Month: November 2017

Thankful for My Baby Mom Group

by kaella, posted in Life, Pregnancy

When I first became pregnant with this baby, I found different baby apps to chart my symptoms in case I had another miscarriage. One of the apps (can’t remember which one) had a forum with a group just for moms due in January 2018. There were a TON of moms and some of the topics were a little off the wall and crazy. A couple of moms talked about creating a Facebook secret group for some of us to chat and weed out the craziness of the app forum group. I was all about joining this Facebook group!

The group was created when I was about 6 weeks pregnant and as the weeks went on the group grew. Since most of us that started in the group were due in the beginning of January, we began to welcome those that were due at the end of the month. As we became closer as a group, the decision was made to cap the group off at 200 moms which seems to be working for us because we all come from different states or countries (England, France, Canada and Sweden!), from different backgrounds and different experiences. Some of us are older moms, some have more than one child, some are first time moms but we all help and chat with each other. We started to become a family!

We had one incident of drama (which is awesome considering its a group full of hormonal pregnant women!) when some of the moms that were medical professionals (nurses mostly) went crazy over discussions about vaccinations. Instead of listening to what the others were trying to say or having an adult discussion, they basically threw a 2-year-old temper tantrum and started their own group which was supposed to be a medical fact based group. Since they left, we all grew so much closer.

We had a set of twins born first because it was medically necessary for their survival. We have had 2 other babies born prematurely. All 4 baby boys are getting the medical attention they need are fighting hard to push through each day a little stronger. We love seeing the updates the moms give us. We cherish the Ultrasound pictures we all share, the updates, the questions and discussions. We even started a Fairy Godmother exchange to give a little gift to each other for our babies. I can’t wait for my mom to get the custom outfit I had made for her little one!

As we all get another day closer to our babies coming, we talk everyday and sometimes all day. Being on bed rest, they have become my go to peeps to talk to throughout the day or when I need to vent about my pregnancy, husband or life. Some of the moms are scheduled to be induced or have c-sections in the next couple of weeks which makes all of this so real that our babies are coming and for some of us so soon.

This group of moms is a group that will keep going long after our babies are born because we have bonded over the past 8 months. I can’t wait to share my experiences with them of raising this little girl and watch all of our babies grow up.

Messy Bun Hats

by kaella, posted in Handmade Gifts

Photo Nov 29, 7 31 28 PM

It is that time of year again…. Winter! Which means you need to keep warm while staying stylish and the Messy Bun Hat is your answer to this winter weather problem.

I create the Messy Bun Hats from a super soft and think acrylic yarn because I just am not a fan of how itchy wool can be on your head and skin. It brings back nightmares as a kid where I would want to just keep scratching my head after wearing a wool hat which just made my hair super static-y.

When you have long hair, hats can be difficult to wear because you end up with a big lump on the top of your head and it stretches the hat out of proportion. The Messy Bun Hat is created with an elastic hair tie which allows the hair to be free and stretches over different thickness of hair which is a great thing for the winter.

I offer the Messy Bun Hat in child small, child large, teen/adult small and adult large. There is an assorted variety of colors to choose from plus I always welcome custom requests for different colors and sizes.

The Messy Bun Hat makes a wonderful gift for yourself or others! You can find the Messy Bun Hat in my Kaella Boutique shop by following any of the links or clicking the photo.

DIY Dollar Store Advent Calendar

by kaella, posted in DIY, Uncategorized

see & explore

I grew up enjoying the chocolate filled advent calendars which my kids and have adopted the advent calendar tradition. These advent calendars are hot commodities in my area and sell out very quickly so we have learned to be on the hunt for them. Last week, Danyella and I went into Hobby Lobby and found the calendars…

They wanted $8 for an advent calendar that was smaller than the ones we have bought in the past. No way was I going to pay $8 for cheap chocolate in a cardboard box! That is just absurd inflation when I could make a better one for the same price or cheaper.

