My Little Pony Cosplay- Rarity "Tutorial"

I can't believe how late I am {FINALLY} getting around to posting this! Ah, well, better late than never.

So this past August was the third year I've gone to the "nerd" convention called Fandemonium. It was lots of fun, as always, although a little more difficult this year than last. Remember this little cutie?

Yeah...well...she grew up into a very cute, very sweet, and very ENERGETIC little toddler. :) 

Still as cute as ever though, no? ;)

Anyway, we had a great time, but we were definitely kept busy with her around. Plus it wasn't very easy for this pregnant mama to chase her either. Good thing Daddy was there to help out. :)

So, I know that I mentioned about a year ago (how time flies!!!) that I was going to cosplay Rainbow Dash. Well, I changed my mind. I like Rainbow Dash and all, and as much fun as it would have been to have awesome rainbow colored hair, I just wasn't feeling it. I felt like I had chosen to cosplay her because she was cool, everyone would think I was awesome, and she's popular. But really, as great as Rainbow Dash is, I realized that she's just not my favorite pony. Actually, I really do like all of them, but I do have a few that I like just a little more, and then one that I like just a little more than those. 

My favorite pony is the lovely Rarity. I know, I know, everyone seems to think she's self-centered and boring, but I just find her absolutely hilarious! I've never really taken anything she's said too seriously (like as if this show is all seriousness anyway, right?), and if you don't, then she's just so funny! Plus she loves to sew and create, and so do I, so there's something that we have in common. :)  Plus, what's not to love about that accent of hers? I'm not even sure where exactly that accent is from (it's not quite British, but close), but it sounds lovely! Also, I've seen some people say before that she isn't at all generous. Um, false. In the episode where she is making dresses for her friends for the gala, she changes every single detail of her original ideas for the dresses just to make her friends happy, although she knows they are terrible. Not to mention all of the extra, painstaking work of having to make everything exactly how they want it. What's not generous about that?! If I were her, I would have told them, "Too bad, this is what you're wearing because these look fabulous and your ideas stink!"

Okay, this post wasn't necessarily supposed to be about my favorite pony, so we'll move on to the actual project now. :)

There were quite a few parts and pieces to this costume. Getting ready took a bit of work, but I think it was well worth the effort. 

First off, Rarity has long, purple, curly hair, so I had to get a good wig that matched that description. I found a great seller on eBay called cosplaydna. They have soooo many wigs to choose from, they are great quality, and they are a great price as well! Here's a picture and link to the one I got:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/150779393766?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

My one disappointment with this wig is that it wasn't quite as curly as it is in the picture. It still looks great though, so not a big deal. :)

Next, I needed ears and a horn, since Rarity is a unicorn. I found a simple tutorial online for how to make ones out of felt, but the idea just wasn't working for me. I wanted something that was going to look really good. So after some searching, I found this on Etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83086853/my-little-pony-ears-unicorn-set-mlp?ref=shop_home_feat

Seriously, these are GREAT quality, and they look so nice! Definitely worth spending the extra money. :) And I chose the white set, in case you were wondering. ;)

For the "body," I wanted to wear something that I thought Rarity would wear. I felt that she would most certainly wear a dress. My original idea was to sew a knee-length dress with purple tulle underneath and a purple ribbon around a fitted waist. I was so excited because I thought it was just perfect for representing Rarity and then...I found out I was pregnant. Haha! So I had to bag the whole dress idea and find something that my pregnant tummy would fit under, but still looked somewhat elegant. This is what I chose:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/280854358163?var=580083564078&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

Still looks like something Rarity would wear, plus I was certain I could still wear it while pregnant, which I did. :) I bought this one in white, of course.

Next, I decided to put a bolero shrug over the dress, mostly because I enjoy being modest, but I also thought a bit of lace would dress it up some. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/280869113963?var=580165374434&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

I got this one in the purple color. 

After that, I needed a cutie mark. I had originally planned to find an image online, print it on screen print paper, and iron it to my dress, but then one of my friends, who was cosplaying Applejack, found this on Etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/110582577/my-little-pony-rarity-3-diamonds-cutie?ref=shop_home_active

The color of the thread is actually not quite that bright of blue, but the quality of the embroidery is great, it irons on, and it looks waaaay better than screen printing would have looked. 

I then added big, voluminous false eyelashes the I bought from Claire's. I also added some diamond pearl earrings and a necklace that I already owned. I wanted to wear some white high heels since I know that Rarity would wear only the  most feminine and fashionable thing, but pregnancy and high heels do not mix well. Instead I wore some flat sandals that had diamond looking jewels on them, because if Rarity can't have high heels, I know she would never pass up diamonds. ;)

So that's everything I did for my cosplay. Funny that I didn't sew a single thing for this one, haha! But here is the finished project:

Brandon was Spike and Kessie was Rarity's little sister, Sweetie Belle. Huzzah for family themed cosplay!

You can see the false eyelashes really well in this picture. I also did some blue eye shadow since Rarity wears blue eye shadow too. 

