Cashin' In The New Year - CASH GIVEAWAY!!

Hostessed by Home Grown Families and Mama to 4 Blessings with the help of several other fantastic group of bloggers we bring you Cashin' in the New Year! This giveaway runs from 12:01 AM on Friday 12/30 and will run until Monday, 1/2 at 11:59 PM (all Eastern times). One winner will receive $190 Cash into their paypal!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

WELCOME! --- Friendly Friday (Weekend Long) Blog Hop

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Support Bloggers!

Many of Krystyl N' Co's Fans/Followers are bloggers and therefore Know the BEST way to support Bloggers are to follow them in any of the Social Media Mediums that they belong to Such As
Voting on the Fence;


Follow On Twitter 

Follow On Facebook



Follow On Google Plus (G+)
(Since GFC is undergoing changes)

If You're a blogger, Grab another Blogger's Button to post somewhere on your site/blog ... OR suggest a button 'Trade' Similar to THIS



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Another (VERY SIMPLE)  way to support Bloggers is Interact !! Comment on posts, 'Like' facebook posts, check back on the blog often (ads to page views) and ENTER giveaways (as well as thank giveaway sponsors ...it's vital that they KNOW that the Review/giveaway generated traffic to them) +1 their pages and posts 


Supporting bloggers helps the communtity to grow, the more people know about the blog the more traffic momentum the blog gets ...this in turn, can lead to review and giveaways as well as getting the word out about important topics (Breastfeeding help, Cloth Diapering Awareness, Housekeeping, Green Living, Natural Parenting etc. Advice and tips ) Many Bloggers are SAH/WAH parents ... Also many Local artisans that make Handmade wares Use Blogs as a better way to interact with Customers and potential customers alike. as well as try to gain a international customer base and following.

****Krystyl N' Co will be giving away a $50 Ecomom  Gift Code when we hit 100 facebook fans and 200 GFC followers ****

OTHER ways to Support Bloggers ; (Krystyl N' Co Doesn't have these)

• Blog Frog 
• MySpace 
• Tumblr 
• Pintrest 
• Networked Blogs 
• Stumble Upon 
• Digg 
• RSS
• Etsy 

PS. if you ARE a blogger, leave all your links below and lets link up <3
Peace, Love & Happy Networking

Wordless Wednesday {Let it Snow}

 

 A snowflake is one of God's most fragile creations, but look what they can do when they stick together! 

Traveling with the babes {Christmas Edition}

Travelling With Kids... Breastfeeding & Cloth Diapers.
NOT  a pretty combination of words...

Over the holidays, My family and I (Accompanied by my lovely In-Laws)
Embarked on a 8 hour+ Road Trip, From our home in the Fraser valley, to theirs in the Kootenays, for a real Small-town Country Christmas. The days Leading up to the trip it's self were completely
full of anxiety. I had never been there before so I really didn't know what to expect.. I could NOT seem to prepare enough and the morning of the trip I felt nauseous. (Though maybe it was the 4am Wakeup time?) 
would Big T be bored on the trip? How would the kids ears be through the mountains? How and when would I feed the baby?

Honestly. the trip wasn't bad at all... as many times as 'Dad' has made the trip he is only human and knows his passengers to be as such too, meaning Pitstops!  Though she was (Surprisingly) awake for most of the trip, Baby K made due with only being fed during our Scheduled pit stops ( The first one was about 3 hours after we hit the road ... )
Since I fed her right as we left, this was feeding time for her anyways, I changed K and used the restroom while daddy stood in line and got our lunch...I ate most of my lunch,  went back out to the car (being sure to give myself enough time to feed her without holding up the show ) and gave baby K her lunch... I can eat the rest of my lunch on the road... She can't.

During the trip we went through Manning Park ...which is known for it's wildlife... squirrels, chipmunks, marmots, pika, coyotes, beaver, muskrat, deer, bear, moose and most members of the cat family reside in this protected provincial park as well as more than 200 bird species that  have been spotted there. Through the entire expanse of Manning park (58km) Big T watched Vigilantly for any Sign of wildlife... and though we didn't see any (I was on the lookout as well) he was elated to see the 'Manning Park' Signs ... one with a huge carving of a marmot and one of a bear.

