Suburban Momma

The ever popular dollhouse bookcase

2010-08-12T12:49:00.001-07:00

Hello all! I have in fact not dropped off the face of the earth but instead have been busy with life. I would like to eventually get back to blogging on a regular basis but for now I want to share some information regarding the dollhouse bookcase (see post here http://suburbanmomma.blogspot.com/2008/01/laney-gets-her-dollhouse-bookcase.html)

So many of you have commented asking where and how to find plans for the bookcase. Unfortunately the 4.00 pdf plans appear to be no longer available on eBay, however, I have found an even better alternative for you. With that said, please let me introduce you to Knock off Wood. The fabulous Ana gives you step by step instructions on how to build this bookcase along with a supply list. The best part is it's FREE! There are a ton of other amazing plans to browse through on her blog and I highly recommend you check it out.

Happy building - I'd love to see the results!

I'm Still Alive and a Blog you must check out

2009-06-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

Hello friends!

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. I've been so busy with the kids, the house, the job and reading everyone else's blogs that I've not given my own much attention. I eventually will get back into it and have good intentions of posting regularly but in the meanwhile you simply must check out this blog http://mysweetsavannah.blogspot.com/2009/06/one-lucky-reader-will-win.html. I stumbled upon 'My Sweet Savannah' while perusing Rate My Space. She has a fabulous house, fabulous sense of style and a super fun fabulous blog to read.

I'll leave you with some random pictures from over the past couple months until I post again (hopefully soon). :)

Me and the kids over Memorial Day weekend (I have plans to replace the tile surround. Can't wait to show you!)

Little home project, added the moulding and kids height coat rack

The kids being goofy

Cora Paige

2009-02-13T12:50:00.000-08:00

I like so many others have been extremely touched by little Cora Paige. Cora went to be with Jesus on after a short battle with cancer. I've cried and cried for her and her family. For some reason feel such a connection to this little girl and her family even though I don't know them personally. They are fellow Kansans and live just a few hours from me. Perhaps I should just drive down there and give them a big hug!

I wanted to post about Cora and their story not just because of how much I've been touched by this little girl but to spread the word. They are working to collect money to build The Cora Playground in her honor. You can learn more about Cora and her family here http://corapaige.blogspot.com/.

A group of Etsy sellers have also banded together to create neat items that are for sale with proceeds going to the playground. I ordered an adorable little Cora Paige flower pin and there are so many other cute things as well. http://www.etsy.com/. Just type in 'Cora Paige' to find the items for sale.

If you're able please donate to this wonderful project in honor of this precious little girl who has touched so many please do.

Goodness, just looking at her little picture makes me want to hug her and cry. I must say, I've hugged my Aidan and Delaney a bit tighter and for a lot longer. My heart aches for Cora's family.

That's one spooky tree!

2008-09-16T07:41:00.000-07:00

This project was so much fun! Susie posted about this project on her blog and I knew I had to make one too. We took the kids out to a nearby park for a nature walk to find a 'spooky' branch for our tree. It was a beautiful day and a fun little adventure for us all. I had all the items I needed on hand for this project except for the crows (Dollar Store) and the branch (nature trail :) . The little lanterns were from the dollar bin at Target last year, I just spray painted them black. Love 'em! For specific steps on how to do this project be sure to check out Susie's blog. She's a very talented person. Love so many of her ideas!

Fall is in the air....

2008-09-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

And I couldn't be more excited! I like apparently many fellow bloggers LOVE, LOVE, LOVE fall. It's my absolute favorite time of year.

I love so much about fall; fall clothes, fall colors, the smell of burning leaves, KU football season, Halloween, crisp evenings, yummy cold weather foods, cozy cable knit throws, pumpkins, mums, cute jackets. I could go on and on but I'll spare you. :)

I have started some fall decorating and thought I'd share with you. As always everything is a work in progress!

My latest unbelievable Target clearance deal is the big silver lantern you see in the first picture. I've been ogling them for months now and just the other day I found 2 (the only two left) marked down to 5.98. Yes, that's right girls, only 5.98! They were originally 30.00 and they are absolutely GORGEOUS!

2008-06-08T20:36:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness! Has it really been that long since I last wrote?

Aidan and I have started a little mother & son tradition of going to garage sales a couple Saturday's a month. We always start out with a stop by our beloved Starbucks; I get my non-fat Cafe Mocha and Aidan goes for the old fashion glazed donuts. Ok, so I generally get one too. :) Once we've got our drinks and donuts we set off on our treasure hunt. Aidan's on the watch for toys he didn't realize we couldn't live w/out and I'm on the look out for anything else that strikes my fancy. We visit as we go and it has been a great little bonding time for the two of us. He's almost 4 and it's always amusing some of the conversations we have.

I found these chairs for the dining room table. Just begging for me to take them home and fix them up!month ago. A subdivision not far from us had a neighborhood garage sale and it was pretty amazing. It is a very wealthy neighborhood with some beautiful 'junk' but we weren't really finding much until the last stop of our trip. It was a beautiful, and I do mean BEAUTIFUL home at the end of this winding wooded cul-de-sac. I could almost hear the heaven's sing as we neared the house. The driveway was loaded with furniture of all kinds. Some were antique and some was thrift finds that she was reworking.

I ended up buying these 4 chairs at $10 a piece.

BEFORE - looking a little worn and sad.

AFTER - all freshly painted and feelin' sassy!

I sanded them down and painted them in a satin black. Added the foam to the seat template Handsome Hubby made and added the fabric. I wanted something in a floral print and stumbled upon this at JoAnn's. I believe it's from the Liz Claiborne line. I love it! It has the chocolate brown and greens I was looking for. Sort of a mod, vintage, even slightly South Pacific vibe...I will probably switch out to a black and white check or something with red this fall but I think this will look great for the spring/summer months.

I just love a good project and the thrill of a good garage sale hunt! My list of projects is long and plenty and I can't wait to share them with you. I promise to write soon!

Walmart, I'm impressed!

2008-03-20T13:44:00.001-07:00

Ok, as you all know I'm partial to Target, very partial. But, the other day I was at Walmart.com looking at the HP 3-in-1 printers when I came across a new line that they are carrying called 'Canopy' and I have to say that I'm impressed!

We'd like to start slowly updating our master bedroom furniture. Everything in our bedroom is hand me downs. We have a very large, very ugly dresser that I got at a garage sale a few years back. It's made of solid oak but it's not very functional and often find ourselves (read Handsome Hubby) stacking clothes on top of it for easier access.

Check out this dresser! Based on the description it is well made and it looks sharp. The best part is that it's under $300 which is really a good deal for a dresser if it is indeed well made.

A few other items from the Canopy line that I think have promising potential....

I've not been into Walmart in awhile and I don't know if the line is so new that they're not all in store yet but I'm anxious to check them out. If any of you end up purchasing something from the line you'll have to let me know what you think!

2008-03-13T07:51:00.000-07:00

Weeks pass yet again and here I am....I really am not a good blogger. So many times I think of blogging but then I end up reading everyone else's blogs and lose track of time.

The new scale has been helping me keep my weight in check, sort of. We learned that through the company Handsome Hubby's just started with he can get a great deal on a family membership to the YMCA. The YMCA here in my suburb is really pretty nice with lots of new equipment and classes to choose from. We joined a few weeks ago and have been going 4 days a week. We have been meeting there 3 days a week on our lunch hour and going with the kids on Saturday morning. I lost almost 5 lbs according to my new scale last week but managed to gain almost all of it back over the weekend. For shame! Now, I'm spending this week trying to reign it back in. I'm so frustrated with myself because my goal is so attainable, 12-15 lbs to lose, but I seem to sabotage myself on the weekends.

Switching gears completely, I've been thinking about unique things I can put in the kids' Easter baskets next weekend and haven't gotten too far with it but I did find the super cute 'monster toys' at Room Service Home. They were originally $29.00 each but have been marked down to $5.00 each so I bought one for each kid. Aren't they so cute?

They both will get chocolate bunnies and all that good stuff. We'll have to eat Delaney's for her since she's too young. Oh shoot! ;) But I was also thinking about getting them both a pair of Croc's. Aidan wore his pair from last year ALL summer long. They are so easy to throw on and so comfortable. I'm thinking Delaney would use them a lot this summer too since she's just learning to walk, they're lightweight and comfortable. The big decision is the colors, they have about 50 colors to choose from!

This weekend my Mom is coming down to visit. She and I have a 'date' with Aidan on Saturday. We're taking him to see 'Horton Hears a Who'. I can't wait to see it and Aidan is super excited too. It just looks so darn cute doesn't it? We bought the book last weekend in preparation for the big date.

Oh and before I forget! Happy Homemaker I miss reading your blog now that you've gone private. If you read this, I'd love to be invited to read it!

2008-02-24T19:39:00.000-08:00

It has been a full few weeks here. I was down in Orlando last week for business and came home with the flu. Handsome Hubby had been sick the day before I flew out and I prayed that neither of the kids would get sick while I was gone OR that I would get sick while I was there. Unfortunately the kids did get sick and so did I. We're just finally starting to come out of it. Since we've been stuck indoors we're a bit stir crazy so today we ventured out to the mall to the Rainforest Cafe and to do a little shopping.

Found a GREAT deal on boots at JCP that I must share! I bought 2 pairs of suede boots regularly 110.00 for 9.97 each! Can you believe it?! Apparently someone had just returned them and they were only on the shelf for about 15 mins before I swiped them back off.
This isn't a great picture but you get the idea. (The brown pair in front and a black pair behind.) Normally I'm a heeled boot kind of gal but these looked super cute on.

A few weeks back I took a sewing class at Joann's Fabric. It was a little Xmas gift from Handsome Hubby and it was the best gift really. Seriously, a couple years ago he brought me a nice Singer sewing machine for Xmas but whenever I tried to use it I'd end up jamming the thread and getting frustrated. Anyway, I just loved the class and I'm looking to take a few more of their classes. Here are some curtains for my dining room. I've had the fabric for a year or two and am in the process of adding some fun brown pom-pom fringe. I'm obviously not done yet but getting there. I saw some really fun fabrics in bright springy color patterns that I may end up making to swap these out for spring/summer but before I start planning that I suppose I should just get these finished up first.

Speaking of spring...I don't know about you but I'm SOOOO ready for spring. It was fun to see all the bright spring clothes while out at the mall today. I'm starting to pull out my apple green colors to go with my browns and blacks. I love the look of apple green with brown, black and white. Got these fun little faux granny apples at Hobby Lobby and have stuck them in little places around the house.

Thoughts of spring also inspired me to purchase a new scale today. I like to weigh myself daily and I've been doing so for the last several years on a very generic scale. I decided that if I plan to sport the fun looks this spring I'd better buckle down and finally lose that 10-15 lbs. I'm hoping this will help keep my in line. It's middle of the road price wise but has great reviews. I bought it at Walmart for about $40 and it's the 'HealthoMeter Body Fat & Body Water Fitness Tracking Scale'. It's kinda fun (well, as fun as a scale that measures my chubby factor can be) :) but you can store your height, age, gender, goal weight and a few other things and it will help track your progress and measure my favorite, BMI. LOL. Oh my. There are much more expensive, fancier versions out there but keep in mind I had a very old basic scale so these little features have me dazzled! :)

Anyway, I'll let you all know if the scale keeps me inspired to lose the weight. Cross your fingers~!

Oh, and before I forget! Handsome Hubby is starting a new job tomorrow with Garmin. We're beyond excited for this opportunity and truly thank the Lord for this blessing. Garmin is headquartered in our area, in fact it will be a very short commute, and they are a company full of opportunity. Funny though, I kinda feel like his mother though, nervous for his first day, asking him repeatedly if he's picked out his outfit and mapped out his morning yet. hehehehe

Bye for now!

I want a new drug.

2008-02-11T19:27:00.001-08:00

Tonight began innocently enough, a simple trip to the ATM and onto the grocery store. It wasn't time for my next fix, not even close but as I pulled away from the ATM a thought crossed my mind. Maybe I should do it. I'm so good at it, so quick. Nobody at home would be the wiser, a quick in and out if you will. So, against my better judgement I went. I went for my fix even though I had just gone 2 days earlier. Hello. My name is Suburban Momma and I'm a Target junkie.

Like any good Target junkie worth her grain in salt I know where to find the goods. The goods with the little red sticker. Oh how that little sticker can make my heart race, my step a little quicker as I push my rickety cart towards the object of my desire. I vie for cart space at the end of each aisle (where many of the items wearing that brazen little sticker can be found). You know you're amongst other hardened Target addicts when you see random milling around, hovering at the end of the back aisles. I like to think of them as an instant friend. Someone on the same mission as I. Someone with like minded goals.

Tonight was different though. I was stronger then usual, I put items in, let them ride around in my cart for a bit while I reasoned with myself. Eventually the majority ended back on their perspective shelves, right where they belonged. I'm proud to say that Suburban Momma pervailed and walked out with a few great items, several of which bore that little red sticker, but all rang in at under $20 total. That never happens. I don't know ladies but I'm feeling strong like I can conquer anything!