Here's the whole group! I think we looked pretty darn awesome, wouldn't you say? ;)

Totally loved doing this! It was so much fun! Here's to Rarity- BEST PONY!!! :)

Nathan's Birth Story

              I know it’s been an eternity since I've updated this blog. I’m not sure when or why I stopped writing posts for it, making sure it was updated, etc., but I suppose that’s just called life getting in the way. ;) I think it mainly had to do with the fact that only a week or so before Kessie’s first birthday, we found out that we were expecting a new little baby! It was a surprise for us, since we weren’t trying to get pregnant again, but we knew that he would be a blessing to our family. J

            This pregnancy was a bit harder this time around. I had terrorizing leg cramps and swelling for about half of the pregnancy, along with some pretty bad back issues, plus chasing around a busy toddler, but the pregnancy went well overall. J

            So, our due date, based on my last period, was the 19^th of November. However, Brandon and I knew the date of conception (which most people don’t know, but we did), which would have made the date November 27^th. Then we had an ultrasound and they told us December 1^st. Although we told people that the date was the 1^st of December, Brandon and I secretly knew that the 27^th was probably much more accurate, so in our minds and hearts, we settled on that date. Which was good actually, and you’ll see why.

            It was November 28^th, Thanksgiving day. We had decided to stay at home and do our own Thanksgiving dinner with just the three of us since I was too close to delivery day to travel and we didn’t want to have to cancel any plans with friends in case Nathan decided to come before or on Thanksgiving.

            We had spent the day prepping the turkey, getting it in the roaster, having a relaxing morning and day. When Kessie went down for her nap, Brandon and I ate some snacks and watched Aladdin (a movie we have on VHS, but have been dying for Disney to bring it out of the vault so we can have it on DVD/Blue-Ray!). It was so nice to have some time with him during the day, instead of late at night like we usually did. Then we started to make the mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, and rolls, and Kessie woke up soon after. I had been faintly aware of a few strong pressure waves that day, but nothing had been consistent, so I didn’t think anything of it. At one point, I did have a small, sudden pain in my pelvis, but it went away after a moment, and again, nothing else was happening, so I brushed it off.

            We then sat down to dinner around 6:00 and had our delicious Thanksgiving dinner. Kessie didn’t eat much of it, of course, but I loved it. I was soooo super hungry and all of it just tasted amazing to me! I ate a pretty good amount for a pregnant girl and totally enjoyed it too. ;) After dinner, we got the pumpkin pie in the oven, which I was so excited about because I had been craving pumpkin pie on and off since the night before.

            Then, around 7:00, my stomach felt a little crampy, so I headed off to the bathroom, thinking I had some indigestion (which is funny because I just read Kessie’s birth story, and I said the same thing, haha!). I did end up having some diarrhea and cramps too, so I didn’t feel so well. However, the cramps started to get a little stronger, and they started to coincide with my pressure waves. Not long after feeling that way, I decided to try timing them, but found it really difficult to do so since they were stronger and I was still having some stomach issues. Eventually, at around 7:45, I called for Brandon and told him that he better get Kessie down for bed, just in case this turned into something more. Only a few minutes after that, I had a couple pressure waves where I needed to “aaahhh” through them. I also got a little shaky too, and that’s when I knew that this was it.

            Brandon put Kessie down for bed as quickly as he could and came back down to see how I was doing. We both agreed that this was our birthing time, so he quickly called my friend Jennifer to come stay with Kessie. However, it sounded like she was at a friend’s house for Thanksgiving, so she wasn’t at home, and needed to stop by her house before coming over. She said she would make it there in about 30 minutes. My heart did sink a little when Brandon told me that, but I figured that 30 minutes wouldn’t matter too much. After all, I had just gotten started with all of this, without much warning, by the way, so what would  30 minutes hurt?

            Brandon then left to get our birth things put together, after which I went to get into hypnosis (I was using the Hypnobabies method again). It was a little difficult to relax though since things had already started progressing, and the shaking made it a little hard too. But I did my best, which was good enough. I then went upstairs to get my shoes on since I was very anxious to get out the door the moment Jennifer arrived. Brandon called Hannah, the midwife on call at the birth center (same place we went to with Kessie). I talked to her on the phone for a few minutes, and although I couldn’t tell her how far apart my pressure waves were, she agreed that this was my birthing time and would meet us at the birth center in 30 minutes. I got my shoes on, and then went to sit down on the toilet again since I was feeling stomach cramps again. Honestly, I would say that was the worst part of this birth. Having diarrhea and stomach cramps are bad enough on their own, but adding birthing waves on top of it is really no good.

            So I stayed on the toilet for a while (it’s a good position to birth in anyway, especially if your water breaks, since it will all empty into there instead of making a mess). Brandon was such a great support and really helped me to relax through those pressure waves. Unfortunately though, somewhere in all of this, I ended up losing most of my delicious Thanksgiving dinner. It wasn't as delicious the second time around, but I wasn't surprised, since the same thing had happened with Kessie's birth also. After a while, I had one pressure wave where I pushed a bit, and I suddenly felt, and thought I heard, a pop. My water had broken, although it was only a small trickle every now and then. But Jennifer hadn’t made it to our house yet, and we knew that we didn’t have much time anymore, since things had really progressed with Kessie after my water had broken. So Brandon called a neighbor of ours, hoping that she could come over until Jennifer arrived, but she didn’t answer her phone. Luckily though, Jennifer pulled up right after that. Brandon answered the door, and then ran upstairs to get me. We waited through one pressure wave, and then I stood up to go. But as I stood and made my way out the bedroom door, I felt another pressure wave, this time with a pushy sensation. And I was certain I could feel the baby’s head.

