Sofia's World

dislike ironing no more

2011-06-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

"Ironing is the use of a heated tool to remove wrinkles from fabric. The heating is commonly done to a temperature of 180-220 °Celsius, depending on the fabric. Ironing works by loosening the bonds between the long-chain polymer molecules in the fibers of the material. While the molecules are hot, the fibers are straightened by the weight of the iron, and they hold their new shape as they cool." (wikipedia)

I don't know what kind of fabric my hubby's shirts are made of but i can't seem to get the 'molecules' hot enough to straighten those fibers. At least to my perfection - which is not that high, really. This afternoon i had this brilliant idea - i was packing stuff away, and found my quilter's liquid press aid - this one:

light bulbs went off bright and shiny - let me tell ya, i did a lot of ironing this afternoon. Why didn't i think of using it before? It even has a picture of a button up shirt!!

look at this before and after - ah... happy dance and lotsa singing, it was way EASIER with way BETTER results way FASTER. Makes all wrinkles go away and makes the fabric crispy - like brand new.

his and hers - done!

I might iron all of Alex's button up shirts tomorrow.

wordless

2011-06-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

Photo Love. Lens Love.

2011-06-07T20:07:00.000-07:00

Alex loves copying everything we do. See in this photo - he stuck his hand in his pocket just like his daddy did, isn't that so darn cute? :)

We recently went to Arkansas for a mini vacation and i had a great chance to try 70-200mm lense i borrowed as my mother's day gift. My verdict - it is heavy but totally worth carrying it around - it is amazing!

I normally use 50mm f 1.4 - about 95% of the time - a prime lense which translates into 'zoom' is your 'feet'. It was nice to use a zoom lense that had f 2.8 at all ranges.

(I am the only person who doesn't like seeing own self portraits? )

I want to blog more but right now things are busy - we are prepping to hold a garage sale on Saturday, pack our stuff and move abroad. Bye for now~

Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness

2011-05-13T21:23:00.000-07:00

I did it! After a few months of paperwork, fingerprints, passport sized photos, copies of variety documents, proof of marriage, proof of living together, etc etc etc - finally it was time to do my US citizenship exam. There were one hundred questions on US civics and history. I memorized them all. Did you know representatives are elected every two years so stay close to their constituents, public opinion and more aware of community concerns? And senators are elected for six years so they could be independent from public opinion? Anyways, i could talk and talk and answer all 100 questions and possibly more. But I was supposed to get 6 right answers out of 10 questions - which was easy!
Thanks a lot for my hubby for helping me to study and watching Alex while i did so. Thanks for endless number of friends supporting and praying for me. I felt very loved and cared. Also, my facebook 'study' buddies. There were quite a few times when i needed help. Here is one example:

For those of you who are curious, here are the questions i was asked:
1. What is an amendment?
2. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?
3. How many amendments does the Constitution have?
4. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
5. Who did the United States fight in World War II?
6. What is the capital of Oklahoma?

My rather unusual Mother's Day Gift

2011-05-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

(photo by ChristianYves)

This is Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G AF-S VR II. Is this my mother's day gift - yes and no. Well, i chose one week rental of this big dawg over chocolates, fancy dinners, flowers etc other women probably received today. This makes me so excited! We are renting it from borrowlenses.com. I would recommend borrowing/renting photography equipment before putting big bucks into it - to be sure that's the lens you truly love. We are not planning on purchasing it anytime soon - but i am so excited to play with it for a whole ONE WEEK. It will arrive next Wednesday. Whohoo!!!

H A P P Y M O T H E R' S D A Y ! ! !

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALEX!!!

2011-04-04T21:22:00.000-07:00

Our son is two year old! Wow, time sure went by fast yet so much has happened. We are so grateful to be Alex's parents and love him to the moon and back and one more time.

To celebrate his birthday i had this great idea of making a forest of standing balloons... but Alex was so fascinated with balloons that he wouldn't let go of them. So we went with the flow. . .

(love these polka dot balloons)

It didn't go exactly as we had planned, among a few other things, i forgot to undo jpeg setting to raw - because i shot this stop motion video on low resolution, but Alex had a fantastic time. And we took 365 photos!!!!!!! (no, i am not keeping them all)

Riding on daddy's shoulder...

and sitting on mommy's lap...

walking around with balloons...

and of course, eating his birthday cake!

He unwrapped his gift which was a 16 inch version of his favorite stuffed monkey Georgie. Unfortunately, he wasn't impressed with it and dumped into bushes. We are still working on manners:)

Story behind these monkeys. Well, his nana got one (to the right and faded) before he was born. Around six months, it became his lovey, he would sleep, travel and play with it. It even traveled to Uzbekistan with us. Anyways, he grew so fond of it that we thought we would surprise him with another one on his 1st birthday. He sure did enjoy hugging both. Then we somehow lost it and right before making an international trip we decided we needed a backup in case we lost his Georgie during trip. This is a big deal, people, he wouldn't go to sleep without it!

We didn't lose it during the trip, in fact he wouldn't let it out of his grip, for whole 30+ hours.
Well, then one day we found second Georgie - so by now he had all three of them. Somedays, Alex walks around hugging all three of them. So cute~
So, since he was turning two, big boy needs a big Georgie, I thought. But as you can see, he wasn't impressed AT ALL!!!

All in all, it was a beautiful family celebration time and photo memories for us. Happy Birthday, Alex!!!

Happy Birthday Alex!!!

2011-04-02T18:02:00.000-07:00

Today is April 2nd and my son Alex is turning 2. Yay!! We love him so much!! We celebrated with his very own photosession and photos to come once i finish editing. For now, here is a short clip i made for my baby.

bucket of love

2011-03-31T14:47:00.000-07:00

feeling very loved...

Our Favorite Tortilla

2011-03-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

I love bread. All kinds of bread. All kinds of homemade bread. Store bought - not so much. Did you notice store bought tortilla has strong bitter smell, especially after one or two days of opening the package?

Here is our FAVORITE tortilla recipe. It is yummy. We have it for lunches as variety wraps or even as grilled cheese flats. I thought i would share it. I am sure there are many varieties tortilla recipes out there, but this one is my to-go for a reason - i always have the ingredients at home. Only 4 items needed.

- 2 cups flour

- 1tsp salt

- 1/4 cup margarine/butter

- 3/4 cup warm water

If you have a stand mixer, put all ingredients in, use flat hoot for a few seconds to mix everythings, then use dough hook and work at speed 4 for about 2 minutes.

If making my hand, mix all and work the dough for about 5 minute. Then divide into 8 balls. Cover, let stand about 20 minutes. Roll out each dough and cook on heated pan. I use my stove top pancake/grill - heat it well, then cook each tortilla for 20 seconds each side. Done!

If i am pressed for time, i omit letting dough rest before cooking - which also translated into having fresh made tortillas in 10 minutes tops from start to finish.

link love: wanna make

2011-03-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

don't you love these cute owls and tiny clothes pins? :)

It has been 10 days ..wow... 10 whole days since i last posted anything.. My last post was about my new workout with Jillian Michaels, she is a tough cookie, i must tell you but i haven't given up and been exercising everyday. I have another 2 weeks to go check results. I can tell that my endurance has gotten better. Anyways going back to MIA - i have been working out everyday while Alex napped - so didn't have time to do any crafts. So today i decided to share some links, just variety links from my 'wanna make' bookmark. The list is really long, lol, so i will share just a few. :)

1. edible finger paint and playdough

2. make your own photoshop brushes

3. nan recipe

4. ruffled headband

5. cranberry lemon cake

6. upcycled boy hats

7. yummy breakfast food this i actually made last week and Alex enjoyed it so much!!

8. easy pouch such a fun way to give little gifts.

9. create rainddrops bokeh

10. fun drawing try to draw something here, it is so much fun!!!

Have a nice weekend~

S,x

so far so good

2011-03-09T13:44:00.000-08:00

Day 7 into "Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred, i am posting this post to help me stay motivated to continue till the end.

holding hands...

2011-03-09T12:24:00.000-08:00

i just learnt how to add a 'tape' to a blog photo. hehe:)

blossom...

