Dancing in the weeds

   For days I've been waiting for my VIDA collection to arrive...every day waiting in anticipation....and yesterday it finally did! My daughter, Summer, and I held a LIVE broadcast of us looking at the artful swag on my Facebook group Crisawesomeness Designs.

Please join it for updates! Lots of times I hand down savings given to me by VIDA on there. We had so much fun, we decided to make a regular habit of it and include my You Tube channel.

      We are planning a runway project with local make up specialists and representatives as well as hair dressers. I really think that's going to be a great networking, fun and creative process for us! Good times lie ahead!  Look for more details of that soon!
   My fall line is being developed and you can look forward to rich tones. In the meantime, enjoy!

Blessings!

Diapiers, nappies, rubber pants, pilchers, etc.

   We know ALOT about diapers these days. We strictly use cloth diapers in our day to day lives with a small exception for when we are on the go and rinsing isn't readily available. WE LOVE CLOTH DIAPERS! It really is no extra work, our home doesn't smell like a toilet bowl with air fresheners attempting to cover up the smells of ammonia and waste. And the best part of our experience with using cloth diapers is that our little wee girl has yet to have a diaper rash and she is nearing the 4 month old mark. On the occasions we do use commercial disposable diapers, we noticed how much they smell...bad. It smells of urine and plastic and things we do not want near our baby's skin. She is precious, darn it!
   To pass the time away while my body was the best home a body could be to our little lady, and mostly to take our minds off of the gut wrenching worry that our baby would leave us too soon,  we made our own cloth diapers. It really helped keep me positive and have a good outlook that our miracle was going to happen. I bought a wonderful design off of a mom on Etsy from UberDomestic and we couldn't be happier. The only hang up with this was our little wonderful girl  has been able to hold her urine and go huge amounts. I quickly made some cloth soaker inserts to add to our already All-In-One models and she still can bust the seams with wet! I began designing my own version for babies like her and I think I've finally perfected it.
  So, for my Earth loving Aussie girl Carly Gladwell down under, here are the steps to make the Ness cloth diaper. Enjoy the arrival of the new grand baby!
  OK for the outer waterproof layer, we used PUL fabric. It's amazing and easy to sew!
This is how we made an All-In-One diaper...all in one means that you do not need a waterproof cover or  add a soaker line, it's already on the diaperr. You can buy toss away liners but we installed a sprayer on the water line of our toilet and we can spray the diaper out as we go! It's AWESOME!!!

First off, cut out your patterns. You will have one waterproof layer, two diaper liner layers, your set number of soakers (we used zorb diaper fabric for that) and a catch layer for extra protection.

We used organic diaper liner bamboo fabric for the layer that touches the baby's skin.

This is the shape of the soaker...use as many as four layers but at least two for a minimum.

We sewed the soaker pads into the layer.

Then we added this lovely little catch layer. It has 1/8 inch elastic sewn into the sides to make a trough.

This is the same diaper, just with a fabric that you can see better. Sew the outer shell along the top back, leg holes to  the soaker piece together with a straight stitch.

Now add whatever elastic width you want with the elastic stretched to your desired bunching along the top back and leg holes.

Remember this piece? Now you are going to sew it using whatever stitch you are comfortable with to the outer shell of the diaper, making a complete one piece. Make sure the edges are tucked in and finished.

Finish the diaper with your desired fastener choice....we have used both snaps and Velcro. Velcro is wonderful for the new parent that is afraid of diapering but the snaps are amazing and is the choice for our household. 

Blessings and happy sewing! Enjoy the fresh air cloth diapers can provide!

Boobie Food Love

   Interesting and catchy title....and now that I have your attention, I will be talking about, you guessed it, breastfeeding. And now that I have weeded down the crowd a little bit more, I'm going to go a bit further and talk about breastfeeding and hashimoto's thyroiditis or any autoimmune condition for that matter.

Breastfeeding in our hammock

   When we started this rainbow journey, I was certainly afraid I might not be able to keep an ample milk supply for our Finn. I've worked for two years to tame my new-to-my-knowledge  friend Hashimoto's and thyroidism.  My new menu doesn't lend itself to a lot of fatty foods. I'm gluten free and proud of it! It was such a hard road to get clean from gluten....very depressing, very difficult, very much like a drug addict. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley and in some products.
   When my milk came in and became established after a few days of Finn's arrival, I checked my milk by pumping some and letting it sit and separate. This shows you how much fat content is in your breastmilk. I periodically check the content of my milk to ensure Finn is getting enough fat in her meals. It comforts me to see the consistency of the food my body produces for our baby.
   I've started taking sunflower lecithin to add healthy fats to my milk and it helps me produce more. I used to drink fennel tea once a week or so but my fat content wasn't improving. I was making more milk, but it was more like skim milk.  Sunflower lecithin is a type of phospholipid abundant in sunflower seeds. This fatty substance is obtained by dehydrating a sunflower seed and separating it into three parts: the oil, gum, and other solids. Lecithin comes from the gum byproduct of this mechanical process. It works for me within an hour and I've come to enjoy it in some of my snack I eat for healthy breastfeeding.
   Which brings me to these wonderful brekky treats that my whole family enjoys!

