Feeling Beany: How to Make a Lima Bean Wreath

Christmas wreaths are all over the Internet right now. There are so many different kinds and different ways to make them. When I heard about making a wreath out of lima beans, I was skeptical. However, after I thought about it more it didn't seem like that crazy of an idea. I was in need of a Christmas wreath so I gave it a shot. Here's how it turned out.

It started with a plain, foam wreath that I got 40% off at Hobby Lobby. You only need a glue gun and lima beans after that! I started hot gluing one bean at a time on my wreath. It's a great project to do in front of the TV or with in the midst of a crowd.



They might think you are a little crazy (like my husband did) by attempting to hot glue that many lima beans to a wreath but if you can handle the criticism, it's fun to do around people.



It is a bit monotonous but it really didn't take as long as I thought it would.



After all the beans were glued on, I primed it with my favorite spray paint primer (Kilz) and then gave it another coat of white spray paint.



Add a lovely Christmas ribbon and you're done!

If I could go back and do this again, I would have spray painted the wreath before gluing the beans on. I don't like how I can still see green underneath. I also would have taken more time to pick off the hot glue remnants. Those seemed to show up more when spray painted. From far away it didn't look too bad though.



Overall, I like it... from far away. Just don't look too close. :)

Now if only I could find a place to put it in my house!

 

Make Your Own Baby Food

Because of Adelyn's reflux, we have gotten the go-ahead from the doctor to start solids a little earlier. We're starting rice cereal at 3.5 months and will probably start veggies and fruits in a month or two. Supposedly, the solid consistency will help keep the reflux a bit more under control. (Crossing our fingers!) With baby food on the horizon, I am super motivated to find the healthiest and cheapest ways to feed Miss Adelyn.

In a previous post, I mentioned that I had made baby food all day long.

Here's the scoop on how I did it. I got most of my information from Homemade Baby Food Recipes. I also deviated a bit from some of their suggestions and made it another way. There are a lot of different ways to make most of these kinds of baby foods so it really is your preference.

I started with a big trip to the Farmers Market. Basically, I wanted to have organic foods that were in season. I wouldn't recommend taking on this much in one day. I was a bit ambitious and by the end of the day I was sick and tired of baby food making. BUT I got it all done in one day.

Carrots

First, I peeled them and chopped the ends off.

I then laid them on a piece of foil and wrapped them up.

I baked them at 375 for about 30-35 minutes.

After they were baked, I threw them in the food processor and got them all chopped up. I then scooped them into ice cube trays for freezing. Done!

Green Beans

After washing and cutting off the ends, I boiled the green beans in a big pot of water for about 10 minutes. Basically until they were soft.

I threw them in the food processor, added a little bit of water to make them smoother and then scooped them into a mini-muffin baking sheet. (I ran out of ice cube trays). They shared it with the egg plant I had previously made.

Eggplant

Sliced it up and baked it at 400 for 20-30 minutes. Basically until soft.

After a trip through the food processor, here's what they looked like. (Pretty gross looking in my opinion).

Zucchini

After washing and chopping off the ends, I sliced the zucchini up into chunks and boiled it for about 5 minutes until soft. Threw them in the food processor and then scooped them into ice cube trays. That easy!

Butternut Squash

I bought two of these but found that one gives you PLENTY of food to work with.

I baked them whole (poke holes to avoid explosion) for and hour on 350. I let them cool, sliced them in half and ran them through the food processor. I had to add a little water to make the consistency a little smoother.

SO MUCH SQUASH!

Hope Adelyn REALLY likes squash.

Sweet Potato

Sorry, no pictures for this one. I bought about 5 potatoes, baked them at 375 for about 1.5 hours. After cooling, I cut them open, squished them with a fork and just scooped them into the ice cube trays.

I also have beets and apples that I haven't tackled yet. I'm sure more will be added to this list in the future. I'd love to hear any tips you may have on making your own baby food.

Make Your Own Baby Wipes

Due to some stubborn diaper rash on Adelyn's bum, I started asking questions about things that could possibly help it go away a little faster. I got a few good suggestions from my expert mommy friends. One told me that her doctor told her to stop using wipes and switch to a wash cloth for a while. Apparently the chemicals in wet wipes can sometimes be a little harsh on the sensitive areas. I did a little poking around online and got some ideas on how to make your own wipes. So, I'm giving it a shot.

Lots of people suggested cutting up flannel receiving blankets and using those. Since I had a pack of 5 that I wasn't using, I figured they could be sacrificed to the cause of healing Adelyns red hiney. I cut them up in squares- probably 8x8 sizes but  I didn't bother measuring since they are simply butt wipes. I read that flannel blankets fray pretty bad so I did a simple zig-zag stitch around the outside of each wipe.

To use them, we just wet it down with a spray bottle, wipe the booty, and toss it in the hamper if we aren't using our cloth diapers. If we are using the Fuzzi Bunz, I just toss the rag in with the diaper and wash them all together. Since her poop isn't too gross yet, it really isn't a big deal nor is it very stinky.

Hopefully this will help out my little gal's tush!