Suburban Momma 1; Target 0

(Psst, has anyone checked out the Old Navy 40% off kids and baby sale??) :)

My take on tassels

2008-02-05T10:40:00.000-08:00

A month or two ago stumbled upon a great blog, Nesting Place. 'The Nester' has a great sense of style and she's great to share with us some of her fabulous decorating ideas. In addition to her great decorating skills she makes adorable tassels which she sells on Etsy. Check her out if you've not already!

Several months back while wandering aimlessly around Hobby Lobby I came upon some tassel caps. They are unpainted wood caps that were marked down to .25 cents each. Not ever having made a tassel before they sat untouched in a jar in my office, waiting for inspiration. Inspiration was found after stumbling upon 'The Nester's' cute tassels. I did some googling and found instructions on how to make them and here's what I've done so far.

My tassels aren't nearly as cute has her's but it's been fun to make them and I intend to perfect my technique!

Handsome Hubby thinks I'm a goof, watching me as I try to find different places to hang my little tassels, and Aidan finds the tassels funny. Hmmm, not sure why but for whatever reason they make him chuckle. :)

Another blog that you have to check out if you haven't already is Kari & Kijsa. These two sisters are beyond creative and inspirational. They provide decorating tips, helpful hints and creative projects.

Laney gets her dollhouse bookcase

2008-01-31T07:15:00.000-08:00

Hello blog world friends! Another month has passed and I am finally getting around to post. I've been busy with life in general, oh and reading everyone elses' blogs. :)

We finally completed the much anticipated dollhouse bookcase. You may recall I've talked about this 'infamous' bookcase several times over the past few months and after what seems like forever it's finally complete. Handsome Hubby built this from a PDF format plans I bought on eBay for around 4.oo. I know you can buy one similar at Target but it I didn't like that you could see the screws on it plus it was a bit less expensive to do it this way.

Dollhouse bookcase in progress...

and now completed!

I'd like to decorate it a bit differently but for now I just threw these things in it to dress it up. If you've got a keen eye you may notice the Strawberry Shortcake doll and horse. Oh I wish you could smell them! Yummy! I was a HUGE fan of Strawberry Shortcake so of course Santa had to make a point to bring Laney her own this year. (Even though she's nowhere close to being able to play with them!) :)

The cute little green chair is a 1.00 junk store find that I painted. So cute!

Just have to share!

2007-12-22T07:52:00.000-08:00

We had professional pictures taken of the kids just after Thanksgiving and this is the one we chose for the Christmas Cards.

Stocking Stuffer Ideas - a few of my current faves

2007-12-17T14:10:00.000-08:00

I've recently found a couple of great products that I thought I'd share with you. (In case you're looking for some last minute stocking stuffers!)

Cover Girl's LashBlast mascara - drugstores approx 6.99

I've been reading in several magazines great reviews about this mascara but it took looking at 3 different stores before I finally found it. It's pretty new so I don't know if the issue was that not all stores have it in stock yet or if they're just selling out that fast. The wand is big and a bit hard to get used to initially but I really like how it works!

Bare Escentuals - bareVitamins Prime Time Foundation Primer - approx 21.00

A friend who also uses Bare Escentuals products recommended this primer and I think it works great.

Sonja Kashuk - Kashuk Tools Bristle Hair Brush - 14.99 at Target

I read reviews about this brush a while back and had to try it. The reviews were comparing it to the very pricey Mason Pearson brush and raved about how great it worked. It's from the Sonja Kashuk line at Target and although it too, took a couple of trips to different Targets to find, I have been using it for a few weeks now and am impressed. In fact, I've received several comments on how soft and shiny my hair looks, it just feels healthier after I brush it.

MAC lipglass - Lustreglass in Lustrewhite - approx 14.00

The color featured in the picture above is not the color I've been using but all of the MAC Lustreglass shades seem great. The one I'm using right now is Lustrewhite and it's the perfect neutral lip gloss. Instant Gold is one that I'd like to try as I have a friend that uses it and it really looks good.

The HomeGoods Store

2007-12-15T16:56:00.000-08:00

I just love Marshall's HomeGoods store. I could spend hours just milling around there. Here's a find from my last 2 hour trip to the store. I have a little Santa collection going and I love how he has a vintage look and was only 7.99!

Misc Projects in the works

2007-12-13T09:02:00.000-08:00

Busy as usual around our house with Christmas shopping, decorating, celebrating and a couple of projects underway in the midst of it all.

One of the projects we've been working on is an old dresser my Mother gave us that she had in storage which will be in Aidan's room. We decided to paint the dresser in a dark brown color called 'Burnt Tile' by Valspar at Lowe's. I picked this color based on a changing table Lowe's featured in their Creative Ideas magazine.

Taking a 'before' picture was a bit of an afterthought. As you can see, the 'before' picture was taken after work was underway! Sorry, some of these pictures are a bit blurry.

I already painted the dresser in these pictures but as you can see the bottom had a scalloped edge which, although it would have been cute had we painted it white, we decided the dresser needed a cleaner line with the modern brushed nickel hardware and dark brown color.

This picture is a bit blurry but as you can see we pulled the front scalloped piece of the dresser and replaced it with a piece of wood handsome hubby routered to create a beveled edge to match the rounded edge on the top of the dresser.

And ta-da! Here is the finished look! I'm very pleased with how it turned out. The mirror will be hung above the dresser and I have yet to put my decorative touch on the top but I'd like to get a small brushed nickel lamp (I LOVE lamps!) and a few other accessories added soon.

Handsome Hubby also built the dollhouse bookcase which I've talked about in previous posts. I'm finishing up painting it and hope to have it done and pictures to share by the end of this weekend. It's really turning out cute!

Since I have some vacation time to use up before the end of the year I am taking tomorrow off to do some running around. I have some Christmas shopping to do and then a hair appt. I'm trying to work up the nerve to cut some of the length off, maybe to my shoulders but there's a good chance I'll chicken out once I get there. I just need to do something different with it.

Tomorrow night we're going with some friends to see a theatre performance of A Christmas Carol. We plan to grab a bit to eat beforehand down at the Plaza which is just beautiful this time of year. I'm really looking forward to some adult time.

More updates soon!

Monday, Monday

2007-11-12T20:07:00.001-08:00

It has been a long evening and so I must first start by complaining. Feel free to skip over this if you have no desire to hear about my child and our bedtime war stories. I completely understand. Ugh. It's now after 10pm and we're still struggling to get Aidan to sleep. He was to go to bed over 1 1/2 hrs ago and he is still fighting it. As a result Handsome Hubby and I are at odds again on how this should be handled. I firmly believe that Aidan needs to learn that if we say there will be one story then there will be one story. Period. End of story. Saying one thing then doing another after he throws a fit isn't doing anyone any good. It's showing him that by fussing he will get his way. Handsome Hubby tends to give in when pushed by Aidan. I'll admit that I've given in on occasion as well but overall I understand that if we consistently follow through with what we say he will eventually get that and stop. Although I know Handsome Hubby understands this as well, he still tends to give in, which ultimately drags the bedtime routine out to 2 plus hrs. For example, tonight I spent 30 minutes in the hallway, taking Aidan back to his room every time he came out. The first time I told him that it was bedtime and that's final. The next 8 times I didn't say a word, I just picked him up while he was throwing his fit and crying and put him back in his bed. I'm spent. Honestly I am. My body is sore, my nerves are worn and I'm beyond frustrated but by golly I am standing my ground. Hubby finally comes upstairs, comes into the room and says that he'll take care of it. I was so upset because I know what that means. It means he will lay down and tell him another story, unraveling everything I just spend the last 30 minutes trying to do. Sure enough I can hear him in there telling another story even as I write.
Honestly, how do people do it? Everything I've read says that although the first week or so may be miserable you just need to be consistent and keep putting them back in their room. What is a person to do if their spouse doesn't follow this same consistency? Somethings gotta give.

************************************************************************************

Ratatouille Review: Did you check out Ratatouille on DVD over the weekend? We enjoyed our little movie night last Tuesday and although I liked the movie, I didn't LOVE it. It was cute and I'm glad we have it on hand to watch again but it wasn't my nor was it Aidan's favorite. I would definitely recommend renting or buying it for the kids to watch but it probably won't end up on your top 5 list. Tomorrow is the release of Shrek the 3rd. I've heard mixed reviews. We'll probably end up getting it just to complete the set. Have any of you seen it yet and if so, did you like it?

*********************************************************************************

Day of Beauty: So last Friday a friend and I took the day off to do some shopping, have a leisurely lunch and get massages. I hadn't taken a day off in awhile and I was needing it desperately. I called it our 'day of beauty' because we were focused on looking for some of the beauty products we'd been hearing such great reviews on but had not yet tried, plus we were getting massages. Anyway, it was a fun day, my friend ended up getting half her Christmas shopping done (which wasn't really part of the 'day of beauty' plan but it was shopping nonetheless). I myself am not ready for full on Christmas shopping. As you know, I like to make lists and I prefer to have pre-planned lists before I head out. Seeing her get so much done already inspired me to finalize my gift-giving lists this week. I've pretty much figured out what I'm getting everyone this year and I've even started on my own wish list. ;) How are you all doing on your Christmas shopping, have you started yet?

Not just another Tuesday...

2007-11-06T08:31:00.001-08:00

The day has FINALLY arrived and Aidan couldn't be more excited! (Ok, maybe I'm a bit excited too.) :) In case your calendars weren't marked like mine, today is the day Ratatouille comes out on DVD. Aidan has talked about this movie for a long time and since we missed it in theatre's we've been waiting for its release on DVD. It has received great reviews and should be fun to watch. We told Aidan that if he was good and minded his manners that we would get this movie as a special treat. Not missing a beat, one of the first things he mentioned after waking up this morning was getting the Ratatouille movie.

I think rather then making him wait until the weekend to watch it we'll all watch it tonight and perhaps pick up Papa Murphy's pizza to make it a true movie night. We'll start the movie early so as not to mess with bedtime but it should make a normally uneventful Tuesday night a bit more fun. I'll have to give you our review of the movie tomorrow!

If you're not interested in buying the movie for your collection you should take a look at renting it from RedBox. Most McDonald's have the RedBox now and it's only $1 to rent a movie! That's unbelievable nowadays when Blockbuster is around $4 for a new release. We've rented several movies from RedBox and we've found it to be pretty convenient. The nice thing is that you can return the movie to any RedBox so you don't necessarily have to go back to the same one you picked it up from.

Next Tuesday is the release date for Shrek the 3rd. We're looking forward to seeing that one too. And yes, even though I'm 31 I just love the Shrek movies.

Hope you find a way to make your Tuesday a little special.

Hello? Is anybody out there?

2007-10-30T07:29:00.000-07:00

Hello! Is there anyone still out there visiting my blog or have you all given up on me?! I know I've been a horrible blogger taking an unannounced leave for 2 months. Actually I had not planned to be away so long but things got very busy, so much so that although I'm still frequenting your blogs, I have neglected mine. I hope to be a better blogger and start posting on a regular basis. Hopefully I've not lost you all forever! :)

Since my last post in August we've been busy enjoying the season. Perhaps it'd be easiest to share some pictures.

Aidan started preschool

turned 3 years old.....

attended several KU Football games...

Laneybug has grown and grown...

Done some painting and fall decorating...

Preschool field trips to the pumpkin patch...

Family trips to the pumpkin patch...

Harvest party at preschool, dressed last minute as a Train Conductor...

One month in preview: Coming up tomorrow of course is Halloween, this weekend is the KU Homecoming game and a dinner party at a co-workers house. I've got a girls day out the following Friday with a close friend of mine with tentative plans for massages, a long leisurely lunch and shopping. Family will be coming to town (hopefully) the weekend of the 10th, another KU football game the 17th, Thanksgiving the 22nd, and the final KU vs MU game at the Chiefs Arrowhead Stadium on the 24th! Very much looking forward to the next few weeks...hard to believe the holiday season is just around the corner. I found some fun Xmas ideas that I will have to share with you all on a later post.

More updates soon...I promise! :)

Big Bubba eludes us and other randomness.

2007-08-14T12:53:00.000-07:00

What a pleasant surprise! The lovely 'HeadHen' at Runnin' the Roost awarded me the 'Nice Matters' award. How very sweet to even be considered for such an award. Thank you!!

As I understand it, I in turn nominate 7 fellow bloggers to receive the prestigious award. :) Sorry, if you've already been nominated. Guess that just means you're super duper nice!

1. CJ Savvy Momma

2. Bon Bon Boutique

3. Seeker FunkyJunkCo

4. Happy Homemaker

5. Perfectly Pink

6. A Passion for Scrapbooking, Decorating and Shopping

7. Preppy Napkin

Ok, so I'm adding an 8th because she is beyond nice. :)

8. Workin' That Preppy

*********************************************************
Busy, busy, busy....

- Went for our second annual family trip to the Iowa State Fair. Apparently a friend of my Dad's had an award winning pig, Bubba, that was to be there. Aidan was terribly excited to meet Bubba. Unfortunately we looked all over that darn swine barn and could not find the elusive pig. Knowing Aidan would not let us leave until we spotted him we eventually found a random, non-exceptional pig, and dubbed him Bubba. We stopped for a quick visit with 'Bubba' and took lots of pictures. Aidan was happy and we were finally able to leave the stinky swine barn. :) Although I love a good tradition and the IA State Fair is one of the best of its kind, we have decided that perhaps going annually may be a bit much.

