The Cutest {Homemade} Teething Ring

Back in April, I attended the Catholic Women's Blogging Conference in California.  You can read more about that experience here.  

While I was there, I met many lovely women, and have since been checking out many of their blogs.  One of the women who came blogs here at http://www.sewtravelinspired.com/

Back in June, I read her post about sewing a teething ring, and commented about it because 1) they are adorable! and 2) my 6 month old was FULL on teething and chewing on EVERYthing.  

 I don't sew, but I wondered if she sold them.  I never got an answer on that because she sent me one for free because she was so sweet and apparently my baby didn't get on her last nerve at the blogging conference where we met.  :)  

Not only did she send a teething ring, but she sent an extra fabric piece so that you can easily switch a fresh one out for a used one when it's time to put it in the wash.  Smart!!!!!!!!

Here is my daughter gnawing and sucking the heck out of that thing upon arrival!

I will let you know now that Maria did not ask me to review this item, but my daughter really loved it, and I really appreciated her sending it to us, so I wanted to share this with others.  Perhaps some of you are crafty enough to make your own using her tutorial.  

What I love about this teething ring in a nutshell:

*The wooden ring is easy for baby to hang onto and perfect for gnawing on.  

*The fabric piece(s) are really cute and bright, which makes it easier to find in the diaper bag when I take it to have on the go

*The fabric piece is detachable and washable.

*The extra fabric piece makes it so that when one needs washing, there is already a fresh scrap to put on the ring so that baby can keep chew, chew, chewing.  And drooling.  

*No parts are small enough to be a choking hazard. 

*It's adorable.  

Thank you, Maria, for sharing your gift of sewing with us!  

Catholic + Women + Bloggers + Community = CWBNCA 2015

So....I couldn't even tell you how I found out about this wonderful event exactly.  Through Facebook somehow.   I blog mostly for my own sanity (it's sort of like talking to yourself, except people don't judge you for it).  I also blog to share ideas and my faith in a little tiny way.  

So what in the heck was I interested in a Catholic Women Blogging Network conference for?  

Community. 

Oh, you thought I was just trying to be funny about talking to myself?  

Yeah....no.  That's real. 

I'm a SAHM to 4 littles (aged 4 1/2 months-almost 6 years old).   I have an incredibly awesome and supportive husband who is my best friend, but he is also a man.  Chatting (read:about everything!) is not his thing.   I just started homeschooling this year.  I'm home with my own questions, frustrations, and thoughts for most of the day. 

So, I crave community with other like minded women.  When I saw that this conference was happening relatively near me, I signed right up (after checking to be sure I could bring a nursing baby, of course!)

And then I got more and more excited, especially after I found out that a gal I recently met through our homeschooling group was going too!  We both confessed on the drive up together that we had been like kids at Christmas, and could barely sleep the night before the big day!!  

We were greeted upon arrival by Jenna Guizar who founded Blessed Is She .  And then we just waltzed right in through THE red door that you see in many of Kendra's (from Catholicallyear.com) WIWS posts .  The following day we all squeezed in for a What I Wore Sunday picture in front of the same famous red door.  

Photo credit: Kendra and her daughter Betty (who snapped the shot) from Catholicallyear.com

Anyway, so the event took place in Kendra's home.  The hostess with the mostest, right?  Yes! She welcomed a bunch of strangers from the internet into her home.  And served us.  She made the totally adorable cookies with our names on them, as if just opening her home wasn't more than enough. 

I won't rewrite a recap because the woman behind putting this whole thing together, Micaela Darr, already did that here on her blog .  

When I arrived, I felt a little like this lone rose that I noticed on one of Kendra's bushes.  I had been feeling isolated. Rather alone. 

The long and short is that I came away with blogging tips and tricks, yes, but even more than that, I came away with a true sense of community and support.  I came home ready to say YES to the Holy Spirit in a bigger way in my life.  I came home asking God how I could serve Him better.  I came home seeking to grow more in holiness, and support these incredible women and others in their walks as well.  I came home filled to overflowing. 

Photo credit: Jiza of Olive and Cypress 's camera plus Betty who actually clicked the button. 

Aren't these ladies lovely???  I can tell you that their hearts were even more lovely, so yeah.  WOW!

For more pictures, head to Instagram and look under the hashtag #cwbnca and also check out my pretty terrible quality (BUT. I'm. just. so. excited!! and have to share them!! ) pictures below! 

Those are our hostesses Kendra and Micaela in the middle 

Totally creeping on these inspiring ladies having a conversation.  

I love, love, love the Blessed Is She community, so of course, I love Jenna for saying yes to the Spirit's call to start it.  Also, because she's super sweet.  

just one of the beautiful gals who sat at my table, Karianna

Laura held my baby for awhile because she was missing her 11 month old baby who was staying home with Daddy for the day...

terrible selfie time with Ronni and Laura

Can you live closer, Jiza and Theresa?

I actually went to school with this lovely lady, Kristin, at FUS.  It was so great to reconnect and hear all about her journey with podcasting!

I met Erica from beaheart.com .  She is amazing and talented and she is also the leader of our online Blessed Is She book club (we are reading Love Does by Bob Goff).  Shameless plug, but she has a Mother's Day sale going on right now--check out her site.  

Andrea escaped back to Arizona before I managed to ask/beg for a selfie....how did you manage that?

The day in somewhat of a nutshell: note-taking as we listened to wonderful women speak about different aspects of blogging, praying together, and sharing art and beauty.  The print on the top right was made by Erica and was a gift to each of us!  

On Sunday, many of us returned with our families and attended Mass at the San Fernando Mission. 

 

 And Kendra graciously opened her home to us all again for a lovely brunch that she and Micaela planned and cooked for, bless their hearts.  

Thank you, beautiful ladies for everything.  I am excited for (crossing my fingers) next year, as well as hoping to connect with some of you in various ways even sooner!  Thank you for your hearts and for sharing your blogs and yourselves with me this weekend.  I feel so very blessed!!