How to Start Seeds (and More!)

Hi all! When I saw this post about gardening, I knew I had to share it with you!  Since I had recently shared some of my own gardening tips, I thought this was a great follow up.  It touches base on deciphering the different meanings when looking for seeds (i.e. hybrid, heirloom, organic...), seed storage and expiration, and how to start seeds!  

If you haven't ordered seeds yet, SeedsNow has a great variety of GMO-Free Heirloom seeds for just .99 cents!!  Get yours here.

Take a look at  the graphics below and then let me know what you learned in the comment section.  I love to hear from my readers!

Happy Gardening!!!



Source: Fix.com

Make Nursing Easier with Momzelle (+ a Discount Code!)

During a church service this past weekend, I had to nurse our Little Miss.  So I grabbed my Medahm Nursing Scarf, tucked her under and started feeding.

After service there was a small reception and I had a family friend ask how I was able to nurse her so easily.  She said she was impressed with how smooth and quickly I was able to feed her.  "I was always a mess, pulling this up and that down...it took forever to get situated and I can't imagine what I looked like" she is very exaggerated and also talks with her hands, so this was pretty amusing.  ;)

I told her that, usually, it looks a lot more like that...but thanks to my wonderfully convenient t-shirt from Momzelle, nursing in public is a breeze!  I slipped my hand under the "easy access" part of the shirt to show her how convenient it really was and she was amazed - they didn't make stuff like that in her day!  

I am absolutely in love with the shirt Vanessa from Momzelle sent me in exchange for this review. 

Super cute (definitely my style)...

And super functional!  This was the "ease of access" I was talking about.  I added a bit of red shading to show the cut of the shirt beneath the top material...

Here it is in action....well...here's what it looks like on ;)

Love that I can dress it up or down....

It was fun trying to get a pic with Little Miss.  I imagine she will appreciate the ease of this shirt as she grows older.  I know I already do!!

It is 10 times easier to nurse with this shirt than with a nursing tank top or regular clothes.  Just lift up, pull my bra aside...and we're ready to go!  This is especially nice if you don't use a cover - minimal skin exposure!!  Another really nice feature is that the stripes tend to hide the fact that there is a layer to lift for nursing.  When I show people in person they usually go, "Oh wow, I didn't even notice that..."  You can purchase this top (Christine) can be purchased here.

Momzelle has quite a few different options for nursing moms in the spring & summer!

These are some of my other favorites (clicking the picture will take you directly to that item on the Momzelle web page):

Josiane (Photo courtesy of Momzelle)

Lily (Photo courtesy of Momzelle)

Zoe (Photo Courtesy of Momzelle)

Olivia - currently HALF OFF...get yours quick! (Photo courtesy of Momzelle)

They also have nursing bras as well as a line of nursing clothes specifically made for pregnant moms and a few other things you will definitely want to check out!

TO BUY: Head on over to the Momzelle Website and use code LTB315 for $5 off (Expires June 30th, 2015)

Don't forget to follow Momzelle on Facebook for the latest in sales and new products!!

Do you own any clothing specifically made to help make nursing easier?  I wish my whole wardrobe was Momzelle!

WAHM Giveaway & Review: Cloth Diaper Safe Rash Salve

I was given free product in exchange for an open & honest review.  No other compensation was exchanged.  All opinions are my own.

I would like to introduce you to a hard-working momma - Nicole from Little Black Cat Organics.  In her own words, she is "a work at home mom to a very energetic young man and a very small little lady."

Photo Courtesy of Nicole.

She began her cloth diapering adventure with her little man and started making her own!  After perfecting her diapers she decided it would be a great business venture.  And 2 years ago (this month!) she opened her Etsy Shop.  