2011-03-05T11:43:00.000-08:00

SPRING is here!!! Have a nice Saturday, everyone!!! :)

90 minute tshirt

2011-03-04T11:43:00.000-08:00

This is my second try on 90 minute tshirt, it is so easy, quick and fun. It actually took me about 45 minutes from start to finish. Seriously, it is that quick and easy. Last time i used old tshirt, today i used my old tank top, that's the reason this tee has sleeves that are from a different fabric. I added matching pocket in front. I hope my third trial will be perfect.

Ah... i love making stuff for my son.

He is such a cutie pie!

Oh yeah, here is the link to 90 minute tshirt tutorial.

Adult Tshirt to Toddler Tshirt

2011-03-03T21:09:00.000-08:00

This was the quickest and funnest project ever. Seriously, it took only about 45 minutes with fabulous results!! yay!! It is getting late, so i will come back tomorrow and post tutorial link and show another cute tshirt i made for my sonny bunny~

Photo.Love. Free StoryBoard Template

2011-02-26T21:11:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since i blogged in 'Photo.Love' series. I have been sick and MIA but i felt better tonight and played in photoshop. I have been wanting to learn how to make these storyboards. They are so much fun and make bog post more interesting. Or even just sharing photos on facebook or elsewhere. Here is one template i have created and wanted to share. It is 8x8 inches, 300dpi psd.file. Instructions are included in the template. Don't forget to delete instructions layer before flattening your image.

Feel free to leave a comment if you have questions. This file is for personal use. Do not resell, please.

download

Enjoy~

Sofia,x

bagels...

2011-02-22T17:33:00.000-08:00

I can't thank enough for this bagel recipe, i made them again tonight and we enjoyed them once more.
Tomorrow morning we will try them with raspberry cream cheese spread. Thanks, Sommer!! Go check out both recipes at MamaWithFlavor.

sharing

2011-02-21T20:26:00.000-08:00

My baby has an ear infection and full blown cold. Tissues are uber important staple these days, they stand right after his tylenol, antibiotics and mommy's chocolates. Mommy needs chocolates. I wish i could take his sickness away from him... wait, i actually might be... not exactly taking it away but more like sharing it with him. He likes sharing!

no title post

2011-02-19T15:34:00.000-08:00

is it already summer... ?

Last Tshirt

2011-02-18T20:35:00.000-08:00

Please, excuse my poor picture quality.. didn't get a chance to photograph these daytime - been busy taking care of my sick child. Thus i don't even have a photo of him wearing this tee, we have been in pajamas all day long... Anyways, as i shared before this is revamping inexpensive tshirts from Walmart - a pack of 5. Tshirts #1 and #2 are here, #3 is here, #4 got destroyed and this is the last one. I came across this cute monsters font, it is actually called 'MONSTERZ' (at dafont.com), i just typed three letters that i liked (hopefully i didn't spell out anything unacceptable!) The rest is usual - print, cut, paint.

I added cute little buttons as their eyes. This concludes series of these white tshirts - but definitely not exploring freezer stenciling. More projects to come as i play during naptime.

boy's messenger bag

2011-02-16T13:06:00.000-08:00

Alex had an extra long nap yesterday - means i had more time to do some cute things, actually two thins - i finished tshirt #4 and made him his very own messenger bag. Now he can carry his own ~~diapers, binkie~~ what-not.

jeans from 'reject' bin.

cut pieces - leg bottom as bag body, back pocket as bag flap-closure, and along side seems for shoulder strap.

Painted some decor to the front using freezer paper stenciling.

I will share how tshirt #4 turned out once i take pics. ♥

Next Tshirt Update

2011-02-14T12:35:00.000-08:00

Here is a t-shirt #3 (1 and 2 here). Plain white tshirt, turned into super fun pirate one. I worked on it last night, Alex woke up this morning and saw it on the couch and immediately tried to put it on - made me feel like all my work paid off!!

This was a fun and easy project. I found the 'pirate flag' GSD file here, awesome awesome site with lots of free personal use files.

Cut out on freezer paper, ironed onto tshirt and finger painted with blue. I found fingers work better than brushes on fabric. Also, after i finished painting, i put one blank paper on top of it and ironed it over the stencil again to get the fabric dry and set fast and to my surprise it caused the velvety effect on the artwork. Cool!!

I also stitched 'stitched together' look on his sleeves. I don't know how else to explain this. Anyways, i think i am in love with freezer paper. So many possibilities. I might fabric paint a lot of Alex's clothes ... hopefully won't go overboard with it :)

Oh yeah, i got new glasses last week - i CAN SEE now!!!!!!!

Been busy making 'thank you' cards for our awesome friends who made donations toward our anti-human trafficking project. We really appreciate your confidence in us and feel truly blessed!!!

Thank You!!!

Boy Tshirts

2011-02-07T14:01:00.000-08:00

It has been a long while since i posted anything from my crafts. Making something cute for a boy is not easy. For girls - one can add ruffles, ribbons, flowers, buttons, beads, etc etc etc.. Anyways, I bought a package of plain white tshirts from Walmart (size 2T) and so far worked on two of them.

One has a tie sewn onto it. CUTE!!

Second has a cute dinosaur with 'rawrrr'

I have no clue what to do with other 3 tshirts. Any ideas?

digital goodness and bagels

2011-02-03T20:58:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to share this today - i have been learning my ways around photoshop CS5, and it is amazing. I didn't even begin studying this book called 'Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers: The Ultimate Workshop, i will get there, I am going to get my brain cells working and new pathways forming!! Well, that was part of my new year's resolution - learning new stuff. Here is what i learnt to make past couple of days, mind you, these are all digital works:

I made my very own love letter texture - it would be awesome as a tint background for various projects.

Various gingham papers. Who knew they are so easy to make?

Custom wrapping paper.

I am so excited about this one above. It took a lot of, i mean A LOT of trials before i finally figured out how to assemble one inch circles with various patterns on one sheet of paper.

Well, i don't want to share share a whole ton but here is what my desktop looks like:

Crazy, right? I seriously need to learn to save things somewhere else than desktop...

Lastly, something i can actually physically touch and EAT!!!

These were amazing bagels. I learnt that they are first boiled, then baked. I came across the recipe here. It hasn't been 24 hours since i made them - between me, hubby and kiddo - all 11 of them are gone!! I am afraid to get on a scale...

Valentine's Day Printable

2011-02-01T18:56:00.000-08:00

Just a little card i created this afternoon. Feel free to download or link to it. Printable.

Guest Blogging

2011-01-31T14:56:00.000-08:00

I hopped to a different blog today and guest blogging. Check out TheBlogEntourage.

-Sofia,x

Flying with BABY - Stress Free Air Travel Tips. Part-2.

2011-01-30T19:29:00.000-08:00

This is part 2. See part 1 of this post for practical tips from my experience. This post is mainly on product recommendations. I have used some of them, others i would love to try with my son in future. Consider is, sort of, a guide to baby travel accessories.
First and utmost, you have to bring a stroller. It should be lightweight and easy to fold.

Baby Jogger Baby Jogger City Mini Single Stroller, Stone/Black

We love this stroller - it folds and unfolds in seconds, with one hand. I can do it while holding my baby on other hand. It is extremely easy to push and steer. Canopy is big and gets BIGGER, it also has two peak-thru windows. The seat reclines pretty far back for baby's comfortable sleep time. Has storage at the bottom.

JL Childress Cups 'N Cargo Stroller Organizer, Black

We bought this organizer for our stroller and it worked great. It can hold two drinks at once (mine and baby's) and has compartments for cellphone, etc, two large zippered compartments that are perfect for diapers/wipes and ideal for holding travel tickets/boarding passes. The bottom is mesh pocket which was extra storage for toys and books, and etc items. It hooks and unhooks easily to bring into plane with you.

JL Childress Gate Check Bag for Car Seats, Red

Well, this one is obvious, you don't want any nasty things drip onto your stroller once you gate check it. It is waterproof and held up on our trip rather well. We bought the one designed for carseat which was more than enough size for our stroller and i stuffed my coat in it too. Once you are done, it fold into a small pouch.

Lascal BuggyBoard Maxi - Black

This board hooks perfectly to the above stroller and instantly makes it a sit-and-stand stroller. Great if you have two kids traveling. But i used it for my carry-on, just placed it on top of it and i didn't have to carry anything!!