- Aidan starts preschool on August 20th. He has a school supply shopping list! How fun!

- We're planning for Aidan's big 3yr b-day. Keeping it pretty low-key this year. Rented a little shelter at a nearby park. The theme is dinosaurs because he is obsessed with them at the moment. In the process of trying to come up with a few dinosaur themed games.

- My in-law's are moving to our suburb today and my brother-in-law is flying in from Ft Meyers to help with the move. They lived about an an hour and 15 mins away before, now they will be 7 minutes away. This should be interesting. :)

- Almost done with the hardwood floor project. Next projects I'd like to focus on; repainting the living/kitchen/half bath, replacing the half bath fixtures, make home office desk. Bought several little test cans and am thinking we like Bamboo from the Eddie Bauer Home paint. Seems to be a warm brown/beigey color. I don't suppose by chance any of you have used this color?

It has almost been to hot to even work on projects. If it requires any work in the garage to get it done it's just not worth it at the moment. However, it does look like we might finally be getting a break from the high 90's. Woo hoo!

*********************************

Now that our little IA trip is behind us I'm hoping to get back to regular posts and more projects.

Sources of Inspiration

2007-08-01T06:17:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately Handsome Hubby and I have been sick the past couple of days. Started with a scratchy throat on Friday and went downhill from there. Nothing like having the flu in the dog days of summer. I think I've left the house a total of two times over the past 3 days which leaves me with not much to say and in desperate need of some inspiration.

One source of inspiration that I can always count on is my HGTV. I love HGTV and could watch it for hours. Thanks to my dvr I don't. :) I have lots of favorite shows but my very favorite of all is Divine Design. Candice Olson rocks! (If you've seen her show you know why!) I love her design ideas so much that I even ran out and bought her book when it launched. She has a way of making everything sparkle and I think I'd let her have free reign on any room in my house.

I, along with many of you it seems, enjoy seeing other people's homes and how they decorate. It's a fun way to get ideas and I think a person's home says a lot about them.

Well, awhile back the super fab Christy at Bon Bon Boutique blogged about 'Rate My Space' on HGTV's website. Rate My Space is the ultimate sneak peak into other people's homes. How fun!

I'm thinking I might have to start snapping more pictures around my home and post them on Rate My Space. I'd love to get other people's opinions. (I think.) :)

Here are a few beautifully decorated rooms that I found but these are really just the tip of the iceberg.

How beautiful are these walls? And the subtle colors used....

Love the 6' beadboard used in this bathroom as well as the rich color used above it.

Just my kind of colors. Love the under cabinet lighting, something I'm looking at for my kitchen. Could do w/out the rooster but I think this room is great.

Since I'm a magazine fanatic over the years I have collected tons of clippings from magazines for what I call my 'dream maker' box. I love going through my box now and again to get ideas. Some of my favorite magazines for inspiration are; Southern Living, Better Homes & Gardens and Country Living.

What are your sources of inspiration?

Friday Fun Finds

2007-07-27T10:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Happy Friday! We love Friday's around here but who doesn't right?!

This weekend is fairly full. Tonight we're going over to visit some friends. Tomorrow dental appointments then my Dad, Stepmom and Grandmother are all coming down for an overnight visit. I'm looking forward to it all. Yes, even the dentist appointment. I LOVE going to the dentist! I'm slightly teeth obsessed (white teeth matter!) so going to the dentist is a pleasure for me. (Keep in mind this is coming from a girl who's never had to suffer through major dental work. i.e a root canal, sorry hubs!)

My fun finds/wish list runs the gamut today...

I am convinced that with this little kit I could build any of the projects on my 'to do' list. I've already advised Handsome Hubs of this and in fact asked him to start teaching me how to use more tools. If I felt more confident in my building skills I'm quite certain that I could whip up the dollhouse bookcase, home office desk, and the little tike wooden picnic table projects all by myself. All these projects have been sitting on the back burner while handsome hubby works on the hardwoods and it'd feel great to do them myself.

Everyone needs a fairy door. I've enjoyed reading the Red Shoes blog and would love to visit her store in person someday. Until then I've enjoyed perusing through her little online store and recently came across this, a fairy door! Yes, you heard me right! How cute would this be in a little girls room? I'm quite positive my little Laney Lou needs one. They come in a couple of different colors. Fun, fun! She really has some neat things and I love the pictures from her store. Makes me wish Ann Arbor, MI wasn't so far away. Apparently the little fairy doors are a phenomenon as they've been 'subtly incorporated into cafes, retails stores...' in the area. Honestly, I just think that's so cute.

And something fun for Big Brothers room...original artwork from Etsy. Love the colors and the fact that it's a way for him to learn the planets. Cool!

Last but not least, another Etsy find...because we all know most things look best monogrammed. ;)
This little 'cafe latte' brown night light would look great in my hall upstairs.

Hope to be updating with a project I made soon!

Well snap my bowtie and call me whiplashed!

2007-07-21T13:59:00.000-07:00

I know, quite shocking isn't? Me? Posting again so soon? I'm on a role folks.....

This weekend has been pleasant so far. Went up to the 'Northland' as we like to call it around here to visit a friend this morning. She recently moved into a new home and it's beautiful. I took the kids while Handsome Hubby worked on the hardwood floor. Oh yes, the hardwood floor project continues. Getting the last coat to go on smoothly has been nothing short of a nightmare. Anyway, I made him take this picture of me with the kids as up until now I've not had one with them. (I'm always on the other side of the lens it seems.)

I finished up the front entryway project the other night. Well, as with any project in my home, it's never really finished. I would like to add a few smaller black flower pots next to the urns and fill them with some colorful flowers to make the area pop. I'm also on the hunt for a wreath but

I've not found anything I just love yet.

We added the wrought iron piece above the door and I think I like it. I'm just not 100% positive yet. We live in the 'burbs, hence the 'Suburban Momma' and many of the houses look similar, I'll admit it. In fact, we get static sometimes from our non-suburban friends about how we live in cupcake land, all the houses look alike. Adding the black iron piece is kind of my little way of making my home more distinctive. :)

What do you think, should it stay or should it go?

Me = Bad Blogger

2007-07-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

Seriously, where is the time going?

I've had to drive up to the office this week for a team meeting and I've had work related functions the last couple evenings. Happy to say tomorrow is the last day for the meeting so things can get back to normal around here. It is nice to see my work friends since we're all virtual we don't get together but a couple times a year. The team is spread throughout the US so it's a big production to get us all together.

With time to kill between meetings a friend and I went to a new(ish) outdoor shopping area near the office. They have a GREAT little children's store there called Marshmallow Kisses. I've shopped their store online but getting to go and see everything in person was a real treat. They have such adorable and I do mean ADORABLE stuff. If you're in or around the KC area you should check the store out at the Zona Rosa. I found several things I'm quite certain my kids can't live without :) as well as several great project ideas. One of which I hope to make this weekend and will have to post about if it turns out like I think it will.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

We've needed a new clock for our living room for quite awhile now. I wasn't sure what I wanted but during one of my weekly trips to Target I found this one on sale and just loved it.

I'm a big fan of using larger, more over sized objects to make statements rather then a bunch of tiny little pieces. I've found that sometimes the smaller pieces can looked cluttered if they're not grouped together properly. The shells on the top shelf are from Jamaica and are just seasonal. I'm constantly changing out my displays and I can say that this isn't one of my most favorite looks. Unfortunately I've not had time to get too creative over the past couple months. (Imagine that!)

------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm still working on my front entry projects. I painted the door black to match the urns but I need to do a few more things before I can call it done. Here's a little peek at one of the urns I talked about recently. Probably not new to you gardeners out there but my new favorite potting plant is the bright green sweet potato vine. As you can see from the picture it is such a vivid green and it's great for draping over pots. LOVE IT! I took this picture probably about a week ago and it's amazing how much the plants have grown since then.

I'm hoping to get the front entry project pretty much finished this weekend so maybe I can get some more pictures posted then.

----------------------------------------------------------------

And since I haven't posted any pictures of Big Brother lately here's one of him enjoying some some pool time last weekend.

Yes, mothers lock up your daughters this one's going to be trouble! :)

A Potpourri Post

2007-07-10T11:49:00.000-07:00

Forewarning: this is a bit of random post...

So I'm not sure what my deal is but lately I've been tearing up at the silliest things. I don't really think it's postpartum depression because I don't feel depressed when I get teary. (If that makes any sense.) I've just noticed that I get teary more easily and just as quickly as I tear up it passes.

For example, while reading this book the other night to Aidan I got teary. Seriously, I teared up over this book. Although this may be a touching story with a good moral, I don't think most would be moved to tears after reading it. I must say though that boy is so selfish. Poor tree!

Here's another example, every time I listen to the song 'Goodbye My Lover' by James Blunt I get teary. I have this downloaded and have heard it a million times before so why do I still tear up? In fact, although handsome hubs is not a James Blunt fan I all but forced him to listen to, then download this song onto his ipod. Curtly informing him he needed to be more sensitive. LOL
OK, to my defense though I have heard that this song is played at funerals more then any other song at the moment. Who knew?

Completely switching gears, I did not get much in the way of projects done over the weekend. I did manage to get the black urns placed at my front door. I'm really pleased with the plant selection I used and how they've turned out. Tonight I hope to get a start on re-painting the front door. I'll try to get some pictures taken once I've got the door painted so you can take a look. I really think it's going to look sharp.

For good measure I'm throwing in this funny picture of Delaney. I was busy snapping pictures the other day, so tickled to have her hair adorned in some girly way being as none of her bows will work (due to lack of hair) when I took this one. So adorable until you look down to discover her sending the most unladylike gesture.

Nice. What can I say? That's my girl!

More later!

Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

2007-06-28T12:38:00.000-07:00

I have decidedly resorted to desperate measures. But really, is it so weird that I've taped a picture of Jessica Simpson to my desk? After reading through the ever informative Us Weekly magazine I decided to pull a page from it to serve as inspiration. The picture is of the newly trim again Jessica Simpson (as if she was ever big). I have taped my inspiration up near my computer monitor so that I may be constantly reminded of my goal; LOSE THIS BABY WEIGHT! My hope is that having the slim, trim Jessica Simpson staring me down all day will make me less apt to bring snacks up from the kitchen.

I am headed in the right direction on the scale. I have been losing but not nearly as quickly as I'd like. My goal is to lose 15-20lbs over the next couple months. Secretly I'd love to lose 25-30 but I'm trying to maintain realistic goals so that it's not too overwhelming. I wish I could get back into running again. There was a time that I was running about 20 miles a week but that just seems way way way to ambitious. I'd be happy to be going for regular walks at the moment.

Last week over a lunch hour I made a quick trip to Steve & Barrys. Since I'm in transition with my weight I don't want to spend a lot on clothes but I do need a few wardrobe pick-me-ups to get me through the next month or two. If you have a Steve & Barrys nearby and are looking to pick up a few inexpensive pieces I suggest you check out Sarah Jessica Parkers 'Bitten' line. It's very inexpensive and I was able to find some stylish tops. I also found some flip-flops that are very similar to JCrew's but sooo cheap. They are having a sale right now 2 for $6! Word of advice though, they seem to run big, I bought 8's and should have gone with the 7's.

Here's a not so great picture of them.

This weekend we're going to spend some time out in the sun and handsome hubs and I are going out for a date night. Just dinner and a movie, just the two of us. We desperately need some adult time so I'm really looking forward to it. If I'm feeling inspired I think I might re-paint our front door and switch out the pots on either side of the door. I purchased two urns a few weeks back that would look nice. Just need to pick up some flowers from the nursery. Gosh though, it's been so hot here I'm wondering if there's anything left alive to choose from!

iPod download recommendations for the week: Hey Delialah, by the Plain White T's, The Boys of Summer (acoustic version) by The Eagles-Don Henley, and for more laid back fun in the sun don't forget Bob Marley's 'Stir it up' (nearly anything of his fits well)

Back at it....

2007-06-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

I've missed you my blog friends! It has been far too long since I've posted but over the past week or two I have been trying to jump in and read your blogs. Everyone seems to be keeping quite busy with summer activities!

I started back to work on Monday after only 6 weeks off. I know I should feel fortunate to have even had that much time off but I'll admit it's a bit difficult. Legally I could have taken a full 12 wks but unfortunately it would have been 6 wks unpaid and with the addition of my dearest Delaney we really could not swing it right now. It's going to be an adjustment getting used to paying for 2 kids in daycare.

Oh my darlin' Delaney

Delaney (aka Baby Sissy, Laney and Laneybug) was 6 wks old Monday which is hard to believe. She has started smiling at us and cooing which has been so fun. She'll have her 2 mo check up in a couple weeks and I'm anxious to see how much she weighs now.
Big Brother Aidan is adjusting well to having Baby Sissy in the house and likes to give her pecks on the cheek.