Here is a glimpse at some of my favorite items from LBC Organics (but there is SO much more!):

Fitteds that look heavenly! (photo courtesy of LBC Organics)

There are even prints! (photo courtesy of LBC Organics)

Hemp/Bamboo Inserts (photo courtesy of LBC Organics)

Wool Covers as well as other covers, AIO's, and AI2's (photo courtesy of LBC Organics)

A Variety of Skin Care Products (Picture courtesy of LBC Organics)

Nicole sent me some of their Green Bum Balm Diaper Rash Salve which is CLOTH DIAPER SAFE!!  Woot woot!

That REALLY works!

The cutest little jar!

Perfectly smooth and creamy...

We are absolutely in love with this Bum Balm!  Usually when Aelah is a little red or rashy we just use coconut oil.  And most of the time it does a pretty decent job.  But sometimes it just doesn't cut the mustard.  

However, this Bum Balm has been amazing!  She had a tiny little rash on her bum last week.  Put this on before bed and it was gone in the morning!

But my very favorite perk??  Aelah's cheeks are horribly dry.  And the coconut oil doesn't help much.  I started putting the bum balm on her cheeks and they have changed drastically.  They are so wonderfully smooth!  Just like when she was born.  :)

Do you know what this means??  You can use the bum balm for YOU too!  No more dry skin!!  Yeah!

Working with Nicole has been a pleasure.  The process has been simple and smooth and I have zero complaints!  I highly, highly recommend LBC Organics!  This shop is especially great for those who live a "crunchy" lifestyle - from nursing pads, to natural skin care...there is something for everyone!

You can follow Little Black Cat Organics on these social media platforms:

Etsy

Facebook

Twitter

Remember, this month is LBC Organic's second birthday!!  It would be so super sweet of you to swing by and and leave a Happy Birthday on your favorite social media!  

Because of this big birthday, there is currently a 15% discount on everything in the store (discount has already been applied).  Even more awesome is that Nicole has given the readers of Learning to Be 31 a discount code for an additional 5% off!

Thanks Nicole!!

  
She has also offered to give away a Green Bum Balm Diaper Rash Salve!!  I am so excited for you guys.  This stuff rocks!

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Chalkboard Labels: Organizing Our Office / Craft Space

I was provided free product in exchange for an open & honest review.  All opinions are my own.  No other compensation was exchanged.

When you move into a new house there are about 1 million things on your to-do list.  While we have gotten a few thing on our list checked off, one thing that I haven't gotten to yet and would desperately like to is to organize our office / craft space:

Pretty crazy isn't it??  To be fair, the plants are my parents...hoping when they move out I can attack this mess!

I thought that these chalk labels would be a great way to organize this space since I have a horrible habit of moving things around.  Chalkboard  labels can easily be changed!  While they don't look as clean...the finished product is still okay:

I erased the top label.  You can tell...but it isn't really that obvious.

And they are sooooo cute!  Since my office isn't quite ready to label.  I decided to attack a small portion of my pantry!  :)

Cohesive and super cute!  And now my mom doesn't have to open every container in the cupboard to find what she's looking for!  ;)

I actually wrote these while the labels were still on the sheet:

I definitely recommend this method...

The alternative is to write on the label after it is placed.  For flat surfaces this would probably work okay.  However, for anything with a curve, it isn't an ideal method...

I wrote on this label after I put it on the jar....not horrible, but it would have been better if I wrote on the label before I placed it.

I was pleasently surprised that Hubby noticed this label which is saying something to how much they can change the look of something.  He is, like most males, pretty unobservant.  When he got home he asked what I was up to and I told him I was working on a review.  "Oh, is that why there's a label on the pencil jar?"  I was taken aback.  He never notices things like that!

My plan for the office means putting labels on jars like the one above plus on the actual cupboards:

Three labels on this cupboard.....

And three labels on these cupboards (yes, our washer & dryer are currently in the same room...but that will change eventually)

The only complaint that I have is that the labels were sometimes a little bit difficult to remove from their backing.  I kept peeling the paper and couldn't get the label.  Without my nails, I'm sure I would have gotten extremely frustrated.