So, I headed to my favorite place for cheap crafts…. The Dollar Store! I purchased snowflake printed zip bags, small bags of Danyella’s favorite candies, a pair of socks (she loves penguins), lipsmackers, holiday bracelets and holiday erasers. Plus I had some holiday kisses to use as well. All of these would be fun treats for her to open once a day and better than the overpriced advent calendar. I already had leftover wrapping paper, tape and a cardboard box to cut up and I printed the numbers through my Google Docs account. So I spent a total of $7 plus tax for our DIY advent calendar!

Materials:

wrapping paper

cardboard box (cut into the size/shape you desire)

tape (I preferred double-sided but you can use regular clear tape)

printed numbers 1-24

fun goodies for 24 days

zip lock baggies

Directions:

  1. Create 1-24 and cut each number out than tape them to the bags
  2. Fill the bags with your goodies
  3. Wrap the piece of cardboard with the wrapping paper
  4. Create row with the tape to stick the bags (I created 3 rows starting with 24 at the top and ending with 1)
  5. Press the baggies onto the tape for the kids to peel off each day
  6. Place your advent calendar on display and start on December 1st

Yard Sale Groups to Save for Your Vacation #savingsunday

by kaella, posted in Couponing and Saving

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Week 3 of our ways to save for Family Vacation Savings is about utilizing the online yard sale groups, sites and apps. These groups and sites are a great way to clean out your house of items you don’t use while making extra cash in the process!

My go to when selling off unused stuff in my house is my local Facebook groups because I can meet people when and where it is convenient for my schedule. Facebook has made it easier to upload through their Marketplace. Since Facebook has created the Marketplace, you can upload an item to sell through there and then have it inserted into groups that you are part of, up to 10 groups. In the past, I would have to upload the item to one group and then copy/paste to each of the other groups. It was time-consuming to say the least!

My only complaint about the Facebook Marketplace is that people do not read the description to see that I will only meet people a specific locations and I will not ship the item. At least 2-3 times a week, people will message me asking me to ship the item to me but I don’t have the time to go to the Post Office at the holidays to ship a $5 item.

My most popular items that sell the fastest are kids clothes, accessories and toys. With the price of buying something new so inflated, especially kids and home items, more and more people are buying them used. On average, I bring in an extra $500 a month by selling off items I no longer need or items that people will give me that I don’t need but can use to make the extra money. Some months are a little slower with bringing a few hundred dollars but in August and November/December I can bring in $1000 because people are looking for back to school items and then items that they can re-gift for someone especially when they are still new and I just let the item sit there.

There are other ways to sell your unwanted stuff online like Craigslist and Ebay. I have used both in the past but honestly Craigslist kinda scares me. Ebay has become a long process and has moved into another world from where it started that is focused on reselling new items for more money.

Then you have the apps, which there are plenty, that you can list items for sale. Similar to the Facebook Marketplace, you list your items and then choose when and where to meet someone for the sale. With these apps, I have had the same dealings with people wanting me to ship a $5 item. My other experience has been people who set up meets and then cancel at the last-minute. Very rarely do I deal with that on Facebook. You can check out the apps I can used: Letgo, OfferUp, 5miles and Listia. There are a ton of apps for different phones but those are the most popular.

How many of you have used yard sale groups, sites and apps to save some money?

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Our weekly update: Having Thanksgiving and a ton of doctors appointments this week, the week was kind of a bust with trying to save any money. I did some essentials grocery shopping (milk, bread, etc) and save $15. The apps helped me save an extra $12 (free eggs and free bananas coupons for Walmart from coupons.com) to put into my savings apps accounts. We did a little Black Friday shopping but that goes into my separate Christmas funds to be able to continue to pick up gifts as the weeks get closer to Christmas. I didn’t have any yard sale meet ups so no money for that section either. I did receive a few more handmade sales which half goes into our vacation fund so that brought in an extra $35. Total for this week: $50 and overall savings: $259. Slowly but surely getting there!