Ergo Dark Chocolate Organic Baby Carrier

I must admit - this is by far my favorite baby carrier. I always had back issues - with Ergo, i could carry my baby everywhere no problem. It is padded on all of straps, if this is your first time, hands on, get this one. It also has pocket in front (baby's back) where you can store change money, tickets, pacifier, etc. It comes with attached sleeping hood that snaps into shoulder straps and supports your child's head while sleeping.

Mommy Hook Stoller Hanger

Buy this hook even if you are not traveling anywhere. It is awesome, it can be hooked to a stroller and hold your bags. I use mine all the time, especially when i go shopping at the mall. It just stays attached to my stroller.

JL Childress Happy Traveler Family Gear Bag, Black

As i said in my previous post, you have to have a perfect diaper bag for travel. What do you say for - big, roomy, diaper bag with changing mat, variety water-proof compartments, cooler, dvd player compartment, slots for dvd/cds, zippered pouch for documents, bottom pouch designed to hold diapers and wipes and roomy storage for variety other things in the middle? This is it!! It can hold everything neatly organized. See for yourself, follow the link and check out photos. I helped me stay stress-free when needing something - because everything has its own spot, i didn't need to rummage through my bag. LOVE IT!!

Munchkin A&H Disposable Changing Pad - 10 Pack
Just a reminder about traveling with disposables.
Sassy Disposable Diaper Sacks - 50 Count

And some not directly airport travel related but products we use and find very practical and awesome.
Inglesina 2011 Fast Table Chair, Basilico
We love this chair. It practically folds flat, attaches to any table (think restaurants, grandma's), has back pocket for utensils, wipes, bibs, etc, and it is machine washable.
BABYBJÖRN Travel Crib Light , Blue
If you are getting ready to buy a pack and play for travel - purchase this crib instead. It is easy to open and fold. It weighs under 11 pounds. That's three times lighter than average pack n play. It folds to a very compact size. Because of its design, it is larger than pack n play - means your child can use it longer. We took it with us to travel, it was great at hotels, used as crib at my parents', and when we traveled to friends' houses - my son would comfortably nap in it. It is pricier but worth it.

Something i would love to try if we need to haul carseat with us in future:
Go-Go Babyz Kidz Travelmate
You can hook carseat onto it and it becomes a stroller. How cool!
Melissa & Doug Trunki Sunny (Orange)
It is child's luggage to hold his own cute little things and toys and sippy. He can push it around the airport or ride on it. Whenever it is time to stop, can open and play with his things. Trunki - what a fun name:)

Anyone has a recommendation for travel pillow for kids? Whenever my son falls asleep in his carseat, his head flops down to his side - i feel sorry for him. Any recommendations?

Well, that's all for now. I will update the list as i see some fun products. I hope you enjoyed window-shopping with me.

at airport, munich, germany

eye candy and guest-blogging

2011-01-27T13:08:00.000-08:00

Flying with BABY - Stress Free Air Travel Tips. Part-1.

2011-01-23T13:21:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to write this post since last summer. I have traveled a lot pre-baby, and even after my son was born we traveled by airplanes when he was only 3 months old, then again at 8 months. Then it was time to travel yet again, this time it was an international flight, over the atlantic, me and baby alone. Doing it all alone, going through security check points, changing airplanes, taking care of baby.. etc seemed overwhelming, i wanted to be as prepared as can be - so i won't be THAT mom with squalling, squirmy child onboard. We traveled from Oklahoma City, OK to Chicago, then to Munich, Germany, then to Tashkent, Uzbekistan and one last flight to hometown Nukus. All together, flights, layovers it was well over 36 hours of traveling. It wasn't as bad as i thought it might be. Pretty much in every plane ride - i had some of passengers tell me how well my child behaved. Yes, we did. Don't get me wrong - i WAS exhausted by the end of our trip.

Traveling with little children can be challenging however it doesn't need to be stressful. The key is preparation and planning. I feel like i earned the right to share a few tips that helped me. So, my tips are aimed for international travelers with small children.

Airplane Flight!: A Lift-the-Flap Adventure

Booking.

- Do your research. Try to book with a kid-friendly airline. We flew with Lufthansa. The airplane had a galley downstairs that led to bathrooms. It was a safe play area for us. When you are in a 10 hour flight - you will be thankful for this area. Especially of your baby starts to cry, you can come downstairs and won't bother anyone. They also offer baby bassinets - big plus! Special baby meals!

- Book evening flight: everyone goes to sleep, lights dimmed, your child will sleep most of the flight relatively undisturbed.

- When getting your tickets, reserve bulkhead seats and a bassinet for your child. Bassinet will hook to bulkhead wall, your child can sleep in or play with toys. If your child is traveling on your lap, then you sure will appreciate being able to let him sit a few minutes in a bassinet.

- Ask for special privileges airline offers. Lufthansa let us gate check my stroller, early board, gave bassinet, baby food, baby bottles, even warmed up milk.

- Once on plane and everyone is seated, ask if passenger next to you could be willing to seat elsewhere. A young man next to me sure was grateful to sit somewhere else (than next to a baby) - and i was grateful to have an empty seat next to me.

Planning.

- Make an appointment with your pediatrician a week or two before the trip. We had my son's ears checked for ear infection, if there is an infection, you don't want to find out the day before flight. Also, avoid exposing your child to other kids the week before trip - to reduce risks of getting sick before trip.

Dress into comfy shoes and layered clothes. You can take off if it is too warm and vice-versa. Don't wear tight clothes. Do make sure to have comfy, flat shoes. Your feat will swell up from being in the air and sitting for a long time. Also, you can get compression socks - for extra comfort. Dress you child into two piece pajamas.

Carry on bag. Choose a right bag, this is essential. Pack:

-lots of diapers and wipes. It is better to have a few extras in case of delays.

- lots of snacks for baby. Food has a great entertainment value - so pack on. Ideas: baby food, cheerios, crackers, dried fruit, etc. Don't rely on airplane snacks - they are not kid-friendly: peanuts-chocking hazard. Pick up any fruits at the airport: apples, bananas, chips. Something for yourself too - i got myself chocolates.

- disposables: it was helpful for me to use disposable bibs, diapers, diaper changing pads. Use and toss. Don't carry around extra dirty things.

- a baby blanket. Could be used as a nursing cover, light dimmer over carseat, extra layer...

- Drinks: pack a sippy cup, bottle. Once you go through check points, purchase drinks. I bought a bottle of water to mix infant formula.

- Medications. Infant pain reliever. And some for yourself too. Saline drops - it gets very dry in airplanes.

- Toys. Please, don't take any noisy toys, even if your child loves them. Nothing is more annoying than a loud toy when you are trying to get some rest, respect your fellow passengers. What i found entertaining, yet quiet:

- sticky notes - peel and stick to wall and let your child to collect them.

- stickers - you can stick them on your child's hands, clothes , let him peel them off - this kept my son occupied for quite a while.

- books.

- favorite lovey toy.

- portable dvd player with favorite cartoons. I had my son's 'veggie tales' on my iphone and we watched them together. Or get them on IPAD, there are some baby entertainment apps available, like flash cards.

- Extra pacifiers - they tend to get lost. Sucking on a pacifier also helps to take pressure off ears when taking off and landing.

- Extra clothes for baby and a shirt for yourself. In case of spit ups or nausea accidents, you might want to change.

- Check in as many bags as possible - so you travel light through airports.

- Bring both stroller and baby carrier. Gate check the stroller. I put my son into carrier so i can fold the stroller and check in, take care of my diaper bag and tickets when boarding the airplane.

- Find your gate first. Sometime it takes much longer to get to your next gate. Then go do other business : get snacks, change baby diaper, etc.

- Let your child burn as much energy as possible before boarding the plane. Let him/her play, run, chase after a ball. So once on plane, he/she most likely to fall asleep.

- Once you board. Make sure to keep yourself and your baby hydrated. Get rest when baby sleeps.

- Expect to entertain your child for the entirety of your trip. If baby begins to cry or unhappy, just do your best to tend, no matter how tired you might be, remember the trip will come to end soon.