Project Updates
My home office project has been at a bit of a standstill as adding the hardwood floor into the dining room, then finishing it as well as re-finishing the existing has been a huge undertaking.

Here is a 'before' shot of the dining room. This was after Handsome Hubby laid the new hardwood down but before it was finished. As you can see the room is not very large so when it was carpeted it really seemed to cut the room off since it was surrounded by hardwood in the entryway and kitchen. (Not sure what that little bubble in the upper right hand corner is but it's something goofy with my camera.)

Here it is nearly finished. If you look closely you'll see that we still have to re-add the quarter round trim to the baseboard and then touch up the molding with a fresh coat of semi-gloss white paint.

The table is an antique my mother bought for me. It was originally a walnut color which I generally like but I decided to paint it black. Since I just brought the table back with me on my little jaunt up to Iowa last week, I've not yet had time to find chairs for it.

Here's what I have in mind...

This is one of my faves. I like the texture, and the mix of black and browns. I've tried to intermix blacks and browns throughout my house and these have received great reviews. They're from Target and are only $79.99 a piece.

This chair is at Amazon.com and is also a steal. I like the distressed black and think it too would compliment the table.

I like this one as well however I'm a bit concerned it'd be too much black.

I'd love to get your input on which you think would look best!

In my next post I'll have to share pictures of our living room. We had new carpet installed and I think it's looking quite nice if I do say so myself. :) 'Til then happy hump day!!

***Update: Just noticed Head Hen from Runnin' the Roost asked in a comment earlier what I do for living that allows me to work from home. I'm a Project Manager and fortunately due to the nature of my postion I am able to work full time from my home office. I wake up everyday feeling so fortunate for my job and being able to work from home.***

I'm still alive!

2007-06-21T12:55:00.000-07:00

Hello all! So sorry for the lack of updates. The past 2 weeks have been crazy around here. Lot's of projects plus a trip up to Iowa to see family has taken my attention temporarily away from my blog. I go back to work this Monday (boo hiss!) so I will be back on my computer more often and will start posting again.

I'll have a lot of pictures to share with you all! Until then take care!

Home Office Projects

2007-06-08T13:22:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I've been working on a few home office projects and was finally able to take a couple pictures yesterday.

This is the clipboard project that I talked about doing awhile back. I've got two more that I need to hang somewhere but I love how these turned out. I purposefully used contrasting patterns for a bright pop but tied them all together using the same ribbon across the top and bottom. I plan to clip notes and/or pictures to them. (For instructions on how to make these clipboards please see my post from April 30th.)

This is the bulletin board that I orginally posted 'how to' instructions and pictures of on March 13th. I had since decided I wanted some brighter and when I stumbled upon this fun green print at Walmart of all places I knew that's what I wanted. I love apple green color accented with black and I added the polka dot ribbon to trim it out.

I've worked on a few other little projects for the office as well that I'll have to share later. I'm anxious to add my new desk but I hate to even mention it to Handsome Hubby since he's in the middle of the big hardwood floor project. I'll take some pictures of that project to share with you too. He has finished laying down the hardwood in the dining room, next step is to rent a big sander to sand it and the rest of the hardwood. Final step will be staining. Still trying to decide how to maneuver that with the kids.

Nothing too exciting planned again this weekend. It's gorgeous out so we'll probably be outside alot. Likely we'll have a few beers and visit with the neighbors tonight. Tomorrow night we're planning to go over to some friends house for a BBQ. Other then that, not much else officially planned. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

2007-06-07T08:58:00.000-07:00

So sorry for the lack of posts as of late! It's been a whirlwind here made especially so by the fact that Big Brother has been home with me this week. His daycare provider is down in Mexico on vacation likely basking in the sun as I type. How envious I am!

I can't believe it but Baby Sissy is already over 3 weeks old now! She's growing like a weed and is more and more alert each day. The sad thing is that means I'm already halfway through my maternity leave. I'm only taking 6 weeks and have to return to the ol' grind on June 25th.

Last week a received the most adorable monogrammed burp cloth made by none other then the lovely Workin' that Preppy. If you've not checked out her blog you must! She owns a monogramming business and is currently in the process of setting up a shop on Etsy. I can't wait for her to get it up and running and I will be sure to let you all know when she does. Not only is she super talented but she is kind and thoughtful. What a pleasant surprise to receive this gift from her! Stay tuned for an update when her shop opens and in the meanwhile check out her blog to see some of the fabulous items she makes!

Good news on the camera front! I unexpectedly had a visit from the much loved FedEx man a few days ago. Canon fixed my camera and returned it to me in just over a week and at no cost! I can't even believe it! I'm wondering if perhaps instead of doing a recall on the camera due to all the issues with the LCD screens if they are just repairing them at no cost if they receive them into the service center.
I'm so happy to have it back and am ready to start snapping pictures!

My home office continues to slowly evolve. I've got a couple projects in the works and will post about them soon. Found this picture at Ballard Designs that would look just perfect in my office! Don't you just love the colors?!

Project pictures to come soon!

Fun Finds Friday

2007-05-31T08:02:00.000-07:00

So I picked up the 'Style Watch' edition of People magazine on my way out of Target last night and I've found several fun, pretty inexpensive finds that I've earmarked.

For my home office this would be perfect. Fashionation - Alarm clock/radio/iPod dock

I've sent them an email as I don't see how/where I can purchase it on their website but People magazine says it's $39.99.

If someone else is brighter then me (good chance of that) and sees where on the site you can actually buy it I'd love to hear from you smarty pants!

An inexpensive white 'go with anything' bag from Shop Suey Boutique. It's a great white bag to carry through summer but at only $32 it's inexpensive enough that if it starts to look dinghy you won't be heartbroken. The magazine features a few colors that are not on the website. I liked the yellow one until I saw the shade it was online, a bit to bright a yellow.

Oh, and if I could I would.....this sassy number can be found here at JCrew for $50. I like this one or even the black one but at the moment this would not be so cute on my post pregnancy bod. Maybe, just maybe, if I pray really, really hard I can sport this by the end of summer. :)

OK, so I didn't find this little guy in between the pages of People magazine but I did find it at Target recently and it's been put to good use. The Boon Frog Pod ($24.99) is a drainable bath scoop and toy/organizer and attach's to your shower. It currently resides in Big Brother's bathroom and is loaded with bath toys.

Speaking of fun summer finds, do any of you out there have a fun summer find or summer 'must have' item? I'd love to hear what it is!

I downloaded a bunch of new songs onto my iPod late into the evening the other night. I'm telling you, it's like reading a good book before bed. Once I start I can't stop! I just keep finding songs that I had forgotten about that I have to add. Anyway, have you heard Amy Winehouse's 'Rehab'? OMG, I cannot get that song out of my head! No matter how many other songs I listen too I always find myself singing it over and over again. Somebody help me! :)

We don't have any big plans this weekend which is kind of nice. Handsome Hubs does plan to work on the hardwood floor in our dining room tomorrow morning so I think the kids and I will head across the cul-de-sac to Savvy Momma's house to hang out for a bit. (I don't feel like being quarantined to our master bedroom again.) :)

Still no word from Canon on my camera....Grrrr.....

Have a great weekend all!

Yet another reason to lose it.

2007-05-29T16:59:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Hope everyone enjoyed the Memorial Day weekend. Some of my family came down to visit for the weekend. We had a nice time and it was so fun to see how much Big Brother enjoyed their visit too. It was also wonderful to have them meet Baby Sissy for the first time.

At the moment the kids and I have been quarantined to my master bedroom. Handsome Hubby is downstairs working a bit on the hardwood floor project. He pulled out the carpet that was originally in the dining room and is in the beginning stages of laying down hardwood flooring. When we had the house built we had all of the downstairs except the living and dining room laid with hardwood. I love the hardwood and hated having it in the dining room however it was going to be A LOT more to have it done at the time it was built so we just decided to wait. I simply cannot wait to get my camera back to start taking and posting pictures!

No word yet on the camera but it should have arrived at Canon's repair center sometime today. Hopefully I'll hear from them soon and hopefully it won't cost as much as I fear it will. Fingers crossed!

I went for another walk today with my friend Savvy Momma. I think we both would like to start going for our walks more regularly it's just been a challenge coordinating the kids' schedule to do so. I always feel so much better after I get out and get the fresh air.

I've got my eye on some adorable belts from the uber cool Preppy Potato which has inspired me to continue to try and eat less and walk more. :) Check them out!

Fleur de lis Collection - Presleigh Buckle w/ light green Fleur de lis icon

Bar Harbor Collection - Sarah Buckle w/ light green lobster icon w/green suede

Plain Jane Collection - Hampton Buckle w/ pink suede

On tonight's agenda; clean off office desk, charge ipod and download new songs, cuddle time with the kids. Ok, so the last one really isn't on my 'to do' list, it's an automatic! :)

Tomorrow's agenda; take Baby Sissy to get newborn screen, continue home office organizing, get hair highlighted. The stylist is coming to my house and Savvy Momma and I are going to both get our hair done. I'll have to give you the scoop on how I came about this little arrangement later. I've not had her do my hair before so I'm crossing my fingers on this too!

Talk to you soon!

Where to begin

2007-05-22T09:57:00.001-07:00

Do you know the feeling? The feeling when so much is going on, so much has happened that you don't even know where to begin? That's how I'm feeling right now. Since bringing Delaney home we have been busy, busy, busy. No surprise to anyone of course but it seems that time is moving at a different pace right now. Honestly, I've wanted to post for a couple of days now but have been overwhelmed with where to even start.

My darn digital camera.

First things first. It's with impeccable timing that my beloved little Canon PowerShot has decided to break down. I went to take a picture the other day and when I turned the camera on the LCD screen was white. I then noticed that there appears to be a crack down the middle, inside the screen. Now I must say, 1 1/2 yrs ago when I was researching this camera I read several reviews complaining about broken LCD screens. Did I heed these warnings? Oh no, I chose to ignore those comments and focused on all the other positive reviews I read.
I went to Canon's website and received an estimate online as to what it will cost to repair. They estimate it will be approximately $107 to repair. As much I as don't want to have to drop $107 into camera repairs right now it is still much less then buying a new one AND I can't not have my digital camera. Soooo, I guess I'll be getting it together to send to them sometime today. Boo hiss! This means I can't share any pictures with you all until it's fixed. Darn Canon.

My darling Delaney

Delaney is doing wonderfully. It's amazing to me but Handsome Hubby and I already can tell that there is a difference in her demeanor when compared to my son at her age. Her cries are more feminine and she seems more delicate. Handsome Hubby says he feels like he is already treating her more gingerly. She's a sweetheart and does fairly well through the night. She is waking about every 3 hrs to eat which hasn't honestly been that bad. I was sleeping so miserably the last couple months of pregnancy that this doesn't feel out of the 'norm'. I can't wait to be able to post some more pictures of her.

Never ending Projects

This past week in between Delaney's naps I have been working on several projects.

1. Pint-Sized Adirondack chairs & side table - Remember the kid sized Adirondack chairs I purchased at Michael's last month? Well, I finally finished painting them yesterday. Scheww! That ended up being a pain in the rear. I should have spray painted them rather then hand painting. Very time consuming. Anyway, I ended up painting them white but now of course am wishing I would have gone with the fun red I had originally considered. I think I will add a fun red flower pot to the table and that will be the punch of color it needs.

2. Home Office Projects - If you recall from one of my much earlier posts I included instructions on how to customize a bulletin board and I included a picture of one I made? Well, I found some super fun apple green white outdoor fabric at Walmart of all places and I decided that was more the look I was after for my office. So, I repainted the frame of the bulletin board black, then added my new fabric. I just bought some ribbon to trim it out but it's almost done and it looks great! I cannot wait to show you pictures.
I also spray painted black a light fixture that we had replaced from another room to now use in my office. I think it will look nice and using it makes me feel awfully resourceful! :) Now I just need to get Handsome Hubby to hang it for me. During my black spray painting frenzy yesterday I also painted a floor lamp and iron wall plaque. I plan to use both in my office. Again, can't wait to be able to take pictures to show everyone.

I have a long, long list of other projects I've got in the pipeline but I'll have to save those for another day!

Sorry no pictures on this post! I know I personally enjoy posts with pictures most so I hope to have some soon!

***Update - I posted this and left it for awhile then came back and re-read and it was just WAY too long. So, I trimmed down my project list for the sake of everyone's time today and will post more later!**** :)

And now we're complete.

2007-05-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

Hello All! Hope everyone is doing well and is getting ready to have a great weekend!

First to the most exciting news for us! Delaney Elizabeth arrived on Monday, May 14th at 3:02pm, weighing in at a whooping 9lbs, 9oz, 20 inches long. As they suspected she is a big girl and as we suspected she is just as cute as they come.

