Topponcino DIY

A friend of mine recently had a baby and she proudly displayed her topponcino on Facebook. Which of course sent a pregnant me scouring the web 

trying to figure out what the heck it was!

A Topponcino is basically a security pillow/mattress for newborn babies. It lets you hold them and lay them down or pass them to a family member securely and they stay warm and cozy. 

Because we are really trying to keep Finn in his own bed this time around,

 I wanted to try it out.

 Plus the girls have already asked to hold him and this will keep his head and neck supported too.

Of course, there are no DIY directions to be found online, maybe because they are mainly for montessori schools and the teachers have to order a kit to know how to make them (or no one besides me and my friend are using them LOL)

I did not want to spend $35 on buying on on Etsy if I could DIY it- so I did.

These are the basic instructions I was given.

 From this I had to piece together a pattern and how much material I needed. 

Materials: cotton batting (1 queen quilt bat will make 4 topponcini)

 2 yards of cotton muslin (or other heavy cotton material)

 1 yard of 45” muslin, or other soft cotton material, to make the lining (the permanent cover)

 1 yard of cotton material for each sham

 Pattern, pencil, pins, needle, coordinating thread, sewing machine, rotary cutter & mat.

There are three parts to a Topponcino (the finished size is about 15” x 25”): 

The Layered Batting:

Place 5 layers of cotton batting on top of each other. Lay the pattern on top of the batting, pin in place, and cut. Place 4 layers of the muslin on top of each other. Lay the pattern on top of the cotton material, pin in place, and cut. Layer the cotton batting with alternating layers of the muslin (batting, muslin, batting, muslin, etc.), pin together, and whipstitch the edges

The Lining (permanent cover):

Place the pattern on two thicknesses of lining material. Trace (or hand-baste) around edge of pattern through both pieces of material (but not the pattern). Cut the material around the basting or tracing, adding a seam allowance (3/8 to 1/2 inch, or 1/4” if sewing by hand). Sew the two pieces together on the basted stitches, leaving an opening about 5

inches wide at one end. Remove any basting, and turn right side out. Gently roll layered batting lengthwise, slip it into the opening in the end, and adjust to fit snugly and evenly into the lining. Blanket stitch the opening securely. Tack through the entire topponcino in 5 places, by machine or hand (small bows may be used).

The Sham

For front of sham, place pattern on one thickness of material. Trace stitching line and cutting line from pattern onto fabric (cutting line is 5/8” from stitching line). Cut on cutting line and set aside. For back of sham, place pattern on two thickness of material. Trace stitching and cutting lines around 3/4 the length of the pattern, leaving off one end of the oval. Cut out fabric on cutting line. Separate the 2 pieces. Fold straight edge of each piece under 1/4”, press, and fold under another 2 1/2”, press and stitch across. To put the 3 pieces of the sham together, lay the front piece right side up on a table. With right sides together, lay one piece of the back on top of the front, matching the top curve. On top of this, lay the second piece of the back (also right sides together with the front), this time matching the bottom curve. The two back pieces will overlap about 6”. Pin edges of all 3 layers together. Stitch 5/8”seam. Trim seam and clip curves. Turn right side out. Insert the topponcino. The sham should fit snugly.

Here is how I made it, following the above instructions.

I bought 3 yards 45" muslin, 2 yards batting (the roll stuff, not the super thick poly that comes in a bag) 1 yard fabric for the sham, which I made today!

LAYERED BATTING:

I made a rectangle pattern out of newsprint that was 25" x15".

Then I matched all 4 corners and rounded them to make the entire thing oblong.
Lay it over 5 layers of batting 
(I did a 2 and a 3 layer cut because my scissors would not go through all 5 layers without pulling the material.) 
Cut it TO SIZE- don't add a seam allowance.


Cut 4 layers of muslin also to size.


Then alternate the layers (PATTERN POWER as my 4 year old said)

It seems really thick, until you start to whipstich around the entire thing. Plop down infront of your favorite HGTV show and go to town. If you need to know what a whip stitch is, you can look it up. Basically it is a loop where your needle goes under the loop of thread again. 

I tried to take a good picture of it.

PERMANENT COVER/LINING/CASE THING

Using the inside of the topponcino as a new pattern, cut 2 layers of muslin. This time, you WANT a 1/2" seam allowance. Sew around it (I don't know if muslin has a right and wrong side, but you are going to turn it inside out, so leave a 8" gap in the fabric to turn and stuff. 


You will also sew closer to the outside of the seam allowance because this is a 3D mattress, so if you sew it the same size as the inner part- the cover you are making won't fit!


SEE: you will now roll and stuff the inside batting layers into the muslin case.

Don't forget to sew your opening shut

You will dart 5 places to hold the material all together and keep it from shifting.
This was actually the hardest part for me!

And done...now you need a cover to make it pretty and to keep the baby drool off of it.

I don't think this is machine washable, I would recommend hand washing and laying flat to dry, like a duvet.