I am happy to say that Big T was not bored at all during the trip ... his Grandma & Papa on his Mommy's side got him a V-tech Tablet which was AWESOME, it has an Alphabet App as well as a drawing one (Similar to a high-tech Etch-a-sketch) My favorite feature though ... the VOLUME setting :)
it kept him very entertained and independent. Other helpful sources of entertainment we packed were;

• I-spy book - he needed help as he can't *quite* read yet, so Nanny Read him the pages, but he was able to find *most* of the items
• Math flash cards... again he needed help, ...and some extra fingers to count on, but he was doing pretty well. 
• His gameboy - This, surprisingly was left untouched, Big T voted for the more educational options.

 We stopped again for a potty-break and some Drinks at a 7-11 in Osoyoos... in retrospect, I probably should have Changed K... But Didn't ... though she didn't fuss I still felt it to be a 'MomfailMoment'
this was about an hour and 45 mins later, So she didn't need to eat.

Our next pit stop was another 3 hours after our first (again, lining up PERFECTLY with K's feeding Schedule...) We stopped at Extra Foods in Grand forks to get gas, some groceries, and of course EXTRA BATTERIES! for my camera...it IS baby's first Christmas afterall! ... 


We got in about 7 pm, I set up our room, fed baby, and we all had some dinner.
All-in-all we arrived. we survived. we thrived (Ok, that doesn't really makes sense, but it rhymes... just gimme this one 'kay?  We got here in one piece, and I.LOVE.IT.HERE. Love the snow, love the beautiful home, love the dogs and LOVE the small-town feel.

*** I should also note, I have a 'stash' of frozen breast milk, and brought a 4oz bottle (Since I usually feed on-demand and knew that WOULD NOT be the case, ... I just fed it to her in little increments when she started getting fussy ***
... I wonder how the return trip will be?


Peace, Love & Happy and safe Travels

Hostesses; **  Welcome to Cooperave  **  KrystylCo**  Mama's Baby Cupcakes**













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Wordless Wednesday {Personalised Christmas Decorations}

I got these GREAT clay Christmas Decorations from Nadine's Clay Creations

I got one for each one of the family, The ones with ribbon have bells and little tags - Ryan's says 'Big Daddy Ryeno' and Little K's says 'Baby's first Christmas' - they each say the year on the back (2011) 

Last Years Personal Decorations;

From Vistaprint

 

 From Big T's Preschool Class 

(Salt Dough 'Gingerbread' man)

Inexpensive DIY Holiday Gifts + recipe

Making our Molasses-free Gingerbread (We made 3 batches and it made enough for about 20 Tins/Baskets) 

RECIPE; 

 Cookies;

• 1 c. Butter/Magerine 
• 3/4 c. Brown Sugar 
• 3/4 c. White Sugar 
• 1 egg 
• 2 1/2 c. Flour 
• 2 tsp. Baking Soda 
• 2 tsp. Cinnamon 
• 2tsp. Ginger
• 1 tsp Clove & 1/2 tsp Nutmeg (I Substituted both for 1 1/2 tsp Allspice) 

~Cream Together Sugars and Butter/Margarine
~Beat in Egg 
~In Separate Bowl, Combine  all remaining ingredients including spices  
~ Combine two bowls, mix evenly and pat into ball 
~flatten slightly and chill (3 hours in refrigerator or overnight)
~Preheat oven to 375
~roll out to 1/8 of an inch and cut out with cookie cutters (or roll into og and slice into 1/8 inch circles) 
~bake for 6-12 mins on lightly greased baking sheet


Faux (Marshmallow) Royal Icing

•  2 cups powdered / confectioners  sugar
• 1 tbs Corn Syrup 
• 2 1/2 tbs Hot water 
• 1 tsp Vanilla 
• 2 C Mini Marshmallows (Melted)

~Mix first 4 ingredients until smooth.  