We arrived home from the hospital on Wednesday and time has been a bit of a blur ever since. Big Brother seems to be adjusting well for the most part. He has wanted to be held when he sees one of us holding her and he doesn't quite get the concept that we've got to be more careful around her but that will come with time, I hope! We think Baby Sissy looks a lot like he did when he was born except for the fact that she has blond hair and he had lots of darker hair. It will be very interesting to see how her look evolves as she gets older.

Although Baby Sissy was bigger then our first for whatever reason I feel like I'm recovering faster. I'm still sore and such but overall I feel like I'm able to get around better this time around and I'm not feeling as overwhelmed. I imagine this may change but for the moment I'm not feeling terribly overwhelmed or stressed. I'm trying to take it easy but that's a hard thing for me to do. The weather has been beautiful since we arrived back home and it just inspires me to be active. My body still is limiting me while I heal but I cannot believe how much better I feel overall then when I compare I miserable I was less then a week ago. I asked my husband if he realizes now (her big size) just how miserable I really was and that my near non-stop complaining at the end was justified. He assures me he does. :)

I must say there are signs that I have indeed lost my mind as I managed in my first trip out of the house by myself today to stop by Weight Watchers to pick up an information packet. I'm quite certain the WW reception thought I had lost my mind once she found out I had a baby Monday. Hey, I just wanted to find info on it and I happened to be driving by and decided to stop. Cut me some slack! :) I also managed a quick trip to Hobby Lobby to purchase some supplies for my office redo project and I finished out my 2 hr getaway with a couple of quick stops at some garage sales in my subdivisions annual community garage sale.

At the garage sales I picked up a little stool that I will be painting and placing next to Baby Sissy's crib and fun apple green handmade afghan for $2. I did see a little wooden dollhouse that was cute and could be fixed up to be really adorable. Apparently someone had come by earlier and bought all the little pieces for inside the house. The house itself was marked at $15.00 and the more I think about it the more I might have to swing back by tomorrow to see if it is still there. Hmmmmm.....

I want to thank everyone who left such kind comments on my 'Heading to the Hospital' post. It really means a lot to know that I've been fortunate enough to 'meet' such wonderful people through blogging. I can't wait to get caught up reading your posts on how things are going in your world!

Heading to the Hospital

2007-05-13T05:19:00.000-07:00

Tonight. Yes, we found out at my final drs appt on Thursday that I'm only at a 2 (sorry, perhaps TMI) so we've been advised to check in to the hospital tonight, Sunday night, at 8pm. They will then give me Cervidil to get the whole thing going. I'm getting nervous even as I type this. It was weird to wake up this morning knowing that tonight was the night.

My Mother arrived last night. She will be staying with Big Brother while we're in the hospital. Today will be a low key day. Here is what's left on my 'to-do' for today.

- Set up Big Brother's car seat in Grammy's car so that she can get around with him in a car she's familiar with.
- Show Grammy the easiest route to the hospital and to Big Brother's daycare.
- Set up infant car seat bases so that we'll all prepared to bring Baby Sissy home.
- Stop by drugstore to pick up variety of magazines for the hospital.
- finish outlining on paper Big Brother's 'typical' schedule for Grammy.
- finish packing my hospital bag

At my drs appt on Thursday they said I'm measuring at 41 weeks. They are concerned that she's going to be too big for me to deliver vaginally (sorry, I was trying to think of another way to say it w/out using the 'v' word). I'm just afraid that they may end up having to do an emergency cesarean and at what point would they decide that? I don't know. I just pray that she's not as large as they think she could be. When my Mother saw me last night she couldn't believe the size of my belly. She like a lot of kind people said that I'm mostly all belly. I guess that's a compliment. Honestly I'll take what I can get at this point. :) But hearing this kind of comment really only continues to feed my fear that this baby will be gigantic.

Please pray for a speedy and easy delivery and that Baby Sissy arrives a healthy and happy baby! I look forward to posting later this week with all the details. (OK, maybe I'll spare you ALL the details.) :) And I look forward to catching up on all your posts.

Ballard Designs Fun Finds

2007-05-09T19:38:00.000-07:00

5 days and counting down....I cannot believe how fast this week is going. My last week as the mother of 1. My last week of sanity. :) Monday seems to be just around the corner and if I find out tomorrow at my final drs appt that she is not showing signs of being on her way then I'll be going to the hospital on Sunday night instead of Monday morning. Ahh!

Super fun blogger Christy over at BonBon Boutique just posted about some neat totes available at Ballard Designs. Ballard Designs! How could I have forgotten about you?! Seeing one tote in particular that caught my eye, I, like any obsessive shopper scurried over to Ballard Designs to check out it out. I love Ballard Designs but had nearly forgotten about them as of late. Thanks for the reminder Christy! Of course, while scouting out the cute tote I managed to find several other neat items which has further renewed my love for them.

Sash Tote - Here's the tote Christy posted about that I think is really fun AND great priced. It's only $25 and you can have it monogrammed at no extra cost!! Hot dog! You can bet some of my friends with upcoming birthday's will be receiving one of these little numbers.

Cane & Damask Clipboards - Now if you've read one of my recent posts you'll see that I made my own clipboard similar in concept to this, however, if you aren't feeling particularly crafty buying one of these on sale for 19.99 certainly isn't a bad deal!

Hanging Label Holders - In the spirit of my latest project, my home office reorg, how about these fun and functional label holders. Set of 12 for 15.00, not too shabby if I do say so myself.

Cane Personalized Paperweight - What office would be complete without a punchy monogrammed paperweight? For 35.00 this would make a great gift for someone and the best part it comes in pink and green too!

Hope everyone is having a good week!

lulu belle custom handbags

2007-05-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Heather!

One of my favorite bloggers, Life with Lulu, is celebrating the third anniversary of her custom handbag business, lulu belle custom handbags! If you've not had the opportunity to read her blog or visit her handbag website you simply must! She has some of the most adorable handbags and GREAT fabric options to choose from. Heather is a stay at home mom that started this business on her own and it has grown through word of mouth. What an inspiration!

Here's an example of one of her handbags!

She also does belts! How fun!

Let the countdown begin. Oh, and bring on the hair bows!

2007-05-07T08:26:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official. At my appointment last week they confirmed I'll be induced on Monday, May 14th if Delaney doesn't make an appearance sooner. This is great news but I will be surprised if I actually make it through this week! Being a huge list maker I can tell you that I already have about 5 lists in the works. One list for all the work items I need to wrap up, another for personal 'to-do' items, a list of items to pack for the hospital, the 'people to call' list, etc, etc....

This past weekend Handsome Hubby left to go camping with a group of buddies. They went about 3 hrs south of here for their little trip and let me just tell you, I was nervous. I was nervous because 1. I think I could have this baby any day, 2. He was 3 hrs away and 3. I have barely enough energy these days to go up the stairs let alone chase my 2 1/2 yr old all weekend. However in the end all went well. The camping trip went great and Handsome Hubby had a good time. Big Brother and I spent the weekend together bonding and it turned out to really be a little blessing because I don't know much one on one time we'll have again together once the Baby Sissy arrives.

I'm not sure if it's the fact that I'm pregnant or what but my thoughts are so scattered these days. Here's another list. This one is of some of the random thoughts concerning me at the moment.

1. Will I actually make it through this week without the sudden and very much expected appearance of stretch marks on my belly?

2. How is it even possible that I don't have any stretch marks on this ever growing massive belly?

3. Is it normal to be obsessed with hair bows already? I mean, I've not even had my baby girl

yet however I have a LONG list on my Etsy favorites of bows that I'm adoring. Who knows, she might not even have hair but by golly will she have bows!

4. How I cannot wait to change out my profile picture on my blog. I took the picture about 2 months ago myself, holding the camera with one hand away from my face. It's not a flattering picture and the more I see it the more I dislike it. But, I do not want to take a picture at 9 months pregnant so I must wait.

5. What am I forgetting to do? I know there's something missing from my various 'to do' lists and I will probably agonize over it until I have no choice but to accept that whatever it is will have to somehow work itself out, whether or not I remember it.

6. Why am I so concerned about getting my home office in order right now. Right now of all times, just a week before I'm to have a baby? Is it really the nesting instinct I've heard people mention or am I just crazy?

7. I think I am just crazy.

OK, since I don't think I can bear to publish a post without some type of picture involved here are a few adorable hair bows I'm loving. If any of you have some great sites or places that you know of that sell 'must have' hair bows I'd love to hear from you!

Some that I already love.

DaintyDivasBoutique - is this not just the cutest thing ever?! This is a great seller on Etsy and I'm submitting an order today. I just have to.

Gracefuldesigns - perfect for my preppy little pink and green girl.

LittleMissPrissandCo - super fun little hot pink bow

Happy Monday!

Let the Mother's Day gift ideas begin!

2007-05-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

While perusing through my favorite daily blog reads today I came across this necklace that I just adore and had to share it with you all. This is a strong hint, hint to Handsome Hubby or any other beloved family member of mine that may be looking for a 'new mom' gift idea. ;) This necklace was featured on a great blog site, Cool Mom Picks and I just have to have it! Check out the little crown charm . So cute! Click here to reach the Give Simple website to check it out for yourself.
Use code COOLMOM (all caps) for 10% off your total order at Give Simple through June 1!

For those of you that aren't familiar with the blog Cool Mom Picks you really need to check it out. I've found so many great items on this blog!

Separately, I'm super excited for the arrival of a book I just ordered off of Amazon. I learned about this book awhile back on one of the many blogs I read. I'm so sorry I can't recall which one it was otherwise I'd give you a big shout out fellow blogger!

Anyway, this book is supposed to be so inspiring, and well, if you know me, I LOVE to be inspired. Just tracked the package and it has already arrived in the KC metro which means I'll for sure have it by the weekend. Woo hoo! Can't wait to open it up and start dreaming!

As you all know I've been slowly working on my home office. Since I work full time from my home office as a Project Manager I've decided that it truly is important that the space is one that inspires me and that I enjoy going to. For goodness sakes I have to spend 8 hrs a day in here, I'd better enjoy it right?! :)
Anyway, in the midst of everything else going on in my life right now I'm hoping that I'll get to slowly work on making it a space to love while I'm out on maternity leave. That way when I return from leave it'll maybe not be so difficult.

I ordered a few other things off of Amazon that I'll have to post about once I receive them.

Oh how I look forward to your visits little FedEx man.....

A little bit of this and a little bit of that

2007-04-30T14:14:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a good weekend! The weather did indeed turn out to be beautiful here over the weekend and I am happy to report that we spent much of our time outside enjoying it.

Still feeling inspired by the Pottery Barn console table setting I posted on Friday I decided to make my own little twist on it. Now, bear in mind this is a VERY loose translation of the look but I had to work with what I had. My front entryway is not large therefore I have just a small table next to the front door. The table is black so it's not the creamy white pictured on the PB table, however, the thing I loved most about the PB picture is the shiny silver mixed with the textured brown baskets and such.

This isn't a great picture but basically my very loose translation is that I added the textured brown basket on the shelf underneath which I am using to store the dog leash and other items that I might need as I run out the door.

The little silver/galvanized lanterns are a fun find from Target in their little 'Dollar Spot' near the front entrance of their stores. Although they're not nearly as cool as the big silver lanterns at PB they are still awfully cute and who can beat $1?!

I also added the glass cylinder with the black pebbles for some additional texture along with the faux green sprigs. I wanted to bring in some green for spring/summer and I really think the combination of the silvers/blacks/greens and browns is fresh for this time of year. I'm all about mixing the different textures together.

Another little project I worked on over the weekend involved a simple brown clipboard purchased from Office Depot. As I'm still slowly working on updating my home office I decided that I'd put a fun twist on a normally boring item.

I simply painted the ends of the clipboard in white, then decoupaged a pretty scrapbook paper to it. I then trimmed it out with some ribbon I picked up to match at Hobby Lobby. It was a simple as that!

Again, I apologize I'm not much of a photographer but this gives you an

idea at least! I was thinking that it might be fun to make 6 or 8 of these clipboards in different patterns but keeping the same color scheme then hanging them in two rows on an office wall. It would be bright and fun and it would allow you to quickly switch out pictures, notes, artwork, etc but it could/would act as art itself. I can picture it but I may not be describing my idea well. If I end up doing it in my office I'll be sure to show you.

We did get the 'pint-sized' Adirondack chairs and side table assembled on Sunday however I have not painted them yet. I may try to work on that this week. I just need to decide if I want to paint them white or red. The chairs a bit smaller then I had anticipated but they are super cute nonetheless. Pictures to soon follow!

Finally Friday!

2007-04-27T06:32:00.000-07:00

The sun is shining, the forecast is calling for sunny skies, warm temps, my cold appears to be somewhat retreating, and it's FRIDAY! Happy times are here again.

This is where I wish I was going to be tonight. If I close my eyes real tight and imagine really hard I can completely picture myself sitting at this table tonight. In this little fantasy I am sipping a glass of wine (ok, several glasses), feeling the ocean breeze on my face and laughing with a table full of my friends.

Ahhh! This space inspires me today.

However, in reality this is where I will likely spend my Friday evening.