My flight one direction went as smooth as could be, but return was very tiring. On our return trip - because of time difference, it was a looooooong bright and shiny day, we arrived at airport at 4 am, left at 7am, flew 7 hours to Germany, then had 8 hour layover and finally got to our 10 hour trans-atlantic flight and my son had hard time sleeping - it was still bright and bushy and noisy day - even when we landed in the US. So, it is more frustrating if you expect to have free time. And, yes, there will be 'those people whose kids sleep through whole airplane flight and wake up at landing'. It is all about expectations.

Going on a Plane (First Experiences)

This is turning into a long post, so i will write another one with product recommendations. What baby travel tips do you have? Please, feel free to share from your experience.

Photo.Love. No More "CHEESE!"

2011-01-16T20:34:00.000-08:00

It can be quite challenging to photograph little children. A couple of my readers asked tips on taking smiley photos of children. I am no expert, trust me, i have yet a lot to learn myself, but here are some tips that helped me in past and still do now:

- Shoot in continuous mode. Set your camera so when you push the button down it will take multiple photos. That's the beauty of a digital camera. Later, once you upload photos to your computer, delete unsuccessful ones. I take 2-3 frames of each shot i am aiming at. Take as many as you wish.

- ask questions. In the photo above, i got this smile when i asked him 'what does ducky say? He said 'quack quack' and smiled.

- get down to the their level, be less intimidating. This is really important. Sit down. Squat. Lay on the floor, it will be worth it. You will get the look that we usually don't get because we are so much taller than they are.

- do not force it. keep taking photos - unsmiley, serious, pouty, whatever expression they give you. Little monsters will eventually warm up to camera. :) I like variety - don't aim for happy emotions only.

- take a break and show the photo, it helps especially with older kids. Give compliments. They feel more comfortable with you taking photos of them.

- unexpected sounds. Example: your child is playing on the floor, you get down with your camera to his level and say "Mooooo!!" or "Oink Oink" or whatever funny. That unexpected sound will make them look up and smile or even laugh. Be quick and click away your shot.

- peekaboo! I focus my camera, then pop up from behind camera and say 'peekaboo' and get a smiley response from my son. It worked like a charm when my son was a baby. It is getting old but still works sometimes.

-anticipation. I say in a very fun way "here is ..a tickle monster...coming.. to..tiiiiiiiickle youuuu..." or "i see a smile coming from the corners of your lips... i see it... i see it..." Since it is something we usually say and tickle him, anticipation of tickle on the way gets him started on his laughter.

- have someone (mom or dad) behind you and make funny faces. In this photo above, my hubby is jumping up and down imitating a monkey - which gets my son laughing.

-chill. Some kids don't smile much. Like my son. Ninety percent of times i get photos like these:

And the last but not least, whatever you do, please don't use the old beaten-up "say CHEESE!", it produces fake smiles with stretched lips and looks like person is in pain than in a happy place.

That's all i can think of at the moment, if you have any other tips, please leave a comment and share, it will be appreciated, we could all learn from each other.
Happy Shooting!!
-Sofia,x

Photo.Love.

2011-01-09T20:13:00.000-08:00

I must confess. I have an affair. An ongoing love affair with photography. Photo.Love. That how I decided to name blog post series about photography. I don't think i know enough about photography, but want to learn and share. I didn't go to photography school and i am a stay at home mom. Yes! if i can do it - you can do it. My hope is it will be helpful resource, for you - moms, to take better photos of your families and children. And of course, it will help me to develop my skills further. .
My first tip is not about photographing, but about displaying. We all know picture speaks thousand words - but only if you don't have to squint to see it. Let's learn to enlarge our photo size on blog posts, here is the example of what default LARGE setting size on blogger and below is what you can have if you tweak a little bit of html coding. Don't let it scare you, it really is very simple. Especially with picture instructions.

50mm, f /1.4, ISO 400, 1/250 sec

Are you excited? :)
-Sofia,x

Finally Free Planner Printable

2011-01-05T18:54:00.000-08:00

January. New Year. Resolutions. This year i decided to be organized - so i can have more energy and time to be a better mom and a better wife. Schedule in time for work and time for play (with photoshop and my camera). Spend time with friends and family. To be productive and feel good at the end of the day. I need a helper. A customized helper. Customized to my needs. I looked and looked and decided to make one of my own. Here is what it looks like:

It has to have a little bit of flower and cheery colors.

It has divided slots from Monday thru Sunday. Enough space to write in schedule, menu plans, etc. The beauty is that this planner won't expire. Ever. You fill in the 'month' and 'dates'. Did you read it? It does NOT EXPIRE! Woot Woot!!

Next page has a 'task list' and 'shopping list'. It can be customized weekly. Scroll down for printable version. If you want to make your own, you need to print on both sides of paper - as many as you wish. basically one side of page is one week. I printed 26 pages on both sides = 52 weeks = one year. Then cut right in the middle. Use x-acto knife. Be careful with it. I hurried and got a cut on my finger. Those things are SHARP!

Now, the fun part. Customize it to your liking and needs. Add pretty scrap pages. Different printables. Calendar. Blank pages. Whatever. Go crazy. Make it yours!!!!!!

Clip it to hold together and take it to Kinko's at FedEx or Staples and get it bound. Binding cost: $3.99 that is including clear vinyl as front page and black vinyl as back of the planner. Awesome!!

I added an envelope page to hold sticky notes, stickers, stamps....

I also added a full year calendar that folds out. Feel free to use these. I made these on photoshop using 2011 calendar brushes from Nicola Lee Photography and the flower brush is from punksafetypin.

I also added blank pages so i can scribble down whatever ideas might pop into my head - whether it is crafting, blogging or copy down some recipes, etc...

Binding is pretty neat. You can actually undo and redo it. You never know what you might want to change, right? :)

This is the back. Plain black vinyl.

I hope you can make your own and it will be helpful. Here are the printable links:

planner

calendar (part 1)

calendar (part 2)

Feel free to share this on your blog and link back. If you make your own, i would love to see the end result. Cheers~

-Sofia,x

UPDATE!!!
This one below belongs to Suzee from AppleHeadThreads, go check out how she customized her own version of this planner. I love her doodles, too cute!!!!!!

resolutions, resolutions...

2011-01-04T12:21:00.000-08:00

This is what i want to strive for -

- excel existing skills - learn something everyday, mainly i want to focus on improving my photography skills.

-to keep a good balance in various aspects of my life. (i won't share specifics)

--be organized in order to achieve the previous.

I am working on a custom-made planner and will share the printable version of it in the next few days.

Simple Toddler Hat Tutorial

2010-12-30T20:49:00.000-08:00

Simple. Quick. Easy. Cute. I love projects like that. Okay, making this hat is so simple and easy, i feel embarrassed to write a tutorial on it. But will share it anyways.

Pull out one of your too-tight-haven't-worn-in-two-years stretchy tops. We all have one or two. Or three.

Measure around your child's head and cut out rectangle of that length. Cut exact, no need for seam allowance since fabric is stretchy and hat will be snug fitting. Then sew all around it. When sewing the very top, make sure to stretch your fabric while sewing.

Since my 'fabric' was one color, i added a cute label on top. Label: cut rectangle, stamp whatever on it, and heat it with iron so ink sets in.

(enjoying a milkshake)

Alex wore his hat at the airport on our way to California and got lots of compliments from total strangers!!

If you make your own version of this hat, then leave a comment and share. I can see big potential to lots of fun and crazy children's hats.

The Paper Mama Photo Challenge - Family

2010-12-27T16:35:00.000-08:00

DAD - a son's first HERO!!!

sweater to sweater

2010-12-26T10:44:00.000-08:00

wow, it has been a long time since i crafted anything. I have been busy with photography. I like recycling clothes for my projects because if i mess up i can just toss and move on to the next item. And of course, i like making things that fit my little guy because:
a. the size - small size, quick results.
b. he is willing to wear what i make.

Like these baby shorts or these lovely pajamas or a hoodie or the cutest jacket. Thinking of above mentioned reasons, i pulled out this sweater from my purge/recycle box.

fingers crossed, started cutting, sewing... and here is the finished product.