~ Melt marshmallows (until they puff up) in the microwave (15-30 seconds) 

~ Combine and blend on High for 2 min.s - Until smooth 

**Icing can be refrigerated - add a few drops of hot water and blend again if necessary **

 

Our Materials, Decorating, and our baskets full o' goodies

 Beautiful once wrapped, This was 

Big T's Christmas gift to his Teacher

These gifts are perfect for unexpected guests, people you don't know well enough for personal gifts and people such as Doctors, Teachers, Mailman, Bosses etc.

Happy Birthday!!

Happy 26th Bday to my Husband of 2 years and Love of about 5 ...

Here we are at RedRobins for Big Dad's Birthday Dinner - Excuse the keys (lol)

I wanted to Say a little Blurb about my AMAZING hubby and all round partner-in-crime. 

Ryan (Ryeno) is there for me no matter what,.. He supports me in ALL of my endeavors no matter how skeptical he may be (*cough*clothdiapering*cough*) and NEVER says 'I told you so' when my ambitions and hopes are a little too high. ... though we sometimes share a knowing smile... we get through everything together, when they say 'Through thick and thin' ... well, we take that seriously. Ryeno has saved my life (Literally) more times than I can count During Diabetic Episodes Though he was afraid of needles when we met it was important for him to know how to inject me in case of emergency, ... he's come a long way and now gives me my injections regularly.

Ryan is now a 'Virtual' Agent for his employer and works from home, saving him an hour and a half daily commute. He is now able to be home for dinner every night, and is able to help around the house alot more, the best part? I get to spend more time with him... I am also going to be going to college in January and him working from home is going to make that possible.

Ryan has helped me immensely in the last few weeks getting my blog going. he's a coding genius! and is considering  getting some formal education on the subject. 
He ALSO has a fledgeling blog of his own, Ryeno's MMO, Gamin and Review I'd love for you to follow him and Tell Him 'Happy Birthday' 

 

Etsy Shop Spotlight; Dear Baby Donna Creations

Dear Baby Donna Creations

Mary Ellen of Dear Baby Donna Creations started out by making her own baby items while pregnant after realizing How cost effective making her own things could be (saving about 2/3 of the cost of some items!) She started out making Baby Wraps (which can cost up to $200 on Amazon $29-$34 on DBDC) and then branched out to Amber Necklaces (can cost up to $33.95 on Amazon 8.99 on BDDC - THAT'S LESS THAN 1/3 of the price! )
Dear Baby Donna Creations now makes and Sells EVERYTHING you can think of for babies (And Toddlers)

• Baltic Amber Teething Necklaces
• Taggy & Toddler Blankets 
• 3in1 & 4in1 Carseat covers 
• Bibs
• Nursing Covers 
• Baby Wraps & Mei-Tei Carriers
• Cloth Diapers & Inserts

Did I mention EVERYTHING she makes is Custom made for YOUR baby?

What I am REALLY excited to share with you guys is her HUGE list of DEALS!!! (12 days of Christmas Style)

11- buy 3 bibs get 1 free
10- Buy a taggy blanky and a toddler blanky and get free Shipping
9- Buy any blanket of any kind and get a free matching bib!!
8- Buy any blanket of any kind and get a free matching bib!!
7- Buy a carseat cover and a baby blanket set get a diaper free!!
6- Buy 1 gift set get a free baby Carseat carrier cover free!!
5- Buy a blanket set get a free teething necklace
4- Buy 2 diapers get one FREE!!!
3- Buy a gift set get an extra Taggy blankie FREE!!!
2- Christmas special is $3 off shipping on any one item!!
1- FREE shipping on baby blanket set!!

This Massive Sale is going on until December 23rd @ Midnight (ONLY 6 DAYS LEFT!! )



I originally Contacted Mary Ellen of  'Dear Baby Donna Creations' about the possibility of a review and Giveaway, and though she's stretched pretty thin in terms of giveaways (SHE'S CURRENTLY SPONSORING 3!!!) I am hopeful for a chance to work with her in the future!

