Monday, March 31, 2014

Killer Cloth Maxaloone's

Cloth diaper butt pants.
What are those, you say? They are stretchy pants that are made to fit over cloth diapers. They are also made to fit from 6 months to 3 years of age. Maxaloone's are the official name of these oh so cozy pants! 

I stumbled upon an Etsy shop dubbed 'Killer Cloth' by simply searching "cloth diaper butt pants" & was not disappointed. Her stuff looked very trendy & cool! 
To quote from the owner Amber herself: "When I had my son I felt a big hole in baby/toddler boy clothing department. Unique, cool, environmentally friendly and affordable, that's what I wanted. The majority of the fabric I use are from Europe and GOTS certified. Becoming a single mother kicked my bum into gear and Killer Cloth was born! I have had so much fun and have met the most wonderful women. I love being part of a community of women supporting women."
We discussed via Facebook message on a custom order and she linked me to one of her fabric albums and I immediately fell in love with BABY bearded vikings. Oh my. Let me say that again.. BABY BEARDED VIKINGS. Hello! They are adorable! Here is a close-up shot of the print:


Amber is the sweetest shop owner I have ever met. Patient & willing to work with you. She is enthusiastic and praises any ideas you may have. It was an honor putting our brains together to come to a final decision to pair some yellow & orange stripe fabric with the bearded vikings. At the last minute, she told me she could actually embroider a bearded Viking on the bum. I was like, "hell yeah!" and, Voila:


Is that not the cutest thing you have ever seen?

Our pants arrived super fast & she also included some care instructions. 



A full shot of the Maxaloone's by Amber at Killer Cloth:



and the bum (!!!):


Her attention to detail is superior. You can really tell she puts a lot of love into her work. Something you should definitely look for in any business owner. 


The waist & ankle cuffs are what make the pants grow with your child.




Action shots on the bum:





Don't you just want to eat those chunky baby feet? 


And during play time:


He is wondering why that spoon has no food on it.


Jude is only 5 months right now & on the larger side (22lbs-ish & 27 inches), so these fit great right now. They are so soft & stretchy! We are so excited to see how they grow with him! I am definitely a satisfied & loyal customer of Killer Cloth. Our family loves to support work at home mom's & small businesses. You will not be disappointed in Amber's work! Support all the badasses! :)
Go check Amber out on Facebook: 'Killer Cloth' & her Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/KillerCloth
Xo <3









Monday, March 17, 2014

Cream cheese stuffed Jalapeno's wrapped in Bacon..... in DIP form!

Yes, you heard me right. 
DIP. 



Ingredients: 
2 blocks HEB cream cheese, softened 
3 Fresh Jalapeno peppers; 2 diced & 1 split in half for garnish
1/2 c. HEB Shredded Habanero Jack Cheese, divided
1/2 c. HEB Mayonnaise 
1 7oz. can Hill Country Fare Diced Green Chile's
1 2.5 oz package of HEB 100% Bacon Pieces
1/2 c. HEB grated Parmesan cheese, divided 

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the cream cheese in a 9" X 11" baking dish & put in oven for 5 minutes.
3. Remove cream cheese from oven & add mayo, combine until well mixed.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well,  reserving a 1/4 cup each of the Parmesan & Habanero Jack cheese.  
5. Top the dip with the remaining cheese and halved jalapeno. 
6. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling & slightly browned. 

I used a lot of HEB brands, but feel free to use whatever brand of your choosing. 
We ate with HEB brand ruffle chips because, well, salty ruffle chips & cream cheese go hand in hand! 
Enjoy! Let me know how you like it! 
Xo <3

Monday, March 10, 2014

We love Applecheeks!


My little  in Applecheeks size 2 in the color 'Cherry Tomato'. 


This is a review/why we love Applecheeks. :)
Ryan & I stumbled upon Applecheeks on Amazon.com while looking at all the options of cloth diapers out there. We fell in love with the colors and shape of the diaper! A few months later we now have 25+ in our stash. The trim fit is what made me fall in love with them. It seemed no matter how I stuffed or what I laid in, the shape still was trim and snug fitting. Easy to wash, easy to rinse, and come in all different colors & prints! Their newest color & print release happened this past February 14th with 'Love Happens', a pink-ier version of 'Wingin It' & FINALLY a pink we can afford (ahem, Samoa) 'Pink About It'.  Applecheeks have two size options: 1&2. Size 1 fits babies 7-20lbs and size 2 fits babies 18-40lbs. The diaper has two rows of snaps to adjust the fit on the waist and on the legs. We have tried a lot of the mainstream cloth out there & Applecheeks is still the only one I grab for. They have lots of accessories as well, such as wipe spray, wet bags, cloth wipes, and more! 
Now, let's get down to details! 

Pictured is the outside of the diaper:
This is the color 'Steel Me' in a size 2.



The outside is a breathable & waterproof PUL (polyurethane laminated polyester)

The inside is Microfleece; soft to the touch & has a stay dry feel for the baby. 

Here is the envelope style opening:
This large opening makes it very easy to stuff and un-stuff your inserts. 


Close-up shot of the PUL & braided elastics. Crinkly PUL is normal. :)


Close-up of the ruffle style leg elastics. Very stretchy to contain the messiest of messes! 

Now, I will show you the insert options I have on hand. What's missing are their Stay-Dry Rayon from Bamboo Booster & 2-layer Rayon from Bamboo Booster. 

One-size Microterry insert:


The bottom is Microfiber which should never go against baby's skin. It is super absorbent and will dry out your babe's delicate skin. The Applecheeks tag states which side is up & which side should be down. 

Applecheeks One size 2-layer Rayon from Bamboo insert:


 We tri-fold & use stuffed for daytime. 

3-ply Bamboo Insert (my personal favorite):


We tri-fold & use stuffed for nighttime. 

Pictured is the 2-ply (white serged edges) & the 3-ply (green serged edges) side by side:



A few action shots of 'Steel Me' size 2 on my model:




I want to say Jude is around 22 pounds. He started fitting into size 2 at about 16 pounds. 

There you have it! We love our Applecheeks cloth diapers! 

Here is our growing stash shot (missing a Dark Cherry Tomato, Purple Rain, and Delicious):

Xo <3