Gluten Free Monster Brekky Bars

Ingredients:
3 cups gluten free old fashioned oats
1 egg
1 cup raw sugar
3 tbsp. molasses
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract (I make my own)
1/2 cup  sunflower lecithin
1 cup carob bits or chocolate chips
2 cups mini m&ms if you desire and I really do

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray your cooking dish with coconut oil.

In a large bowl, blend  molasses, lecithin and sugar. Beat in peanut butter, egg, and vanilla. Mix until light and fluffy. I did this by hand. Add the oats and baking soda and stir well. Stir in the chocolate goodies.

Pour into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake 30-40 minutes until puffed, golden brown and mostly set in the center. Do not cook until it is all the way set or the bars will be dry. Cool completely in the pan and then cut into bars and serve. Bars may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. I like to keep mine in a cool place.

This yummy bar ensures I get plenty of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals  for my diet. The oats are a super food for breastfeeding moms. Rolled Oats consist of magnesium, zinc, fiber, phosphorus, selenium, and manganese. Oats are also packed with Vitamin E, flavonoids, carotenoids, and polyphenols. So ENJOY gluten free guilt free! I like to package mine separately and we all grab them on the go...especially handy to keep in the diaper bag for a snack for mom!

Her favored position at all times - even while napping :)🍯

Blessings and happy milk making!

Goals, giggles and great things

   Well my fellow Hashi Warriors, thyroid peeps and the like....HI!

Yoga with my Finn while camping

Chica the husky was doing her own pose..downward dog, maybe :).

  It's again been too long since I've talked with you! Have no doubt that you have been on my mind as I thoroughly enjoy our little Finn girl. We feel so blessed everyday to be able to look upon her with wild fascination. We take no moment for granted, knowing that many of you wish so much for the same miracle to come into your lives. It's summertime in our part of the world so our days are filled with lots of great activities like hiking, swimming and gardening and our nights have campfires and hammocks...I love this life!

My happy birthday this year

   News from my postpartum world is HUGE....my lifestyle changes have made a tremendous impact on my hypothyroidism. I am no longer required to supplement my thyroid with medication. I'm drug free so to speak! My body is producing enough on its own! I will continue to monitor my thyroidism to see if this is long-term. I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to find the root of your thyroidism whether it is hyperthyroid or hypothyroid and fix the issue. Be your own scientist. Be your own sleuth. We wouldn't have our Finn here with us if it not had been for my belief that you can in fact heal your thyroid. Especially if you are trying to conceive with little results, or have incurred several miscarriages as we did, you must get to the root of the problem. I read lots of books, like Root Cause by Dr. Izabella Wentz. Click on the link and check it out! If you'd like to know more about the changes I made, please email me-I love talking about this and helping others find their path!
   Now....back to our little Finn! What a joy! We are learning all about her - and have adjusted pretty flawlessly. We wanted her so much for so long. Our other children seem to have adjusted to her arrival as well. People have asked me if it is like starting over again with there being nearly 14 years difference between our now middle child with our youngest. It's not starting over to me. I'm still a mom and always was one. I would say I thoroughly enjoy every moment - even when she has cried solid for two hours. This time will pass and one day I will miss it. It has been an adjustment for all of us, but a welcomed one. We have two daughters, just out on their own, who come visit us more frequently to forge a relationship with their sister. It warms our hearts to see that. She started laughing last week and the little giggles bring our 14-year-old to her side every time.

Breastfeeding in the hammock!

   Most of the Hashi people I've met, are like me, they were always healthy eaters, big into fitness. That's probably because you noticed your weight fluctuated so much and you needed to stay on top of whatever was going on. My postpartum journey on that side of things has been trying....after Finn arrived, my midwife checked my abdominal muscles and I had a whopper five-inch abdominal muscle separation, also known as Diastasis recti.  Not a huge surprise since this was my fourth live birth and actually eighth pregnancy. Resting those muscles are crucial for a healthy recovery---no heavy lifting, abdominal work or engaging those muscles at all. It's a little tough at times.  It took FOREVER for it to fuse back (nearly 12 weeks) and I'm still working on complications due to the condition. My hips are continually misaligning themselves and my lower back is weakened because of it.

We can, however, finally get back into the pool after three months of diastasis recti Hell :) BRING ME MY SUPERSUIT....regardless of how much extra skin I have floating around my mid-section! Bodies come in all shapes and sizes and despite this journey, my body has really served me well. I'm breastfeeding and with my gluten free/ low dairy diet, it hasn't been hard for me to melt away. I have had to incorporate some Sunflower Lecithin for healthy fats so my milk isn't like skim milk but that's a topic for another day. In the meantime, let's get those muscles strengthened! Finn is ready to join us in the pool!

Blessings!