I will blog about the sham next. I did not have a pattern for that one, so I made it up (and am pretty proud of that actually)

Finn's Mobile

So, here is the mobile we made for Finn. I contacted a lady on Etsy who custom made the disks for me. I  should have ordered twice as many so they were on each side of the string, but for a first time attempt, I don't think he will mind so much. 

First, Lily arranged the disks in a "pattern" (She wanted to help so bad, but I was working with hot glue so that was the only thing I could find for her to do.

The camera died after that, but I held a 2' length of fishing line in the middle of the strip and DH dotted some hot glue on the top and bottom to hold the string in place. This is where I wanted doubles, we could have just glued the disks together and no one would have seen the fishing line at all. 

Oh well...

I then wrapped the inner part of a wooden embroidery hoop with ribbon, dotting it with hot glue every few wraps to keep it tight.  

I finished it with a ribbon to hang it up and DH hung it from the ceiling with more fishing line (after I took this picture of course)

Overall, I was pretty happy with the way it turned out and it was the cheap modern mobile I wanted for his corner, with the gradation of color that is supposed to help them with their vison and seeing the differences in color.

BEST PART: Total Cost $ 6! 

Homemade Laundry Soap

I am getting my frugal homemaker on. I noticed that the soap we have been using, while it smelled great, seemed to make Chloe's cloth diapers leak. 

I really don't want to spend the money on the fancy diaper soaps like Rocking Green or Charlies, so I decided to see if the basic homemade soap recipe would work.

Guess what- it made her diapers smell fresh again (when they are clean anyway.

I had to really search to find a recipe that was not the large, fill up my garage stash of soap. 

I found this recipe on another blog. 

She went through the trouble of working on the directions and taking pictures so I'll give the credit where it is due!

I used the small batch, which is

1/4 bar Ivory soap

1/2 C Washing Soda

1/8 C Borax

Then I mixed it all up in the left over Purex container I had (and pulled the stickers off to make my own labels)

And tomorrow after it gels, I will see if it is possible to get 1 cup poured through the top. 

Next stop in my frugal quest: homemade dishwashing liquid.

UPDATE after using it for a few loads:


My clothes are not softer so I need to look into the homemade softener, but they smell amazing. Even the cloth diapers have a fresh scent that I was not able to get with the store bought detergent.

 I do not care for the Ivory soap, but when it is combined with everything else, the clothes come out so fresh and clean smelling. I also added a few drops of Lavender Essential Oils to the last bit of the batch and it added to the wonderful clean smell. 


I will say that this smaller batch did not last as long as I would like, so I am going to go ahead and make the larger batch and store it so I don't have to keep making more every other week.

Husbands love your wives, wives, honor your husbands

We had our Couple's Valentines dinner with the church at a very nice italian restaurant this past Sunday.

It was so refreshing to hear couples that are celebrating 10, 15,25, 48 years of marriage with their honey. In this world, divorce happens so quick because neither one is able to say their are sorry, or forego some of their own needs to love their spouse. Greed and selfishness has become the norm in society and there is a lack of love all over.

I am blessed to be part of a ministry that counsels and serves others so that love is shown to all who enter the doors. God is about love and loving your neighbor. If we are to love those around us, how much more should we love the very one that we share our lives and body with?

I love my husband. Sure, there are days when I don't understand what his logic is and I wish he would put the bag back when he takes the trash out. But I have to pick my battles and the very fact that he takes the trash out without fail every Monday should be enough for me to appreciate that the empty trash can (with no bag) means one less thing I have to do, because he has done it for me. 

So when I cook, I try to steer clear of things he does not like (mushrooms) to give him food that he enjoys and when he is happy I am happy. It is not only a happy wife that makes a happy home...

A happy marriage makes a happy home.

Are you happily married?

For all you expectant moms, or have expecting friends!

Keeper of the Home and Simply Nurtured is having a Baby Shower Giveaway!
Simply go to the Simply Nurtured site and you can enter to win and bless another mother, or be blessed yourself.


Since Finn is due in the next 3 weeks maybe we will get a little blessing.

End of the line

No, I am not loosing it, I am almost done baking this baby that's all. In less than 6 weeks, Finn should be here (unless he decides to be overdue, which is possible). In the last 2 days he has dropped which makes is so much easier to breathe, but makes standing and walking more painful as he is bumping and grinding everything in my lower region.

It is funny all the wives tales that come with each pregnancy. With Lily I was told - oh! you are gaining weight in your rear, it must be a boy. I gained weight head to toe, including 10 pounds of water weight that settled in my legs and feet and guess what: she is a GIRL.

With Chloe, I was told the same thing, and I carried her exactly the same, all the way around- I got wide before I got a belly and I had to take my ring off at 5 months and was in maternity clothing at 7 weeks because of bloat and wore only flat shoes after 5 months. Guess what- GIRL again.

This time however, the pregnancy was different; I could still wear my regular jeans, but they would not close over my belly. I am now 33.5 weeks and I still wear high heels and my wedding ring. I look the same as I did before pregnancy except I ate a watermelon that is protruding forward. I also can not wear any earrings right now, even the silver ones irritate my ears and I have mild heartburn all day long. Guess what: BOY...but none of the wives tales were true for me. 