            I told Brandon what I was feeling, and he asked, “Are we going to make it?” I didn’t know what to say or do, so I just said, “Let’s just get going and try.” I knew I didn’t have much time until another pressure wave, so I made my way downstairs as fast as a laboring mother could and got in the car. As we were pulling out, Hannah called and we let her know we were just leaving. I sat in the car reclined as Brandon sped down the freeway. The birth center was about 20 minutes away, and I’m sure he didn’t want to be the one to catch our little boy in the car, all alone. The nice thing though was that sitting reclined seemed to keep my pressure waves from being as strong, and the fast movement of the car felt really relaxing as well. So the drive wasn’t as bad for me, although I’m not sure if I can say the same for Brandon. ;)

            We made it to the birth center in 15 minutes at 9:30. As I got out of the car, I could feel everything change the moment I stood up. It’s amazing how different positions can really get things moving along. I walked through the door to the birth center, and halfway through the hall, I had another pushy pressure wave. Katie, the assistant midwife, checked Nathan’s heartbeat and all was well. Then I laid down on my side on the bed to rest. I had actually really wanted to get in the tub and try doing a water birth, but I had a feeling that we were a little too late for that and that I just needed to get situated in a position I liked and get going.

            Things were going really well, and the baby was descending with every pressure wave. I got to feel his head as he was being born and felt some hair again! I was pretty excited! J While it was motivating to touch his head during the process, I actually did feel his head go back in a couple times. I was like, “Oh no you don’t! You started this, and now you’re going to come!” ;)

            I had about 4 pressure waves, with a few pushes each, and at 10:10 pm, Nathan was out!  I heard him cry and saw the most adorable baby boy as he was put skin to skin on my chest. Immediately, I just loved that baby so dearly and so much. Sometimes, in pregnancy, it’s a little hard to believe that you actually have a real little person inside of yourself. But when you see that little person, they suddenly become so real to you. That’s how I felt with Nathan. He was so real, so sweet, such a dear little baby boy, and he was all mine. J

            Not long after, Brandon cut the cord after it was done pulsating, I delivered the placenta, and I got to breastfeed Nathan for the first time. He did a great job and has been a good little eater ever since, much to my delight. J After that, we got Nathan weighed and measured. He was 8 pounds 8 oz and 22 inches tall. Good sized baby, although he didn't surpass his sister, much to my relief. ;) 

            Then Brandon got Nathan all dressed while I got a few minor stitches done. I was so happy to know that I had only had a few little tears instead of the major ones I had last time! Then we got me all cleaned up, got Nathan in his car seat and headed home. Brandon got me tucked in bed, I finally got my slice of pumpkin pie, and then, around 4:00 am, we all settled down for the night.

Jasmine&Jim || I Want Some More

Yes, yes, I know I have been MIA for a few weeks. I've just been busy and to be frank, I also wasn't feeling in the mood to blog either. :P But here is the video of the week at least. Hopefully I'll have a moment to get something written on here soon. :) I love crossover videos.

There are some that are okay, others where I'm like, "eew, I would NEVER pair those two together," and some that are just plain awesome! Like this one! :)

Paperman

In honor of the Oscars, I thought it was only appropriate to have an Oscar winner as the Video of the Week. :) Seriously though, I LOVE this short, and it totally deserved the award!

Creamy Corn Chowder

I got this wonderful crock pot cook book for Christmas, and I absolutely LOVE it! It's called 365 Days of Slow-Cooking by Karen Bellessa Petersen. It has lots of great recipes and most of them are the easy ones that you let cook all day and don't have to think about until it's time to serve.  She even has her own blog where you can check out more recipes and such: .http://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/

I know I don't have a good picture for this one, but this recipe is seriously sooooooooo delicious! And not only that, but it's a crock pot recipe! Woot!

Creamy Corn Chowder
from 365 Days of Slow-Cooking

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but into 1/2-inch pieces
11 oz. can whole-kernel corn with sweet peppers, drained (I wasn't able to find a can of corn with peppers, so I just used regular corn only and it still turned out awesome!)
10 3/4 oz. can condensed cream of potato soup
4 oz. can diced green chili peppers
2 Tbsp. snipped fresh cilantro plus extra for garnish
1 1/4 oz. envelope of taco seasoning
14 oz. can black beans, rinsed and darined
2 Cups chicken broth
8 oz. sour cream
4 oz. cream cheese

1. In slow-sooker, combine chicken, corn, soup, chili peppers, cilantro, taco seasoning, and black beans. Stir in broth.
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours.
3. In a medium bowl, stir about 1 cup of the hot soup into the sour cream. Stir sour cream mixture and cream cheese into the soup in the slow-cooker; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until combined.
4. Granish with cilatro and serve.
Makes 8 servings.