocery bags I was getting with my purchases that day and filling them with sand at the beach. I tried it that very day and have done it again every time we’ve gone to the beach since then.

It is such a brilliant, simple idea; I don’t know why I never thought of it before! No need to lug the weight around or pay for the extra item. Just fill the bags at the beach and then dump them when you leave.

If you live in an area where plastic grocery bags are banned, you can simply use Ziploc bags or buy a couple of cheap purses/bags at the dollar store to use. Something you don’t care if it gets sandy and dirty, and something you can reuse. It doesn’t need to be fancy, just functional.

Use Baby Powder to Get Sand Off

One downside to beach time is all the sand getting everywhere. No matter how hard I try to get clean before leaving the beach, I still always seem to find sand on me when I get into the car.

If you have young kids, I know you can relate to this struggle with me. What if I told you there is a simpler way than having to wait in the long line to rinse off or having to make your child stay under the cold water to get clean before leaving the beach? Well, there is! Just rub some baby powder on the sandy areas and wipe off the sand easily and quickly. It’s perfect for that quick fix to get the sand off and wait to shower/get clean until you get home.

Use a Cupcake Liner to Catch Popsicle Juice

Everyone loves a popsicle on a hot summer day. But not everyone loves cleaning up the sticky mess they leave behind after. If your kid’s messes seem to multiply faster than you can clean them, then this hack is for you!

Instead of trying to keep your kids in one place so they don’t drip everywhere, try using a cupcake liner around a popsicle stick or ice cream cone to catch any drips before they get all over your kids’ hands and clothes. Because let’s face it, your kids aren’t going to eat it fast enough for it not to melt.

BONUS TIP: You can also use a cupcake liner upside down on your drink to keep the bugs out! How’s that for a 2-for-1 deal?

I hope these hacks come in handy for you as they have for me. And that they help to make your summer a little easier. Leave me a comment to let me know what your favorite summertime hacks are! Enjoy your summer!