Yes, although I love my Costco I must say that times have certainly changed around here when a 'fun' Friday night out is now a trip to Costco to peruse the aisles and stock up on paper towels and t.p. In preparation for Baby Sissy's arrival I've decided it's pertinent that we stock up on a variety of items. I got the idea somewhere to stock up on things such as paper plates and the likes so that you don't have to deal with dishes in the first several weeks after bringing baby home. SOOO, the big Costco list for tonight includes mass quantities of; paper plates, napkins, plastic cups, garbage sacks, t.p., dishwasher detergent, and laundry soap. I know you're terribly thrilled to read this exciting list. :)

A few more things that I'm loving.....

I just love this look for summer. All the shiny silver mixed with the textured baskets and the clean creamy whites...yum!

Love, Love, Love this shade of blue. We need a new duvet and shams for our master bedroom. We've had the same bedding from our Wedding Shower which was close to 8 yrs ago! Our master bedroom walls are painted a warm shade of brown that I think would look so lovely with this blue!

This old fashioned bottle holder from Pottery Barn is so scrumptious. I love the idea of entertaining with this handsome little number.

I'm starting to feel better and definitely inspired so I'm thinking I'll be a better blogger again. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have more energy to do all the little projects I've been mulling around in my head.

Enjoy your Friday!

Baby Names and such

2007-04-25T15:18:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of her first initial. I purchased an unfinished wooden letter from Joann's Fabrics and painted it.

Well, believe it or not I think Handsome Hubby and I have FINALLY decided on a name for Baby Sissy. Actually, there's no turning back now as we've told most of our family and friends the name and with my love of all things monogrammed there's a strong possibility that something has already got her name on it!

Coming up with a girls name was a huge challenge for us. I'm not sure why it was so much more difficult then choosing our son's name. After countless rounds ('rounds' is a nice way of saying heated debates) with Handsome Hubby we finally came down to a name that we both liked. Ultimately we both wanted something a bit unique but not so much that it would leave people asking why we made up such a name.

Without further adieu.....drum roll please.....

Delaney Elizabeth

Delaney means "Of the Alder Grove". Not exactly an awe inspiring meaning however Elizabeth does have personal meaning to me as it is my middle name as well as my late Grandmother's middle name. I knew if I ever had a girl I would want her middle name to be Elizabeth. We seriously tossed around a few other names, one being, Loren, which also has special meaning to me. Loren is the name of my late Grandfather and I must admit I'm feeling a bit guilty and sad that we decided to not go with that name.

Switching gears, last weekend was fairly uneventful. Saturday was pretty much spent with friends and was a lot of fun. Sunday went down hill I'm afraid as I came down with a nasty head cold which resulted in a mini breakdown Sunday evening. My poor Handsome Hubby. Between being this far along in the pregnancy (translating to VERY uncomfortable) and the misery of a good ol' fashioned cold I was mess. This past week I've been drained but I think I may be on the upward swing.

This weekend is supposed to be beautiful so I'm hoping that my cold is gone by then so I will feel a bit more peppy. I would like to spend as much time as possible outdoors.

Oh! Nearly forgot! I found a children's sized Adirondack chair at Michael's over the weekend. They are unfinished, just what I was looking for, and came in a set of two which ALSO includes a little table. I would post a picture but I have the box hidden in my garage (ok, so my hubby reads this so much for being 'hidden') and Michael's do not have them for purchase online so I can't get a picture from their site. Nonetheless it was a GREAT DEAL! For the 2 chairs and the little table it was under 35.00. (I used my 40% off coupon from the Sunday paper.) Since the cats out of the bag now I think I'll try and put them together this weekend since it's going to be so nice out and perhaps even get them painted. I'll for sure post pictures!

Hope everyone is having a good week! Only 2 work days left til the weekend!

***Sorry for the weird spacing. I've been having issues getting my posts to reflect the paragraph spacing I've used. It just seems to revert to whatever spacing it chooses.***

Random This and Thats

2007-04-19T20:25:00.000-07:00

Wow! I've been such a terrible blogger this week! Where has the time gone?

This post will be full of random updates as it seems like there's been so much, yet so little, going on around here....

On the weather front:

It appears that my desperate plea to Spring worked! Can I get a HALLELUJAH? :)
It has been sunny and warmer and the weather forecast for this weekend is looking great! According to our 'now in good graces' weatherman, it is to be 80 and sunny on Saturday and 70's for as far as the eye can see. Yes, happy times have returned again. Last weekend in fact I managed to get a bit of a sun burn. (WOW!) While Handsome Hubby worked on landscaping projects and my son played with his outdoor toys I parked myself in the sun with a truck load of magazines. Boy did it feel good to have my feet up, soaking up the sun, reading my magazines. AND, as I promised in my plea to Spring I have already managed to go for two walks this week. No excuses this time! Although I must admit I was moving rather slow towards the end there.

On the baby front:

I just had my 35th week appt today and we've got news of sorts. It appears that I'm measuring a couple weeks ahead and that there is a good chance they will be inducing me on May 14th. Apparently Baby Sissy is measuring big which I'm not sure I quite understand. Well, I'm average sized, perhaps a bit taller then the average woman I guess as I'm about 5'7" so I don't really think that's it. So, we're blaming Handsome Hubby for her size as he is 6'6"!
We're trying to let the fact that she may be here in 3 weeks sink in. Just doesn't seem too far off now. Can I get another hallelujah?! ;)

On the decorating/project front:

As I promised here are some pictures of the little paper lantern mobile we've hung over Baby Sissy's crib. I think I really like it. I say I 'think' I like it because I'm really not sure how much she'll really enjoy this version of a mobile but it is awfully cute; more so then the pictures do justice. The center lantern is a brighter pink but the color is seeming to come off a bit strange in the photos.

We've also done a few other projects in the way of landscaping which I may have to take some pictures of this weekend to share.

Ultimately I foresee our projects slowing for the next few months as we adjust to life with a newborn again. However, with the beautiful weather and the fact that we love spending time outdoors I'm sure we'll be doing a few projects here and there. Last year I bought some plans on how to make a 'pint-sized picnic table'. It looks like it should be fairly easy to make so I'd love for Handsome Hubby to make that for our back yard entertaining area. I think my son 'Big Brother' and his friends would LOVE having their own little table to sit at when we entertain outdoors. I'd also love to find a couple of unfinished 'pint-sized' Adirondack chairs that I could situate near big brothers playhouse. I'd paint them in a fun bright red color! If anyone knows of a good place to find such a chair I'd love to hear from you!

Hopefully we'll get to these projects sooner then later and if we do I'll for sure be sharing pictures with you all!

And just for fun here is a picture of Big Brother from Easter weekend. He's such a little ham!

I promise to be a better blogger this week and will report back soon with all the weekend fun!

I've been tagged!

2007-04-12T06:08:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged for the first time by the lovely Heather M at Life with Lulu!! Funny thing is I've found that several of my responses are the same as hers.
This is so fun for me as I feel like this makes me officially part of the little blogging community! :) I'm tagging all my fellow bloggers out there!

Three Things That Scare Me:
1. Something happening to someone I love.
2. Not getting to see my children grow up - dying young
3. Cancer -I've lost loved ones to this horrible disease.

Three People Who Make Me Laugh:
1. My son
2. My dear friend Spanky
3. Almost anyone! I love a good sense of humor.

Three Things I Love:
1. Finding inspiration unexpectedly
2. The beach
3. Oh there is just so many things I love! I simply can't be limited to just three! :)

Three Things I Hate:
1. Inconsiderate people
2. People who think their car blinker is an optional feature
3. People who constantly state their opinions as facts. I like a person that can more often see both sides.
(I honestly can't say I 'hate' anything really. How about STRONGLY dislike?)

Three Things I Don't Understand:
1. Why there is so much hate in the world. Live and let live.
2. Math - yuck!
3. The lyrics to Billy Ocean's 'Caribbean Queen'. Seriously what is he saying?!

Three Things On My Desk:
1. BeautiControl - Sugar Body Lotion
2. Large cup filled w/ice (as w/my first pregnancy I'm obsessed w/crunching on ice which I'm sure is on someones 'Three things I hate' list!) :)
3. KU Jayhawks pen

Three Things I'm Doing Right Now:
1. Mentally mapping out my day
2. Blogging
3. Preparing to hop in the shower

Three Things I Want To Do Before I Die:
1. Travel the world
2. Try as many sports as I can and master at least one of them- sky dive, rock climb, surf, sail, snow board, run a marathon, and many more!
3. Touch as many people in a positive way that I can. Sounds a bit cheesy but that's what I want my 'legacy' to be.

Three Things I Can Do:
1. Multi-task
2. Talk to just about anyone
3. According to my Dad, 'Anything you set your mind to'.

Three Things I Can't Do:
1. A no carb diet
2. Watch shows that talk about or show cruelty towards animals
3. Cook well

Three Things I Think You Should Listen To:
1. Your gut instinct
2. The people that genuinely love you
3. Your kids

Three Things You Should Never Listen To:
1. That negative little inner voice telling you you're not good enough, smart enough, thin enough, etc...whatever it is that yours says.
2. Malicious gossip - unless of course it's inside the pages of US Weekly (just kidding!)
3. The song '(Don't Fear) The Reaper' by Blue Oyster Cult from their 1976 album. I think it's a hauntingly beautiful song but it freaks me out for some reason. LOL

Three Things I Would Like To Learn:
1. Speak Spanish fluently
2. How to sew something other then a straight line
3. To be more patient

Three Favorite Foods:
1. Chili's Southwestern Cobb Salad - minus corn relish & w/ honey mustard dressing
2. Pizza
3. Stuffed mushrooms. YUM!

Three Shows I Watched As A Kid:
1. Saved by the Bell
2. Facts of Life
3. Little House on the Prairie

Three Things I Regret:
1. Not pushing myself harder in high school and college
2. Being so self critical through my teens and twenties. Heck, I'm still too self critical!
3. Spending so much time worrying about things I can't control

That was fun!

Random 'Blogger 101' question: Ok Ladies, how do you add a link URL to your post but have the link named say 'Suburban Momma' or 'Life with Lulu' rather then just the URL address?(Hopefully my question makes sense.) It has got to be something simple but I just can't figure it out! Thanks in advance for your insight!

My Plea to Spring

2007-04-10T08:19:00.000-07:00

Dear Spring,

Where have you gone? It is obvious from your rapid departure that I have upset you in some way.

Was it the ill-fitting capris I was so eager to throw on at the first signs of you? The way I disregarded your non-committal nature so early in the season by aggressively planting all sorts of flowers in my flower pots? Or perhaps it was the way I so boastfully showed off my amazingly fast growing Peony plants to the neighbors? More likely it was the careless comments I threw around about how I would for sure be going for lots of walks once you arrived and the way I found excuses to do other things when you produced those sunny days.

Surely the whole midwest, no, surely the whole NATION, should not be punished for my transgressions!

If you return again soon I promise to not take you for granted. I will pack away those ill-fitting capris until I've spent more time going for those walks I promised you I'd take. I will consider your temperamental nature before further planting in my flower pots rather then assuming you're here to stay. I will be more humble with my 'amazingly fast growing' Peonies.

These things I promise you Spring. Just please come back, I implore you.

Desperately yours,

Emily

So easy you can 'Coast' right through it!

2007-04-09T19:22:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

As promised here is the coaster project. It's super easy and completely customizable to match to your own color scheme. I came up with this idea after having a hard time finding unique coasters for my living room. Also, my side tables are smaller and I only needed a couple of coasters, not the standard set of 4 or 6.

Items you'll need to get started:

-Mod Podge
-Tacky Glue
-Craft Paint in color of your choice - purchased mine at Hobby Lobby for .59
-unfinished wooden coaster base (I'm really not sure what the term is for this piece but I found them in two different sizes at Hobby Lobby in their unfinished wood section. I got the slightly larger size that was .99 but you can get a smaller version for 2 for 1.00.)
-decorative paper - I used scrapbook paper but you could use a leftover scrap of wallpaper, a favorite gift wrap paper, fabric, etc.

-felt - I used some leftover felt from my living room coasters which was approximately .25 for the piece.

How to guide:

1. Paint unfinished wooden base
2. Cut paper to fit top and adhere with Mod Podge to coaster base
3. Mod Podge over the entire coaster (sides and top) to seal the coaster and protect
4. cut felt piece to fit bottom of wooden base, adhere with tacky glue

Ta-da! You're done! It's really that simple!

Here's the one I made for the side table in Baby Sissy's room. I just needed one and it's custom made to match her room.

Here are the two I made for made for my living room. I plan to make some additional coasters to change out with each season. I'm thinking something brighter and fun for summer, perhaps a white wooden base with a simple seashell cut out decoupaged on top.

With the help of handsome hubby I was able to get the paper lanterns hung in Baby Sissy's room and I think it looks great. I'll be posting pictures soon.

On a side note, I have to send a big Congratulations shout out to my dear friend and neighbor, Savvy Momma http://savvymomma.blogspot.com/ who just had her baby boy today! She and I have seen each other through these second pregnancies and I'm so excited for her that he has finally arrived! We're planning to visit them tomorrow and I can't wait to meet him!

