Tiny Green Apples

Some of my fondest memories are of cooking with my grandma over the years. I started helping my grandma cook when I was only three years old. We'd wake up bright and early to cook my grandpa breakfast before he went off to work. She'd pull a chair up to the stove and let me cook scrambled eggs in my very own mini cast iron skillet. Eventually she also taught me to bake, making pies and things of that sort. I learned how to peel carrots and apples and potatoes without cutting myself, and cracked and picked many many pecans over the years.

I want Hailey to have these special memories like I do. I may not be as skilled at cooking from scratch as my grandma was, but I can still make pie dough crackers and cookies and apple crisp to name a few. Actually learning the skills isn't necessarily what's important...it's making the memories and having fun cooking with family that really matters.

We've started this tradition slowly, and hopefully will have more time in the coming years. First we made pie dough crackers one week night. She had a blast, but cooking's a messy job...it was clear, Hailey needed an apron. While browsing Etsy one evening I came across Tiny Green Apples. They sell the most adorable personalized aprons, among other things. Hailey adores her apron...it's not just any apron, it's HER apron, because it's got HER name on it...she's sure to let us know :) These aprons are not only adorable, the quality is also amazing. They are heavy duty, yet comfortable. And generously sized too...Hailey will be able to use hers for years and years, but yet it fits her comfortably now. She wore her new apron when we made Halloween cookies and it was MESSY by the time we were done...but her clothes weren't! I just threw the apron in the washer and dryer, and voila! Good as new!

This mom and daughter apron set would be a perfect Christmas gift for a mother with a little girl...

I absolutely LOVE the Christmas tree style of aprons they have right now. How cute are they??

Have a little boy that likes to cook? These aprons aren't just for girls!

Tiny Green Apples sells more than just aprons. They have all sorts of personalized bags to choose from as well.

My personal fav is the cinch sack...

They also have a gift section that includes things like little dolls or these personalized towels which would make such a cute Christmas gift!
If you're in the market for personalized gifts for Christmas this year, definitely head on over and check out Tiny Green Apples today!

NeatNiks Bibs - Review and Giveaway!

Hailey and I are alike in many ways. One of the ways we are alike...we both love eating, and as hard as we might try, we are messy eaters. I'm always on the lookout for good bibs for Hailey and I hadn't found one yet that would completely protect her yet be easy for me to care for. I've tried the plastic bibs with the pocket...not only does the pocket not really catch much food, but they're also not machine washable. This is not convenient in our household and has resulted in quite a few ruined bibs. I've also tried the "towel" style bibs from big name stores and haven't had much luck. Yes they are machine washable, which is a must, but they aren't very big...they don't cover much and the neck holes can be quite small which makes them hard to get over Hailey's rather large head! They also start to fall apart after so many washings! I finally resorted to making Hailey eat shirtless or in nothing but a diaper. Now that it's getting cold, this just isn't an option. Thank goodness I happened upon NeatNiks Bibs.

NeatNiks Bibs carries the BEST bibs I have ever come across. They are made from incredibly soft, thick towels. No thin cheap towels for these bibs, like the ones from the BN store! These are made to last! The neck hole on these bibs is perfect...it's made just like a T-shirt and makes the bibs so easy to get on and off. They fit over Hailey's head with no problems at all! Hailey LOVED it...no struggling or fussing!

The bibs come in two sizes. A small fits from birth to about 18 months. A large fits from 12 months up. We were sent a large sized bib for Hailey to try out and were VERY impressed. The bib fit over Hailey's head, and it covered her WHOLE body! I didn't have to take her clothes off...it even went down onto her legs! She'll be able to wear this bib for years. I joked that I should get one for myself!! :)

All of their bibs have an adorable saying and picture embroidered on them. We were lucky enough to receive the "Gobble til you Wobble" bib, which is absolutely PERFECT for our family! We got such a kick out of it!

If you're looking for a high-quality bib that will last your children for years to come, you have to check out NeatNiks Bibs!

Want to try a NeatNiks Bib?? They're giving away a small bib (your choice) to one of my lucky readers!! All you have to do to have a chance to win is:

1. Visit NeatNiks Bibs, take a look around, come back here and leave me a comment telling me what your favorite bib is from their shop!

2. Want an extra entry? Blog about this giveaway! Be sure to post the link to both NeatNiks Bibs and this post. Then leave me a second comment with the link to your post!

3. If you make a purchase from NeatNiks Bibs leave me a 3rd comment with your Etsy username and the product you purchased...I'll give you 3 extra entries into the contest!

The contest will end November 9th. Don't forget to put your email address in your comment if you don't have your email posted on your blog! If you win you will have 3 days to reply after I contact you. If I don't get a reply in that time frame I will be forced to choose a new winner.

Good luck everybody!!

Mimas

As a little girl one of my absolute favorite things to do was play "babies." I loved being a little mom to all my baby dolls and would spend hours dressing, feeding and cuddling them. Luckily Hailey has fallen in my footsteps with her love of all things baby related. While searching Etsy for toys of this nature I happened upon Mimas, and I knew instantly I'd found something special.

Karen has been doing her craft for over 25 years now. Three years ago when her little granddaughter was two years old she wanted something to carry her baby doll in. They worked together until they got everything just right. The result is the cutest little doll bed/carrier I have ever seen!

It's like a little soft comfy moses basket, just the right size for a little girl to carry her baby dolls around in. We were lucky enough to receive one of these adorable little doll carriers and Hailey absolutely LOVES it. It comes with a little matching pillow and blanket as well and Hailey loves putting one of her stuffed animals to bed in her carrier every night. (She's on a stuffed animal kick right now, they are her babies).