PSST. There is Also a $40 GC Giveaway on their FB page Dear Baby Donna Creations for which you can get extra Entries/points for purchases
...ALSO if you 'Like' Dear Baby Donna Creations facebook Page, Be sure to let her know that I (Krystyl from Krystyl N' Co) Sent you ... If I can generate enough Traffic to her page, we might just hold a Giveaway!!

WELCOME! --- Friendly Friday (Week Long) Blog Hop

Hostesses; **  Welcome to Cooper ave  **  Krystyl NCo**  Mama's Baby Cupcakes**






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Wordless Wednesday {They Grow So fast!}

Mother's love is peace.
It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved.
- Erich Fromm, psychologist

Button Swap

In an effort to boost my numbers, I have been  doing a LOT of Blog hops and Facebook Hops... in the process I have met many great people and seen some great posts... While visiting The Thrifty Military Wife I found an awesome Idea ... a Button swap - Basically this is how it works; You post my button on your blog or website (You can get the code Below) and I'll post yours (Either Email me @ krystylnco@gmail.com - or post a link to where I an find your code in the comments section below)
PLEASE NOTE; I may move the buttons around as I am still tweaking the look & feel of my blog - Thank you



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Peace Love & Happy Networking

Upcycled Christmas Bow {Craft}

Christmas can be an incredibly Stressful time, Laden with Commercialism, Waste and Unrivaled in Expense. A good way to Curb some of ALL of the above, is to Make gifts.  I often bake cookies which I put in decorative tins, a few people get knitted scarves and dishcloths each year. But some Cost are unavoidable... Wrapping paper, Ribbons, Bows, ..or are they?

Today I'm going to show you how to make your own Christmas bows ...for next to nothing!
You can use Either Magazine pages, to 'WOW' a green Friend, or to simply keep costs low you can also use Scrapbooking paper - to customize and streamline your gifts look.

You will need;
Scrapbook paper or magazine page
Glue or stapler
Ruler
Pen or pencil
Scissors

• Take your pencil, Ruler and paper, and Measure out (vertically) 9 strips  Each measuring 3/4". Cut these out and line up 

• Next Divide you're strips into some groups Two Groups of 3, One Group of 2 and one Group of 1
• Put one of the groups of 3 to the side (we leave these as-is) Cut 1" off the end of each of the second group of Three
• Cut 2" off each of the group of 2 
• Measure out the last Strip to 3.5" 
• The tricky part; you need to 'Twist' each of the large strips (8) into a figure-8 and glue ends in place - The easiest way to do this, is to do one side at at time, the colored side of the paper out - you won't see much of the white once we're done anyways. This is tricky but gets easier with a little pratice.

• When you have twisted  all 8 of the strips, roll the 3.5" strip into a circle. 
• Next Glue and place each of the size groups together.(Two Groups of 3 and one of 2) Let dry.
• When your groups have dried. Glue together. then glue the circle into the middle. 

VOILA 

 

NOTES;
When using scrapbook Paper, you may find using a stapler to work better, as the card-stock is heavier than Magazine pages.
I used Glue, but it was much more difficult.

Peace, Love & Happy Holidays

My Journey With Diabetes.

    When I was about 11 years old, and in grade 7, I was diagnosed with Juvenile (Type 1) Diabetes, it was about a week after Halloween, and my Mom noticed something wasn't right when I drank almost an entire 19 liter (5 US gal) water cooler bottle ... in less than 4 days. In addition to the constant thirst (and subsequent washroom breaks) I had a general feeling of malaise, I was incredibly tired and irritable. I stayed home from school for a few days and when I showed no signs of improvement, my Mom took me to see a doctor. The doctor sent me for some blood tests, and the next day we received a phone call from  the Dr.'s office telling me to go to the hospital asap, though couldn't tell us why over the phone. We got to the hospital emergency and ended up waiting for a few hours - I jokingly said '  There better be something really wrong with me, if they're making me wait this long' ... in retrospect, NOT FUNNY.I don't recall what my sugars were when I went in but I was not allowed to eat, and was immediately given insulin. My sugars were checked about every 3 hours (Via Finger pricks) needless to say, my finger pads felt worse than pin-cusions. I ended up staying 2-3 weeks, and besides the food, injections & finger pricks ever 3-4 hours all day & night,it really wasn't so bad, ...