 

34 Weeks and on Strict Bed Rest

by kaella, posted in Pregnancy

Tips to be Impeccably Groomed

The past week has been an eventful week between getting a cold, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving/Black Friday shopping and my OB appointment. Thankfully, my mom does the cooking for Thanksgiving so there wasn’t much I needed to do besides help her.

We had our Thanksgiving night shopping planned out but most of the big items, I ended up waiting until the sales went live to order them online so all we needed to get were the small things. We love Black Friday shopping to stock up on winter pajamas and household items. This year I made sure to get a new bath mat since Max began to eat ours up (memory foam yummy!) and towels with wash clothes that match. I even picked up a new bathrobe to pack in my hospital bag for the baby for only $10!

Problem with being in my third trimester and Black Friday is that I could barely walk around by the time we were done with each store. Surprisingly, Walmart was the store that had the least stress but Target had the rudest people who I just wanted to ram with a shopping cart. Our family tradition was to get disco fries (fries smothered with cheese and gravy) from our local diner but they were closed this year along with every other fast food place except McDonalds. So we got our fries but they were smothered with salt and ketchup. Then it was off to bed for me which was about 10 pm.

Through the day, before we started shopping I really wasn’t feeling well and had on and off contractions but the sleep seemed to help ease them. Since it was Black Friday, Doug had to work at 5am so I had to go to my OB appointment by myself. I figured it was going to by the typical tell the OB what was going on the past 2 weeks, he would check my cervix and I would be on my way. In and out in 15 minutes….

Well that wasn’t the case. We went over my contractions and other symptoms so he decided to do a FFN culture and some other tests that I am not sure about to check whether my body could possibly go into labor in the next 2 weeks. I am measuring about 3 weeks ahead of schedule which could mean that little miss is gaining lots of weight and could be bigger then a watermelon at full-term. (My girl parts are hurting thinking about it).

Then, he decided to run a non stress test for the baby which monitors how the baby’s heart reacts to her movements and my contractions. The nurse kept saying she as doing well especially with my strong contractions but the doctor wanted further reassurance and sent me to another location for an ultrasound. I love getting to see my baby girl with ultrasounds but scary to see her in position to be born. She is head down, face towards my back and low. Everything else including her breathing looked good and the tech sent me on my way. 3 hours later and I was heading home!

The doctor told be he would call me with my FFN results that night and to stay on strict bed rest, meaning staying in bed unless I need to go to the bathroom or get a drink, until I heard from him. As long as I was awake, the contractions were continuing and were intense but when I would fall asleep I would barely feel them. This could mean my body needs the relaxation or that I can handle the pain while I slept which is how I dealt with most of my labor with Danyella. The doctor never called and the lab haven’t posted my results on my account so I am hoping that this is good news.

Since I have been up the past couple of hours (currently 6am EST), I have had some contractions that were intense so I will be continuing my bed rest and hoping I get my results sometime today since our blood lab works 7 days a week. Now to deal with the boredom, oh wait I have homework to do and crochet orders to work on…. never any boredom time in my life! On a bright note, I am bingeing on Hallmark Christmas movies while I am in bed.

 

Thankful For The Good In Life #thankfulthursday

by kaella, posted in Life

Thankful for

I want to start out by saying Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Whether you are American and celebrate Thanksgiving or you are from another country and don’t celebrate this holiday, everyone has something to be thankful for today. What are you thankful for today?

Being Thanksgiving, I am thankful for so much good in my life. As stressful as life has been this past year or even in the past few months, there is so much to be thankful for in my life.

I am thankful for my husband that has had to deal with so much lately including a last-minute wedding.

I am thankful for my children who always keep me on my toes and teach me something new everyday.

I am thankful for my family who has been there to help and support us during this difficult pregnancy.

I am thankful for my friends who know that even if I disappear from the world, I appreciate everything they do and the encouraging words they always have for me.