I am wondering about labor. With Lily, I started very early labor at 5am with cramping, mild contractions  and some show. The cramping went on all day and labor started that evening. By 9pm I was contracting every 5 min, 1 min long. Lily was born at 4:24 am after 24 minutes of pushing. Straight up Textbook Labor.

Chloe kept us guessing however (pretty much her labor is like her personality)

Monday morning I had the same cramping and show that I had with Lily, so my MIL came for Lily thinking we were going to be in labor that day. After about 4 hours of contractions, they ended and nothing happened. My midwife told me to call her when I had 4 in a row that were really strong and I had to work with them...that I did not have. Tuesday morning at 3, they started again and woke me up. I was up rocking my ball timing contractions that were 3-6 minutes apart, lasting 60-90 seconds, but not really really strong. That went on for about 4 hours again and then stopped. So Corey and I went walking around, went to Kirby Lane Cafe for lunch and rested. 

Wednesday came with nothing major, except that it was 4/21 which equalled 7;  at church a guest pastor prophesied over Chloe that she would preach the word with conviction before her 7th birthday and he said there was more about the number 7 but we would have to pray about it and see. So we tried to stay busy and not get our hopes up. Around 12 I had more contractions so I went for a walk to see if they would stop (like they did the last 2 days) and they did not. They kept coming, and were seemingly more steady. We went to Central Market to pick up some stuff and sample food. I was contracting the whole time, but not too majorly. When we got home, I decided this was the day and we needed to go back to CM for some rehydration drinks that were on sale and protein bars because I figured labor would be long like with Lily. While there, I had 3 super hard contractions that made me stop and lean on DH- in the produce section, in the bread section and while checking out. I had 1 more when we got home so I called the Midwife, who came in about 45 minutes. When she got there she checked and asked how dilated I wanted to be (I was hoping at least 2-3 cm) she said "How about 7!". From there and feeling silly that I had called her "so early" Chloe was born 3 hours later...at exactly 7pm.

So... what surprises does this little boy have for us. Stay tuned!

Norwegian Apple Pie

Thanksgiving and Apple Pie, that is about as American as it gets. 

Well, on my mother's side of the family no one came over on the Mayflower or celebrated the early and traditional Thanksgiving meals. We are Scandinavian- Norwegian and Finnish, so Apple pie is a type of kake (no, not cake) and does not have a crust. 

So the "american version" would be a crustless pie (and would use cinnamon instead of cardamom)

Norwegian Apple Pie

2 egg whites

1 C Sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1tsp baking Pdr

1/2 C flour

1 C apples diced (smaller the better)

sprinkle or two cardamom

Preheat your oven to 350 and spray an 8" cake pan/pie pan with cooking spray. (I use glass)

This handy dandy thing is an egg separator. I like it because it gets most of the white off the yolk with no bits of shell in it.

No idea where I got it from, I probably stole it from my step mom when I moved to Austin! 

(Thanks Suzanne)

Beat the egg whites, sugar and vanilla until mixed.

Add the baking powder and beat until fluffy. 

This makes the top "crust" of the pie, so you take your time with the eggs, but we are not making a meringue (Although that does sound good right now, probably due to being pregnant at Thanksgiving)

Beat in the flour until blended and smooth. I would think you don't want to overbeat the flour and activate too much of the gluten, but I am not a chef, so who knows!

Sprinkle in the Cardamom before you add the apples. I used less than 1tsp because it is super strong stuff- and a Norwegian dessert spice go to. You can't have Norwegian Desserts with no Cardamom.

Add 1 C diced apples.

Make sure you DICE not SLICE

How Un American!

Any apple will do, I had Fuji because they were on sale and are a staple apple at our house. 
The next batch I am making with Washington Reds, so I'll compare. 
 When my mom made apple pies, she always made two, one with the reds and one with the granny smiths, I figured the Fuji would be a combo of the two.
  
Bake for 30 minutes. The pie will puff up while cooking and settle when it cools.
I guess I didn't take a picture of the batter, but it is really thick, similar to a cake when you put it in the pan. Lily asked "Mom- are you making cake?


The hard part is waiting until it cools to eat it, but you HAVE TO! I promise it will be worth the wait. Go put it on a window will and forget about it. 
(Because it is easy to forget about pie when your entire house smells like it)

Traditionally Norwegians top this with a goat cheese. Well, we didn't have any lying around, but I could have used yogurt, or what the heck, a big dollop of Whipped Cream.
NOT Cool Whip, you gotta go for the real deal there.

 The pie is fairly thin, maybe a bit over 1", so I am going to try to double the recipe and see if I still get the same crunch. 

Yes, that is what was left after dinner!

My friend who is a chef got the first one I made. She was thinking of how to "Americanize it"

I suppose if you don't have Scandinavian tastes buds, you could use cinnamon and brown sugar.