as the doctors tried to stabilize my bloodsugar and find a regimen of insulin that suited my lifestyle, eating habits and day-to-day schedule, my parents and I were attending a daily Crash-course in Diabetes. my parents were required to understand diabetes as much as I was and there was ALOT to understand. The last part of the crash course was getting me to be ale to give myself injections - not an easy thing to become accustomed to at age 11 - we started off by injecting oranges, then when I had said I was ready, the nurses would measure out my insulin and guide me through injecting myself. eventually I was measuring my insulin and injecting myself. When it came to my parents learning how to test my sugars and inject me, ... whole 'nother story. Letting my mom do it I was fine, but when it came to letting my dad do it... not so much,... it took two nurses, my mom, and my dad kind of sitting on me, before he was able to inject me, I don't know what it was but the thought of my dad's rough, calloused Sausage fingers doing something that required precision and a delicate touch, I didn't trust him. By the time he was done, I was still cringing and waiting for him to get it over with ... I didn't even feel it.



If  Diabetes (Either type) Runs in your family, you are at risk of getting it. Be aware of your eating habits. Excessive consumption of refined sugars and otherwise processed foods can trigger Diabetes.


Types Of  Diabetes ;

Juvenile Diabetes; (Type 1) - When a pancreas stops working altogether. (artificial Insulin is given to accommodate)

Non-insulin-dependent diabetes; (Type 2) Body responds abnormally to sugars though the pancreas is still working. (Oral Meds are given to boost insulin production )

Gestational Diabetes; (pregnancy Diabetes) Occasionally happens during pregnancy. Advanced age is a risk factor. - can often be treated with monitoring, diet and exercise

Risk Factors Include;

•  Sedentary or otherwise inactive lifestyle
•  Excessive consumption of sugary &/or processed foods
• Family History (Diabetes can be genetic)
• Race (Diabetes [Type 1] is more common in whites than other races) blacks, Hispanics, American Indians and Asians are at a higher risk for Type 2 

Prevention ;

•  Maintain an active lifestyle; (This doesn't have to mean going to the gym, Do some reps Bench-pressing your baby, sit and bounce on a balance ball or walk on your treadmill instead of lounging on the couch,
• Avoid Sugary, processed foods; Grab a Vitamin water, or Diet pop instead of  your regular Sugar laden pop or energy drink
• Get tested; People with a family history should get tested for diabetes every 6 months or so. 
• Lose some weight!; the fewer extra pounds you are carrying around, the less likely you are to get diabetes.

Treatment;

•     Pre-Diabetes; If you are Diagnosed with  you will want to see the 'Prevention' section... Doctors orders!- Diet and exercise can be used to prevent the Diabetes from progressing to the point where Injections and pills are necessary ... If that's not reason enough to get yourself in shape, I don't know what is!
• Glucose Testing; Involves Pricking your finger (Or arm - That's what I use, I find it hurts less- Consult your doctor) and using a blood-tester machine (About the size or a pager or cell-phone) to monitor your glucose levels - Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational Diabetes all require this
• Insulin; Can be administered VIA Injection (that's what I use, I'm oldshool) Pen or Pump - Type 1 Diabetics ALWAYS require this ...as well as SOME Type 2 diabetics...
• Oral Meds; Generally used for type 2 Diabetics, Oral Medication (Such as Metformin) boost Insulin production but do not lower elevated glucose levels

 

My Diabetes 'Gear'

Insulin (Fast and slow-acting) 

Blood tester, Lancet and Test strips

Peace, Love & Goodhealth

Wordless Wednesday {Christmas Edition}

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM KRYSTYL N' CO

Peace & Love