I am thankful for so many things in my life that I can’t list them all but those are the most important ones today. What are you thankful for today?

thanksgiving

Hooded Cowl Scarves for Winter Warmth

by kaella, posted in Handmade Gifts

Hooded Cowl Scarf

One of my shop’s most popular items during the winter season is the hooded cowl scarves. These are great items for kids and adults because they keep you warm without having to keep track of multiple items. I love to tuck the cowl into the top of my coat and keep that barrier of the cold from hitting the rest of my body.

We offer the hooded cowl scarf in sizes from baby through adult in a variety of colors. You can choose from one color or two colors and make the scarf as unique as you would like it to be. Plus, we strive to accommodate custom requests with colors and sizes. Some of my best creations have come from custom requests from my customers.

If you would like to order your own hooded cowl scarf feel free to follow this link: Hooded Cowl Scarf or click any of the photos in this post. Photo Nov 22, 11 50 57 AM

If you or someone you knows crochets or knits for a charity, YarnCanada.ca is giving away yarn to be created into items for donation.

1 x $500 of yarn to a Canadian group who knits or crochets for a good cause

1 x $500 of yarn to an American group who knits or crochets for a good cause

10 x $100 of yarn to Canadian or American individuals or groups who knit or crochet for a good cause

All you need to do to apply is fill out the form and tell us your story. What will you use the yarn for, what impact has this or previous projects had, and anything else important to your story.

If you have any photos we’d love to see them too.

Submissions close December 15th and our staff will work together to select the recipients of the yarn by January 20th.

Follow this link to enter to win this yarn and create for charity!

DIY Painted Tumbler Gift Tutorial

by kaella, posted in DIY

theworldis youroyster.

With the holidays and this baby fast approaching, I have been trying to figure out a cute gift to give my high risk nurses. I wanted this gift to be extra special because they have been so amazing to myself and Baby Evelynne throughout my entire pregnancy. I don’t know what I would do without them.

I have thought about lots of different gifts but I wanted it to be something that they could use the whole year. At the dollar store, I found cute sparkly plastic tumblers and came up with the idea of painting something nurse related on the tumbler then fill the tumbler with another handmade gift.

I found a cute stethoscope picture, printed it out as my guide and painted it on the tumbler. I filled the cup with a messy bun hat that I made for the upcoming, cold Winter season. Super Easy and you can pick any quote or design to make it unique to the person you are making a gift for.

Supplies:

Plastic or Glass Tumbler

Acrylic Paint

Mod Podge or another sealant

Paint Brush

Design you want to paint

Directions:

  1. Clean the tumbler and throughly dry
  2. Place the design inside the cup to follow as a guide
  3. Paint the design. I did 3 layers to build up the color but allow the paint to dry between layers.
  4. Place 2 coats of sealant (Mod Podge) over your design. I used a gloss sealant to create a shiny design.
  5. Fill your tumbler with candy or another special gift.

Using Savings Apps to Save for Vacation #savingsunday

by kaella, posted in Couponing and Saving

Week 2 of our saving for your family vacation series is about utilizing the savings apps to your vacation’s advantage. I have posted about using the Ibotta app to save for gift cards but this post is going to feature 4 different apps to help you save for your family vacation.

Some of these apps are completely new to me so I am still learning how to use them but they have definitely added to my family vacation fund. The 4 apps are Shopkick, SavingStar, Checkout 51 and Ibotta (of course hehe).

Starting with Shopkick, this app is one that I have had for a while but never really opened it on a consistent basis until recently. With Shopkick, you have earn “kicks” or points by walking into specific stores, for scanning specific products at these stores and for making purchases (this is where you earn the most kicks). This is basically free money for your vacation just for walking around a store that you are already shopping at! Shopkick pays out through gift cards. They have many different cards to choose from but what will be most beneficial for our family is redeeming for Walmart gift cards and then using the Walmart gift cards to purchase Disney gift cards which can be used all over Disney World or redeemed to go towards our balance for the trip. You can do the same thing for your own vacation for restaurants or stores you may visit on your vacation. The only thing you cannot use a Walmart gift card to purchase is a the prepaid debit cards. Use code SAVE627743 or download http://getsk.co/save627743

The next savings app I have started using is SavingStar. This app is handy if you shop at stores that have loyalty cards because you can upload the rebates to card so they will automatically show up in your SavingStar account after you purchase the item and scan your card. For stores like Target and Walmart, you can scan your receipts for the rebates. Once you hit $5 in rebates, you can transfer your savings into a bank account, PayPal account or onto various gift cards.