Matching hat was not my best work, but i ran out of fabric - it will do.

love, love, love his little dimples. Ah, so adorable!

how i already uwrapped my christmas gift

2010-12-23T19:50:00.000-08:00

Okay, how do you wait till christmas morning to open your gifts? I am seriously terrible at waiting. I already let Alex open and play with his toys from his nanas. (If either of you reading this, please don't get mad at me). In my defense, Alex doesn't even know which day is which day. He is happy to play, eat and sleep.
So, i opened mine too. Actually i didn't even wait till it gets wrapped. My hubby got me awesome gift - it is not something to wear or show off to anyone. It is a software. Not just any software, it is a magic-happens-here software. Adobe Photoshop CS5. YES! Bring it on - i am so ready for challenge!
Going back to christmas gifts - yeah, i was not going to wait 4 whole days till 25th to open it. No way! So, to be fair in all i begged Andy open his gifts from me (ipad cover and stylus pen). We are all happy!
I discovered brushes feature and made a new watermark for my photos:

I used my own logo that i created in Inkscape + free butterfly brush from pixel&ice-cream.

The last but not the least (why do people say this phrase?), here is a card i created using various brushes from brusheezy.com
TO ALL OF YOU, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

nana's custom request: AlEX and LEAVES

2010-12-21T14:50:00.000-08:00

weekend-town of guthrie

2010-12-21T12:38:00.000-08:00

Past weekend we went out with some friends to Guthrie - to walk in the streets of old town, watch plays in the shops, see people dressed up like in 20s. It was so much fun! Alex got to see horses, interact with street acting people, see Santa riding his unicycle, ride on a trolley, watch christmas lights, listen to caroling.

a day in a few photos

2010-12-19T18:04:00.000-08:00

We went to check out the student union for photosession and for a game of pool.

Then we went to a wedding which was extremely fun. We all enjoyed dancing, Alex was not shy at all and got right in the middle on the dance floor.

watching intently the bride and groom's first dance.

Congratulations - Elliott and Megan!!!!!!

You can see how much Alex enjoyed his cupcaken. Bath time!!!

featured on MBC

2010-12-17T13:23:00.000-08:00

Alex's photo is featured on MommyBloggersClub's homepage. Neat!!

here is the original.

photo.tip: add some festive

2010-12-15T20:12:00.000-08:00

I was taking photos of Alex and our christmas tree and thought of a cool idea. I changed my camera focus from auto to manual and blurred out the image - which made christmas tree light become really blurry and produced this photo below.

Which i thought would make a neat texture layer over one of Alex's photos. It is not the best photo, but i wanted to give a try to my very own texture. Here is before and after.

Here is how i do it in Photoshop Elements:
- open both files.
- drag and drop pattern file over the main photo (background layer).
- then 'overlay' and change opacity to about desired amount, around 60-65.
- stay in pattern layer and chose 'eraser' and remove pattern from the main subject. I use eraser opacity of 30-34.
-change hue and saturation.
- create a copy of 'background' layer and drop it on the very top of all layers, and dial opacity down to 50 ish.
Done! Flatten the image, watermark, export and enjoy!
If you know your way around photoshop elements, i am sure you could decipher my directions, otherwise there are tons of video instructions on youtube. Get this texture free - download.

winner

2010-12-13T08:37:00.000-08:00

The winner of the Kix Prize Pack is:

(chosen randomly, #1)

Congratulations and enjoy your goodies!

Kid-Tested, Mother-Approved

2010-12-07T18:15:00.000-08:00

giveaway closed!!
Let's talk about toddler appetite. Or more lack of it. Long gone the days when my 19 months old used eat 3 meals and have snacks. Now it seems just snacks. Don't get me wrong, he eats allright, but there are more and more days when he is a hard to please picky eater...
This morning:
- scrambled eggs?
( shaking head side to side)
- blueberries?
(no)
- banana?
-(no)
-milk?
(no)
-oatmeal?
-apple sauce?
NO! NO! NO!

Ah! I don't know what to do? Alex seems to eat very little unless it is cookies, of course. So, i try to make each bite count. A week ago when we returned from California, there was a package on our front door. It was from Kix via MyBlogSpark, containing following:
- two boxes Kix Cereals;
- sippy cup;
- numbers large puzzle;
- numbers/math book;
- snack container;

I was pretty excited to try new toys along with new Kix cereals. The 'Kid-Tested, Mother-Approved' cereal is made with whole greain corn and is a great source of iron, calcium, fiber and vitamins. Yay! Honestly, Alex didn't want it the traditional way with milk but he loved it just as a snack through the day. We tried out the sippy cup right away.

Watching my kid eating - makes my heart smile.

Watching my kid eating healthy - makes me feel good as a parent.

Daddy and son had fun time building number puzzle.

Try for yourself. I was given another identical Kix Prize Pack to giveaway to one of my readers.

~~Entry 1. Tell me what do your kids (or you) usually eat for breakfast.~~

~~Entry 2. Follow my blog.~~

Winner will be chosen randomly on December 12th by noon. This giveaway is closed!

'Comment' button is at the top of each post.

Disclosure: Kix provided me with the products, information, and giveaway through MyBlogSpark. I received a prize pack exactly like the one I’m giving away.

Photo-Love with Alex

2010-12-03T20:52:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful weather for December - it was warm, sunny and beautiful afternoon. I had a photosession scheduled Law School area today and i drove there without my license. Andy and Alex had to travel to bring it to me, so i can drive home legally. After i finished my work, we decided to hang out there for a little longer. I just couldn't help - this afternoon lighting was so magical, am i allowed to say 'yummy' regarding lighting? YUMMY!!
I had an impromptu photo time with my favorite little person in the whole world!!

California. Part 2.

2010-11-30T18:58:00.000-08:00

We are planning on moving overseas to work in anti-trafficking project in Central Asia. This past week we traveled to Pasadena for our job interview with OASIS which went really well and decided to stay an extra day in Pasadena and visit LA. This was our fifth visit to California but we were yet to visit the famous Hollywood sign. And Los Angeles. We finally did it and can put a 'check' mark on it.

Have you ever stayed at Embassy Suites? This is such a family-friendly hotel, in my mind, yet still has posh feel to it. Our room had master bedroom and separate living-room which is where Alex slept. Neither he or we like sleeping in the same room :(

This is what the INSIDE of hotel looked like.

Next day we went for a walk at Walk of Fame.

I found 'Frank Sinatra'.

Then we went to Griffith Observatory.

Then we had lunch and drove 3 hours back to San Diego.

That was a lot of photos to upload, hope you all enjoyed them.

hugs and chocolates,

Sofia,x

Alex and California. Part 1.

2010-11-27T18:45:00.000-08:00

This is our third visit with Alex to San Diego, California - first when he was only 3 months old, then 8 months and finally now 19months. It has been a huge difference in travel. We all enjoyed our visit and travels. Not only he behaved so well in airports and airplanes, but also was burning up so much energy playing with his cousins that he was taking three naps a day!! Bliss for parents! We did quite a bit of traveling and visiting with family. Here are some pics from one of the days.

Alex loved being a farm boy and was fascinated with his Nana's horses.

Modeling for mommy!!

And, yes, even i put my camera down to pet the horse..

Alex and his cousin Jacob.

alex laughing

2010-11-16T21:36:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQasusRd6pY

Oh boy, i have no clue where he learnt to do this!! But i still wanted to record it because he was trying so hard to make us laugh :))))))))))))))

Sofia

winner

2010-11-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

Pillsbury Apple Pie Prize Pack winner is Mel4Him. Hope you enjoy these goodies. I will be contacting you shortly. Thanks Pillsbury and MyBlogSpark!

-Sofia,x

GIVEAWAY: Pillsbury Apple Pie Prize Pack

2010-11-01T11:49:00.000-07:00

CLOSED!!!

I have taken delicious breakfast quiche, berry pies, apple pies to various social events - my secret weapon is pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts. You will find a box of it in my fridge at all times. Pillsbury provided me with a prize pack through MyBlogSpark to review - i gladly accepted! However my positive opinion was formed prior receiving this package.

Thanks MyBlogSpark!

Lookie, how easy to core and slice the apple with the apple corer/slicer !!! :)

This morning, Alex and I baked an apple pie - our favorite of all pies!

