closet proud

I wanted to write a quick update on my closet overhaul.  Mostly things have stayed pretty minimal.

I have bought some nursing friendly pieces to add to my wardrobe, and for spring I added a new graphic tee, statement shirt, and a new cardigan.

I cleaned out the tote of things that I put away when I was pregnant so I already took some things to consign when I picked up my payout and since then I have added some more things to a bag that I will also be consigning.

I am trying to space save at my house so my next closet project is picking out which things of my babe’s to put in a memory box and the rest will be taken to consignment or donated. From now on I do plan on thrifting the majority of Mr Man’s clothes.

Right now I am really happy with the way my closet is looking.  I really have gotten down to items I really love, and after I take everything to consign I plan on making sure to photograph everything and put it into Stylebook for easy reference.

Let me briefly talk about thrifting for a minute.  I buy thrift mostly on Poshmark and eBay.  I do buy a few things at the consignment shop where I locally consign.  I often specifically look for pieces from brands that I like.  I either save searches on eBay or like items on Poshmark.  My favorite thing to do on Poshmark is to like items than come back a couple months later and go through the items I liked.  If they sold, I take them off the list.  If an item is still there I decide if I like it now and if I don’t I get it off the list. Sometimes there are items I’m still not sure about and I let them sit longer.  If it is something on my needs list I may consider offering the seller a lower price (I’ve noticed if something is still in someones closet after several months they generally accept a much lower price). For example a Madewell top that I liked back in the late summer was still on my list a couple weeks ago when I checked. It was a new with tags item, but was listed at well over $30, and even though it was new I just couldn’t justify paying that much on resale. I offered $12 and the seller accepted right away.  I have found that by shopping on Poshmark this way I am not too quick to jump on buying an item that may only be a trend and I really just buy the things I like and will fit into my wardrobe and actually be worn for many many years.

For consignment I know that if I sold on Poshmark I would likely make more money off the items that I sell. But the convenience of not having to photograph and price everything, then shipping makes up for the money I may lose.  I also am happy to help support a local business.

I am working on adding a few knit pieces to my closet as well. Right now I am working on an oversized light gray marl pullover sweater which will be versatile for any season, including a breezy summer night (I own one sweatshirt these days, I find that I much prefer knits to athletic wear these days).  I am also looking forward to getting started on a simple cream marl cardigan that will go with almost everything in my closet. I am also planning out some shawl/scarves that will be great accessories to have around.

If you don’t know how to knit or crochet, I highly recommend it.  I feel that items I knit definitely stay in my closet for a much longer time, and I also have the joy of working with my hands to get to the end product.  A hand knit item has so much more meaning to you than something you bought online or off the rack.

That’s about all I have for now. I am hoping to do a 10×10 challenge next month, perhaps once I am done working. If I feel brave enough I may do it at the end of this month. Stay tuned.

life update

My apologies for the silence around here. If you are a new parent I am sure you understand.  It isn’t really that there is an overwhelming amount of things going on, but I have just been soaking up every little moment.

Our baby boy was born in November.  I will not be posting a birth story, although the story is interesting and I am always eager to share it.  It is more of a word of mouth story, not something I would like to write about.  I may change my mind in time, and perhaps I will jot down some things at a later time to post, but for now I am not planning on putting the story up.

Since that time I have just been enjoying every minute with my new babe.  He is the sweetest little guy.  Snuggly, calm, quiet, and a character to boot. I love him so much, and I really just can’t believe that the world turned without him.

I returned to work almost a month ago, but will be quitting at the beginning of April to be a stay at home mom.  As my husband now understands though, staying at home with your child is a job, and if you are a mom you know that too. I will also be running the office part of my husbands new cleaning business.

Because I am going to be at home, I am hoping to actually keep better track of my blog.  I hope to talk about a lot of different things, but here are just a few…

• cloth diapering
• home renovations (we are moving in July)
• my wardrobe overhaul (remember when I did that about half way through my pregnancy, I would like to share how things are going now post-baby)
• future plans

For now that is all I have to say.  More soon from the baby front.