However, the pros definitely outweigh the cons!  Not happy with the size?  You can actually cut these to whatever shape or size you want!  The really neat thing I like?  There is a 100% Lifetime Promise.  These labels are built to last.  If at any time you are unhappy with these labels (for any reason), let them know and they will replace them or give you a refund, no questions asked!

The possibilities are endless for how you could use these chalkboard labels.  Here are just a few:

• Craft Rooms
• Office
• Closets
• Laundry Room
• Entry Space or Coat Closet for kids
• Toy Area
• Party Foods
• Classrooms

The list goes on...

You can purchase these on Amazon here:

And for a pretty decent price!

What would you use these labels for?

The Truth: True Beauty

Psalm 78:35-39
35 And they remembered that God was their rock,
And the Most High God their Redeemer.
36 But they deceived Him with their mouth
And lied to Him with their tongue
37 For their heart was not steadfast toward Him,
Nor were they faithful to His covenant.
38 But He, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them;
And often restrained His anger
And did not arouse all His wrath.
39 Thus He remembered that they were but flesh,
A wind that passes and does not return.

Why did they remember that God was their rock?  Because tragedy struck.  This is a recurring theme with the Israelites.  They forget about their Redeemer, fall into sin (as a lifestyle), God displays His anger, and they quickly tuck their tails between their legs and follow suit again.  Some afflictions in our lives "are sent to put us in mind of God as our rock and redeemer, for, in prosperity, we are apt to forget Him" (Henry).

Unfortunately, Israel did not have their hearts in the right place and they were not faithful.  They got into the habit of only turning to the Lord in order to escape the evils of life or His wrath.  That isn't truly seeking after the Lord.  That's only seeking to escape from something else!  Because their hearts weren't right in seeking after the Lord, "The pressure being removed, they returned to their habitual position, as all such penitents do" (Expositor's).  

Have you ever been witness to such "seeking" in this day and age?  Someone who lives a not-so-heavenly life is diagnosed with cancer and told they don't have long to live.  In an effort to save their souls, they suddenly begin attending church, serving others, and truly seeking after the Lord.  Then test results come back in and the cancer is gone!  Praise the Lord!  Hallelujah!  They give God the credit for their healing.  For awhile, church attendance and their dedication to the Lord's work continues.  But soon, they aren't coming as often, their heart isn't in the work they are doing.  And pretty soon after that they quit attending church altogether, seeking the Lord has been forgotten.  It is no longer a priority now that the pressures of imminent death have been removed.

It happens.  Some of those people who were driven to the Lord because of their affliction stay there.  And that's awesome.  But some people only want the Lord when things are bad and then they don't have the time to seek him when all is well.  Their hearts were never in the right place to begin with and "when the heart is wrong, the life is wrong" (Clarke).  

But, in "the midst of this sad narrative of faithlessness, springs up, like a fountain in a weary land, or a flower among half-cooled lava blocks, the lovely description of God's" patience and restraint (Expositor's).  If we got what we deserved every time our hearts weren't in the right place...well...we would be doomed to weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Thankfully, "Though [Israel] often grieved His Spirit, and rebelled against Him, yet He seldom punished them, and when He did chastise them, it was as a tender and merciful Father.  He did not stir up all His wrath - the punishment was much less than the iniquity deserved" (Clarke).  And He does the same for us.  

God wants what is best for us.  He wants us to succeed.  He wants our hearts to be right.  And every single day He gives us another chance to get it right!

Every.
Single.
Day.

We are given second chance after second chance.  

Is that not the most beautiful thing you have ever heard?

The choice is yours to make.  Will your heart be in the right place today?  Or will you let it wander in the wilderness as the Israelites did?

The Ins and Outs of Gardening (Plus Seeds for .99 Cents) *GIVEAWAY CLOSED*

This post contains affiliate links.  Giveaway is self-sponsored.

We had our first garden last year.  And it was an adventure!