The third app that I use is Checkout 51. Similar to SavingStar, you can upload rebates to a loyalty card or receipts for other stores. What I like about this app is that not all rebates are brand specific so just buying veggies or meat can save you money. Once you hit $20 then you can request a cash out which means they will send you a check. Be sure to allow enough time to cash out and deposit into your account for your vacation.

Last on the list is my favorite Ibotta! If you read my previous post about Ibotta, I detail how to use them and how great they are. With the holidays approaching they are offering even more stores both online and in person plus bonuses. Do you know how much you can save with Ibotta? So much money in rebates which can be cashed out to your PayPal or venemo account or redeemed for gift cards. This is always my go to app for rebates because I get the biggest payout. Use my referral code, hytctkm, and you can get a $10 welcome bonus. Sign up at https://ibotta.com/r/hytctkm

Our weekly update: This week I used ShopRite from Home to use the $10 off code to pay for the service fee and have less headache trying to walk around the store in my current condition. My budget was $175 which with my paper coupons and digital coupons plus some bonus purchase saving bonuses, I brought our bill down to $130! That is $45 for our vacation fund. Plus another $50 in rebates between all my apps (I am waiting to redeem them until it is closer to time I will use them). I had a few FB yard sale group sales so half of the money was $20. Lastly, I had a couple of handmade orders so half of that money totaled $40. Total for the week is $155! Adding that to last week’s savings and we are at $209 so far which is pretty good considering I had a rough week with my pregnancy and school.

33 Weeks and My Surprise Baby Shower

by kaella, posted in Pregnancy

feelbetter

7 weeks to go or less! It is hard to believe that this time has come already because over the Summer it still felt like it was so far away. Now, we are getting so close and she is getting so big that it is a wonder there is any room left for her to move or for me to grow!

Last Sunday, I was shocked and surprised with a Baby Shower hosted by my mom and mother in law. I was told that the girls in the family (minus our tag-a-long Danyella) were going to have a lunch at my work that Sunday. It struck me odd that my Mom had already talked to Doug about keeping Danyella while we had lunch because why not talk to me first?! Well, that night I woke up from a dead sleep with the gut instinct that this was a Baby Shower. I have been anti-shower because of the stress it is for the person or people planning it and I didn’t want to put the burden on someone. For the next few days, I tried to get out of going to this lunch. Even the morning of this “outing”, I told my mom I didn’t feel good and didn’t want to drive and a bunch of other excuses.

So, my sister picked me up to take me to this “lunch” which stupid me didn’t realize the one section at work was closed down. I walk in and look at the chart to see who was working and where I wanted to sit in the restaurant. All of a sudden my mom tells me to look up…. my friends from work, dance and life were there because it was my Baby Shower. I wanted to cry at first, especially since I had no makeup on and wore crappy clothes in case it wasn’t a shower and my instinct was wrong… no such luck!

I was so surprised to see everyone there including my dance moms and their girls. It was a great time and I am so blessed with all the gifts we got for the baby. I opened so many gifts and she is going to be dressed in the cutest clothes! I enjoyed a nice Virgin Strawberry Daquari and nachos after opening my gifts. Then, I got to go around and chat with everyone which is always nice to catch up. My husband was there and forced to play in some of the games which was funny  but he enjoyed it.

The baby shower really got me into nesting mode with washing all of the new items and getting them ready for this little girl who will be here in a blink of the eye!