These carriers are so well made, I know Hailey will get many many years of enjoyment from it, along with any kids we have in the future, and our kids' kids even!

Another Mimas product is this adorable little doll set that comes with a little diaper bag, bib, burp cloth and a little doll cloth diaper! This set would be such a cute Christmas or birthday gift!

Mimas is a big supporter of cloth diapering. I seriously contemplated switching to cloth when Hailey was a little older but couldn't justify the startup cost when Hailey was only using a handful of diapers a day at that point and was *hopefully* not too far off from potty training. She is now potty trained, thank goodness, but I will definitely try cloth diapers with our next baby! Mimas carries a wide variety of cloth diapers in all different sizes, colors and patterns! You can choose from either a normal cloth diaper that should be used with a cover (which they also sell in all sorts of colors and patterns!) or the incredibly convenient AIO (all-in-one) cloth diaper. They even carry cloth diaper inserts and washable baby wipes!

From the Mimas website:

"These homecrafted fitted cloth diapers/nappies are made of 100% all NEW cotton fleece or super flannel. My fitted cloth diapers are highly absorbant with a total of 9 layers, 2 - 100% cotton/fleece outer shell (very soft on the little ones bum), 1- 100% inner liner with a 6 layer soaker pad made of 100% cotton & terrycloth to absorb liquid and wick away from babies so they keep dry and comfortable, each soaker pad is sown to the inner liner with quilt stitching to prevent wading and bunching of the soaker pad, your cloth diapers will last wash after wash, each diaper/nappy has 1/4" elastic stitched to back and legs, this helps to fit to baby and protect against leakage. All diapers/nappies come with washing and drying instructions. All diapers/nappies have hook and loop fastners,no more pins or poking of babies during changing, we also rounded the edges of the hook and loop for additional comfort and safety."

If you're in the market for cloth diapers, inserts, washable wipes or an adorable Christmas gift for the little one in your life, you have to visit Mimas. With amazing quality and unbelievable prices, you won't be disappointed!

Excess Baggage -- Review and Giveaway!

I am SO super excited about my latest Etsy find!! While browsing for Christmas gift ideas for Hailey I came across Excess Baggage. Excess Baggage, Inc. is a family owned company. Barb is a stay-at-home-mom of four who began sewing in Junior High School! Her family runs two sites, Excess Baggage (where you can find show schedules and more info on local shows they're involved in, as well as order their lovely products!) and Excess Baggage on Etsy. They design and create their products right in their home using high quality materials. Some of the products they carry are: fabric bags/purses, child's aprons, and baby accessories. Their bags are lightweight yet sturdy enough to stand on their own and can stand up to the wear and tear of daily use. These attributes are absolutely necessary in any purse I own. I want it to look cute and feel lightweight, but at the same time I'm on the go so much I need the purse that will hold up well and withstand all the work I put it through! Hailey was lucky enough to get to try out one of their small child's aprons. She's such a girly girl and loved it right away! She demanded I put it on and insisted on wearing it the rest of the night. They are very well made. Their craftsmanship is amazing...you couldn't buy something this well made at a Big Name store. They show great attention to detail...everything looks very professional. I really love the little "Excess Baggage" tag they attach...while it seems like such a small detail, it really puts the finishing touch on their products! Hailey was also sent a matching Addy Bag. They're just the right size for a little girl! Hailey started in right away putting all her new hair bows in the bag to carry around. I also found that while the apron and bag aren't in use, the apron folds up and fits inside the bag perfectly! Hailey has already received many wonderful comments on her adorable apron and matching bag. Everybody wants to know where she got it.

See something you like on their shop but want something a little different? Have your own ideas of how you want something to look? Excess Baggage welcomes custom orders!

Think Hailey's apron is just too cute? Excess Baggage would like to give one lucky reader a Child's Apron from their Etsy shop! All you have to do to enter is:

1. Visit Excess Baggage, take a look around the shop and come back here and leave a comment on this post with your favorite item from their shop!

2. To get a second entry, blog about this giveaway on your blog...in the post you MUST link back to this post AND Excess Baggage and then leave a SECOND comment on this post telling me you did so.

If you don't have a blog or don't have your email address listed on your blog, please leave your email address in your comment. If I can't get in touch with the winner I'll be forced to choose a new one.

The contest will end October 27th. After the winner is contacted they will have 3 days to respond. If they don't respond in that time frame I'll have to pick a new winnter.

Good luck everyone!

Knit Knots by Stephanie

Stephanie had been selling her hand knitted items on Ebay for 2 years when she decided last month to open Knit Knots by Stephanie and start selling on Etsy! She hand knits hats, mittens and baby snuggle bags. I came across her shop while browsing Etsy and fell in love with her hats! One in particular I just had to have. It looked so sparkly and soft and I loved the white poof ball on top! I knew Hailey would love it!Stephanie welcomes custom orders...need an item you see in a different size? No problem! I had to get Hailey's hat in a bigger size as Hailey has quite a big head and I wanted to make sure it would fit her all winter. Stephanie was more than happy to help me out! She was so incredibly helpful and SO nice throughout the whole process! The hat was done amazingly fast and she even emailed me a picture which I thought was too cool! Talk about excellent customer service! The hat arrived in only a couple days and it's even cuter in person! And talk about SOFT! The hat is very well made...excellent craftsmanship. It's hard to see in the picture but the yarn is shimmery/sparkly. We absolutely love it. Hailey had to put it on right away!I cannot stress enough how pleased I am with this purchase. Excellent quality, excellent price, top notch customer service...if you're looking for a winter hat (or mittens etc.) for your kiddo, I highly suggest you check out Stephanie's shop, Knit Knots by Stephanie. You won't be disappointed!