The cons:

• I was pregnant - bending to weed was rather difficult.  Add in the heat and it was a recipe for disaster.  The warmer it got, the larger my belly grew.
• The weeds!  If you love weeding, please call me and we can arrange a set up for this coming summer.  We just couldn't keep up.  Between working on our new house and getting ready for Baby Girl, weeding just didn't take a priority.
• It was a very wet summer.  A lot of things didn't grow as well as they could have and we lost our peas early due to the soaking wet ground...
• Mowing around the garden was a pain...poor planning...
• We didn't do our research about when to start plants and which ones should be direct sow or started indoors.

The pros:

• We did it!  At the end of the season, even though it wasn't perfect, we had accomplished something we never had before.  And it was worth it!
• Fresh vegetables right outside the door can't be beat.  Want some cherry tomatoes for a healthy afternoon snack?  Just go out and pick some!  And peas straight out of the pod taste better than any other kind of peas.  Hands down.
• We were eating veggies that we grew ourselves so we knew exactly what was put on them.  No fertilizers and no pesticides.  The only thing we used was liquid molasses to try and keep nasty nut-sedge away!
• The seeds we started with were heirloom and gmo-free!  While we can't easily cut gmo's completely out of our diet, it is nice to know we can grow veggies that don't even know what a gmo is! 

I definitely think the pros outweigh the cons and because of that we are already starting another garden!  We ordered our seeds a couple of weeks ago.  They are already here and Hubby is busy planning out the layout (he is a landscape designer...so it has to be functional and look nice!). 

From a beginner.  Learn from our mistakes.  ;)

To learn from our mistakes from last year, here are some insider tips:

• Don't be pregnant during garden season (just kidding....)
• Lay newspaper and cardboard to help prevent weeds
• Pray that it doesn't rain too much (another joke...but seriously....not a horrible idea).
• Plan out the shape and layout of your garden so that mowing isn't an issue and so you can easily access everything to weed and harvest.
• Do your research!  Find out what veggies should be sown directly into the ground and what ones should be started inside and then transplanted.  Also look into when you should sow the seeds...I think our beans didn't do well because we started them too early and inside...

Hoping for a better garden this year!

Anyways, if you are interested in getting your own heirloom, gmo-free seeds I highly, highly recommend SeedsNOW.  Their "sample" packs are perfect for the home gardener and they are only .99 cents!!  Heirloom, gmo-free seeds for .99 cents is a steal!  And we know, first-hand that they work well!  The website is also full of great tips and hints for planting.

Two awesome things:

1. Go here to shop and use this code for 10% off: SAVE10NOW

2. I am sponsoring a giveaway for some of our favorite seeds!!

One reader will win a brand new pack of:

• Spaghetti Squash - 20 Seeds
• Spinach (Bloomsdale) - 70 Seeds
• Chives - 115 Seeds
• Cilantro (Slow Bolt) - 80 Seeds
• Basil (Large Leaf Italian) - 120 Seeds
• Thyme - 350 Seeds
• Rosemary (Classic) - 20 Seeds
• Onion (Tokyo Long White) - 80 Seeds

And we're also throwing in a few partial packs of seeds we had leftover from last year (we ordered more and forgot we had stored these away):

• Cherry Tomato
• Broccoli (Waltham)
• Zucchini (Black Beauty)
• Bush Bean (Blue Lake)
• Cauliflower (All-Year)
• Yellow Pepper (Sunbright)
• Green Pepper (Yolo Wonder)
• Jalapeno Pepper
• Kohlrabi (White Vienna)

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Wet Bags Galore! (WAHM Review + Giveaway) *CLOSED*

Who doesn't love wet bags?  It seems like we can never have enough.  Especially now that we are using more reusable items.  

We originally had 3 travel size wet bags for our cloth diapers that we used in the diaper bag.  Plus two hanging wet bags for our bathroom and two pail liners.  I was putting my facial rounds and nursing pads in with my diapers but thought it might be nice to have something smaller.