It came out as tasty as could be, the crust was perfect! Go on try for yourself, it is perfect season to have a slice of warm apple pie with a scoop of ice-cream on top!! YUM!!

Would you like to try it too? Thanks to Pillsbury and MyBlogSpark, one lucky reader gets exactly similar prize pack - you will love the goodies:

a coupon for a FREE Pillsbury Pie Crust package
a Pyrex pie dish
a Pillsbury oven hot pad
an apple cutting board
an apple timer
an apple slicer/corer
and a measuring cup set with an egg separator!

GIVEAWAY is CLOSED!!

~~Entry#1.~~ ~~Leave a comment telling me your favorite kind of dessert.~~

~~Entry#2.~~ ~~Become a follower. And leave a comment that you did/are.~~

I will chose the winner randomly on November 4th, noon.

Disclosure: Pillsbury provided me with the products, information, and giveaway through MyBlogSpark. I received a prize pack exactly like the one I’m giving away.

Elmer's Craft Bond and X-ACTO review

2010-10-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

If you know me, you know i love stationary of all sorts. I am not a scrapbooker but i do enjoy making cards. I enjoy when i can get a great deal on some cute paper - yes i get excited about paper. So, when mailman dropped off Bzz package, it made my day because it was full of goodies from Elmers and X-ACTO.

All-Purpose Glue Stick - well, we are all familiar with this classic one.
Permanent Tape Runner - this became my favorite type of glue, it is easy to apply, not messy and doesn't create bubble on the surface.
Clear Glue Pen - i usually don't like liquid glue but this one has precision tip, double sided, one - for detailed glueing and other for wide-flat. It doesn't let out big globs, which is a plus.
Assortment of sticky spots - this is my second favorite type of glue from now and on. It is great for layered projects.
Zig Zag Decorative Edge Scissors - the usual decorative scissors
Scalloped Decorative Edge Scissors - the usual scallop scissors
Corner Rounder Punch - i was impressed with this one, i already have a fiscars corner punch and they both punch perfectly.

Have you ever used sticky glue spots? I never knew such thing existed - i love it. They are all super strong.

I absolutely love the glue tape runner - it doesn't create bubbles, great for photos and cards.

I adhered white paper to brown cardstock with glue tape runner.

corner punch - adds some interest and softens edges.

glue spots holding cd sleeve perfectly in place.

I made this jacket for client's photo cd.

All of Elmer's Craft Bond and X-Acto Designer Series products can be found at your local Walmart - at less expensive prices than brands at craft stores. I checked my Walmart and there are a wide range of craft products available at store - Elmer's Craft Bond products priced in the range of $2-$9 and X-Acto Designer Series products at $2-$20.

Disclaimer: “I am a Bzz Agent and wrote this review while participating in a BzzAgent campaign and was provided with free samples to review. Opinions are solely mine. I am not required to give a positive review.

Be Happy - Free Printable

2010-10-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

I am in a happy mood today and sketched this poster out. Enjoy!

(for personal use only, please!)

Download

windowshopping...

2010-10-18T21:10:00.000-07:00

been windowshopping and eyeing this camera bag for a looooooong time.. and some tonight. this is a direct hint to my hubby 'think christmas, anniversary, birthday'. It is large, rolling, can hold a body and a few lenses and a laptop and more, all of my equipment safely and not scream 'holding expensive stuff, steal me'. Suede Large with Brown Leather Trim. Large. Rolling. Yep!!

Product Review: Create Your Own Pop-Up Books

2010-09-29T20:53:00.000-07:00

We are trilingual family - i want my son learn my native language which is karakalpak. It is especially hard since i have yet to meet another karakalpak in Oklahoma. I have been brainstorming on ways to increase his karakalpak vocabulary when Learning Tree Toys offered us to try out one of their educational toys.

Create Your Own Pop Up Books - comes in a sturdy box that has two hard cover blank books (big and small sizes), die cut shapes, stickers, wiggly eyes, markers. You don't even need glue, parts already have glue adhesives. I think this is a great kit for older kids (box says ages 5 and up). It lets kids imagination go wild and create their own stories, not only they would enjoy creating the book but also using it later as interactive pages could potentially have characters 'jumping' out of them, have 'secret' letters, hidden treasures and many many different interactive pages.
Even though my son is only 17 month old - we made a karakalpak dictionary/numbers book.

The bird can fly, sun can go up and down, puppy run back and forth.

So many possibilities.

He liked it. And i have one more 'karakalpak' language teaching resource.

I let him go wild with stickers at the end. This is one of many products from their Creativity For Kids line to see more follow this link.

(Disclosure: we received a Create Your Own Pop-Up Books Kit, free of charge, from Growing Tree Toys, for review purposes)

Kid's Hanging Book Display

2010-09-22T19:59:00.000-07:00

My son Alex's room is tiny, so i was very excited when i saw this idea for a bookshelf. Quite simple and takes up almost no space. Full tutorial here.

Hubby installing curtain rod brackets, while i am making fabric part of the shelf.

Alex is trying to be helpful too...

This is the way the end looks. I painted wood part black to match the rods.

Finished book display. It is installed between door and closet.

Perfect height for my tiny reader:)

Coming up next - art project i have been working on for past two days. I will give details so you can make your own wall art.

Sofia,x

On being .org plus a new Diaper Dag

2010-09-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

   (screenshot from my computer)
   My blog's URL from now and on is www.sofiasworld.org


Now for the second part of the post title:
I made myself a new diaper tote. It is a customized version of lunch bag from Pink Penguin.

I fell in love with drawstring closure when i saw it that i had to have one - except i didn't need a lunch bag so i tweaked it into a tote!

I added several pockets inside. Love 'em!

This is when top closure is loose hiding inside the bag.

Holds all my/Alex's things!

I also added extra magnet closure to top for more security.

It held up really well to Dr appointment today. Roomy for lovey, sippy, keys, phone, notepad, diapers, etc etc etc that i have to carry these days. The appointment was for Alex - he has been running a fever but no other symptoms.. so it is a wait time, hopefully he will get better by morning.

-Sofia,x

Focus Issues

2010-09-14T06:47:00.000-07:00

We went to Zoo last weekend and i wanted to use my new camera lense, 50mm. How did i ever live without it? The only issue was that i was wearing my contacts and my photos were not in perfect focus, maybe it is time to go get an eye exam... I know that i take better photos when i am NOT wearing contacts ... interesting...

Finally: Cutest Jacket on the Block FINISHED!

2010-09-10T14:49:00.000-07:00

I gave a link to this cute jacket pattern in my previous post and i made it! Even though directions were given in japanese, the pictures were easy to follow. The pattern seemed like for size 12 months. I added about 2cm extra to the pattern.

It has flannel lining inside and should be great for October morning chills. The size fist Alex perfectly but it will be too small in spring.

Close up of front. His favorite Curious George.

Super Cute Jacket

2010-09-09T16:20:00.000-07:00

I plan to make boy version of this Toddler Parka for my son from handmadenokokoro. The website is in japanese (i believe) and when you click the green button it gives you pdf file of the pattern which is also in japanese. We will see how it turns out...

Ipad Sleeve

2010-09-08T17:46:00.000-07:00

Last week has been great. I have been driving somewhere every day - my favorite of all was a trip to Michaels where i got some new craft supplies. I made a few cards and an ipad sleeve.

I didn't do step by step photos, it is basically cotton fabric with neoprene lining serged all around.

Button and elastic ribbon closure.

As per hubby's request, it has front pocket for microfiber cloth to clean the screen.

iSimplyHandmade tag completes the look.

-Sofia,x

Sweater to Cardigan?

2010-09-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

This week i passed my driver's test and got my license!! On a happy note i have been doing various projects. I will share one of them. Celebrating first day of fall, say yes - to layering.

I pulled out this shirt from my 'take to goodwill' box.

Cut open in the middle.

Choose ribbon, lays, ruffles whatever that pleases you. I tried various options and stopped on this lacey ribbon. It is lighter color of blue. Pin and sew.

Add bead, buttons, embellishments to your taste. I added pearl beads.