Bump Date

I know I haven’t done a pregnancy update at all since being pregnant, but we are getting so close to the finish line and meeting this baby, that I thought it might be nice to give a little update.  So far so good.  We are 37 weeks today.  We had a mini maternity session this week just after we took the turn to 36 weeks. I will share some photos at the end.

Size: Baby is the size of a honeydew melon. Baby weighs over 6 lbs at this point and we were told this week at our appointment to not be surprised if we come out of this with an 8 or 8.5 lb baby. I was measuring 39 weeks at my appointment this week, so we will see where I am at next week. Grow baby grow!

Weight gained: About 33 lbs. My start weight is kind of unclear so I am not really sure exactly where I am at.

Symptoms: I have been dealing with reflux, back ache, swollen feet and hands, and I have a nasty head cold right now (no fun). I have a rib kicker in there.

Favorite thing to wear: Nothing fits right now.  Well, not nothing. But maternity clothes are tight.  Shoes are almost impossible.  I have a couple of dresses that are still working and I have just been throwing duster cardigans on over them and a scarf, it seems to work. I have three more weeks left of work (that is unless squish makes their arrival before d-day) so it is likely going to be a little more challenging figuring out how to dress the basketball that it appears I am smuggling.

Boy or girl? It’s a surprise! (you would be surprised how many people are surprised by this, like we must be some alien family)

Pregnancy related items I have loved this week… hmm, I can’t really say I have used anything specifically for pregnancy for most of my pregnancy.  I did get a nursing sleep bra which was very comfortable to wear at night this week.

Struggles: Getting enough water and bloating (these two are probably linked).

Something I loved this week: I really liked our midwife visit this week, I love getting to hear squish’s heartbeat, and being assured that baby is head down and in a good position to meet us.

Plans for this next week: Try to go on a 2 mile walk daily, I want to walk this baby out if possible.

Food Cravings: I have not had a ton of cravings.  I wanted frosted sugar cookies (which I got).  And I wanted some taco pizza. Yum.

Something I’m proud of…I’m proud of myself this week because I actually managed to cook 3 meals. Cooking has grown harder for me as I have been more fatigued.  And I did do some loads of laundry.  Although it all needs folded.

Currently working on… prepping for labor.  I need to pack a go bag. But I also need to work more on relaxation for pain management.

And what you have all been waiting for, maternity pictures… we went to our local apple orchard, all the apples are gone now, but it was still a nice setting. My sister in law was kind enough to take some pictures.

 

 

Rekindled Obsession

So I have a rekindled obsession. Knitting.

Since getting married my knitting has really been put on the back burner.  Confession, my husband gets a little jealous of the knits I think.  He is a cuddler, so if I am knitting while we watch t.v. he gets a little grumpy because I need my arms free.

I don’t know if it is a nesting thing, or grasping at something I know I am good at and familiar with.  Or that I am trying to not buy clothes so as to keep my wardrobe paired down for ease of use.  Whatever it is, I am obsessed.  I have a list of projects I want to do.  I want to buy all the yarn! So I’m thinking that I will do a regular post with my works in progress (wips). You can find me on ravelry @sarahkatie to also check them out.

My current wips…

• Nara Jacket by Carrie Bostick Hoge
• Baby Socks by Kate Atherley (free pattern on Ravelry)
• Barley by tincanknits (free pattern on Ravelry)

Here is my list of things I will be casting on very soon…

• Mae by Andrea Mowry
• Spin Raglan by Andrea Mowry
• Find Your Fade by Andrea Mowry
• Ara Shawl by Andrea Mowry
• Debut Shawl by Katiuscia Bayslak (free pattern on Ravelry)
• Lonnie Baby Bonnet by Julie Taylor

The Nara Jacket is really close to completion, I just have one more sleeve to knit, and that will probably only take about an hour or so to get done.

I have a cuff of one sock almost done, but these things are so teeny, they should be done in an evening.

And I started on this Barley hat, to match the Bandana Cowl (free pattern from Purl Soho) that I just made, but it may get frogged, because I want to get started on Mae.

I have received my yarn for Mae and got the hanks rolled into balls, so I need to swatch it.  I also have yarn to knit another Lonnie Baby Bonnet, I already have one finished in newborn size, and am going to do another a size or two bigger.

