First summer harvest

 So today it is official.  The little garden plot that Austin and I prepared this spring actually seems to be flourishing.  It was kind of a gamble because our neighborhood is very wooded without much direct sunlight AND we are in a river basin, so drainage and soil quality is a problem.  The garden that I had at Martin Creek (our first home...a rental on about an acre) was always amazing and yielded large harvests...enough for us, for friends and family and for freezing.  So, I was a little nervous about how this project would turn out.  Especially since on top of the difficulties I've already addressed, deer are everywhere in our neighborhood.  And they love almost anything green!

So, I did my research.  Austin and I tore up the sod along the north side of our driveway, put in some wooden planks and then created our own soil made out of peat moss, black dirt, and sand.  Then I planted deer-resistant plants and veggies (wormwood, bee balm, asclepsia, lavender, onions, squash, chives, parsley, and lemon balm) around the perimeter and then planted my tastier veggies in the center (tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, green beans, and peppers).

Although the harvest is just beginning, I'm excited that so far things are turning out.  The garden even withstood a few pretty severe spring and summer storms (one with dime-sized hail and the other with wind gusts of up to 60 mph).  Hopefully things will continue to go well...

Here are a few pictures of the garden.  (Please excuse the fact that it is messy and looks like it is going to takeover...I wasn't sure that all of the plantings would make it, so I over-planted a bit...)

The tomatoes are in the middle and are trying to take over the garden.

...but the squash are doing a fairly good job at trying to take over too!

And the first summer harvest- tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, pepper and parsley
(I already harvested the spinach and lettuce this spring)

Now I just need to decide what to make for dinner with these...

Cloth diaper wipes and wet bag

So, today I went to Birth, Baby and Beyond in downtown Cedar Rapids and looked at cloth diaper systems.  It's overwhelming, but I would really like to try cloth/reusable diapers.  Not only is it environmentally conscious, it's also very cost-effective.

The benefits of cloth-diapering (visit Ecocheapmom for more information)

1. Saving money (According to some estimates, you can save $1,200 year)

2. Better for baby (Most disposable diapers contain toxins that can cause cancer)

3. Better for the environment  (Disposable diapers end up in the land-fill and no one knows exactly how long they take to decompose)

The cloth diapering systems that I am going to be trying out are:

Flip diaper system, (a 2 piece system that is one-size fits all) which allows for the use of many different kinds of inserts...disposables for "on-the-go," hemp for super absorbancy, stay-dry and organic inserts (which come with the system), regular pre-folds for cost effectiveness and the flip diaper cover can be used over all-in-one systems to protect baby's clothes from leaks. 

Bamboozle by Bummis, (a 2 piece system that comes in 2 sizes) which is a stretch bamboo diaper with SUPER absorbancy.  You can use a flip diaper system cover over this diaper (for prettiness and to prevent leaks).

Bummis all-in-one system (an all-in-one system that is one size fits all).  It's super easy to use since there are not 2 pieces...you just put the diaper on and go, just like with disposables.  Also, the liner has 2 layers and there is an option to add more absorbancy into "the pocket" if needed.  *This is probably going to be what Austin will use because it's pretty self-explanatory...

This afternoon I spent some time doing research on what things we would need...wet bags, cloth diapers, cloth wipe solution etc.. At the BB&B store you could spend big bucks on "designer" supplies for your cloth diapering system, but one of the main reasons that I am pursuing cloth diapering is for the money savings, so...my first DIY projects: cloth wipes and a wet bag to carry in my diaper bag.

I started with the easiest project: cloth wipes.

 Reusable Cloth Diaper Wipes

You need:

8" x 8" pieces of fabric (cotton, flannel or bamboo)
Sissors, pins
Sewing machine or serger


*I made an 8"x8"  "pattern" with rounded edges out of an old cereal box.  Then I laid my flannel and 100% cotton fabrics together, right sides out and cut them out with my pattern. I used a zig-zag stitch to sew them together and then I just trimmed up the edges to make them nice 'n pretty (Because something that's gonna wipe my kids' butt has to be nice and pretty!)

And the final product!

The next thing I made was a "wet bag."  The wet bag has many functions- it can hold wet swimsuits, soiled clothes...anything wet or dirty that you don't want to touch clean stuff.  My wet bag is for soiled diapers and clothes and I will carry it around in my diaper bag.  This project was a little more time-consuming and I made a few minor mistakes and learned alot...now I can't wait to make another, and perhaps a makeup bag as well!

Since the "wet bag" project was a little more advanced and I made a few "oopsies" along the way, I will just post a few pictures of the project and will include DIY instructions later...after I've tried the project again.
But here it is: my first zippered project!

Medium-sized zippered wet bag

You need:

Decorative fabric (at least 12" x 14")
Vinyl or other waterproof fabric (cut to the same dimensions as your decorative fabric)
Zipper (a few inches longer then the width of your fabric)
Sewing machine, pins, sissors etc...

I figured out how to sew the pieces of vinyl and fabric to the zipper correctly the first time.  Doesn't it look nice?

I stitched up the sides and bottom of the vinyl and fabric seperately and that's where I ran into some trouble... 

...but I still managed to MacGyver it.  And it's fully functional and SUPER cute!