Is it my turn yet?! :) Nope, still have 6 weeks left to go!

Hurray for Friday!!

2007-04-06T12:29:00.000-07:00

My father and stepmother are coming to town this weekend. We don't have too much planned except perhaps a trip late tomorrow afternoon to the Rainforest Cafe. My son is obsessed with that place and it's not for the food let me tell ya! He just sits like a zombie at the table, taking in everything like it's the first time he's been there. It's one of the few sit down restaurants that I feel we can sit down and relax a bit with him as he's really good to stay put in his chair. At 2 1/2 yrs old he's still in awe over the big gorilla's, elephants and all the other animals that go crazy when the 'rainstorm' hits every 30 minutes. Although he says he's not scared and that they are just 'toy' animals, I'm pretty sure he is. He told me last night that he was going to hold Grandpa's hand at the Rainforest Cafe in case Grandpa gets scared. ;) hehehe He's such a funny little guy!

I have a great little project I'm working on in Baby Sissy's room that involves some very fun pink and green paper lanterns that I found at Old Navy of all places! I'm planning to hang them from the ceiling over the crib as a fun twist on a mobile so I'll be sure to post those pictures this weekend.

I also am working on making a coaster for her room so I'll show you that and include steps on how to make them yourself! Hopefully if I'm on top of things I can get these posted by the end of the weekend.

Happy Friday to all and enjoy the Easter weekend!

A Pregnant Woman's Beauty Plan

2007-04-04T09:07:00.000-07:00

It's something I nearly forgot from the first time around but there's no denying it, at least not for me. It's very hard to feel anything but frumpy and restless at 33 weeks pregnant.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am SO grateful that my pregnancy so far as not been riddled with complications and that my baby appears to be growing healthy and happily. I'm just feeling rather large, and definitely not in charge of my body.

Typically this time of year my head is swimming with thoughts of shopping for summer clothes, exercising to lose those extra pounds prior to the start of swimsuit season, and planning for all the glorious summertime fun that lay before me.

This year my head swims with thoughts of how it is even possible for my tummy to stretch further and our upcoming arrival. It's slightly depressing to see all the cute summer outfits knowing that it will very likely take me all summer to even begin to recognize my pre-baby #2 bod.

However, not one to sit around on my loins and feel sorry for myself for long I have decided to take action in anyway I know how. After reading Erin's latest post http://ladybugs-12.blogspot.com/ regarding her current sunless self tanner obsession I had to chuckle. I too have recently become a self tanner junkie.

In my personal quest to make myself feel more attractive and less frumpy for spring I have begun to use the two following products with faithful regularity.

I've found this to be a good product for a gradual, natural looking sunless tan. I use lotion for medium skin tones and it really looks pretty good. To shorten the whole apply then wait 'til it dries routine I just apply to the body parts that will see the light of day at this point (i.e my neck/shoulders/arms and from the knees down).

Nice white teeth are important. Period. End of story for me. It's one of the first things I notice about a person and even if they've got everything else going on, if their teeth are yellowed/grayed or in generally bad condition it's hard for me to get past it.

About 6 years ago I 'splurged' and went to the dentist to be fitted with trays for a professional teeth whitening. This was just before the big teeth whitening obsession hit the nation and I must say I reveled in my brilliant whites. I can't tell you the number of compliments I received on my smile AND how nice it felt for the ol' self esteem. Sadly, and very randomly I might add, my very large Golden Retriever managed to get a hold of them off my bathroom counter and chewed them to pieces! How strange is that?! I later learned that for whatever reason this is not that uncommon occurrence. Hmmmmm....I digress.

Other 'Beauty' shout outs:

- Going to get spa pedi's at the various strip mall nail salons. For $25 to get an hour in the massage chair, time with a magazine or friend and fresh sparkly feet you can't beat it! If you've not gone out to get your spring pedi I recommend you don't delay! You deserve the treat!

- Clean & Clear Oil-Absorbing Sheets -another nod to Erin over at 'Ladybug's Picnic' as she recently raved about this product. I too love this product. If you even get the slightest bit oily you've got to give these a try. The sheets absorb soooo much better then the regular old tissue kind. Only around $4 you've got to give them a try especially with summer just around the corner!

- Bare Escentuals - i.d. bareminerals foundation and i.d. bareminerals warmth. A friend turned me onto this product and I have grown to LOVE it. I get a great smooth, silky finish and the 'warmth' powder adds the perfect amount of color to my face.

- Bath and Body Works - ILE DE TAHITI body lotion and spray in Tiare Flower. It's such a fresh, light scent for spring. It's funny, my OB dr always seems to comment on how lovely a scent it is at my bi-wkly appts with her. (I don't think she obviously remembers that she's mentioned it at my past 3 appts.) lol

I have several other products that I love but I'll have to save those for another post as I've already been too long winded!

Hope everyone is enjoying their hump day!

I love Etsy

2007-04-03T11:00:00.000-07:00

Two posts in one day can you believe your eyes?!

If you've not had the opportunity to check out Etsy I highly recommend you do! Etsy describes itself as 'Your place to buy & sell all things homemade'. I personally have found so many things I'd love to get and give from here and I think you'll find the same!

Here are some items that I'd love to get for Baby Sissy.

Vermont Fairies - Wee Bird in Felted Nest $9.00 - http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5607787

This would be so cute sitting on a shelf or side table.

Soft Texture Baby and Toddler Blocks - $32.00 for set - http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5301276

The colors can be customized and I'm thinking more pinks and greens to match her room but these are super cute as shown!

Flying Love Bunnies 8x10 Print - $15.00 - http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5293473

I love the bright pinks. Would be adorable matted and framed in white.

Personalized Minky Throw Pillow - $29.50 - http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5635912

These pillows can be customized with different colors and of course different monograms. I think this would be super cute on Baby Sissy's pink chair. I'd order it with the green pom-poms as shown but with a bright pink monogram.

Pink and Green Beanie - $10.00 - http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5206353

How cute is this?! I can't think of a single little girl who wouldn't look beyond adorable wearing this beanie.

There are really so many more neat, unique items on Etsy that you have to check out! It's a fantastic place to find one of a kind gifts, jewelry and anything else you can imagine.

I'll post soon with some hip momma must have items from Etsy!

The Great Diaper Bag Debacle

2007-04-02T13:48:00.000-07:00

Ebay - Friend or Foe?

I recently purchased a 'Buy Now' item off of Ebay from what appeared to be a very reputable seller. To give you an idea this seller has well over a 1,000 feedback remarks and it's 100% positive.

After having lost the diaper bag I truly wanted via the Ebay 'swiping' bid process, I decided to purchase this one. Based on the description of the bag, "Pottery Barn Kids Classic Diaper Bag, Bright Pink and Green, Brand New With Tags" and the picture provided I thought it was cute, practical and I loved the bright pink.

Here is the picture that was provided:

Here is what I received.

Now, don't get me wrong, I do think this green bag is cute, especially now w/my monogram on it, BUT, this bag was clearly not shown in the picture provided. Based on the picture provided and the sellers description the bag I purchased was the bright pink one.

I quickly replied to the seller that I thought there must have been some mistake as the bag I received did not match the picture provided in her listing, in fact the bag I received was not in the picture she provided at all! She responded back that bag was indeed featured in the picture she provided and that her name 'Holly4390' was watermarked over the bag.
Now, I've looked at that picture at least 20 times at this point and the bag that has 'Holly4390' partially written over it is clearly a green bag with blue trim, STILL not the bag she described to be selling OR the bag she sent me. Beyond frustrated at that point I responded back pointing out the seemingly obvious. Her response was 'I believe the bag I sent you to be the bag pictured'. What kind of response is that?!!! 'I believe...' The bag was very clearly not the same bag she described or sent me.

To make a very long, frustrating story short she ultimately refused to acknowledge that her listing was misleading and inaccurate and would not let me send the bag back for a refund. Instead she refunded me $10 off the bag.

Had she responded back to my first email apologizing for the confusion and acknowledging her mistake, perhaps even offering the $10 off at that point I would have probably let it drop. I honestly didn't want to deal with the hassle of repackaging the bag and sending it back and I am a very reasonable person. However, the fact she refused to acknowledge her error and her comments like 'I believe it to be the same bag' were ridiculous and extremely frustrating.

I've seriously thought about reporting her to Ebay, and may still do it as an FYI to them. Obviously I decided to go ahead and have the bag monogrammed so my reporting her to Ebay wouldn't be with the intent of trying to get a refund on the bag. I did accept her $10 off offer, clearly stating to her that this was in no way me agreeing that her. I stand very firmly on the fact it was misleading and inaccurate but I felt I had really no other choice as she repeatedly said there was no error on her part and she would not let me return the bag for a refund.

My dilemma: I would really, really like to leave her the negative feedback she deserves as a way to alert other potential buyers but I'm fearful quite honestly that she'll leave negative feedback for me. Although my email responses to her were always professional I'm concerned that if I were to leave negative feedback she'd do the same just to be spiteful or something.

What do you think I should do?

You Simply Must

2007-04-02T07:30:00.000-07:00

After seeing the commercials I just knew I had to try 'em! I searched high and low and finally found them at Super Walmart of all places. It's the Hostess Cupcakes 100 Calorie Packs and boy were they worth the search!

On the day I finally got my poor swollen fingers (have a mentioned I've only got 7 wks left to go?) on these delectable little treats a friend of mine surprised me by dropping by with a couple boxes. I had ranted to her about how I had to try them and knowing I was a pregnant woman on a mission she found some at our local Dillon's grocery store. How sweet of her!

Who knew but apparently they are so popular the stores can't keep them on the shelves!

I've now tried the golden cake/chocolate icing and the chocolate cake/chocolate icing and I have to say that my fave is the golden cake. They even have the creamy filling!

If you go to http://www.hostess100.com/ you can get a coupon for a $1.00 off. I guess the trick is finding a store that has 'em in stock!

You'll have to let me know if you like them too!

A Big Hearty Thank You

2007-03-26T20:04:00.000-07:00

I'd really like to thank all of you who have left such kind comments. I can't tell you how exciting it is to receive them and how much I appreciate hearing from you!

Being such a new blogger I especially love and appreciate the fact that anyone might enjoy reading my blog and I do have to admit I love hearing from the people that do. It makes it so fun!
I myself am trying to be better at commenting on the various blogs I read as there are so many inspiring and fun bloggers out there that deserve to hear so!

Corners of My World

2007-03-26T18:48:00.000-07:00

Big Brothers Room

Over the Christmas holiday Big Brother was moved from what is now Baby Sissy's room to his 'brand new' big boy room (former guest room). We painted the walls in a khaki color so that we could use the bold primary colors w/out overwhelming the space. Although the room is not huge it feels more spacious with its vaulted ceilings.

The bedding, a turtle duvet and bright striped quilt are from Pottery Barn Kids. The canvas picture is one I found at Target for only 39.99 and immediately knew I had to have for his room. I made the curtains (hence the lack of close up pictures) :) I found some adorable red star tie backs from this great store http://www.thecompanystore.com/ for kids, that I'd like to use for the curtains.

Eventually we'd like to get him a bed similar to this one except in white. I like the idea of a trundle for future sleep overs with his buddies and for when we have guests.

My husband made the little table modeled after the PBKs Carolina table. The little red chairs I picked up at an antique store in Iowa and decided to spray paint red to match his room. They are old school chairs and I bought them for only $15 for both!

The blue chair in the back ground is a garage sale find. It too was quite a deal, it swivels and rocks and I picked it up and another matching chair for under $25 total. The chair was a horrendous orange velvet but it has great bones and was in good condition so I had it slip covered and ta-da it's new again!

The little 'A' pillow was a recent find at the Home Goods store. If you have a Home Goods store in your area you really do need to check it out. There are some great finds to be had but it is the type of store you need to frequent as the selection changes constantly.

Eventually I'd like to add some gallery style white frames along the wall on the right (next to the table) for Big Brothers art projects. He's already bringing home some cute pictures done at daycare! (Shall we pause for a proud momma moment?) :)

As with nearly every room in my home this one continues to evolve. The overall feel is there but I have plenty of tweaking I'd like to do in the future. For example, there is a large plant shelf above the closet that is a bit of an awkward space. I think I'd like to start slowly collecting some vintage globes at antique and junk stores for the plant shelf. Not only would they look great grouped together but they could be used educationally too.

I'll be sure to post some additional views of his room in the future and pictures of any tweaking I do to the room.

Hope everyone is having a great start to their week!

Baby Sissy's Side Table & More

2007-03-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

Well he did it! My handsome hubby finished the much anticipated side table for Baby Sissy's room. I think it turned out fabulous and already have more projects lined up for him as a result! I'm sure he'll be more then pleased to hear what my ideas are. LOL

I also have the curtains hung in this picture which I don't believe I had up in my earlier pictures of Baby Sissy's room.

One of the projects I've added to handsome hubby's 'honey do' list is a dollhouse bookcase. There is a small section of wall situated between two doors that is begging for something special.