I received free product in exchange for an open & honest review.  No other compensation was received.  All opinions are my own.

  

Kara, after having her bundle of joy, discovered that there wasn't a lot of baby stuff out there to her liking.  So, instead of settling for something sub par, she decided to venture out and start making her own items.  With a love of crafting that she inherited from her great aunt, Kara went to work and made the bedding for her daughter's crib.  After some encouragement from people in her life, Kara decided to start selling the stuff she was making - a perfect opportunity to make some extra income while staying home with her baby girl (Birdie)!

Here is a pic of her and her beautiful family:

Absolutely adorable family aren't they?

This is the package I received from Kara:

I was instantly in love with the colors when I opened the tissue paper!  And overjoyed to see a note - I love those personal touches!

Kara sent me two wet bags and two sets of nursing pads (new to the shop).  We hadn't actually discussed what she was going to send, so when I opened this I was super excited.  I needed small wet bags and at least another set of nursing pads!  She has no idea how perfect this was!  :)

Cute flannel prints!  I absolutely love the monkeys - they are so cute!  (Even if no one will be seeing them....)

And the back is organic bamboo (love!) with a waterproof layer between.

These nursing pads are "light absorbency" and they worked splendidly for me throughout the day.  I could easily go the entire day without having to change them and they are oh-so-soft against my skin...which is a serious plus when it comes to reusable nursing pads!  I did try them overnight a few times.  On a normal night for me, they worked pretty well...I would say medium leakage.  But on a night were Aelah decided to sleep for an extra long stretch, they didn't quite make the cut.  But that's okay - because Kara also has heavier absorbency nursing pads!  I guarantee the heavier pads would work out great for the first few weeks of nursing and for overnight since the light absorbency pads almost did the trick!

The best part??  These nursing pads are wonderfully affordable, especially for the quality!  Each set is just $3!!  Given that she uses organic bamboo and they stay soft and work well...that price is extremely reasonable!!

I love, love, love bright colors so these wet bags are right up my alley!  Each is pictured with a nursing pad in the 2nd pic to give you an idea of size.

These are made with two separate layers (instead of one) so there is less leakage (if any at all...)

The small wet bag is the one intended for use with her nursing pads.  It fits well in any purse or diaper bag.  And is super cute!  I actually use the smaller one for my reusable facial rounds in my bathroom (as seen in the pic below) and I threw the medium size wet bag in my diaper bag for nursing pads, burp cloths, and anything else that I don't want to throw in with dirty diapers.  ;)

It fits so well in my bathroom!

Kara has some other amazingly adorable items in her Etsy shop as well:

Car Seat Covers (photo courtesy of Birdies Bubble)

  

My personal favorite - Toddler Tailgating Chairs!! (photo courtesy of Birdies Bubble)

Here is one in action!  Isn't Birdie adorable??

Kara's customer service was some of the best I have come across.  She has been so sweet from day 1!  She even gave me some great insight on dealing with colic....which has nothing to do with all of this.  hehe.

Be sure to follow Birdies Bubble on Facebook and add her to your favorites on Etsy.

So two awesome things.

1. Kara is offering not one, but TWO awesome discount codes (Expire March 31st):

• One for free shipping: LTB31FS
• If you purchase a Med. wet bag and two sets of nursing pads, use code LTB31 and you will get another two sets of nursing pads FREE! (Talk about a great gift idea....)

2. She has also decided to offer a GIVEAWAY! (Ends March 15)

There is a picture of a small wet bag and a set of nursing pads on the Birdies Bubble Facebook Page.  You must do 3 things to qualify for this giveaway:

• Like Birdies Bubble
• Comment on the picture with the code LTB31
• Come back here leaving a comment telling me you did so

While you are on the Birdies Bubble page, tell Kara thank you for the discounts and giveaway and congratulate her on Baby #2!  She is expecting again!  (This is not required for the giveaway....just a nice gesture)

Let me know in the comments - what would you use these wet bags for?