I’m planning on getting started on Find Your Fade as my labor project, I will get it started and get into the flow of it, and then perhaps I will feel like knitting for relaxation during labor.

All of these projects I am hoping to get done over this fall/winter season, or I should say before I go back to work from my maternity leave.

Happy knitting everyone! What are your current wips? Share in the comments.

baby knits + some

It’s that time of year where I want to constantly be holding soft yarns in my hands and knitting all the pretty things.

Over the years I have knit lots of things for other people, although I am a selfish knitter too, I like to knit accessories for myself (hats, scarves, etc). This year of course I am knitting lots of things for baby.  So far clothes and accessories only, although I do have some plans to get some knitted toys made.

Being pregnant I think that self care is really important.  And so that means I have made plans to make some things for myself.  A nursing friendly top, a shawl, and a quick sweater.

Confession, I have never knit a shawl.  In fact for this reason my stash is seriously lacking in any sort of fingering weight yarn.  My current knitter crush is Andrea Mowry and her lovely patterns.  They are just all so beautiful, I want to buy them all.  I would need to take out a loan for all of the yarn necessary to make all of the pretty things though.

I have four patterns I really am hoping to get done over the course of this fall and winter though.  Mae, Spin Raglan, the Ara Shawl, and the Find Your Fade Shawl

I’m hoping to have updates on these as I go along. I currently just received my yarn to start Mae, so I will be getting it wound into balls and started, I really would like to have that one done before baby arrives.  I also have hopes to get the Spin Raglan done before my due date as well.  The two shawls I’m hoping to work on during my maternity leave, but it really depends on what little squish decides will be the sleep schedule.

Happy knitting to all my fellow knitters.  By the way if you are on Ravelry you can find me there @sarahkatie.

20 Baby Essentials

 

 

I want to talk about baby gear and what you really need.  My husband and I live in a one bedroom duplex. This means that we have limited space.  I like to think that we are master organizers.  We keep clutter reduced as much as possible, which means evaluating what we have at regular intervals and passing on items that we no longer use. I love Marie Kondo’s philosophies on keeping things tidy, if you haven’t read her book, get to it.

The baby retail market makes it seem like you need a lot of stuff for a baby.  Let me just say this, you don’t.  I have seen all of the things my brothers had when they had their babies, and more than half of it was unnecessary.  Babies have 3 basic needs, they need a place to sleep, they need to be fed, and a clean tush.

I wanted to come up with a list of items that  encompassed the things you actually need (with maybe a couple of things that are your choice).  This doesn’t include clothing, you will need some clothes for baby.  We are choosing to cloth diaper, so I included those items. I also included some items for feeding once baby is a little older (high chair, blender).  I found it surprisingly hard to come up with 20 items, and some of things we already had (ex. immersion blender). I definitely think if you followed this guide you would have everything you need for baby.

 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

These items don’t take up a lot of space in our home, they fit in quite nicely actually, and it doesn’t feel like baby items have taken over our life.

it’s fall y’all

As cliche as all of that sounds, it’s true.  My favorite season of all.  Unfortunately the weather here in the midwest has not really felt like fall at all.  And I was so looking forward to wearing some layers and feeling a little cooler.  But before I talk about all that, let me introduce myself, or re-introduce myself.

I’m Sarah.  I live smack dab in the middle of the Midwest, and if you think that means Minnesota, than you are wrong.  I’m married to a wonderful guy, we have two cats (both rescues, Sully and Maggie) and we are expecting our first child in November.

I love to do things with my hands, be it sewing, knitting, baking, cooking, writing, typing.  And I am a bookworm when I make the time for it.

I have blogged in the past, but I have always felt like my writing has been unfocused and without a good direction.  Not to say that this is a start of anything new, but I would like it to be a place where I can share the things about my life that I love, and even the things that I don’t like so much.

What you will mostly see from me will be simple meals, days spent with my family, current knitting projects, and I probably won’t be able to avoid some parenting topics.

Happy fall everyone, I’m going to be sharing my cozy autumn knits with you very soon and a few of my favorite things right now.