I can't wait to wear it over a tank top when i go out. This is all i could do today during naptime crafting.

My Diaper is Full. Full of Fashion..

2010-08-23T15:21:00.000-07:00

My Alex totally rocks in his jeans diaper!!

Pillow or No Pillow?

2010-08-21T19:41:00.000-07:00

Do you sometimes feel like starting a project NOW and wanting to finish it RIGHT AWAY? Well, i feel like that ~~often~~ a lot of times. This afternoon Andy and I were talking about when we would need to move our 16 month old son to a toddler bed, i actually realized that he still does not have a pillow. Nor a blanket in his crib. I was so afraid of SIDS that i didn't dare to give him a blanket let alone a pillow. (I still place my hand on his back to make sure he is breathing. Every SINGLE night before i go to bed, i know it is silly, but i can't stop it..). Anyways, now that he is old enough, i had an urge to make him his very own first pillow.

I found cute fabric from my stash and got to work. Then i decided to make a matching summer blanket.

I used his newborn receiving blanket one one side and matching cotton fabric on the other. I thought it would have a sentimental value to it. I even embroidered the edges. I worked dreaming how adorable he would look while sleeping on this pillow with a matching blanket over him.

Turned out super cute.

My son played with his pillow for a bit, didn't care a bit about his blanket, fussed for about an hour not wanting to go to sleep and finally fell asleep only after i pulled the pillow and blanket out of his crib. Yeah.. No Pillow..

Have you seen BABIES yet?

2010-08-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

Everybody has been talking about BABIES movie since Mother's Day. Last night i finally watched it on Video On Demand from Amazon. It is a documentary about four babies, from around the world - Namibia, Mongolia, Japan and the US, from birth till they make their first steps. It was quite interesting to see how different their developmental environments - one is surrounded by tons of toys, one's toys are whatever nature offered. Then when mongolian baby is busy unrolling toilet paper, japanese baby was getting so frustrated trying to put together a brainy toy. It offers you the world from babies' perspective. High quality, well done. We really enjoyed watching it, there were a lot of laughing involved and a even more of 'Awww...'

(word of caution: there is some maternal nudity involving breastfeeding)
Buy DVD of the movie at amazon

On the movie note, Alex has been enjoying "The Penguins of Madagascar - Operation:DVD Premiere"

This one was a giveaway gift from http://www.simplesavingsavvy.net/ , it is a great couponing site, especially for people living in Norman, OKC area.

How to score cheap DIAPERS!!

2010-08-11T19:54:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share this amazing deal on diapers from Amazon. Did you know you can buy diapers from Amazon.com? I didn't. I bought my first package of Pampers Economy Box Diapers from amazon on last Friday and received it on Monday - fast and free shipping!

Go to this page. It has all diapers and wipes selection for this promotion.
-Choose the diapers you want from the selection.
-Choose the 'Subscribe and Save' option on the right side. It will give you additional 30% off and FREE shipping. You can cancel it anytime.
- If you have Aug or Sep 2010 issues of Parents Magazine, there is 20% off diaper purchase amazon coupon.
- Depending on diaper size - you can get them as low as .09 each.
Even if you do not have a magazine coupon, it is still a great deal at 30% off. Especially that it will be delivered FREE to your door, gotta love that!

I paid for my large economy box of size 3 Pampers Diapers (204 count) -only $2.89. Here is how i did it.
My box of diapers were $40.99.

Item Subtotal: $40.99
Shipping and handling: $22.86
Subscription Discount: $-12.30 (30% discount)
Free Shipping: $-22.86

Promotion Applied: $-8.20 (20% discount)
Total: $20.49

Paid by Gift Certificate: $17.60

Paid by Visa: $2.89 (grand total out of pocket)

FREE Gift Certificates I used:
$10 amazon card i got from searches at SWAGBUCKS. I do several searches a day and make enough for about $10 every month.

Paid with $7.60 amazon card from Opinion Outpost surveys. I really like this survey site as it pays in instant amazon gift card (or check if you wish). It doesn't take long to get enough points to cash out. So far i have gotten about $75 from this site. i have also gotten various full size products to test at home from survey sites, including packages of diapers,ha:)

For my family it cost a hair bit over 0.01 cent per diaper. That's what makes me a proud Budget Stretcher!! :)))

Baby Shorts Applique

2010-07-29T20:44:00.000-07:00

Ah... isn't this so adorable? My son loves any kinds of cars - his first word and possibly favorite one - VROOM VROOM!!!!

I made him a pair of shorts out of a tshirt and put on it applique using fabric paint. It makes so much difference. How come i didn't think of this a loooooong while ago...

I got an AWARD!

2010-07-28T20:31:00.000-07:00

I received The Versatile Blogger Award from FromPDXwithLOVE. She said:

it's my pleasure to give you the Versatile Blogger Award today! It's always a treat to visit your blog. See the announcement:
http://frompdxwithlove.com/?p=597

Makes me pretty excited!!!
In order to fully accept the award i must:

1) Thank the person who gave me the award. Thanks Sofia!! (my namesake, it is funny that her son's name is also Alexander!)
2) Share seven things about ourselves.
3) Nominate 15 newly discovered blogs, and let the nominees know about the award.

Seven things about me:

I have my toenails painted at all times.
I speak Karakalpak, Russian, English. In that order. Would like to learn Turkish someday.
I love drinking hot tea. Even in summer.
I hate to fold laundry.
I don't like cereal for breakfast. I could eat bread and butter every morning instead.
I cooked my first dinner when i was eleven. With fish oil. My grandma still ate it while praising.
I spend too much time on blogosphere.

And...I would like to nominate the blogs below because they are inspiring, witty, creative, crafty, teach about frugality and in simple words - wonderful.

1. Frugal Family Fun Blog.

2. Simple Saving Savvy

3. Good Things Catered

4. Noodlehead

5. Couponing to Disney

6. My Eleven Reasons

7. Creation Corner

8. House of Grace

9. Thrifty Decor Chick

10. M for Mommy

11. Joyful Creations

12. Mom-Mode

13. Card Metaphors

14. No Money Mama

15. Frugal Cuisine

Congratulations!!! Thanks a lot for sharing your lives, teaching, helping and inspiring!!!

Paper Love

2010-07-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

I love all sorts of stationary, but paper must be my favorite. Tonight i went to Hobby Lobby to spend money earned from babysitting. Recently i have been into making cards. It is getting a little bit better with every time. This is the card i made tonight. Some day maybe i can create cards like from youtube 'Finally Friday' series. Check 'em out, they are pretty amazing!

Our Weekend Getaway in Photos

2010-07-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

Tutorial: How to Make a Gift Bag

2010-07-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

This whole project will take only about 10 minutes to assemble together.

Choose two pages from scrapbook paper. Fold them on one side. That will be top of your bag.

Next, use any box as a mold and fold your paper one at a time around it.

Just like wrapping a gift box. Glue or use a double-sided tape like i did.

Pull out the box.

and punch holes on top.

Thread ribbons through the holes and maybe make a tag to go along.

Done!

Make a few more to be ready for last minute gift bag needs:)

How to make a GIFT BAG ..

2010-07-14T19:20:00.000-07:00

Tonight i needed a craft fix - a quick fix. I decided to make some sort of scrapbook paper craft. I love pretty papers, who doesn't?

Making this bag was much easier than i though. Will i buy a gift bag from a store again? Not anymore!!!

I would rather scrapbook paper packs from Hobby Lobby.. it is more fun!!

Tutorial: here.

Shizen Decorative Handmade Paper- Half Pound Scrap Pack

I found a MUFFIN Book

2010-07-10T09:55:00.000-07:00

(cookbook by Susanna Tee)

I love 'Perfect' series of cookbooks because each recipe has a photo, every single recipe. When i try to cook/bake/make a new thing i want to know what it is supposed to look like at the end. I have like 15 of them, okay i didn't count but sometime in near future i will take a photo and share and we can count:)

I found this one at 'Ross' and loving it so far. I made sour cream and pineapple muffins last week, they turned out great.

Here is the printable recipe - Sour Cream and Pineapple Muffins.

Garden Update: A TOMATO

2010-07-06T08:34:00.000-07:00

I grew a tomato!! One tomato!