I'm envisioning something similar to this except I'd paint it white and perhaps paint the back 'wall' color a pink to match the curtains. What do you think? Cute huh? This would give us a great place to hold her many children's books and other cute decorative pieces that every little girl collects.

Speaking of, I love of children's books, especially those with great illustrations. In fact, I think framed pages of a beautifully illustrated book makes GREAT wall art! Something I always like to keep an eye out for.

Another 'honey do' project I'd love for handsome hubby to make is a step stool for next to Baby Sissy's crib. I promised her big brother that I'd get a little stool for him next to her crib so that he could peer in at her too. For that project I'm envisioning something similar to this, or perhaps something even more simple in design.

I feel so fortunate to have a husband who understands (for the most part) my love of decorating and can appreciate (most of the time) all the ideas and projects I have going in my head. I think the key is that he realizes that it's something that I truly enjoy doing. Earlier in our marriage I don't think he understood it as it was obviously not something he was particularly passionate about. As time has passed and as he has seen our house evolve and the joy it brings me, he has come around. Either that or he's just given up! :)

From the Department of Clever Ideas

2007-03-20T12:26:00.000-07:00

Size It Closet Organizer

I found this idea on another blog and had to check it out for myself. The 'One Step Ahead - Size It Closet Organizer' is a great idea for parents of young ones.

Brand new...and too small already? What a shame! Sometimes the cutest outfits end up in the back of the closet, and your child outgrows them before they're even worn. These clever dividers allow you to organize your child's clothing by size, so you'll never overlook another darling ensemble. Includes five plastic dividers plus 15 removable labels that will take your little fashion plate from newborn to size 8. Colors may vary.

With our first we had received so many adorable outfits, unfortunately many were never worn due to the fact that he outgrew them so quickly and several weren't in the weekly rotation and were missed. Had we had his closet organized with these we would have known exactly what we had in the say, 3-6 month rotation and would have used them all.

The 'Size It-Closet Organizer' comes with five blank room dividers and 15 removable labels includes labels for sizes 'newborn' to 'size 8', plus six blank write-on labels and can be purchased for just $6.95 at http://www.onestepahead.com.

Mother's Little Helper

2007-03-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

Behold the Bumbo

Not around just 2 1/2 yrs ago when I had my first child, the Bumbo has apparently become one of the 'must have' items for any new parent.

"The Bumbo Baby Seat is a snug and cozy environment for your baby. This revolutionary infant chair is uniquely designed according to the baby’s posture. The Bumbo enables babies to sit upright all by themselves! Bumbo Baby Seats are suitable for babies from as young as six weeks (or as soon as they can support their own heads unaided) to an age of approximately fourteen months.
This award winning infant chair is manufactured to the highest safety standards from low-density foam material, which makes it lightweight and portable. It is soft and comfortable for the baby, safe, hygienic and nontoxic. The integral outer skin of the material is durable and easy to clean."

After digging a bit further I was surprised at all the positive reviews I've read about this little wonder seat. You can buy your Bumbo at Target, Babies R Us, www.bumboseat.com and several other online sites. Most cost around $40, a small price to pay for a happy baby I think.

And, yes, this is on my wish list!

The Too Cute (and practical) Project

2007-03-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

Decoupage Bucket Project

Picture frame I matted to match

After deciding I wanted something fun and pretty for storage in Baby Sissy’s room I decided to take on a decoupage bucket project. The bucket turned out so well that I have several more in the pipeline.

Supplies Need:

- 1 galvanized bucket – purchased mine from the garden center area at Home Depot – cost approx 7.00
- Scrap book paper, leftover wallpaper, or pretty wrapping paper – I used scrap book paper from Hobby Lobby – cost approx 1.50. I do recommend that you use dark colors and/or a ‘busy’ whimsical pattern like I selected for my featured bucket.
- Mod Podge

How To Instructions:

1. Cut paper to fit height of bucket
2. Center paper between the side seams of the bucket so that each 'side' looks even.
3. Use Mod Podge to adhere paper to bucket, modify fit at this point if necessary, while the glue is still wet.
4. Repeat around the bucket, overlapping as you go. Remember precision and perfection are fruitless here but overall symmetry is important.
5. Let paper dry a bit then apply a liberal coating of Mod Podge over the bucket to seal it.

There are so many fun uses for this bucket be it a beverage tub for your next party, a diaper caddy, mail catch-all, or for magazines. The list of uses is endless.
I have a fun one in mind for my son's room. Once I finally get around to making it I'll share it with you.

Side Note: The bucket liner is one I bought from Pottery Barn Kids for 2.99! I ordered several more for future buckets but these would be super easy to make with fun, coordinating fabric if you are even just a tad handy with a sewing machine.

In the works: Diaper Case, fun coasters and a couple of 'secret' projects I'll reveal later.

Have a great weekend my friends!

Great Gift Ideas

2007-03-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

If you're hunting for fun and unique gifts for children eeBoo is a fabulous place to start. There are so many cute products I don't even know where to begin. http://eeboo.com/startpage.php

About eeBoo: eeBoo is about producing beautiful, useful and well-made products for children. Using only the original art of well-known and well-loved children's book illustrators we create vibrantly original toys and gifts that hopefully children will affectionately remember.

I particularly love the Wall Cards and think they'd be great for Baby Sissy's room. They are large sized at 8x10 and are printed on heavy card stock. I think framed and matted they'd look adorable on the wall!

I also love their Tot Towers. They too come in a variety of styles and are currently on sale for $19.95, down from $24.95.

Also fun is their selection of Matching Games, Flash Cards and Party Games.

Happy hunting!

A little at a time...

2007-03-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

Bulletin Board Project

Supplies Needed:

- basic bulletin board - I purchased mine from Target. It's 48 x 24 inches and had a simple unfinished wood frame. cost - 12.99
- Acrylic Paint - (color of your choice). I chose 'Burnt Umber', brand Apple Barrel, purchased at Hobby Lobby. cost - .50
- 1 yard of fabric - (fabric of your choice). I chose a pink paisley print from Hancock's at 50% off. cost - approx 5.00
-4 yards of trim - (trim of your choice). I purchased brown trim from Joann's as they had a good selection. cost - approx 3.50

How to Guide:
1. Paint unfinished frame
2. To recreate simply cut your fabric to size of the cork board (inside frame).
3. Staple or use clear tacky glue to adhere to cork board.
4. Cut trim to proper length for all four sides and adhere with tacky glue.
4. Hang and enjoy!

Total project cost - approx 22.00 Total time spent - approx 45 mins

If simple clear or silver thumbtacks don't appeal to you, especially used on such a pretty bulletin board, there are a couple of great sites and options for decorative pushpins, www.jimclift.com and www.ballarddesigns.com .

Home Office Decorating

I decided in the midst of working on Baby Sissy's room that I also needed to begin working on revamping my home office. Truth be told I have worked full-time from my home office for nearly 1 1/2 yrs and have hardly done a thing to it; not typically my style as I love to decorate. Surely I could have found time in the past 1 1/2 yrs to decorate this space right? Wrong. I'm sad to say this room as been sorely neglected as I've spent time decorating and re-decorating other rooms of my home. So, because my timing couldn't be better (snicker, snicker) I've begun work on this room.

I will blame this latest endeavor on the maternal nesting instincts that commonly come out in the later stages of pregnancy, combined with my '2007 Mission Organization' goal. Inspiration came after perusing one of my favorite blogs http://jeanettes.typepad.com/. Aside from having many great ideas herself, her 'Studios that inspire' truly does inspire this Suburban Momma.

My home office is actually a sitting room off of my master bedroom. It's the perfect size for me and has a ton of potential. I will be posting some 'before' shots soon and then pictures of the room as it progresses.

Baby Sissy Room Update - Due to some unforeseen things that came up last weekend my handsome hubby was unable to work on Sissy's side table. However, fret not as he has begun work on it today which I hope means it will be done and ready for some fresh white paint by the weekend. More pictures to come my friends.

Have a great day!

Fun Find Friday

2007-03-09T06:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday to all!

It's Friday morning and I couldn't be happier. After a terrible nights sleep I'm ready to get this work day done and over with and start the weekend!

Last night we picked up the supplies needed for my handsome hubby to make the side table for Baby Sissy's room. He plans to work on it this weekend so hopefully I can post some new pictures soon.

I'm working on a bulletin board project for my home office and plan to post some pictures for you with instructions by the first of next week. The project is coming along nicely so far and I think you'll find it super cute!

Fun Find Friday item: Found this cute tote at Old Navy this past week for only 10.00, down from 20.00! I think it's super cute with its brown and khaki color combo...perfect neutral tote to carry this Spring.

Corners of My World - First Installment

2007-03-06T07:37:00.000-08:00

Baby Sissy's Room

Here in suburbia my family has been busy preparing for the arrival of our newest addition, a little girl, who my son has affectionately dubbed 'Baby Sissy'. We are still tossing around baby names, who knew naming a girl would be such a challenge!

Since finding out that we were having a girl I have been busying myself with plans for the nursery. I do not like themed nursery rooms as I grow tired of those kind of looks, aside from the fact that they tend to out-date themselves quickly. I do however love the idea of getting to use pinks and greens and other 'girly' colors for her room.

Bearing in mind that this is a room in progress above are some pictures of what we've done so far. Had I been thinking I would have taken some 'before' shots.

Previously my son's room, the walls are a suede color from the Ralph Lauren paint collection. Since we decided to add the chair rail and molding below we felt like the tan walls could stay the same as pink walls with the pink bedding, pink chair and pink curtains would a bit too much. The crib bedding is Pottery Barn Kids, from the Kelly collection.

To Do List:

1. Side table for next to chair - my husband is going to build a little side table. It will be a simple, white table with open shelves to store two seagrass baskets. I plan to add a simple lamp, and some accessories.

2. Formally 'dress' the wall shelves - I need to add photos to the frames and some additional accessories. I made the frames, the matting, and will show you how you can do the same in an upcoming post. Super cute and super easy!

3. Finish hanging curtains - I do not have a picture yet but we have already begun by hanging the rods as well as two panels. I bought 2 sailcloth panels, in Bright Pink, from Pottery Barn Kids and wanted to see how they looked with the other pink in the room before I commited to buying all 4 panels. I think they're going to work so I'll be heading back to PBK's to pick up the rest.

4. Add cute pillow & throw to chair and ottoman - in the picture I've posted I have a little pillow and throw on the chair, however, these will not be staying. I just wanted to get an idea of how it will look. Not sure what I'll find in the way of a pillow so I may end up making one.

5. Lastly, add some artwork to the walls

I'll be sure to post additional pictures as the room progresses.

2 1/2 months left and counting before the rooms occupant arrives!

A Work in Progress

2007-03-06T07:34:00.000-08:00

While I'm still working to get familiar with my blog site and all it can do, I have been drafting future posts. I need to take some additional pictures for those posts so hopefully I'll have them posted later this week.

In the works:

1. 'Corners of my world' - pictures of different areas/rooms in my house that I've decorated or am working on decorating. I've seen this idea on another blog and thought it was a fun and with all the decorating and re-decorating I do there should be plenty to feature!

2. 100 things about me list

3. Pictures and 'how to' instructions for projects I've made or am planning to make

4. Fun shopping finds There are some many other ideas but those are a few that I'm working on right now.

Stay tuned!

Making Formal Introductions

2007-03-06T07:24:00.000-08:00

I suppose before we get started I should formally introduce myself!

I'm a 31 yr old wife, mother of soon to be two. I've been married for 7 yrs to a terrific man and we have a 2 1/2 yr old son named Aidan. We are currently expecting our second child, a girl, with only 2 1/2 months left to go! We live in the suburbs in a house we had built about 5 years ago. We enjoy working on projects around the house, spending time as a family and spending time with our friends.

I work from my home office doing project management for a company I've been with for 9 yrs. Often times when people hear this they assume that I keep my son home with me during the day. Unfortunately that's not the case. I would not be able to get my work done if I had him home with me so he goes to daycare. I plan to continue working after I have my daughter in May.

I feel so blessed to work from home, especially at this time in my life. My job is relatively low stress, does not require much travel and my commute is non-existent which allows us to avoid a true morning rush to get ready and gives us more time to spend together during the week nights.

I can truly say that most days I wake up realizing just how fortunate I am. I am so grateful for my life, for my loving and might I add handsome husband and my adorable, healthy son.

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. - Jane Howard (1935-1996)

Humble Beginnings...

2007-03-01T11:49:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally did it! After tossing around the idea of doing it I finally started my own blog!
I am admittedly 'new' to the blog world. I discovered the world of blogs about 6 months ago and have been hooked reading them ever since. I have several favorites that I enjoy reading on a daily basis and am always excited when I stumble upon a new one.

Ultimately I have my lovely neighbor friend to thank for finally taking the plunge. After ranting and raving to her about all the blogs I love to read she decided to start her own. What a concept! She made it look so easy and so obvious a thing to do.

I'm not certain where I'll go with this blog. I have so many ideas floating in my head. Ideas about things I've made, or could make, things I've done to decorate my home, things I'm planning to do, fabulous 'must haves' I've discovered or just random everyday things. My blog will probably cover them all!

Shall we begin?