DIY Stenciled Monogram Onesie

Tomorrow, I have a baby shoot!  I am SOOO excited to take newborn photos of little Cora! For the occasion, I decided that I would make her some long overdue monogrammed onesies.

The first step is to cut your monogram on your cutting machine and load some Freezer Paper into your machine.  I loaded my paper shiny side up, which meant that I had to "horizontally flip" my monogram design so that it will cut backwards.  (When you iron it on, you iron it shiny side down so the design will be correct when you lay it!)

The settings that I used on my silhouette machine were: Blade 1, Speed 3, Thickness 6.

Next, you will want to reverse weed your design.  Meaning, if it is a monogram, you will want the monogram itself to be left when you are done weeding.

Here comes the hard part... piece by piece, you will lay your pieces of your design onto the onesie (shiny side down) and iron them on.  This is the longest and most tedious part of the process.  This is what it should look like when you're done:

The next step is the fun part!  Iron away and make sure all of the pieces are sticking to the fabric and then apply your paint!  I used Americana multi-surface acrylic paint from Michael's.  After you allow it to dry completely (or if you're impatient like me, blow dry it for several minutes to speed up the process).

And then, VOILA!  You have a beautiful monogrammed onesie!

I will post beautiful baby photos of Cora in her monogrammed onesie as soon as possible! :)

Finding Strength

It's been way too long since I last posted. I guess I have just been wrapped up in work, school and the duties of being a Navy wife...whatever that means.

I guess I kind if feel like I've been cheated.  I don't feel like a wife because Ryan and I have been separated for so long. The saying is true.

It doesn't get easier; you just get stronger.

I feel like I heard that every day when I was a new MilSO going through the horrors of bootcamp and being separated from my best friend for the first time.  Now, I have found the deeper meaning behind it. I guess I thought that I would "get used to" him being gone, but, honestly, it just hasn't happened for me yet. I still think about him all of the time -- still make plans as if he was here.

Does anyone else feel like they're playing a game of 20 freaking questions every time they go to a get together, party, family dinner, etc?  I don't think people understand that everyone under the sun has the same questions and I don't have the answers.

No, I don't know when he is coming back.
No, he won't be home for Christmas.
No, I can't talk to him right now.
No, I don't know where we are going to be stationed next.
Yes, it's hard.

It makes it so hard to enjoy getting out of the house when the only thing people want to talk about is Ryan, the military, etc.  I'm sick of talking about the military and sick of telling you all, "I don't know."  It hurts my heart to tell you that I don't know the next time I'll see my husband or talk to my husband.

Right now, I'm just trying to find level ground and figure out my life, his life, our lives.  I feel like I have so much to balance.  I don't know if I am getting stronger, but I know that this definitely hasn't gotten any easier. I still dread the next time I have to say goodbye as if I've already said hello.

December can't get here fast enough. Maybe seeing my husband again after 7 long months will help me to find that strength everyone's been talking about.