Is lettuce supposed to look like this??

I have no clue what's going on with my bell peppers, they are growing waaaaaaaaaaay too slow and not even thinking of giving any produce.. check out what they looked like in April - here.

Georgie and Karakalpak

2010-07-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe how time goes by so fast.. it has already been two weeks since my last post?? I didn't get a chance to share anything from my trip yet and i have a LOT to tell. I did laundry by hand and air dried for whole six weeks we were away. Obviously, Alex's lovey - Georgie got a few soaks too.

We actually have two of these Ty Pluffies Dangles Monkey, it is his favorite, soft and cuddly - he feels comforted when he is holding it. I bought one extra right before the trip in case we lost original. He ended up sleeping hugging both of them at once.

My mom teaching Alex to garden.

Alex really enjoyed traveling and visiting family. You know, my native language is karakalpak. In case you didn't know, my second language is Russian and English is on third place. I want my son to know my native language and i have been trying to speak it to him since he was born - six long visit to my family was a boost of confidence in keeping it up. He picked it up very quickly as he observed language being used by everyone. Now we are back home and i can see progress. He understands when i tell him things like ' come over here', 'put your lovey down', 'bring your shoes and let's go outside', etc. I am proud of him especially at times when my son understands when i say something in karakalpak and my hubby just scratches back of his head:)

(Alex and his two monkeys)

Two Boxes and Jetlag

2010-06-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

It has been a week and a half since we got back from our overseas trip and getting over jetlag took a whole week. Every single night Alex kept waking up around 1-2 am and would stay up till 4 am, no matter what we did during daytime. ~~Poor me..~~ My poor son Alex.. He is finally over it and been sleeping through the night past 3-4 days. Things are getting back to normal routine. That feels good. I have got a lot to blog and update about.
We were gone for 6 weeks which seemed like an eternity. Seriously at some point it started to feel like i have never lived in the States. I missed Mothers' Day but there were two boxes when i got back - one was from my sweet husband which had a professional serger machine by Singer. Like here:

Another box was from Pink Promotion i mentioned last winter here. Even it took six months, they arrived as described - cute pink kitchenware. They match perfectly my pink kitchenaid stand mixer. I have never been into 'pink' girl but it must be living in the States ...

I hear Alex making sounds and waking up, so i guess i am rounding up here.
Until next time, take care~

We are back safe and sound!!

2010-06-09T10:56:00.000-07:00

Alex enjoying view from airport in Munich, Germany.

More photos and stories to come whenever i feel up for it:)

-Sofia,x

Packed and Ready to Go

2010-04-24T08:32:00.000-07:00

We are leaving to airport in less than two hours. I am excited and a bit nervous - hopefully traveling with a toddler internationally won't be as exhausting as i am expecting. I have plan A, plan B, plan C ... haha and maybe D as far as entertaining a child goes. I will talk all about it when i get back from my trip in June. I am sure there will be lots of savvy first hand tips and advice. Baby A. has no clue whatsoever, he is comfortably napping in his crib right now. Packing up last bits took longer than i thought so i didn't get a chance to write up the review of KidCo Healthy Snack Slicer - i will get to it after return as well.

Bye Bye for now~
-Sofia

Last Projects for next several weeks...

2010-04-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

I truly need to finish up packing... this time i made myself a promise that i am not going to stay up till 2 am packing the night before trip... i don't know why but i love keep procrastinating and doing other things. I did well so far, one suitcase is packed and ready, another is almost done and my carry on HUGE diaper bag is full. I think i am 90% done with packing - not bad. So instead of finishing up last bit i indulged in procrastination and did some sewing. I think i will miss my sewing machine...

I made Alex this pj set - pants from leftover cotton fabric and tee is recycled from my wardrobe.

I put these square applique on tee to match his pants. Aren't those owls so cute? :)

I also had a medium sized brand new long sleeve plain tshirt/sweatshirt. It was big enough for ...

a baby tee and...

matching baby pants and ...

matching sweatpants.

Baby A. can wear them like these or..

like these. If only he would be excited about new outfits... he doesn't really care if he has clothes on or not, if i let him he would ran around naked and be as happy.

~Cuddle Time before Night Night~

Quilts Again

2010-04-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

I am making this adorable quilt for my niece's 4 year birthday. Planning on finishing it up while i am visiting family. The top is completely done.

And some more details, excuse low exposure in my photos, i used my small point n shoot camera, it sure makes me appreciate my DSLR so much more.

I got inspired by quilts 'Bloom by Thimble Blossoms", check out here to see more of these gorgeous quilts made by others.

My brother mailed me photos of the quilt me and mom made for my oldest niece. I forgot to take a photo of it last fall. Look are their faces, so happy:)

Kidco Healthy Snack Multi Slicer

2010-04-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

Baby A. has been eating finger foods for a while now and i am excited about this slicer/chopper by Kidco. We were generously provided one and trying it out at home now. Stay tuned to read what we think of it.

Garden Update

2010-04-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

My bell peppers are growing:)))

And green onions doing so:)))

I don't have pics but as of this morning cilantro and dill are about an inch tall, parsley is dead, one of tomatoes growing up and the other is thinking 'to be or not to be'. Blueberries are history!

Lovey Story

2010-04-15T19:16:00.000-07:00

So, we are getting ready to travel overseas to visit family. I have been trying to get things ready and making sure that baby will be happy during trip. Alex has this lovey - Georgie, it is actually called Pluffies Dangles Monkey - he has to have it when he goes to sleep or nap. In order to avoid stress if we accidentally lose it during travels i bought him a second Georgie as a back up. It arrived in mail this week.
I pulled it out from its package and handed to Alex - he happily accepted it. Then i brought out his old Georgie ... wow, was he confused that there were two of them:)

Poor baby didn't quite understand what was going on...

"Mommy..?"

See his confused look, how precious!! Well, it only took him a few more seconds to figure out which one was his old lovey.

Making a Baby Hoodie Shirt

2010-04-15T18:53:00.000-07:00

This is a super soft hoodie from Salvation Army - spent probably a couple of bucks on. I turned it into baby hoodie - basically it is the same style just smaller size. I am having so much fun making baby clothes. Can't believe how much i sweat over needing warm baby clothes last fall. I remember going to Just Between Friends Sale - my mom and mom-in-law spent about $100 for Alex's winter outfits...and he outgrew all of them within two months... ah.. i wish i knew that i could repurpose and recycle my own clothes then... Here is what i made this time:

GAP!! And similar hoodie from Baby Gap probably would cost twenty times or more...

Soft and stretchy and comfy shirt for Alex.

I think we will take it with us for our trip - to wear at airports when it gets chilly.

New Car Seat Cover

2010-04-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

Our friends Kennedy Family gave us this stroller frame and carseat before Alex was born. It served us really well. Recently i decided to give it a make-over before we travel.

Here is what car seat cover looked like originally.

And what it looks like now - i used original cover as a pattern and put together a brand new cover with this lovely brown and blue.

Alex enjoyed riding it it - the middle is cotton and outer browns are ... i don't know what they are called but they are nice to touch. So, middle keeps him cool.

Love these brown and blue pattern!!!

Baby Sports Outfit

2010-04-04T14:12:00.000-07:00

So, creative side of me hit me over weekend and i whipped up several things. One of the projects is an outfit i made for Alex. I enjoy making baby stuff as it takes very little time to finish them.

I used this zip up sweater i had in a long time and i haven't worn in ages. I used sleeves as pants and cut out little sleevess matching top.

It is time for my little model to showcase it:)

Cute, huh? :)

He is adorable!!!

Even has pockets!!

Easy breezy, go find something from your closet to recycle and make into something cute! :) If you do, leave me a message with a link so i can come and check it out.

-Sofia,x

Alexander Walker

2010-04-03T20:22:00.000-07:00

My baby turned one on April 2nd. Wow, the year has gone by so quickly!!!
Fast forward of Alex's year in photos:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR SON, WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tandir Nandi Sag'indim :)

2010-03-30T18:02:00.000-07:00

My karakalpak friends, what do you think? I made these 'tandir' nan in oven - turned out to be good. Does it look like from home? :)

stepping up...:)

2010-03-29T08:36:00.001-07:00